My Big Fat Greek (almost) Encounter with Toula

So I've been going a little blog crazy...but with the extra downtime we've been having at The Artemis and so many new experiences I just want to tell the whole world about what other choice to I have? This one won't be as long I promise :)

Yesterday after classes most of the HUG group was in an Athens or bust kinda mood. We'd be itching to get back to the city since our first trip there two weeks ago, and just going to see the Embassy on Thursday wasn't enough. We wanted to see MORE.

In order to get to Athens, you have to hop two buses and catch the Metro. The first bus goes from Porto Rafti to a bus stop in Markoupolo at 20 minutes after every hour (so we caught the 2:20), and then you get on another from there to the Koropi Metro (leaves on the hour, so we left at 3). The buses were nice, not like the public transportation I was expecting to see. They were all charter buses, plush seats, lots of room. (Four for you Greece, you go Greece.)

This is probably not super necessary, but I felt like sharing the Athens metro. Look at the blue line all the way to the right. The first white dot is Koropi. Travel to where the blue intersects with the green at Monastiraki and that's our stop.

And then the Metro. I've never been on a metro or subway before, so I was kind of super excited. (I know, I know, super lame and overrated to anyone who's ridden one their whole life) But it's just one of those things I've always wanted to do. We didn't leave Metro til 3:45, and since Koropi is the second to last Metro stop on the blue rail, it takes about 45 minutes to reach the Monastiraki stop, our destination in Athens. Once we got there at 4:30, our group was gone. Too excited to go slowly, we all ran out into the Plaka to explore.

Alive at night.

The view from the plaka up to the Acropolis!

There is so much I wish I could write about the people. They're just fascinating. The shop owners are super friendly, albeit partly because they want you to spend your money there, but they also just love sharing stories with you. While my friends were in a jewelry shop I went to one of the many t-shirt/souvenirs shops to look around. I started talking to a guy who owned two shops side by side, telling him I was from America and the items I was looking for. And then he pulled pictures and photo books out, showing me where his family lived on the island Zakynthos and where a movie with Nicolas Cage was filmed right down the street from where they lived. He had pics of Cage on set. Really neat. (Btw, I found out the movie was called Captain Corelli's Mandolin. I don't care what your opinion is on Nicolas Cage, I thought it was cool. Read more about it here.)

And then he showed me a picture of Toula (real name Nia Vardalos), the gorgeous star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. He had a photo with her, and said she had come there several times and they were friends. I just died.

I know it's just a picture of her, and I know it's just a guy who met her, but still. Had to get a pic.

 
Then Bree, Rachel, and I ate at this cute street cafe. Feeling adventurous we went for something other than gyros. I tried this lamb and veal with pita and fries. It was all sooooo yummy. I'm so in love with the food here, y'all. I already know I'm going to have withdrawals when I get back.

We only had 3 hours in the city because it took so long to get there and the last bus to Porto Rafti leaves at 8 (meaning we had to catch the metro at 7) but we'll definitely be going back again.

Today was our first day without classes in awhile (much needed!) It's been absolutely lovely. We all slept in, now just hanging out til lunch. It actually feels like a real weekend today.

Oh hey. Guess what. I leave for Israel TOMORROW. What. is. this. my. life. i. don't. even. know. I can't wait.

Lalalalalalove,
Rachel