We're happy to say that the Academic Families cultural and activity trips are fully back up and running. This May half-term we went to sunny Greece with 35 international students from boarding schools across the UK.
The night before we flew to Greece, some of our students came together in Edinburgh with the team and we all had a great evening. Firstly, everyone went out for pizza and then we walked along to the bowling alley and had two rounds of bowling. It got quite competitive in some teams! After a good night's sleep catching up on end of term exhaustion and we were ready to fly to the sun!
Stunning weather and stunning scenery - brilliant blues everywhere! We stayed in a beautiful hotel with an outdoor pool and its own private beach. Throughout the trip, we ate excellent meals and enjoyed a great selection of different food - Greek and international - and there were lots of choices so everyone was happy and full. Ice cream desserts were very popular with everyone!
Whilst staying in such a beautiful and historical country, we made sure to take in as much of the culture as we could. We visited Ancient Nemea - an ancient site in present-day Corinthia where we visited the Temple of Zeus and the ancient stadium. We also visited Athens and saw some incredible ancient landmarks including the Acropolis and the Panathenaic Stadium - the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble - no we hadn't known that either!
At ancient Corinth, our tour guide explained the fascinating history of the area. We learnt that ancient Corinth used to be the
greatest port in the Greek classical world. We saw the astonishing Corinth Canal - a man-made canal that is only 70ft wide at its base.
The half-term trip to Greece was the perfect combination of cultural sightseeing, watersports and relaxation. Boarders are always kept very busy at UK boarding schools so everyone needed some downtime during their May half-term. And what better way to relax than to visit a stunning blue Lake Lagoon and snorkel, swim, sunbathe, kayak and paddle board? The more adventurous members of the group even went water skiing and wakeboarding!
No trip is complete without a birthday and we had a 15th during half-term. To celebrate, we organised a lovely personalised birthday cake and we ensured we held the disco party that night.
Towards the end of the trip, we took a boat trip to the picturesque Greek islands of Aegina and Agistri. Aegina is widely recognised as the home of pistachios and holds an annual Pistachio Festival in September. We were too early for the festival but we tasted some amazing pistachio ice cream and bought lots of pistachios.
We love that our students always share their thoughts and feedback with us ...
"The May half-term trip to Greece has been absolutely amazing. I've had a really great time, mostly because I got to learn about the culture of the people who live here. We got to visit cultural sites and we've also had time to relax and have fun like going to the beaches, the Lagoon, water sports...everything has been amazing!"
Juan Pablo, 15, Greece 2022 half-term trip
"The Greece trip has been my favourite because we've been able to hang out with our friends and also get to know Greece really well."
Yuri, 14, Greece 2022 half-term trip
"This May half-term in Greece has been amazing because I've learnt a lot of new things and I've made new friends. We've been to lots of different places and it's been really nice."
Anto, 15, Greece 2022 half-term trip
Find out more about the exciting trips we offer to students at half-terms throughout the year.
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