Week 3: "Greece is Home"
Maggie Economou
The past week has been very busy, balancing school, day trips, and of course the trip to Athens, which I consider to be the highlight of the trip thus far. Just in the past week I have presented on one of the Greek gods, visited the temple of Apollo, climbed to the top of Delphi, posed for a picture in front of the Parthenon, and of course shopped for souvenirs in Athens. I feel very fortunate that I celebrated the 4th of July exploring the birthplace of democracy and was able to witness history first-hand as Greek citizens voiced their opinions and voted on during the referendum. Although I miss home very much, it comforting to know that stepping outside of my comfort zone and challenging myself with new experiences and new people has made me grow as a person significantly. I look forward to the adventures and experiences yet to come.
Hannah Malevitis
After finishing our third week, I'd have to say that going to The Acropolis was the cherry on top on this crazy adventure. We started out by going Delphi and visiting the Temple of Apollo, that was mesmerizing by itself. Getting to step foot on land that our ancestors built and traveled everyday was surreal. We continued our week with a weekend trip to Athens to visit the Acropolis and the attached museum, the museum was filled with so many artifacts that it's hard to believe that they were all real and not fakes. After the museum we went on quite a hike to see the Parthenon, but once you get up to the top, it was so worth it. Knowing that people long before our time got to walk in there and worship the Temple of Athena, can give you goose bumps. This week was filled with many activities that I can cross off my bucket list.
Joanna Psyhogios
This week we got to see historic sites and witness history being made. We visited the Byzantine Museum, Delphi, and the Parthenon. Walking through Delphi was an awesome experience and the view of the ancient ruins and the view from the top was beautiful. The next day we visited the Parthenon and there are no words to describe how awesome it was to be up on the Acropolis looking at one of the most beautiful ancient ruins in the world. Week three was also filled with a lot of recent history as well. We were in Athens the days leading up to the referendum and in Thessaloniki when the voting was taking place. It has been really interesting to hear the different perspectives of the Greek people about their opinions on the economic crisis. It has also been very interesting to see how the Greek people have been reacting the days leading up to the referendum. Overall, week three has been full of many adventures and I will remember these events for the rest of my life.
Pauline Barry
This weekend was spent in Athens. Many great things happened, I went to a museum, the acropolis, and much more. I am in awe that I spend such an important time in history where democracy happens. Even though I am not in favor about how the vote turned out I am still proud of my country and that one day we will come back stronger than we were before. Greece is such a rich country with so much history and now even more history is being created.
While in Athens I saw the changing of the guard which was great. The precision and the care the soldiers take is mystifying. I was able to watch something that my mother and sister saw, to me walking where they have walked and seeing what they have seen gives me great happiness. Along with that I am the third in my family to visit the acropolis and see just how grand it really is, seeing it in pictures is different than seeing the real thing. I will always remember this trip and after this is over, I hope to come back soon. It is sad to see this trip is coming to an end but I know I have made lasting friendships for a lifetime.
Anastasia Tryfiates
This past week has been incredible. We have had classes and gone on field trips—like a trip to the Byzantine Museum. But all of this week was overshadowed by our trip to Athens! We started our drive from Thessaloniki to Athens early Friday morning. Along the way, we stopped at Delphi to go to the museum there and walk the ruins. Delphi was the home of the oracle of Apollo. The ruins of the old city walls and temple still stand, and we were able to climb to the top of the ruins.
My experience in Athens was different from others’ in the group. That’s because while other people were out exploring the city, I got to meet my cousin for the first time! I have been waiting years to finally meet my cousin Ellen. The second night we went out I also got to meet some of her friends and talk to them. Their English abilities varied, so my cousin translated a lot of the conversation. Even when I couldn’t understand what they were talking about it was thrilling to experience a part of their lives.
We left Athens Sunday morning, the day of the referendum to accept or deny the EU package. This is a momentous occasion in Greek history. Everyone in Greece has an opinion on the referendum and the future of Greece. I am learning so much from being in the country during this time that I never would have been exposed to had I been in the States. I have had the opportunity to ask my cousin and her friends about which way they would vote and why. When we arrived back at the hotel, we spent the evening watching the polling results come in. I am very interested in seeing what happens next for Greece during our next two weeks here.
Stephanie Plakas
The best part of this past week was the trip to Delphi and Athens. On Friday we stopped for a tour of Delphi on the way to Athens. We went through the museum and then to the site. It was unbelievable. It was huge and so serene; you could tell it had been a sacred place. Then Saturday morning we got on the bus and headed straight to the Acropolis museum. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and so nice! I learned a lot of interesting things. After that tour was over we made our way to the actual site of the Acropolis. The pictures I’ve seen in textbooks of the Acropolis do not do it justice. It is incredible! The monuments were enormous and it’s amazing how they have stood against the test of time. It was also good timing because we visited the birthplace of democracy on the day of Independence for America. Without this history in Greece there would not be an America as we know it today. Following the visit to the Acropolis, many of us went shopping in Monastiraki Square. For the rest of the afternoon and evening, I met my family that lives in Athens (my grandpa’s sister and her husband (my great aunt and uncle) and their children and grandchildren (my cousins)) for the first time and we spent the free time that I had together. That has been one of my favorite parts of this trip; having the opportunity to meet my family members and also sharing stories about my grandparents and discussing life in America and Greece now. It was also interesting to see how the days leading up to the referendum played out in the capital and also hearing my cousins’ opinions on the matter. As we approach the last week of this trip I am excited for what more I can learn about my family and Hellenic culture.
Marina Deligiannis
Even after three weeks in to this amazing journey, it is still mind blowing knowing that I am immersing myself in my culture while living in this amazing and breathtaking city. These past weeks we have done and learned so much, and I feel myself growing as an individual and connecting closer to my Greek roots. In class we finished learning about the Greek Gods and jumped into learning more about next stage of religion that grew throughout Greece.
This week was also filled with two trips that were anything beyond my expectations. The first trip was to Delphi, to the visit the Oracle of course! Delphi was beyond gorgeous and knowing the history behind it was something that made the visit a thousand times more perfect. The next visit was to the Acropolis, in Athens Greece, which is a place that I never thought I would get the opportunity to visit. Visiting the museum before taking the minor hike uphill and seeing the art, statues and history dealing with the Acropolis only made the anticipation that much more for the actual visit. I will never forget the feeling I got when I first saw the beautiful ruins, and temples for the first time. Stepping on the same ground of my ancient ancestors and seeing the artwork they built was a moment in my life that was wonderful in every aspect. I took every breath, and took in every sight with such ease, to make that wonderful moment last just a tad bit longer.
Week three has been filled with many more memories and many more frappes then one girl could handle, and I realize how blessed I am every day and how I am never wanting to leave Thessaloniki and Greece. As the program continues so will my amazing journey, until next time!
Christina Zikos
Our second week in the beautiful Thessaloniki was particularly special because I was able to meet with family living here in the city. I’ve heard others’ similar stories from the group of how they too were welcomed by long lost family members with open arms. My mother’s cousin and her family were delightful, and I made plans to come back to their neighborhood for their church’s carnival, and also visit another cousin of my mother’s living in another part of the city.
In the classroom, we presented on the Olympians, and continued to learn about the deities and heroes of antiquity. Thursday, we took a field trip to the Byzantine museum, where again I found myself standing in awe in front of artifacts, countless icons, and church relics. With our free time, we explored the catacombs under St. Demetrios church and took in an Antonis Remos concert in the open air theater Theatro Gis, before packing our bags and boarding a coach bus for an ACT weekend trip to Delphi, then Athens. Friday was nothing short of magical driving through tunnels and along twisting and turning mountain roads with spectacular views, with windmills on the horizon. We stopped for lunch at a tavern with an incredible view on a mountainside, before arriving for a guided tour of the museum at Delphi. Then, friendly stray dogs accompanied us on our ascent up the mountainside as we took in all the ruins of Delphi. Truly a hike I will never be able to surpass. More than content, we boarded the bus and drove to our lodgings in Athens,
Arriving late in the evening.
On Saturday, we awoke on the fourth of July in Athens. I cannot describe the feeling I experienced throughout the day as we went from the New Acropolis Museum, to the Acropolis, to the Roman Agora, to the flea market of Monastiraki, to the changing of the guards at Syntagma Square. In awe, I continually told myself – here I am, on the United States of America’s Independence Day, in the very city where democracy was founded hundreds of years ago.
Demetra Arianas
As I sit here typing my third blog I am in disbelief; I cannot believe this much time has passed! As these past couple weeks have gone by I have felt less and less like a tourist and more and more like a city citizen of Greece. I can hop on the bus and find my way around so easily. I converse with random people in bakeries and restaurants. Aside from that, the trips, as always, have been simply amazing and breathtaking. From Delphi to Athens, to taking in the aroma of myrhh at St. Demetrios’ catacombs… I was constantly left speechless.
This past Sunday history was made in Greece; the Greek people voted “Oxi” which likely means they will be leaving the Eurozone soon. Being in Thessaloniki and Athens while the decision was being made was pretty eye opening. It is one thing to follow the news and listen to what the media wants you to hear, and it is another thing to actually experience what is taking place. I was able to witness peaceful protests. One day as I was shopping in the market near Aristotle Square in Thessaloniki, my peers and I stumbled upon a woman who was selling jewelry, and we got into deep conversation. She explained to me how she and the people around her work very hard and was scared of what was to come. I assured her that we all wished the best for Greece and that our hearts hurt along with hers as we saw the economic crisis first hand.
Throughout my journey in Hellenic Birthright I have grown a certain closeness to Greece that I cannot explain. My professor of the Humanitites class being taken at the American College of Thessaloniki explained to us that he has had plenty of opportunities to teach at higher universities and in bigger countries, and when we asked him why he chose to stay in Greece he simply told us that “the aura of Greece is different, Greece is home.” I always had a love for Greece, after these couple weeks I have realized that my professor is in fact correct…Greece does feel like home. Even with the economic turmoil taking place, I know that Greece will rise again. Greece always prevails and will always be a part of home for me.
Jacob Gaetanos
This week has been quite an unforgettable one to be spent in Greece. The country in the midst of political and economical turmoil, and we are here witnessing it and living out history. The trip to Athens was absolutely amazing, but I had no clue what to expect in Delphi. The view from Delphi made the experience itself worth it, but getting to see all the ruins that remained from the ancient city made it incredible. We walked up to the temple of Apollo, where the Oracle would of given us advice in the ancient days. The next day when we got to Athens was a day that I will never forget, not even a second. I got to go to the top of the Acropolis and see the Parthenon. When I think of Athens, and often Greece the Acropolis and Parthenon in particular is what pops into my head, so being able to cross that off my bucket list was truly unbelievable. We spent all afternoon in Athens shopping and seeing the beautiful city. Hopefully I am able to make it back to Athens some time in the future and see more. Witnessing the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier in front of the Hellenic parliament building was one of the coolest things I have seen this trip. We left Athens the next day, Referendum day, with a newspaper in our hands as a souvenir. It is amazing to me that throughout the whole debacle of the banks being closed and ATM cash shortages that people have been so calm and peaceful, even the protests and rallies maintained the peace. I am without a doubt having the experience of a lifetime and would trade this for nothing. I'm beyond thankful to be here in Greece and the beautify city of Thessaloniki and I only have the Panhellenic Scholarship foundation to thank for that!
Maria Arianas
The more and more time I spend in Thessaloniki and Greece overall, the more I find that it will he oh-so-hard to leave when the time comes. Sometimes I still cannot believe I am actually here, and my heart just swells with so many emotions upon the realization that I am really in Greece. This week was again filled with adventure! We all went to the Museum of Byzantine Culture and were able to see many cool remnants from that era, from the look of typical homes to icons dating all the way back to the 3rd century. The antiquity of all the items we saw at the museum, along with many of the other things we have seen at other museums and around the city of Thessaloniki, just simply amazes me. Such history and culture is not something one can find in the United States, or almost any other country in the world for that matter. In this way, it is almost humbling to get to see some of the ancient items and sites that we have, and it makes me proud to be able to say that this is the land of my ancestors.
I find it incredible that someone can just be walking through the modern city and turn the corner to see ancient structures and ruins intermingling with more recently erected buildings. Instead of a fountain or the like being found in the middle of a plaza, often times one finds the excavated buildings of the ancient city of Thessaloniki. Along these lines, this week I was able to visit the catacombs housed under the modern church of Saint Demetrios, which was simply an amazing experience. Beneath the church we found remnants of the original church that was built on top of the place where Saint Demetrios was martyred, and being in that space brought on powerful feelings.
This week we were also given the opportunity to visit the ancient city of Delphi along with the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens. Again, this trip to these ancient sites is an experience that really cannot be adequately described in words. How amazing it is that the Parthenon still has so much of the original building standing after all the history it has gone through, including conversion into different places of worship and being bombed several times of the years. Its resilience emulates that of Greeks in that no matter what has happened to our nation over the course of history, Greek people and culture have always prevailed.
This is very much the mindset I have as we students are visiting Greece in an interesting political time. I worry about Greece’s economic future and hope for the best as she deals with difficult financial decisions. Through all this, however, I know that no matter the rough road ahead, she will come through whatever lies ahead in the future.
Evan Platis
This past week has flown by! Lots of museums and less class time, which I can't say I minded so much. This weekend we traveled to Delphi and Athens which certainly was the highlight of the week! In Delphi we had such an amazing view while having lunch and then went to the museum and the old ruins. In the museum, the guide was one of the best we've had. She had a soothing voice with an English accent, and it really seemed like she loved what she was talking about and loved spreading her knowledge. It was very surreal to be walking through the ruins of Delphi and learning about what went on there thousands of years ago. All the way to the top there were such beautiful views of the valley below. When we finally made it to Athens, some of the students decided to go out. After getting a bit lost, the group split and some of us decided to go back to the hotel to get sleep. We had no map though and very much had to ask several taxi drivers the way back. We went through the main square where the parliament building was and where a rally had just been. All of us were a bit sad to see trash that had been left all over. The next day we went to the Acropolis and the Parthenon. This has been something I've wanted to do for a long time and I was so happy to have been there. I was kind of disappointed that we didn't have more time there, I could have spent the whole day there. However, we were all hungry and tired and the place we had eaten was the most beautiful restaurant I've been to in Greece so far. After that we had plenty of time to shop around the Monastiraki streets. That night we fended for ourselves and bought some delicious Italian food. Later we went out again to the Gazi district where all the clubs were. There was one bar in particular that made the night worth it. It had a rooftop terrace with a magnificent view of the Acropolis, as well as and unexpectedly great selection of music!
James Drennen
From Day trips to Vergina and Verea; to connecting with my fellow birthright members; to watching history happen all around us, this trip has been an amazing educational experience. I’ve learned so much in the class from Nikos about religion, theology and the like, but honestly I’ve learned so much more by just being here. Learning Greek, about other parts of the country, the Greek way of life have all been a part of my experience here. However, most of all I’ve learned about myself, my interests, what I want to do with my life. But this trip has just been a blast too. Connecting with people from Birthright including our awesome RA Nikolas, the AU kids and the locals, especially the locals. There’s a little gyro shop next to the hotel run by this old couple and they are the sweetest people ever. They take the time to know us, take care of us and make us feel welcome in Thessaloniki. When we went to Athens, it was incredible, especially with the history going with the Referendum and the Parthenon, but the city was kind of cold. I was very glad to come back to Thessaloniki because truly, it feels like home.
Niko Argeroplos
As I write this I am overlooking the city of Thessaloniki eating a delicious gyro and taking in the scenery. Since I last wrote we have done a lot and gone a few really, really cool places. We spent the weekend in Athens and got to see the Acropolis and the shopping area surrounding its base. The Acropolis is probably the most incredible thing we have seen on this trip. Its absolutely enormous and it amazes me that it is still standing after thousands of years of war, weather, and occupation. The surrounding area had a very touristy charm about it and it was a pleasure to do shopping for family. Many of the kids in our group also took advantage of the metro to travel at night to one of the cities greatest nightlife hot spots. It was called Gazi and it was incredible. One bar in particular blew me away because it overlooked the entire city and the Acropolis. I also took a trip after at night to Loukavitos, the highest point of the city. We also traveled as a group to Pella, the birthplace of Alexander, and Delphi. Both were spectacular. Pella in particular stuck out to me because of the amazing waterfalls nearby. Classes are getting very interesting now as we transition from ancient Greek mythology and religion to Byzantine Christianity. I can't wait to go to Turkey this weekend as well. Truly an amazing trip and experience.
Will Anagnos
The second week in Greece was unbelievable. I havent done so much in a week before last and it was the most fun I have had moving around so much. Since we have traved more there is so much I could disscuss about. We traveled in to the city of Athens, Mount Olympus, so many archeological meuseums, Delphi, Pella, Edessa, and all around more of Thesoloniki! It was awesome to see new and incredible archetecture every where we traveled to. With amazing views from the windows on the bus rides, the sights from on top of a mountains down at the community, land and water from high up couldn’t have been more speechless. Then to be witnessing Aincient Greek History and its last remains. The mountain in Delphi had my favorite archetecture all the way from the mountain to the stadium up within. Edessa had the most memorial waterfalls. I got as close as I can without slipping in the mud. I had pretty much just taken a shower there was so much water. Within all of this sight seeing wonders, everyone is still getting along as its been really fun getting to know everyone very closely while were out at the bars/club places. If I could one thing differently though, I would have traveled up Mount Olympus, or even just reach the base of it. I had never been to something so historically known and enormous in my life. The stadium that was miles from it that we all went to too was one of my favorite parts. I was only imagening all the people in the past so so long ago that were using the stadium right before my eyes. Its crazy that I have stepped in the same spots as so many ancient Greek landmarks.
Alex Bageris
This past weekend in Athens was great. It allowed me to cross some things off of my bucket list: 1. Going to Athens, and 2. Visiting the Parthenon. The Acropolis museum was fantastic. It was my favorite museum we have visited thus far in this program, however, the my favorite museum exhibit is still the tombs of King Phillip II and Alexander IV in Vergina. The Parthenon was breathtaking. When many people think of Greece, they think of the city of Athens and the Parthenon, and I was just able to experience both. The Parthenon itself was a great site, but the view from the top was fantastic as well.
Although we were unable to visit the ocean in Athens, we were able to experience a taste of the night life. We visited Gazi on both Friday and Saturday night and it was a blast. It felt strange celebrating the Fourth of July in Greece rather than the United States, however, we did a pretty good job of making our presence felt and being patriotic even though we were halfway around the world from home. Now, I am very much looking forward to this upcoming weekend in Istanbul, Turkey!
Nicole Diana Diamantas
Each week, my perspective of this trip begins to change just a little bit more. This week was our trip to Athens, which through a stroke of luck, was during the vote for the Referendum on the proposed austerity measures. Thessaloniki is such a calm, clean city, that I almost could not understand the social and economic unrest described so often in the media. But when I got to Athens, suddenly it all made sense. The city was dirty and had a large homeless population, many of whom slept in the nooks and crannies of large gaudy government buildings that looked more like ancient temples than modern offices. It was clear that despite its rich culture and history, the city was suffering from government mismanagement. And it was even clearer that the people were too frustrated about it to allow it any longer. Chants of 'Oxi' rang through the streets, a sentiment that would prove to be supported by the majority of Greek citizens. So of course, the Parthenon was amazing, as were the Agora and the Museum. Standing next to the ruins of the Parthenon, with the wind blowing through my hair and the sun shining down on my neck, was a moment that could only be described as awe-inspiring. It felt timeless, as if this building that had stood for so long and had withstood so much would always be there, forever gleaming proudly as part of the city's skyline. But this week was more about the future of Greece and its people than it was about the past. It was beautiful to me how the nation known as the birthplace of democracy was able to exercise its right for the people to decide the future of their country. I am excited to see how this vote will change the course of history, and decide what happens next for Greece.
