Top of the World

Yesterday was the last day of our trip, and we took full advantage by immersing ourselves in Greek culture. Although  we had seen the Acropolis from all over Athens, we finally got our chance to truly visit the top of the world. Our tour guide Nike, an expert in many different historical trades, graciously shared with us her knowledge of these ancient ruins. Our first stop was the theater, which serves a very different purpose than our theater today. The theater was extremely popular in Greek culture because it served to educate the crowd about what is right and what is wrong according to ethics. 

The next venue we visited was an ancient Greek music hall. We learned that these music halls were of Roman influence from the time of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great was infamous for his hubris, which was a characteristic that the Greeks despised. This time, known as the "rise of the individual", brought his demise. Nike shared with us that during this time the Greeks would vote the person who held the most power out of Athens for a period of ten years to protect the city from the influence of too much wealth and power. 

The last building we visited at the Acropolis was the Parthenon, which is a symbol of great national pride for the Greeks. Surviving for over 2,500 years, the Parthenon is probably the most recognizable structure in all of Greece. The building used to feature a statue of Athena, which we originally saw about two weeks ago in London. Athens was named after Athena because she was the goddess of war and intellect, and she represented the middle class. She inspired the middle class to realize their importance, and this realization led to the explosion of democracy. 

After an incredible morning at the Acropolis, we decided to venture out on our own and spend the afternoon soaking in the Mediterranean sun. Although we all ended up badly sunburned, this view made it all worthwhile:

We had our final group dinner last night which was the best meal that we have had on this trip. 

Overall, we had an amazing three weeks traveling the world and seeing firsthand the impact the Olympics have on the entire world.