Written by Italy & Greece Semester Students, Tai and Henry
After leaving our final permaculture community Re-green, we began our final week of student-directed travel. We arrived by ferry to Aegina an island to the south of Athens. We visited the archaeological museum and site of Kolona (which has the Temple of Apollo), relaxed on the beach, rented bikes, and explored town. While on the island, we experienced stunning sunsets, boat horns, cats all around, and the beautiful clear blue water of the Mediterranean Sea.
From Aegina, we traveled by boat to Moni Island, which is covered in pine trees and hosts a native goat species called Kri Kri, as well as peacocks that roam the island. Some people relaxed and others adventured up the mountainous terrain. After spending the day there, we spent time by the pool playing a group game and enjoying time together. On our last day, we walked to the Lighthouse of Aegina and did a group activity, then returned to our hotel to collect are bags and hop onto our next ferry that returned us to Athens.
What were the top highlights of the week?
In no particular order:
🏝️ One of them for me would be visiting the island of Aegina. It was a beautiful small island about an hour and a half south of Athens via ferry. It was a great stay and although short was super fun as it was a very cool island to explore and the weather was great.
🍨 Another one for me would be getting gelato and gyros again. As silly as it may sound, being on a farm for a week (and don’t get me wrong the food was amazing) we didn’t get any street food or opportunities for gelato. So being able to get gyros and gelato again was amazing.
🥇 I think the final highlight for me would be going to the Panatheanaic Olympic stadium. It was a really cool experience. We learned about some of the original olympic games and learned about the stadium which was very old. We also saw a lot of the old olympic torches from most of the recent Olympics which was really cool to see.
What’s on for next week? What are you looking forward to?
This is our final week, so everyone is splitting up. Most people are heading home while I’m traveling to Amsterdam for a couple of nights, so I’m really excited for that. I’m sad that the trip is coming to an end but am also ready to make it home.
Gratitude of the week:
This week I’ve been extremely grateful for this amazing group I’ve met. We built such close relationships over these last 2 and a half months and have made have become a family in a way. With the trip coming to an end, I’m super grateful to have met everyone on this trip – whether it’s our group or some of the lovely hosts and volunteers we’ve met along the way. It’s awesome to know I now have new friends all across the world and people I can hopefully see in the future.
How is the group? What’s the group dynamic like?
With this being our final week, we are all looking forward to getting back home and to continue on whatever other adventures are ahead of us. The group is loving every second with each other, enjoying jokes, and reflecting on past memories. It’s going to be a sad goodbye but we’re enjoying the last few days together.
❤️ Until next time, Spring 2023 Italy & Greece Semester!
