Day 2: Carpe Diem

FYI...some of you have asked me about the time change. It is an 8 hour difference from Chicago to Athens and a 7 hour difference from Washington DC to Athens.

Today I signed up for an all day walking tour of Athens. It was 6 hours long and it covered the significant historical parts of the city. I will post all my pics on Facebook with details on what I learned from each site. I don't know how to post pics on this blog but I know it's possible. I will have to ask the Hunsches because they always have great pics on their family blog.

I soaked up a lot of incredible info today. I'm really blown away by Athens' ancient history. It dates back as far as 1500 B.C. It's unbeliveable how long these buildings have been around for. I used to think a 100 year old building was considered old but not anymore. These buildings go back to mid 5th century B.C. and they are still standing! Obviously not in the same condition as before but a good chunk of it is still around. Seeing all these buildings have made me want to read about Anceint Greek history because it is really fascinating. I'm craving more info and stories from this period.
Again, the pics with details will be posted on Facebook.

Aside from learning about the history of Athens, I really enjoyed the people in our walking tour group. Our group consisted of only 6 travelers like myself and we were led by a high school teacher who conducts these tours 5 days a week. Anyways, the neatest thing about this group was learning about everyone's backgrounds. There were 2 Candadiens, 3 Australians, and me. All of these people were also traveling by themselves. We all got to know each other throughout the day and I was blown away by their traveling experiences. These guys were pros. These Aussies told me that they've done several backpacking excursions throughout their lives. This trip to Europe was one of many different trips they had taken around the world. Jerrod, one of the guys from Australia, told me that a big part of the Australian culture is to travel and explore the world. They have the mindset that once you graduate from college, you are going to start traveling. He said it's so common for Australians to just work anywhere to save money for their next trip. Once they have their money saved, off to more travels. So a typical cycle for them is...work, travel, work, travel. Then they said that they often obtain work visas in different countries so after they're done traveling for a couple of months, they start working in a different country to save up money for their NEXT trip.

For example this guy Jerrod, an Aussie from my tour group, is in Europe for 2 months, then he's going to L.A. and Vegas (both of which he has been to before), and finish up in Canada. He has a work visa in Canada so he plans to just work at a ski resort for the next 5 months before going back to Australia. Anyways, this type of lifestyle was very common in my tour group. I told Jerrod that I admired the fact they could pick up and go like that. He said that there is a downside because they don't own homes, or have much saved for retirement. Instead they are living for the moment and they don't really worry about their future or a traditional career path. They're all about seizing the day!

It was so great for me to hear about their experiences because it really opened my eyes to my lifestyle and how different it is. I am in Greece and enjoying every minute of it BUT in the back of my head I'm stressing and wondering, "When is the U.S. economy going to turn around? I'm too scared to look at my 401k to see what it's worth now. How soon am I going to find a job? What are employers going to think of my 4 month break when I'm going through interviews. I better start saving for a condo. Jerrod, you're going to work at a ski resort? How is this going to fit into your life long career path?" These are the type of questions that I'm programmed to think, whether I want to or not. HELLO!?!??! I dreamed of working in corporate America! I'm sure the Aussies would love to be in my shoes. YEAH RIGHT. Anyways, it's great that I'm being exposed to different lifestyles because I can learn a lot from them. Ideally you should have a balance of both worlds but that's easier said than done. I hope I can walk away from this trip DETERMINED to make major efforts to balance my life.

Tonight is my last night in Athens. Tomorrow morning I'm leaving for the Greek Islands, starting off with Santorini! I'm going with Kelly, a Canadian that I met in my tour group,and we are looking forward to seeing the beautiful islands and enjoying this warm weather! The only downside about going to the islands.....The damn heavy backpack is coming with me.