Day 9 - Headed Home!

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Greece, but it's time to go home. Winthrop New Student Orientation begins Friday and classes start on Monday. For a few of our scholars who were December graduates, Monday is the first day of full-on adulting.

We are all a mix of emotions. We are ready to go home, after all there’s no place like it. We miss our families and friends, our pets, our beds, and American food. But there is no denying that we’ll miss John, our travel director, Kyriakos, our driver, and this group of people with whom we have deeply bonded. They are family now!

Our day begins with with a bus 5:45 AM departure. We grab our To Go breakfasts, load the bus, and John completes our passport check. We make our 45-minute drive to the airport seeing a few sights along the way.

We say our final goodbyes with hugs and a few last photos outside of the airport. We will miss our Grecian crew. These gentlemen have been fun to hang with, accommodating, resourceful, and have had amazing energy throughout our trip. John is a fount of information. He is knowledgeable, organized, patient, sarcastic, witty, and cool! He has been our guide and an extraordinary photographer/videographer, capturing all kinds of brilliant footage of our trip. We are grateful.

Kyriakos is a former military man turned expert bus driver. He got that bus through some tricky spots, like a thread through a needle. We are grateful to him.

After our goodbyes, we go to check-in. Our flight to Germany was short and enjoyable.

As we boarded our flight to Charlotte, a few of us were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves upgraded to business class. No charge!

We landed in Charlotte on schedule, but the customs line was out the door! It took two hours to clear customs and hook up with James Grigg, our gracious AVP for facilities, who took us the rest of the way home. Thank you, James!!

A big ευχαριστώ is due to the Close Family for their generous funding of this trip. Global immersion is a goal that Mrs. Anne Springs Close had for these students. Generous funding from her son, Derek Springsteen Close, made it possible for a third and perhaps final group of students to have an International experience. With very few out-of-pocket expenses--just a few small meals and whatever funds they wanted to spend on shopping--students could release worries, face fears and enjoy the journey.

It is a gift to us to be able to coordinate and advise the Close Scholars in general and the Global Scholars. We are truly grateful The global travel itineraries are robust, but when will they get this chance again? Check out how the students felt about their experience in their own words on our website & travel blog at https://houstonl5.wixsite.com/greecescholars

Thank you to VP Shelia Burkhalter, Ashley L. Isreal, Tara Houston, Keenan Grigg, and our Travel Partner, Hart Travel, for the logistical work done to make the trip a success.

And, ευχαριστώ to all of you for coming along on this journey with us!

Day 8 - Cruise to Hydra, Poros, Aegina, Final Dinner and MORE...

Our day began before the sun came up. We had a 45 minute drive to the pier to board the boat for our cruise with stops to the islands of Hydra, Poros and Aegina.

The first leg of the cruise was three hours giving our exhausted students plenty of time to catch some zzz's. In fact, most of the group could be found snoozing in booths on the lower level of the ship. We came aboard about an hour before launch so we had sleeping location options.

As the sun came up, a few of us ventured two levels up to the upper deck to see the sites. The weather was crisp and cool and warmed up as the Sun peeked through. About 150 people joined us on this cruise and there was plenty of space for everyone to get a great spot.

Before too long, we disembarked at our first island, Hydra. This picturesque little town has no cars or mopeds. You get there by boat and travel around by foot or donkey!

After we returned to the boat, we enjoyed a nice buffet style lunch with an organist playing live music while we ate. Shortly after lunch, we were ready for our 45-minute stop on the island of Poros. At this stop there were lots of quaint shops to explore. A few of us hiked up more steps to enjoy the views near the clock tower. Then, we were back on board.

Our final stop was Aegina and we had one hour and forty-five minutes to explore at this location. This stop included another archaeological site (we opted out) and shopping for souvenirs and the pistachios for which the island is famous. Two of us enjoyed a traditional Greek Mass and story sharing over desserts and coffee. It was time well spent!

Back on the ship, we enjoyed more naps and more Grerk music from the organist. Then an evening of Greek dance performances with a wardrobe change and lots of group participation--some voluntary, some not so much. As the cruise came to a close, we ended the night with a sampling of music from around the world. We had a wonderful time Opa!

We wrapped up the evening with a family dinner and packing because the next day we were heading home! Hotel departure was the earliest yet, 5:45am!

Day 7 - Nafplio to Athena

Nafplio to Athens via Epidavros and Mycenea. Tomb and Kingdom of Agamemno, Citrus Farm, Pottery Making

Epidavros was a community centered on healing the body holistically named for Epidurus - God of Medicine- who believed in holistic medicine which included theatre, hydrotherapy, physical activity, and spirituality.

This healing center included a temple, a stadium for sporting events, and a large theatre which is still used for annual festivals. We got to test the acoustics of the theatre with a clapping exercise and talking since singing was not allowed. We loved scaling the stairs to get the full effect.

From Epidavros, we made our way to Mycenea where we saw the hive shaped tomb believed to have belonged to King Agamemnon of Illiad, Odyssey, and Trojan Wars fame. Agamemnon was real. Although the story about the war being about Helen of Troy. it likely was not. Homer probably took creative license mixing history with his present day experience.

Just up the road were the remains of Agamemnon kingdom up on the hilltop, and we were treated to more amazing views. Beautiful jewelry, pottery, and tools were on display in the museum giving us a sneak peak into life at the time.

Our day continued with a visit to an orange grove. Most of the scholars agreed it was the BEST orange juice we've ever had. What made it special? The sun, no chemicals, and plenty of hydration. The 3 acre property had 150+ trees and trees live up to 80 years. New saplings take 4-5 years to produce fruit. A glass of juice contains 5-6 oranges. Then we had lunch in a lovely Greek Restaurant owned by the same family who owns the grove.

After the grove, we moved on to our next destination to enjoy pottery making. We made our versions of a traditional doll called a Plagona. It was hilarious and so much fun! Our creations will be dried, fired, and given to local children. We love ❤️ that we left behind something made with our hands for others to enjoy. Service is at the core of the Close Scholars Program.

Our drive to Athens was about a three hour drive. Our final stop of the day in route to Athens gave us the opportunity to grab a snack, shop, and visit the Aquaduct. We didn't see any ships pass, but still enjoyed the view!

Once back in Athens, we headed back to Hotel Illisos to drop our bags then headed to dinner. We did a bit of last minute shopping (You knew this would be here! ) then called it a night. We need our rest because we have another big day planned for tomorrow, and it begins early!