Our time in Athens started with an early morning flight from Cyprus. Being a slightly tired group of travelers on this day, we spent our first hours in Athens exploring the city at our own pace; visiting museums, markets and other beautiful parts of the city. In the evening we walked up to the top of Mount Lycabettus and witnessed a stunning view of the sun setting over the two seas; the Mediterranean sea and the endless sea of white buildings across the city.
The second day of our Greek adventure was mainly spent in the small town of Corinth, around an hour southwest of the capital. Some of us decided to visit the famously steep Corinth Canal while others explored the city. In the afternoon, we headed into the countryside to an idyllic vineyard where the only sounds you could hear were birds chirping and trees blowing in the wind. We had a wine tasting with domestically produced wines and we also had the chance to get some insight into their wine production.
The next day started off with an exciting meeting with the ambassador of Sweden in Athens. We conversed on many different topics regarding the Greco-Swedish relations, the historic and current ties between Greece and Turkey and Greek involvement in international affairs. We also received insights into the life and career of an ambassador which was very inspiring. After the meeting we continued our exploration of the city and many of its historical sites.
For the final full day, we had saved the ultimate historical and must-see site of Athens; the Acropolis. While we were blessed by not traveling during the high season and therefore avoiding large amounts of tourists, the Acropolis was still crowded. Nonetheless, it was a very interesting and impressive place to visit. In the evening, we ate a delicious final dinner at an authentic Greek restaurant.
Having packed our bags and being ready to fly home, we had one final meeting on the schedule, with the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We met a representative who held an interesting presentation on different aspects of Greek foreign policy such as Turkey, Ukraine, EU and NATO.
To summarize, it is safe to say that we left Cyprus and Greece with many interesting cultural and political experiences, and came home to Sweden with valuable new inspiration and insights.
GALLERY
