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A unforgettable trip

My favorite experience as a whole was being able to be apart of a trip as extravagant as it was. One of this reasons I chose this trip and what originally drew me into going was the fact that I was going to be able to travel and view more then I could ever plan alone after I graduate college. I feel so fortunate that I was able to see so many different parts of Greece and learn about such a big part of history in such a short amount of time. I was a little nervous entering into the trip as I did not know anyone but that was all part of the process and I feel lucky that our group was able to all bond and really get to know each other and became a lot closer by the end of the trip. One food that was my favorite was the spanakopita which definitely wont ever taste the same in the states now that I have tried authentic greek food. One of my favorite sites had to be one of the first we visited which was the sanctuary for Demeter. This was a good intro of getting into the mindset of ancient site with greek mythology as it was one of the myths that I actually remembered and got me excited for the rest of the trip. It was neat to be able to tie in sights with greek mythology and give a better understanding on how the greeks made sense of their world with events or ceremonies conducted that were often related to the gods. It was interesting to see how greek culture was the basis and branching off point for many other cultures. Also going all around Greece gave the opportunity to see the progression of greek history throughout the years where you were really able to tell the difference between the prehistoric and historic periods. I do wish that I was more familiar with philosophy before going on the trip as there were many important philosophers involved in ancient greek civilization. Also shout out to our amazing tour guide Stephania featured in this photo who told us an insane amount of knowledge that I did not even know it was possible for a human to retain as much as she shared.

The one thing I can say to anyone who wants to take this trip in the future is do it. It is so worth it and being able to travel across and all around Greece in a way you would not normally be able to. If you are worried about the length of the trip it goes by in the blink of an eye. I am thankful for the friends I made and the lessons learned creating an experience that I would 100% recommend to anyone interested!

(Shira Spivak, Human Development, Class of 2021)

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I made the absolute best decision I could by choosing to go on the Greece winter term. I had a wonderful time and couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my time. It was amazing to learn so much, but also be able to retain so much of that knowledge because of how fascinating everything was. I could have not asked for a better group to go with. We all got along so well which made the experience that much more special.

One thing I cannot get over is the age of all the artifacts and sites we were seeing. While we toured museums we were seeing artifacts that were 2000+years old. That is a mind blowing amount of time and even though these artifacts were ancient, they were still very intricate. At many of the sites, I had a hard time imagining what construction would look like in the modern day even with so many tools at our disposal.

My favorite site had to be the Temple to Poseidon at Sounion. The setting was breathtaking. And don’t even get me started on how delicious all the food was. I do wish I had known a bit more about the language and philosophy going into the trip so I would be more prepared, but in the end, I felt like I was able to learn quite a bit while in Greece. As for advice I would give to a future Eckerd student going to Greece; make the most of your free time. There is not much free time after touring all day, but it is when you will be able to really experience Greece and be able to bond with your classmates.

(Posted by Nick Fechner-Mills, Communication and Psychology major, class of ‘22)

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I at first was not sure the quality of the hotels we were going to stay at but I turned out to be pleasantly surprised. All the hotels we stayed at were very nice. All hotels had very good service and a number of them had really incredible views. There was never not a substantial and decent breakfast provided. My favorite hotel was our first one in Athens, Hotel Herodion as it was felt very cozy and the staff seemed welcoming especially the bar tenders. It was also in a pretty central location from the market which was not too far of a walk. On our first night we were able to see the Parthenon while sitting in the hot tub! I was glad we were able to start and end our trip there.

(Shira Spivak, Human Development, Class of 2021)

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The Olympic stadium was fascinating to me, partly because of the history of it and partly because of how simple it really was. I love watching the modern Olympics so I was very excited to see the original site. The Olympic stadium is rather simple. Unlike some other gathering places of the time, there were not seats that went around the whole stadium. The small set of marble steps was exclusively for the judges of the competitions. Another thing that was interesting to learn about the site of Olympia is that, like many other elaborate ancient sites, was focused around worship of the gods. The heart of the sanctuary that hosted the Olympics was a massive temple to Zeus. I was also very interested to learn that the city that hosted the games was Ellis, a city about 15km away from the site. Olympia itself was not a city in the ancient times.

(Posted by Nick Fechner-Mills, Communication and Psychology major, class of ‘22)

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At the beginning of the trip I had a fascinating conversation with the bartender at the first hotel we stayed at in Athens. I was nervous for the rest of trip and didn’t really know what to expect in the days to come. We told him all the destinations were we’re going to go in the upcoming three weeks and he told us all the great sites we were going to see. During the conversation, I also learned that they have skiing in Greece which is not something I would have expected. The conversation meant a lot by calming my nerves about the trip and made me very excited to head off to Crete. Now that we’ve finished with the trip and I look back on all the great conversations I have had with local people, this one sticks out to me because of how it set my expectations and hopes for the rest of the trip. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a picture with this man himself.

(Posted by Nick Fechner-Mills, Communication and Psychology major, class of ‘22)

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Overall, this trip has been an experience I will never forget. At first, the only reason I had an interest in this class was because I knew I could receive an arts credit for passing it. However, over the term, I quickly found interest beyond what the course could do for my 4-Year Plan. I gained an appreciation for art, the history of Greece, mythology, and Greece today. Additionally, I have created memories I will not forget, seen some beautiful places I hope to see again, and met some amazing people I hope to hang out with again. Over the past 3 weeks, I have learned much more than how to answer the simple question of what art from ancient Greece looked like. I learned about the different civilizations in ancient Greece as well as how art has developed and changed over these periods. I have learned how to identify some unique qualities of artwork within different time periods and how to understand concepts behind them. Beyond this, I have learned just how beautiful the country of Greece can be. While I can not think one of experience that truly stands out above the others overall, I can think of how some of my experiences compared when it comes to specific aspects. One of my favorite places was the Temple of Poseidon because of the view. I truly enjoyed looking out and could easily find myself lost in the view. Another one of my favorite experiences was seeing the Olympics Stadium due to my interest in the Olympics in ancient Greece. I loved learning about this site and being able to see it in person. The last two experiences I want to highlight was when I got to see the statue of Athena that would have stood in the Parthenon and when I saw a picture of the statue of Zeus that would have stood in the Temple of Zeus for the Olympics. While the originals of these two pieces are not standing, I can hardly imagine how beautiful they would have looked in person. Although I did not see them at their full size, they are my favorite pieces of art that we saw. If I could do this trip again, I wish I could have spent more time trying to learn the Greek language. While most people spoke English fluently, the Greek language is interesting. My only advice to others who wish to take this trip is to be sure to spend as much time outside of your hotel room as possible. There is plenty of time to spend inside when you get back. Instead, go out and create memories and value every moment. In the end, this trip has been worth it and I will always miss Greece until I go back.

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Posted by Karli Belgya, Biology/Psychology major, class of ‘22

The scenery in Greece is like nothing I have ever seen in my life. The rows of mountains, a large majority with snow on the tops. Before this trip I had never looked out onto a body of water and seen mountains, let alone mountains with snow on top. The terrain is much different from that in florida as I am now wondering were are all the cliffs, and big rock formations creating all the windy roads. Were are all the gulfs and deep green valleys. Getting of the ferries and going to the water we got to see just how blue the water was. Often wen driving wed pass all the fields of olive trees. If not agricultural fields there would be the overall mostly white houses stacked upon the mountains. I will never forget the many unforgettable views we saw from countless sites one of the most mentionable was from The Temple of Poseidon. The scenery is far beyond anything like New York City and I will be looking forward the next time I will be able to see Greece again.

(Shira Spivak, Human Development, Class of 2021)

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The weather in Greece was a little bit colder then I expected. I feel that the weather of the beginning of the trip was a rougher then the last part of the trip. The first part of the trip was quite gray and rainy. I will always remember the time we were standing on top of the Acropolis next to the Parthenon with Stephania lecturing us with the wind, and with the rain coming down that was almost hailing. While everyones umbrella was flipping inside out due to the uncontrollable winds. This I am sure is not the typical experience but I am glad we could experience the Parthenon in that way, feeling and bracing the elements at the top of the Acropolis. This experience will be forever ingrained in my memory. Although we had some rough weather points I am glad we made it through to the other side were the days felt like a crisp sunny fall without all the leaves changing colors with mostly 45 degree weather. We even had some specail weather permitting days like those at Matala beach were we were able to take off our jackets and enjoy the sun. Some of us were even brave enough to brace the elements and jump into the water! Although the weather was not as warm as I hoped it would be I think we got to experience Greece in a different light, and additionally had the chance to soak in Greece on the off season thus giving us more room to explore without too many people. I would love to come visit next time wen the weather is warm.

(Shira Spivak, Human Development, Class of 2021)

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Honestly, I think this trip is really hard to find the words to sum up because it was honestly life-changing for me and my favorite trip I’ve ever been on. It’s hard to pick one favorite experience so I’ll pick a few. One of them has to be Matala Beach in Crete. I wrote about it in a previous post but it was just such a cool experience. I loved how it was a little hippy town and it made me think of Eckerd. The beach was breathtaking and climbing through the caves was so much fun. Another one was the site were Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great. As a philosophy major, it was so cool to be in the exact location that such an influential philosopher was known to have taught in. Another favorite experience was climbing the 999 steps to the Fortress of Palamidi. That was such a rewarding climb to see such a cool site. I didn’t think I would have been able to do it but I am so glad that I did.

I definitely loved the food a lot more than I thought I would. I thought it would be difficult being a vegetarian but all of the restaurants were very accommodating and made sure I had plenty to eat. My favorite restaurant was the one we went for our farewell dinner in Athens called Mahni Mahni. I tried a lot of really cool, different foods there and was surprised by how much I loved them. Also, I have to mention how much I loved Potato King. I will never forget those cheesy fries.

I was honestly surprised by how many great friends I made on this trip. I did come to the trip expecting that at all. I really enjoyed our group as a whole and honestly, everyone started to feel like family towards the end. I could not have picked a better group to spend three straight weeks traveling through Greece with. At the end of the trip, it felt so strange to leave everybody after we had just done all this together.

For a student taking this winter term in the future, I would definitely recommend learning a little bit of philosophy and a little bit of Greek mythology before the trip. I think that it will give you a greater appreciation of everything you see and give it a bit more context. I would also recommend to go into this trip with an open mind and be ready to experience a lot within a short amount of time.

(posted by Kate Meadows, Environmental Studies and Philosophy, Class of ‘21)

The shopping in Greece was rather interesting. Coming from New York City were stores and shops are open for a large majority of the day were you can purchase, and shop almost any hour of the day and night. It was funny adjusting to the time the shops were open. I always felt that at certain points when we had time to shop the stores were closed and when we were busy the stores were open. Feeling like every time you wanted to shop the stores were closed, I never quite ever figured out the hours I almost wondered if the stores just opened when they felt like it. However there was more promising hours that I believed to be from 5-7. Athens was one of my favorite shopping areas, although somewhat touristy I enjoyed the market there, it reminded me of a Shuk a market similar in style to those in Israel. It was interesting to see the difference in markets between different cultures.

(Shira Spivak, Human Development, Class of 2021)

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We did a large amount of traveling throughout the trip more then I ever expected, however I was happy that we were able to see all the many sites, museums, temples, monasteries and travel all around and throughout Greece. Because we accomplished so much the next time I go to Greece I wont feel so pressured to hit all the spots. One unexpected part of the traveling was the overnight ferries that we took with the additional day trip ferry. Although motion sick at times I loved seeing the coast line from a different perspective as we approached. In some ways I really did feel more connected to the ancient times as traveling on the water was a big part of transportation and culture. Also I cant ever forget the first time Stephanie gave us a warning and told us about the Greek drivers will not stop for you and they tend to park were ever is convenient for them. We witnessed this a number of times throughout the trip one of the most memorable times wen Urgos had to get off the bus to help physically move a car off to the side in able to pass through. Urgos was such a skilled driver and often shrugged off the times we were scared by passing cars, or turning sharp corners. Let us not forget about all the windy roads that often made me car sick. I began to become accustomed to the windy roads and released that it was inevitable that we would encounter them almost every time we got on the bus. With all the ferries, bus rides, and worrisome close encounters of ledges or other cars I would not take it back at all and feel glad that I was able to experience all parts of travel.

(Shira Spivak, Human Development, Class of 2021

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One thing I really enjoyed was learning some Greek words and the Greek alphabet. I was worried about attempting to learn a whole new alphabet, but it was not as bad as I expected! The lesson from Stephania really helped and I thought it was so cool to learn Greek from a local Greek person. After that lesson, lots of people were trying to read signs as we passed by on the bus and read the Greek on menus. I also thought it was crazy that in English we pronounce so many Greek letters incorrectly. Especially because our dorms are names after greek letters. It was kinda funny to learn you’ve been pronouncing your dorm wrong all along.

(posted by Kate Meadows, Environmental Studies and Philosophy, Class of ‘21)

What a great trip!

My experience on this Greece trip was nothing less than amazing. Not only did I get fully immersed in Art, history, architecture, and philosophy, but I was also able to be exposed to another culture in a way that I have not been able to yet. The combination between the classes, the amazing tour guide we had, and actually visiting all of these amazing sites promoted an amazing learning environment. We were able to learn about history staring from the Prehistoric times all the way to modern Greece.

Its impossible to pinpoint what my one favorite experience is, so Im going to break it up three ways. My favorite cultural experience was experiencing the food. Usually back home I am vegetarian, which is not a common thing for the Greeks so I decided to eat meat for the trip, and boy Im happy I did. The food is rich in culture, whether its moussaka, souvlaki, or gyros, the food was phenomenal.

For my favorite site, I’m tied between the monasteries in Kalabakka and the Temple of Poseidon. The Kalabakka monasteries are up on high cliffs, something that I have never seen before. You would climb up to these monasteries and there would be cliffs all around and exposed rock. It was so breathtaking I will never forget. On the other hand, the temple of Poseidon was also phenomenal because of its location and importance for sailors, which I talked about in a previous post.

Lastly, my favorite non educational experience was going to Matala Crete, which I also talked about in an earlier post. I have never swam in such clear blue water before, and the vibe of the town was amazing with gorgeous paintings all around and snowcapped mountains in the distance.

What I found the most interesting is the intermingling between history and myth. For example, the citadel in Mycenae has two of my favorite myths behind it. One is the myth of the Cyclops helping move the rock, and the second is the Myth and legend of Agamemnon being stabbed by his wife in the bath house. Another example would be Nestors Palace, where legend has it that this was where Odysseus’s son looked for Odysseus to try to find him when he was gone for ten years. The intermingling of myth, legend, and history was quite interesting, and is very profound in Greece.

If I were to give advice to someone who is going on this winter term in the future, I would tell them to look into the Myths before going. Even if you just get an overview, it will enhance your experience on the trip, and you would find it all more fascinating. On top of that, I personally was thankful that I have taken Greek philosophy courses in the past, I was able to go to the oracle which Socrates heard he was the wisest man, and a School of Aristotle. Knowing the different philosophies of the time helps you appreciate and understand the history and culture even more deeply. On top of that, I would say to bring dramamine, as many of the bus rides and ferry rides can produce motion sickness very easily. I had a truly amazing time, and I greatly appreciate Eckerd college for giving me this amazing opportunity.

(Posted by Trey Madsen, Philosophy Major, Class of 2021)

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Lucas!

The person that I met on this trip was named Lucas. I was sitting in a coffee shop with some friends, when I walked past him. He was smiling holding a coffee and decided to ask me where I’m from. I told him Florida, and he immediately asked me if I was from Miami(Just like everyone else that iv told that Im from Florida). We talked for a while, and he said that Delphi is his favorite area in Greece. He docent live in Delphi, he lives right outside of Delphi, but we works as a masseuse in a hotel near the ski resorts. He has never been to America, but would like to visit one day. At the end of our conversation he even gave me a ticket for a free massage at his hotel!

(Posted by Trey Madsen, Philosophy major, Class of 2021)

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Boat Ride

Another amazing personal experience that I had was on the ferry ride back from Aegina. On the way there I was inside the cabin, but I started to get seasick so for the way back I want onto the top deck in the back. I was standing there talking to people, when we realize that more and more pelicans started flying behind the boat. At first I was confused but then w realized that they’re just taking the tail winds to fly over to Athens from Aegina. At one point there were up to 100 pelicans! The most mind blowing part was that if you held out food or bread, they would fly up to the boat and eat it straight out of your hand. Quite a remarkable experience I will never forget!

(Posted by Trey Madsen, Philosophy Major, Class of 2021)

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Palomidi Fortress

Climbing up to the Palomidi fortress in Nafplion was a day to remember. This fortress is up on top of a steep hill in the center of Nafplion, and is known for having 999 steps. While it took me quicker than I thought it would, it definitely kicked me in the butt. Going to school in Florida you forget what its like to climb a mountain. I really enjoyed the views from the top, it took my breath away not only from the hike, but from the sheer beauty of the views from the top. It makes sense that they built a fortress up here, as the military advantage that they would have against invading armies would help a lot.

(Posted by Trey Madsen, Philosophy Major, Class of 2021)

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I was pleasantly surprised at how much I was able to eat during this trip considering I am a very picky eater. I was unsure going into the trip if I would find anything I liked but they had pizza and pasta which I mostly ended up eating pasta a large majority of the time, which I was not upset about it. I did try a couple of greek dishes that I enjoyed called mussakah which was a mix of ground beef, eggplant, and mashed potatoes on top, it reminded me of a greek version of shepards pie. One thing that was different from that in America was all the courses that was served during the group meals, I could not believe it yet alone have room to fit all of it. Just wen you thought you couldn’t eat anymore another round of food came out! I also noticed that wen you were done with your meal they would often give a little extra wether that was a dessert or a shot of Raki, how nice! However I have to say one of my favorite greek dishes was the spanakopita that I purchased many times. Also don't forget the famous Potato King that was a big hit for all of us, shout out to the cheesy fries.

(Shira Spivak, Human Development, Class of 2021)

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