My Week in Athens… May 2

“I am lucky to be able to travel a lot – my work affords me the opportunity to move around all the time. So much so, that I don’t really have a place that I consider ‘home’. I’m a person who can honestly say ‘wherever I lay my hat is home’ – and I mean it. This lifestyle is not about wealth and riches – quite the opposite: this lifestyle is about having different experiences and the richness of meeting interesting people wherever I go.

The last few weeks were particularly special. I spent the first ten days in the Peloponnese, staying in a rural house, looking after the pets for the owners who were away. This was lovely and peaceful, a world away from the urban chaos of London, my previous destination. Then I came to Athens, determined to see the ancient sites that I had learned about during my studies. I wouldn’t say I had many expectations – I take each experience as it comes.

The ruins and rocks I expected. What I didn’t expect was the realization that Athens is more about what you feel than what you see. There are of course some beautiful parts of the city – and there are some not-so-beautiful parts of the city. But this feeling is undeniable, this unique mix of highly charged and yet incredibly relaxed energy – this is how I will think of Athens and its people.

This is a city that one must experience, rather that ‘tour’. And hopefully at the end of your experience, you will say ‘I get it’ – as I did. It is not a city without challenges and troubles and woes – but I believe that even these things add to the particular energy that is Athens. I understand why so many choose to live here – also not because of wealth and riches, but rather about the richness of everyday life. I found myself thinking that my hat might like to stay here for a while…”

Thanks for the inspiration, Kristie!

Until next week,

Jack

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…