A journey through time in Greece

Etwin and Ning on a journey through time ... in Greece!

Γειά σας! Καλωσορίσατε στην Ελλάδα!

E-twinning project “A journey through time” 2012-2013 3rd primary School of Zografou

Hello there!

We are sending this postcard from Greece! We had a marvelous time here!

We spent fifteen interesting days, saw and learnt lots of things about this country.

Hope you enjoy reading about our adventures in the land of philosophy and culture!

Love, Etwin and Ning

A few days ago ‌.

Etwin and Ning continued their odyssey in space. They traveled from planet to planet enjoying the view of the Earth. They tried to find Greece so that they could land their spaceship there. Everything was ready for another journey through time!

Etwin and Ning landed on the sea. They loved swimming in the crystal clear waters. As they were swimming they saw a dark cave on a small island. Was it Calypso’s cave?

They decided to have a look ‌.

They got inside and saw a big hole which led to Ancient Greece. Their journey through time in Greece begins!

The Parthenon, the temple on the top of the Acropolis hill stands in the middle of Athens.

It took only 10 years to complete (447438BC) and the Athenians were very proud of this temple for the Goddess of wisdom Athena, the protector of the city.

Etwin and Ning climbed down the Acropolis hill and saw the columns of Olympian Zeus, the remains of the biggest Greek ancient temple which the Roman Emperor Andrian completed in 2nd centuryBC

They also met the first Marathon runner Pheidippides, the messenger soldier from the battle of Marathon to Athens in 480 BC and ran after him the 42,195 metres of the way!

What courage to run all this way to carry the victory news!

Etwin and Ning continued their tour round Athens in Cape Sounio. They saw King Aegeas of Athens waiting for the return of his son Theseas from the island of Crete. Aegeas was looking at the sea trying to see the white sails of Theseas’ ship, a sign he was alive and safe after his visit to the labyrinth. Unfortunately Theseas forgot to put a white sail on his ship and his father thought he was dead.

Etwin and Ning wanted to visit the labyrinth in Knossos Palace of King Minoas so they got on the Greek ships and set off for Crete. The Greek vessels traveled across the Aegean to carry goods such as wine, wheat and fruit.

The labyrinth was the home of Minotaurus , a creature half –man half-bull. It lived in the labyrinth which Deadalus built, and asked for seven young boys and girls to be sent to him from Athens every year as a trophy. No one knew the way out. No one could escape from Minotaurus!

But Etwin and Ning knew Theseas’ s trick.

They entered the labyrinth and found their way out using Ariadne’s thread.

They also visited Deadalus and his son Icarus in their prison cell. Deadalus was the designer of the labyrinth but the King put him in prison so that he can’t build anything like this again. Father and son built wax wings and flew out of their cell. Icarus flew high near the Sun and his wings melted. He was the first man to fly in human history.

The island of Rhodes was their next stop. A huge statue welcomed them in the port. The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek Titan Helios, built in the city of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos between 292 and 280 BC.

Back to the mainland. The travelers wanted to see Pythia in the oracle of Delphi and get a prophecy for their future journeys in Europe.

Pythia, the priestess of Apollo, chew bay leaves and could foresee the future. Their journey through time was going to be exciting!

Epidavros, the ancient theatre near Argos was waiting for them. They watched a tragedy by Sophocles, one of the three best dramatists of classic times. The performance was amazing!

Etwin and Ning wanted to see the natural beauty of the country as well. They traveled through green plains and rocky mountains, steep hills and valleys. Greece was sunny and welcoming!

Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic games was waiting for them. In 776 BC athletes from every corner gathered here to compete in race, discus, long lump and many more. Since then Olympia is a synonym for peace and high ideals. The ivory and gold statue of Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the world, used to stand there.

The kids wanted to see the habitat of the Gods so they headed north. Mount Olympos, 2918 m high was the perfect home for the twelve Gods of Greek mythology.

Zeus, the father of Gods and humans, god of skies and thunder Hera, his wife, the goddess of marriage and family Poseidon, the lord of the seas Demeter, goddess of fertility Dionysus, god of wine and drama Apollo, god of light and music

Artemis, goddess of the hunt Hermes, messenger of the gods Athena, the goddess of wisdom Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty Hephaestus, god of fire and the forge Ares, god of war

Another beautiful mountain they visited was Pelio, the mountain of Centaurs and the summer resort of the Olympian Gods. Thick forests with oak, maple and chestnut trees make Pelio a wonderful place. Chiron the Centaur, tutor of many ancient Greek heroes, such as Jason, Achilles, Theseus and Heracles used to live here. That’s him with Etwin and Ning in the picture.

Etwin and Ning kept traveling. They met idyllic waterfalls in Edessa, a beautiful city in Macedonia ‌.

‌.. the lakes of dragons on top of Pindos mountain range ‌.

…

… cherry groves and blossomed fields….

…. climbed up high mountains….

‌.. and picked olives from olive trees, the national emblem of Greece. It symbolizes peace and was the prize of the Olympic games winners: Kotinos, a wreath made of olive tree branches.

Etwin and Ning had a cruise around Mount Athos, too. The holy mountain, a sacred place full of monasteries of every Orthodox Church in the world. The first monks came here in 34 c. AD. Only monks live here and measure time using the old Byzantine calendar. Church bells and the wind make you feel you are in heaven!

A few kilometers away from Mount Athos, the White Tower of Salonica welcomes the kids. A fort with six floors, 34 metres tall, built in 15th c. AD

It is the symbol of northern Greece. Etwin and Ning walked up the stairs and had a wonderful view of the city and Thermaikos Bay.

Ning wanted to visit the Greek islands as well.

She had heard a lot about the beaches and the white and blue houses. Greece has thousands of islands spread in the Aegean and the Ionian Sea. Windmills everywhere, narrow paths, little white chapels and little ports make the Greek islands the perfect holiday destination.

Ning said: “I will visit Santorini next year!�

Etwin said: “I think I like the Ionian Sea islands more! How about visiting the blue caves in Zakynthos island next year?”

And the kids kept looking for the best holiday resort in Greece before getting back to Athens, the capital …..

The modern city of Athens is huge! It numbers almost 5 million inhabitants. The Acropolis hill is surrounded by blocks of flats.

But next to it visitors of the city can wander in the best museum of the world: The New Acropolis Museum. Etwin and Ning saw many beautiful statues there!

There was one more place to visit: 3rd Primary School of Zografou Situated close to Imittos hill, under the Athens University Campus. The pupils welcomed Etwin and Ning and showed them around the school before saying goodbye.

Farewell kids! Καλό ταξίδι!

Published with issuu in October 2012 and uploaded on our Twinspace thanks to the cooperation of the following Artists: Lelis K., Dile I.,Papadopoulou I., Kalogeras G., Christodoulea I.,Stergiopoulou E.,Karageorgopoulou D.,Anastasiadis O.,Christopoulos L.,Vasileiadou F.& L,,Liantziri C.& N.,Skarpelos G.,Michalopoulou

I.,Christodoulou,Mela C., Karassou E., Tsabiri I.,Gialamas P.,Tsekoura A-M., Ziori S. Authors: The pupils of the 6th grade and a proud teacher: Julie Gyftoula, English teacher of 3rd Primary School of Zografou