GCA’s Group Trip to Greece

from Bainbridge Living Summer 2022

by thepostsearchlight

Editor’s Letter

FOLLOWING IN HIS PATH

Grace Christian Academy seniors travel abroad, walking at some of the most famous sites recounted in literature and the Bible.

BY ETHAN REDDISH

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Senior cruises or graduation trips can vary in where they go; while some may just make a trip to Disney or Universal, some like to go on tropical cruises to the Bahamas and Mexican ports, and others may like to visit historic European tourist spots like France or Italy. This year, the Grace Christian Academy Class of 2022 decided to combine both warm beach trips and historic European tourism with a summer trip to Greece. For two weeks, seniors Mary Glenn Warr, Lainey McRae, Ella Harrell , Isabella Barnett, Brooke Phillips, Melanie Bodry, and Lane McElyea, as well as their chaperones Mardi McRae, Cile Warr, Lauren Harrell, Christy McCoy, Diana Whitaker, Kelly Phillips and Amy Vickers, traveled to various beaches, islands and historic archeological sites around the Mediterranean country.

According to Mary Glenn and Lainey, they chose Greece as the destination because some of the group had already been to Italy, and, “we wanted to go somewhere… that had pretty beaches and was sort of tropical.”

“They’re defi nitely a tropical group,” Mardi said. “They wanted some sun, some water, to travel and experience a new culture, but to also have the sun, the water and the sand.”

The group left June 9, landing in Athens after a 6-hour layover in Montreal. They visited the Acropolis and several local shops on their fi rst day, before moving on, led by their guide, Konstantina “Deena” Sypsi. Other famous locations they visited included Delphi, Patras and

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Members of the GCA Senior Greece Trip fl ew out of Atlanta, stopping over in Montreal before arriving in Greece (pictured below).They travelled to multiple historic sites and cities from both the Bible and Greek mythology, as well as multiple coastal islands.

Mycenae, seeing sites such as the Temples of Apollo and Poseidon, as well as Mount Olympus. They were even able to run on the fi rst Olympic race track. In addition, the group also went on a threeday cruise to the various coastal islands, such as Santorini, Mykonos and Patmos.

Mary Glenn in particular recalled many of the places they visited from reading The Odyssey in 10th grade literature, and both she and Lainey wished they could have spent more time on the islands, specifi cally Mykonos. “It’s just fun,” she said. “We were only there for like two hours.” During their brief excursion there the group visited an area called Little Venice, known for it’s cobblestone streets and buildings right on the water’s edge, like it’s Italian namesake.

Patmos was another favored destination, with the group visiting the Cave of the Apocalypse, the cave where John wrote the Book of Revelations during exile, as well as the Monastery of St. John.

But the group didn’t just stay confi ned to Greece, briefl y making a stop on their cruise in the historic city of Ephesus, formerly of ancient Greece, but now in modern-day Turkey. “A couple of us wanted to buy rugs, Turkish rugs,” Mardi said. The cruise handled customs, minimizing any fuss with entering the country. Deena even bought the kids a box of Turkish delight while there, with most of them having heard about the sweets from the Narnia books, but never having the opportunity to try them.

The group also of course got to experience the local Greek cuisine, which consisted of a lot of beef and rice. Both Mary Glenn and Lainey agreed their favorite dish was the feta salad. Mardi concurred,

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“The feta and their tomatoes were to die for,” while Amy Vickers recommended the olives (in addition to the feta, of course.)

In addition to historic sites and new food, the group experienced daily Greek culture, complete with some unexpected diff erences and embarrassing misunderstandings. Aside from how late dinner is eaten in Greece (around 9:00-9:30), the diff erence in bathroom etiquette surprised them; particularly not fl ushing toilet paper, and toilets themselves lacking seats. Another incident saw the kids asking to visit a dance club to see the Greek night life, only to end up being taken to a traditional Greek dance dinner theater. “They ended up having a blast… it just wasn’t quite what they expected!” Mardi laughed. They noted that gas was more expensive, but everything else seemed cheaper than in America. And while American teens can get their driver’s license at 16, in Greece they must wait until 18, with a greater reliance on public transit, something the group had to use frequently. “I love that, because then I feel like the kids are really getting a feel for what it would be like if they’d grown up somewhere other than a small town in the US,” Mardi stated. “For me, as a teacher and a parent, that’s my endgame, for them to experience the way other kids have grown up thinking it’s normal. You know, that the way they grew up isn’t necessarily how everybody else experienced their early years.”

Cile Warr described the location as a, “Beautiful country and beautiful people! Truly a trip of a lifetime!” Diana Whitaker said, “Seeing the origins of Greek mythology and the ruins of Biblical places brings to life much of the history and literature I’ve studied and taught over the years.” Kelly Phillips also sang the praises of their reception there, saying, “We learned so much and were truly embraced by the people and their culture! We felt like we were leaving part of our family and our hearts behind. Defi nitely a destination that makes you want to return!”

“I think it defi nitely exceeded all of my expectations,” Mardi said. “It’s been on my bucket list forever, and sometimes when things are on your bucket list for a long time, it can be kind of disappointing once you get there. I think this in no way was disappointing… I think you could ask anybody on our trip, and they would go back tomorrow.”