Grecian Odyssey, A Student's View (Day 7)

The Honors Program just completed its Grecian Odyssey tour, where thirty-five students and two staff members traveled to Greece from May 6th through the 16th. We asked our students to blog about the journey, so each day is written from the perspective various students.  Today's post includes contributions from Kyle Ackert, a junior double majoring in Computer Programming and Information Systems; Kristine Blackburn, a senior Accounting major; and Kelly Luck, a junior majoring in Mathematics and Integrated Mathematics Education.  We hope you enjoy reading about our journey!

Our overnight in Kalambaka was one of our best nights of the trip so far! The view from our balcony allowed us a perfect view of the Meteora Rocks and one of the monasteries perched on top. 

Just like every other day on the trip, today started early and we were out on the bus after breakfast, heading out to visit the monastery of Varlaam in Meteora. Because some of these monasteries are still in use, there was a dress code for visiting: shoulders should be covered, men should wear pants (not shorts) and women should wear skirts (that were at least knee length, no pants). Everyone had appropriate dresswear, so no one had to be given a skirt when we arrived.

The ride up was a little nerve-wracking since the roads were skinny, curvy, and on the edge of various cliffs! We survived nonetheless and had some great views of the surrounding area.

On the way there, Christiana explained the meanings behind a lot of Greek words on this trip, and I learned that the word “monos” meant “alone,” which made sense for the monks in the monasteries. We got to learn a lot about the monasteries on the way there. Apparently there used to be twenty-four monasteries, but now there’s only seven. Christiana also told the story about one of the monasteries—St. George’s monastery, one of the cave monasteries. She explained how on St. George’s day, men would climb up to the cave monastery with a piece of cloth to symbolize their love for a woman, and doing that tended to make women say “I do” to proposals after a man proved his love like that. We saw a couple other monasteries on the way over—a nunnery, which was a newer concept that occurred in the 1960’s, along with a couple other monasteries. Long ago, there used to be 10,000 monks who lived at the monasteries, but nowadays there are only 150 (which includes the nuns, too). Another fun fact about the monasteries is that the average age of the monasteries is 600 years old, but it goes up to 1,000 years old if you include the cave monasteries. That was all cool to learn.

When we arrived at the monastery, I was surprised to find the one that we were visiting didn’t have as difficult as a climb as some of them. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, not having to hike up a long trail to visit a monastery. Instead, we just had to cross a small bridge that showed just how high up these monasteries are, and we weren’t even on one of the tallest. There was a basket that the monks used to use to get to the monastery, but apparently with things like that the rope would only be changed when it broke, so I’m glad that isn’t an option on how to get to the monastery. Heights are fine with me up until it comes to falling from those heights.

The monastery was beautiful. I shouldn’t be surprised, since it’s pretty obvious just how much effort was put into building something like that, but some of the most beautiful things were things that cameras weren’t allowed to take pictures of. Despite not being religious myself, I can appreciate the religious artwork and everything that Christiana showed us. In a way, I feel bad for the monks who still live there, since while certain areas are cut off from the public, they still have thousands of people visiting their home whenever it’s open to the public. I can’t imagine that. Everything was so intricately created and its withstood the test of time, there are many things I wish I could’ve taken pictures of but to respect the monks I did not. 

As we walked around the monastery, we got to see some unusual artifacts from the monks, but the most amazing was the wall paintings that were on the inside of the church sections. The paintings were up to 600 years old, and they depicted the Bible in graphic stories so everyone could understand them. We saw a monk on the grounds before we entered the actual church. Pictures weren't allowed inside, but it was one of the most beautiful pieces of art I've ever seen.

Another great thing was when visiting the monastery, you could see so far. While I may not have been as interested in the (religious part of the) monastery as some people, I love admiring the landscape, and from such a high point, you could see just how stunning Greece looks. (It looks far better than my panoramas can catch.) We stopped near the monastery of the Holy Trinity, which was used in the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only to snap a few more photos and headed on our way.

After having some time to visit the monastery, we were back on the bus seeing some other monasteries on the way to lunch. The food in Greece is wonderful, and while I had been expecting smaller portions (as everyone says the portions in the USA are so much bigger than those in other countries, like Greece) I was pleasantly surprised to find that I’ve liked nearly all of the meals I’ve had so far. The chicken kabob with lemon was delicious.

After the monasteries we stopped by Thermopylae Pass, where there were some statues to see and a tale to listen to. The tale of the Greeks and the Persians and the battle that took place at Thermopylae Pass was one that I had already learned of during the Grecian Odyssey class when reading from Herodotus. A short version is that Xerxes (the Persian King) was given a secret way to attack the Greeks after a traitor showed him Thermopylae Pass and so they ambushed the Greeks, then the Spartans stayed behind after sending nearly everyone else away (other than the Thespians who joined in to help them and possibly more) and the Spartans fought to the death to save the retreating Greeks. (The movie 300 was based on this battle). The statues were extremely cool, and being able to see something that we had learned about so much in class was incredible.

We returned to Athens later today, back to the Galaxy Hotel for dinner and eventually a nice walk along the (very rocky) beach. The tiny stones I collected that night were cool and all colors of the rainbow, and I was even lucky enough to find some blue sea glass, so it was a nice ending to an amazing day.

I’m sad that our time in Greece is starting to come to an end, but the next few days sound like they’re going to be really fun too. I’m so thankful I was able to go on this trip. Reading about events is one thing, but being able to see where different battles took place, with monuments to them still standing… it’s an experience, it really is.