Experiental Wisdom from a Very Wise Person

Yesterday was (of course) another amazing day in Athens. After class ended, we had time to roam around the city. Because two days of nonstop exploring haven't been enough... That may sound a bit sarcastic, but it's definitely true. I don't think that two years of exploring, just walking around having a good time with friends, could be enough to truly get to know the city. But this brings me to chunk of experiential wisdom #1: good walking shoes make all the difference. If you know you're going to be going somewhere that you will be walking a lot, bring comfortable shoes. Because even in my most wonderful beloved Nikes, I'm still feelin it.

During our expedition around the city we ended up taking a detour through a park-like area, which housed the weirdest zoo I have ever seen: cats, bunnies, chickens, peacocks, other birds of some sort, turtles, and possibly a few others. The park was beautiful, and quite a drastic change from the hustle and bustle of the city just a few hundred feet away. Piece of wisdom #2: sometimes it's ok to slow down a bit and (literally) take a walk in the park. Stop and smell the roses. All of those cliches that tell you it's ok to relax once in a while!

After our walk around Athens and dinner, we experienced my favorite part of the trip so far: going up to Mt Lycabettus, the tallest point in Athens. If you think the view from the Space Needle is impressive, mulitply that by about 7 million and you'll get the level of awesomeness for this view. It's so unvelievable how big Athens is. The city just seemed to go on forever, all the lights shining so far off in the distance even. The Acropolis was stunning. My words or my camera cannot do this justice. I think I've found my new favorite place. Tidit of wisdom #3: getting a new perspective (like from the top of a mountain, or just a new mental perspective) can really change how you feel about things. Find a spot that's just yours and go there when you need a "timeout" from the world. If I could, the top of Mt Lycabettus would be that spot for me. However, that could get expensive and time-consuming...