• The Arete West Story
  • Introduction
  • Curriculum
    • Prague
    • Switzerland
    • Florence
    • Greece
    • Turkey
  • Trips
    • 2017
    • 2015
    • 2013
    • 2011
    • 2009
    • 2007
    • 2005
    • 2003
    • 2001
    • 1999
    • 1997
    • 1995
    • 1993
    • 1991
    • 1989
    • 1987
    • 1985
    • 1983
    • 1981
    • 1979
  • Essays
    • Jane Elliot
    • Maya Normandie
    • Tracy Durnell
    • Callie Anderson
    • Jenny Marshall
    • Emma Fazio
    • Jason Kintzel
    • Christina Teply
    • Tim Adams
    • Ingrid Johnson
    • Rich Murphy
    • Ann Glenn
    • Andrew Hagen
    • Becca Novak
    • Kirsten Richardson
    • Denise Belanger
    • Dory Weston
    • Robin Pendoley
    • Parker Sims
    • Amy Glenn
    • Jen Ponig
    • Jenny LaPlante
  • Facebook
  • Books
    • Arete West Story
    • Igniting The Flame
    • Athenian Odyssey
  • Drake Track
AreteWest
Jana Zmeck, Ben Pope, Katelynn Calvelli, Becca Novak, Caitlin Lacey, 
 Jack Lagomarsino,  Adrian Emery, & Robin Durnell on the Nietzsche trail above Sils Maria

2005 - Trip Highlights

  • suspense as we landed in Beirut
  • Arete veteran, Jen Ponig, was waiting for us in front of the hotel
  • we would be sleeping for a week about 150 meters from the crater where the prime minister and 20 others were blown up earlier in the year
  • archaeological museum in Beirut
  • supreme seminar on Islam
  • dinner in new town
  • morning runs by the sea
  • drive down the beautiful coast to ancient Sidon and Tyre
  • a look out across the Mediterranean sea toward Carthage where the Phoenicians sailed some 3000 years before
  • Tyre and the street with the banners of the martyrs
  • columns of Rome reaching out toward the beautiful blue sea
  • the singing from the Koran over the city
  • a swim out and over the ancient city
  • a small grove of cedar trees high in the mountains
  • the art and verse of “The Prophet”
  • party over the lights of Beirut
  • thank you, Jen Ponig
  • 3:30 a.m. flight to Athens
  • ancient Marathon by dawn
  • “move the damn sign, Katelyn”
  • first up on the Acropolis in the morning
  • a lengthy and fun game of charades in the Arete meadow
  • a relay race for fun in the ancient stadium the next morning; Katelyn ran two legs
  • Olympia and the climb up to the Arete hill over the ancient track
  • the island of Odysseus, the cove of Athena and Telemachus
  • the early morning run up and through village and down to the beach
  • sleeping on deck of ship to Bari, then train to Rome
  • ancient forum too hot by day, remembering Bruno by night
  • the metro to Sistine Chapel
  • why don’t these ATM cards work?
  • what happened to Becca’s?
  • flight to Tunis and North Africa
  • ancient Carthage
  • playful time in the amphitheatre
  • what did those young policemen want?
  • the Sahara and the forever sunset setting
  • flight delay, different airline, then the race through thick traffic to Florence
  • “Mr. Taylor, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Taylor, please, please; Mr. Taylor…….”
  • the villa at close to 11:00 p.m.
  • David
  • Dante and the little chapel
  • crisp air on another beautiful morning for the Nietzsche walk
  • lots of fun in the Matterhorn camp ground
  • you won’t make it up, Jack
  • the trail below the Matterhorn above Zermatt, then a surprising winner of the hike down the road and back to the camp ground
  • Zurich and the cathedral; numinous encounter for some
  • the lake with sausages and swans
  • Verdun and the immense field of death with white crosses
  • brilliant white clouds up against a blue sky
  • staying in Freud’s hotel of 1885-86
  • Sartre’s grave and “No Exit” was early on “No Entrance”
  • the museums in Paris
  • where’s Adrian?
  • traditional avocado and peanut butter on rolls in Tuilleries
  • a birthday dinner in a popular French neighborhood
  • the final meal on the Seine
  • the wonderful memories by word and feelings
Picture
Strangely, Arete 2005 was the first group to stop near the village of Plataea in Greece, look out across the battlefield where the Greek and Persian war ended in 479 B.C. Many brief stops at nearby Thebes had taken place, but not the simple drive over to this view of history (e.g., not too much of the ancient ruins left, no tourist buses, just a quiet, refreshing morning alone with time).
Picture
Arete approaches the Parthenon in Athens once again in 2005. There have been eleven such dramatic moments in our history
Picture
One of the more rewarding conversations on Arete trips took place with this view from a petitie Roman theatre at Byblos, Lebanon. The Arete 2005 youth each told of what they deeply appreciated about language while we looked out over the blue Mediterranean sea
Picture
the youngest Arete travel team met up with evidence of the French in Lebanon at the beginning of the trip, then celebrated its conclusion in Paris
Picture

Arete seeks that which is suspenseful and tells of history.  The Syrian border is just over the ridge.  We were in Lebanon, at the enormous Roman ruins in Baalbec in 2005.

Picture

The Swiss peaks usually reward us at the end of the trips with their beauty.  This Arete 2005 lad is likely reflecting on a trip that began in Lebanon, then included Turkey, Greece, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.  But there was still Paris ahead.  He had a considerable amount to write about in his journal.

Picture

Robin of Arete 2005 stasnds alongside mighty Roman ruins at at Baalbeck, Lebanon.  Syria is on the other side of the ridge, the town sometimes the target of Israeli jets.  Pulsating history!

Picture

The playfulness of the teenagers brings enjoyment throughout the trips.  Here three of the girls on the  2005 trip enjoy imitating a statue in the Louvre in Paris

Picture

Constantine arch leading to forum along sacred way in Rome.  Caitlin, who spent a year in Thailand on a Fulbright after college, was ready for a rest in the shade on a hot day in 2005

Picture

A good number of our trips to Turkey have presented this view of the sun setting over the beaches of Gallipoli.  Alexander "the great"  crossed the Hellespont on his fateful journey in the 4th century, B.C. and Xerxes of Persia managed a floating bridge to move his immense army across in the 5th century, B.C.  Arete has crossed many times on a car ferry.  A number of the Arete trips would want to claim this photo which was taken from our outdoor restaurant of the hotel where we have enjoyed our evening meal.

Picture

In 2005 we experienced on the edge of the Sahara in Tunisia, with the Algerian border just a few miles up the road, this rare closing of an Arete day

Picture

We stayed at a plush hotel on the edge of the Sahara in Tunisia.  A special price was arranged due to our athletic affiliations.  With a map spread out across the table, we were involved in one of the many trip seminars


Picture

Caitlin and Becka of Arete 2005 look out across Byblos in Lebanon to the Mediterranean sea

Picture

    The building around our hotel in Beirut, Lebanon, revealed the scars of civil war

   
see below ---

easy to tell the older half miler by the "stride"

location is our Arete track at San Moritz, Switzerland

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.