It was my great pleasure to travel over ‘Spring Break’ to Greece, along with my daughter, Samantha, five other teens and three adults. Our group of 10 was headed up by Margaret Tice, a teacher at Jefferson High, who has a love for travel and sharing that with others.

While the trip was taken by students, it was not a “school trip” as our schools do not offer organized trips such as this. Thankfully, Mrs. Tice takes the initiative to offer these opportunities to students and parents as well.

We traveled to Athens with a layover in Frankfurt, Germany. Upon our arrival on Friday evening, we settled in with a meal and excitement of what lay in store.

Our first day’s adventure led us to the Parthenon.

Copying from Wikipedia, “The name Parthenon refers to the worship of Athena Parthenos, the ‘Virgin Athena’ who issued fully grown from the head of her father Zeus. The maiden goddess and patroness of Athens, she represents the highest order of spiritual development and the gifts of intellect and understanding.”

The Parthenon is part of the Acropolis complex. ‘Acropolis’ means highest city–and high it is. We traversed the marble steps up to the high point where the views of Athens and its neighboring cities spread out before us.

Buildings in Athens, as in most of the places we traveled, are whitewashed–with the white paint helping reflect the heat of summer.

The steps leading to the high point of the city, as I said, are made of marble which was taken from a mountain that can be seen in the distance. The temple was built in approximately 479 B.C. and much of the structure remains standing. Some was destroyed by earthquake and other disasters.

The remains show sculptures, many of which are recreations of what stood originally. Many of the original pieces are found within the walls of the new museum at the bottom of the hill. Still others have, over time, been removed and taken to places far and wide. Many original pieces can be found in British museums.

Athens is recognised as a global city because of its geo-strategic location and its importance in shipping, finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, culture, education and tourism.

It is one of the biggest economic centres in southeastern Europe, with a large financial sector, and its port Piraeus is the largest passenger port in Europe,

Next stop: Delphi.