An Overnight Trip to Athens with our new friends from Bridges Prep!

Pinewood, The American International School of Thessaloniki & Bridges Preparatory School, Beaufort, S.C. take an overnight trip to Athens as part of the Pinewood Exchange Program.

November 18 -21, 2017

“If I am a poet, … the air of Greece has made me one.”

George Gordon, Lord Byron

Saturday, November 18

Location: Parthenon Hotel in Athens

Time: 7.00 pm

Mrs. Debbie Michailidis, Pinewood Principle, introduces an icebreaker game and 43 students from Pinewood and Bridges Preparatory school get acquainted and a wonderful trip starts.

Sunday, November 19

S/S Tour of Athens – Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center – Onassis Cultural Center

“When you begin a project, you don’t start from one thing and go from there; you start with everything together!”

Renzo Piano, NFCC Architect

Sunday was a day dedicated to Athens its history, art and archaeology. Our goal was to see all the famous sites of ancient and modern times.

We passed by the Panathinaiko Stadium where the first Olympic Games took place in 1896. The Zappeion Megaron, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Athens Trilogy, which includes the University of Athens, the Academy of Athens, and the National Library, were on our way. The National Garden, Hadrian’s Arch, Constitution Square with the Greek Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Schliemann’s House (Numismatic Museum), the Benaki, Cycladic and Byzantine Museums were seen and discussed.

Our morning Sightseeing Tour ended in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the newest multifunctional arts, education and entertainment complex in Athens. The state-of-the-art buildings along with the Stavros Niarchos Park provided us with opportunities for learning, recreation, rest, and new experiences. The Stavros Niarchos Park, with its lush garden landscape, featuring a wide range of trees, plants, water fountains, allées, paths, playgrounds and open spaces, turned our visit into a unique experience.

Our day ended at the Onassis Cultural Center to see a very special exhibition titled, “Science Fiction: A Journey into the Unknown,” which explores science fiction’s long-standing influence on the full range of contemporary culture. We took part on a journey with science fiction as our guide: from the 19th century into the future and back to today and into the furthest reaches of the human mind.

Monday, November 20

 “You must understand what the Parthenon Marbles mean to us. They are our pride. They are our sacrifices. They are our noblest symbol of excellence. They are a tribute to the democratic philosophy. They are our aspirations and our name. They are the essence of Greekness.”

Melina Mercouri

What would a visit to Athens be without going to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon? Or visit the new Acropolis Museum to see the Parthenon sculptures? A walk through the Museum galleries or the Acropolis buildings is a walk, through history. On Monday, we understood what Pericles said back in the 5^th century BC, “Future Ages will wonder at us, as the present age wonder at us now.”

Amalia Spiliakou

Host Country Studies Coordinator