After what the students deemed their favorite meal of the trip so far, following a visit to the Trevi fountain in Rome, our group prepared for an early morning departure to Athens. We said farewell to our fantastic guides, Michael and Livia, who did such a great job of leading us to cool sites and sharing interesting facts and stories about each. We completed the Rome portion of our nightly team trivia competition, and the winning group won a new souvenir to bring home.
Our flight to Athens was easy, and our tour guide, Alexis, met us at the airport. Once we dropped off our bags at the hotel, we walked over to the Parthenon. The sun was shining and the crowds were sparse as we climbed the steep ancient citadel to see the remains of the temple to Athena and take in the views of the city around us. It was clear enough to see all the way to the port, Piraeus. The students spent time exploring, asking questions, and, in the words of our tour guide, “letting the stones speak to us.”
There was time for a little shopping before we ended the day with our first meal in Greece at a lovely restaurant. Tomorrow we visit Epidaurus and Mycenae, with a stop at the pretty seaside town of Nafplio for lunch.
