This week I was away in Greece for some family member's work, and this blog will document my takeaways and reflections on Greece in the lenses of my travel and its situation in the world.
Greece has always been a relatively poor country compared to its fellow EU members, and its financial crisis in 2014 and COVID have only hurt its struggling population. Going there felt like I was staying in the wrong neighborhood, yet that's just how the entire city of Athens was: there was graffiti on every wall and building, some of the worst street designs ever, and plenty of dilapidated building more emblematic I thought of downtown Phnom Penh than what the city of Athena, the Greek god of knowledge, would be like. But the city was not exactly in poverty, it was just clear that the government had chosen very carefully were they wanted to use their resources. The most popular tourist destination in Athens, the Acropolis, with the famous Parthenon in the center was very well kept, and was close to tens of shopping streets as well as the city center, with metro lines all around that had all been recently implemented. Because of how much history there is in Athens, I assume the government has really had to pick and choose what monuments they want to properly preserve, as other famous destinations like the Academy were much closer to piles of rubble than the gymnasia that birthed western philosophy. Surprisingly due to how wide the city was, I was able to go most of the trip without taking a taxi by walking and taking the metro and I think I got a proper feel for the atmosphere of the city. As a big foodie, meals were always at the top of my mind, and considering I got a Greek salad at almost every restaurant along with my entree, despite my hate (or now previous hate as I forced myself to eat them) of tomatoes, the food in Athens was very good, and definitely a highlight of the trip, especially my favorite dish orzo and lamb. Like the food, the people I interacted with in Athens were all very warm and open. A common theme Athenians wanted to talk about was politics: taxi drivers, tour guides, and even biologists all were very avid about discussing Greek and American politics.
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May 2022
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