Last Day of the Trip

Today was our final full day of the trip and we spent it checking out the facilities used for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. After a quick breakfast at the hotel we met our translator friend and walked to met the bus that would take us across town to the site. On the way she gave us tons of information regarding both the city of Athens and the Games that took place here seven years ago. You got a sense from her that the Games were something that the Athenians were very proud of hosting even though they were not the most successful Games of late. Our first stop on the site was the Olympic stadium which was built in 1993 with hopes of the Games one day returning to Athens but it wasn’t til nearly a decade later when they added on to it to make it suitable for hosting such a massive event. The stadium is used today primarily for soccer games and concerts and was in pretty good condition. Next we walked around the street to the basketball arena which is now home of the Greek national basketball team and the Greek professional team Panathinaikos. The arena was pretty cool but not in the best shape because of missing seats due to rowdy fans breaking them. After we walked around the Olympic park a little more but did not go in any more buildings. The rest of the park was in bad shape, with graffiti and uncut grass everywhere, but Professor Ryan said it looked better than last year so maybe they are making progress towards restoring the park. The bus then took us back to the hotel. Some people hung out on the roof for the afternoon playing cards while others went shopping. We all met up at four to have a ‘reflection hour’ about the trip and to talk about what we learned. At seven we walked over towards the base of the Acropolis for our last group dinner which was very enjoyable because of the great food and Robert’s entertainment. The trip is coming to an end but we all had an incredible time and will be back in the US tomorrow!

Final "Real" Day of the Trip

Today was our last real day of our Olympic Odyssey trip, as tomorrow we are traveling back to JFK arriving around 8:00 pm. We met at 8:15 am this morning, which meant I had to get up earlier than the past days we have spent in Greece. Everyone who ate breakfast at the hotel met Elsa, our tour guide/translator for the day. We took a bus ride to the site of the 2004 Summer Olympics that took place in Athens. On the way to the Olympic Stadium, Elsa told us some interesting facts about the 2004 Olympics, including how much tomato sauce the athletes ate. Once we got to the Olympic Stadium we met our other tour guide, who doesn't speak english so Elsa helped her and us out. We got to sit in the Olympic Stadium of 2004, which holds about 69,000 fans. Unfortunately the, what once was incredible, venue is not used to its best ability.

Concerts and some other events are currently held at the stadium including a Jon Bon Jovi concert this summer.

After visiting the Olympic Stadium, we walked over to the basketball stadium that sits about 18,000 fans. This stadium is put to good use, which includes a basketball game this Sunday between Olympiakos vs. Panithanakos. After visiting the two Olympic stadiums, a few students and I went to lunch with Professor Ryan at an awesome gyro restaurant. The food was great and the service was even better as we got an appetizer and a dessert on the house.

Tonight was our final meal and it was also a group dinner. We ate at another Greek restaurant, which was very good, but I am getting sick of Greek food. I have had an incredible time on this Olympic Odyssey trip, but after three weeks of traveling I am ready to go back home.

A Hot Day in Athens

Today we woke up and made our way over to the Acropolis in the morning to check out the site. It was an extremely sweaty and hot day so the hike up to the top of the Acropolis was a grueling trek and we got there at the same time as about a dozen cruise trip tours so it was really busy. Robert, our humorous British tour guide, showed us around the site and explained to us all the history and architecture of the buildings. The Parthenon is an impressive structure that is currently being restored using all the pieces of the original building that have been recovered. We walked back down the hill and checked out the ancient Athenian agora which was the main marketplace of the city. Everyone was sweaty and hungry so we split up for lunch and met back up at the new Acropolis Museum that is located at the bottom of the hill. Big Matt reeked havoc in the lobby bathroom when he accidentally spilled his bottle of baby powder. Robert showed us around the museum for about an hour and it was very interesting even though most of the Parthenon artifacts are located at the British Museum in London, which we visited earlier in the trip. After the museum we all headed back to the hotel to relax and cool down. We then made the long trip across the street to the Noodle Bar for a quick dinner. Some people are now headed to bed early so they can wake up at 3 AM for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.