Greece

Pepperdine has a wonderful idea that, while abroad, students should go on what they call an EFT (Educational Feild Trip). For the fall semester, we went to Athens and Santorini. It was an incredible experience and my first trip outside of the UK. I'm basically just going to put up a bunch of pictures and talk about them.

 This photo was taken at the top of the ruins of Delphi. It was about a 3-hour bus ride from Athens but was one of the coolest views. Basically, Delphi was a place were ancient Greeks would come to worship, go the markets, and view sporting events. Most of the place is in ruins now, with only one standing building left. It was an incredible experience. Talk about stepping back into history.

 On that same day we went to a Monastery near Delphi. This is Rebecca and I taking a selfie near the entrance. The monastery was definitely cool, but my favorite part was the awesome view. Also, they sold peanut brittle there and it was fantastic.

 Taken about halfway up the mountain on the way to see the Acropolis. You can see part of the amphitheater in the bottom left corner, but what is really cool about this picture is that you can tell just how high up the  Acropolis is. It was built up high so that you could see it from pretty much anywhere. In fact, it was a huge help in navigating the city. i.e. "Which side of the Acropolis are we on?" and "Our hotel is on the other side of the Acropolis"

 The Acropolis. Self-explanatory. Also, there were A LOT of people up there. 

 Still at the top of the Acropolis, where there's a Greece flag and a place to overlook the rest of Athens. Point if you can spot me.

 The Acropolis from Mars Hill. Mars Hill is the place where ancient Greeks used to hold court. Also, this is the sight of one of Paul's sermon. In Acts 17:16-34 Paul talks to the people of Athens about the one true God. "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands." (verse 24). Nicely done Paul, well-placed sermon.

Oia in Santorini is the place with the beautiful blue-domed churches. We had to take a seven-hour boat ride to get here, on which, nearly half of my fellow students got seasick. In my opinion, it was worth it. Oia (pronounced ee-ah, as we were told at least 20 times throughout the week), was the most beautiful part of Greece I got to see.  

 #candidmoment, right? Oia is full of photo opportunities, so why not take advantage?

We spent an evening in Oia, so we got to watch the incredible sunset from an old castle. It was the most relaxing, enjoyable time of the trip in my opinion. Nothing to do, nowhere to go except hang out with a lovely group of people and watch the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. Sorry Pepperdine, but the Oia sunset has got you beat.

 Take all the selfies!

Black Sands beach in Santorini. Featuring my new favorite thing, the ukulele I bought in Athens. I had such a fun time hanging out, watching the gentle waves and playing the ukulele for the other tourist on the beach.










Greece was an incredible experience. There was a lot of travel involved and we were wiped out for the next week, but it was all worth it. What a great first EFT. Next semester we got to Jordan, so stay tuned ;)

Cheers,
Sarah