Crescunda 19 (hi res)

22 Merchant Taylors’ Prep School Newsletter - 15.11.2019 MTP Classics Greece Visit 2019 It was a great privilege to lead a group of 39 boys and 6 staff away over half term, and to see the boys immerse themselves in the ‘glory that was Greece’. The boys did fantastically well, coping with four different hotels on each of the four nights. Even those who found it tricky at first were, within a couple of days, presenting themselves in the lobby fully packed and ready. Here’s a brief summary of what we got up to: Day 1 We travelled from Heathrow, Terminal 2 to Athens Airport. After dinner, the boys enjoyed the Greek interpretation of shadow puppet theatre: Karagiozis. Even though the dialogue was in modern Greek, the boys enjoyed the knockabout action as the eponymous hero defeated various monsters with the help of Alexander the Great! After the performance, the boys were able to see some of the puppets close up. Day 2 Our busy day in Athens! We climbed the Acropolis, passing the Theatre of Dionysus (where western drama began), and where the plays of Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Euripides and Sophocles were performed. On the summit, the boys took in the amazing views, and tried to hold on to their hats! The highlight, of course, was the Parthenon, but the boys also took in the splendour of the Temple of Nike, the Propylaea and the curiosity that is the Erechtheion. We descended via the Areopagus (where St Paul once preached) to the Agora, the beating heart of ancient Athens. With the assistance of the reconstructed Stoa, the boys were able to imagine more of ancient democracy in action, and Socrates in dialogue with those foolish enough to take him on! After a well-earned lunch, the boys explored the New Acropolis Museum, viewing original artefacts (including the famous Caryatids) as well as discussing the reconstructions and models. Day 3 Our day in Delphi was magical: the scenery was breath-taking, and the Delphi Museum whetted the boys’ appetites with a life-sized silver bull, a rare bronze charioteer and the world’s belly button (omphalos)! Up on the site, the boys explored the different cities’ treasuries, the Temple of Apollo, the theatre and the stadium. Everybody made it to the top: well done! Day 4 We visited the site where the Olympic movement was born, and the boys were surprised to learn that it was originally a religious festival in honour of the god Zeus. Aristea, our excellent guide, took us through the site and the boys saw where the flame of the modern Olympic Games is still kindled in front of the Temple of Hera. Of course, when we passed through the tunnel into the stadium, the boys had to run on the original Olympic track! Congratulations to Georgios, our Greek pupil, who, appropriately, won the olive wreath and the glory! Our day ended, as the sun was going down, with the boys playing football on the beach at Tolo. Day 5 As we travelled back to Athens airport, we managed to fit in two very important sites. We visited the theatre at Epidaurus, which Pausanias, the ancient Greek travel writer, considered to be the finest in the world. The boys were impressed by the acoustics and the views. Our last site was Mycenae, the Bronze Age citadel of Agamemnon, the Homeric sacker of Troy. Our boys explored the Treasury of Atreus, passed through the famous Lion Gate, and took in the wonderful views of the valley of Argos. Despite being very tired, the boys’ behaviour was excellent to the end, and members of the public frequently commented on their creditable interest, attention and politeness. I would particularly like to thank my colleagues, Mr Bowman, Mr Greenish, Miss Levy, Mr McConnell and Mrs Waddell. Their good humour, tolerance, hard work and patient chivvying were essential to the success of the visit. My thanks also to Dimitris, our resourceful driver, and everyone at Hellene Travel who made this visit possible. Mr Waddington Head of Classics MTP at the Parthenon