A group of students and teachers from San Andrea School went on a four-day school trip to Greece, a country full of fascinating sites that helped to bring to life the myths and legends about Greek gods and goddesses we had learnt about in class.

The first site we visited was the Acropolis in the centre of Athens. It houses the Par­thenon, a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Athena, and two amphitheatres, the Herodes Atticus and the Dionysus Amphitheatre. At the Acropolis Museum we saw the famous frieze that narrates Athena’s birth, and the Caryatids that used to support the Erechtheion’s south porch.

We spent our second day at Delphi, which is famous for its oracle, where the Pythia would give prophecies. It was considered the centre of the world, and many cities undertook tremendous efforts to erect a monument in Delphi.

The Sacred Way leads people to the Temple of Apollo, where the prophecies were given. Further up is the stadium, which was used for chariot racing, foot racing and horse racing. Outside the sanctuary we came across the Castalia Springs, where people purified themselves before going up the Sacred Way.

Everybody has heard of the Olympic Games, but not many have been to their place of origin, Olympia. Dedicated to the father and king of gods, Zeus, Olympia has become the heart of religion and athletics. On the site we found an array of temple ruins, monuments and even the workshop of Pheidias, the man who built the famous colossal statue of Zeus.

One of the intriguing monuments includes 16 pedestals, which held a bronze statues of Zeus, a constant reminder not to cheat. Interestingly, these bronze statues were built using fines paid by the cheaters.

Anna Khachaturova is a Grade 9 student at San Andrea School.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.