Day 17: 2004 Athens Olympic sites, Marathon, and the beach...

Marathon Man

On our last full day of the trip we started out by going to the stadium of the 1996 and 2004 Olympics in Athens. We got to go down on the side of the field and we learned a lot about the history of the stadium and the Olympics in Greece. We learned that Greece built around 75% of its infrastructure based on the 1996 Olympic games. We also went to the practice facility for the swimming events but we weren't allowed to go inside the main competition center. This is the swimming pool that Michael Phelps went from a boy to a man and was the start of his legendary career as the most decorated Olympian of all time.

Next we went to a mound where lots of athenians were buried after a famous battle against the persians. We also saw the cup presented to the athenians after they knew they had defeated the persians in battle. We made a quick stop to look at the outside of the rowing center in marathon Greece.

Our second to last destination of the day was to a resort where we spent 3 hours at the beach, eating lunch and playing beach volleyball and soccer. We bought a volleyball and popped it within 10 minutes before professor Kim showed up with another ball and I borrowed a soccer ball from the resort. We then played 2 games of beach volleyball and 1 game of beach soccer before some of us hit the water and the rest played 1 quick game of volleyball and then hit the water, we headed back to the hotel to have our final group dinner of the trip.

Looking back, this trip was the trip of a lifetime. We had long day and there were times where a lot of us were struggling, but this was an experience unlike anything that you could ever imagine. To becoming a family with a group of 13 other strangers within the span of a few short days is something that made this trip truly incredible. All the laughs and good times and mistakes we all shared together over these 18 days was something I think none of us will ever forget. Learning about the Olympics and having fun in 4 amazing and different countries is a rare opportunity that we got to have from touring the France Olympic training center or INSEP, to going to the Olympic museum in Switzerland and going around the Olympic study center, getting a presentation about the IOC marketing by a Syracuse grad and many other things like archery within 3 weeks is something that many people interested in the Olympics will never get to experience. And we haven’t even talked about all the fun sightseeing and touristy things we did from going to the tower of London and Buckingham palace to taking a night river tour of the river seine in Paris and seeing the Eiffel tower at night, or going hiking up a beautiful mountain in Switzerland and then going to see Queen’s recording studio to name a few. The free time that we had in each place we made the most out of too. Whether it was taking a nap and then meeting up for dinner before going to explore the town at night or just sightseeing on our own and going out for lunch together, we all had fun exploring the city as a group.

I learned a lot about the Olympics not only in the games but also the behind the scenes work that goes on too. I had never really thought about working at the Olympics even though I’m very interested in working in track and field, but after this trip, I feel like my eyes have been opened to a whole new world of possibilities of job opportunities in different departments of the IOC or even partner organizations and national Olympic committees the possibilities are almost endless.

Day 16: What Day is it, honestly? The Acropolis!!

Today was my most anticipated day of the entire trip. We got to see the ancient Acropolis in Athens. And as a huge Percy Jackson books nerd with an interest in Greek mythology, the Parthenon was on my bucket list of places I had to see in my life.

We got up extra early to beat the crowds today- we were thrilled about the 8 am departure from our hotel (note my sarcasm) and we were definitely all on time as per usual (still being sarcastic just fyi). Regardless of some people (Louis and Chapman) who held us up, we still managed to make our way toward the Acropolis before 8:30. Nike, our tour guide throughout Greece, made several stops along the way to tell us about the history of ancient Athens.

On the way the group took a small detour up on a cliff and got to see an incredible view of the entire city of modern Athens.

There was never a more informed electoral process than ancient Athens, the birthplace of democracy. As we approached the We saw the Pnyx, the hill on which every decision of the Athenian council was made by the Council of 500.

When we walked inside the Acropolis, you saw the spot where a statue of Athena once stood so tall that the Athenian navy could see the gold tip of her spear from the sea. Unfortunately it was destroyed in after it was carried to Constantinople.

Then as we traveled through the ancient sanctuary, we came across the sacred Olive tree- one of my personal favorite myths which explains how Athens got its name and patron god. Athena and Poseidon both wanted to be there patron god of the city that would become Athens. Zeus proposed a contest between the two where they both created a gift for the city, and the people would choose their favorite. Poseidon struck his trident into the ground and out sprung a saltwater fountain. Athena created the Olive tree that was planted next to the fountain. The people chose Athena. They adopted the name of Athens and the Olive tree came to symbolize peace and prosperity for the city.

The Greeks really stick to their stories too. In one of the temples there is a hole in the ground where the saltwater fountain sprung up, and a hole in the ceiling where Zeus' lightning bolt struck it down after Poseidon lost the contest. I thought that was very cool.

Then we finally made it to the Parthenon. I cannot express in words how breathtaking it is. The one upsetting thing for me was the construction going on. I feel like it took away from the glory of the temple.

We saw the Theater of Dionysus, the first theater and the birthplace of drama on a stage. The followers of the wine god were the first to begin to put one person on a stage in front of crowd to tell stories.

 

Then we went to the museum and spent some time discussing more in depth about Athenian culture and the history of the rise and fall of the city. The museum has a lot of art and preserved pieces from the temples, which add to the rich detail of the city.

After that we had another authentic Greek lunch near the museum (probably my least favorite meal of the trip), but it was still pretty good. We had free time after that to buy souvenirs and enjoy Athens before our final day of the trip.

Day 17: What happened? I blinked!

Today was our last full day on the trip! It started with a trip to the site of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. We learned a lot of great history while sitting inside of their 72,000 seat Olympic Stadium that was built in 1982. We learned that Athens was actually prepared to host the 1996 Olympic Games before they were eventually awarded to Atlanta. Athens actually had 70% of their infrastructure built already by 1996, but wouldn’t end up needing it for another 8 years. The city improved their surrounding infrastructure such as roads, airports, and metro for the games. After the games, the city maintained all of these stadiums and infrastructure until the global recession in 2009, where many of these venues became abandoned and run down. Currently, some of the venues are trying to stay afloat by renting out their facilities, but that strategy hasn’t worked very well. The Athens games are a great example of how important the sustainability factor is for the cities hosting the games. It is clear that the London Olympics in 2012 took many measures to fix what Athens did wrong, and it was easy for us to see since we had visited the London Olympic Park earlier in the trip.

Next up was visiting Marathon, Greece. This is where the Battle of Marathon took place around 480 BC. This is the site where the Athenians defeated the Persians, although heavily outnumbered. Their strategy was to trick the Persians into thinking they had won by letting them penetrate their front line. Their front line essentially funneled them into a narrow passage, where the Athenians ambushed them. This strategy proved to be successful seeing as there were only 190 or so Athenian casualties to the 6400 Persian casualties. After the battle was won, a soldier ran back all the way to Athens to share the news. This run is where a marathon gets its name! It was awesome to be walking around where this defining moment in history took place.

After that, our next stop for the day was the beach! We were at a beautiful resort on the Mediterranean Sea. We all grabbed lunch in the restaurant first. I ordered the shrimp pasta, and boy was I surprised to see whole jumbo shrimp on my plate, eyes and all! After lunch, we digested for a minute before heading to the beach volleyball court. Not to rub it in, but the final score strongly resembled the results of the Battle of Marathon, with my team being the Athenians. The other team returned the favor in the beach soccer, however. To cool down after our intense games, we all jumped in the water, which turned out to be quite warm! Overall, we had a great time at the beach, and made it out with only a couple sunburns!

To wrap up the day, we headed back into Athens for our last group dinner. We ate up our last traditional Greek meals, topped off with some delicious baklava for dessert. During the dinner, we tallied up the results of our scavenger that took place throughout our trip. Although Louis and I gave it our best, the gold medal ended up going to Aodhan and Kaya, who put up an impressive 25 points. Professor Kim surprised the whole group with some awesome Olympic patches and magnets, while the best scavenger hunt teams got a few extra prizes as their reward. The day as a whole was an amazing end to an amazing trip.

To wrap up this incredible journey, I decided to ask each member of the group their favorite part. Here are their answers:

Anna - The Pairs river cruise at night and seeing the Eiffel Tower all lit up, and then having a group photo shoot in the middle of the street

Fiona - PSG game in Paris. It was an amazing atmosphere, and the post-game championship celebration was awesome

Jacob – Going out to O’Neils as a group in London

Lintaro – Our tour of Wembley Stadium in London

Toni – Hiking in Switzerland and seeing the amazing views

Andrew – Abbey Road in London, and INSEP in Paris (France national Olympic training facility)

Ethan – Eating fish and chips in London, Eiffel Tower, and rooming with Lin <3

Kaya – Going to O’Neils with everybody in London, and hiking in Switzerland

Louis – Hiking in Switzerland

Matt – Beach volleyball in Greece and meeting with representatives from the IOC and checking out the Olympic Museum in Lausanne

Aodhan – Hanging out at O’Neils in London and the IOC day in Lausanne

Christian – Beach day today and seeing the Parthenon in Greece

Maggy – Paris river cruise at night and seeing the Eiffel Tower all lit up

Myself – Our group picnic on the coast of Lake Geneva in Lausanne

Professor Kim – Our archery day at the World Archery Excellence Center in Lausanne and INSEP in Paris. Both were new additions to the trip, and it was important to add a Paralympics portion to the trip we got at INSEP.

As you can see, there are a ton of different answers, which speaks to how great of a trip this was. There’s no doubt we’re all sad as we wrap up and say goodbye, but in the words of Dr. Seuss,

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”

Day 15: Beta day (#2) in Greece

After visiting the sites in Delphi, and enjoying some authentic Greek cuisine, we went on to the next part of our adventure. The second step on our journey in Greece was going to Olympia, and seeing the archaeological sites and the museum. When we got there, off the bat we knew it would be a hot one, but the troops rallied together and we went on our way. The sites in Olympia were a lot easier to navigate than the ones in Delphi, with a lot less of uphill walking which was to the delight of all of us. What was cool about Olympia was that it was the birthplace of the Olympic Games. It's home to what was once the most important athletic center in Greece. When we first walked in, one of the first things we saw was the Temple of Hera, which was home to one of the Greek masterpieces, the statue of Hermes, with the infant of Dionysus. That statue was discovered in 1877 in the ruins of the Temple of Hera. We saw the statue a little bit later in the day when we visited the museum.

After we saw the Temple of Hera, we continued to walk around the site. The next thing we saw was the Ancient Stadium in Olympia, which was home to the first ancient Olympic Games. The stadium had a 200 meter race way, which unlike tracks today, it was just a straight shot for 200 meters. The crew decided to do a relay rice, and the ones who came out on top were Kaya and Louis. Me and Lin put up a good fight, but we ultimately came up short in the end. So that means I probably would have been looked down upon in ancient Greek times, and not have any statues built of me as a glorified athlete.

Then we went on to see the rest of the sites, which included the Temple of Zeus, the first administrative buildings for the Ancient Olympic Games, and the first place where the athletes were able to train and use their version of locker rooms. My favorite part of all of it was seeing the first locker room areas and stadiums, because it was cool how we started off the trip going to Wembley Stadium and seeing how massive and advanced the stadium is, and then being able to compare it to what they used back when the games first started.

It was an awesome experience being able to go to where the first Olympic Games started, and being able to realize how much the games have transformed over the years, and turn into the great spectacle that they are today. To end the day we got to cool off a bit in the hotel pool, then we jumped on another 3 hour or so bus ride and got to our final destination for this amazing trip, Athens.

I was also able to put on a little bit of a show for my classmates In one of the ancient temples, which is shown below.

Day 15! Give it up for day 15!

Hello folks and welcome back to the chronicles of Syracuse Abroad. Day Two in Greece was a fun one for sure, but also an exhausting one. We left a little bit after 9:30 from the hotel to head to our next archaeological site, which was at Olympia. We were extremely glad to see the relative flatness of this site compared to Delphi, even though it was very much hotter than Delphi was. The tour of Olympia was fascinating, with the location of the temples and their differing ages being a focal point of attention. The juxtaposition of Phillip the Second’s temple with the Temple of Hela was a great lesson of humility and arrogance, and I loved seeing how the workshop for the architect had been turned into a church by early Christians.

It was also fascinating to watching Ethan’s mime routine in the  gap between the walls in said church.

After we finished looking at the Temple of Zeus that was destroyed by a earthquake, we moved on to the stadium that was located a little bit outside of the Sacred Grove, and most of us did a two person 200 meter relay. Matt and I came in second to Kaya and Louis. whoever came in third isn’t relevant so they shall not be named here.

We got gyros at a restaurant near the site, and then saw the Hermès statue amongst other ancient wonders in the museum. My favorite piece (as well as Nikki’s) was the helmet of the Athenian General who won the Battle of Marathon. It was insane to see something from a piece of history  I’ve learned about from a young age up close and well preserved. After the bus ride back to the hotel, we played baseball in the pool and then took the bus to Athens, where we got some dinner at an excellent Mexican place near the hotel, and then went to bed for the early wake up tomorrow. Overall, an awesome day!

Day 14: Geia sas from Greece!

After a long day of almost 12 hours of travel between plane and bus, we arrived in Delphi, Greece. We were all more than ready for a good night’s sleep. We woke up for a Greek continental breakfast at the hotel. If we’re being honest, I’m not completely sure what I ate, but it was delicious! My favorite part had to be squeezing my own orange juice.

After a nice breakfast we checked out of the hotel and headed down the street to see the only correct model of the ancient sanctuary in Delphi. Our translator, Nikki, gave us a great overview of what exactly the sanctuary was and how it worked, so that we knew what to expect before we went and checked out the ruins ourselves. We learned that the god of this sanctuary in Delphi was Apollo, who was the king of many things, such as the sun, archery, music, and poetry. This sanctuary was one of only two Panhellenic sanctuaries, meaning that people were accepted here from all over Greece. The other sanctuary of this kind is Olympia, where we are headed next. One of the main things that sets this sanctuary apart from others is that it had an oracle. The oracle is a person that would answer any questions you brought him, ranging from political questions, questions of war, sickness, or love. The oracle would find the answers to these questions in a dark, forbidden room in the back of the temple. The model of the sanctuary showed us the outer wall, and the main temple of worship at the center. Just inside the outer wall, and all the way up to the center were small treasuries, where people could bring and store valuables from their homes. In the back of the sanctuary, there was a large theater built into the mountainside used for theater, music, and poetry. Not included in the model, was a large stadium even further up the mountain where the athletic competitions would take place. Now time for the real thing.

At the base of the mountain, we saw a couple things. First, was a building that used to house a fountain filled with sacred water that people would use to drink, and cleanse themselves before entering the sacred area. Today, that same sacred water still flows, just outside of those ruins in a small stream. We all had a taste, then turned around to see the ruins of an old gymnasium. It was a long skinny building that athletes and military used to use to train for wrestling and running. We then headed up to the sanctuary.

The treasury of Athena has been reconstructed to see what it would have looked like long ago.

We got to see the ancient ruins of the temple of Apollo.

We saw what remains of the theater and stadium as well.

It was at the top of the stadium that Nikki shared how the ruins were discovered. The ancient city had been buried over time from war and weather. The new city of Delphi was built directly on top of Apollo’s ancient city, until the French discovered it in the 19^th century. They decided to quite literally pick the city of Delphi up and move it, in order to excavate the entire site.

Professor Kim shared a cool little piece of history with us on the way out that you would never know was there unless someone told you. Near the entrance to the sanctuary, there was a small rock with the modern symbol of the Olympic rings carved into it. As we’ve learned, this logo wasn’t designed until many, many years after this sanctuary was excavated, which leads to the question of why it was there. She shared that this was actually propaganda from the 1936 Berlin Olympics that were held during Nazi Germany’s reign. The Germans traveled to Delphi, as well as other ancient Greek ruins, and planted these rocks with the modern logo, and pretended to excavate them, to show that their Aryan race was linked to ancient Greece. This of course was not true.

We then headed inside to the museum where we saw many of the things excavated from this site, including a sphinx that used to guard it, gold and ivory statues, as well as many other statues, and one of the oldest written down musical melodies.

Before hitting the road, we stopped for some traditional Greek food for lunch. This consisted of Greek salad, and meat platters containing chicken, beef, and lamb. It was all very delicious, and we all enjoyed trying yet another traditional meal in a new country.

After lunch, we began our travel to Olympia, stopping about half way in a small town on the coast called Nofpaktos, where we walked around, skipped some rocks on the beach, and had a light snack.

We then continued our journey to Olympia, where we checked into our hotel upon arrival, relaxed for a minute, then headed to the main street and found some dinner to wrap up the day.

Day 14: Day One in Greece, First Stop, Delphi!

Day One in Greece, First Stop, Delphi!

After a long afternoon and evening of traveling, we arrived in Delphi, Greece around midnight. After what felt like only five minutes, we woke up again to begin our adventure throughout Greece.  Due to some morning rain, we made a minor switch-up and went to see the only accurate replica of the ancient sanctuary of Delphi. We examined the replica while our tour guide Nikki explained the various buildings and statues within the sanctuary. Delphi and Olympia are the only two Panhellenic sanctuaries. Specifically, she told us the history of the sanctuary and the story in which Apollo, the god of poetry, archery, the sun, and music, defeated a python and then went into exile in which he absorbed the python’s supernatural powers and returned to Delphi. This story furthermore explains the ancient saying that with bad there is always some good. In other words, Apollo could not just destroy the python, instead he had to absorb its powers and take some bad in order to have some good. Nikki then described the oracle and the ways in which people brought their questions to the oracle. These questions included political questions, questions of war, and questions of sickness. She then described the layout of the sanctuary which is marked by the outer wall. The sanctuary is found in the center surrounded by smaller treasuries. These treasures stored various valuables. The lower sanctuary contained a gymnasium where young competed in both running and wrestling. This gymnasium was also used for military purposes.

            After the rain stopped, we headed to the archaeological site and instead of examining a replica of the sanctuary, we got to explore the real thing. Prior to entering the sanctuary, individuals had to cleanse themselves with the sacred water. Below is a picture of some us doing just that upon entry.

            I really enjoyed the archaeological site because it brought the replica to life with a picturesque view of Greece in the background. While exploring the sanctuary, we stopped at a few important spots including the gymnasium, the theater, and the stadium. We also examined the temple and Nikki pointed out right where the oracle would be. It was amazing to walk throughout the sanctuary and imagine the sanctuary filled with individuals dating all the way back to 800 BC. After taking in some of the beautiful views, we descended towards the museum. On our way towards the museum we saw inscriptions of the Olympic rings. Professor Kim described to us the ways in which Hitler used the 1936 Olympics as a political platform and furthermore as a way to expand the power of the Aryan race. The Nazis planted the Olympic rings among the sanctuary and then excavated the inscription of the rings to connect the ancient Greeks to the Aryan race. Below is an inscription of the rings.

            Throughout the museum, we saw various statues that were excavated by the French in the 19^th century. One of my favorite parts was the gold and ivory statues that were found buried throughout the sanctuary. The ancient Greeks both disposed of unwanted goods in wells as well as hid various treasures and statues during invasions and wartime's. These are the goods and statues we saw in the museum. While some have been destroyed, many have been left in beautiful conditions. Below are pictures of some of these statues.  

            After the museum we got on the bus and headed to lunch. We stopped at a small café where we shared some authentic Greek cuisine family style. The food was absolutely delicious. We shared some Greek salad with lots and lots of olives followed by an eggplant, potato, and beef dish followed by Tzatziki and French fries and ending with an assortment of meats including chicken, lamb, and beef. The food was amazing!

            We then got on the bus and started our four-hour journey to Olympia. Halfway through our trip we stopped at a small coastal town called Nofpaktos. We walked around and took in the beautiful views which included both a fort and an ancient castle. We then stopped by the local café and enjoyed a few beverages by the water. It was extremely relaxing. An hour later we hopped back on the bus and completed our journey to Olympia. We arrived at our hotel just a little way up from the main street of Olympia. We look forward to checking out Olympia and having some pool time tomorrow!

Nofpaktos

Kalinychta!