TY Erasmus + Trip to Athens
5th – 11th February 2022
As Transition Year students in Loreto College Cavan we travelled to Athens, Greece to visit our partner school ‘Arsakeio Tositseio’ as part of the Erasmus + Programme. Our journey began in the early hours of Saturday morning on 5th February. Our first flight departed Dublin Airport at 05.15 and took us to Frankfurt in Germany where we met up with the Spanish students and their teachers who were also on route to Greece. We all arrived safely in Athens around lunchtime and there was great excitement in the airport when we met up with our Greek hosts. Saturday evening was spent relaxing and getting to know our host families. Schools from six countries were involved in the Programme with students from Ireland, Norway, Spain, Sardinia, the Netherlands and Greece.
Sunday, February 6th
We arrived early at the Arsakeio Tositseio School and departed for an excursion to Mycenae archaeological prehistoric site and the town of Nafplion in the Peloponese.
In Mycenae, we saw The Cyclopean Walls and the huge vaulted tomb of Agamemnon.
Nafplion was first capital of Greece. Here we saw the Palamidi fortress and completed a tour of the old town.
After this excursion, we all enjoyed a meal together in a beautiful Greek hotel before returning to Athens.
Monday, February 7th
We spent the day in the Arsakeio Tositseio School and sampled student life in a Greek school.
In the morning, all students from each visiting school gave a personal presentation about themselves, their family and hobbies. We then gave a presentation on Loreto College Cavan and also enjoyed listening to the presentations on the other schools involved.
In the afternoon, we participated in a workshop on Greek traditional music and dances – this was good fun!
Tuesday, February 8th
Tuesday was spent in the Arsakeio Tositseio School again. All students gave their academic presentations. Our work focused on ‘A Timeline of Irish Architecture’. We then participated in an Art Exhibition. Each school decorated a notice board with their works of art and photos for the project.
Wednesday, February 9th
We departed the school on the bus for our second excursion. We visited the Acropolis Museum and archaeological site where we took part in a guided tour. This really was an amazing experience and thoroughly enjoyed by all.
For lunch we got to sample some Greek food and enjoyed Souvlaki at Plaka.
Thursday, February 10th
Our final excursion of the week took us to the centre of Athens. Here, we visited Tsiller House – Museum. The famous Danish neoclassical architect Ernst Tsiller has built over 500 buildings in several sites of Greece. His house has been restored and repurposed and is now called the Tsiller-Loverdou House and Museum.
We also visited the Old Parliament Building in Athens. This is now a repurposed building housing the National History Museum.
Friday, February 11th
Our final morning when we had to say goodbye! We were very sad to leave our new friends who we had met during the week. We departed the school at 09.30 and flew home to Dublin via Munich. By the time we reached the Cathedral in Cavan at 19.30 we were still in good spirits and even managed to sing on the bus the whole way down the road from Dublin Airport. An amazing week was had by everyone involved and it really was the trip of a lifetime. We are so thankful to have had this opportunity as part of Erasmus + and Transition Year in Loreto College Cavan.
Students: Orlaith Belton, Alex Gilcreest, Sarah Stubniakova, Molly Lennon and Jane Sexton