Sunday, the first day of the introduction week

The first day of the introductory week with ESN began with a picnic in Eleftherias Park. There were of course alternatives to get there by metro, but I enjoy walking and belive that it's the best way to get to know the different parts of the city - so with my iced Caffé Americano in one hand and Google maps in the other, I walked. This part of Athens is very beautiful (and safe) with clean streets, beautiful buildings and a lot of designer shops.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had felt trapped at my hostel on the night before (on Saturday), and I didn't dare go outdoors myself after sunset. (I understand that this may seem ridiculous and exaggerated to some, but please understand that this is a completely new experience for me and something I haven't experienced before...). So especially because of this, it felt like a relief to walk through the city on a Sunday, when most of the shops are closed and the city was quiet and calm. Quite honestly, I think Sundays will be my favorite days of the week here in Athens.

On the way there I bought some brunch to eat at the picknick: a salad and koulouria (also known as κουλουρια, a traditional Greek bagel-like bread ring with sesame seeds). And it has already become a standing joke, but to no one's surprise, I was the first to arrive. We sat in the sun all day and even though I was the only one from Sweden, I met some Finns who could also speak Swedish as well as two Greeks who also knew some Swedish. But above all, the vast majority were from Germany and France.

In the evening we were meeting up for a outdoor-party at Filopappou Hill. Once again, I saw it as a great opportunity to see more of the city. So I walked home from the park, took a quick shower, got dressed and met up with some of the students to get some dinner and drinks before the party. 

On the way there, we saw a lot of people walking up a flight of stairs leading up a hill, so we followed the crowd and arrived just in time for an absolutely breathtaking sunset from Areopagus Hill, also known as "Hill of Ares". 

We ended up having dinner at an Italian restaurant named "Basilico" in the neighborhood Kato (=lower) Petralona. Just across the street there was a bar named "el camino" and we started talking to the owner who was really happy to hear that we were students who had chosen to study in Athens. He invited us to his bar and offered us free shots while we spoke about our experiences in the city so far. For 5 euros we each bought a tropical drink to go (unreal for a Swede to be able to get a drink to go haha...) and then walked up a hill to the party where we spent the rest of the evening before sharing a taxi (beat) home. Since I arrived in Athens this was the first night I partyed, and it felt so nice and liberating to feel in such safe and secure company with such wonderful people. 

In other words, it was a very good start to the introductory week.

With love, Elsa ♡