It's so Easy from Above

Anonymous From the sky, Europe seems to be much more stream-of-consciousness than the US typically does. In my experience, the roads are windier, and the entire light show seems to have been built as it occurred to the builders. In the US, cities are much more squared out, suggesting that they were planned out beforehand. European cities may have expanded when it was necessary, randomly branching out with no clear plan for coping with the additional space.
I say this as an amused foreigner, not as any kind of value judgment. Frankly, at 35,000ft, the world works the same way everywhere.

I am not currently at 35,000ft. I already spent upwards of 14 hours at that altitude today. I am currently sitting in a decent apartment not more than a quarter-mile away from the ancient Panathinaiko Stadium and within walking distance of the Acropolis. It looks like a plateau on the horizon, but all 21 of us marched around the entire structure, meandering through downtown Athens for three hours, proving that ancient history isn't really all that far removed from us.

Speaking of not being far removed, I just dozed off on my computer, only to be awoken by loud honking from outside. This is still a European city, and if you haven't been to a European city, imagine New York with more impatient motorists deftly navigating their motorcycles through more harrowingly tight spaces on roads where lanes are merely suggestions and where no one asks for permission. I'll probably get used to the noise after a few nights.

I have some Greek under my belt. I wouldn't stand a chance in a conversation that extended beyond a few common pleasantries, but I'm looking forward to blending in a bit more as we go out in smaller groups. After all, a mob of 19 wide-eyed students is hardly inconspicuous.