Day 6 - Samos - Beautiful Island, Beautiful Day

The day was spent on our beautiful island home of Samos. This island is rich with history, and it’s impact is still felt throughout the world.

Pythagoras is from this island. His understanding of the world and his mathematical formula are a significant part of how we see and engage the world.
Aristarchus is also from the island. He is a lesser known mathematician and astronomer. He was the first to postulate that the sun was the center of the universe and not the earth. He was also the first to plot the planets in their correct order based on their distance from the sun. He lived in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE.
Samos also has the largest Temple of Hera in the Greek world. It was one of the largest temples ever constructed.
Samos once boasted the largest navy in the ancient world.

We had the opportunity to tour the tunnel built in the 6th century BCE which was designed to bring water from one side of the island to the other. It is a magnificent engineering feat to dig from both sides of the mountain simultaneously and meet in the middle. They were only off from being perfectly aligned by 3 cm in height. It took over ten years to construct.

We then took inthe beauty and mystery of the Panagia Spiliani Monastery and Church located on the mountains of Samos. One of the sanctuaries of this monastery is found in an ancient cave which became known as the Cave of the Nymphs in Roman times.

After a quick visit of the fantastic Museum of Pythagorio we had an amazing gyro lunch at the greatest gyro stand in the world, Robinson’s.

The students had the afternoon to relax and swim in the pool. They are an amazing group. It is an honor and privilege to be with them. We are looking forward to what is next!