Ted's Day 1 Impressions

Anonymous Landing in Athens felt very similar to landing in Kampala, Uganda. Saying this I know it is true, but the feeling is hard to quantify. It could have been the idea of visiting a mysterious new country or the thrill of finally arriving somewhere that brought it about, but whatever the case Athens reminded me of Uganda. While we were walking through the Plaka district I could smell and taste it too. The acrid, smokey feel of pollution in the air combined with the subtle impression that the city swarms with energy like a bee hive made the hardy city feel seem very familiar. The lights of the cafes that cause the alleys to glow with hushed conversations beam into the sky and spill out onto main thoroughfares. The Acropolis stands like a citadel of Hellenistic culture, daring the world around it challenge its presence. History oozes from the cobblestones or the roads as well as the marble walls of buildings and monuments. Athens is a mystic crossroads of culture and environment, bringing exoticism throughout the refined white marble of long destroyed temples.