Secret Knowledge

Between 3:00 and 7:00 this afternoon/evening, I walked around 10,000 steps and I started to realize that each step takes me somewhere new. Each step takes me further into an adventure. And I began to realize the value in each step I take, especially in this city, because I find something new with each one. Something that seemed hidden before is revealed.

While walking through the city today, our group passed an old antique shop overflowing with things from the past. Some called it junk, others called it strange, and others still were captivated. Some of us managed to find treasures hidden in this shop overflowing with history and junk. I looked and saw books. I saw the places they could have been, the people that previously owned them, the stories they held inside. I saw real people, real things, a real past in some of this so called junk. One of my classmates first grabbed a sword and I couldn't help but think of the battles fought throughout this country, how many people died fighting for what they thought was right, how many victories won, how much war this nation has seen. It was fascinating.

This theme of hidden things and secret knowledge revealed kept coming up throughout the day in many different ways. I remembered the dead bug I found in my towel yesterday and thought about what a terrifying surprise that was, I thought about the carnival a group of us found and how exciting it was, and I thought of the ancient Roman bath ruins we happened upon while wandering the city. I never knew any of these things were here until I cam across them by chance.

Today I thought, while looking at the different pictures and writings of graffiti, that this isn't just vandalism or artwork but it is a statement, a cry out, a show of someone's thoughts and feelings. This graffiti is not only interesting to look at but it can hold a deeper meaning. It is something hidden deep inside someone, revealed.

I went over the different colors of the city and found life, fun, adventure, love, and smiles. I saw color in the shops, the people, the buildings.

I looked at the street signs and found a beauty in their simple purpose.

I compared the artwork from a building to reality and discovered freedom in flight.

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I studied different pieces of the library and began to understand that each individual piece has a meaning, in itself, but as a whole, it comes together to something bigger, to mean so much more.

Very much like our lives here on earth, the parts we play in society, or the roles we have in religion.

I photographed a metal gate where I found a symbol and piece of history I never expected to find in Athens.

I even found truth in the weather. The rain that covered the pathways to the market made me watch each step I took and made me watch exactly where I was going. The sky today, with the sun's rays breaking through the clouds, showed me what seemed to be an opening of the heavens and a hope for the one waiting for something from above.

With each step I took on the uneven cobblestones, I found something new. I found beauty, hope, love, life, and truth.

I can't wait to see what I find in my path tomorrow!

<3