2025 Adventure #1: A Cretan Odyssey
Themes: The fascinating history of Crete, over several millennia, is written in its caves and ruins, its myths and symbols, its monasteries and WWII cemeteries, and in the food and wine, the weather-beaten frowns and friendly smiles, of its present inhabitants. In this Adventure we’ll spend three weeks exploring all facets of this famous island, one of the most important wellsprings of European culture.
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Location:
Crete and Athens
Dates (tentative):
April 13 – May 6, 2025 (including travel to and from Greece)
Group Leaders:
Dr. James Anderson and Dr. John Black
Topics included ancient Minoan civilization and its Mycenean successor, the timeless relevance of the Greek myths associated with Crete, the island’s legacy of Roman occupation and of involvement in Venetian trade, the comparison of Greek Orthodox and Catholic Christianity and, in Athens, the sculpture and architecture of the Classical period.
Group Leaders
Dr. James Anderson received a BA in Classics at the University of Alberta, then an MA and PhD in Roman Archaeology at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. He has been on dozens of digs across the Mediterranean region and in North America. He taught Anthropology at North Island College for 24 years before retiring three years ago. He has led 13 archaeological field schools in Jordan, Greece, England, and Canada. Now retired, he continues to be passionate about archaeology, history, literature, art, music, politics, and travel.
Dr. John Black has MAs in Philosophy from Cambridge and Simon Fraser, and a PhD from the University of British Columbia. He taught for twenty-four years in the interdisciplinary Liberal Studies BA program at Vancouver Island University, and led study abroad trips to Europe for twenty years before retiring in 2017. He has published a study of Plato’s dialogue Timaios, as well as the translation of another scholarly work on the same topic, and in his youth once directed the poet Ted Hughes’ version of Seneca’s Oedipus, a play based on the Greek myth.
Tentative Itinerary
Day 0
Leave Canada
Day 1
Arrive in Athens; settle into hotel near airport
Day 2
Fly to Chania; Settle in; Groceries
Walking Tour of the Venetian Old Town; Group Meal
Day 3
Seminar: ‘History of Grecian Archaeology’; Tour of Local Museum
Day 4
Seminar: ‘The Eastern and Western Christian Churches’
Seminar: ‘The Sun and the Moon’: Greek Ethnography
Day 5
Seminars: ‘Greek Orthodoxy’ and ‘Caves of Crete’
Day 6
Tour of Monastery and Cave
Day 7
Rest Day
Day 8
Rest Day and optional Tour of WWII Allied Cemetery
Day 9
Move to Archanes; settle in at Eliathos, groceries
Day 10
Seminars: ‘Minoan Palaces’; ‘Daidalos and Ikaros’
Day 11
Tour of the Heraklion Museum and Knossos Palace
Day 12
Seminar: ‘Theseos, Ariadne and the Minotaur’; Tour of Phaistos
Day 13
Seminar: ‘Ancient Greek Architecture and a Roman Period City’
Tour of Gortyna, Roman City
Day 14
Rest Day and optional winery tour
Day 15
Rest Day
Day 16
Gournia and the famous Olive Tree at Azoria
Day 17
Malia and Diktaion Cave (the “birthplace” of Zeus!)
Day 18
Seminars:‘Ancient Greek Ideals’ and ‘The Athenian Acropolis’
Day 19
Fly from Heraklion to Athens and settle in
Day 20
Tour of the Acropolis, Parthenon Museum, and Agora
Day 21
Tour of the Plaka; Final Dinner
Day 22
Rest Day
Day 23
Fly Home
Inclusive Packages
Package costs include program overheads, accommodation, airfare between Athens and Crete, minibus rental, tourist guides, educational materials and activities, and admissions to cultural sites and events. Participants must arrange their own air travel to Athens and travel insurance, including medical. Food is not included, but accommodation is in apartments or suites with kitchens, so that food costs are minimal.
Program Fee: $5,495 CAD
(double occupancy)
Shared Accommodation
(two people sharing a bedroom in an apartment shared with others): included in program fee.
Single Supplement: up to $1000, TBD