Greece!

Yes, it's that time again - when the Middle School up and flies away to many an exciting destination... and I'm back on board again this year, after the coumadin-induced hiatus last year.

Greece was.... old. Amazingly so, with ruins stretching back centuries - no, millenia - and students who had learned all about it, so excited to see it with their own eyes......

82 sixth graders, to be exact. 7 teachers, 2 nurses, 2 ASD falcon mascots, 1 Flat Stanley with an ASD uniform, and 84 cameras constantly making all sorts of noises. It was a blast!!

We started off in Athens, where we took an evening walk in the Plaka, stretching our legs, doing some shopping, and catching our first glimpse of the Acropolis!

One of the things I loved about Athens was that you could be wandering along in this modern city, turn the corner, and find yourself face to face with a beautiful little church or the remains of something very old!

The next morning we split into two groups, and our bus headed to Corinth. We crossed the Corinth canal, 6 kilometers long and quite narrow, providing a way thorough without going around the southern part of Greece, the Pelopenesian peninsula.

In Corinth we went to an archeological site. We saw what remains of the Temple of Apollo, built in 540 BC.

Corinth is where the Corinthians of the Apostle Paul's letters resided, and there used to be a church here to mark the place where he once stood trial.

We also went through the museum there, and saw many interesting items and learning fascinating facts from our wonderful tour guide, Eleni. One thing that we saw many times over the week is that the Greeks used to make their statue's faces with 'ideal' features - so the statue of a person probably wasn't what they actually looked like!

Apparently the statues also had easily removable (and hence exchangeable) heads - which is why so many are headless!

The ancient version of Barbie:

On we drove to Mycenae, to see the tomb of King Agamemnon and some other examples of these beehive tombs, some still intact....

some not so much....

We also saw the remain of an old fortress on the hill, with an amazing view of the fertile plain below, stretching to the sea.

The next morning we went to the stunning Theater in Epidaurus. Colossal, amazing, and still intact, it inspired performances (you can hear from the top, even without microphones - such wonderful acoustics!), sketching, and races to the top.

Arriving at our beautiful hotel in Olympus, we take advantage of the remaining daylight to play soccer in the parking lot, take a walk down the dirt track through the olive groves, and wait for the other bus to arrive... and it's like we haven't seen them in weeks, not merely days...

The next morning we head to the ancient Olypmic site! It's beautiful, with early morning sun, chirping birds, grass and flowers and the remains of training areas, housing, temples, workshops, and altars... We see the altar of Hera, where the Olympic torch is lit, the original Olympic stadium, a temple Alexander the Great had built (and once stood in), and a lovely museum with gorgeous statues.

We ran races in the Olympic stadium, sat where the ancient Greeks sat to watch the events... amazing!

On to Delphi, the sanctuary of Apollo, where the Oracles spoke to those who journeyed there (and were lucky in the draw).

The Oracles, young women of blameless nature, inhaled fumes and spoke the will of Zeus, which the priests passed on - and it was up the receiver to interpret the meaning of message correctly. We clambered through a 'secret passage', one used to direct water, feeling our way through the dark... The museum was full of statues and beautiful friezes, the view spectacular - Apollo picked a wonderful spot :)

Back to Athens, meeting up with the other group yet again, and the next morning we headed off to the Parthenon! Impressive, indeed, but with the scaffolding and the guy weed-wacking, it was not as impressive as I thought it would be.

The Erechtheion, with its women-pillars, marked the place where the sea god Poseidon and the goddess Athena fought for the privilege to be the protector of the city.

After lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe Athens (Real food! Exclaim the kids, as if the delicious Greek foods and huge portions have left them starving), we drive out to Sunion, to the temple of Poseidon, perched on a windy cliff at the edge of the deep blue Agean. Simply stunning.

Our last full day was a full one indeed - we headed out of Athens to plant trees in an area ravages by fire several times in the past few years. It was a great opportunity to get our hands dirty in the name of a good cause!

We returned to Athens for our 'appointment' at the brand-new Acropolis Museum - and I think Athens has proved they're ready to have their Parthenon statues back! The upper floor has a life-size Parthenon perimeter containing the frieze that shows the procession honoring the goddess Athena. The lower floor has a beautiful array of statues... unfortunately, pictures are not allowed...

That night, we headed to a Greek Taverna for our final dinner, complete with Greek dancers... a great celebration to end our adventure!