We arrived at the Athens airport a little after 10 am. We were met by Tsipy, Avi, Christian Viviene, and our awesome bus driver, Stavros. After a lunch on our own, we went to the Acropolis Museum. It is a new, beautifully presented museum of Greek artifacts. I am a potter myself so the pottery was of particular interest. My students do a project on Greek pot shapes so this was invaluable to me.
We then hiked up the Acropolis in thunder and big raindrops, even though Melissa said it won’t rain in Greece! I must admit, seeing the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Temple of Athena/Nike, and the Porch of the Maidens, I got chocked up. I have taught Ancient Greek art for 40 years and never thought I would be fortunate enough to see the real thing.
As if that wasn’t enough, we had a 5 course dinner at st George Lycabettus Hotel with a panoramic view of Athens and the Acropolis, complete with a beautiful sunset.
This experience will improve my year-long unit on Ancient Greek art. Thanks Classrooms Without Borders!
Sally Allan is a teacher at Winchester Thurston School.