Mrs Landowski (Head of Classics) reports:
Fifty-one girls from Years 10-13 and seven teachers gathered very early on Monday 16 April (3.45 am!) to travel to Athens. The journey went smoothly and we were soon visiting the oldest Greek theatre at Thorikos. This small, unattended site gave us an impression of the importance of drama to the ancient Greeks and allowed us to enjoy the warmth of Athens in April. This site was dwarfed by our next visit on the itinerary to the temple of Poseidon at Sounion. This is an amazing temple on a promontory overlooking the Aegean Sea where King Aegeus fell to his death when he believed that his son Theseus had been killed by the Minotaur.
The following day we visited the site of the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum. The excellent guided tour informed us of the importance of the Parthenon, the theatre of Dionysus, the temple of Athena Nike and the many other buildings on the Acropolis. On our coach journey to Tolo we stopped to see the Corinth Canal!
A visit to Epidaurus let us sit in the best preserved Greek theatre and there was also a chance for two running races in the stadium. Free time in Tolo was spent shopping in the little village or on the beach and we were treated in the evening to a display of Greek dancing – with all students and most staff having a go themselves!
A drive to the fort at Palamidi was very scenic and the walk down (857 steps) was managed by all – some more slowly than others. After a quick visit to the site at Eleusis we travelled on to our last hotel at Galaxidi and had a trip quiz in the evening, a fun competition ending in a tie break. Well done to the winning team.
Our final day was spent at the amazing site of Delphi, seeing its great museum and archaeological site – more temples, theatres and walking. We returned to school on Friday evening exhausted but with our minds full of Classical knowledge and our bodies full of Greek food! As expected the students’ behaviour was praised by guides and hoteliers and this contributed to us all having a fantastic and enriching experience.