Greetings from beautiful Greece! My name is James W. Carras and I’m from Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I, along with two other writers, will cover this once in a lifetime experience, the 2009 Hellenic Dance Festival Odyssey Trip, as we travel across the vast mainland of Greece over the next two weeks.

Departing from airports across the eastern coast of America, 38 young dancers arrived safely in the Athens Airport, some arriving several days in advance. As we were received by His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta and the HDF Executive Committee members, a sense of excitement spread throughout us. I was elated to see some of my old friends, and I remain excited to form new friendships.

After our brief meeting, we boarded our bus, which would take us to our first destination, the Ecclesiastico Center in Voula. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the kind staff at the center that served us a delicious and filling meal of Horiatiki salata (Greek salad), pastitsio (Greek lasagna), and ripe cherries. Nourished by the food, some participants took a walk down to the beach, a mere four minutes away. Others played soccer, attempted to catch up on sleep, or like this journalist, began chronicling the trip thus far. I probably should have taken a nap yet when in Greece, why waste time?

Although, we were filled to the brim with food, and tired from a long trip, it was time to get down to work. We rehearsed five Thracian dances that are common in the world of Hellenic dancing. Yet our familiarity with the dances instead gave way to exhaustion. Despite our fatigue, it was good to collaborate each individual into the group in order to hone our skills.

Only an hour after our practice we departed the former orphanage for Saint Philothea Church. We venerated her holy relics and also visited the cave where she was held captive by Turkish invaders. His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios explained the adversity she faced and you can hear his message on this Travel Blog page of OCN.  His Eminence also spoke on the importance of democracy, founded right here in Greece.

Remember readers: most of the travelers arrived in Greece today, facing imminent jet lag ahead of them. Nevertheless, our Greek hosts invited us to a special incredible dinner held at a private club in the suburb of Philothea. The vice-mayor of Philothea along with Fr. Timotheos the Proistamenos of St. Philothea Church and one of his four assistants Fr. Anthony, who is the Youth Director of the Archdiocese of Athens, welcomed us to the courtyard where elegant tables, a soft drink bar, and buffet were set up. Once again, let’s just say my description gives no justice to the food we ate. If we hadn’t felt that we were truly in Greece yet, the gargantuan portions of octopus, roasted potatoes, horta (spinach), gyro meat and tzatziki sauce among other items certainly welcomed us, and our stomachs, to the motherland.

The evening concluded with a surprise from the vice-mayor, a special visit from an authentic Hellenic dance group. We watched in admiration of the dances we have grown to love. Ultimately, everyone joined in line, a convergence of the young and old, natives and visitors. On this grand evening, the stage has been set for a fantastic trip throughout the land of our ancestors.

 The following young adults are participants in the 2009 Hellenic Dance Festival Odyssey Trip:

   Zaharoula Katsikis- Saint Nicholas- Wilmington, North Carolina

   Lea Wadsworth- Saint Nektarios- Charlotte, North Carolina

   Elenie Louvaris- Saint Demetrios- Fort Lauderdale, Florida

   JW Merkel- Saint Demetrios- Fort Lauderdale, Florida

   Michael Valverde- Saint Demetrios- Fort Lauderdale, Florida

   James W Carras- Saint Demetrios- Fort Lauderdale, Florida

   Stephanos Alichos- Saint George- Hollywood, Florida

   Anna Shoji- Holy Transfiguration- Marietta, Georgia

   Hali Wells- Holy Trinity- Charleston, South Carolina

   Victoria Anthony- Holy Trinity- Charleston, South Carolina

   Alexia Zecopoulos- Holy Trinity- Charleston, South Carolina

   Paulina Kordonis- Holy Trinity- Charleston, South Carolina

   Brittany Crossetti- Holy Trinity- Charleston, South Carolina

   Nick Samios- Holy Trinity- Charlestion, South Carolina

   Stavros Karagiorgis- Annunciation- Winston-Salem, North Carolina

   Anna Asprogiannis- Annunciation- Winston-Salem, North Carolina

   Niko Haralambous- Holy Trinity- Charlotte, North Carolina

   Sarantos Kaperonis- Holy Trinity- Charlotte, North Carolina

   Charlie Kleto- Holy Trinity- Charlotte, North Carolina

   Eleni Davino-Holy Trinity- Columbia, South Carolina  

  Alayna Dunkerly-Holy Trinity- Columbia, South Carolina 

  Chris Pourlos-St. George's Cathedral, Greenville, South Carolina

  Aristotelis Nayfa-St. Nicholas, Spartansburg, South Carolina

  Alexa Triantis, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Charlotte, NC

 Make certain you come back again to see the rest of this unbelievable Odyssey to Greece!   

Comments (8)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Email

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment Preview