The Elon University women's track and field and women's cross country programs are embarking on a trip of a lifetime as the teams are spending this upcoming week in Greece as a part of the Elon Commitment to its students achieving a global experience. Check in to elonphoenix.com to view the daily updates of the program from its athletes on the overall experience! Be sure to also check out posts and updates on the team's social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 
Also view the team's ongoing photo gallery on Facebook page here.
 
Opening Weekend (Nov. 19-20)
 
Γει?
σου from Greece!
 
As someone who has never flown internationally before, the travel was actually much easier than I had expected. After successfully making our connecting flight, we landed at the Athens airport where we met our tour guides and got on our bus for the hour drive to the city center during which Dafni, our tour guide, gave us an introductory bus tour of Athens. I was immediately amazed by the view. Giant mountains and hills seemed to surround the entire area and the amount of buildings in the areas below was insane and made a large sea of white that never seemed to end. It is interesting because unlike most of the cities I have been to in my life, there are no tall buildings or skyscrapers in Athens. However, these have to be the narrowest streets I have ever seen in my life - no wonder everyone drives small cars and mopeds! As we continue, Dafni points out various ancient historical sites such as the temple of Zeus and it is crazy to imagine that these were built at time when cars, electricity, and all modern day conveniences did not exist, yet they still manage to remain intact today, HOW?! Back home we do not have anything like this, nothing nearly this old or with this style of architecture so it is pretty incredible to see.
 
We then came to a stop and visited the Panathenaic Stadium - the first modern Olympic Stadium. The entire stadium is built completely of marble and while the pictures look amazing, they still do not do the beauty of this stadium justice.  Of course, being track athletes, we had to run a lap and pose on the podiums and in the Olympic Rings. Climbing to the top was simultaneously scary and amazing. After exploring the site, we headed to the Monastiraki Flea Market, a massive grouping of small shops and restaurants to grab a snack and do some shopping before walking to the hotel to eat and rest.
 
Today, during our first official full day in Greece we went to the Acropolis and the Parthenon. As we climbed the many steps up the Parthenon, there was so much to see and history to hear between the Theatre of Dionysus, Temple of Nike and Temple of Athena. By the time we arrived at the actual Parthenon, I was overwhelmed. I still cannot wrap my head around how these buildings were possibly created so long ago. Dafni told us that it only took them nine years to build this structure. How is that even possible?! The view from the Acropolis was phenomenal, providing an entire sky view of the city unlike any other view. We then visited the Acropolis Museum, where were able to get a better look at some of the archaeological artifacts found at the Acropolis site such as pottery and statues. Then, on the third floor was a display of the marble panels of the Parthenon in proper proportions and locations. This area was my favorite of the museum because it was interesting to see what the inside would have looked like after having just seen the outside.
 
After our visit to the museum, we followed Dafni to the Plaka, a lively historic village in Athens with many intertwining streets lined with shops and restaurants. We split up into different groups and as we walked along the streets. There were so many options for food that looked, and more importantly smelt, SO GOOD that there was no wrong choice. My chicken souvlaki was absolutely delicious and the tomatoes were the best I have ever had. We continued to wander the streets of Plaka, looking into the many different shops for souvenirs. We then went back to the hotel to relax for a few hours before team dinner in the rooftop restaurant at the hotel. As with every meal to date on this trip, the food was perfect and the view was even better. After dinner, we had the option to walk back to the Monastiraki Flea Market, so naturally my roommates and I went in search of the perfect post-dinner treat. After much deliberation we finally decided on gelato which did not disappoint. Overall it was a great day and a great start to our trip. For now, I am going to bed before we compete in our first meet tomorrow.
 
Καλην?χτα!
Briana O'Grady