Day 7 - Ancient City of Corinth

 Welcome back to your new favorite travel blog. Joey and Ramiah are here!

We had a travel day today where we went to Corinth in the morning and Nafplio for lunch with a lot of fun journeys in and between!

On the bus ride to Corinth, we were given a reading about what determines a good life, exploring the perspectives of Aristotle, Buddha, and Paul. They explored the good life as having the means to do what one finds worthwhile, finding spiritual inner peace, or the conjoined upbringing and fulfillment of all. As we traveled and read, we passed by the Corinth Canal that separates the Peloponnese (the large tip of Greece) from the mainland. We stopped to appreciate the view and marvel at the crystal blue waters and the feat it was to create the canal.

From there we went to Corinth, which was an economic center in the Greek and Roman times known for being a port city and a place where people passed by and came together. Irene took the time to show us the temple of Apollo and the map of the ancient city of Corinth where people once lived, worked in the markets, and where leaders spoke on platforms. One of these main figures that we discussed was Paul, who stayed in the city for about 18 months, which is the place where he stayed the longest. He spent his time here as a tentmaker, where he initially spoke to the Jews but upon being rejected dedicated his journey to speaking to the Gentiles, or the non-Jewish population. Once he left he then wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians to the people he met there. A passage that stood out to Rolyn, one of our leaders on the trip, the last time she was here was 1 Corinthians 13, talking about agape love, or unconditional love. We were given time to reflect and sit or move on this notion of agape and what that means to us, what does Corinth mean to us? This was great personal time for both of us, and others, to reflect on our faith while many reflected on the beauty and concept that people lived, walked, and philosophized here. Overall we were all taken aback by the historical-ness of Corinth being next to the modern-day society in and around it.

Coming back together we then traveled to the beautiful seaside town of Nafplio for lunch. This was a shift from Athens and Corinth for many of us as we were met with vibrant buildings and lovely streets as we walked around the town. We broke off to different restaurants in smaller groups where we continued to have great conversations and slow down to enjoy each other's company with the amazing view in front of us. One treat was the famous gelato shop (according to John), Antica Gelateria di Roma, where we were greeted with open arms by the owner and many of us tasted the wonders of their delicious treats (bias, what bias).

From there we made our way back to Athens where we took time to reflect and write about our day on the ride back. Once back at the hotel we gathered as a group on the patio and had our end of the day debrief. Rolyn led us through talking about what is a good life from the reading, digging deeper into agape love, the connection of personal faiths, and learning to live a good life by the decisions and choices we make.

For me (hi, Joey here!) today was an amazing day diving into the gravity of Corinth, imagining it when it was living and breathing, and thinking about Paul’s points on agape. Unconditional love connects deeply to family for me and the people we hold dear and choose to hold dear. It was amazing to spend time thinking about the people's lives; Rolyn and John and many more who have spoken into my life through the good and the bad, and how I can do the same. Nafplio helped me answer what is a good life in a cool juxtaposition to Corinth, where one was showcasing how a place and a movement breathed and began the other showed the beauty and memories of people living and breathing their lives where we were able to stop and smile with them, if only for a moment. The conversations and lessons from today have been some of my favorite so far spanning from beauty to faith to hope to joy.

For me (Ramiah), today was a day of peace, love, and awe. Going to the place of Corinth where I have read and heard the stories was so surreal to me. It brought emotions I did not know I would feel. The beauty, and the heavyness of the history there I will not forget. My faith is something that is a part of me that I feel constantly growing while I spend my time reflecting and learning what I want my good life to be. Overall I really enjoyed spending time in Corinth as well as the beautiful city of Nafplio with its bright colors and calming waters.

We are so excited for what’s yet to come and are so thankful for you guys following along with us!

~ Joey and Ramiah