A Blast from the Past




I thought I'd make a post taking us back about a week ago when I first arrived in Greece, describing my experiences and excursions before class started. Our first ferry ride took us to the beautiful islands of Kefalonia. There we had an exciting, packed schedule full of adventures ranging from exploring caves and striking scenery to getting acquainted with the lovely culture that Greece is so well known for. Something that I noticed immediately about how Greek and American culture differ is that Greek culture is fixated on the importance of family and friend bonding experiences. I noticed that everyone seemed to be very comfortable and friendly with each other while they sat down for a bite to a eat or strolled around town. 



After spending a couple of days in Kefalonia, we took another ferry to Ithaca. While in Ithaca I discovered the extent to which Greeks are connected to music in their social gatherings and overall lifestyle. In the courtyard area directly outside of our hotel entrance, there was a large gathering of people singing and dancing around a fire, having a traditional festival. At this time it became quite apparent to me how music and dancing is a crucial part of the culture in Greece- they use it as a vehicle to express their emotions and creativity. 
Click this link to watch the video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/N51xF4SQbUZq5RwL7

There were many other interesting things to observe in Ithaca besides the immersive Greek culture. While on this beautiful island city, we went to an archaeological museum, browsed around a local Catholic church, and jumped off rocks into the sea at one of the island's beautifully blue regions. 


Click this link to watch the video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ug6cb8MZarWUjUYh6



Our last stop before classes started at ACG took us to Olympia. This city was simply overflowing with ancient Greek history- we took some time to explore and appreciate the ancient ruins that were the site of Olympic training for the Olympic games that were held there. We could see firsthand what is left of the running tracks, javelin and discus training areas, and other buildings that the athletes used thousands of years ago. After this we got the opportunity to wander around the nearby ancient Olympia museum, which was a truly extraordinary experience. There, we found ancient artifacts like soldiers' helmets and incredible carved sculptures. 


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