Submitted by Rebecca Cerone on the 2018 winter session program in Athens, Greece sponsored by the Department of English…
My first week of my three week long program to Athens, Greece included the activity I was looking forward to the most. My class and I visited the Acropolis and Parthenon the second day here. I have amplified this moment in my head for a long time and was excited to see what it was actually like in person. The site and the accompanying museum exceeded my expectations. As a child, I researched Greek mythology and read the Percy Jackson books and always tried to picture what it was like living in ancient Greece and believing in the gods and goddesses. Seeing the Parthenon in person allowed my imagination to run wild.
When we were walking through the museum, I was in complete amazement with both the layout of the museum and its contents. The first thing that I really loved was the open glass floor and the fact that we could see the active archeological dig underneath the building. Each time the glass floor showed up in the museum, I would look at it the whole time. I only wish there was more of it since it really showcased how many artifacts are under Athens. Although the ramp up and the fact that it represented the walk up to the Parthenon did not really have an impact on me, I really appreciated how well thought out that was by the architect of the museum. The most astonishing part of the museum was the restoration of the Parthenon on the top floor and the fact that you could see the actual Parthenon from it was a great bonus. I enjoyed the fact that Iris was there to point out and explain important things. Although the restoration was exceptional to look at, it saddened me a little bit that they are taking so much of the original Parthenon down from the Acropolis to show in the museum. I feel that eventually there will be no more original left on it. The amazing part to me is seeing it as ruins in its full glory, but I can see the pros and cons of both sides. Overall, the museum trip to me was very fulfilling and I was happy to experience it. Going to the museum and site with a group of 30 UD students was a great experience. I have enjoyed getting to know everyone and doing new things with them.
