Athens

Athens proved to be quite a collection of juxtapositions. On the one hand, their cultural heritage and claim on the foundations of civilization are difficult to argue. On the other, I have discovered that it is the party capital of the western mediterranean. There are more music festivals, tourist traps, and general entertainment ads than any other city I’ve ever been to, except perhaps Vegas. Two things definitely lived up to the hype; the good (yet cheap) food, and the welcoming culture.I attended a church service while there (squirreled away at the top of a rickety old apartment building; I almost didn’t enter because it looked so sketchy) and the people were very warm and welcoming. The pastor was an interim preacher because the previous pastor had just left, and although he was obviously new at preaching you could feel his sincerity and energy. He led worship, preached the sermon, and helped serve snacks afterward; what a rockstar.