A trip to Europe for 7.5 days for under $1000? Is that even possible? That was what I thought initially.

 

But I did it.

 

Yes, a trip to Europe for under $1000! The entire trip cost only $800+ SGD (inclusive of flights, accommodation, and personal expenses)! This is a testament to how traveling can be inexpensive!

 

As you may have seen from the title, I went to Greece, a beautiful and magnificent Eastern European country. During my stay there, I visited many of her world-renowned archaeological sites and savored tons of her mouth-watering delicacies. There was so much to see, do, and eat in this historical region of Europe!

 

I mainly explored the capital of Greece - Athens. Athens is a ravishing amalgamation of the new and the old; in some areas, one can see old and crumbling buildings with graffiti all over, while in other areas, modern buildings stand tall in grandeur. Many famous archaeological sites can be found in Athens, with the most famous being the Acropolis, which is the housing location for many historical and charming temples such as the Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike. The normal entrance fee to the Acropolis would be €20, but if you go on the first Sunday of every month from November 1 to March 31, it would be free to enter the Acropolis (which I did :)). Also, if you are a student planning to head to Greece for the holidays, be sure to bring your student card with you. Students showing a valid student pass are eligible for major discounts at various archaeological sites and museums in Greece (for EU students, usually it would be free of charge to enter such attractions while for non-EU students, they are eligible for discounted entry tickets to the attractions). Other archaeological sites that I also visited include the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Temple of Hephaestus, the Roman Agora, and the Ancient Agora. 

 

While only pieces of the original temples remain at the present archaeological sites, it was still a breath-taking experience visiting each one of them. Coupled with the cooling temperature (10-15°C), it was an opportune moment to soak in the atmosphere, and imagine the original temple in its totality. I pictured in my head how grand of a structure the temple(s) would be, should they stand tall and mighty, in their original form. Unfortunately, due to many historical events in the past, many of these temples have been destroyed and then rebuilt, hence whatever I was seeing was most likely a reconstruction or restored version of the past. Still, I am deeply appreciative that I had the opportunity to immerse myself in Greece's rich history and see with my very own eyes how grand of a structure, these ancient temples of Greece are.

 

Besides visiting the historical archaeological sites of Greece, I also visited many other alluring sites, such as the Panathenaic Stadium (where the first Modern Olympic Games in 1896 were held), Zappion (a building used for official and private meetings and ceremonies), and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens (a gorgeous cathedral situated near the heart of Greece - Syntagma Square). I also climbed to the highest peak in Athens - Mount Lycabettus, visited several museums such as the Athens War Museum and Acropolis Museum, and went to the port city of Piraeus to visit the Greek cruiser Georgios Averof. On my last day in Athens, I went on a road trip via the tram to visit the suburbs of Athens (check out my photos to know more :))!

 

Greece also has a lot of mouth-watering food to offer as well, besides the plethora of scenic attractions. When I was there, I savored many traditional Greek dishes such as Souvlaki (a popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat, vegetables, and potato fries, wrapped around a pita bread), Moussaka (sliced eggplant baked in ground beef sauce with potato on top) and Pastitsio (Greek pasta dish filled with meat and cheese). The traditional unfiltered Greek Coffee that I had at SoloCafe (a small cafe located in Syntagma Square) was aromatic, refreshing, and had a good balance of acidity. It was the cup of Joe I needed daily to continue exploring the beautiful city of Athens. Check my photos below to see what other delicious foods I ate in Greece!

 

Overall, I enjoyed the 7.5 days while I was in Greece. The pace of life here was much slower than that of Singapore, and this was something that I needed to experience after the past 9 months of hecticness in university. I am glad that I chose this wonderful and alluring country to visit for my first European country, and I hope to travel to other European countries in the future. There are many other splendid countries in Europe (e.g. Poland, France, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, United Kingdom, Finland, Hungary, Czech Republic, and so on) that are filled with rich history and scrumptious cuisines which I intend to explore in the future.

 

Till the day we meet again, Europe! :)

 

16.02.18

 

Melvin