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Athens, Greece

Safety

Safety in Athens, Greece
What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?

People’s Opinions

  1. Athens is a big city filled with a lot of locals and a lot of tourists. We never felt unsafe during our stay here, though. You definitely need to watch for pickpockets though, especially on the crowded bus or metro. Many locals told us to always carry our bags on our front when riding public transportation. They also said the pickpockets will be more normal looking people than we would expect aka a professional looking mother or a slightly older woman who is dressed well. They told us it’s basically the people we wouldn’t normally expect. As usual, always travel in pairs. Even when we did have to walk around alone, we never felt unsafe as there always are people around, even late at night. Just be smart and you will be fine.

Ministry Summary

Ministry Summary in Athens, Greece
Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?

People’s Opinions

  1. This was an ATL (Ask the Lord) month for our squad which is how we ended up in Greece rather than staying in Macedonia. Even though the main refugee crisis was over a year ago, there are still many refugees living here. We spent the first week here doing just ATL. We held up signs saying “free conversation”. We went on prayer walks. We worshiped in the park. We handed out sandwiches to homeless people. We ended up finding a park where many homeless people/refugees/gypsies/druggies hang out. We watched as they smoked crystal meth in front of us. It was amazing getting to pour into that community by handing out water bottles, handing out lunch and flowers, listening to their stories, praying over them and the park, and even watching them get kicked out, only to come right back as soon as everyone cleared out again. I attached a picture of the park entrance. We lived near Panormou metro station and would hop on bus 14 to get to this park. It has a VERY large statue of a man riding a horse. If you can find it, please go back and invest in these people. The park is their home. They are very lost and are very much in need of Jesus!The other half of our ministry time was spent working at different refugee centers we heard about from either Google or the people we met at an international church we attended during this month. Half of us worked at a place called Good Samaritan through Hellenic Ministries (9am-1pm). The other half of us worked at a center called Bridges (11am-3pm). Both ministries distributed clothes for four hours each morning. We would go to each center and help do that. The distribution would include, checking in the refugees, refolding the clothes and putting more out, and keeping the children entertained while their parents shopped. The people who work at both places are absolutely incredible and so kind. We got to know the staff well and didn’t want to leave. During our time there we also worked with many YWAM groups who were also volunteering in Athens.Every Friday the whole team would go to Good Samaritan. Fridays are different days at the center with Bible study for the Arabic and Farsi speaking women rather than distributing clothes. While they were in the study, our team watched their children, taught the kids a lesson, and helped prepare lunch to serve everyone. We usually did this from 10am-1pm. Both of these ministries are amazing and I highly recommend returning to them!Ask the Lord

Lodging

Lodging in Athens, Greece
Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.

People’s Opinions

  1. It took some time to book an AirBnB but we finally did it. There were eight of us living here. There were two single beds and one double so most of us were on the floor. It had two bathrooms (only one shower) and a kitchen and living room. I’m not going to recommend this particular place though because all of the furniture is very cheap and we ended up breaking and fixing many chairs and two of the beds. It was under budget though! We had $6 a night in our budget. Look for cheap places not too central in the city of Athens but more in the suburbs. You will be able to stay under budget this way.

Food / Meals

Food / Meals in Athens, Greece
What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).

People’s Opinions

  1. Our budget was $5 a day. We easily made this work by making our own meals. We were all on our own for breakfast (everyone liked different things so some people had eggs every day while others had oatmeal or yogurt). Lunch and dinner we cooked and ate together every day. We were able to eat very healthy and delicious meals with alot of veggies. We couldn’t really afford a lot of meat but did manage to have chicken in two meals each week. There is a grocery store right across the street from the Panormou metro station where we would get our groceries. There also was a farmer’s market on Saturdays near our place where we would get some of our vegetables for even cheaper.

Transportation

Transportation in Athens, Greece
What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.

People’s Opinions

  1. We left from Skopje, Macedonia on a train. At the border to Greece we switched to a bus that took us to Thessaloniki. We could only find night trains leaving from Thessaloniki to Athens so we spent the day in Thessaloniki exploring before leaving on our train around 11pm. The train was supposed to leave earlier but they are commonly late so don’t be alarmed. The locals said 3 hours late max is possible. The train to Athens was pretty sketchy. It was very crowded and crazy and hard to find the right train car. We did manage to get there and just clutched our belongings as we tried to sleep. We didn’t have any actual problems though. From the train station we had to take a cab to get to our Airbnb because we didn’t know how the metro worked yet.Once in Athens, our main transportation was either by metro or bus. We found little stands at some bus stations to purchase a monthly pass to be able to use both modes of transportation for only one flat fee. (I think you can also purchase the pass in any metro station but I’m not sure). The pass was 15 euro for anyone under 25 with a student ID and 30 euro for anyone 25 or over regardless of ID. We needed our passports and a passport photo to get the pass (I included a picture of what the pass looked like). However, we were never once asked to show our passes. We got on any bus and any metro without ever being questioned if we paid or not. A local told us it’s because they will soon be switching the swiping in system so I don’t know what transportation will look like for you my future racer.To get around though, the metro and buses were super easy and reliable. The metro has a map and you just have to figure out which stop is near your destination. For the buses, each bus stop has an electronic sign that updates what number bus and what time it is coming. I would look at Google maps before we left to see which buses it would suggest to reach our destination. The buses were sometimes actual buses and sometimes buses attached to cables. All the same though.
    Athens transportation

Medical

Medical in Athens, Greece
Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).

People’s Opinions

  1. None of us had to go to a doctor this month, but there are many hospitals in Athens. Just make sure they take our World Race insurance before settling on one place. Pharmacies are everywhere.

Communication

Communication in Athens, Greece
Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?

People’s Opinions

  1. We bought SIM cards at the train station in Thessaloniki before coming to Athens. We sort of had wifi at our AirBnb but if cut out often. Coffee shops and restaurants all have free wifi.

Financial

Financial in Athens, Greece
Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.

People’s Opinions

  1. ATMs were readily available as Athens is a very touristy city. Even though we lived in a more suburb area, we still had one right up the street from us. Many places took card so cash wasn’t always needed.

Translators

Translators in Athens, Greece
List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken

People’s Opinions

  1. Most people in Greece speak English so it was very easy to manage without a translator. Saying “thank you” sounds like saying “a fiery stove” if that helps. The only time we needed translation was at the refugee centers because the refugees only knew Arabic, Farsi, or Kurdish. But the staff at each center knew the languages so it was no problem communicating.

Off Days / Fun Activities

Off Days / Fun Activities in Athens, Greece
What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?

People’s Opinions

  1. There are so many things to see in Athens!1. Parthenon is a must. The Parthenon is the actual building, the Acropolis is the hill it sits on. You can find the entrance to it not far from the actual hill itself. 20 euro to get in or you can pay 30 to see many other historical sites throughout Athens.2. Aeropagus. A big rock (stairs to get to the top) near the Parthenon. The view is great but the cool part about the rock is that it is the same place mentioned in Acts 17 where Paul preached a sermon from that exact spot!3. Hike Mt. Hymettus. It is the big mountain kind of “behind” Athens with all the radio towers. It took a metro and bus ride and using google maps to find the trail to get to the top. Very long and hot hike. Probably took 2-3 hours to hike up. Worth the view though.4. Olympic Stadium – it’s RIGHT off the green line metro stop. Super cool where the Olympics were held in 2004. Everything is closed but it’s a pretty cool spot to wander around.5. Panathenaic Stadium – Where the first Olympics back in the day started. Also has an underground museum with a listening tour for I think 8 euro (we didn’t end up doing it but our friend says it has a lot of the Olympic torches down there!)6. Concert at Odeon of Herodes – “in the shadow of the Acropolis”. We saw an awesome symphony here for 10 euro on one of our first nights here. AMAZING place for an outdoor concert. Google what is happening in Athens when you get there! (pictured below)7. Acropolis museum – 5 euro or 3 euro if you have a student ID. Pretty cool because it contains all the artifacts that were found in the Parthenon8. Highest point in Athens – Mt. Lycabettus. Don’t you dare take the underground cable car. The walk up the hill only took 20 minutes and had an amazing view the entire time. SO COOL. Walking is free! There is a restaurant and church at the top.There are seriously a million other things to see here but these are the things my team was able to do this month!>
    Athens

Other Important Contacts

Other Important Contacts in Athens, Greece
Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions

People’s Opinions

  1. Go to ICF International Church! Pastor Pat and Brenda. It was so nice going to an English speaking service and worshiping in English. Many of the staff from the refugee centers we worked at attend this church which is how we made many contacts. The church is kind of hard to find as it is down an alley and on the 7th floor of what looks like an abandoned building. If you see Harvest coffee shop, walk directly away from it (heading across the street) and then down the first alley you turn into on the right. The church is in the building up the janky looking elevators. So to recap, turn right into the alley and then right again into the open building with the elevators. And ask for help when you get lost like we did!

Tips

People’s Opinions

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Additional Info

Additional Info in Athens, Greece
Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?

People’s Opinions

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