Thursday June 1

 Marathon and Beach

    Today we were given the opportunity to sleep in a little bit, we did not have to be ready to go until 9am. I got some more Greek yogurt with honey and granola which was delicious. Then it was time to start the day. We took a bus to the old Athens Olympic 2004 complex which was very cool to see. We started off on the basketball court, it was cool but it was nothing like what we have in the US. Afterwards, we saw where they hosted the swimming events. I don’t think I have ever seen an Olympic sized swimming pool so this was cool. Apparently the complex has 13 pools, 4 of them being Olympic sized, which is crazy. There were a lot of people swimming and hanging around. I know the IOC is trying to help past host cities reuse their facilities and get rid of white elephants. Professor Kim said when she was here a few years ago it was like a ghost town but now it is pretty lively. The last stop of this tour was the track and soccer stadium. The stadium itself was very cool but the track was awful.  It really needs resurfacing but I assume it is not being used very often. I also think it is a little odd to put a 9 lane track around a soccer field because then every seat is far away. Overall this site was not nearly as kept up as London 2012. Then it was time to head to Marathon

    We drove some of the route that the original marathon was run, which was pretty cool. We made a brief stop at the battle site and then headed to a beach resort. This was amazing, the group all grabbed some lunch. Then we spread out on some beach chairs. I went into the water for a little bit but for the most part I was on that chair. I read some of my book, which is my favorite beach activity. Before leaving I decided to take a nap in the sun. I completely fell asleep and had to be woken up by Professor Kim. I had a great nap but then it was time to get back on the bus and head back to the hotel. Once we got back to the hotel we showered and met back in the lobby for the wrap up. We went through the scavenger list and I am proud to say Ryan, Brendan, and I won. Professor Kim gave us honeycomb and a Paris 2024 mug plus some extra credit! She also gave everyone some baklava and soap. We then headed to our last group dinner. We ordered so much food, multiple appetizers, lamb, and dessert. My favorite part was dessert. I have been craving restaurant baklava this whole trip and I finally got some with vanilla ice cream. It was so yummy. As a group we reminisced about the trip and said our goodbyes. This trip was amazing, I am so fortunate to have been a part of it.

Wednesday, May 31

WELCOME TO ATHENS!!  a.k.a. my dream come true

We had a very long day today, but we saw some of the most impressive monuments in the world. Starting with the Ancient Greek Agora, the group followed our archeologist Demetrios through the ruins of what was once the city center of Athens. From the temple of Hephaestus to administrative buildings to common areas, it was very easy to understand that Greeks were very social people and they organized all their important and social areas together for that reason. Many of the buildings were crumbled, even those added by the Romans during their occupation — you’ll find that the Romans HAD to leave their mark on anything Greek. However, the temple of Hephaestus was still very stably assembled. Designed just like the Parthenon, the temple was smaller in scale but still a representation of grandeur. 

After wandering the Agora, it was time for THE ACROPOLIS AND THE PARTHENON!! AHHHH!! Despite the size of the Acropolis, the hike up really wasn’t too bad, and it was also lined with artifacts from the ancient times. Prior to seeing the Parthenon, we listened to a lecture by our guide Nikki about the history of the area — including the myth of Athena and Poseidon’s dispute over who deserves the naming rights of the city. Clearly, the olive tree prevailed over the salt water spring. With that, we also learned that the Parthenon now was not the original. There was a much smaller temple built for Athena to begin, and it wasn’t until much later that the now-standing Parthenon was built along with a sanctuary marking the dispute of Athena and Poseidon, and a temple for Athena Nike — a combination of Athena and Nike (the Greek Goddess of Victory) to symbolize that Athenians are always the victorious. So as we traversed up the winding path and through the marble arches, the Parthenon appeared in all its shining and crumbling glory. IT WAS SO COOL!! Along with the temple of Athena Nike and Athena’s olive tree, we almost just had to sit and stare at one of the most historic and impressive artifacts of the ancient world. Not to mention, we could practically see the entirety of the city of Athens from the top of the Acropolis. 

After taking a group photo, we headed down the winding path and back into the downtown area of Athens for a couple hours of free time and lunch. We found our respective souvenirs, some of them very very funny, and Dr. Kim bought us some ice cream :) Now onto the Acropolis Museum! I will not lie, we were exhausted by this point (some of us delirious), but Demitrios guided us through statues and pottery and carvings from the ancient times and it was very interesting. The coolest part was easily the original pediments from the Parthenon. On the roof of both the east and the west side of the Parthenon, two stories were depicted in stone — the birth of Athena (east) and the dispute between her and Poseidon (west). The British Museum actually has a lot more of the original stone and images (it’s a touchy subject), but we were able to see part of the sculptures and the stories, and there were smaller models of what they believed to be the whole depiction. Another interesting part was the impact the Romans had (yet again) on some of the stones. Because they opposed any pagan religion as Christians, they essentially “sautered” off the images of the Greek gods on some stones, leaving them almost completely uninterpretable :( 

We had one last stop after the museum, and that was the Olympic Stadium of both the 1896 and the 2004 Athens Games!! 1896 as in the first modern Olympic Games… WHATTTT!! The stadium can hold around 50,000 people, but historians believe it held even more a century ago. It is not a typical track, but events and ceremonies took place in the stadium for both games; it happens to be a perfect arena for archery. And to this day, they still hold events and host crowds on the marble bleachers. This was another place where we just had to sit and admire, especially considering this was where the majority of the 1986 sporting events were held. Plus, we got to walk through the original cobblestone athlete entrance/tunnel underneath the stadium, and up to a small museum with the alter of where the Olympic Flame is lit and a replica of the reflection mirror used to light the flame with the sun. It was very very cool to be somewhere so pivotal for the Olympic movement. 

Finished with our group activities for the day, we all did their own thing for a few hours before going various places for dinner. We all joined back up together later and explored the city of Athens for the night. We had a lot of fun after such a long day, and now we prepare for our last day of the trip tomorrow :((

We miss you GM and Prof. Ryan! 

Wednesday May 31

    Today was another early morning as we were seeing some archaeological sites in Athens. This was one of the days I was looking forward to the most because I learned about the sites in high school when I learned art history. Our first stop was the Agora, which was considered to be the center of life in ancient Athens. While most of the structures weren’t there anymore, it was still very interesting to see what was once the most popular spot in town.

    After that, it was time to go to the Acropolis, which was one of the sites I was most excited to see on the trip. While it was super crowded, it did not disappoint. It was a very steep hike to the top but once we got to the top we looked around at the different structures. The most notable things for me were the Erechtheum, the Temple of Athena Nike, and of course, the Parthenon. I learned a lot about these 3 structures in high school, so to finally be able to see them was a dream come true. Another thing I enjoyed about the Acropolis was the spectacular views it had across the city. We got to see all the buildings and even some important sites like the Olympic Stadiums in the distance. This was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip.

    Once we were finished touring the Acropolis, we had some free time to get lunch and check out the shops on the streets of Athens. A few of my friends and I went to a nearby Greek restaurant for a quick lunch, so that we would have a lot of time to explore the shops. After lunch, we walked around some of the shops for a bit, and I was able to get a few pastries from one of the pastry shops in the city, all of which were very good. We ended our free time by getting some ice cream, which Professor Kim was really sweet to pay for.

    Next on our itinerary was the Acropolis Museum, which had a lot of the original pieces from the Acropolis. By this point in the day, most of us were very tired, but I still was very interested to see what the museum had to offer. I was even able to see some of the artworks I learned about in the past, such as the Peplos Kore and the Kritios Boy, two ancient Greek sculptures. We also saw a lot of the original pieces from the Acropolis, such as the friezes, and the very interesting caryatid columns. Overall it made me wonder why they kept the original pieces in the museum and why the actual Acropolis consists mostly of replicas.

    Our last stop of the day was the Panathenaic Stadium, which was a decent walk away from the museum. I was also very excited to see the stadium because I know it is one of Athens’ most iconic landmarks as I see it in photos all the time. We spent some time talking about the Olympic games there, and interestingly enough I learned that they played archery there, and not track. Although I could’ve figured they didn’t hold track & field events there due to the weird configuration of the track. After our small discussion, I went to the top which was a steep climb, but worth it since I got some great photos. Once I climbed down I went to the small Olympic exhibit which was very small. We ended our time at the stadium by taking a group photo before heading back to the hotel.

    The walk back to the hotel took a while as it was about a mile walk, so once we got back to the hotel we decided to take a small rest before getting dinner. It was nice to get some rest after the amount of walking we did today, which was the third most amount of walking we did on this trip of all the days. My roommates and I ended our night getting dinner at a small pasta shop near the hotel, as we wanted something quick so we could hang out with the group later. Even though I’m very sad this trip is coming to a close, I have enjoyed my time here and I will cherish this experience for life!

Friday May 26

 Today we left on time and head towards CAS, which is the Court of arbitration for Sport. They mainly focus on European Soccer and the Olympics. The building was spotless and brand new, it was very interesting to see the rooms where they questioned the athletes and had hearing. After the tour Fabien Cagnuex, our tour guide provided us with an overview of what CAS did. The history of CAS was very intriguing, learning how people fought CAS because they believed that they were not separate was really shocking. He then opened up for questions, Professor Kim asked about the Kamila Valieva Case. I asked about the reaction of CAS when news of the Super League first broke the internet. He explained that currently CAS has no power in the case, but that it first needs to go to the European Courts, and if the clubs still involved don't like the decision, then CAS can step in. We also asked questions about the Premier league and the current situation of Doping in the Olympics. 

    After CAS we hoped on to the bus to head to World Aquatics, which is the organization authorized by the Olympic Committee to oversee water sport competitions on a global scale. They had the best presentation that we have seen, they did a good job engaging us, they also had a full spread of croissants and drinks. Their presentation focused primarily once more on their identity, work, and methods. As an IF, they serve as the principal governing body for water polo, swimming, open water swimming, high diving, diving, and artistic swimming. As such, they establish guidelines, arrange contests on a regular basis, and uphold their standards within the swimming community.

Before returning to the hotel for a rescheduled Zoom meeting with the IOC's Television & Marketing Services (TMS), the group was free to eat lunch. This lecture focused only on the IOC's complex legal authority over all Olympic Games marketing. Only 14 international brands (Omega, Visa, Airbnb, Coca-Cola, Samsung, etc.) have the honor of being advertised at the Olympic Games thanks to the IOC's creation of The Olympic Partner program. The Olympic logo cannot be shown on any athlete, coach, sportsperson, or anything else with the Olympic logo during the Games (9 days prior to the Games, during the Games, or for two days following the Games), unless the brand is affiliated with a NOC, an IF, or an OCOG. In spite of this, athletes with sponsorship agreements are not permitted to actively market their partnerships during the Games, and neither are the corporations that sponsor them, this is called rule 40.

We went on a picnic dinner after the educational portions of the day were through. For our group dinner on the coast of Lake Geneva, the group spent around 30 minutes selecting various meats, cheeses, crackers, chocolate, fruit, drinks, and silverware. After we ate, we gathered in a circle and tried to keep a volleyball in the air. Once that got boring, we headed out to the rocks by the lake and sat down and just enjoyed the amazing view that we had. But we could not have enjoyed this great picnic without the amazing grilling of Kirstyn, Kyle, and Dr. Kim.

Joshua Wilhelm

Tuesday May 30th- Athens

 We checked out of the hotel by 8am today to explore the Delphi sights! The archeological sites were much more intact compared to Olympia so it was easier to envision what it had looked like in the past. The Delphi site is home to the Temple of Apollo and a treasury that had a variety of treasures to showcase the city's wealth and strength. The overall site is called “The Oracle”, as there was an oracle who would make prophecies about the future. Her prophecies were very creative due to a natural gas mixture that was released during that time period. The theater and stadium largely remained intact which was also super interesting to see! Before we headed to the museum, we stopped in the town to do some shopping and get a snack. We all ended up getting ice cream which was so delicious!

The museum had statues that were excavated from the Oracle. Unfortunately, some of them were replicas as the statues were taken from the original site to various areas of the Western world. It was interesting that the tour guide noted some Egyptian influence. As we were walking through the museum, our guide also noted a fun fact, this time unrelated to the Ancient Greeks- she pointed out that Ivanka Trump was in the same room as us. While some tried, no one could get their picture with a famous person to check off the scavenger hunt list. As we left the museum, we also saw four kittens sitting outside! There have been lots of cute cats and dogs roaming throughout Delphi. 

We headed to lunch in the downtown area of Delphi and were able to try new foods! We also gave some leftovers to a cat roaming the streets. Lunch fueled us up before our bus ride to Athens. This bus ride was fairly quiet as we listened to music and caught up on sleep and work. In the beginning we had a view of both the sea and the mountains. As we got closer to Athens, we could see the Parthenon. Once we got to Athens we went to Nikki’s for dinner and a lecture. On the walk over, she explained Greece’s tumultuous past. We learned about the religious conflict and how it still impacts Greece today. We also discussed Greece’s relationship with other countries such as Turkey. It was nice to have a home cooked meal once we got to Nikki’s! We had salad, spanakopita, and something that was similar to the Moussaka I ate at lunch. Everything seemed super authentic, and it was cool to walk through the city to get to her home. We had to walk up two spiral staircases to get to the kitchen and living room. Once we were done, we headed up another spiral staircase to look at her view of the Parthenon and the city. The lecture explained the history behind the Parthenon so we would have some background knowledge on it. We learned in greater depth information on the battles that the Athenians were involved in and how the Parthenon has changed over time. Nikki also put things into an American perspective when discussing democracy. The first version of democracy was born in Greece so she discussed how it is difficult to remain a world power while simultaneously carrying out democratic ideals.

Tuesday May 30th

 Today, our group had the privilege of visiting the mesmerizing city of Delphi. As we arrived, we were immediately captivated by the breathtaking historic sights that awaited us. The view from Delphi was truly unreal, with majestic mountains surrounding us and creating a picturesque backdrop for our adventure.

Our first stop was the ancient ruins of Delphi, which provided us with an extraordinary glimpse into the past. Walking among the ruins, we couldn't help but feel a deep sense of awe and reverence for the ancient civilizations that once thrived in this very place. The remnants of temples, theaters, and other structures painted a vivid picture of the glorious history that unfolded here.

One of the highlights of our visit to the ruins was the original stadium. Stepping onto the ancient grounds, we could almost hear the echoes of cheering crowds and the thundering footsteps of athletes. The stadium was a testament to the skill and athleticism of the ancient Greeks, and we couldn't help but imagine the intense competitions that took place within its hallowed walls.

After immersing ourselves in the wonders of Delphi's historic sights, we proceeded to the museum for a guided tour. The museum housed a remarkable collection of artifacts and treasures, each with its own story to tell. From intricately crafted statues to beautifully preserved pottery, the exhibits were a testament to the ancient Greeks' artistic mastery and cultural significance.

Our tour guide proved invaluable in helping us understand the historical and cultural context of the museum's exhibits. Their expertise brought the artifacts to life, enabling us to appreciate their beauty and significance on a deeper level. Little did we expect that our visit to the museum would hold an unexpected surprise. Ivanka Trump, the renowned public figure, happened to be at the museum at the same time, adding an element of excitement and surprise to our experience.

After the museum visit, our group reconvened outside for a well-deserved lunch break. The pleasant ambiance and the aroma of delicious Greek cuisine filled the air as we indulged in some mouthwatering chicken gyros. Greek food is such a favorite food of mine and being here provides such an authentic taste I’ve never had the pleasure of having before. 

We then got back onto the charter bus which was met with a ton of fun. During our almost 3 hour bus ride it was filled with music, games such as cards and photo roulette, and tons of laughs. While about half of did that the other half slept as it has been quite a long day in the sun for everyone. 

As we arrived in Athens we got dinner and got a brief lecture about the ruins of Athens before we get to see them tomorrow. As we only have a couple days left a feeling of sadness is going through the group as none of us are ready for this trip to end. Today was filled with tons of amazing memories and experiences unlike ever with some of the most amazing people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with.

Monday, May 29

 Monday, May 29th

Today we completed our first full day in Greece! After a 4-hour night bus ride from Athens, we arrived in Olympia where we were all set for our tour of Ancient Olympia and the ancient Olympic games. 

The day started early at the Hotel Antonios where after breakfast we loaded back onto the coach bus to arrive at Ancient Olympia. Through the winding Greek roads, we made our way down to Ancient Olympia. Similarly to Switzerland, the weather was fantastic, around 75 with some clouds. 

We passed on a bridge over the Kladeos River and made our way to the entrance where we were greeted by our tour guide for the site. Right at the entrance you could see archeologists still working to excavate parts of the gymnasium that stretched to the gates of the site. We were informed by our tour guide that the gymnasium is where many of the ancient Olympians used to train and the word stems from the Greek root “gymno” meaning naked as all the athletes would perform and train without clothes. We also were reminded of some more facts that we learned all the way back in London with Professor Ryan. Including, the fact that Olympians came from all over the ancient Greek world to represent their city-states, only men competed in the events, and that the games had deep religious and musical roots. From there we were led to the ruins of the temple of Zeus which once held one of the ancient wonders of the world, a massive statue of the most important Greek God, Zeus. 

We then were led to the stadium, through a narrow archway. Past the archway was a long 200-meter track where track races were held in the ancient days. After taking in the historic impact of the site we all lined up on the starting line, and raced to the other side. Josh left us all in the dust as his blinding speed took him from one side of the track to the other. 

After catching our breath we were able to walk through the temple of Hera, one of the only ancient temples in Greece that you can still walk through. There we saw some of the remaining pillars and inscriptions. 

We headed out for our first of two museums at Olympia, the first took us through a display of the many artifacts that had been excavated from the site. Everyone was really interested in the marble statues which included a statue of Nike the goddess of victory. The next museum was more focused on the athletic aspect of the site. The museum had many artifacts of the Olympians and also Greek soldiers that had been excavated from the site. Additionally, there was a great deal of information on the influences the ancient games have had on modern games. Overall, visiting ancient Olympia was an incredible experience and really put into context the historic nature of the Olympic Games. 

After our tour of Olympia, we headed down to the market where we had an incredible lunch at a Greek restaurant. I had seabream with a lemon and olive oil sauce. However, everyone’s favorite was the tzatziki with pita. After lunch we lunch, we jumped back onto the bus for a 4-hour ride out to Delphi. On the bus, we all had a ton of fun playing cards and music, and having some snacks. Overall a great day!