What does it mean for an experience to be authentic?

When we travel to other countries, we tend to enter our foreign endeavors with romanticized ideas of the ‘authentic study-abroad experience.’ We all have preconceived notions of what the major idealized European cities should be like: Paris is the city of love; Vienna is the hub of art and elegance; Rome is the center of great architecture and Athens the birthplace of democracy and the scene of antiquity. But what does it mean to experience one of these European cultural centers authentically?

Let’s explore…

Around four in the afternoon on June 22nd, I departed from Heraklion in a car with musicians and a conductor from Athens. We were on our way to Spinalonga, the once-Venetian, later Ottoman, later leper colony settlement, a small island just off the coast of Plaka in Northern Crete. In commemoration of the fifty years since the closing of the leper colony, the municipality of Agios Nikolaos organized a concert to take place within the archaeological site, performed by a youth orchestra comprised of musicians from all over Crete. The concert was to take place in different locations on the island: within one building, in the Ottoman market area, in one corner near the sea. Organized this way, the music was made to interact with the impressive and historic atmosphere and landscape, making for an incredible performance. 

CYA Alumnus William Edwards (Haverford College) writes about his amazing experience in Pylos, and Greece overall.

I went on my first organized hike in late February. CYA had been sending out weekly emails about upcoming events and activities in Athens, and week after week we received information about the Athens Hiking Club. Every weekend they went somewhere different and beautiful. When we finally received a notice of a hike in Evoia where snow-gear wasn’t required and the difficulty level was low enough for novices, Michaela and I decided it was our week.

For eight weeks, I, along with many other CYA students, participated in a marble carving class in a studio in Pangrati, just around the corner from our apartments. There we spent three hours together every Tuesday evening carving, talking, and, at the end, sharing a meal and glasses of wine before heading back home. I was excited about this class the moment I heard about it — although I had never thought about sculpting, I considered it the perfect skill to develop in Greece.

By CYA alumna Kiki Lewis (CYA Spring ’17) 

#1 Location:

Athens is a city that is vibrant and so full of life right off the Mediterranean coastline. Whether you’re walking down Ermou Street browsing around Syntagma, or finding a new café to enjoy a Greek coffee for siesta hours, you will never be bored. The city center is hopping with people, vendors, and plenty of noises, with some of the greatest sites of the ancient world only a short walk or bus ride away.