My name is Alice Maksimowski, and I was lucky enough to be one of two
interns at the Canadian Institute in Greece this past fall term. It was
an amazing experience to have, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic
when so many people have been stuck at home and unable to travel. In
this post, I would like to share some of my favourite experiences and
pictures that I hope will encourage others to come and explore the
culture, history, and archaeology of Greece.
One of the first places we visited was of course, the Acropolis.
After seeing so many pictures online and in textbooks, it was so amazing
to visit the site in person. Pictures truly do not do it justice, and
its true scale and impact cannot be captured with a camera. I took a
class on Classical Greek architecture in 2020 and we studied the
architecture of buildings such as the Erectheion and Parthenon, so it
was amazing to see these places in person. Below is a picture of the
Caryatid sculptures in the New Acropolis Museum.
Our first island destination was Aegina. We went on a hot day, so much
so that I got a bad burn, and the outlines of my swimsuit are still very
visible on my back. I highly recommend not falling asleep on the beach,
even though it is so comfortable. Apart from sunbathing we also rented a
car and visited the temples of Apollo and Aphaia. The temple of Aphaia
was particularly stunning and well preserved, and the view of the sea
and the rest of the island was spectacular. The drive up was also a fun
experience and helped me improve my driving skills. Below is a picture
of the temple of Aphaia.
Delphi was one of my favourite destinations. Much like the Acropolis,
pictures in textbooks and on the internet do not do it justice. The
landscape around the site is also amazing, which only adds to the site
itself, even though it is a little bit of a hike. I tried re-creating a
textbook picture of the site, as can be seen on the opening picture of
this post. We also visited the museum at Delphi, which was a surreal
experience for me. Specifically, I couldn’t stop looking at and taking
pictures of the Charioteer, which is pictured below. The food at Delphi
was also exceptionally delicious, which was unexpected as I thought it
would be more “tourist” style food.
Santorini was another must-see destination for me. The site of Akrotiri
was a place on my bucket list that I can now cross off. It was so
amazing to see all the well-preserved houses, and even walk down some of
the ancient streets, which really brought the site into perspective.
Seeing all the volcanic ash deposits around the island was also so
interesting, and often these deposits were beautiful to look at. In the
evening we were able to visit Oia in the north and take pictures of the
town during sunset, such as the picture below. The weather wasn’t ideal,
but the wind and dark clouds gave the island a powerful atmosphere
which was really amazing to experience.
Finally, our last trip was to Crete. We stayed in Chania, a beautiful
city with Venetian, Ottoman, and Egyptian influences. The old town was
particularly memorable, with tiny, winding streets and repurposed
mosques. We also made our way to Heraklion and Knossos, however briefly.
Unfortunately, we were not able to visit the museum in Heraklion and
most of the site at Knossos was blocked off, but we were still able to
enjoy the landscape of the area and some delicious Cretan food and
drinks while the rain was pouring outside. The food on Crete was
amazing, and I probably ate way too much cheese than is healthy, but it
was worth it. Below is a picture of the old port in Chania.
These are just a few snapshots of my favourite experiences I’ve had
in Greece, and just a few of my favourite pictures. I’m very lucky to
have had this experience and met so many new and interesting people with
whom I’ve shared these experiences. The culture and atmosphere here are
so inviting and relaxing, which allows for an amazing experience. I
hope to come back someday soon, to keep travelling around the country
and experiencing all the history and archaeology!
Alice Maksimowski
WLU intern, fall 2021
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