2018 May Term in Greece

We left Athens for Nafplio. The trip wasn’t super long but it was a good drive throughout the countryside. Outside of Athens, there truly isn’t another big city. Athens city structure was massive and compact. The rest of Greece seemed pretty remote, with lots of farm land and old sites scattered throughout. I think moving throughout the countryside on a bus for hours on end was way better than how the Ancient Greeks traveled. I was drenched in sweat just walking at the sites. I couldn’t imagine marching from Olympia to Delphi, and or Delphi to Marathon must have been terrible. The drive from Athens to Marathon and then Marathon back to Athens was extremely cool considering that the Athenians and their allies took the path we did during the initial stages of the Persian War’s. I think it bouncing from one location to another, makes you wonder just how the Ancient Greeks could move armies efficiently throughout Greece’s terrain. Traveling in the Aegean also made me wond...

When we all arrived to Athens, there were a couple of immediate things I learned about the city that I was unaware of prior to being there. First, I was shocked to see the grand size of the city and hear about its massive population. I had no idea Athens had over 4 million inhabitants (which was nearly half of the entire population of Greece). The second was the size of the most popular (and scholar celebrated) sculptures and the effect they give on the viewer. I had previously taken a professor Schindler Greek art and architecture class, as well as a basic level art history class and of course professor Seaman’s class on Greek civilization. Therefore, I had commonly been shown some of the most famous pieces of Greek artwork in picture form. Specific sculptures that were the most commonly referenced were Blond Boy, Kritios Boy, Peplos Girl, the Bronze Sculpture of Zeus/Poseidon and many others. Nearly every piece of Greek artwork and or sculpture was surprising in tha...

As I look back on two weeks in Greece I simply can't imagine time better spent. Visiting Greece has been on my bucket list since I first found Greek mythology in elementary school, and I was certainly not disappointed. Though I know that the recreations at the palace of Minos were not entirely accurate, it was still an incredible experience to see such an ancient site with such advanced architecture. Seeing the model of the ancient palace in the museum really drove home what even the ruins could not; the sheer size of the palace. One of the places that surprised me with how connected I felt to it was the Acropolis at Lindos. The hike was a bit arduous but the view alone was absolutely worth it, not to mention the relief carving of the ancient trireme. Having seen the recreation earlier in the trip I was astonished at just how much detail was in a decorative wall carving. Though I most likely should have learned to expect that from studying other ancient sculptures, ancient ...

My second week in Greece can be summed up by traveling from beautiful place to an even more beautiful place. From the beaches of Naufplia to the mountain views of Delphi, my tripped only seemed to get better and better. One of my favorite parts during the second part of the may term was definitely taking the cruise through the Aegean Sea and stopping to see the beautiful islands on the way. Every island we stopped at seemed to have its own individual beauty and allure to it. One of my favorite islands I saw was the island of Crete. Crete seemed a lot different than a lot of the other islands or cities of Greece, and maybe that was because it is one of the oldest cities in all of Europe. I felt I could sense the Minoan culture more than the Greek culture there. The Palace of Knossos was also one of the most interesting sites I saw during the trip. Growing up my favorite Greek mythology story was of this palace and the labyrinth that held the feared Minotaur who was slain by Theseus....

Upon my arrival in Greece, I did not know what to expect. With little knowledge about the country and the cities we would be visiting, I began to get a little nervous. I didn't know the language, any of the cities, or anyone from DePauw joining me on this trip. Within the first week of the trip, all my worries faded. Everyone I met was so nice and the beauty that surrounded the terrain of the country was breathtaking at every turn. I have traveled to Europe before, but Greece was so different from any of the other European countries that I had been to. One of the most amazing parts of Greece was the extent of the ancient ruins surrounding the cities and the people living there. During the first week of the trip, my favorite part was definitely seeing the Parthenon in Athens. Professor Seaman was not lying when he said, "you will never forget where you were when you first see the Parthenon." It was absolutely marvelous. I still have a difficult time wrapping my mind aroun...

Liz Culp Blog Reflection 2 The most memorable place of my second week in Greece was the island of Rhodes. The hike up was half the fun and when I reached the top it was suddenly all worth it. I knew very little about Rhodes but I was soon very intrigued by all the history on the small island. First, I had no idea the Persians tried to take over but then was defeated by the Athenians. Throughout the Pelopennesian War, Rhodes did not favor one side. I was very surprised but overall, Rhodes always stayed mostly independent. It is hard to pick one island I loved the most but Rhodes was the most memorable.

The island of Rhodes was quite remarkable. I am slightly biased, considering my presentation subject is a large part of our port city, Rhodes. However, there was a lot of history that I was unaware of. As an active member of the Jewish community, it is never easy to visit locations where the population has changed so drastically as a result of World War II. Learning about the impact of the many wars throughout history on this island that felt to be in the middle of nowhere was unexpected, to say the least. I never knew that the Nazis got down as far as the islands of Greece, and I never knew that the French had once occupied the area either. Another intriguing part of the history of Rhodes was the different perspectives that the different groups had on the historical landmarks of previous years. For example, the Ottoman Empire used the Palace of the Grandmaster for prisoners and goods. This caused the palace to fall into bad shape due to the lack of reconstruction after the earthquake ...

The temple of Poseidon on the edge of the water took my breath away. The location, with a different sea on either side, dramatises the impact of the temple on the eye. After having been given a better understanding of how difficult the temples were to make, the location of this one was particularly impressive. Not only is the structure itself painstakingly designed and thought through, but the execution appears barely possible. The sides of the hill on which the temple lies are difficult enough for buses to climb, let alone hundreds of men carrying stone of even greater weights. To think that hundreds of men of different generations spent their entire working life building this massive structure is mind-blowing. I can think of few things that my own community could work on for generations out of faith and dedication. It is very inspiring to know that through faith people truly can join and rise together. It gives me hope for our own future. In addition, the fact that the result of th...

As I reflect on the past two weeks (and the reality of being back in the office this morning), I can't express how much I enjoyed touring Greece and getting to know everyone better. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience (and literally #1 on my bucket list) and I am so thankful for having the opportunity to travel abroad for the first time! I hope everyone has a great summer and I'll see most of you in the fall. Feel free to stop by the Financial Aid Office anytime to say hello! Toni Robinson

For my second blog, I’m going to talk about Santorini. I’ve always known about this place and how beautiful it is, but I guess I never really understood. When our cruise started to get close to it, I was amazed. All I saw was a giant hill that has cliffs that dive into the water, but all along the top of the hill I saw beautiful white buildings. It was better than any picture I’ve seen. Most of the town covered the ridge of the mountain. When we got to the top, it was the most beautiful view I’ve seen. You look out and you see miles of water, but when you look to your left and right you see the unique, all-white buildings that cover the ridge. We walked through the maze of alleyways and it almost didn’t feel real that we were actually there. I found a nice little spot to look along the ridge of Santorini and I could’ve sat there for hours. The buildings almost seemed like they were apart of the hill and they just kept getting more and more amazing to look at as the sun went down. If I ...

This trip has been an eye-opening experience. I’ve never been out of the country, so I’ve only seen all of these things in pictures. When we went to Poseidon’s Temple, it really hit me that humans like myself carried around and constructed enormous blocks to make such a beautiful temple. And don’t get me started on the view, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an amazing view. The same goes for the Parthenon and other temples we’ve visited. Going from only seeing these in textbook pictures, to seeing them with my own eyes has given me a different sense of appreciation for the Ancient Greek civilizations. Along with visiting these ruins, I’ve really enjoyed throwing self into Greek culture each and every day. I’ve always loved trying new things, so this has been amazing for me. It’s so neat to visit all of these traditional restaurants and learn their cuisine and customs. It’s been such a great experience so far, and I can’t wait to see what we get to do next. 

These past two weeks have been filled with such great memories. On the cruise, we were able to go to Mykonos and discover the city on our own which allowed us to visit sites such as the windmill and the famous white steps. Through the narrow streets and the smell of paint I was able to navigate the places I was in through the distinct shops and houses. Going to Kusadasi, Turkey was one of the highlights for me on this trip because it allowed me to experience a country I never saw myself visiting. The excursion in Turkey was interesting, especially when visiting the archeological site it shared a few similar features in details of monuments however was different in its own ways. Going to the rug shop taught me many things such as the amount of months it takes for a rug to be made by hand and the how expensive it is. I enjoyed watching the lady unravel the silk and the steps on doing so. Crete and Santorini had to be by far my favorite islands to visit. They were my favorite particul...

The past two weeks have been extremely enriching experiences and have created so many amazing memories that I am excited to share with friends and families.    On the second week of the trip, we visited so many gorgeous islands around Greece and it was amazing how much history lies beneath all of the beauty.   I think Santorini was one of the most architecturally beautiful places that we visited.   First of all, the island is in the center of a very active volcano that had collapsed.   This is something that really blew my mind, and it was really cool to see the different colors in the surrounding rocks because of the different reactions of the volcano.   I also thought that it was really interesting as to why most of the buildings have the rounded roofs and the specific white and blue colors.   The roofs are rounded because they are the second most effective method for protecting buildings from the impact of earthquakes, behind wood that there is not...