Plato’s Atlantis, Homer’s Odyssey, nor Lena’s summer with the traveling pants could have properly prepared me for the deeply breathtaking serenity of the volcanic caldera of Santorini. Greece’s deep and mystical history seem to anchor heaven (or Olympus) right to the sapphire waters of this island, creating an ethereal energy almost overwhelming in its peace. Under the Grecian sun, deep in the reverie, it's as if a cool breeze could come and fill your ear with a siren’s promise of secrets from the future, and you’d still turn them down for this blissful present.

Thousands of years ago, great minds strolled the agora under the shade of olive trees, and conversated into existence democracy, philosophy, theater, and the academy. Under Apollo’s merciless sun, we hiked up the Acropolis of Athens like honored disciples, kicking up the same earth that once stuck to Plato’s sandals. Athens is a mythical and historic place, brimming with a stoic and knowing energy that only comes with thousands of years of experience, and many gods on your side. The Pantheon temple itself has been copied around the world, from French Parliament to the U.S. Supreme Court, and yet still remains a true and constant symbol of the incredible glories of the Greek legacy and all of its marvelous contributions to modern society. The country that created democracy, drama, and tzatziki? Let Hades have me before I leave Greece!