InterNations team member Corinna paid a visit to our Athens Community in early February – here are some impressions from her trip
I leave my dear colleagues in the Munich office on Friday in the early afternoon and take a plane to fly some 2000 km south… During almost the entire flight I see the sun shining on snowy, hilly landscapes but unfortunately when I arrive in Athens it is already getting dark.
After checking in at my hotel I meet up with Silvia Krämer, our local Ambassador in Athens, and we walk through the city center to the event location of our InterNations Athens February Event – A night with a view… and let’s dance! 
Vitrine turns out to be a perfect venue to host our international crowd, with an amazing view of the Acropolis! That evening, almost 120 InterNations members from all over the world join in the party. Some early guests show up at exactly 9pm (and not only Germans), but most of our members arrive around 10:30. The printed name tags with coloured flags that I brought from Munich are a big success with our members, who enjoy getting to know other expats in town. I meet a lot of interesting people in the course of the evening,
and I am quite impressed how international and mixed the Athens Community is. This is definitely due to Silvia’s continuous efforts to make the community grow and spread the InterNations spirit in Athens. After a few hours of chatting and mingling the DJ turns up the music and our guests hit the dancefloor! When I leave at 2am the party is still going…
On Saturday I meet up with Silvia and Stavros, another member of our InterNations Athens Community, in a beautiful café by the seaside where we enjoy a couple of drinks on the terrace in the sunshine.
Sunday, finally, is my personal sightseeing day. As it is my first time in Athens I am quite excited to visit all the historic sights! I am pleased to discover that I picked the right day for it: 
Most of the sights are free to visit on Sundays, at least during the winter season. My first stop is of course the Acropolis. Besides the spectacular historic architecture I particularly enjoy the view from the Acropolis hill over the whole city. My next stops are Monastiraki Square, Psirri and the flea market, where, to my delight, shops are open on a Sunday! As I have been told that the architecture of Athens was influenced by German architects of the 19th century I decide to visit the Parliament Building next. This former palace was designed by Friedrich von Gärtner, whose name rings a bell thanks to a nice little area in Munich called Gärtnerplatz! After this more recent piece of architecture I continue towards the Temple of Zeus. The last stop of the day is the Panathenaic Stadium, where the Olympic Games were held in 1896.
I seize the opportunity to quickly set a new world record in sprinting before hurrying to the airport and waving good-bye to this beautiful city from the window of my airplane.
