Athens & Delphi: Ancient Magic and Misadventures

There have been a few times in my life where I had absolutely no choice but to board an airplane feeling completely miserable. Leaving Florence, we boarded a quick flight to Athens. At that point, I was actually feeling better—a lot less “pukey.” I had even managed a quick walk around Florence before heading to the airport and genuinely felt like the worst was behind me.

Yeaaaah. About that.

The exact second I sat down in my seat (the middle seat, I might add), a violent wave of nausea hit me. I said a silent prayer, turned my personal neck fan to full blast, and waited in panicked silence.

Nope. Wasn’t gonna make it.

I politely asked the gentleman in the aisle seat to move so I could sprint to the bathroom.

ITA airways to Athens, Greece

The Echo Chamber of Doom

The Greek Alphabet vs. Our Sanity

This was our first time to Greece and we were both pretty excited. We landed at night, so it was pitch black out, and getting from the airport to our hotel in the neighborhood of Plaka involved a quick train ride. No problemo! We got this.

Er, well, maybe we didn’t.

Buying the transit tickets was easy. It was getting out of the train station once we arrived that triggered the panic buttons. To get from inside the station to the streets, you have to scan your ticket at the turnstile.

Scan. Error. Scan again. Error.

Now, it’s a good thing to remember that the Greek alphabet (lord help us) looks absolutely nothing like English. The exit barrier errors looked like a high-stakes game of Pictionary—just random symbols, shapes, and numbers. What the fuck?

We spotted a police officer standing nearby and promptly asked him for assistance. To our horror, he looked at us and responded in perfect English: “I’m police. I’m not here to help you.”

My husband and I stood frozen. It was a distinct moment in time where both of our brains simultaneously screamed, what the fuck do we do now? We turned and walked away, trying our tickets again. Do we just vault over the turnstile? Is that illegal? This officer has a big-ass gun, and we don't know if he will arrest us on the spot. So we just stood there, sweating.

I sheepishly approached a couple of commuters and asked if they spoke any English, but a quick shake of their heads left us feeling even more defeated. There weren’t any service kiosks open. There was no one to speak with other than the super unhelpful cop.

Tears were welling up in my eyes, and pure stress was written all over my husband's face as we scrambled to open a translation app to decipher the screen.

“Excuse me, are you guys Americans? Do you need help?” a kind voice asked from behind us.

As we frantically explained our situation, she smiled warmly. “Oh, they should have told you at the airport—your train tickets are only valid for 60 minutes. It’s to keep people from train-hopping.”

Nope. The man at the airport ticket counter definitely skipped that crucial little detail. She gave us a kind smile, pulled out her own local transit card, and scanned both of us through the gates. Taking a massive, collective deep breath of relief, we continued on our way.

As we stepped out into Syntagma Square, it was around 10:00 PM and our nerves were already shot. We turned a corner and came face-to-face with the massive Hellenic Parliament building, where a live protest was currently taking place on the front steps. This was the first time in my life I had ever witnessed a real protest. We walked by very quietly, very quickly, with our heads on a total swivel.

We arrived safely at our hotel and completely passed out..

Ruins in Athens Greece

Climbing to the Gods (and Elite McDonald's)

The next morning, we were off to roam the ruins. I’m only going to mention this once, but damn—it was hot. Be prepared to sweat.

Pack Accordingly: Bring your hats, sunglasses, UV-protection clothing, and high-quality sunscreen. Don’t let a bad packing job come back to bite you in the ass.

We were able to navigate the city streets pretty easily. There is a fantastic historic fast-pass ticket that includes all of the major ancient ruin sites, which we purchased ahead of time. It allowed us to enter and exit the landmarks at our own pace. No tour guide, just the two of us, a map, and the immense Mediterranean heat.

The Acropolis is way up there, and you absolutely have to hike a steep incline to get to it, but I promise you it is worth every single step. It is mind-boggling to stand up there and realize what our ancient ancestors managed to build on top of a mountain without modern machinery.

Fun fact about Athens building codes: No structure in the entire city is allowed to be built higher than the Acropolis. The Gods are visually above everything, and the Greek people keep it that way to protect the skyline.

Athens itself was a bit of a culture shock. It’s gritty, it's a poorer region, and there are many, many homeless animals roaming the streets. Because my stomach had been so violently compromised in Florence, I wasn’t taking any chances on local street food. We played it safe and ate at McDonald's—and honestly? It was leagues better than what we have at home in the States.

It always amazes us every time we walk into a McDonald's overseas. Whether it’s Rome, Athens, Vienna, or Stockholm, they ALL have better menu options, gluten-free choices, full-blown gourmet McCafé baristas, and actual bakery desserts. Trust me, we get the absolute shit end of the stick in America.

McDonalds menu items, Athens, Greece

While we were eating, the weather took a sudden turn, and the sky opened up. The rain came down harder than I had ever seen, instantly flooding the stone streets. People were running for cover, and restaurant owners were happily herding tourists into their doorways, welcoming the sudden rush of business.

The stray animals immediately hid under cars and inside garden beds. My husband and I watched a mama cat keep her kittens pinned close to her while hiding under a car tire. The water was rushing down the street so fast we were terrified the babies were going to get swept away, but this clearly wasn’t this cat’s first rodeo. Once the storm broke, they all casually climbed out and went on their merry way.

For all of my fellow animal lovers out there, don't panic: all of these strays are actually looked after. The city government vaccinates, neuters/spayed, and tags them, and the community feeds them. You will see massive dogs walking casually through chaotic traffic, and while you'll hold your breath hoping you don’t witness an accident, for the locals, this is just everyday life. They share the streets.

The True Magic of Delphi

The following day, we boarded a tour bus for a 12-hour excursion out to Delphi. I wanted to see the ancient ruins. I wanted to walk the grounds where the famous Oracle once lived and where the Gods supposedly spoke through women.

For anyone thinking about visiting Athens: You MUST make time for Delphi. It is fucking mind-blowing. Honestly? It was even more breathtaking than the Acropolis.

Being away from the concrete city, seeing the sweeping Greek countryside, the rugged mountains, and the endless green valleys below was unforgettable. I didn’t know nature could feel that pure and undisturbed.

Delphi, Greece

We met a ton of great people on that tour (I mean, you’re stuck together for 12 hours, you're bound to make friends!). A beautiful lunch overlooking the valley was included, and after a few more stops at a nearby local mountain town and an ancient ruin site, we headed back to the capital.

That evening, we sat on our hotel rooftop for an hour, watched the sun set over the illuminated Acropolis, drank a glass of wine (or two), and settled into bed.

The next morning, we headed back to our favorite home base: Rome.