It's kind of surreal running the last few days back ... I landed in Greece with the perfect team: Ocean and Nick. Drove through the heart of Athens at dawn. Checked into a big suite in a hot five-star hotel (Madonna's favorite, apparently ... she's got good taste). Ate my first real, full English breakfast in a while (baked beans, hash browns, bacon, sausages) whilst overlooking the magnificent Acropolis on a sunny day. Savored the moment. Met up with my European VJ friends again after a long time. Made new friends (congratulations to MTV Greece's newest VJs, Nafsika and Alex, on your first show! So good!). Worked with old friends (the real A-Team from all over Europe — you know who you are). Partied well into the night at a well-hidden rooftop bar with Speak & Spells hanging on the wall. Drank Ouzo for first time. Had the best gyro (pronounced "yiro," as I found out). Climbed to the top of a completely empty Panathinaiko Stadium at midnight the night before the big day — breathtaking, literally. Found a hot little dive bar round the corner that played everything from Oasis to the Rolling Stones. Walked onstage in front of 50,000 people the next day at the historic stadium. Got 50,000 people to scream at the top of their lungs. Kept them entertained for a four-hour live TV show that aired in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Greece simultaneously, alongside Europe's best (and, in some cases, hottest) VJs. Had the absolute pleasure of interviewing one of the best bands ever, R.E.M. Introduced the legends on stage for their big performance. Saw them play a full 90-minute set with all their hits. Shared a celebratory gyro with friends. Hit the afterparty at Venue in style, followed by the after-afterparty. Misbehaved a lot. Saw the sun rise. Made it out in one piece. Next stop ... New York.

Here are some things I learned this weekend at the launch of MTV Greece:

1) Athenian cab drivers will not take you to a restaurant if they think the place is “too high society.”
2) Europeans are really, really hoping that Barack Obama wins the presidency.
3) If you're looking for someone to host your concert, sweet 16 party or Bat Mitzvah, Tim Kash is your man.

On a breezy, clear night in Athens, MTV welcomed Greece into the family. 75,000 young Athenians packed Kalimarmaro Stadium, site of the ancient Panathenaic Games and home to the first modern Olympics, to officially launch MTV Greece. With the Acropolis shining in the distance, our own Tim Kash hosted the four-hour event, which featured bands and MTV VJs from around the world.

MTV execs did what we do best: hang around backstage drinking beer while the crowd sang along to Greek rock/pop stalwarts C:Real, Australian (and somehow Italian?) up-and-comer Rebecca Cilmi, the Kaiser Chiefs and the headliners of the night: R.E.M. Six hours of sitting on hard marble seats did nothing to dampen the crowd's spirit, and the vibe reminded everyone involved of just how exciting music television can still be.

R.E.M. have just wrapped up a European tour, and it's nice to be reminded just how popular a touring band they remain.

They may have faded a bit in the States when it comes to record sales, but not many bands can do a 21-song set made almost exclusively of hits. The crowd, made up almost exclusively of folks under the age of 25, knew almost every song note for note.

The band has been pretty public about how this album and tour brought them back from the brink of dissolution, and it was evident that even after a grueling tour (they came directly to Athens from Istanbul), they were digging being onstage together. Michael Stipe even led the charge to the post-party later that night, taking in some Athenian house music at the hot club of the moment, Venue.

I'm sure many crazy, depraved things followed, but I had to be at the airport at 7 a.m., so I skipped out early. I'm quite confident Tim will give you a full report ...

All of Athens was gearing up for the launch of MTV Greece. They were expecting more than 70,000 people to pack Panathinaiko Stadium to celebrate and watch performances from R.E.M., the Kaiser Chiefs and C:Real.

Our very own Tim Kash was hosting the Sunday night event, and on Saturday we rehearsed with VJs from MTV France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and, of course, Greece.

My job has allowed me to see some pretty amazing venues over the years. I got to run on Soldier Field the day before the Rolling Stones kicked off a tour. I've seen Bon Jovi at Giants Stadium. I saw the the Fugees play in the center of Port-au-Prince. But I don't know if I'll ever see anything like Panathinaiko Stadium again. Also known as the Kallimarmaron ("beautifully marbled"), it's a massive stadium built completely from white marble. According to our hosts, it was originally built in 329 BC to host the Panathenaic games in honor of the goddess Athena. It was cleaned up for the first modern Olympic games in 1896.

We finished our prep for the show with gyros and kebab. I always assumed asking for a gyro in Greece would be like asking for General Tsao's chicken in China — a complete American invention. But no, we found ourselves in a crowded square near our hotel surrounded by hundreds of Greek families out for a stroll and enjoying some of the best (and, if possible, even less healthy than the kind you get in New York) street food we've ever had.

Athens is almost the polar opposite of the hustle and bustle of New York City: The first thing that hits you when you arrive (apart from the abundance of MTV signs all over the airport) is a real sense of calmness and serenity.

It's all too perfect. As MTV News' grand poo-bah Ocean MacAdams, resident Greek god Nick Neofitidis and I sit here eating breakfast on the roof of our hotel — with a view that overlooks the city and the magnificent Acropolis — it's almost too easy to forget that we're actually here for work.

On Sunday, I'm hosting our big launch party with a concert at the Panathinaikos stadium (a huge soccer arena) in the heart of Athens. R.E.M. and the Kaiser Chiefs are just two of the acts performing on the big night in front of thousands of music fans — all of them gathered to celebrate the launch of our 105th MTV channel.

But that's on Sunday. For now, it's all fun!