Greece Trip by Izzy and Ines

Our trip to Greece has been a wonderful blur of thrilling adventures and phenominal experiences; from wading through the magnificent river Neda, to learning about the endangered sea turtles. Through this trip, we have learned so much both about the Greek culture and life outside Canada. Greece has an incredibly rich cultural history and a multitude of artifacts and sites to mark it. It amazed us how everything had been restored so well, and the presence of these sites really gave us an insight into the Ancient Greek life.

As soon as we arrived at the airport, we were greeted with open arms by the lovely Vincent family. Throughout this trip, they have been extremely generous, and have offered their support. Also, during this trip, the Woodgates provided us with a lengthly knowledge of the area. All the people that we have met this trip were all very kind.

Overall, we had a lot of fun on the trip and we can't wait to come back and visit Greece! The experience was truely amazing!

Trip recap by Jenna, Amira and Angie

"Ancient ruins are like cheese; they taste better with age." This is one of the many things we learned during this amazing trip to Greece. From the minute we arrived at the airport to the minute we came back, we have had nothing but incredible experiences, hilarious laughs, and memories we will never forget. We loved the mix of educational and experiential excursions. Having connections with locals in Greece allowed us to become immersed in the culture at a whole new level.

We will miss the beautiful beaches and most of all the people we shared our travels with. We find it incredible how well we got to know the Greek locals and how even back in Canada, we are still in touch with them. Although we really enjoyed every adventure we went on, we especially loved the River Neda. Also, we have all agreed that what we will miss most is Ms. Squeen's laugh when she realizes that she really is "the fun one". Overall, we are incredibly grateful for being given the chance to go to Greece and experience the country and build relationships with people across the world.

Thank you so much to Ms. McQueen, Mr. Doland, Mr. Abrioux, the Vincent family, and the Woodgate family for making this trip possible. You have all inspired us as leaders and learners, and taught us how to be responsible and respected, but still goofy and fun. We will miss you all. 

Athenians Link with Canadians

On our 4 hour drive towards Athens, we devoured Grecian apple strudel, sang to Turkish karaoke songs, practiced our Greek in different accents when coming upon a toll booth and enjoyed Chupa Chups. When arriving in Athens, although we were tired, we took the time to notice the city around us. The traffic was hectic and many cars backfired on the way to the Hilton. We drove through the busy city and made our way to the hotel. When we first walked into the Hilton Athens, it was a little bit of an upgrade from our previous hotel in Kyparissia. We dropped off our bags and went to a "Taverna" also known as Starbucks for a quick lunch. Meeting our tour guide back at our hotel, we strolled through the city and made our way to the metro station where we caught a metro to the next stop. After we then followed the red light to the other side of the station and almost missed the metro, which was very lucky on our part as we would have had to wait another 40 minutes. 

We arrived at the Akropoli station and made our way up the stairs and to the Acropolis museum. When walking into the entrance, below us you could see an old excavation site that they decided to preserve. Since the ground was made of glass, that terrified most of us, especially Lizzy, but the tour guide mentioned that the glass could last through a magnitude 9 earthquake. The museum was very interesting and the guide was full of information which made it better. She informed us that the museum was built like the Acropolis, the first floor is a ramp leading up to the gates, which were the second floor, and the third is the Parthenon with many metal poles representing columns. After the museum, we made our way up to the Parthenon which was amazing. We could see the construction work on the side that blew up, and they said it would be done in around a decade. We learned about the birthplace of democracy and how it is significant today. The group had a birds eye view of the first stadium as well as Zeus's Temple. We made our way down to the shopping district but some people felt very hot and tired so they left for the hotel. While shopping, we all bought tacky shirts and souvenirs for our family, someone even commented on how great my Greek was (thank you Greek travel book)!

On our way back to the hotel, we took pictures with the guards at the Government Building and even got to see them moving places which was humorous and interesting at the same time. We thought that they were animatronics because nobody can have skin that perfect and keep a serious face as well as they did. When we walked back, Mr. Doland decided to guide the group through the city with an empty, crumpled water bottle from his backpack. We then checked into our rooms, freshened up and headed upstairs for dinner. The dinner was fantastic. It was laid out in a buffet style with many options, and after a long day of exploring, this was heaven to us. We socialized and said our thank you's and goodbyes to the group and went out for a swim and relaxed. From our hotel room, we had a view of the Acropolis at night and the lights throughout the city and cars. We had our last get together with everyone in our room, packed up and slept a fair amount throughout the night. In the morning, we gathered and had an array of food laid out in front of us. There was even something called the "Healthy Bar" for those fitness people on the trip. After craving a nice breakfast other than dry cereal and toast, we indulged and headed to the vans to begin our journey home. We are now sitting in the Athens Airport and Matias can safely say that "The Hilton was one of the nicest hotels I have ever been in". So next time you find yourself in Athens, indulge in apple strudel and buy a tacky tee shirts. 

From your friends,

Meaghan, Lizzy and Matiti

SMUS visits Ancient Messini

Today we visited Ancient Messini. We left in the vans at around 11 AM and got there around 12. In the blazing heat we walked around and eventually made our way to the amphitheatre. In this ancient ampitheatre we each performed something, whether it be a joke, a song or a broken version of our concours. After this, we went to the stadium. Here we learned about the difference between Greek and Roman stadiums. Greeks sat on grass while the Romans had benches, much like today. We "ran through Greek and Roman time periods" here, the stadium had both grass and benches which separated the eras. After we did this and took several photos, we left to have lunch at a tiny little restaurant.

Ancient Messini Album

Day 8: Tombs and Creatures

The Ancient Tholos Tombs and the Gorge Stalactites walk were one of a  highlights to my adventures in Greece. Waking up at 9:00, going on an early walk and eating cereal overlooking the horizon was the ideal lifestyle to all of us, and luckily, was the way we began the day.  We boarded the vans around 11:00am and the drive was short and sweet. As soon as we arrived at the Ancient Tholos Tombs, Yanni, the triathlon coach, started off our exploration with history of the site. We walked into the first tomb and it was nothing like I had ever seen before. The stones were ratted and cracks permeated the ground. We sat down as Mr. Doland told us a myth about Cyclopes, which he thought would scare us and... we played along with it. We saw the two smaller tombs which did not have a dome and were dug out of the ground. These tombs  were for the less wealthy families of the time. Archaeologists believe that there are still many sites not yet found in that area, but they will not look until they have the money and time to research. After, we walked along a trail leading down to the Gorge Stalactites. Before continuing our adventure, we had our sandwiches and Mr. Doland tried scaring us again with frogs... We walked in through the river leading into the caved area. There were many spiders, frogs and wild unknown creatures in the water which I tried not to pay attention to. Once we got to the caved area, it was very interesting. A few of us decided to continue into the caves but ran out as cold water was dripping all over our bodies. After staying for a while, we travelled back through mud and creatures, hiking up a trail which lead us back to our vans. It was very hot and thankfully we had the luxury of the NOKY pool that afternoon. Getting in the water was the highlight of the day and we spent the time playing with kick boards and socializing. On the ride back to the hotel, Mr. Doland decided to play his favourite Turkish song from his 10 year old self, entitled "Kiss Kiss". It was on repeat throughout the day so I guess you could call me a beginner at the Turkish language. Once we got back to the hotel, a couple of us went to the market and bought a well deserved ice cream. In the evening, we did a photo shoot with my camera outside and played a game called schmegel schmee until our bedtime. Overall, the day was full of history, creatures and Turkish music. 

Kiss Kiss,

Meaghan

The Hike of a Lifetime

We all had a shortened sleep due to late night partying and loud explosions but we all still managed to wake up at 8:00. We got some food into our systems then sat down and listened to a young lady who learned things in three talk about Pylos Bay. She either learned everything she told us on YouTube or I just could not understand a word she said to us. After a very long chat with our young guest we headed out in our vans on a hour and a half long drive. After an hour and a half of singing we finally reach our destination. After we arrived at the Methoni Castle, we walked around admiring the sights, occasionally stopping to scare misfortuned teachers or pour water on unexpected group members. After escaping the rusty jail of Methoni Castle we headed back to the vans for another half an hour drive to Pylos Bay. Once we arrived at Pylos Bay we crossed a beach, climbed a sandy hill and stopped for lunch. After refuelling we ventured off into a deep dark cave filled with spiderwebs and scared Izzys. After the cave we hiked up a steep dirty mountain lined with deadly poisonous prickles and spiders. At the top of the mountain stood an old castle with walls around the exterior. After we had our fun hiking the castle walls we headed back down to the beach for a nice swim. It was finally time to head back so we got back into the vans and started our long car ride. The screeching girls finally stopped when we reached the hotel. After we had dinner we went down to the beach and played with the Greece kids. After team 2 destroyed everyone in the games we played we all headed out for bed.

SMUS goes to the Apollo's temple.

After getting ready in the morning, we headed off to Apollo's temple (it was a long drive up the mountain). When we got there, the temple was mostly covered with huge white tents. Yanni told us myths and stories around this area and about Apollo. He told us about how on the summer solstice, the sun lined up with the statue inside the temple and, how most Greek structures follow the x+1 rule (x being how many pillars at the front and back).  When we finally headed in, it was beautiful. There were Doric columns, and the entire building was way more than three times anybody here's height. There was a closed off section at the back, which they were reconstructing the temple in. We did not get to see most of the reconstruction save for a window in the wall. There were tiny little lizards climbing on and in the temple of Apollo. We then biked down to the River Neda, but that's for another post.

Amphitheater near river Neda

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Best Canada Day Ever!

 After exploring Apollo's Temple, we were given the choice to bike down the mountain towards our next destination: River Neda. For us who chose to ride, it was an amazing experience. Seeing the mountains well going full speed (I mean riding responsibly with breaks...) down the hills was breathtaking, and filled with bright green trees and outstanding views. When we arrived at the bottom, we had a nice lunch in the shade by the fountain, and then headed to the start of our much anticipated hike down the rapids of River Neda, the birth place of Zeus. 

I think that I can speak on behalf of the grade eights, when I say that it was not what we were expecting, but so much more incredible. The river's water was constantly fluctuating between knee deep to over our heads and maneuvering up and around the rocks and rapids was incredibly fun. After our battle against the waters, an experience filled with lots of laughs and water fig fights (courtesy of Mr. Doland), we arrived underneath a waterfall which we would be soon climbing up using a rope. The climb was awesome, and made us feel like "clumsy awkward ninjas". Once at the top, we were standing in front of a breathtaking scene of crystal blue water pools made from the waterfall above. We visited two of these pools and enjoyed swimming and jumping off the rocks into the waters. Although it was cold (but nothing us Canadians couldn't handle), we had an amazing time and were disappointed to leave. 

After another beautiful drive through the mountains and villages, we arrived at our hotel for a festively decorated dinner for Canada Day. After the singing of the national anthem, both in English and in French (Mr. Abrioux pretty much sang a solo due to us not knowing the lyrics), we settled down for a lovely dinner and then a quiet night of games and stories. Overall, this has been a definite highlight of our trip, and an experience that we will never forget. 

Greek Party - Food, Music & Dancing!

    After a long, hot and sweaty day of triathlon training, we got all cleaned up and headed for Yannis' house for a party! We did a variety of activities including beach games and most importantly, dancing! From personal experience, I can tell you that it was hard; getting to know the steps, going along with the rhythm and of course making it look decent. Most of the NOKY kids and their parents joined in as well. When dinner was ready, the kids brought the dishes out and offered us food with kind smiles on there faces. It was a traditional meal. We had greek salad with olive oil, bread, meat (I think it was pork) and potatoes. After dinner, we exchanged gifts and the Mr. Doland taught us how to do a trick with a pencil that we shared later on with the Greek kids. It was great to see how happy they were. Eventhough one of the kids, Ilianna, and I didn't speak the same language, we still could communicate and just by looking at her smile I could tell that she considered me her friend. It was incredible experiencing a whole new culture just through a party. Overall, the day was really fun and we all had a really good time getting to know eachother and the locals.

Around the world beach game - thanks Matthew for leading it. 

Sunset signaling dinner time. 

Another delicious Greek meal

Showing off our Greek Dancing skills after dinner!

Swimming, Biking and Running can't stop the SMUS crew

We all woke up in time for breakfast at 7:30 which consisted of toast, cereal, juice, milk, and Angie's favourite, lemon loaf! Then we all grabbed our things and met back in the lobby for a long talk about the day ahead of us. After the long talk we split into three vans, loaded the bikes, and headed off for the beach. Once we arrived at the beach, we unloaded the gear, we met up with the NOKY group and we ran through the course and tested out our bikes. We were told the routes of the bike ride, the run and the swim and after we biked to the beach, we started a warm up. Our swim was around 500 meters but against the NOKY kids, we had no chance. It was super fun to watch eachother play in the waves and pretend we were pros cough* cough* Mr. Doland. After we warmed up our strokes we all went to the starting line further down on the beach. We took our marks and we were off, or at least the NOKY kids were off. The Canadians were left in the wake of their waves and you could say we were very salty. It took us about six minutes to swim 500 meters. After the swim we all rushed to the bikes, put our clothes on, and prepared our bikes. A few minutes later we were all being tousled by the rocky path in our way of victory. After six grulling kilometres of rocky terrain, we reached the final leg of the race. The run was around one kilometre and it was easy to see everyone was really tired. We even had a small award ceremony where everyone was given a medal. Whether it was participation or first place, everyone was really proud they accomplished training with the NOKY crew. Tired and sweaty, we took out our slowly shrinking sandwiches and ate in the shade. We "popped into the vans" and drove back to the hotel for the hour of blogging in the afternoon.

-Amira and Matias

SMUS explores where the Olympics were born!

After the second morning workout (to which the attendance rate had coincidentally dropped), we got in the vans and headed off to the archeological site of Olympia. At Olympia, we were met by a very knowledgeable guide who took us on a tour of the ruins. We learned a lot about the culture of Greece at the time, as well as recognizing the similarities and differences between the Olympic Games today and when they first began.

Some of these differences include:
- In Ancient Greece, women and barbarians -also known as anyone not Greek- could not compete
- Chariot racing was a popular sport in the Ancient Greek Olympics
- The Ancient Greek track was a straight line which they ran back and forth on
- There was an event called 'Pankration', a mixture of wrestling and boxing in which two men covered in olive oil fought to the death. There were no rules in this sport, with the exception of no biting and clawing eyes out. And yes, they all competed naked.

We walked to the Olympic stadium, and had the incredible opportunity to run in the "footsteps of the ancient Olympians" (credits to Ms. McQueen's trip brochure for the quote.) Next we went to the Olympia Museum, where we saw many reassembled statues, all with their individual myths that revolved around the time of the ancient Olympics. The most significant one depicted Hermes bearing the child of Zeus in an act of protection from Hera. On the way back, we stopped in several souvenir shops. We learned that with souvenirs, there is tacky and then there is REALLY tacky. Ask us for a photo of the spartan-warrior-rubber-duck-toy for a better explanation.

Once we arrived back at the hotel we had time to swim in the pool and explore the town. After a lovely dinner we were then joined by Yannis and a few NOKY kids to learn a Greek dance which we will be using tomorrow at the beach party. The dancing was very fun and although difficult at first, we ended up being able to dance in a group circle, with only a reasonable amount of toe stepping. During that rehearsal, we also found out that Mr. Doland was a very good salsa dancer and we insisted that he taught us. What at first started off as just for a laugh, turned into a three hours session where we were taught four different moves that even included sliding under the legs.

Overall, it was a very fun, educational, hot and sticky day. We found today's adventure to Olympia a very interesting excursion which showed us in real life, what we had learned about in school during grades five and seven. Our guide, Vasilis Panagiotopoulos was passionate and loved sharing his knowledge with us which made him very engaging and easy to listen to. Our favorite part of Olympia was getting the chance to run on the track if the Ancient Greeks, and stand on the podium with olive branch wreaths on our heads. Dancing was an incredible experience and it made us connect to the locals in a fun and cultural way. We learned so much about the one of the of the main foundations of Greek culture and history, and most importantly, learned that Mr. Doland is a fantastic salsa dancer.

Photo Album Link

- Jenna, Izzy and Angie

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SMUS takes on the Beach, Turtles, Old Town Kyparissia & NOKY

Picking up where Meaghan and Lizzy left off. We headed back to the beach for our sleepover adventure. This time we were at a different spot than where we had been that morning with the Archelon volunteers, http://www.archelon.gr/index_eng.php

We ate our dinner on the beach, played some games, and just soaked in the incredible setting, including the stunning sun as it slowly signalled the end of daylight. After it got dark we went for a walk on the beach, and saw three sea turtles in various stages of digging their nests, laying eggs, and in one case, saw a turtle making its way back into the Ionian Sea. We were not allowed to take photos and had to use red cloths over the flashlights to avoid any 'white' lights. It was a fabulous experience. Then back to our camping site where we spent the night in the open air, 'sleeping' on mats in sleeping bags with children and adults set up in various configurations. We were lulled to sleep by the roll of the sea (well at least some of us were) and the damp air.

Up early the next morning for a walk on the beach, meeting some Archelon volunteers (university students from different countries) to see how they protected the sea turtle nests. Once there is evidence of a nest, based on the sand where the sea turtles come out of the water and then return, the volunteers dig for the eggs and then put a wire grid over it secured by bamboo stakes. They take a lot of measurements, etc, recording a lot of information. Their efforts have definitely been rewarded as the number of nests has increased dramatically over the years.

Then we returned to the hotel for a late breakfast before heading out to explore Old Town Kyparissia. The sun was beating down and we stayed hydrated as we walked up to the top of the old city. The group soldiered on until we stopped for some photos overlooking the town. Then it was onto the very top, the old castle, where we had our picnic lunch. Afterwards, we walked downhill to the NOKY pool (local triathlon  club) with whom we have a partnership from when the Vincent's and Ms. McQueen spent several weeks here just over two years ago. It's a 50 meter length outdoor pool that we had all to ourselves! The setting once again is incredible. We posed for a photo in front of the mural created last year for our first visit. After some pool games and an exciting relay with students and adults, we picked up our bikes and headed back to the hotel.  The students had a couple of hours off (yes, we are slackers) before another dinner outside on the hotel terrace. Afterwards, we were joined by some students from NOKY and other students from the local school. There was a real mixture of ages, which Mr. Doland took on as a challenge in doing a great job of organizing a variety of games on the beach alongside people from the community enjoying a glorious evening beachside on the Ionian Sea. Canada VS Greece featured an array of ice breaker and athletic challenges, resulting in a couple of hours of intercontinental friendship - a terrific way to meet the local community.

Then a tired group of students and adults headed to their rooms, glad for a real bed and looking forward to tomorrow's trip to Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics. Wow.

Photo Album Link:
https://goo.gl/photos/rQwiy3VdCYL8qfrW9

Not quite awake yet after sleeping on the beach!

The bouganvillea is spectacular!

E

Group photo at the pool in front of the SMUS/NOKY mural from 2015!

A teachable moment on the walk to the old castle!

Blueprint for the new SMUS dining hall?

Last part of the hike up to the very top!

Greek dessert on the beach at sleepover