Spiders in Greece: Day 5
01/11/2024 | General, Academic Services, Spider Leadership, Spider Performance
Through a partnership with the Office of the Chaplaincy, Spider student-athletes are exploring religious traditions, history, and culture in both the ancient world and the present during a Global Leadership Immersion to Greece this week. Follow the Spiders on their journey with daily recaps from the student-athletes.
Hello Spiders!
We are on day five of our global immersion program in Greece. I hope you are enjoying reading these blog posts and learning about our experiences! We woke up after an evening of travel in the Greek island of Rhodes. Most of us woke up early to get some type of workout outside on this beautiful island. Our hotel was on the beach, so some of us decided to take a quick swim in the Aegean Sea. Our hotel is right at the intersection of the Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea. If you look closely, you are able to see where they meet. Prior to departing, we ate from a lovely breakfast spread with many different choices. We then were greeted by our tour guide for the day, Kostas, who had so much energy and made us laugh the whole day. We were set to drive through narrow, winding roads to Filerimos to take a tour walking through the Filerimos Monastery. We were greeted with wild peacocks and goats roaming the hill and beautiful cypress, pistachio, and olive trees. The church we visited is the only church in Greece with Catholic and Greek Orthodox communities inhabiting this hill. The frescoes depict knights kneeling and praying. Also, an image of the cross of St. John is visible, therefore it was determined that it was the hospital of St. John Order. It's now known for ambulances and hospitals. Before, they protected the border of Christianity from the Islamic Empire. The Knights left the Monastery in 1523. In the 20th century, Italian Catholic monks took it over until 1949. This is when the church was given back to Greece. We ended our time in Filerimos by walking the Road to Calvary, a long walking path, where a 18 meter tall cross stands at the end with the view of the surrounding villages and mountains. This cross was built by the Italians in 1912, and blown up in 1943. This was due to it being a landmark to easily navigate the island. It was later restored in the 1990s.
We then drove up to the Acropolis of Rhodes. Acropolis means the edge or peak of the city. Each city in Ancient Greece had an acropolis where they utilized it as a sacred area to devote to their gods. Each Acropolis would be filled with temples and statues. The Temple of Apollo on the Acropolis of Rhodes was partially preserved by the Italians. There was a large marble amphitheater, where speeches would occur, with an Ancient Greek stadium right next to it where athletic events, such as races, took place. Some of us decided to race each other in the stadium so that we could run on the same land as those in ancient times. After this, we ate lunch at a small local Greek café that specialized in gyros and souvlaki. Many in our group had fun with the wild cats who were patiently waiting for us to drop food for them.
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After lunch, we walked through old town viewing the moats and walls surrounding this medieval town to the Kahal Shalom Synagogue. It was restored in 2004, but it is the oldest synagogue in Greece still standing from the 1700s. It is also the site of a museum that commemorates the Jewish community of the island affected by the holocaust. The museum was established in 1942, when Rhodes was given back to Greece. This was a particularly eye-opening experience for me, due to seeing the family names of all the individuals killed during The Holocaust. There were not many survivors of the Holocaust and some of those who survived didn't return back to Rhodes. This was because of fear and their entire families being killed. The synagogue and
museum contained beautiful artwork and pieces that tell the story of those who passed. Next on our walk, we went to the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, a medieval castle in the city originally built in the 7th century. The palace has been rebuilt on multiple occasions due to earthquake and fire, but the last iteration is from the Italian rule in 1940, with the only authentic/original part of the palace being the very bottom layers. The palace was filled with beautiful floor mosaics that were placed after restoration from other countries.
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Next, we walked to a local Greek bakery for an afternoon coffee in old town. We met a Greek, Irish man that worked there named Alexi. Since it is the wintertime in Rhodes, there are very few tourists and most shops and business' are closed. We were shocked to learn that most resorts close down for the entire winter. Alexi was excited to see us, so after he finished making our orders, he came out to the courtyard to talk and hang out with us for a bit. We learned all about his life story, and it was such an interesting experience to converse with someone from Rhodes and learn about their daily life. After a long conversation we headed to a restaurant called Zebranos for dinner, where we were served amazing food with all types of flavors and textures. We were later introduced to the owner/chef, whom we thanked for having us. Each meal we have had here in Greece has come with multiple courses, from appetizers to dessert. We've definitely had the opportunity to try so many different flavors of cuisine along with many dishes we've never had before.
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After this long, eventful day in Rhodes, we headed back to the airport to catch our flight to Athens. Tomorrow, we will be visiting the Acropolis of Athens that has been preserved, compared to Rhodes that is almost all ruins. I hope you are enjoying following along with us on our journeys in Greece! This experience has been so educational and eye opening, I'm so glad we are able to share our learning experiences with everyone.
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Kaitlyn Csensits
Field Hockey
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Hello Spiders!
We are on day five of our global immersion program in Greece. I hope you are enjoying reading these blog posts and learning about our experiences! We woke up after an evening of travel in the Greek island of Rhodes. Most of us woke up early to get some type of workout outside on this beautiful island. Our hotel was on the beach, so some of us decided to take a quick swim in the Aegean Sea. Our hotel is right at the intersection of the Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea. If you look closely, you are able to see where they meet. Prior to departing, we ate from a lovely breakfast spread with many different choices. We then were greeted by our tour guide for the day, Kostas, who had so much energy and made us laugh the whole day. We were set to drive through narrow, winding roads to Filerimos to take a tour walking through the Filerimos Monastery. We were greeted with wild peacocks and goats roaming the hill and beautiful cypress, pistachio, and olive trees. The church we visited is the only church in Greece with Catholic and Greek Orthodox communities inhabiting this hill. The frescoes depict knights kneeling and praying. Also, an image of the cross of St. John is visible, therefore it was determined that it was the hospital of St. John Order. It's now known for ambulances and hospitals. Before, they protected the border of Christianity from the Islamic Empire. The Knights left the Monastery in 1523. In the 20th century, Italian Catholic monks took it over until 1949. This is when the church was given back to Greece. We ended our time in Filerimos by walking the Road to Calvary, a long walking path, where a 18 meter tall cross stands at the end with the view of the surrounding villages and mountains. This cross was built by the Italians in 1912, and blown up in 1943. This was due to it being a landmark to easily navigate the island. It was later restored in the 1990s.
We then drove up to the Acropolis of Rhodes. Acropolis means the edge or peak of the city. Each city in Ancient Greece had an acropolis where they utilized it as a sacred area to devote to their gods. Each Acropolis would be filled with temples and statues. The Temple of Apollo on the Acropolis of Rhodes was partially preserved by the Italians. There was a large marble amphitheater, where speeches would occur, with an Ancient Greek stadium right next to it where athletic events, such as races, took place. Some of us decided to race each other in the stadium so that we could run on the same land as those in ancient times. After this, we ate lunch at a small local Greek café that specialized in gyros and souvlaki. Many in our group had fun with the wild cats who were patiently waiting for us to drop food for them.
Â
After lunch, we walked through old town viewing the moats and walls surrounding this medieval town to the Kahal Shalom Synagogue. It was restored in 2004, but it is the oldest synagogue in Greece still standing from the 1700s. It is also the site of a museum that commemorates the Jewish community of the island affected by the holocaust. The museum was established in 1942, when Rhodes was given back to Greece. This was a particularly eye-opening experience for me, due to seeing the family names of all the individuals killed during The Holocaust. There were not many survivors of the Holocaust and some of those who survived didn't return back to Rhodes. This was because of fear and their entire families being killed. The synagogue and
museum contained beautiful artwork and pieces that tell the story of those who passed. Next on our walk, we went to the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, a medieval castle in the city originally built in the 7th century. The palace has been rebuilt on multiple occasions due to earthquake and fire, but the last iteration is from the Italian rule in 1940, with the only authentic/original part of the palace being the very bottom layers. The palace was filled with beautiful floor mosaics that were placed after restoration from other countries.
Â
Next, we walked to a local Greek bakery for an afternoon coffee in old town. We met a Greek, Irish man that worked there named Alexi. Since it is the wintertime in Rhodes, there are very few tourists and most shops and business' are closed. We were shocked to learn that most resorts close down for the entire winter. Alexi was excited to see us, so after he finished making our orders, he came out to the courtyard to talk and hang out with us for a bit. We learned all about his life story, and it was such an interesting experience to converse with someone from Rhodes and learn about their daily life. After a long conversation we headed to a restaurant called Zebranos for dinner, where we were served amazing food with all types of flavors and textures. We were later introduced to the owner/chef, whom we thanked for having us. Each meal we have had here in Greece has come with multiple courses, from appetizers to dessert. We've definitely had the opportunity to try so many different flavors of cuisine along with many dishes we've never had before.
Â
After this long, eventful day in Rhodes, we headed back to the airport to catch our flight to Athens. Tomorrow, we will be visiting the Acropolis of Athens that has been preserved, compared to Rhodes that is almost all ruins. I hope you are enjoying following along with us on our journeys in Greece! This experience has been so educational and eye opening, I'm so glad we are able to share our learning experiences with everyone.
Â
Kaitlyn Csensits
Field Hockey
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