Ryan Wallath

We finally landed in Athens with 28 hours in transit behind us. ( I am not joking, in every one of our flights there was at least one screaming child, accompanied by a mother who had given up trying to discipline it- I’m sure my mum, if she were there, would have said a few strong words to these mothers). During my first day in Athens, three things struck me. first, the crazy amount of graffiti around the place, covering a wide range of topics- from cereal names, to gang signs, even caricatures of iconic popstars, there is graffiti for everyone! Second, the large numbers of stray dogs around the place, which inevitably remind me of my dog at home, although these dogs here are ridden with disease and fleas, and aren’t toilet trained. Thirdly, the amazing remains of ancient Greek civilisation, dotted around the city, from temples to Gods, Baths, and market places, and how these structures contrast with the modern graffiti ridden city.

I am writing this on a top notch ferry on the way to Italy- Now that i look back on it, There wasn’t a time when we weren’t exploring the city when we were awake. On the first day, with 45 hours without sleep, we climbed Mt. Lykeittos and witnessed an amazing view of the whole of Athens, although a bit hard to see all that this view had to offer, as my eyes refused to remain open for more than 30 seconds. The second day, we went to Delphi, which was the site of the most important oracle back in the time of the Ancient Greeks. There, we saw another amazing view, and witnessed the “ blue haze of Delphi”. After a 2 hour bus ride back to Athens, we trawled through the flea markets and around Monasteraiki square, the hangout of the local youths. This square, not only being filled with Moroccans and pickpockets, also had its fair share of “swaglords” –people with foot high mohawks and flouro sunglasses. On the third scorching day, we trekked up the acropolis- the ‘safe point’ used by the ancient Greeks- and saw amazing ancient temples like the Parthenon. True to the saying “ pics or it didn’t happen”, many pictures were snapped and will be shared.

After a few nights of wandering through the markets getting harassed by local shopowners, of countless stray dogs and one pair showing the group how much they love each other, of walking past a xxx video shop each day near the hotel, and of using a shower less than 1m squared, we are on our way to Italy, the land of spaghetti and meatballs.

P.S. Don’t let the dog run around outside by himself barking at the neighbours. Oh, and the lip balm is a lifesaver.