When I told my parents where I was planning on going this past weekend, the first thing my dad advised me to do was check the US Department of Safety’s website to make sure the country wasn’t in such despair that I would be in danger.

It wasn’t like I was going to any dangerous third world country, but Athens, Greece is in a teensy little economic crisis and that is reason enough to be cautious. And, of course, I was cautious, and it was a good thing as it’s really evident once there that the area is in a little trouble.

There were permanent police barricades outside of the parliament building to keep out the rioters that gather there weekly. Political street art covered entire blocks. Casually walking down one boulevard, we almost ran head on into a march with crazy Greeks shouting and all wearing red. It was bizarre.

And yet, we experienced kindness one would expect to receive in a utopia. We took one of those “free” guides where the tour guide relies on tips at the end, and he kept us laughing the whole time. (They were so kind, in fact, that when I somehow lost my Greece postcard in transit, the tour guide agreed to mail me one home in the States so my postcard collection would be complete!) We asked him for meal recommendations, and we went to both of the places he recommended leaving happily content.

We found a bakery full of traditional Greek desserts, like baklava and these pastries that were essentially sugar-dusted donuts, and quickly established it as “our” bakery. I guess we charmed our way into their hearts too because by the end of our journey they were shoving free treats into our bags.

Of course, besides the food, the sights were amazing, too. Our tour guide nonchalantly would point out buildings and say things like, “Oh, that’s where Socrates was imprisoned 2,000 years ago!” Like Rome, lots of imagination was required to fully envision what the ruins looked like at their peak so many centuries ago.

We crammed so much into a day and a half. My mom would probably be disappointed to know that I consumed about five gyros within the span of 4 meals and just as many desserts. There were historical markets to see, and we had our first taste of bartering like the Greeks have done for thousands of years. My roommate and I each got two pairs of sandals, handmade by a family-owned shoe store.

And what would a trip be to Athens without forcing oneself to climb the big intimidating peak that contains the Acropolis? Winded and achy from all the walking the entire weekend, we felt victorious like Rocky once at the top, and the view was certainly worth it. It was evident why the Greek government used to think they were so cool—I’d think I was the greatest in the land if I had the views they had from way up there.

I spent the entire flight back home to Milan dreaming of ways to spend my next trip to Greece.