‘Olympic Quest 2013’ CategoryPage 2
We are 30 students and 2 instructors (Aaron Banks and Mary Joos) embarking on a journey to discover the world of the Ancient and Modern Olympic games. Through on-campus study, guest-lecturing experts, and travel to Greece, Italy, Austria, and Germany, we hope to enlighten ourselves with the knowledge and ideals of this great cultural phenomenon – The Olympics.
Ciao Italia!!
After a choppy overnight ride on the ferry we finally reached Italian soil. We were greeted by our new tour guide, Mario, in the port city of Bari, Italy. Right away we got on the bus and drove straight for about three hours to the ancient city of Pompeii. Pompeii, a city that was covered […]
Olympia!
This morning we left bright and early for Olympia. We visited the site of the original Olympic games in 776 B.C. As we came into the site, we saw the ruins of the gymnasium, palaestra, hotel, baths, and temples of Zeus and of Hera. Surprisingly, the Temple of Hera was built at least 100 years […]
Rain Rain Went Away, Got To Play In Greece All Day
Today we woke up to rain and lightning and traveled to Epidarus where we saw its famous classical ampitheater. The ampitheater can hold up to 14,00 people at one time and the acoustics are so good that you can hear someone whisper at the bottom while standing on the top. We then ventured through the […]
Hangin’ with Apollo in the Mountains
We started the day by checking out of our hotel in Athens and heading for Delphi. On our way, we passed by the town of thieves, or Thiva, and a large lake. Aliki told us several myths and legends surrounding these two places. We stopped at a rest stop after about an hour, to stretch […]
Traveling through time in Athens!
This morning started out with a very early 6:30AM wake-up call courtesy of our hotel front desk. We had an amazing continental breakfast waiting for us. In the words of Mary Joos, “It was beautiful!” We are all trying new foods; the full-fat Greek yogurt was definitely a hit. After breakfast and a quick currency […]
Our Journey to Greece!
The Olympic Quest left Minneapolis at 3:00pm on Saturday the 12th and arrived in Amsterdam around 6:00am on Sunday the 13th. The flight was largely uneventful and not particularly restful for many of us students! There were movies to watch, games to play, and radio to listen to to distract us during the flight. After […]
Not Quite There Yet…!!!
After a tearful goodbye, the group ascended the escalator to advance through the Minneapolis security checkpoint. Everything went well except for Beau Bachman’s confiscated frosting can and box of vanilla wafers. Nevertheless, once through security students disbanded to explore the airport and eat lunch. It was fun to observe new friendships being formed and the […]
Gustie Pride: Paralympics
This morning we met Anna Eames, a senior here at Gustavus. She swims on the Gustavus team, and also the U.S. National Team. In the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, she won a gold medal in the 100m butterfly, as well as bronze medal. She also competed in the 2012 Paralympics in London and won a […]
Hilstrom Museum
Today we got to explore the Hilstrom Museum, which is located in the campus center here at Gustavus. The museum director and curator was Don Myers. Dr. Myers went over proper museum etiquette with our class because while in Europe we will get to visit at least six different museums! Top 5 tips for proper […]
Nazi Germany and the Holocaust
Eric Carlson is a History professor here at Gustavus. Today he volunteered his time to explain to us the Holocaust and Nazi Germany as a whole. To start class he displayed a propaganda video called “Triumph of the Will.” The introduction of the film showed Hitler as an adorned man who interacted well with citizens, […]