Giorno Ventotto// Day 28

Today's the day I've dreamed of! Greece here I come! Running on two hours of sleep. My flight takes off at 6:30am...that means leave for Ciampino airport at 3:45am. It was a lot easier to get around by myself than I would've thought. I remember being in the line for security and everyone was wearing Hard Rock Cafe shirts. That seems to be a common trend in Italy/Europe. Also, foreign flights are weird. Nobody tells you when to start lining up to board your flight...everyone just kinda starts crowding near the door. It's very chaotic. Let me also reiterate the lack of personal space. People stand basically on top of you as you wait in line. The guy on my flight kept spilling over into my seat and would reach over me to take pictures. No thank you.
My taxi driver's name was Dennis. He was super kind. We sang American 80s music on the way to the hotel. He even offered to take me back to the airport on Sunday. Unfortunately, Rachel would not be getting into Athens until early evening, so I had most of the day to myself. Greek is a very confusing language, so I had trouble navigating the streets on my own, so I hung by the pool and read my book most of the day, soaking up the sun. I was so excited to see Rachel, Tom, and many others once they arrived. Rachel took me to a gyro place, where I had my first (very authentic) Greek gyro (10/10 would recommend). After, we went to the acropolis via metro to watch the sunset from on top of this hill where Socrates would teach his philosophy lessons. It was a gorgeous view, but I'm amazed I didn't twist my ankle trying to get up the steep, jagged limestone hill. After, we walked by some shops. That night, I experienced how the Xavier Greek program goes out. We were supposed to meet one of the hotel workers (Alexandros...beautiful man) at this club, but struggled to find it. After several hours of walking, we found a strip of dance clubs and ended up having a blast. Athens definitely knows how to party.