Greece

Just before Easter I returned from a week long trip to Greece with 55 tenth graders. Before we left I was quite nervous about having to fly with so many people, also because we had a huge snowstorm the day we left. We had to drive the 4 hours to Hamborg to get to the airport, so we needed to leave extra early due to the weather. So at 9pm we left Frøstrup and due to no traffic and okay roads we arrived already at 1am and slept in the bus before having to check in.  Everything went smoothly and we only lost 1 passport, 1 bag and almost a video camera.

We flew into Athens, but still had a 4 hour drive ahead of us, up to Volos on the east coast. So we didn't arrive at our hotel until 9pm the following night, exactly 24 hours later.  The next few days we spent in and near the town of Volos.  (It is where our students teacher is from)

The first day we visited a beautiful little town in the mountains called Makrinitsa. Later we visited the Music School of Volos, were welcomed at the Town Hall, had some free time at a café by the water, and had a very filling buffet dinner before hanging out at the hotel with fun and games.

The next day drove about 120km away from the coast to the mountainous region of Meteora. It was absolutely breath taking with the cliffs, snow caps and valleys.  The Meteora region is known for the many monasteries built on top of the cliffs.  Six of them remain, and we were able to have a tour of two of them. Just seeing these extraordinary buildings on top of the rocky cliffs, made me shout "wow" multiple times. It was truly so amazing! The road that took us to the top was built just about 50 years ago, so it was incredible to think of how they could have built these building and had functioning monasteries there for so many years. On the way back home we stopped at a town called Trikala where some Greek students showed us around the town and we had a quick souvlaki sandwich in the sun. (Sandwich with meat and french fries inside)

Trikala (students doing a traditional Greek dance)

Dinner at Aspa's parents house (Pitas in the fire)

Delicious evening "snack" buffet

The following day it was time to leave Volos and head to Athens. We had planned a stop to Delphi on the way down, and that drive was also absolutely gorgeous. Winding through the forested mountains with a new spectacular view around every bend. The actual site of Delphi was also beautiful. It is the location of a very old town, Delphi, where there was and is a temple made for the greek god Apollo. It was amazing to hear old stories about the statues and town as we received a guided tour of the museum and archaeological site.
When we arrived in Athens we had some time for a evening stroll before bed.

Group photo

The women teachers

A glimpse of the 3 course  meals we got at the hotel

The next day we got to see a very historical site of Greece, Acropolis hill and the Parthenon temple. In general I was in awe of the history of the place and all the small stories behind it. We had a fantastic guide who brought the stories to life and I came away from that day so impressed by the history and age of Greece. Democracy was actually invented in Athens and we saw the building where Socrates went to speak and spread his ideas. There was time for some market shopping in the afternoon, and I had a pair of sandals handmade specifically for me. The owner has made sandals for many famous people such as John Lennon, Sara Jessica Parker and Bob Saget.  In the evening we had a bus tour of Athens by night. We got to see the changing of the guards, some old and new stadiums as well as Acropolis lit up at night!

Making my sandals

Our final days were filled with Greek interactions as we got to meet our pen pals that we had been writing with since November. They were from the American School of Greece and they had 1½ days planned for us. The first afternoon and evening, they took our students in groups around Athens, telling stories and being guides, before meeting all together at a restaurant for dinner. In the meantime, the 7 teachers were shown around Athens by their teachers and we had a lovely and traditional Greek dinner. There were about 7 different types of dishes placed in the middle of the table and we all could just grab and take what we wanted. The food was delicious and I loved the laid back feel of just grabbing. We tried cod fish, tzatziki, pita, Greek beef, chicken skewers, salads...and much more. The next day we went to the American School where we gave a presentation of our school and got to see a presentation of theirs. Went to English classes, got a tour, played sports, had a Starbucks coffee and just relaxed in the sun. They were very hospitable and it was great to see our students really bond with theirs. We ended the day at the mall to buy final gifts and souvenirs.

Ps: I don't have any pictures from the school, but we started the day out driving along the coast and here is what we saw. (Cape Sounion)

At 3am we loaded the bus and headed for the airport. We made it back to Denmark safely and I was home for dinner by 6pm. Silas and Søren welcomed me with open arms and it felt great to be home again after an amazing trip.