Saturday was our first full day in Athens. We started the morning with a lecture at the Agora. The Agora, which means open space was the meeting place for the citizens of Athenian democracy. There is a relatively new onsite museum, the Stoa of Attalos that displays artifacts found at the Agora. Later in the day, we also visited the new Acropolis Museum. Our instructors, John and Chris were our guides as they lead two groups of students through the museum. The students had the rare opportunity to witness the restoration of one of the caryatids, the columns on the Arectheon porch, which is done using laser technology. While at the museum, we also watched a scheduled viewing of a documentary about the history of the Parthenon. For dinner, as a special treat the staff hosted smaller groups of students and took them out to dinner in the hip Psiri district just outside of Plaka. Each staff member chose their most favorite restaurant from the neighborhood and students enjoyed a sit down dinner and the chance to get to better know their staff members and one another.
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| Students enjoy their first taste of experiential learning onsite at the ancient Agora. |
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| Roommates Emily and Julia relax against one of the pillars at the Stoa of Attalos. |
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Program Director Emily takes her group of students to a Greek Italian fusion restaurant. Where they enjoyed everything from squid and goat cheese crostini to moussaka and spanakopita.
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