The start of October saw the inaugural UQ Alumni overseas tour of Greece. While such alumni tours are relatively common in the US, the trip represented UQ’s first attempt at offering a similar international travel experience for its alumni.
The advantages for the university in offering such travel opportunities are manifold. It helps to reinforce connections with alumni. It allows the university to showcase its expertise by providing university staff to add academic enrichment to the tour. Also, it provides an opportunity to engage with non-Australia based alumni. Participants on the tour were an international group based in a number of countries. They were also drawn from all age groups, from UQ HDRs in the twenties through to more senior retired members. Notable participants included HPI’s Head of School, Lisa Featherstone and her father.
HPI’s Paul Eliadis Professor of Classics and Ancient History, Alastair Blanshard along with a number of local guides provided the intellectual content on the tour. Over the course of 8 days, the group visited the ‘greatest hits’ of mainland Greece. Starting in Athens, the group then travelled to the northern Peloponnese taking in the sites of Mycenae, Epidauros, and Olympia. They then crossed the Gulf of Corinth to finish the tour with visits to the oracular site of Delphi and the spectacular rock-perched monasteries of Meteora. These archaeology-focussed site-visits were supplemented by a programme of agri-tourism activities including a visit to an olive oil factory and an opportunity to learn about honey production from local beekeepers. One of the many highlights was the opportunity to run on the ancient racetrack at Olympia. For a few glorious moments, participants were able to experience what it might have been like to be an Olympic athlete.
Following the success of this tour, others are planned for the future. If anybody has an idea for a tour or would be interested in being involved in one, contact Alastair for further information.
