On the 4 July, thirty-one classics students were fortunate enough to fly to Athens for the Classics Tour. Seventeen days, two countries (three, if you include the Vatican City), some insane heatwaves, and four teachers with their work cut out for them… this tour was a culturally enriching experience that none of us will ever forget.

Landing in Athens was a pinch-me moment. It truly started to sink in that we were on the other side of the world, away from our parents (as well as working showers and washing machines) for two and a half weeks. It was nerve-wracking, but such an exciting experience at the same time. That first drive through Athens is one I’m sure we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. With ancient monuments and architecture at every turn, it was a real culture-shock to be in such a big city with thousands of years of history. It was when we were able to see the Acropolis from our hotel that the city’s beauty really started to sink in.

Seeing the Parthenon in person the next day was even more astonishing. To walk the paths the ancient Greeks walked, to live where they lived and to see history right before our own eyes was an unforgettable experience.

Our next stop, Delphi, was met with a similar shock. Delphi is a stunning, little town with some of the friendliest people and the most beautiful views. Climbing up to the Temple of Apollo was difficult, but infinitely rewarding, and we did some hard-earned shopping afterwards. To those who could brave an earlier morning than usual, we got to witness a breathtaking sunrise over the mountains in Delphi.

In Olympia, the year twelve boys had a running race on an ancient running track just as the ancient Greeks would have. The same boys also took an iconic photo worshipping Hera (goddess of women, childbirth and marriage). And in Nafplio, we climbed the Palamidi Fortress from the 1600s. Some other highlights were climbing Agamemnon’s fortress in Mycenae, exploring Corinth, shopping at the Plaka in Athens, and petting every stray cat we could find. We had many beautiful bus rides between destinations, during which we saw seas of sunflowers, ruins and relics, ancient statues in modern streets, cute little towns, beautiful ocean and much, much more.

Greece had some of our favourite museums, with a museum stop every day, including the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, which was a treasure trove of information and artifacts we all found captivating for the few hours we spent wandering its halls. Another museum, the Acropolis Museum to be precise, had a very cool feature that was ‘dig sites’ underneath the museum. Here, we could venture underneath the floor of the building and see an excavation site of buildings from ancient Athens. This stunning show of ancient underneath modern provided a unique perspective on archaeology.

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, we flew off to Italy to find ourselves in Naples. Our ferry trip around the Amalfi Coast, certainly gave us a deeper perspective on life and culture of Italy. We soaked up the sun and enjoyed talking to Roberto (our Italian tour guide). Next was Pompeii and Herculaneum, one of the most fascinating places to visit, especially for some of the Year 12s who had done an assignment on Pompeii. We saw some very fascinating skeletons and body casts, and some unique artwork, including the Alexander the Great mosaic, throughout the buildings. Our four nights in Rome were spent in a beautiful, ancient hotel. The 25,000 step days in Rome visiting the Colosseum, the Vatican City, the Roman Forum, and the Arch of Titus, were mixed with pizza making and delicious meals. We also got to experience he subway, which was certainly different to the trains in NZ. Our reliance on slushies continued from Greece to Italy, and the blue snake of Saint Kentigern students and teachers was constantly on the lookout for a refreshing treat.

One of the last stops was in Florence, which was a beautiful town to see. We luckily got to walk through the Uffizi Gallery and see some incredible art, including The Birth of Venus, and do some shopping around the markets and stores. On top of that, our wonderful teachers put together an amazing race throughout Florence, where groups had to race around the streets of Florence takin photos creatively to earn points. Our drive to Milan was used as an excellent time to sleep at the tail-end of a very long and exhausting trip, and we found ourselves at our last stop of the trip rather quickly. With a day of options, most of the group went to Lake Como, the rest stayed behind to walk around Milan to see the Duomo and the town centre, and rest in the hotel. Our last day in Italy was spent shopping and site seeing in Milan, and hiding from the heat while awaiting our transport to the airport.

When we landed in Auckland, we couldn’t help but long to be back in Europe (even if it was hitting 40°C). Thank you to our teachers for organising such an incredible trip. These are memories that we'll never forget.

Written by Year 12 students Hannah Anderson and Lucy Street

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