What Took Me to Greece

The warm summer of Newport, Rhode Island had changed to fall, and winter was on the way. Our four months of naval officer training was coming to an end and finally, our assignments had come in! We were learning where we were going to be stationed once we received our commissions. Luck was on my side; I was going to Europe! I was going explore Greece in a way I never thought possible.

Once I completed my follow-up communications officer training, I was on my way. Leaving the bitter cold of Newport at the end of January was not heartbreaking. I was going to the Med and it had to be warmer there!

New Experiences

Living in Greece was wonderful. I made new friends at the naval base. Friends and family came to visit. It was there I met my husband.

There were times I was lonely; or longed for the familiar. But, I learned so many new things. I had experiences one can only imagine. Mostly, I learned so much about myself and the world around me. I loved it and, even all these years later, I would do it again if the opportunity presented itself.

I’ll never forget the first time I saw the Parthenon; we were driving through Athens on the way to Corinth. All the pictures I had ever seen showed the Parthenon up on a hill in what appeared the be the middle of nowhere. Nope, there it was; smack dab in the middle of a major metropolitan city. This was the first of many eye-opening experiences I had in Greece!

Learning to Explore Greece

Nea Makri was a small village with no public transportation. Since I lived off base, I needed a car to get around. Driving in the country wasn’t bad, but aggressive driving was required in Athens. Although it was out of my comfort zone, it was necessary. My little orange Volvo and I traveled thousands of miles around Greece, without an accident.

At the time I lived in Greece, there was no signage in English; everything was written in Greek. I did learn the Greek alphabet, and how to sound out words, which helped in getting around.  Typically, I would drive past a place before my brain could translate the letters, but at least I could get where I needed to be.

Although not always easy, I was able to explore Greece and get by with my limited Greek. I learned that there are ways to communicate without speaking the same language; a smile is always understood.

Changes in Greece

Adopting the Euro in 2001 and the Olympic Games of 2004 brought a lot of change to Greece. When I returned in 2009, I found Greece a much different place than when I lived there. Now there are McDonalds and KFC restaurants sprinkled around. Modern divided highways have replaced the simple two-lane roads. There are ATMs, and a new modern airport. Signage is now often in Greek and English. The sleepy little village I lived in now has stop lights and is congested with traffic. With the US Navy gone; the base, for the most part, is deserted.

Yes, I was disappointed. Things weren’t as I remembered them. The modern world had finally come to Greece. The world is constantly evolving; becoming more universal. Which unfortunately, means less unique and special.

Explore Greece from Athens

All the places I talk about below are easy to get to from Athens. There is good public transportation within Athens, so you won’t need a rental car. Although there are day tours to the locations outside of Athens, you could easily rent a car and drive on your own. Flights to the islands are readily available and only take about an hour each way.

I think spring is the best time to explore Greece. Around Athens, the winter months (November – February) can be gray and damp. The temperature begins to warm up around March and stays pleasant through October. However, I know Athens can get very hot in the summer.

Bringing History to Life

Even though I was not a fan of my history or western civilization classes, my time in Greece allowed all those bits and pieces of information I learned to finally fall into place.

Living there made it easy to explore Greece. I’m pleased I can share photos of some of my favorite places in Greece with you. Like a lot of 35mm photographers I shot slides. Over the years many have faded, and some have dust on them that will never come off. But, with today’s technology, I can correct and enhance the color (to an extent) and clean up the slides. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I’ve enjoyed recalling the memories they brought to mind.

So, go for the history, go for the beauty, or go for the food. Whatever the reason, just go; explore Greece for yourself!