Easter break is the theme for this blog post! It was a really nice and necessary break allowing us to rest and explore either different parts of Greece and/or the Greek Orthodox religion that is very prominent in Athens. I personally decided to stay in Athens where I greatly enjoyed the rest and being able to sleep in for the majority of the week. However, sleep is not the only thing I did with our happy week off, I also created a few memorable moments such as going to the Museum of Illusion in Athens and Mount Lycabettus.
Visiting the Museum of Illusions in Athens was a really fun experience. Several people on this OCS attended together as a group and I would very much say that it was a great bonding experience for those who attended. Although one may wonder why we went to an Illusion Museum even though there are so many in the United States, it had become more of a group activity where we were given the ability to bond with each other in a non-academic setting. I will say the most bonding experience came from trying to solve several puzzles at the Museum of Illusions and although it was quite unsuccessful in solving my puzzle it was a successful group experience.
Now the main portion of this blog post: Mount Lycabettus. I do have to give a huge thanks to the person who recommended this location to me on my very first day in Athens, my taxi driver. In that car ride I received an hour-long crash course about Athens, Greece as a whole, its history, and its people from my taxi driver. But, the one thing he recommended me to do from the very beginning was visit the tallest mountain in all of Athens, Mount Lycabettus. Now, it did take until week 6 to actually visit this location, but I finally did and I now understand why it was the very first thing recommended to me.
A brief overview of Mount Lycabettus, it is the tallest mountain in all of Athens (as probably mentioned a few times now) standing at a height of 277 meters above sea level or around 909 feet. Along this mountain, there are several restaurants where visitors can dine in and get to enjoy the view and a church called Agios Georgios also lies at the very top of the mountain. Although the church is smaller than typical churches in Athens, the architecture and cultural styles displayed was still much appreciated and enjoyable.
The instant view from the small hike going up is absolutely amazing and breathtaking. I will admit it had taken me almost a whole month for me to fully mentally process that I was actually abroad in Greece, and the moment it hit me was when I was at the very top of Mount Lycabettus looking over all of Athens in one sight. The hike there was not too bad once you get dropped off by a taxi, although funny enough my friend and I were trying to avoid the hike but could not find the cable car to get there. However, I am glad for that now reflecting back on it because even the view as you start to make your way up is completely worth it. My friend and I decided to dine at the mountain and I am forever grateful for this decision to stay longer because we got to see the sunset set over Athens and as it turned night the city lights turned on. As a city person myself, the moment the lights turned on (including the Acropolis), was such an awe moment that would never have been experienced if not for this OCS program.
