Last Updated on June 8, 2023 by Makena O’Malley
As I look back on the past week and a half that I’ve spent in Greece, there are so many new experiences that I’ve encountered.
From the second I left Seattle, WA to now laying in my bed in my apartment in Athens, Greece, it has been an amazing experience. Two of the main things that I’ve done through the college so far have been a historical tour of downtown Athens and a tour of Delphi.
The tour of downtown Athens was a great experience. We started off the day by getting on the buses and having guides tell us all about the important landmarks we were passing throughout the ride. One of the things we were able to see was the old Olympic Stadium. Our guide did a great job teaching us its history.
Once we got into downtown Athens, we were dropped off at the Parliament building, where we explored, took pictures, and were split into groups for the walking tour portion of the excursion. Even though it was raining, I made the most of it and was able to enjoy all the sites. After all of the walking, we reunited with the other groups for lunch. The restaurant was great and they were so generous; it felt like they kept bringing more and more food out!
The second trip we went on was to Delphi. Delphi is an archaeological site of the Temple of Apollo. It was crazy to be around something that contained so much history and had been there for so long. Having a guide for this experience was so helpful because they gave us a lot of information. Not only did they share basic facts about Delphi, but they gave us backstories and other information that really helped us understand the full scope of the site’s history.
After the tour of Delphi’s ruins, we took a guided tour of the museum. It was intriguing to be able to see everything that archaeologists were able to save and keep in semi-good condition.
We concluded our visit to Delphi with lunch in the neighboring town of Arachova, where we also walked around, visited shops, interacted with locals, and took in the breathtaking views.
I’m looking forward to traveling more inside and outside of Greece, and being about to expand my horizon and explore different cultures!
This post was contributed by Makena O’Malley, who is spending her spring semester studying abroad with AIFS in Athens, Greece.
