Go Greek!

Natalie Penry
Mar 10, 2023
12 min read

Far from the chaotic cries of David Ross Road and the rest of the Acres, this week I delved into the real Greek life.

We’re in Greece! Piraeus, to be exact. But with Athens just a twenty minute metro ride away, we’re getting a good taste of urban Greece.

This has been one of my most highly anticipated stops, as is true for most of the Percy Jackson kids or Mamma Mia fans aboard the ship. It is the colder off season here, so a trip to the fictional Kalokairi won’t hold the same ABBA magic. Nevertheless, I was absolutely thrilled to dust off my mythology hat and explore one of the more ancient cities in Europe, let alone the world.

A Word on the Tempi Train Crash

To be more serious for a moment: if you’ve been following the news at all, you’ve probably heard about the train collision that occurred in northern Greece, near Larisa, on February 28th. At least 85 people were wounded and 57 people died when a passenger train collided with a freight train; details are still being uncovered and released. We were in transit from Crete to Nafplio, looking to anchor in Nafplio’s port to avoid harsh winds closer to Piraeus when the news broke. Immediately, our interport lecturer, Greek journalist John Psararopoulos, disembarked to go cover the story for Al Jazeera, taking our videographer Addy with him. In the days since, the Greek Minister of Transportation has resigned and several protests have broken out in the city of Athens.

Semester at Sea would not let us off the ship if they thought for one moment there was a significant threat of danger, but they did warn us during pre-port to be exercising caution and good judgement during our in-country time, recommending that we avoid a handful of squares in Athens that tend to be hotspots for protests in the evenings. The bigger thing they stressed, though, was reflecting on this national tragedy and being empathetic and compassionate for a country in mourning. The flags have been at half mast for the entirety of our visit and there have been disruptions in daily lives, as train lines shut down due to mounting period and subsequent striking.

We had a taste of “interacting with foreign tragedy” when we visited Jordan & Cyprus, countries both affected by the February earthquake, but this is a much more immediate, more sensitive scenario. This was no natural disaster, and the general public is emitting the anger, hurt, and grief that comes from the loss of lives in an avoidable accident.

I would be insensitive to say that this has colored my experience in a unique way, but I will say that this has been a litmus test in the pathway towards global citizenry. When you’re brought face-to-face with a tragedy that is not your own, are you able to take a step back and ask yourself ‘what kind of day has it been?’

Day 1: It’s Pronounced Pie-Ray-Us

As has become custom, I stayed pretty local on our first day in Piraeus. A group of us went out for brunch at this super cutie café, Tre Colore, and then walked around downtown Piraeus before retiring back to the World Odyssey. While Cyprus is firmly a part of Europe, this is our first “European City,” and even in the first half day I was reminded of just how many miles I’ll be walking over the second half of this program. My converse are not going to like that.

I spent the rest of the day catching up with friends & family at home, as well as bugging Kelsi & Holli to watch more Drive to Survive (it was Race Week and that’s a religion to me). Side note, maybe I should start ending *my* name with an ‘i’ since that’s what all the cool kids are doing now…

Day 2: Introduction to Athens

Kelsi and I got a comparatively early start to the day, arriving in Athens just past 10:00 a.m. We met up with Lauren at her AirBnB before meeting the larger group of Annakate, Laney, Taylor & Sam at a taverna, Scholarchio, past the Acropolis.

If you’re unaware of how yummy Greek food is, you should do something about that. I was so utterly content to eat my Spanakopita (spinach & cheese pie) and my Saganaki (fried goat cheese and fig jam) and my Sweet & Sour Feta with Phillo dough and Sesame seeds (no fun name for that one). Kelsi, Lauren & I split those three appetizers and I was in food heaven for the entire meal.

After sufficiently stuffing ourselves, we all needed to walk off the impending drowsiness and food comas, so we turned to Plaka, a common shopping district for tourists, full of winding streets and dime-a-dozen souvenir stores. Still, there are several independent and artisan shops that hold hidden treasures. In a funny “how small is the world?” moment, Annakate met someone whose uncle lives down the street from her back in Oklahoma.

Eventually, Kelsi, Lauren & I ended up walking around the Plaka district by ourselves, and we stumbled upon the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. I’ve been to many, many churches in past travels - a summer in Spain tends to do that to you - but this was my first time in an active Greek Orthodox Church and I was rather impacted by the experience.

As I mentioned above, Greece is in a mourning period right now, so there were several locals paying their respects, lighting candles in remembrance. I was struck by the order: light a candle, kiss the icon, pray in a pew. Taking into account my general lack of knowledge (especially about Greek Orthodox traditions), I appreciated that kind of immediate and intimate connection a parishioner creates with their idol with that routine. Architecturally speaking, the church was also gorgeous. Not a lot of natural light,

but very intricate, ornate detail everywhere you looked.

We wrapped up our afternoon with some absolutely delicious gelato - I mixed Aztec chocolate (so bitter and dark! yum!) with peanut butter sorbet (amazing. period.) for a legendary afternoon snack. I could get used to daily gelato, I really could.

As you might hope, Semester at Sea is extremely safety-oriented, to the point where every voyager is supposed to download an app that alerts us of any potential dangers (manmade or otherwise) in the region we’re traveling in; this app also connects to the 24/7 desk person at the home office with the click of a button. Around 2:00 p.m., I got a notification warning us of possible disruptions in Syntagma Square at 7:00 p.m. - there was a large protest scheduled that would most likely get a bit…chaotic. Even closer to the scheduled protest time, SAS sent us all emails warning that police would most likely be using tear gas at these protests and that we should really do our best to be smart, safe, and responsible. Being smart & responsible SASers, Kelsi & I made our way back to Piraeus with plenty of time to spare, but in speaking with other SASers who stayed in the Plaka district, it was apparently quite the scene. I don’t know of anyone getting involved with the police, but I know several people that could feel the effects of the tear gas as they made their way back to taxis or trains. They say “the world is our campus” and they mean that in more ways than one.

Day 3: It’s Giving Mythology

Welcome back to another episode of Misadventures in Solo Exploring. I was on my own for Day 3, heading into Athens for a day of adventuring. I’d been very excited to see the Acropolis for the entire lead-up to Semester at Sea; this intensified when we finally docked in Greece. I mean, I was over-the-moon to see the Nashville Parthenon - multiply that by 1000 and you’ll kind of understand how hyped I was for this.

They recommend you get to the Acropolis before 10 if you don’t want to be swarmed with crowds; I had unwisely been lenient with that, assuming the off season would be kinder to us crowd wise. I got to the ticketing gate at just past 10 and immediately regretted it. I hopped in line just behind a group of 50 local students here on a field trip.

Fun Fact: Greek teenagers are not well-versed in proper queue etiquette. They were in a squiggly, squirming mob, they were in line and out of line and back in line, they blew cigarette smoke in everyone’s faces. I didn’t want to be the Rude American Tourist, but if Big Puffer Coat Dude bumped into me again I was going to have to go Full Alyce mode. Apparently Penrys don’t do well with admissions lines.

Anyways…I got into the Acropolis and forgot all about *those darn kids* because, well, it’s the Acropolis! I had downloaded the “Walking the Acropolis” episode from Rick Steve’s podcast to use an audio guide - 10/10 recommend. Full of factual information presented in an entertaining way, you can walk & listen at your own pace, and it’s free :) Rick used that soothing voice to take me up the Propylaea and into the presence of the Parthenon. It might have been windy and overcast, but that only meant the creamy stone shone brighter. I did the full 360 of the columns, stopping every now and then to just marvel at the miracle of it all. Looking over the stone wall, you could see Athens for miles, just never-ending buildings with the occasional site of ruins in the midst, like a small green oasis. And this has been standing for more centuries than I’ve been alive. (25 vs 21, but who’s counting?)

I also had a small little fangirl moment at the “first olive tree in Athens”, so excited to see the gift Athena bestowed upon the city so that they may choose her to be the patron goddess instead of Poseidon. Olive trees >>> salt springs, duh.

This was really the first site in which I saw an influx of tourists from around the globe. The Taj Mahal certainly had a lot of tourists, but many of them were Indian themselves, whereas the tourist demographics at the Acropolis where all over the place. I must have heard Spanish, German, Chinese, English, Dutch, and Greek within a five minute window. In terms of seeing SAS as a multicultural experience, this was a key example.

Eventually, it was time to say goodbye to the Parthenon. I made my way down the southwest slope and found myself back in the touristy Plaka area. It’s always difficult to souvenir shop in tourist hot spots. If you’re anything like me, you try to avoid the mass-produced, cheaper knickknacks that wind up gathering dust in a box or on a shelf somewhere back home. I want something local, something meaningful and representative of my time in the country - and within the College Kid Budget. Tough parameters to meet. After wandering through Plaka for a while, I wound up at Parousia. For the past 22 years, Parousia has been partnered with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture to produce art - it's a collective of artists dedicated to producing individual pieces with ties to Greek history and culture. The shop itself could’ve been a museum for all the pottery and marble inside, and I loved chatting with the owner. I wound up buying a Tama, a small sheet of metal with an icon that you would bring to a Greek Orthodox Church to hang up at the icon of a Saint in order to manifest certain outcomes. My icon has a building - when I asked which building was etched in the iron, the owner informed me that the image is representative - it’s whatever house/school/work that needs extra attention in your life. Seeing as this will function as an ornament for my first Christmas in my first real house (!) next winter, I thought it was the perfect encapsulation of building your own foundations for the elusive combination of independence and home.

My last stop in Athens was the National Garden. Should I have visited in the summer months, I’m sure it would’ve been a showstopper of the botanical nature, but it was still lovely in the winter. Even though I’m surrounded by arguably-untouched nature every day at sea, it’d been a while since I was able to walk through greenery. Taking a deep breath and smelling flowers was almost like a luxury. I had a nice grocery store picnic outside the petting zoo and got wonderfully lost amid the winding paths crisscrossing the garden before heading back to the ship.

For those curious, the Metro has been my preferred method of transportation in Piraeus & Athens. While not as clean or modern as say, the Madrid Metro, it’s fast, efficient, cheap & largely above ground, so you get a nice bit of sightseeing done too! I know some people get anxious about using public transportation abroad, especially coming from places like Indiana where the singular IndyGo bus line is our only exposure, but I’d encourage future travelers to give it a go. You’ll surely make a few errors at the beginning, but I have faith in you! If Liz & I could master the Madrid trains being young & dumb & 20, you too can successfully get from Point A to Point B.

Day 4: Dedicated Fan

After walking many, many miles in the first few days in Greece, Day 4 was more relaxed. I went out for lunch with a few friends, enjoying a large portion of falafel and pita. Good falafel is just, delicious and I don’t know why it isn’t more popular. That, and some tzatziki sauce? Heaven.

The bigger part of my day was watching the Bahrain Grand Prix with Taylor - we’re both dedicated fans, and sat in the port terminal for a couple of hours to watch the first race of the season. Predictable outcome? Yes. Still worth it? Absolutely.

It should come as no surprise that I’ve also been following Purdue Basketball religiously while I’ve been away - it’s become a little bit of an inside joke within my friend group. Just yesterday, someone said “You have a surprising amount of school spirit that I wouldn’t’ve expected.” What can I say? Boiler Up ;) Anyways, that’s my way of saying that I spent the night watching the Purdue vs. Illinois game. International streaming means no blackout zones! And trust me, I’ve been annoying everyone with updates on the Big 10 Tournament and March Madness; it’s a part of my culture.

Day 5: Piraeus

The last day in port is always a bit up in the air - you’re exhausted from exploring the previous days and there’s a strict on-ship deadline, so you don’t want to put yourself in a position where you get dock time or miss the ship. (Dock time is arriving to the ship after the deadline but before the gangway is up; you can get on the ship, but will have reduced time at the next port). Still, Kelsi & I wanted to make the most of our last day in Greece.

We started with a nice walk along the cruise marina, heading more towards the commercial center of the city. We did a little shopping & took advantage of the surprisingly decent WiFi in H&M. But since we were there to explore rather than shop, we quickly got on our way.

The Municipal Theater in Piraeus is supposed to be quite the tourist spot, just one of those picturesque theaters to tour or get a picture with outside. We made our way there to get a little bit of a surprise…As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, protests have been happening (and are continuing to happen) in Greece, particularly Athens & Piraeus, with increased frequency since the train crash. We happened to stumble into a sizable demonstration outside the Municipal Theater. Not speaking Greek, we had to subtly try to Google Translate the protest posters, but some of the ones we were able to understand said:

“Greece is Eating Its Children”

“Their Profits Are Our Dead!”

“National Mourning Is Not Enough”

Even with the language barrier, the message was clear enough. We stayed for a while, just watching the plaza grow more crowded. I was proud to see so many young adults there, people who haven’t given up fighting for a better tomorrow yet; at the same time, my heart broke a little bit. It feels like no matter where you go in the world, my generation is still having to go out and fight not for egregious social change, but for the right to not die a horrific, avoidable death. It’s exhausting and demoralizing and apparently, an international constant.

If you were worried about this taking a turn to a total Negative Natalie, have no fear: our next stop was an adorable local bakery, Little Bear. It stands out from the street - the windows are lines with bright pink flowers - and it’s just as cute inside. Little Bear is a vegan bakery as well, with a super friendly Greek family making everything fresh that morning. I had a *delicious* pumpkin pastry of sorts, and Kelsi & I split a Mocha cream bar. It might’ve been my favorite lunch yet, and a great reminder to always eat local if you can :) The food, the atmosphere, the conversation with the owners? All fantastic.

In our last hours of on-land time, Kelsi & I walked around the yacht marina and stopped at a grocery store for snacks. A nice little end to our time in Greece.

Final Thoughts

Dear Reader, I won’t lie, I am exhausted. This globetrotting thing is absolutely incredible, but man does it push your limits. Still, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. We’re currently making our way to Croatia, taking a scenic route up the Greek coast line, and there’s something about being able to just sit and watch villages and mountains pass you by in utter peace.

As I said, I was so excited to visit Greece, and I actually enjoyed my time there in the off-season. It was a bit colder than expected, but I think it was a fair trade for less tourists and a more chill vibe overall. Obviously, we arrived there in a bit of a unique situation, what with the national unrest, but for me, that’s what makes the difference between a tourist and a traveller. Tourists are there to get there pictures with monuments and sip drinks on a beach chair - a perfectly legitimate reason to travel and a key part of that industry- but travelers don’t shy away from the grittier parts of their vacation spots. They’re there not to relax, but to see how the themes of their own lives are mirrored in those of their surroundings.

I boarded the ship nine weeks ago (!) and am in a bit of denial with how fast everything is going. Four ports left to make those memories, and I’m trying my best to do so with no regrets. Here’s to a few more weeks of amazing stories.