After the first week in Greece, we continued having daily class, but afternoons were a lot less structured once we knew our way around Athens. Everyone really enjoyed experiencing the culture of Glyfada and Athens on these days. Some went into Syntagma square to go shopping and hang out while others stayed near our hotel to relax on the beach! On Tuesday, the staff at our hotel prepared a traditional Greek meal for us consisting of Greek salad, moussaka (made of ground eggplant, cheese, tomatoes, and potatoes on top), soulvaki (pork on a stick), French fries, tsaziki sauce with pitas, and ice cream for dessert. Greek food is very different from traditional American food, but still quite tasty. However, after a week of nothing but Greek food, we all were craving something American, and luckily we found a burger place near our hotel. We have been repeat customers at this place so many times, that they created a "happy hour" special just for our group.
Class continued as usual this week and all the groups finished chapter presentations in order to prepare for our final projects which will be given later this week.
We had a free weekend and most people stayed around of hotel and played on the beach (it was beautiful weather)! However, a few of the boys decided to go to Sparta (about 4 hours away by bus). Here they saw the statue the Leonidas, who was a famous Spartan general who fought the Persian army. They also went to some museums and saw the acropolis of ancient Sparta. Lastly, they went to a Spartan theatre which was where the Spartans trained their warriors.
Monday was a free day from class, so we decided to go to the National Archaeological Museum, the Benaki museum, and Cycladic museum. All of these were very different, but also amazing. The National Archaeological Museum is one of the most famous museums in the world. It was home to many ancient statues, ancient jewelry, and clothing from the B.C era. The Cycladic museum has art from the bronze age, as well as ancient Greek art.
For the weekend, the group went to Rome! Italy is a completely different culture than Greece and was absolutely incredible. We went to the Colosseum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Vatican City all in 3 days. We loved being in a new city and having a change of pace as well as a break from class. On the first we went to a wine cellar/restaurant where we all ordered traditional Italian pizza! After dinner, we walked around the city and got to experience the night life of Rome. This day also happened to be "Republic Day" which is similar to our 4th of July, so there was a ton of things going on. Unfortunately, the vacation was short lived, and we all returned to our temporary home in Athens on Sunday.
Class continued as usual this week and all the groups finished chapter presentations in order to prepare for our final projects which will be given later this week.
We had a free weekend and most people stayed around of hotel and played on the beach (it was beautiful weather)! However, a few of the boys decided to go to Sparta (about 4 hours away by bus). Here they saw the statue the Leonidas, who was a famous Spartan general who fought the Persian army. They also went to some museums and saw the acropolis of ancient Sparta. Lastly, they went to a Spartan theatre which was where the Spartans trained their warriors.
Monday was a free day from class, so we decided to go to the National Archaeological Museum, the Benaki museum, and Cycladic museum. All of these were very different, but also amazing. The National Archaeological Museum is one of the most famous museums in the world. It was home to many ancient statues, ancient jewelry, and clothing from the B.C era. The Cycladic museum has art from the bronze age, as well as ancient Greek art.
For the weekend, the group went to Rome! Italy is a completely different culture than Greece and was absolutely incredible. We went to the Colosseum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Vatican City all in 3 days. We loved being in a new city and having a change of pace as well as a break from class. On the first we went to a wine cellar/restaurant where we all ordered traditional Italian pizza! After dinner, we walked around the city and got to experience the night life of Rome. This day also happened to be "Republic Day" which is similar to our 4th of July, so there was a ton of things going on. Unfortunately, the vacation was short lived, and we all returned to our temporary home in Athens on Sunday.
This week is going to be preparation for our final projects and enjoying our final days in Athens before we leave for Santorini on Saturday morning. None of us can believe that it has already been 3 weeks, and we will be home in less than one week! This has been an incredible experience so far, and the best is yet to come. Thanks for reading!
