Sunday, April 15, 2018

Day 3: Delphi Historic Sanctuary & Tholos Olive Farm


This will be a heavy picture blog today with this quick summary from me and two new student bloggers Jake and Hannah. 

Day 3 here is another 80 degree day. After a good breakfast we took a 3 hour bus ride to the famous ancient sancutary at Delphi. We passed through some beautiful countryside and had some great views and photo ops on the way. The little country side towns we drove through were awesome. Lots of hiking today finished off with some amazing oil, feta, and bread at Greece's largest olive farm. 
Really a cool day. Seeing some amazing things. Students are happy and excited at each new destination. 

         A quick photo opp on our way to Delphi. This beautiful town in the backdrop was amazing in person. 


                                                     Delphi Museum 




Delphi Ancient Sanctuary 





Lunch in Delphi



                  Delphi Valley Olive Grove- largest olive farms in the World













Walking totals for Day 3 compliments of Mr. Ghiloni: 
Steps: 12384
Converted miles: 5.7

Overall Totals for Trip:
Steps: 35,972
Converted miles: 16.9

Jake Gorrie, Senior, Advanced Manufacting

Today in Greece may have been my favorite day yet.  On our way to Delphi, we got amazing views and pictures of the country side. Our first destination was a small museum that was related to the ancient ruins that stood directly over the building. Once our tour was over we headed off to lunch.



Once we finally finished eating we were back on the bus and off to our next stop. After another 20 minutes of driving we arrived at the largest olive farm in all of Greece. At the farm we got to experience 2 different types of olives as well as the olive oil they produce. Once the food was gone and the tour was over we were back on the bus and off to the hotel for the night.

Hannah Silva, Junior, Health Tech
It was an early morning today, departing at 7:15 for a 3-hour drive to Delphi. On the road, we napped, took scenic pictures, and learned some Greek phrases. Delphi is home to the the temple of Apollo, which we hiked up the the hill to see. After visiting the remains of the theater, stadium, and touring the museum, we went to lunch at an authentic Greek restaurant in the mountains. Next, we traveled down to the field below to tour an olive garden and sample high quality extra virgin olive oil. Our bus ride back to Athens returned us to our hotel just in time for another great Greek dinner.

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow we board our four day cruise adventure. We will be hitting the open seas with stops at some beautiful Greek islands and excursions. Kids are very excited. 

We will see how the blog goes with the wifi on the ship. See you soon! 

Day 2 Athens - Acropolis-The Parthenon-Athens Free time

Amazing what these students are being able to see and experience each day in this beautiful country. 

Another early morning wake-up and we were off by 8am on a bus tour of Athens. Bus tours may sound a little boring but they are actually the perfect start to a long day. You have a little extra-time to relax and take in some sights from our comfy coach bus. We also had plenty of quick stops to jump out and take pictures. 

Today we hit the site of the first modern Olympics Stadium and plenty of other sites the students will tell you  more about below. Seeing the Acropolis and the Parthenon was incredible. That amazing structure is the center of Athens. We could see it throughout the day everywhere we went. Kids were awesome again. Hit our walking steps high today! Some after-dinner free time in the lobby and another early night to bed. 
Another big day tomorrow. Enjoy the pictures and student perspectives below. 


Site of the first Modern Olympics in Athens

                               
Scenes from the Acropolis & the Parthenon










Walking totals for Day 2 compliments of Mr. Ghiloni: 
Steps: 14588
Converted miles: 6.7 

Overall Totals for Trip:
Steps: 23,588
Converted miles: 11.2





 Dinner #2- salad with fresh feta and yogurt
Farm to table chicken and rice 





                 Some down time in the hotel lobby after dinner






As always here are some thoughts and impressions from our students. Thanks to Cam and Meaghan for today's write-ups!  


Camden Spring, Sophomore, Drafting, Leicester 
Today on our Greece trip we woke up and had a traditional Greek breakfast. After we finished our breakfast we hit the road and headed to the city. In the city we took a bus tour and a walking tour across Athens. During these tours we saw the Greek Parliament, The tomb of the unknown Greek soldiers, then we briefly saw Zeus's temple, the first modern Olympic Stadium, and went to the acropolis to see the Parthenon. At the top of the acropolis standing with the science defying Parthenon put everyone in awe you had the Parthenon to your left and the most amazing view of the city to your right. Then after seeing the acropolis the students had some free time to venture the Metropolis to purchase some souvenirs for themselves and parents. After this we made our way back to our bus to head back to the hotel where we had a traditional Greek salad with yogurt dressing, for the main course we had chicken and rice, and a fruit parfait for desert. After all of this the students hung out in the lobby and in their rooms for an early night as we have a 6 o'clock wake up call to start tomorrow.



Meaghan Kirley, Senior, Health Tech, Clinton

To start off the day, we went on a bus tour of the city, where a guide told us about the history of the city, and we got to explore for a little while. We saw the Olympic stadium, as well as different monuments, including the tomb of the unknown soldier. 

After a quick bus ride, we arrived at the Acropolis, and climbed up (after falling) to one of the most beautiful views in Greece. We saw the Parthenon, took pictures, and learned about the history of the structures and how they were built in dedication to the Gods they worshipped. After the long climb down, strawberry lemonade was a lifesaver, and our tour guide brought us some traditional Greek breakfast (bagels) to try. 

We eventually arrived at Athens city center, where we met at the Metropolis, a church widely known throughout the city. We were given free time, where everyone split up for lunch. My group found a little restaurant where most of us ate either burgers or gyros, and we quickly realized that it’s normal for people to come up to you while eating and try to put whatever they’re selling on you then ask for money. 

After lunch, we went to the flea market to shop, mostly for little souvenirs or gifts for family back home. We had a long time to explore, and really got to know the city center. When everyone met back up, we headed to a local museum and were given free time to explore the objects that used to reside in the Parthenon, which were mainly statues.

Overall, it was a successful first full day in Athens and everyone is tired and excited for tomorrow!

Thanks for reading! Big day tomorrow as we head to the ancient sanctuary at Delphi and and olive farm to taste test fresh feta, olives, olive oil and fresh breads! 

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Off to Greece Day #1!

After 2 years of planning and many, many Travel Club meetings we are finally off to Greece! We can only hope this trip is as great as Costa Rica 2014 and the European Quartet 2016 (Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, and Londen). 

We started our journey Thursday leaving Assabet at 12:30pm with 44 students and 7 chaperones. 

Kids on the bus trip to Boston were great. The 7 hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany went smoothly. After a 2 hour layover we had another 2.5 hour flight into Athens. We met our tourguide Ava and took a coach straight to a walking tour of Athens. No rest for the weary! 



Students catching some Zzzz's in between flights from Germany to Athens. 

Athens is an amazing city of 5 million people - almost half the entire population of Greece lives in Athens. After an hour free time we had a traditional Greek dinner called Mousaka. It was delicious. Very new for the students but after lunch a long day they were happy to eat anything. 


Dinner #1- Mousaka- like a layered lasagna with meat, potatoes, and eggplant 

Students were in bed by 8:30. Everyone was exhausted. Big day tomorrow- going to see Olympic Stadium and the Parthenon at the Acropolis. 

Walking totals for Day 1 compliments of Mr. Ghiloni: 
Steps: 9000
Converted miles: 4.5

Overall Totals for Trip:
Steps: 9000
Converted miles: 4.5

As always I will be including some thoughts and impressions from our students each day of the blog. Thanks to Victoria and Nick for helping me out tonight! 


Victoria Silva, Junior, Health Tech

Today we began our long-awaited journey to Greece with flights from Boston and then Germany. After several naps during transport to help with jet lag, and exploration of the various airports, we arrived in Athens for our first adventures in the cities of Greece. With our tour guide Eva, we walked the city, and were given time to explore the shops, sights and streets. Afterwards, we settled back at our hotel, and shared our first Greek meal for dinner.


Nicholas Houle, Senior, Metal Fab

The first day of being in Greece was an eventful one. It started off slow but as we got moving though the day it became more fun and exciting. As we were all riding the bus you just start seeing landmarks pop up and it was really intriguing and gave a look into the culture of Greece and its people. Then as we got off the bus and our tour guide started showing us around the streets of Athens and you can see all the small thing that make up the area. From seeing old ruins or a small store that sold items made by the people of the city. It really showed the sense of community the people have in the area and gave the city a warmer presence and welcoming feeling.