University of South Dakota: Greece Then and Now: Exploring the Origins of Humanistic Psychotherapy
TENTATIVE ITINERARY (Subject to change without notice)
Day 1 >> Sat. May 17: (Athens) Your adventure begins as you board your flight to Athens, Greece.
Kalos ilthate!
Day 2 >> Sun. May 18: (Athens) 6 nights in twin rooms with private bathrooms incl. breakfast at the 3-star Best Western Amazon Hotel in Athens Morning/Afternoon: Arrival at Athens International Airport. After clearing customs and immigration, meet your on-site coordinator who will be available to introduce you to Greece today. A private coach bus will take you from the airport to your hotel in Athens. Check in to your room and then start off your program with an orientation session at your hotel and an orientation walking tour provided by your coordinator. Evening: A special welcome dinner awaits your group at a restaurant in Athens.
Day 3 >> Mon. May 19: (Athens) Morning: Your morning begins as you meet your local guide for a private guided tour of the Acropolis. The Acropolis is Greece’s most famous monument. The greatest and finest sanctuary of ancient Athens, dedicated primarily to its patron, the goddess Athena, dominates the center of the modern city from the rocky crag. Afternoon: After a short break for lunch, start off to your private guided tour of the New Acropolis Museum. The museum has five floors that provide space for 4,000 artifacts. It aims at providing the visitors with a comprehensive picture of the human presence on the Acropolis, from the pre-historic times through late Antiquity, with the advantage of being built on the slope of the Acropolis itself.
Day 4 >> Tues. May 20: (Delphi) A private coach bus will be chartered exclusively for your group for today’s excursion. All day: After breakfast, board your private coach bus for your day excursion to Delphi where a local guide will take you on a guided tour of the archaeological site of Delphi and its museum. Delphi’s site is one of the most important ancient relics of Greece. The magnitude of the Delphi contributions to the entire ancient civilization cannot be overstated. Many political decisions were taken after consultation of the Oracle, and no colony was founded around the Mediterranean without the consent of the sanctuary at Delphi. In proportion with its immense influence, the settlement at Delphi grew from a small village to an imposing depository of fine architecture and art. Afterwards enjoy some free time in the Delphi and discover the city on your own before you return with the coach bus to Athens. Day 5 >> Wed. May 21: (Athens) All day: After you had breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a free day in Athens to do some course work on your own or mingle with the locals. You might consider visiting the ancient Kerameikos Cemetery of Athens, one of the most beautiful and least visited of the archaeological sites in downtown Athens. The two most important gates of ancient Athens, the Dipylon and the Sacred Gate, stood here. The ancient cemetery of Athens, where people were buried as early as in the 12th century BC, was located just outside the city walls. The most famous monument is probably the tomb of a treasurer, with a statue of a bull, the symbol of the god Dionysus.
Day 6 >> Thurs. May 22 (Argolis Area) A private coach bus will be chartered exclusively for your group for today’s excursion. Morning: Today your day excursion by private coach bus will lead you to the Argolis area with a first stop at the Epidaurus’ archaeological site. You local guide will show you the archaeological site, including the museum and the world famous theater from the 4th century BC. The theater is well known for its symmetry and beauty. It was used for dramatic performances in the ancient times. Afternoon: Have some free time for lunch in Nafplion and discover the city and the bay on your own before your continue your journey to visit the archeological site of Mycenae and the plain of Argos during a private guided tour. The archaeological site of Mycenae comprises the fortified acropolis and surrounding funerary and habitation sites, which are located mainly to its west and southwest. Most of the visible monuments date to the center's great floruit, from 1350 to 1200 BC. Great Cyclopean walls surround the almost triangular acropolis, which is accessed from the northwest through the famous Lion Gate, the symbol of the Mycenaean rulers' power. The gate was named after the two opposing lions carved in relief and set into the relieving triangle, a typical feature of Mycenaean architecture, over the door.
Day 7 >> Fri. May 23: (Athens) Morning: Start off your private guided tour of the Ancient Agora and Ancient Agora Museum. The Agora was the heart of ancient Athens, the focus of political, commercial, administrative and social activity, the religious and cultural center, and the seat of justice. The Ancient Agora Museum is housed in the Stoa of Attalos, a reconstructed building of around 150 BC. Afternoon: After lunch on your own explore the South Slope of the Acropolis with the Theater of Dionysos which played a significant role in the artistic, spiritual and religious activity of ancient Athens together with your local guide during a private guided tour. The Theater of Dionysus Eleuthereus is a major open-air theater and one of the earliest preserved in Athens. It was used for festivals in honor of the god Dionysus.. Afterwards enjoy a guided walking tour of the Syntagma Square, the Hold historical quarter Plaka and Anafiotika. The Syntagma Square is home of the Greek Parliament and the oldest and socially most important square of modern Athens, and was the epicenter of commercial activity during the 19th century. The historic district Plaka is the old historical neighborhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Day 8 >> Sat. May 24: (Athens - Piraeus - Hydra) A private coach bus will be chartered exclusively for your group’s transportation to the port in Piraeus today. Ferry tickets from Piraeus to the island of Hydra will be arranged for your group. Luggage transfer to your hotel on the island of Hydra will be arranged. 3 nights in twin rooms with private bathrooms incl. breakfast at the Greco Hotel at Hydra. Morning: After breakfast, check out of your rooms and board your private bus which will bring you to the port in Piraeus. There you will board the ferry to Hydra. After an approximate 1 hour and 30 minutes ferry ride, you will arrive at the port in Hydra. Your luggage will be brought from the port of Hydra to your hotel. Afternoon: Enjoy a free afternoon at Hydra and get settled into your new surrounding. Hydra is a small island where cars or motorcycles are not allowed by law. The only mean of transportation are donkeys or bicycles.
Day 9>> Sun. May 25: (Hydra) Morning: After breakfast, meet your local guide for a guided walking tour of Hydra. The tour will show you the most interesting place on Hydra and you will see the great ecostystem of Hydra. The island is full of wild flowers, pines, cypress, thymes and olive trees. You will also visit Hydra port the main city of Hydra. Steep stone streets lead up and outwards from the harbor area. Afternoon: After lunch on your own, start your private guided tour of the Lazaros Kountouriotis Museum. The Kountouriotis Mansion was built in 1780 by the largest shipowner of Hydra and the Mediterranean, Lazaros Kountouriotis. He was the largest financier of the Revolution of 1821. Many great personalities of that time passed the halls in order to organize the Greek Revolution. In 1979, his descendant Pantelis Koundouriotis, donated the mansion to the state and was granted as the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece. Today the Lazaros Kountouriotis Museum operates as a branch of the National Historical Museum.
Day 10 >> Mon. May 26: (Hydra) All day Enjoy a free day on the island of Hydra on your own. You may want to visit some sights of the port, such as the Historical Archives Museum or the Merchant Marine Academy. The Merchant Marine Academy of Hydra is the oldest school in operation worldwide and is a living historical and naval monument, tangible expression of the maritime continuity. The story began with its founding in Hydra in 1749 at the School of St. Basil, on the precincts of the homonymous church. Around 1800 it acted as the Naval School of Hydra founded by an initiative of elders of the island. Day 11 >> Tues. May 27: (Hydra - Piraeus - Athens) Luggage transfer from your hotel to the port of Hydra will be arranged for your group. Ferry tickets from Hydra to Piraeus will be arranged for your group. A private coach bus will be chartered exclusively for your group’s transportation from the port in Piraeus to your hotel in Athens. 1 night in twin rooms with private bathrooms incl. breakfast at the 3-star Best Western Amazon Hotel in Athens. Morning: After breakfast, check out of your hotel and walk to the port of Hydra. Your luggage will be transferred to the port. Take the ferry back to Piraeus where your private coach bus awaits you to bring you back to Athens. After arrival, check into your rooms and have some lunch on your own. Afternoon: The remainder of the day is free for you to do some last minutes sight seeing in Athens. You may want to visit the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. It houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is considered one of the great museums in the world and contains the richest collection of artifacts from Greek antiquity worldwide. It is situated in the Exarcheia area in central Athens between Epirus Street, Bouboulinas Street and Tositsas Street while its entrance is on the Patission Street adjacent to the historical building of the Athens Polytechnic university. Evening: A farewell dinner will be arranged for your group at a restaurant in Athens.
Day 12 >> Wed. May 28: (Athens) Your private coach bus will pick you up at the hotel and take you to Athens airport to begin your journey home. Adío!