Day 4

Day four was a very exciting and educational day for us!

            We began by all having breakfast at the hotel before heading out to the Acropolis. We left the hotel at 10:30am and took the metro to the same area that we went to the museum the day before. Once we arrived outside the Acropolis, we had to buy our tickets to go inside. By showing our student ID’s, we were able to save 70 euros! 

                                                     

            After entering the Acropolis of Parthenon, we began to make our way up to the very top. There were many sites to see along the way as the entire area was a hub for ancient civilization. On the way up we saw statues, and two theaters, as well as, many other ancient structures that were there. The two theaters were called The Theatre of Dionysos and the Odeion of Herodes Atticus.

            

           We spent some time looking at the structures as we walked up and eventually, we made it to the top. It was amazing to be able to stand up there so close to something that was created so many years ago, nearly 2500 years to be exact, in 447 BC to 432 BC. The restoration of the Parthenon has taken place over many years and is still ongoing as we saw a crane and other equipment for this process.  

            After finishing up at the Acropolis, we were all hungry and made a stop for lunch, smoothies, and shopping before heading off to Panteios University. While shopping, we ended up getting caught in a thunderstorm, but it was finished before we got off the bus at the university. This was the first large amount of rainfall for a long period of time that we have experienced while being here in Greece.

            To get to Panteios University, we took the metro and get off at Syntagma and then took a bus to the school. The university was very interesting to see in comparison to our university back home. It was established in 1932 has approximately 6000 students, but it's considered to be a small university. It was originally only supposed to be a political science and finance school, however, it was since expanded from its opening.

The larger lecture halls are for first and second-year students, while the smaller classrooms are for fourth-year student with classes ranging to about 80 to 90 students per class. Most students do not live on campus and there are some international students that are a part of a European exchange program. This year they have students from Poland, Russia, Germany, and France. The students must be able to speak the Greek language to attend, but the library has books in English, Greek, and French. 

We were able to meet a professor and some students who were finishing up a class. We talked to them about why we are here in Greece and what we are studying. The professor was teaching an International Law class but is the head of the Department of International Relations. He was able to give us a tour of the university, which was an educational opportunity for us to learn about a Greek college and see how it compares to UMF. The last thing he showed us was the university's logo, as seen below. On it, it says freedom, homeland, love, and justice. 

We finished our tour at the Panteois University and headed back to the hotel around 6pm. The day was concluded by all of us going out to dinner in Syntagma.