Submitted by Philip Swaney on the 2017 winter session program in Athens, Greece sponsored by the Department of English…
Now that the jet-lag has finally worn off, our second week in Greece has been just as incredible as the first. Everyday, our class is doing another amazing thing, getting another amazing opportunity or seeing another amazing place. Our class has ventured outside of Athens to see the other incredible cities of ancient Greece and all the ruins they’ve left behind. In the past week, we’ve traveled to Thebes, Delphi, Kalambaka, Aegina, Corinth and now we’re in Nafplio. We’ve climbed so many hills, acropoles and mountains, I feel as though I have seen every type of landscape there is in this country, and everyday I surprise myself with another one. Our latest elevation, the Acrocorinth, was the hardest and tallest to climb up, but once we reached the top, the 360 view of all of Corinth and the sea was just absolutely breathtaking. It made me, and as well as the rest of the class, realize how much we take for granted and to appreciate the beauty of nature, even if it’s a hike to see it.
This week, our class also met an Austrian boy traveling around Greece by himself. Our professor invited him to lunch and it was very interesting to hear his stories as well as his travels. He’s come to Greece to fulfill his interests in the Holocaust (fitting that we met him at Athen’s Holocaust Museum). It’s crazy to hear another person’s first hand account of living in a foreign country. He would join us for meals and excursions for the next couple of days, and I’m hoping we made his time in Greece a little bit more memorable.
The picture shown here is a few of us at the top of Mount Lycabettus. A few of us had all been out to lunch with our new friend, and we decided to scale it at the last minute, since we had some free time. The climb was rough and none of us had been prepared to do it (I basically took off all my jackets), but when we finally reached the top, all of Athens was in sight. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. This country truly takes my breath away.