Day 5 - Learning our Three R;s

Today was the day of our service project at Archelon Project where they rescue injured and sick turtles throughout this region.  Most of the turtles are loggerheads, but they do take in all kinds.  The students all learned the 3 R's of this organization - Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release and the things they can do to make a difference.

After learning about the turtles and the hazards they face from the time they are hatched - if they get that far - we were able to help the sanctuary out by pulling weeds, watering plants, cleaning tanks and even a few were able to clean a turtle.  Most of the kids had a great time and were inspired to make a difference and knowing even the smallest effort, like not carelessly disposing of plastic bags and bottles, make a huge difference in the health of the environment around them.

The Center was grateful for the towel donation as they go through many towels taking care of the turtles and it was an unexpected surprise for them.

After we left the Center, we made our way to a loving home of a local family who hosted us for lunch.  They were more than gracious in opening their home to us.  The food they prepared was amazing and good conversation was had between the students and they young adults of the family - along with the mom and dad.

After lunch we made our way to Epidarus Theatre.  The students were able to experience the fantastic acoustics of this architectural wonder.  The theatre started to be built in 400 BC and had a second tier of seats built 3rd century BC and then a landslide covered the entire area, including the theatre until it was rediscovered 15 centuries later by accident in 1922.  The entire theatre is built from marble originally seating 16,000 and now because of broken seats and because people are bigger now, it only seats 10,500.  The students were impressed with this ancient structure.

Back on the bus, we headed towards of hotel for the night at Kalamaki Beach and along the way we stopped at the Isthsmus Canal.  Most students ventured over the bridge to a photo shoot and then back on the bus to finish our journey for the day.

Once at the hotel, they were able to enjoy dinner and some volleyball or a walk on the beach before bed for our final night in Greece.