The opportunity to hike Mt. Olympus, the highest peak in Greece, one of great mythological importance and home to the throne of Zeus is one of the many enriching privileges CYA students get to enjoy as part of their study abroad experience in Greece.

Our fall semester students recently embarked on such a trek ascending the iconic mountain to Skala, a summit just beneath the shadow of Mytikas the highest peak rising 2,197m from the Aegean Sea.

The challenge of navigating the mountain’s gorges, treading in the footsteps of the pagan gods, is a journey not only designed to test students’ physical ability but also to help them determine their mental strengths and weaknesses, endurance and capacity to encounter and master a completely new, challenging environment.

Like all my fellow CYAers who participated in this excursion, I too appreciated having the opportunity to unleash my inner mountain-climber and conquer the terrain of Mount Olympus. It was a profound, once-in-a-lifetime experience that we all value both collectively as well as personally. To summit up, Mount Olympus was spectacular! Theodora (Theo) Karplus, CYA Fall ’21.

Experiences such as these, whereby students achieve such a feat alongside their peers, fosters support, creates incredible bonds and develops priceless skills that continue to guide students throughout the rest of their CYA learning experience abroad in Greece. Theo Karplus, one of our Fall ’21 semester students and Media Lab Intern, has written a wonderful article about her Mt. Olympus experience on the CYA Blog. Enjoy it!