Love Letter: To Athens my Soul City

On my first trip to Athens, I fell in love with the city and all of the visits since have renewed the unspoken vows we share over and over again.  I never leave Athens the same and I never know when I will return but I always know, I will.

After being on the phone with the airline for the better part of two hours, having talked to three different customer service agents, being hung up on twice and finally transferred to a supervisor, it was happening, I was officially headed to Greece.

In the fall of 2013, after packing up and driving across the country to start graduate school, I quickly found myself making plans to go abroad for a class turned internship. Two weeks before I was set to leave, I got a call that plans had changed and if I could make it work; I could be a part of a different opportunity in Athens, Greece. I didn’t have to think about it. I immediately said “YES!”  With my plans set and bags packed, I left for Greece. Connecting through NJ and Paris, the waves of anxiety began to build at every stop.  I was going abroad to country where I didn’t speak the language, to meet up with people I’d never met and be an intern for a project in a field that I had only just began to study. But as soon as I arrived, every worry I had completely melted away.

I landed in Athens and made my way through passport control and found my way to the taxi stand. Sitting in the taxi, I marveled at the view around me. It was strange because I immediately felt at home. I’d been traveling since I was young but never had I felt an instant connection to a place. Gazing out of the window filled with views of beautiful landscapes, stunning homes, modern and ancient buildings and a breath taking view of the city from above, Athens began to take shape.  And little did I know I was falling in love with my soul-city. 

I settled into what would be my home for the next few weeks and dived into work. As I worked through the days of trainings and preparation for a community dialogue, I fell deeper in love with Athens and the people. As I’ve come to realize after traveling to different parts of the world, it’s always the people. When you take the time to connect and share stories with the people you meet, your heart opens to a world of possibilities. In Athens I was lucky to walk into a situation where I was working with some incredible and inspiring individuals who I’m so blessed to now call my friends. They embraced me and shared their history, homes, struggles, stories, culture, customs, language and food with me and made me feel like one of their own. Everywhere I travel it’s always the people that bring the spirit of a place to life and it’s their stories that allow me to keep reaching for more. 

On an afternoon off, me and another student intern (who was my unofficial guide and I look forward to spotlighting on the blog) took a hop-on hop-off bus around the city. If the taxi ride was my first date with Athens the bus ride, sealed the deal. From the city center to the port, it was magical. The city moved passed like the most well scripted rom-com transition scene, jumping immediately from first date to wedding and all of the milestones in-between. Sitting on top of that bus I was present and I knew then, this place would always be special to me. 

But the story didn’t end there, while sitting at lunch one afternoon we were handed a flyer for a Greek dance show that was taking place on our second to last night. We jumped at the chance and headed to the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, that sits just below the Parthenon. We climbed to the top and settled in for what was one of the most spectacular theater experiences of my life. I can still hear the music and singing in my ears, feel my hands clapping along to the music and seeing the lights of the city shining from the top row. It was simply magical and the perfect way to end that first trip.

It’s incredible to think back to this first trip to Athens and how vividly I still remember every detail. I now make an effort to visit every year and wander the city, venturing back to favorite places and finding new ones to explore. Years later, the drive from the airport is still one of my favorites and even though it cost triple the price of the train, I’ll still on occasion take a taxi just to remind myself of the feeling I got the first time I arrived.