At ancient Corinth (with our canine guide!)

   

February 20th, 2017

February 20, 2017

After some confusion due to strikes in Greece, our lovely tour guide Faye arrived and we set out on several adventures. We had a slight change of plans and couldn’t follow the original itinerary, yet still had loads of fun.

After a substantial bus ride with views of the Greek countryside, we stopped at the archaeological site of Thorikos. It is the oldest existing stone theater in the world and dedicated to the wine god Dionysus. Although covered in wild flowers, the stone steps and seats have survived the test of time. The amphitheater, complete with a beautiful view of a harbour, was a picturesque venue for our band’s next album cover. Continuing to revel in the ancient atmosphere, we contemplated our homecoming.

The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion was our next stop. We looked over cliffs facing deep Mediterranean waters, which proved to be another ideal photo opportunity. The temple itself looked like a mini-Parthenon. Because of the strikes, we were unable to see it up close, but enjoyed the view nonetheless.

From there we drove along Greece’s rocky shores with Faye explaining some of Greece’s modern history. It was disheartening to see iron poles on abandoned houses barely poking the sky every few minutes. Due to the extravagantly high property taxes in Greece, many cannot afford to complete their buildings. Anyway, we then stopped for lunch at a very generous Greek restaurant. There, the generous waiters appreciated Luke almost as much as we do. They let him pick the music, and gave him free appetizers. So delicious!

After lunch we headed to a rocky beach. Several members of the Ragazzi swam with three Red Cross certified lifeguards on shore (shoutout to Emma Grenzebach, Neha Singh, and William McCrory). Other students sunbathed, collected stones, and played creative games.

Finally, it was time to head back to the hotel for a delicious and fancy meal. Everyone looked beautiful in their clean clothing.

Neha and Emma

Theater in Thorikos

On the acropolis and in the central agora

   

February 19th, 2017

This morning, Lia, Sophie, Allison woke up to five-star pillows. After spending the night on beds preferable to ours back home, and refreshed from our hotel rooms' rain showers, we headed downstairs for a breakfast of fried eggs, scrambled eggs, omelets, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, freshly strained Greek yogurt, feta cheese, tomatoes, croissants, baguettes, coffee cake, cinnamon biscuits, breadsticks, olive paste, deli meats, assorted cereals, various fruits, and fresh honey right off of a honeycomb.

After breakfast, we hopped on Costa's bus and met our very knowledgeable local guide, Faye. She led us on a bus tour around Athens and taught us things such as how Greek letters relate to our own alphabet. We made a quick stop at the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern olympic were held. Eventually, we reached the Acropolis, where we saw the Parthenon, the Nike temple, and other ruins.

Sophie appreciated how this is the location where democracy started and ended. The view from the Acropolis allowed us to take in the expanse of modern Greece -- each building nestled together, converging with the beauty of ancient Greece, reflected by the towering Ionic pillars of the Parthenon and intricate sculptures on Nike's Temple. The mix of ancient and modern day Greece mirrored our experience in Rome where we witnessed the historical layers of an ancient city.

Meanwhile, Lia appreciated how the trash cans at the site resembled columns. 

Allison appreciated the prime selfie lighting to capture her Greek flag inspired OOTD (i.e. Outfit Of The Day). 

And everyone else was quite occupied with photographing the many cute little baby kittens and doggies on site.

Then we got the chance to witness an authentic, spectacular, and unimaginably profound performance by professional Grecian dancers... a mediocre group of eight guys who were mildly entertaining...? Then to find lunch on the main street off of the Acropolis! We enjoyed spanakopita and feta cheese rolls. Sufficiently filled, we then went to the Acropolis museum, where we saw many statues from the Parthenon and a video explaining it's history, including how after being a temple of Athena, the Parthenon became a church and then a mosque.
We got time to shop around the streets and then met together just in time to join some fellow hokey-pokey enthusiasts in their natural dance. It was as ridiculous as you can imagine... we were using only the most technical hokey-pokey steps.
We finally got back to the hotel to for some R&R, but instead we were greeted will millions of screaming and costumed children in the lobby of our hotel. Since the architect of The Wyndham Grand Athens Hotel decided for a nice open concept arrangement of rooms, the noise from the lobby can be heard in just about any room of the entire building. Sophie and Lia may or may not have called the concierge desk with a noise complaint, only to be told that it was a children's birthday party which would end in "one hour" (the noise is still continuing as we are writing this, four hours later). We hope the children may get tired soon?
Finally, the day ended with our final round of emperor reports and we are going to bed early, on the advice/threat of Enrica. Goodnight!

View of the Acropolis from the hotel

  

February 18th, 2017

Today we woke up in out hotel in Rome with our bags packed awaiting our departure to Greece in the afternoon. Before this Enrica guided us through the hectic yet inviting streets of Rome to the Piazza del Popolo. Here we entered the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo. This quaint yet decorative inside proved that Roman churches are a true sight to be seen. Each and every corner held statues and representations of notable Roman figures. Also, the paintings as and marble work were exquisite and would catch the eye of anyone of inquisitive nature. After leaving the church the class headed back to our hotel, where we were allowed some extra free time to experience the vast city one last time. Many kids went out to shop while the responsible few worked on their school work. Next, we departed to the Rome airport to depart for Greece. This was the last ride with our skilled bus driver Pasquale. Pasquale is an extremely stylish and somewhat mysterious figure that became of class-trip favorite. It was extremely sad leaving a man I had never talked to, but it felt we were leaving a friend. Once entering the airport we did the usual security check-ins and procedures and waited for our plane. Many got snacks and drinks, while mainly relaxing.On the plane after take off, we decided to rest our eyes for a quick bit. Mid-flight we were treated to some scrumptious snickety snacks from our flight attendants. Marc and Will chose a nice cold coke as a drink meanwhile, luke chose water. As we descended into Athens with popping ears, we could see the vast and beautiful landscape of what would be our home for the next 4 nights. After landing in Athens we were greeted by our new bus driver, Costa, He's no Pasquale, but his turns were very smooth. Once we arrived at our 5-star hotel, The Wyndham Grand, Marc and luke frantically looked for the wifi password only to be told by Thomas right before dinner. At dinner, we enjoyed a nice buffet which furthered an assortment of different foods, including Baklava for dessert :). After dinner, we ascended the stairs to what seemed to be the top of mount Olympus but was actually the ninth floor. On the ninth floor, we could the acropolis which was lit up by the lights placed at the bottom. We then were entertained by both the exquisite and smooth Emperor presentations.Arrivederci Pasquale, Arrivederci Roma
Marc And Luke