Kayla Bartok- last post

Kayla Bartok

Blog #3

  Yesterday was our last day in Greece and it was a great last day.  We didn't have to wake up super early like all of the other days, which was nice.  We first went to the Olympicos soccer stadium which I was really interested in because I love soccer and I play for LaRoche.  We got a tour of the museum and we were able to learn about the history of the team and see all of the trophies that they have won.  We also learned about gate 7 where 21 fan died at the stadium.  Then after the tour of the museum we went to the stadium and got to walk down by the field.  The field was amazing because it was all grass and not turf.  I took so many pictures with the other soccer girls that came on the trip.  

    After seeing the stadium we were able to see the home teams locker room but we could not take any pictures.  It was amazing, with the really nice seats, hot tub, and lockers that the players used.  Then we went to the soccer store and I wasn't planning on spending any more money but I had to get stuff because everything was buy one get one free.  I think touring the stadium was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

   The rest of the day we had some free time and got a tour of the acropolis which had a great view.  The tour guy told us so much information that it was hard to keep up but I still learned a lot about the acropolis and the city of Athens.  During our tour we saw some teenage soccer players doing tricks and they were really good.  It was nice to see kids about my age that have a common interest as me.

   Now we are on our way back to Pittsburgh.  I wish we could have stayed in Greece longer but it still feels good to come home to see my family and friends.  This was a once in a lifetime trip for me and it was an amazing experience.  I am so great full that I was able to go on this trip and that LaRoche college made it possible and we had a great instructor to come with us on the trip.  Thank you :)

Celeste Reed - last post

Celeste Reed

From the beginning of the school year I was counting down the days till our Greece trip. Right now, I am sitting on the floor of Newark airport outside of our gate feeling sad. I knew our trip would be the experience of a lifetime, but I underestimated how much I would fall in love with Greece.

Eating gyros, jumping in the Mediterranean, standing on top of Mycenae dangling my feet off the edge of a cliff, taking an island cruise were among some of my favorite moments and viewing the sights of the Golden Ages of Greece on the Acropolis. However, if I had to pick one moment that made my trip special it was riding my donkey, "Diva" up the island of Hydra. My bucket list for our trip was to ride a donkey (which I made extremely clear by announcing it to everyone repeatedly for months). This experience was breathtaking. I told Dr. Jean that the birth of my first child may not top this experience for me. I wanted to stay in that moment for the rest of my life.

I cannot express how many times I looked around during my time in Greece and thought how blessed I was to be able to experience it all. I want to thank my "sorority sisters" aka the girls on the trip for all the laughs, Dr. Jean and "Dr." Julie for being perfect and La Roche study abroad for designing this amazing opportunity.

"I ain't lucky I'm blessed."

Nick Work last post

Nick Work

Today I am very sad to depart to Pittsburgh because I do not want to leave. It has been a wonderful trip with great people. We have had a crash course on Greece history and I tried to retain as much as I can. My plan is to go back and research more about where I have been. While I'm doing so I am blessed I can I say that I was there. My favorite part of the trip has to be when we took a boat to three different islands. One being Hydra, which was my favorite. It is a different way of life there, for they have no means of transportation besides donkey and boat. Although I did not ride a donkey, after a little bit of convincing by Phil Ross I decided to jump in the freezing water.  The water was crystal clear blue and you can see straight down to the bottom. After we jumped in the water we only had about a half hour to see as much of the town as we could. Therefore me and Phil jogged to the city trying to get up the mountain to capture the best picture. The whole time I had a judge smile on my face because the town was more than I could ever expect, with white houses with blue shutters, just like a postcard.

But coming over seas is so amazing to me to because meeting people from different culture is a learning experience in itself. I hope one day to come back! Overall rating 10/10!

Philipos Ross. Last post

Philipos Ross

Well, the day has finally come, the departure from Greece back to the states. I am a little delirious because of the fact that I received minimal sleep the whole trip, and we received our wake up call at 3am today to go to the airport, so don't judge this post. Overall, this was the experience of a lifetime. Everything happened so fast in a little amount of time. I believe that everyone as a whole learned a good amount of knowledge on the trip, due to our informational tour guides. The trip as a whole was phenomenal, and our cruise ship to the three islands had to have been my favorite part. I jumped in the glass-like water of the Mediterranean at Hydra, the first of our island tours. I went in a second time because Nick being Nick, dropped his passport in the Mediterranean and I had to dive in to get it, which worked to my advantage because he bought my beverages the rest of the time on the ship. My favorite part about the trip were the views from various parts of Greece. From the mountain ranges to the islands, the views were truly breathtaking. Again, the pictures don't do it justice. It was truly something sensational. What an experience, I can't thank our institution enough for this opportunity. If I ever find a wife, I can almost guarantee I am coming back to Greece for my honeymoon to continue the tour of the islands, they are that beautiful. 

Joe Illig The Acropolis

Joe Illig

Yesterday we explored the city of Athens. We had already looked at the modern part earlier in the week. We saw that all in all it was a nice city, but as many do it had some less nice areas. We saw in the shopping square many Jamaicans, who were hustling people (they got Phil). Later, we learned that they were trying to get to Germany for asylum. Unfortunately, Germany pays Greece and other countries to not let them through customs. Hence, the cycle of poverty continues. On a brighter note we got to see the ancient city of Athens. The most amazing part was the Acropolis. It was truly amazing to see the Parthenon and how the Greeks were able to build such buildings without modern technology. The Greco-Roman antiquities were breathtaking, the architectural influences were absolutely crucial to the establishment of our modern age. Overall I give Athens 8/10, still would recommend.

Olympiacos stadium

Leaving Greece

The day has come-- we are leaving this beautiful country. This has been the best week I could have ever imagined. Greece exceeded all expectations I had before arriving. We had an amazing group of people and I felt like we all meshed really well. Dr. Forte was the best instructor for this trip-- we lucked out big time! I think that my favorite part of the trip was visiting Delphi. The view from the top was by far the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I am really sad to be going home already, but I am so grateful for this opportunity I have been given!