In coming to Greece I really wanted to immerse myself in a study of the development of ancient democracy in hopes that I could apply what I would learn to modern development. It turns out that I chose to live in Greece at the perfect time! I learned just as much from the modern country as I did from its past. Well, now I'm in Morocco (http://mesaventuresaumaroc.blogspot.com/), carrying out the second half of my study abroad experience and I can definitely say that my semester in Athens gave me more than I expected.
I left a day later than most of my peers. Waking up to an empty apartment was bizarre, but I had great plans for my last day! I went for an early morning run in the city where I taught myself to run. Ever since I started running in Athens I had wanted to run to my favorite place in the city, the Pnyx. On that last morning I jogged past the National Gardens, the olympeion, and the acropolis right up to the Pnyx! It was completely silent and a fitting start to my last day in the city. I then spent the whole day split between the Byzantine Museum, the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art, and the Benaki. All three were incredible, but I particularly loved the Goulandris' interactive exhibit on life in ancient Greece; it made the ancient world come alive for me. I spent that night with the modern Greeks, attending Swan Lake at the Megaron. The next morning I looked over my shoulder at the acropolis as I drove away to the airport in a taxi.
Farewell for now Athens!!
