My big, fat Greek tour

Each week Dustin Jordan, who is currently living abroad, talks about his travel experiences. This week he talks about visiting Greece.

Dustin Jordan

Ihad the privilege of going to a very boujee school. Apart from being exposed to a whole new culture and learning a new language, I also got exposed to the opportunity to travel. One such chance arose when the Latin department organised a trip to Greece.

Bear in mind that this was the days of dial-up internet and polyphonic ringtones.

Anything I knew about the place was either from a book or a film. By film I probably mean Disney’s Hercules.

An organised tour with some of your classmates in tow is one of those special experiences. You are venturing off into the big world but still have the luxury of having your crew with you.

We boarded the Olympic Airline flight to Athens and were greeted by air hostesses who were, to my surprise, older than some I had experienced before.

They were nice enough but some members of our tour took it upon themselves to try and order beer on the flight. Much to our amusement their attempts were rendered futile when they were asked to produce their ID.

The thing I remember the most about stepping into Athens for the first time was the incredible humidity and heat. Compared to what I know now, that was pleasant weather.

I was also taken aback by how I could not read any of the signs ... it was all Greek. The alphabet is different, so even attempting to read anything was a waste of time.

The thing that made this trip memorable was the astounding beauty and history that Greece

has. Seeing the Acropolis, the Parthenon and soaking in this ancient civilisation’s story was an experience. It’s hard to imagine such flourishing nations existed so many years ago. Many of their ideas formed the backbone of how we function today, including the root of many English words.

We did not only spend time in Athens but ventured off to different cities and got to walk in places that even existed in the time of the Bible.

It’s impossible for me to talk about Greece without mentioning the amazing cuisine. There is a reason why Greek restaurants exist in many a major city throughout the world. Greek yoghurt and honey for breakfast. Amazing Greek salad with feta. Street souvlaki and a host of other skewered and barbecued meats. Pastries and more. The list is endless.

The thing I didn’t realise at the time was not just how lucky I was to have this experience but how great it was to just be on a tour. When you get older and travel on your own everything has to be organised by you. The transport, accommodation, the meals. What a pleasure to have free reign. I should have enjoyed it more.

There are certain things about the trip that have lingered with me. The opportunity to climb Mount Olympus. Our Greek tour guides. Interacting with Greek students when we briefly visited a sister school. Monasteries carved into high rocky cliffs. The incredible beauty and history of the country. It’s like it’s being marinated in a cultural gravy.

What lingered the most, unfortunately, was one or two rather unpleasant experiences. That, though, is the topic for another column.

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