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The End

Greetings! We now leave Rome. We did quite a lot, and being at the end I hardly remember what all we did. So! I will be start at the start.

Greece! Our introduction to the tour. To see all the stories I’ve heard come to life in the temples and buildings was amazing. Seeing the true scale and power of these places was what I had been hoping for and what I certainly got. Athens was gorgeous, a beautiful melding of old and new. Everywhere you looked there was a masterpiece. The bike tour was fun and relaxing, a great introduction to the movement we’d suffer later. The art was everywhere in the smallest of details, even when it wasn’t ‘necessary’ or ‘practical’ they made it beautiful. The churches and pagan temples placed almost side by side was interesting. It was sad to leave, and Olympia was not near what I’d hoped, or more accurately, we were unable to see as much as I’d hoped.

Italy! Florence was possibly the most beautiful place we saw, and the Boboli Gardens were the highlight of the entire trip. Everyone would have benefited from the experience, so long as it was not rushed. That was the only problem that I had with the tours through the museums they were all very rushed. That is also why I enjoyed The Accademia so much, we were able to go at our own pace. We spent around two hours there in about only two rooms.

Rome was rougher, the melding between old and new was practically nonexistent, it was all old but not barely any of it was beautiful. They were flat buildings for the new and brick buildings for the old. Possibly the only intricately beautiful building was the most hated. They say that it is useless, but the statues and precise details in the architecture was more than most even churches were.

throughout the trip I noticed the themes of beauty without necessity. Everything was made beautiful and that beauty made everything feel alive and good. Goodness, truth, and beauty, you cannot pick and choose which ones you will strive for, you cannot have the two without the one, and you cannot have one without the other two.

Last Day In Europe

Hi it’s Max Crews! Today we wrapped up our final day of the Grand Tour. This trip has been such a blessing to me and my mom as well as the class. I am so thankful for the opportunity to see everything that we have learned about.

Today me, along with a couple other students, joined Coach Brock in a run to the colosseum and back to the hotel. It was a wonderful way to see a lot of Rome to wrap up the trip and encouraged a group of us to set a goal of 40,000 steps for the last day. However, our navigator (Coach Brock) was clearly struggling because of a marathon that was happening in the city and ended up doubling the run distance we originally agreed to.

After our run we got back to the hotel and had a devotional. We worshiped and had a message led by Mr. Cepica. The message was great and he ended it by telling each student a positive quality that he has seen in them through the trip. We all appreciated this so much and it was such a thoughtful way to start our final day.

After our devotional we went to the Basilica of San Pietro and saw St. Peter’s chains as well as Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses. This trip has not failed to amaze me when it comes to seeing things that have played important roles in biblical history.

We then went to the Colosseum and had a guided tour for a lot of the dark and rainy afternoon. The tour was great aside from us being hungry and tired. It was wild to see the stuff that is in all the movies even though the guide made it abundantly clear that the movies aren’t accurate in the slightest.

After the colosseum we were able to break off into different groups for lunch and exploring Rome. I walked a very long walk to the Vatican City and went to St. Peter’s basilica. When I was entering, there was a worship service in action. The mix of walking into a beautiful church filled with art and gold and hearing beautiful music was such a moving experience.

Finally, we went to dinner and got gelato as a class. Dinner was great and reminded me of the community we’ve cultivated on this trip. Now I am at a huge European McDonalds with statues and art inside, surrounded by my friends, tired from the 40,000 steps me, Garrett, and Reese vowed to take today and balancing being so ready to be home while not wanting to let go of Europe. This trip was such a blessing and created memories I will cherish forever. I am ready to be home but will miss laughing with my classmates every single day over some of the best Italian food I’ve ever had.

Welcome to Rome!

Hello everyone, this is Garrett Holtzman! The grand tour has been so fun and truly eye opening to how small America actually is. It is weird to think that so many people have their own separate lives and live here. We arrived in Rome yesterday on a train that was going about 150 miles per hour! I was asleep for most of the train ride, but I heard that the views were beautiful! This morning we ate breakfast at 7am before going to the catacombs. The hotel breakfast was decent, but it did not stand a chance compared to the morning feast I would wake up to in Florence! When we arrived at the catacombs I immediately noticed the colorful flowers, tall healthy trees, and green bushes. The Roman culture cremated the dead, but the Christians wanted to bury theirs as a full body. This is why the Christians made the catacombs. When we journeyed down into the catacombs, the air suddenly got colder and became dirtier. The dirt in the air made me feel right at home in Lubbock! Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any pictures or videos in the catacombs, but the positive side of that is it allowed me to soak it all in without trying to focus on getting good photos. The underground catacombs were about as big as 21 football fields, or in other words, about 12 miles. Something that I found interesting was that grave robbers invaded the catacombs and took marble from the tombstones because there was no treasure like they were hoping for. The graves that are closer to the surface are older than the ones deeper into the earth because the Christian’s would work going down. These tunnels were so big because it was the final resting place for approximately half a million people. Our guide told us a story about how a 15 year old girl was killed for her faith and was buried there and that was interesting to see an example of a young person having the spiritual maturity and courage to realize this was not her permanent home. When we got outside, Brasher and I followed a bird that was walking for a good minute and then we eventually saw men dressing up in Roman armor and I am still interested in what they were doing.

In the afternoon, the class walked to the Vatican which was a fun and interesting experience. It was very crowded! My favorite part in the Vatican was the sistine chapel because it was the most famous and had a little more open space than the actual hallways. The only downsides to the sistine chapel was that we were not allowed to take pictures or videos and they blocked off a full wall because people were working on it. The painting is spectacular and expresses goodness, truth, and beauty. After the Vatican, we got gelato from a nearby shop and that was very scrumptious! On our way back to the hotel we stopped for dinner and I chose to get a tasty steak filet.

This trip has been such a blast! Florence was my favorite location because it was super pretty and easy to get around. I picked up a rock in Athens and I have taken it everywhere with me so far taking pictures of it next to important buildings and statues including the David statue for example. All my friends know how important the rock is to me and so they know not to mess with it which I think is kind of funny.

Tomorrow we will be touring the Colosseum which will be fun, but very crowded! This trip has been such a blessing and it has been a great bonding time with the people in my class and I have enjoyed spending time with my mother as well! We only have one more full day before we head back to the states, so I hope it will be a great time and we ask for prayers for safe travels as we make the journey back to Lubbock! I hope you have enjoyed hearing about the trip:)

Romes on the throne

Hello fellows! It’s Jax here! We sadly left Florence, which is where we got to climb the duomo, eat a lot of pasta and gelato, and go souvenir shopping. Today we went on a train to Rome. While waiting we all played Among Us in the busy train station. The train ride was very good chance to look at the beautiful scenery. Getting on the train was surprisingly calm, but getting off was a lot more stressful. With a lot of other people trying to get off and everyone’s bags spread out it was stressful to get everyone and everyone’s bags off before the doors closed. Yet we made it with plenty of time and got all are bags! Once we got to Rome we drove to our hotel and checked in. We all went to go get lunch and met at the hotel to go on the bike tour. The traffic made the bike tour very difficult because we had to start and stop often, but one of my favorite things on the bike tour was to bond with my classmates! It is amazing to me that Rome almost every corner you turn has an ancient ruin that marks a historical point in Europe. There are ancient statues, Buildings, and biblical depictions. Rome seems to be more populated and has a larger amount of cultures, which makes the traffic a nightmare! On the bike tour we saw the pantheon which is interesting because you can see how Rome wanted to copy Greeces beautiful architecture of the acropolis. Rome also copied Egyptian architecture with these large pills that look like a smaller version of the Washington monument. After the bike tour I went to an Italian restaurant and got the best calzone of my life! This trip has allowed me to see a different perspective of life to learn more about the world and Making memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you so much KPA for making this trip possible and making it as great as it is!

#67!#caio!#Opa!

A Day in Florence

Hey everyone! It’s Brasher here! We are on our second full day in Florence and it is better than I ever could have imagined. Before the trip everyone was talking so highly about Florence and how the city was one of the most majestic cities we would see during our quest around Europe… they were right! So far we have shopped, eaten pizza, and roamed around the town appreciating the beauty.

This morning we ate a good and filling breakfast before traveling to the Uffizi Museum. On the way to the museum if you take a second to look around you can see multiple statues on the side of these tall beautiful buildings. The foot traffic is not as bad in the mornings as it gets later in the afternoons, but in my eyes, the car traffic is always bad. When we arrived at the museum I was bombarded with how much there was to see. There were statues left and right and paintings up and down. Each one is full of stories and history. My favorite part of the museum was the lesser-known stories, those that remain uncertain, with many different interpretations and still to this day no clear truth. This made the experience even more interesting, as the painters intentionally left space for imagination, allowing each viewer to interpret the stories in their own way and connect with the artwork on a more personal level. My favorite painting I witnessed was “The Crucifixion.” The painter is unknown, but the image still carries a powerful emotional impact and leaves a lasting impression on the viewer. In the picture [below] Jesus is hanging on the cross after being presumed dead. Under the cross on his left is his Virgin Mary and on his right Saint John the Evangelist. He has 2 angels on his sides catching his blood flowing from his wounds in a bowl. The angels catching Christ’s blood symbolize its sacred and life-giving nature. By holding his blood, the angels show its importance in salvation and grace. This visual detail helps us understand the spiritual significance of the Crucifixion.

For lunch, we split up and ate amazing sandwiches! I love the Italian food here. I have eaten pizza almost every day, and everyday I feel like it gets better. The pasta here is amazing as well. After we all ate we traveled to the Accademia which holds the statue of David. The statue of David was spectacular and amazing. I’ve seen pictures of it before the trip but the pictures were nothing compared to the real deal. While roaming around the Accademia I was almost overwhelmed with all the art and the artists that we were surrounded by. Throughout the walk, I played “I spy” with a few people which was a game that started as fun but later forced me to look at the tiny details that the artist put into their work. Every paint stroke was made with a purpose and nothing felt accidental anymore. The game shifted from guessing obvious objects to noticing subtle textures, hidden patterns, and small choices I would’ve ignored before. It made me realize that the artist wasn’t just creating an image, but guiding the viewer’s attention, almost like leaving clues to be discovered. By the end of the walk, I wasn’t just looking at the artwork, I was actually seeing it, understanding how much thought and intention went into every detail.

Benvenuta, Florence!

Hi y’all, this is Mikayla Reno it is hard to believe we are already halfway through our trip. It was hard to say goodbye to Greece but now we get to hello to Italy. This year instead of taking the ferry we flew directly to Florence. It was not as smooth as we would have liked, but we made it in one piece, except for one piece of luggage.

We met our second tour guide Madison, who was instantly welcoming and kind. She led us to two separate buses, and we decided to take a different bus from the parents. Then we arrived at the hotel and changed to go get food. Who knew you could get great paste sauce out of a wheel of cheese. Dinner was so delicious and then we hung out at the hotel and played some games.

For our first day in Florence we had the opportunity to explore the city on our own. Then that night we climbed steps of the Duomo, which was had a lot of stairs but it was really worth it. The view was breathtaking you could see the whole city from it. It was also very windy as well but it was fine in the end.

The whole trip so far has been a once in a lifetime experience. I have truly seen some beautiful and amazing sights. The most memorable to me was the acropolis and how people have been walking there for centuries. Then the most memorable dinner was when we danced in a restaurant and it was so much fun.

We have also grown stronger as a class, by getting gelato, dancing, playing games, and exploring. Especially when we played among us with Coach Brock.

The saddest part about leaving Greece is saying goodbye to Kalliope. She was our tour guide there and was an amazing person. You could tell she had a passion for her job and truly loved our group. When we went to places she never knew a stranger and was always so kind to everyone. I will always remember her and this amazing trip. I want to thank KPA and Jesus for this amazing trip. That everyone should experience once in their life.

A Farewell To Greece

Hi everyone! This is Reese Ramsey! I don’t know if you have been keeping up with the past blogs, but today we visited Olympia! Over the past few days we have explored Athens, Delphi, Corinth, and Mycenae. Each cite has been more beautiful and rich with history than I ever imagined. One of my favorite things to do has been collecting wildflowers from each place to put in my journal as a keep sake.

This morning we visited the ancient Olympic stadium! It is so amazing to see how both the ancient and modern worlds have used sports to bring many different people together.

In ancient Greece, there was even an ancient truce three months before and after the Olympics in order for the athletes and spectators to have safe travel between city-states. Kaliopi, our wonderful tour guide, shared many interesting facts with us. Such as the fact that the Olympics were originally in honor of Gaea and Rhea and were later changed to honor Zeus.

Another interesting thing she told us was the emphasis that the Greeks had on honor. If an athlete cheated they were forced to buy their own statue that was placed right in front of the entrance of the stadium as a form of public shame. This shows how the Greeks valued honor over victory. I also learned that although women could not spectate or compete in the ancient Olympics, unmarried women held their own Olympics every other 4 years.

While at the Olympic stadium, we were able to race on the track. First the boys raced! It was so cool to see them take off racing down a track filled with so much history! However, a few steps into the race my father got hurt and had to stop running. After he got to the finish line the girls raced was set. Kaliopi counted us down and we were off! It was exhilarating! I couldn’t believe that I was actually racing where ancient greeks had so many years before! I couldn’t help but smile while crossing the finish line! Lincoln and I were crowned with crowns of olive leaves as the victors of the race.

We sadly were unable to explore much more of the Olympic stadium and museum due to us having to catch a flight. The rest of our day was mainly just traveling. We drove back to Athens, said farewell to our travels in Greece and our precious Kaliopi, and then hopped on our flight to Florence. Throughout these travels, our class shared a great many conversations, naps, and Among Us games. We even got Coach Brock to join us in a few Among Us games.

After reaching Florence, we stopped by the hotel, where the view from our room windows can see the Duomo! I haven’t gotten to explore much of Florence yet but I cannot wait for the days to come! I have loved getting to see all these amazing places and bond with my class!

I just wanted to thank the school for making this trip possible and praise God for what He has and will allow us to gain and learn from this Grand Tour! Thank you!

Last Day In Athens!

Hey y’all! This is Blakely Farmer. Today we left Athens and began traveling to Olympia while making some amazing stops on the way. We stopped in Corinth to stretch our legs, get a snack, and see the gorgeous Corinth Canal. Before the Corinth Canal had been formed the people would have to roll boats on the round bases of trees (similar to how Egyptians built pyramids and moved supplies) in order to get the boats through the nonexistent canal. After eleven years of extremely intense labor, the Corinth Canal was formed. The water is so blue, which is hard to believe considering how much it is used. The canal was so much bigger than I ever thought and I could not believe how beautiful, yet functional it was. We then continued to the Ancient Corinth Museum. This museum was extremely fascinating, beautiful, and also confirmed a lot of historical and biblical knowledge I have been taught for many years. We saw marble and stone statues without heads, which I assumed was because of an accident during excavation or had simply not yet been found. However, our tour guide Kalliope taught us that during these times, rulers did not last long and it seemed as if there was a new ruler right as a statue of the previous leader was completed. In order to allow the citizens to get to enjoy the statue of their current leader for longer, they pre made headless statues so the artists only had to create the head and place it on top of the headless body. When it came time for the next ruler, the head of the statue would be removed and replaced with the newly sculpted head of the new ruler. The view was beyond beautiful and unlike anything I have seen before. The mountains were endless and there was so much greenery. Coach Brock made it a point to help us recognize the historical reliability. We saw the “Condemnation Stone” that held the chains which bound Paul while being flogged. We also saw Paul’s workshop that he built tents in. I could not believe I was exactly where Paul had once been and that I was looking at the beautiful creations of God that Paul once looked at for a year and a half. The final thing that I learned today that truly pointed towards the validity of my faith was the inscription of Erasmus. We are taught that Paul and Erasmus exchanged letters between one another and the name “Erasmus” is an extremely rare name, meaning that this is no coincidence. The inscription from centuries ago gives one the knowledge that Erasmus was a real person, therefore the Bible would not mention Paul writing to an imaginary person. It has been amazing to see many of the things that I have learned about in real life and getting to see many of these historical landmarks makes all the late nights studying worth it. I have seen community form over the past few days and I have loved getting closer to people that I don’t normally get to be around too much. Experiencing new things while exploring older things that I have learned about has been such a blessing. Thank you Jesus for this trip and for my school that gives me the opportunity to see your truth!

The Wonderful Delphi

Hey guys! It’s Lahna Gabel and today I just wanted to talk about our wonderful trip to Delphi. To start off the morning right we went and all had breakfast, which was wonderful. I know that a few of us have been trying to try new things every morning and this morning I had the eggs and bacon, which was absolutely delicious. We then headed out on the bus and started our very scenic route to Delphi. Our guide was so sweet and narrated all of the history that we could ever wish to know on the way out of Athens we passed through traffic, which was strange, considering that there has not been very much traffic that we’ve had to come across. We then began to see the mountains and learned all about how they had been conquered or how the Greeks have used them. These mountains were some sites that I have never seen before and might not ever get to see again. They are absolutely beautiful and it’s crazy to think about God creating every single minuscule thing we see and placing it exactly where he wants it to create such a beautiful landscape. Along the way a few of us journals while listening to the history and seeing the sites while a few of us tried to catch up on some sleep. We passed through this quaint town that was absolutely stunning and our guide said made the best goat cheese. I’m sad I didn’t get to try any however that’s something I look forward to later. We finally headed downhill and made it to the museum and the ancient city of Delphi. Going through the museum and seeing how the statues were similar to that of the Acropolis, but also very different was fascinating. You could see how they had evolved throughout time. This museum also had some of the Roman statues that to see at the Acropolis. I thought that the statue of the sphinx was very interesting and how the Greeks placed it by having it stand in the middle of their city just guarding them was very peculiar. I really liked how this ancient civilization prioritized the mind then the soul and finally body, and they represented that by having on the first level education or schooling, and then the temple of the Oracle, and lastly the stadium. Going up the trail was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be learning the history while we went up and actually being able to see it in person was such a unique. We reached the temple of Oracle and the view was absolutely breathtaking. I didn’t seem to feel a sense of power since I was at the Oracle temple however, I did feel the presence of God and every step I took thanks to the view of his wonderful creation. We then separated from our guide and walked up to the stadium. Along the way a few of us picked flowers to put in our journals, and there was so many different kinds of flowers, some that I have never even heard of before. When we reached the top, taking in the view was wonderful and being able to see where they learned to exercise was fascinating. I was stunned to think that people so many centuries ago were able to create all of this and had this view right outside of their houses every single day. We then hurried back down to have lunch. Lunch was at this beautiful quaint little restaurant that was so fast paced. It was absolutely delicious and then we hopped on the bus to head back to Athens. One major difference I did notice between Athens and Delphi was that Delphi was much more centered on the god of Apollo while Athens was focused on the goddess Athena on the way back, I put the flowers in my journal and I wrote a little bit more and just admired the view outside the window.

When we got back, we had a couple hours to do what we wanted and so we gathered a group and we got some much-needed gelato after the strenuous day. We then trekked to the Plaka and went shopping. I came back to my room a little bit early to make sure I was packed and ready for the early departure tomorrow we then went to our rooftop dinner, which was absolutely wonderful. We all had chicken, and cheese, and lots of bread. Finally we made one last stop for more gelato and headed back to the hotel to rest for the night. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds for us!

The Morning in Athens!

Hey, it's Ava Minne! Today is Saturday the 14th, and it started off strong. Waking up, there was a delicious breakfast with all sorts of foods and spreads I had never even heard of. They had at least four different ways to eat eggs! The croissants were divine, and I tried this strange banana cake thing. It was actually pretty good! We had to hurry to eat because afterwards there was a bike ride around the city.

We hurried off to the next destination: the bike tour! At first, I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to bike all around, because honestly, Im not that strong, I knew I would get tired fast. We had heard rumors that all minors had to have regular bikes instead of electric ones, and that sounded awful; good thing we didn't!

When we arrived, there were three men who would lead the groups of us. We were split into three groups, and I was put in a group with me and my mom, Blakely and her mom, Ella and her dad, Lahna and her mom, and finally coach Brock. Our tour guide was a guy named Alex (his real name is WAY longer, but I can't spell it) and he is both Greek and Polish. He plays in a band as a side job, called 'Pissed Off Kid' and then works as a bike tour guide. He was incredibly witty and the group immediately liked him and his personality. As we all got situated, we noticed all the bikes had different names, for example, Pandora, Aola, Cronus, and Sophia. My bike was named Thalassa, and in Greek mythology, she is known as the primordial female personification of the Mediterranean sea, and is the daughter of Aether and Hemera. It also is the modern Greek word for sea.

On the bike tour, we traveled across most of the city, looking at all of the important places we came to this beautiful city to see. Many times we stopped either to take a break or to get information from Alex about where we are going and what the places used to be. There were many stops, one of them being a gorgeous cathedral called the 'Holy Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation to The Virgin Mary'. We got to go inside and look around at all of the religious paintings and architecture. On the outside, everything was made of marble! (And there was a cute dog there).

After biking for a while around town, our next stop was the Panthenaic Stadium. It was very open and is able to hold 100,000 to 150,000 people inside. Back in the day, people would run marathons, and this stadium would be the final place they ran after running from town to town. It is where the original Olympic sports were held, so running, jumping, discus, etc.

As we kept on biking, we saw many places, one I specifically remember because it was Roman ruins, and it was so beautiful. (Lahna also fell off her bike here). It was all grassy, and yet was growing around man-made stones; seeing how what we make can react to nature after time always makes me feel sort of sentimental.

There were many stops, some of which I don't remember, one of our final stops was this building called the Zappeion Megaron. it is in the heart of Athens, right next to the National Gardens of Athens, and can be rented out for parties or ceremonies, though it is very expensive.

We then headed back to the bike tour shop in order to put away our bikes, since we had finished the tour. Honestly, it was bittersweet because the tour was a lot more fun than I had expected, but I was also definitely ready for lunch.

We all split up to go to lunch, and most of us went to a shop near the be tour place, where they sold food and souvenirs. Many people got sandwiches, and they were a lot better than I thought they were going to be! Mine had pesto, mozzarella, and prosciutto, and it was absolutely delicious. After we ate, we looked around because we had some time to burn, and found souvenirs. All and all, a very successful lunch.

The morning was so fun and way better than expected regarding the bike tours, and the evening was even better! Max Humphreys picks up right after lunch, when we actually go up to the Acropolis!

Afternoon and Evening in Greece!!

Hey! It’s Max H! After lunch, we went to the Akropolis, which I was a bit scared to go up on because I am deathly afraid of heights, but when we reached the Parthenon I was too amazed to be afraid. When we reached the Parthenon, I realized how crazy it was that the ancient people used to make the daily commute up the acropolis. I did not realize that the Acropolis was bombed and that is why it is partially destroyed. A missile mark is also visible on the Erechtheion. Walking around Athens and knowing that Paul walked those very streets felt extremely surreal.

After we visited the Acropolis, we went to Mars Hill. The climb was a bit difficult because I am extremely clumsy, but the view once we reached the top was so worth it. We only stayed for a moment before we went over to the Agora. Looming over the Agora is the temple of Theseus, before we went down and explored the original, ancient Agora. Inside the ancient Agora is the museum, which is modeled straight after the ancient Agora and shows what the Agora looked like back in ancient times. The roof is covered in red tiles and the exterior is lined with doric columns, but the interior is lined with ionic columns. Inside displayed all types of vases and statues from all different types of eras in Greece.

After the Agora, we had some free time, so of course, we went shopping. The Plaka was filled with different stands with all types of jewelry, trinkets, and art works. I bought a handmade necklace that made two triangles made of silver and gold. We shopped around for about another thirty minutes before heading back to the hotel. On the way, my mom got blueberry cheesecake gelato. At the hotel, I rested and freshened up before heading back downstairs to meet up with the rest of the group to go to dinner.

Dinner was an amazing experience!! It started off with Jax learning how to play the bouzouki, which is a greek instrument,while we ate appetizers. The appetizers consisted of greek salad, sausage, meatballs, and bread. After we were finished with the appetizers two performers came out in traditional Greek outfits and started dancing. Not much longer they draped a piece of cloth over my head and I was terrified. We danced in a circle then joined hands and ran around the restaurant, but before the dust could settle, the singer, Consardina, started singing and pulling us from our tables to dance. For the entrees, we had chicken, rice, and potatoes. Once dessert had arrived, the performers had as well, they started choosing people to dance and the boys were lifting the girls off of the ground and spinning them. We danced with the singer one last time before dinner was over and we headed back to the hotel to end an amazing day!

We made it to Greece!!!

Hey, this is Lincoln Riddle. Hopping off the bus, I expected to be pretty sluggish. And I was, but then we made it to Athens! After stepping out of the airport we were hit with a refreshing breeze that brought some life back into our sleep-deprived bodies. We met up with our tour guide, and she was very knowledgeable to say the least. She knew tiny details about every little thing. Every site she had something to tell us. It surprised me when I saw that she had pointed out a tomb of the unknown soldier, which I thought was only a thing in America. We arrived at the hotel, dropped off our stuff, and started walking around. The streets were fairly skinny, and nearly half the people were driving motorcycles or small cars. The sidewalks were fairly skinny too, which was a problem because the other half of Greece was walking around with us. While Athens has a much more lively atmosphere than Lubbock does, it’s not one where everybody is rushing to get somewhere; like walking around is more to socialize than to arrive somewhere.

We made it to the Acropolis Museum, and it was spectacular. Although we didn’t get to see inside the actual Acropolis, we could still see it on the hill overlooking all of Athens. The actual museum had an opening to the basement that turned out to be a bathhouse. It was preserved extremely well due to the fact that it had been buried for 4,500 years. Near a well, there were clay pipes that looked to be part of a sewage system. This part made me appreciate just how smart the human mind is and the fact that they figured out a plumbing system two thousand years before Jesus was born which is completely mind-boggling. We went inside and started looking at all the statues when one stood out to me and it was one of Nike putting on her shoe. The statue was very detailed and still had most of the features intact. But the most impressive part was the clothing covering it. It wrinkled in a very real way and it was very detailed in how it formed to the body making it one of the most impressive pieces I saw that day.

After the museum, we walked outside to go get ourselves some food. The streets were alive with people and shoppers, with artists playing music on the side. We went to a little spot with tents set up. I grabbed a margarita pizza, and it was delicious. We headed back to the hotel, and I crashed real hard and slept a whole 7 hours. My first time spent in Greece made me appreciate what people are capable of and how people have expressed themselves in their art in the past. I can’t wait for what’s next!

Leaving Lubbock

Reflections from Europe

I heard a quote once saying that “the core of man’s soul comes from new experiences” and I think it’s true. I’ve never felt more alive than when I’m traveling. Seeing and experiencing new things outside the realm of everyday life is so important, especially with our stressful lifestyles. I noticed that Europeans seemed to live more fully, taking life at a slower and more intentional pace than is the usual here in the America. Having a seemingly simpler life, not an easy one but a simple one, I feel that we often over complicate things. hiking up Mt. Vesuvius or exploring various other sites brought me so much peace. Something about the journey up the volcano or the mountains in general made me feel closer to God with every step. I have taken nature for granted, but this helped me to reconnect with it and was very renewing for my soul. I could see beauty everywhere I turned, with the diversity and originality of people’s homes and shops, all portraying their stories, not conforming to one uniform style. It was beyond words. I took so many pictures but none can do justice to the beauty everywhere. I wished I could freeze an image in time and refer back to it whenever the dust of Lubbock gets to be too much. The mountains and hills were breathtaking, and whenever we were able to hike I savored every minute. There’s something about being above everything else and looking down— seeing how small and insignificant we really are. It sounds demoralizing, but to me it’s really reassuring. God’s power can be seen so evidently in his creations to the point where just existing in it automatically puts you at ease. I already miss the views so much, but I am beyond thankful to get to experiance the wonder of places that many live, many will never visit, and many wish to be. The nature was my favorite part; I loved looking around and appreciating the shores, mountains, and country sides. We don’t have a lot to look at in Lubbock, but it has honestly made me appreciate this trip so much more.

Sometimes you have to get away in order to appreciate the simple things. This trip was so influential in shaping how I see the world and the people in it. I’ve traveled out of the country several times but never really let the experience set in and let it affect my daily life. That’s why I enjoyed journaling, and I’m going continue doing it because I enjoy being able to look back and remember the experiences I’ve had. At least for me It isn’t enough to just live in the moment, sometimes you need reminders of the stories and memories that each site, hotel, or street holds. We took thousands of steps on grounds where so many people before of us had walked and where so many stories that shaped our world today took place. I remember learning in school about these things we now were able to physically see and experience in person. Therefore, it was special to piece together the lessons we learned, with the actual historical sites and art pieces.

Of course this trip was also super fun because I got to connect with my class more ways then I would while just at school. So many memories were made, and I got closer with a lot of people. I am glad that we got to go this year, because now we have the opportunity to build off of these memories with classmates going forward into our senior year, as opposed to the current seniors, who won’t have much longer together as a class. I also reflected a lot in my life and how high school will soon come to an end. I decided to just live and enjoy even in the hard moments because you never know the value of a moment till it’s gone.

This is a trip I feel like every person deserves to take. We are so fortunate to have gotten to do it at such a young age.

-Lily Baier

Roman Holiday

Hey! It’s Preston Holtzman, and I am going to summarize our adventures in Rome, Italy! First of all, our tour guide, Antinino, was so much fun and I learned so much from him today. Instead of having a tranquil, quiet-voiced guide like our Greek guide, Caleopie, Antinino was loud and lively. He loved to be interactive with the group while he taught us about Roman history and culture. We started out by walking around the busy city and seeing many different sites. My favorites were the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, and the Trevi fountain. I thought it was cool that the Pantheon was originally a Roman temple, but is now a Catholic church, still used to this day. My friends and I ate lunch at a small restaurant near the Trevi fountain, and I had really good pasta. Of course, afterward I had to get some delicious gelato before we started touring again.

Antinino then took us past the Roman forum to the Colosseum. We unfortunately were not able to tour the inside of the Colosseum, but it was amazing to be near it and to think of all of the history inside it. I learned that in 1349 an earthquake destroyed a side of the Colosseum. Thankfully, most of it is well preserved. We then made our way to the church called The Basilica San Pietro in Vincoli. This translates to “St. Peter in Chains”. To be honest, I did not realize that the building was a church until we walked in. On the ceiling, there was a beautiful mural called The Miracle of the Chains. On the right side of the room, there was the unbelievable statue, Moses, created by Michelangelo. This statue had to have been one of my favorite sculptures of the entire trip. His long beard was my favorite part because of how realistic it is. In the center of the church were the authentic chains that bound Peter. I have no idea how they got these, but it is amazing to think about the history of the chains.

We said goodbye to Antinino, and had free time in the city until dinner. My friends and I walked around for hours and got souvenirs from different shops. We ate dinner at Est Est Est, and it was delicious. My favorite thing we had there was the pasta. Yes, I did have pasta for lunch and dinner, and it was amazing. After dinner, we drove past the Colosseum when it was dark and got to see it lit up. It looked really remarkable at night. We then drove back to the hotel.

Today was the perfect last day in Europe. We got to see and learn so much about Rome. I am so thankful to experience such a rich history and culture.

Reflection Upon Athens

Athens is a city that has been populated for centuries upon centuries. This city has layers of history within its walls as well as boasting many buildings older than our country. It is difficult as Americans to truly understand that some of the buildings they are using today could very well have a brick from over two thousand years ago.

Over the course of our visit in Athens and the surrounding areas, I was able to see buildings and ruins that would be considered masterful work today though they were created thousands of years ago. The Greeks ability to capture movement and motion within their statues and buildings is truly remarkable. The Greek’s attention to detail and constant striving for beauty is masterfully displayed in the Parthenon. From the angle of the columns to the curve of the floor, the Greeks were able to capture the most visually perfect temple that we know of today. Ancient Greeks understood the optical illusion your eye creates with lines and accordingly changed the angles of there columns to slightly slant inwards. They also sloped the floor of the temple to curve inward. This skill and attention to detail shows just how advanced and intelligent these people were. Over the course of this trip, and especially in Athens, I was shocked to learn about how the ancient people lived and how similar it was to culture today. As I walked around Delphi I experienced how this place boasted many of the customs that we have today, as well as improving in some places. Walking up the slopes we were surrounded by ancient treasuries for those making this pilgrimage to give to Apollo. Within this one mountain civilization the Greeks managed to include a stadium, market, banks, oracles, and even a chariot racing track. This was also built two thousand feet above the ground causing all of the building materials to be imported up treacherous slopes.

Along with this, the place was organized in such a way that when coming on a pilgrimage you would first tend to spiritual matters, then go to the next terrace where the mind was dealt with, and finally to the top where the body was exercised. This layout demonstrated the Greek hierarchy of things. Your soul is the most important, followed by the mind, and then the body. This attention to detail is something that truly makes all Greek works stand out against their Roman counterparts.

This trip showed me that despite many similarities between these ancient cultures and the ones of today the Greeks managed to excel in their attention to the beauty of things and the art of making something worth appreciating. This is something that our modern culture does not seem to appreciate or emphasize as heavily. Learning this lesson from the Greeks would help us to become a more beautiful culture.

-Garner D. Canada

Class of 2025 Grand Tour Wrap Up

Hello! This is Reagan Ramsey reporting from the airport! We are on our way back from the Grand Tour! The past 14 days have been a whirlwind of museums, hikes, restaurants, guided tours, city walks, and delicious food. We have visited 2 countries: Greece and Italy and we have visited 13 cities: Athens, Delphi, Corinth, Mycenae, Olympia, Patras, Ancona, Florence, Naples, Pompeii, Pozzuoli, Cumae, and Rome. Through our tour guides we have learned so much and seen so many beautiful things! My personal favorite things from Greece were the Acropolis and the Plaka! I loved the Acropolis because the view from the top was the whole city! It was beautiful! Thinking about people in ancient times living their day to day life there was so incredible. I loved the Plaka because it was a beautiful representation of Athens’ current culture! My favorite thing from Italy was the view from the top of the Duomo. When we climbed the Duomo, we were in a time crunch and had to practically run up the stairs, but the views were so incredible and well worth the work!

A big lesson that I have learned from this trip relates to Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”(NIV) There have been multiple times on this trip when I have been dreading the next activity(the Duomo steps was one of the many), but every time I have been so thankful that I persevered! God has shown me so much beauty in his creation and impressed upon me the importance of trusting the process, because even when the stairs start to burn the view from the top is well worth it!

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