Orientation/Mount Lycabettus

Today, we had our orientation bright and early at 8:30 AM. Afterwards, we walked from the Arcadia center towards Mount Lycabettus. On the way, we saw what little remains were left of Aristotle's school where he taught his philosophy and a facade of the emperor Hadrian's reservoir. After ascending up Mount Lycabettus, we enjoyed a beautiful panoramic view of Athens. Class was dismissed so we all grabbed some lunch. I ordered the "veal with beer", which was exquisite. Afterwards, I proceeded to Syntagma Square, which is the location of the Greek government building, to watch the Changing of the Guard. Two soldiers stand completely still for a half-hour guarding the Tomb of an Unknown Soldier, which is a symbol for all those who died in Greece's fight for independence against the Turks. Every half-hour they are relieved from their post and perform a ritual movement to pass the duty to a fellow soldier. This is considered to be a very honorable duty for the Greeks. Anyways, after watching this ritual unfold, I was attacked by a swarm of pigeons, which gather around the square in large numbers, because some guy thought it was funny to throw bird seed on me. Then, I walked through the National Gardens, which houses beautiful trees and animals. We stumbled upon some ancient Roman baths and colonnades in the National Gardens as well. Finally, as I was making my way back to my apartment, I realized that the stadium was, in fact, open to the public. Thus, I entered and walked through the Panathinaiko Stadium, which was originally used during Roman times and then reconstructed to house the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Getting back to the apartment was a breeze. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to get my bearings straightened out.