Written by Χαίρετε! Salve! Greetings! Happy End of Academic Year!
Firstly – Many Congratulations to Kerry (and Gerard) ………. who surprised us all during their recent visit to Santorini!
TRIP FEEDBACK AND FORWARD PLANNING – all gleaned from Group Leaders, Agents and personal experience of HST Staff on Recces. We don’t necessarily condone, but we must be as Caesar’s wife……….
General
i – Please remember isometric testing is being introduced at all EU border controls. We have thus included extra time on landing before exiting airports to coaches.
ii – Standards of Official Guides vary between destinations. From our experience those in Spain are brilliant, Provence – good, Greece – mixed, Italy – difficult. The best of course is YOU!
iii – Coaches.
*We always try to allocate the largest coaches, but this is not always possible.
*Please remember to cost in Driver Tips of €30 per day (especially in Greece as we use family firms, not a pool) as not to do so may have a detrimental effect on following groups.
*Few coaches have working toilets because there needs to be a special ‘depot’ for unloading waste…………not all villages have it (real problem in Greece) and where it is available it costs extra – hence frequent stops at service stations.
*Requesting extra sick bags will cost too – take more yourself! Compliments to those GLs who DID take their own (plus wet wipes), most don’t!
iv – Airport Security is intensifying so don’t dawdle. There is often now a 2ndpassport/security check. One GL mentioned their under 14yrs were processed separately – so please speak to officials as they will assist.
v – Packed lunches are expensive and continue to receive mixed reviews. Please request only as a last resort and be aware you will need to still supplement with snacks.
Gluten free bread is especially difficult in Greek villages.
vi – Lunch bookings
*Groups over 40 pax need to be allocated 1.5 hours instead of 1 hour
*Groups over 25 pax need pre bookings (with additional booking fee)
*Please DO NOT make your own packed lunches from the Buffet Breakfast………it’s only going to increase Hotel costs in the long run!
vii – Breakfast – most hotels are struggling to serve breakfast before 0700hrs as they don’t have the staff to accommodate. Any earlier breakfast requests may well be added as a packed breakfast from quote stage.
viii – Be realistic and strict about Diets and don’t leave adding to API sheet until last minute. Obviously medical and religious requirements will be honoured and we know parents can be difficult but we can’t in all conscience request spelt porridge with organic bananas and almond milk yoghurt as a necessity.
ix – Please don’t allow pupils to order takeaway food into Hotel rooms. Hotels aren’t impressed and of course there is a HUGE safeguarding issue!
x – pre Covid we were aware of a few Hotels charging for water, but only this year have we seen it again, in both Greece and Italy. There’s a huge difference between ‘advising’ clients to use bottled water and insisting! Some hotel desalination process means that water is drinkable but has a funny after taste; thus we recommend either taking your own bottled water (yes, even to breakfast) or building in an extra charge of €1,50 x 500ml bottle
xi – PLEASE quintuple check names on APIS (no abbreviations). We shouldn’t let things slip our end either but do impress the urgency upon any clerical staff who may be assisting you. Not only will it affect Airlines but now, increasingly, also Site and Museum entrance documentation.
xii – Don’t be too PC re informing us of sexual assignment/identification. We NEED to know for sharing/single room/correct name /boarding pass etc.
xiii – Speed of return of Booking Form and Deposit or at least Remittance Advice is hugely important as Flights increase in price so swiftly. Do emphasise with those concerned in Bursary or Admin.
xiv – We do have an Emergency Educational Exigency Fund for those struggling financially and try to top up for future use, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult without dropping standards. However, thank you to those of you who acknowledge our efforts!
“Let me pass on thanks from everyone here involved in organising this trip. The SMT was similarly shocked at the rise in flight prices and similarly grateful for everything you and Hellene have done. (On a side note, lesson learned, best next time to fly on more flexible dates. I’ve also found out that I can float flight deposits and recoup the money from parents later – but that’s all for next time.)”
xv – “We did have a very nasty sprained ankle – I went straight to a pharmacy for advice and we sent the boy to a hospital, once he’d gone back to the hotel to pick up passport and EHIC. I suppose it might be worth advising other groups about this? In a serious incident, one would need the documentation immediately. There’s a tricky balancing act there between having things to hand and not risking losing them.”
xvi – British school groups very, very rarely create trouble or damage as Group Leaders are invariably exemplary managers student’s well-disciplined and quiet.
As a result the Greek Hotels with which we cooperate don’t request a damage deposit from us in advance. I wish Italian Hotels would be as trusting!
However, we suggest Teachers ask pupils to check rooms and also Coaches for damage before settling down, reporting it to Teachers and taking photographs if necessary…………. just to avoid any possible misunderstanding! Also, it’s worth checking balconies from outside. Not everything can be heard from corridor patrol!
xvii – Please remember we can tailor itineraries to be less packed! Rome especially is a fast-paced itinerary with +14km of walking each day, BUT we can alter to make it more manageable if you think it too much. Some schools revel in excessively high step count but others suffer.
xviii – Gill Greef has sadly noted that her booklet orders are declining. I do hope it’s because newer teachers are unaware of her exemplary offerings! Do check them out, it will save you a heck of a lot of time in preparing resources!
xix – Apologies, but………… we do not promote Ryan Air as a means of air travel as their customer service and reliability has been extremely poor in the experience of our clients. If you prefer to fly Ryan Air, in events of cancellations or disruption, it could be solely your responsibility as we may not be able to assist much in these events. Should you wish to discuss this further please let us know.
Greece
i – We are now including in overall costs the entrance fees for Akropolis and Theatre of Dionysus as they have now introduced pre-set entrance times.
ii – GLUTEN free bread is still difficult in Greece countryside
iii – Halal & Kosher students will be better opting for fish and vegetarian
iv – Olympia hotels persist in insisting upon Climate offset fee/City Tax to be paid in cash
v – We now work with various Tavernas in Delphi and although venues may change at the last minute our Agents will always confirm on arrival to Greece
vi – One GL has recommended Hellas Revival for additional activities in Athens, check them out!
vii – Another GL recommended Blanos bowling alley in Glyfada as a perfect addition to an itinerary “It’s a perfect size for a school group, and the boys adored it as a reward for some putative good behaviour … Will definitely work it in next time.”
Italy
i – Don’t forget 2025 is the Rome Jubilee so if planning a 2025 Trip do get in touch asap as hotel space is running out!
ii – *Colosseo and Forum/Palatine Tickets have altered suppliers. The Colosseo standard ticket price for our groups will remain the same however the booking fee will increase by €1 as now all tickets will have to be named and is likely that at the start most officials will check passport against ticket for each student, so please allow a little more time for the visit.
*Ensure all names are correct as on passports. Tickets MUST be named!
* Colosseo underground/hypogeum access is now only available when purchasing individual tickets as groups must be less than 6 and with an official guide.
iii – Domus Aurea remains very difficult to book with average only 2 slots AM and PM for groups in English and max 23 pax
iv – Ostia café remains closed, thus it is advisable to prebook restaurant or buy snack lunch on arrival to airport if visiting on arrival day
v – Most Italian Guardians are sticking to non-EU rules, but sadly not all “When we got to Paestum the member of staff in the museum argued that our students weren’t eligible for free entry because we are no longer in the EU. We pointed out that there had been no issue in Herculaneum, but she took a lot of talking around. She claimed that staff at the other sites weren’t following the rules.”
vi – Further Italian restrictions to be implemented in Venice
vii – *Traffic has been an issue in and around Sorrento and is only going to get worse; thus, we are adding an extra 30 mins to all our current times.
*It will intensify with plans to dig up half of the coach park to install a pedestrian subway! We have added at least 15 mins in the morning for the group to reach the coach + a Porterage charge (Flora charges €6,50 per case = €13.00 extra pp) The coach is now only stopping at the car park regardless of time of the day …
*Coaches in Hotels in Sant Agnello park in coach park so schools have to walk with cases..
viii – The price of Rome’s bus, tram and subway tickets is set to rise this summer, from €1.50 to €2, according to Italian media reports
ix – Syracuse 3D has definitively closed
x – We do try our best with entrance fee info but can’t second guess online inconsistencies! We’d rather trust our Agents –
EG: From ParcoColosseo “We constantly monitor over 60 places on Google Maps but unfortunately sometimes we undergo automatic updates. At least once a week the Domus Aurea turns up temporarily closed”
xi – Huge advice from one Teacher – thanks so much!
“Last year, I had confirmation from the Italian Embassy that Visas weren’t required for non-uk passports provided students on a school trip had a Residency Permit. The letter from the Embassy was invaluable as there were queries every time we went through Passport Control and my letter seemed to allay their concerns. I have just had a parent suggest that visa requirements are changing some time in 2024.”
Of course we will update everyone!
xi – Italian Hotel Taxes – we do our best, but they appear to be in constant flux!
OUT and ABOUT – Blogs and Suggestions
i – Athens Fam Trip Blog. We sent the Team off to Athens to meet with Agents, familiarise themselves with Hotels and Tavernas and generally reacquaint themselves with Greek and Roman Sites and Museums. Read how they fared – Attachment A
ii – Sorrento Blogs from Anna (10yrs) – Attachment B and Teddy Harrison (8yrs) – Attachment C, sharing their experiences and extoling the benefits of having a Classicist Daddy!
iii – Claudia nipped over to Rome and Castelli Romani for a long weekend to meet Agents and recce new Hotels (Twitter Link); no Blog but lots of extra info and updates (already mentioned)
WHAT ELSE HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN THE CLASSICAL WORLD?
Last time we concentrated on Greece, Italy and UK. This time it’s centre stage for
CROATIA, ALBANIA, SCANDANAVIA, BALKANS, POLAND, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, BLACK SEA and beyond – Appendix D
SWITZERLAND, GERMANY/AUSTRIA, FRANCE, SPAIN – Appendix E
TURKEY, EGYPT, ISRAEL, IRAN, IRAQ, LIBYA – Appendix F
BSA July e-bulletin – Professor Sir Roderick Beaton / Thanks to Nick and Denise / A screening in the garden / The King’s Birthday Party 2024 / A special night in London: Finding Buried Stories / Professor Sir John Boardman 1927-2024 / British Academy Summer Showcase / July Events
LECTURES and Courses for interested pupils or should you care to take an occasional passive role
i – Anniversary Battle of Chaeronea Lecture (the lecture starts around 12.30 into the video).
ii – Upcoming courses for Autumn already advertised on HM Classics Academy (highlights include ‘Monsters in Greek Mythology’; ‘The Legacy of Classical Mythology in Christian Europe’; ‘The Later Roman Empire’)
iii – Kerry will be running an intensive online Ancient Greek course, from beginners to intermediate level (2 hours a week, probably Thursday evenings; Autumn to May) using John Taylor’s Greek to GCSE course – which should be advertised soon on HM Classics Academy.
End of Term Activity Suggestions
Herewith a few practical ideas to keep the troops amused as the clock winds down………. although SMT may not approve of some!
(Image credit: Andreas Flouris / Marija Marković)
AND
The team concluded: “Taken together, these experimental results indicate that the Dendra armour was compatible with use in the type of combat described by Homer in the Iliad.”
AND
ii – Epigraphic baking: Oscan – It’s All Greek To Me: the most recent addition to my now very long-running series of ‘It’s all Greek to me, cake baking’ a cake version of a British Museum stele written not in Latin, but in a closely-related language called Oscan.
AND
A 13-Year-Old Built Archimedes’ Mythical Death Ray—and It May Actually Work
(public domain)
iv – A possible purchase for the Classroom?
The calendar for the new year (4th year of the 700th Olympiad, according to the Attic calendar) is ready by the LAVRYS Worship community and can be sent to anyone interested in getting it and/or supporting the work of LAVRYS.
Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/LabrysCommunity
OR
http://www.labrys.gr/en/index.html
FINALLY – Congratulations to those of you already with your feet up – to those with yet a few miles to crawl – fortitude!
Have a good rest if you can and Good Luck with Examination Results!
Very Best Wishes,
The Hellene Team
Sarah, John, Claudia, James, Kerry, Nidhi and Vishal
