The city of Atlanta

I feel like I'm starting all over again, only this time it's my first month in the city of Atlanta and I got used to the American lifestyle in those 5 1/2 months I've been here. Life in Atlanta is obviously a lot different than Athens, the weather is much nicer, and I'm really enjoying it. I try to do as much as I can around the city and explore new areas, however, on some days I'm just relaxing on my balcony after work, reading my book (which is American Gods, I can highly recommend this!), or I go swimming in the pool. I would've never thought that I would get used to a city like Atlanta so quickly; by now I don't even care about the 8 lanes on I85 anymore, which is my way to work. It can be a bit overwhelming though, since there are simply so many possibilities and things to do around Atlanta and Georgia, but I try to explore it step by step with the help of my lovely coworkers who are always there for some good recommendations.

Today I had my midterm exam, which annoyingly interrupted my weekend, but I did it early in the morning, so I could have breakfast on the balcony afterwards and then drive to Arabia Mountain to go hiking. Arabia Mountain is part of a national park in South-East Atlanta, and is basically a giant rock with a forest and lakes around it. Even though it was, as usual, really warm and it felt like the humidity was at 150%, it was a great adventure for this Saturday. I took a lot of pictures because it looks fascinating; the website also describes it as moon like, with tiny and not so tiny puddles and ponds all over the rocks, little cacti, and the coniferous forest around. In this forest there are cicada all over the place so it actually can be quite loud, but besides that the nature was simply beautiful and it was peaceful and very relaxing. I walked around the mountain and enjoyed the sun until it got way too hot up there, so I went to the nearby lake in the middle of the forest to sit down and have a little picnic.


Every weekend I try to see a different part of Atlanta, so far Virginia Highlands is one of my favorites; I've been to so many street and summer fests, which the people down here seem to love and I met a lot of unbelievable friendly people. The amount of people who complimented on my nail polish, outfits, hair, necklace, or whatever it might be is astonishing and makes me really happy. One of my favorite spots in Atlanta still is the beltline, which is a boardwalk with little shops, cafes, restaurants, playing areas for dogs and so much more, pretty much right in the middle of Atlanta with a phenomenal view on Midtown and its skyscrapers. Right next to it there is also a shop with my favorite ice-cream around here, King of Pops, which are, big surprise, popsicles, in the craziest varieties which are really tasty and the perfect addition to a walk on the beltline. Atlanta is an amazing mixture of all kinds of people, beautiful nature, an exciting city, and simply a place to discover new things everyday, and I'm falling in love with the city a bit more each day.