Today we finally visited the Acropolis. I can't speak for everyone but personally, after years of seeing pictures of it in textbooks and on postcards, the Parthenon was one of the sites I looked forward to seeing the most on this trip, and I must admit I got chills seeing the ancient building up close. From so high up, we also had an incredible view of the city of Athens, including all of the venues we had visited over the past few days: the Marble Stadium, Greek Parliament, Temple of Olympian Zeus etc. After many group pictures and an extremely thorough lesson from our guide Nike, we walked down to the Acropolis Museum where we learned about the development of the Acropolis over the course of centuries -- from its destruction during war, to its high point during Athens' Imperial Age. We also got close looks at the various statues that used to decorate the Parthenon as well as portions of the pediment (see Nike, we were paying attention), parts of which are in the London Museum we visited a little over a week ago. After the museum most of us walked around the city streets where we changed the focus of our study from Ancient Greek history to contemporary Greek culture, more specifically Greek cuisine -- gotta love gyros and souvlaki. We also had a final group dinner which was lovely, but bittersweet as, though we love the US, we do not want this trip to end.
But before we pack our bags and tearfully belt out "Closing Time", I'd like to reflect back on the last two weeks and commemorate my favorite moments from the trip. This is my Top 10 favorite People/Places/Events from Olympic Odyssey 2012.
10.
Venues/Officials: This trip was undoubtedly a mini-vacation but, as Professor Ryan half-sarcastically says, there does have to be an academic element to this program (especially because we are getting 3 credits from it). Seeing athletic arenas, past and present, in addition to meeting with the people who work year round to ensure the Olympics are successfully carried out definitely fulfills this requirement. Even though I am not in Sport Management, visiting the organizations that we learned about during the course was incredible and was an absolute privilege. Consider this: Syracuse University is one of three schools in the world, and the only American school whose students get to meet the members of the International Olympic Committee. I think that's pretty amazing. Combine that with our tours of Wembley Stadium and the Olympic Park, as well as our visit to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (where we got free pens!) and you have a once in a lifetime opportunity.
9.
Drinking Legally: I realize how this looks ranking this right above the academic component of this trip, but can you really blame me? After hours of walking around European cities with cobblestone streets that kill your knees, and jumping into trains just before the doors close on you (or for some of us just after they close on you), I cannot express with human words how nice it is to relax with a (insert alcoholic beverage here) that you don't have to buy with a fake I.D. It's cliche, but it's true. I may try to move to Europe for the next 3 and a half months until my 21st birthday.
8.
Food: Throughout this entire trip I cannot say that I had a bad meal (I'm calling the Lausanne burger joint a Mulligan cause only a few people didn't enjoy it). Thinking back, it surprises me that we have been traveling through European cities but some of our dinners have consisted of Sushi, Thai, Indian, Chinese and Mexican food, in addition to typical European dishes like pasta, chicken, beef and pork. I think we can all agree that overall, Paris had the best food. No matter what was ordered it tasted delicious and thanks to outstanding service it only took about 10 minutes for everything to be brought out. And as for deserts,
I don't care if Ricky Bobby wouldn't say it, I LOVE CREPES. Lausanne was pricey but I had some of the best gnocchi and some of the best gelato I think I may have ever had in my life. Olympia/Athens made it 4 for 4. As Jordan Zelin can testify, lamb gyros are phenomenal, as is souvlaki and Greek salad, all of which were eaten in great supply at low prices. I do miss free refills, but overall I will be returning to the States well fed.
7. "
Plautisms": Whether he meant to or not, Jon Plaut has given us some of the most memorable moments over the course of this trip. Mr. and Mrs. Plaut, if you're reading this, cut your son some slack, he is young, in Europe, and likes to make bets with people -- a dangerous combination. Just know that he was just having fun, and by writing this I am not trying to embarrass him. Like him, I am just having some fun. Plaut has given us such memorable quotes as, "Wait, is this umbrella waterproof?" He has also taken on dares to eat a sugar cube covered with Tabasco, and to chug a cup full of Wasabi. But the most memorable Plaut moment has to be his run at the Olympia Stade. I was actually the one who won the bet with him. Had he bailed on his end of the bargain I would have been disappointed but I honestly would not have blamed him. But he shouted out his war cry and went through with it, the images burned into our memories no matter how much we want to forget.
6.
Jon Bigel: Bigel didn't take the course that went with this trip so nobody really knew him coming in, but it's safe to say we quickly found out that he loves to eat. Not that eating a lot is strange, especially for a guy who's 6' 3'' 210, it's just that it seemed like 20 times a day Bigel would disappear for a few minutes and nobody would notice until he showed up out of nowhere with a sandwich or a gyro in his hands. If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say, "Wait, Bigel, where the hell did you get that sandwich?" I'd have a s***load of nickels. As Professor Ryan said, "I have never seen anyone eat so much in my entire life." There is also the infamous night in Paris which included the phone call to Professor Ryan, the trip to the McDonald's, and what I will simply call "the face plant." There is also the hysterical coincidence that Bigel would always run ahead of the group in the London Underground stations giving him the nickname "Forrest Gump", and then we found out his girlfriend's name is actually Jenny. I am sure there are other moments that I am forgetting at the moment, but basically, Bigel has been a continual contributor to the constant laughter on this trip and made moments that could have been extremely dull infinitely more fun.
5.
Abbey Road: For those of you who do not know the Abbey Road story, here it is: During one free afternoon in London, the guys decided to carry out our earlier plans to see the street where the Beatles shot the famous cover to their final album. We saw on the tube map that there was a stop for Abbey Road and we concluded that that must be it, without conducting any further research whatsoever. We should have known it couldn't have been that easy. Anywho, we hopped on the tube, made the necessary transfers and arrived at Abbey Road. We soon realized that this street in no way resembled the album cover. Luckily, I was able to ask a local if he knew where the Beatles shot the famous album cover. "I know exactly where it is," he said as a grin appeared on his face, "and you're nowhere near it." Turns out we were on the opposite side of London that we needed to be on. We were disappointed, but not disheartened, and we proceeded to ride the tube for I-don't-wanna-know-how-many-stops, spent just about all of the money we had on our Oyster cards, and finally arrived at the famous road. We got some great pictures walking across the street (myself barefoot, a la Paul) in spite of the beeping cars and angry drivers. Seeing the road itself was one of my favorite parts of this trip and walking in the same place where John, Paul, George, and Ringo all walked is truly special to me. The initial mix-up was unfortunate, but in retrospect it's a great laugh, and I think it makes the story even better.
5A.
Tube Shenanigans: I think it's worth mentioning that Abbey Road was by no means the only time we got lost riding the London Underground. Coming back from Portobello Market, the aforementioned Jon Bigel and I hopped on the central line, without knowing that the train terminated four stops before our hotel due to construction. We realized we could just walk to the next station and take another line to get back, but unfortunately, we walked about a half mile through the London Streets before we realized we walked the wrong damn direction. Demoralized, we hiked back in the opposite direction and eventually arrived at the hotel. Like Abbey Road, looking back we can laugh about it, but I think the daily struggle between the group (as tourists) and the tube is one of the things I will remember best about London. Trying to beat the closing doors and getting dirty looks from Londoners for talking too loudly on the train were a part of life for us for a week -- definitely worthy of a shout out on this countdown.
4.
Lake Geneva/Beach Dinner: I'll keep this one short and sweet. One afternoon in Lausanne we took two speed boats out into the middle of Lake Geneva, smoked cigars, and swam in the lake. Later that evening the entire group walked to the beach where we drank and eat franks, bread, and a variety of cold cuts and cheeses. Afterwards we stopped at a carnival and went on the biggest, fastest rides. There was also some salsa dancing. Need I say more?
3.
Olympia: Over the course of 36 hours in Olympia I witnessed two of the funniest, and one of the craziest events of my life. The first occurred at the Olympia Hotel swimming pool. I don't know if I'm at liberty to discuss the details. I will say it involves Professor Ryan and a (broken) diving board. I'll leave it up to your imaginations to determine what happened. The second involved Tyler and a sliding glass door. We heard we could go hang out on the roof of the hotel so we immediately headed up. In some sort of twilight zone Windex commercial, the door to the roof looked so clear that we thought it was wide open. Tyler found out with his shin that the glass door was actually closed. A shattered glass door, a trip to the hospital, and 5 stitches later and you have probably the freakiest moment of the entire trip. The third moment was the previously mentioned "Plaut's Run" at the original Olympic track. Again, I don't know if I can give specifics but it involved a war cry, and a pair of tighty whities.
2.
Front Row seats to Jay-Z and Kanye West: This speaks for itself. Mystery girl with the short white hair, if you're reading this call this number 914-330-7942
1.
Inside jokes/Rituals/Professor Ryan: Over the past two weeks I've noticed how certain people have started their own little traditions in each city: Charma and Delana trying to get a picture of the two of them jumping in front of various tourist sites; Jordan flagpoling across Europe; everyone passing their leftovers to Bigel; Debbie talking about her love of elephants; Lennon's search for a bucket hat; and the ongoing joke of my message mix up when I accidentally wished the head of Hackney "good luck with your dancing" thinking the book we gave him was for a woman who spoke to us a day earlier. This is the fourth year of this trip, and every year those taking part have, for the most part, seen the same buildings, museums etc. But the people on the trip are different each year so I assume these little rituals are different as well. These are what make each trip unique every year, and it's what I imagine makes it worth it for Professor Ryan to put up with fifteen college students for two weeks. At this time I want to thank Professor Ryan for organizing such a incredible trip. Thinking back, I'm amazed at the balance of organization and freedom that we had throughout this trip, as we all saw the venues that were pivotal to an Olympics class, yet we were still able to go to places that we wanted to go to individually (like Abbey Road). You told us how you always wanted to teach college. You masterminded this trip for the past four years, and I must say, you were the perfect Professor for this Olympic Odyssey. I'd like to end this epic blog post by saying thank you for one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
