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This year, the freshmen honors English and world history classes took a six-day field trip to Athens, Greece. We left for the airport at 9:30 a.m., and despite the hour, everyone was excited and ready to go.
Upon arrival, the first thing we noticed was there was not a cloud in the sky, and the sun was shining. It was a nice change from what we were used to and it made the overall first impression of the country a good one.
While our tour guide was telling us information about the city the next morning, we drove to the ancient Olympic Stadium, which was the setting of the first Olympic games in 776 B.C. We then boarded a bus for the ride to the Acropolis, where we visited the Parthenon. The view of the city from up there was incredible. We also got to see the Agora and walk around to see all the sights near it. It was quite a long hike, but it was worth it.
The next day, we traveled to the Corinth. The first portion we saw was the Isthmus of Corinth. The water was so beautiful that even those with a fear of heights found the courage to cross the high bridge suspended over it. We got to see one of the temples of Apollo, the sun god of Greek mythology, as well as the ruins of Corinth. There was a museum there that we went into to look at the sculptures that had been preserved over the years.
We then drove to the city and burial sites of Mycenae. Near them was the structure of Lion Gate, which was an arch leading into the ruins of a high-walled Mycenaean palace. We learned that it was built on a hill in order to offer more protection during times of war. We then boarded a boat that took us sailing along the Isthmus of Corinth.
The next day, we drove to the National Museum of Athens. There were tons of statues and sculptures, most of which pertained to Greek mythology and famous Greek kings.
We spent an hour and a half there before going to another museum — the Greek Folk Museum. This one contained more recent Greek history and included mostly Greek clothes that were popular during the colonial period.
After that, we traveled to Cape Sounion, home of the Temple of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. The temple itself stood on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
Based on the opinions of others on the trip, I think it is fair to say that this excursion was nearly everyone’s favorite.
The next morning, under the first cover of clouds we had seen since we arrived, we drove up a huge mountain in Delphi (also called the center of the world, according to Greek mythology), which contained the Oracle and another one of Apollo’s temples.
We climbed up to Apollo’s temple and walked around the Delphi Museum. While there, we saw several famous statues, such as the Charioteer, and also a model of what Delphi might have looked like in ancient times.
Overall, the trip to Greece was an amazing experience. We learned so much and got to see some extraordinary pieces of history.
The past came to life in the short time we spent there, and I speak for everyone when I say our trip to Greece will not be forgotten.
