Andrew Hartnett
Photo editor
ahartne1@jccc.edu
From May 19 to June 4, 2017, students at the college will be able to travel around various regions of Greece. The trip will examine the complex nature of both ancient and modern Greece.
The trip is a collaboration with Tyler Junior College and the University of Texas at Tyler. For $3,265 the package will include accommodations, two meals a day per itinerary, entrance fees, land transportation within Greece, hotel transfers, administrative fees and orientation costs. Airfare costs are excluded from the package and all arrangements are made with a travel agent working on behalf of Tyler Junior College. Participants are expected to cover all costs themselves.
Professor William K. Stockton says the college has been doing trips similar to this one every year since the 1980s. The International Education office sponsors the trips and helps make them possible. He has personally been involved in several of them, including visits to countries such as Turkey, Italy, Switzerland and France. As a teacher of Greek history, Stockton says that students can receive college credit for attending the trip if they take his independent study class during spring semester.
Normally there are anywhere from six to 11 students from the college who participate in the trip. The first few days of the journey are spent in Athens, where students will visit sites including the Acropolis, the Theater of Dionysius, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Pantheon and a variety of museums. On the end of the fourth day, the group will travel to the town of Nafplion via Corinth Canal and Epidaurus. The group will see neoclassical houses, Turkish fountains and mosques and many other impressive features in Nafplion.
On the fifth day, the group will travel from Nafplion to the archeological site of Mycenae, home of King Agamemnon and several important architectural sites including the Citadel, Lion Gate and Royal Cemetery. From there the group will travel to Olympia and stay overnight, where the following day they will visit the grounds of the original Olympic games. After three and a half hours of travelling, they will reach the town of Delphi, where the ancient Greeks believed the center of the known world was located and where Heaven and Earth met.
The following day, the group will spend nearly six and a half hours travelling to Sivota via Preveza and Parga. The group has the next day to relax and roam independently. On the ninth day, the group will take a scenic route to the traditional mountain settlements of Zagori where they will eventually visit the clifftop monastery of Agia Paraskevi and enjoy views from the Oxia lookout point.
Over the course of the next three days, the group will hit the road and visit a variety of towns and important landmarks, including Ioannina, Kalabaka, Meteora and finally Thessaloniki, where they will transfer to the airport on the morning of June 1 and fly to the small island of Santorini. A day is spent in Santorini, followed by a flight back to Athens where the group has one last day to rest and gather their provisions. On June 4, the group will leave Greece and head out for their next destination.
Stockton spoke about the experience of going on trips such as this, saying, “It’s just a ton of fun, plus I get to learn things. That’s why I teach, so I can learn.”
A deposit of $1,265 is required by Jan. 3, 2017, with a full payment due by Feb. 2, 2017. According to a flier, travelers are welcome to join the tour at the last minute as long as the organizers have the space and are able to make arrangements after the deadline. The tour is open to the public; any community member, student or faculty member of any age may enroll.
For more information, contact Dr. William K. Stockton at wstock@jccc.edu or extension 3720.