Why It Matters

Why It Matters

It's Greek to Me

A Personal Post on a Family Trip to Greece

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Alexander Vindman
Aug 03, 2025
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My family, Rachel, Ellie, and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Greece. As a history lover, it’s been on my bucket list for years, so when Rachel asked where I’d like to go for a 50th birthday trip, I jump at the chance to see Greece. Here are the highlights.

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This trip was a very welcome break after a boatload of travel, book talks, VoteVets democracy work, etc. We all in unplugged, minimized social media intake, and tried to pay attention to world events, while focusing on family time. It was awesome.

We started in Athens and our first visit was to the Acropolis (top of city) and the Parthenon. What a remarkable place, imbued with a sense of history and gravity, it left me provoked to think about the past and the present. From this patch of land sprouted a judiciary that resembles our own, and an ancient form of democracy that inspired future democratic experiments. This stop provided an opportunity to reflect on the democratic form of government––a shifting of power from the f…

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