IMPORTANT DATES!!!

• Friday, January 30th, 3:30-5pm - 1st Pre-trip meeting, PAES Building, A234, 305 W. 17th Ave, Coulmbus, OH 43210 The Ohio State University --$150 deposit (refundable)
• Monday, March 30th, Time TBA - 2nd Pre-trip meeting, PAES Building, !234, 305 W. 17th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210 The Ohio State University --$750 payment (non-refundable) Flight tickets need to be purchased
• Friday, May 29th, Time TBA - 3rd Pre-trip meeting (Only 2 weeks left!) Outdoor Adventure Center - Rock climbing session / community building at the climbing wall --$750 (final) payment

Greek Odyssey 2008

Greek Odyssey trip Itinerary 2009

OSU Summer Outdoor Odyssey in Greece – 2009

Organized by

Constantine Psimopoulos, GTA

School of PAES

Calliopi Psimopoulos - Dourou, GTA,

Department of Greek and Latin

The Ohio State University

• Dates: June 12^th – June 23^rd , 2009
• Duration: 11 (amazing!) days
• Estimated price: $1650
• Part: Min = 7, Max = 16

Purpose of the trip:

The idea is to offer the opportunity for an educational / adventurous summer break trip to the wonderful country of Greece, to both outdoor enthusiasts as well as anybody who knows a little bit about Greece, is studying the language (or those who endured three full quarters of Modern Greek at OSU!!), but want to learn a lot more about the Greek landscape, the Greek culture, and the 8000 years of Greek history.

Beginning of trip – Athens

"Other countries may offer you discoveries in manners or lore or landscape;

Greece offers you something harder - the discovery of yourself."

Lawrence Durrell, Prospero's Cell

1

Saturday, June 13 12:00pm Meeting at Athens Airport, transfer to Olympios Zeus Hotel in Plaka/ settle in (Students need to bring Buck-Ids for use at museums and sites)

Athens 7 pm Depart for dinner in Plaka

Introductions to program – Greek dance under the Acropolis

Overnight Athens, Olympios Zeus Hotel

NOTES

(Throughout itinerary, we will occasionally include “OA” for outdoor activities and “ES” for Educational Session).

2 Breakfast

Sunday, June 14 9 am Depart city tour – Ancient Athens (Temple of

Athens ES Zeus, Acropolis, New Museum, Ancient Agora)

ES: Lecture at Acropolis: “An Introduction to Ancient Greek History” By Kalliopi

When finally, on the afternoon of our arrival, I stood on the Acropolis and cast my eyes around upon the landscape, a surprising thought suddenly entered my mind: ‘So all of this really does exist, just as we learnt at school’. –Sigmund Freud

Lunch in Monastiraki, return to hotel -

5-6 pm Depart for Cape Sounion

9:30 Dinner (On our own)

Overnight Athens, Olympios Zeus Hotel

NOTES

Suggestions: Have packing done before sleeping (no time in the morning!)

3

Monday, June 15 Breakfast

Ath/Delfi 8:30 This morning, depart for ancient Delphi –

ES early afternoon arrival / settle into hotel Pythia.

2:30 Visit the ancient oracle of Delphi and

the 8^th century BC sanctuary of Apollo (whose

site was declared by Zeus as the center of the universe)

(Here was the most famous oracle of antiquity, its history reaches back to the Mycenaean period. The first settlement worshiped a female deity - then in 1100 BC incorporated the cult of Apollo. In the 7 century BC the "Delphic Amphictyony" was established, which administered the sacred area and organized the Pythian games and Delphic festivals every four years, with performances of the sacred drama, (whose main theme was the duel between Apollo and Python), music contests, and paeans in honor of the gods.)

Dinner at “Phoivos taverna” - with a stunning view of the thousands of olive trees leading to Itea, the ancient port of Delphi

After dinner, explore contemporary Delphi

9 pm OPA! Greek Dancing Class for everyone! w/ Kostis

Overnight Delphi, hotel Pythia

4

Tuesday, June 16 Breakfast

Delfi / Lefkada Depart for the island of Lefkada.

12:30 Arrival Lunch in the town of Lefkada

Afternoon swim near hotel – Free program

Overnight Hotel Olive Tree

5

Wednesday, June 17 9am Breakfast

Depart for Porto Katsiki

Dinner at Hotel Olive Tree

6

Thursday, June 18 Breakfast

Lefkada / Kefalonia Depart for Kefalonia (Melisani Cave, Myrtos

beach)

Dinner at Vasiliki

Overnight Hotel Olive Tree

NOTES

All students must note related experience on list for climbing, mountain biking, and list for hiking Mt Olympus.

7

Friday, June 19

Lefkada -Meteora, ES, OA 7:45 am

Breakfast in hotel -Depart for Meteora (Through Ioannina & Kastoria)

Settle into hotel (check out the view!) – Rest,

Dinner in local taverna

overnight Kastraki /Meteora, Hotel Kastraki

8

Saturday, June 20

ES, OA 7:45am Climbing at Doubiani – Easy to

moderate routes (does not require experience)

Lunch in Kalambaka

Prepare to visit the Monasteries then Visit the otherworldly Byzantine monasteries at mysterious Meteora (spectacular Byzantine Monasteries built on the peaks of sandstone pinnacles in the heart of Greece – and unchanged for the past 1000 years)

Then continue to Mt Olympus, to settle into our hotel in the lovely mountain village of Litochoro, at the foot of the famous Olympus range.

After checking in, take a brief walk to check the view of Olympus

Dinner on our own.

After dinner:

9 pm Group Meeting update – Hiking, rules, logistics, packing, etc…

Early to bed (tomorrow is very busy!)

Overnight Litochoro, Hotel Xenios Dias

9

Sunday, June 21

Mt Olympus ES, OA 7 am Breakfast

All: bring bags to lobby to be stored till following day.

12pm

Climb to Refuge A (Zolotas Lodge) for

dinner with the gods --then an early night…

Overnight lodge on Mt Olympus

Afternoon climb to the summit

7:30-8:30 Lecture “Ancient Greek Mythology” by Kalliopi

Dinner in Zolotas Lodge. (Quiz & Prizes!!)

10

Monday, June 22

Olympus/ Athens ES

6:00am Early wake-up on Mt Olympus, breakfast, descend and quick lunch at Prionia.

11:00am Depart for Athens (12pm the latest leave Litochoro)

Back to Athens, Overnight at Hotel Olympios Zeus

5:00pm Arrive at Hotel

7:00pm Walk at Lycabetus – enjoy breathtaking view

8:00pm Farewell dinner

Overnight Athens, Hotel Olympios Zeus

NOTES

· At meeting before departure for dinner participants are asked to share briefly what they feel they have learned and what they will remember about the trip

· Students share pictures that will be uploaded on website – create PPt presentation Autumn 2009

11

Tuesday, June 23 Departure for Athens International Airport

Athens- USA Return home – back in the US!...

End 2^nd OSU Summer Outdoor Odyssey in Greece - 2009

"When you set out on the voyage to Ithaca,

Pray that your journey may be long,

Full of adventures, full of knowledge…

That many may those summer mornings be

When with what pleasure, what untold delight

You enter harbors you've not seen before…

To learn and yet again to learn from sages."

Constantine Cavafis