Swimming Success!

Kyle Bouwer from 5N participated in the 2012 eastern Province A-Regional Swimming Championships last weekend with some fantastic results. Here they are: 1) 1St Place for 200m Freestyle (National Qualifying Time) 2) 2nd Place for 200m Boys 9-10 Freestyle Relay 3) 2nd Place for 200m Boys 9-10 Medley Relay 4) 3rd Place for 100m Freestyle (National Qualifying Time) 5) 3rd Place for 50m Freestyle (National Qualifying Time) 6) 3rd Place for 100m Backstroke (National Qualifying Time) 7) 5th Place for 50m Backstroke (National Qualifying Time) 8) 8th Place for 100m Breaststroke 9) 9th Place for 50m Breaststroke (National Consideration Time) (this means that they will let him swim if there is an open lane) 10) 6th Place for 9-10 Boys 2012 Eastern Province A-Regional Swimming Championships (Podium). Our heartiest congratulations to Kyle and we wish him the best in his upcoming competition.

Well done Kyle, but also well done to all the other BISAK swimmers that competed and swam their little hearts out making all the lasers coaches very proud indeed. Sadie Gordon, Megan Lubbe, Rifqi Sambodo, Loulya Mekkawy, Adam Mekkawy, Nour, Hassan and Ibrahim Sadek, Farah and Marium Kiwan, Nada Al Shaer and year 5's Kirsty Young and Emma Harries. Well Done to you all.

Ancient Greece comes to BISAK

Budding thespians from 5N performed their class assembly based on a script written by Deniz and Kareem. The well received performance was based on the Ancient Greeks and Aesop’s Fables, giving an overview of family and school life. “They were like Hollywood actors”, enthused one parent to a proud Ms Naidoo.

Persuasive writing

Year 5 are currently looking at persuasive writing in their English lessons.  Use this activity to see just how persuasive you can be.

Greece Trip - Children's Recollections

Dear Greece,

Thank you for letting us visit you, we had a wonderfull time! you are a very mountinous country, you have HUGE theaters and a wonderful landscape! the hotel you let us stay in,(in Athens) was fine the worst part was the STAIRS!! The stairs where very tiering! The rooms where cozy, the hotel you let us stay in (in tolon) was also cozy but the rooms where small compaired to the hotel in Athens. the television was puny! The beach you envited us to was freezing but REALLY fun! I had a lot of fun being tosted,dunked and baried in the sand! You are very Historical! you have lots of reuns from when you were young.the most disturbing thing about your people in my opinuen was that where every I go there are so many people smocking!
Your ancient people where very artistic and creative! I loved your pots, statues and your buildings! I really enjoyed staying in you and I hope you will welcome me again! 

Hala 5S ( Mr.Suters class) 

P.S: Thank you for letting me bye so many suvanires!! :)

My favourite part of the Greece trip was when we went swimming in the beach in Tolon. The reason why was because it was the first time I swam this year and was the first time I swam in another sea than the red sea. The beach in general was a little rocky close to the water and further in it became soft sand under our feet.
The water was very cold, we were all hesitant to go in. the first time I tried to go in I felt that the water was so cold that I immediately jumped out, the second time I managed to go a little deeper but when I reached the waist high water, I walked out again. My third try I got past waist deep and I jumped all in and managed to swim further.

We had so much fun playing around splashing water at each other (especially the teachers) at one point I managed to swallow some sea water, Yuk!!!!! 

Mr. Suter and Mr. Whitaker were picking us up and giving us a dunk in the water, while Mrs. Thomas was enjoying her swim. After the swimming we played on the beach building sandcastles and then enjoying destroying them as giant monsters.

I hope I can do it again some other time with my family!!!!!!

Adam 5S

In the morning we had to wake up early and go the airport (doesn't really make much diffrence than waking up and going to school) .I shared a room with my best friends Umnia and Martina we were in Mr.Whitaker's group with Amin, Humza and Andy that's when Mr.Whitaker started calling his group Whitaker's Worst Nightmares !

When we got to the hotel Mr.Suter gave us our room keys and we unpacked our suitcases , the most thing I hated about the hotel is when you go up the stairs it feels like your climbing Mountain Olympus ! We had dinnerthen we went to sleep. On day 2 we went on the cruise to 3 islands Hydra, Poros , Aegina . Hydra was our first stop , there was no cars allowed in that island ! When Mr.Suter lost his hat in the water while taking a group picture of us ! the next island wa Poros we saw the beach there and we had a compition on who will throw the rocks the furthest , the last and biggest island was Aegina we did alot of shoppinng there .On day 3 we went to the Ancient Greek Museum (I have no idea what's it name) it was really boring we also had to fill up alot of our Greek Booklets in there . Day 4 : We went to Tolon it was very cold there and our hotel rooms were super tiny ! On the last day of March we went to the theatre it was HUGE Ms.Thomas made us do a play I was on the evil side when we attacked the other group who were singing happy birthday in Arabic , then we headed to the Archaeological Museum I liked the Archaeological Museum more than the other one the Archaeological Museum had more interesting things to see . And on the last day we went to the airport then to Doha then to Dammam I was so happy to see my mom I couldn't see dad because he was in Riyadh . In total I find the Greece a really nice experment in my life and big thanks to Mr.Suter , Ms.Thomas Mr.Whitaker and Ms.Naidoo .

Effat 5T

It was the day the Greece trip was going to begin! We woke up early (not much difference than a school day) and sped off to the airport. I was in Ms. Thomas’s group and Ahmed K and I were the only boys in our group along with the girls Sina, Ipek, Vian, Tara and Ms. Thomas. The first hotel we went to live in was Athens Atrium. I shared a room with Ahmed K and to our luck, our room number which was 503, was a residential sweet and what a room it was! Everyone loved it that they were begging us to swap places, but of course we answered, “NO WAY!” and that was day one.

 On day 2, we went on a cruise boat which was called “Kssandras Delminouse”. I liked it because they gave hot chocolate with only three euros. Our first island was Hydra and there were some shopping points. There were also no cars except for one mini truck. On the second island which’s Poros was a beach and we had a competition to see who can do the highest amount of skips with rocks on the water. On Aegina our last island, was the biggest and the island with lots of shopping. On the cruise back to our port, it was so windy that some hats flew on the ground, but Ahmed K’s hat flew. The wind blew so hard that some children were blown back!

 Day3: We are now in the tour bus on our way to the (don’t know name) museum in somewhere.

Day 4 had finally approached and we arrived at Tolon Hotel (which was our destination) by bus but at 6:00. After Dinner with ten minutes, everyone was down stairs with their swimming suits apart from Tony, around 5 girls and Ms. Naidoo. The water of the beach was freezing however, some of us got over with it and got used to it. I was splashing at Ms Thomas and other people (I did it so much that some girls cried!) I was one of the children who swam the furthest! After swimming, we were on the sand building walls and fortresses.

Day 5: we went back to Athens Atrium then to an Archaeological Museum. What I liked about it was that the floor was transparent and you could see historical objects.

Day 6: In the plane, I accidentally sat on gum, my television was not working and the cabin crew would never come and I had to sit next to the same girls but I swapped places with Sina!!! Even though all of that happened, I thought the trip was a good experience because we learn as well as having fun. I am now saying a big thank you to Mr. Whitaker, Ms. Thomas, Ms. Naidoo and especially Mr. Suter for the fabulous trip they presented!!

Ahmed Hassane  5N

The first day we went on a cruise on the Kassandra Delphinos it was great because we travelled to different islands and most of us got to drive the boat for a while. I liked it because we saw the waves splash as we were gaining speed. We were able to buy jewellery on the boat but I didn’t think my family would like any of it. First we went to Hydra where I bought a snow globe and a statue of dolphins which were Poseidon’s animals. We then went to Porous which was the smallest island and really didn’t have anything that good, although I did buy an ionic column. Finally we went to Aegea, the closest island. It was known for growing pistachios even Mr Suter bought some. Then we headed back to Athens.

The best day was April fool’s day on April 1st, 2012. It was the best day because when Humza was still sleeping we pranked him by taking his phone and hid it in Amin’s bag. When we had to pack we all packed with no problem until Humza was looking all over for his phone! We then gave him his phone and shouted “April fools!” Then Humza was not so happy so he took my phone and I could tell it was him. Amin was the luckiest on that day because nobody wanted to prank him from all the people in the rooms.
I am glad I went on this trip because we went to the Acropolis, museum, Parthenon and Theatre of Dionysius. It was also very interesting to learn about Greece’s history. It was nice being with my friends and spending time away from home!!!

Andy 5S

in greece we always have to wake up early i wasnt really expecting that. i shared my room with hala and haruka so we always fought about who took a shower first. i really enjoyed the beach because mr.suter threw us in the water and it was fun splashing at each other also the funniest part is when i was really scared to take my tooth out.

we always used to shop everyday and our tourist (anna) explained to us every single thing we saw and did. finnaly im back home where i want to be.

Tara Bieber 5N

In 27 of March we had to go to the airport at 7:30am destination Athens we reach Athens airport at 6:00pm, then to the hotel. We had to have dinner then go to bed. 

The next day we went to a cruise that took us to three islands called Hydra, Porous and Isingo. Our breakfast was amazing at the hotel (I mostly took pork) and we went on a boat called “Kassandra Deffindra”. We took lots of pictures in the three islands and it was very fun, the weather was very cold at sea, the port we left and returned on was called the Choral port and we went on the 28/3/12.
It got colder and colder after every time we came on the boat after every island we went on. After we visited the third island it got VERY FREEZING then if we went to the front deck we would get blown away! It was so windy Ahmed’s hat flew away into the sea and he could not get it back! We all got a chance to steer the boat and we took several hours to go to each island and a few more hours to get back to the port. The boat was very big and had a mini café in the boat and we went shopping in the islands. 

By: Tony 5N 

March 27 2012 Year 5 left to the airport. We were all so excited to be in the airport and to be leaving to Greece. We arrived in Greece later in the day. A couch took us to the hotel. Our hotel was called Athens Atrium. Mr.Suter then gave us our cards for the rooms. I shared a room with Sumbul and Saira. Mr.Suter told us what time we had to come down for dinner. We came down for dinner. We had Calamari with salad. It was my first time tasting it. It tasted so good. 

On our second day we woke up early in the morning and had to get ready quickly because we had to catch a ferry. We went to three islands Hydra, Porous and Aegina. All the islands were so interesting. We then had lunch in the ferry. In Hydra cars were not allowed but in Porous and Aegina there were cars and motorcycles. We arrived back to Athens at night. I was so tired I slept before Sumbul and Saira.

The third day we went to the archaeological museum in Athens .It had so many interesting statues from ancient Greek times and some had missing pieces.

On our fourth day we went to Tolon and we swam in the Mediterranean Sea. It was so much fun. At night we went to a cafeteria and drank hot chocolate. On the way back to the hotel a stray dog started following us until we arrived to the hotel. 

On our fifth day we went to the acropolis. It was amazing. It was so tiring climbing to the very top .We also went to an acropolis museum. It was very interesting. It had so many weird pictures and the floor was see-through.

On our last day we woke up in the morning and went to the airport we were all so excited to go back home and to see our parents. We also shopped in the Athens airport and Qatar airport. When we arrived in Qatar it was raining and there was thunder and lightning.

All in all it was a wonderful trip. I look forward to go to another school trip in the future. I would like to say thank you to all the teachers that arranged, looked after us and helped us in this trip.

Fay 5S

Day 1: When we arrived on day 1, we went straight to the hotel in Athens. I was sharing a room with Chala and Kirsty. The worst bit about day one was the fire alarm which kept going off every 5 mimutes {literally}. I was unable to sleep and refused to even close my eyes.

Day 2: Kirsty, Chala and I woke up at 6:15am and got dressed. Although we had to wake up at 7:30am,by the time we finished getting dressed it was breakfast time. We went down and had a choice of cereal,sausages,salad and yoghurts. When breakfast was finished our bus arived to take us to the boat. When we got on the boat we all rushed to the top. It boat it was FREEZING !!!! So we all stayed in our long sleeves, as we all set off to the front of the boat to watch the sceneray. Ahmad H's hat got blown away and was lost in the ocean to never be seen again. Mr. Suter replaced it with a new one. At the first island, Hydra, there were no cars. it was only inhabited by donkeys and boats. We went into some shops for a little bit of retail therpy, after which we walked up a slope were we started climbing a tree. It was time to return to the boat which took us to our next island, Poros. The trip was 2 hours long on which there were cars and motorbikes unlike Hydra. After a little more retail therapy we returned to the boat for our final island, Aegina Aegina was more populated than the other two. After our final island we headed back to the boat to return to our hotel. At the hotel we had our dinner and hit our beds.

Day 3: On day 3 we went to the museum were there were loads of things to look at. We stayed there for the day and went back to the hotel for dinner and once again it was bed time after another tiring day.

Day 4: On day 4 we went to the theatre of Athens were we sang happy birthday in Arabic. We got a huge applause even though they did not even know what it meant. After the museum we went to the clay shop were Chala got to make a clay model, as did Arkady.

Day 5: On day 5 we went to the Acropolis in Athens were we saw a lot of dogs,but not so many cats. When that was over we went to the Acropolis museam were the floor was made of glass which meant so we could see everything. After the museum we went back to Athens for the last night.

Day 6: On day six we all went to the airport were we had Macdonalds which was very small and not very filling. After our meal we caught our flight to Doha which took fours. We spent two hours in Doha before our one-hour flight home to Saudi. 

By: Emma 5S

The thing I liked in Greece the most was a cruise. The boat we were sailing on had three decks. On the lowest one you could buy hot chocolate to get warm because it is as windy outside as in mountains.
We had three stops on islands Hydra, Poros and Aegina. I bought one souvenir in each one. The first island Hydra had no cars, no trains and of course no WiFi, which I was looking for. Instead of cars people who live there use donkeys. On the second island called Poros there were cars and everything else. And finally on Aegina there was everything and church and there we have found a nick name for Kareem. It was Ice Kareem. An idea came to teachers when he ate his ice cream and became to look like an ice cream, yes you can laugh now.
I can only tell one thing after all, there were lots of adventures!

By: Arkady 5T

Wow Greece was amazing to me! It was great fun! On the first day when we came to Athens at the hotel we had a short talk and we were told to get ready for dinner. I was sharing a room with Ipek and Sina. We went down and we were allowed to check the blog on the computers in the dining room. The food was great! There was Calamari, Rice, Potato, Fish Fingers and the drink was water. We woke up early the next morning and went down to have breakfast. We had to wake up early to go to a cruise. It was fantastic!! The three islands we visited were Hydra, Porous and Igina, they were beautiful! We went to see the mountains and to know how the people lived.
On Thursday we went to Tolo, it is beautiful there, although it took a long time in the bus to get there! Mr.Suter said that if we had time we could go to the beach and guess what… we did!!! It was so much fun at the beach but the water was freezing so I didn’t really swim, I just put my legs in! We were all followed by dogs which I found a lot in Greece, my mom would hate this. On Friday we headed back to Athens, we stopped at a restaurant and went to the canal, it was 80 meters long!! On Saturday we visited the Acropolis, we saw the temple of Nike and the Parthenon and the Bee Hive Tomb (which was full of bees!). We got back to the hotel and had dinner, we also had the BEST night EVER, and we played games and sang songs and had quizzes that were A LOT of FUN!! It’s the day we left, Sunday. I was really happy to go back home and so were everyone else. Well that was year 5’s Greece trip!

Done by: Vian Rifat 5N

My favourite part of the Greece trip was the last day when we went to the Acropolis Museum which was in Athens on the site of the Acropolis. The thing I liked best about the museum was, the fact that we got to find out everything about the Acropolis and all the temples. It was amazing to hear about what the Greeks did up there, i found it very interesting and Anna our tour guide was very informative. I found it amazing that the Archeologists managed to put the amazing pottery back together.

The whole trip was a great experience!!!

Kirsty 5S

Day 6 – Coming home

“Homeward bound

I wish I was

Homeward bound”

So sang Simon and Garfunkel all those years ago, and that’s exactly what we are today.  Never have a set of suitcases been packed so quickly, and the “what time are we leaving?” questions been asked so often.  We had an effortless transfer to Athens airport this morning, and it was only an officious check in lady that meant it took us nearly half an hour to check all the group in.  Plenty of time for a visit to McDonalds.  McDonalds and loving it – Mr. Suter did try to warn the people in the queue behind him that he had a big order, but when you have to order 25 Happy Meals it takes time.  We’re not sure whether the moniker ‘Happy Meal’ comes from – the staff decidedly were not!

With a slight delay in Athens the was the usual rush for spending – despite repeated warnings that it wasn’t actually necessary to have spent every last penny of their money, the children have been determined to do so.  We’ll be interested to see some of the items that have made their way into your children’s bags! 

It was an uneventful flight until we were approaching Doha, when we discovered that we were flying into a storm.  Cagla was somewhat concerned about the rain, and wondered if all the parents would come to Doha to collect the children as she didn’t think the planes would be able to fly in the wet.  Resilient they were – we were actually struck by lightning as we came in!

With a two hour layover in Doha, again the children had a bit of extra time to go off and explore.  We’re not sure where the money is coming from, but still they managed to come back with bags and bags of stuff.   Andy nearly didn’t – to much consternation, Andy managed to lose his wallet (it had been in his jacket pocket, which was slung over his shoulder!) but luckily for him it was handed in by a honest traveller.

And so there you have it.  We’re at the gate in Doha, the flight is on time and we’ll be back in Dammam in no time at all…

Day 5 - King (Don’t know Name) Someone

Seven thirty this morning seemed to be something of a lie in for the children, but it was still difficult getting them out of bed.  The first thing they all do upon waking up, however, is to go downstairs and check out the blog to check for comments from home.  So keep them coming, as they mean a lot to the children.  Our guide Anna met us in the lobby and off we went for our tour of Athens en route to the Acropolis.  Our first port of call was the first Olympic stadium, built in 1896.  Hala asked why, if we weren’t allowed in the stadium, there was a man inside it.  Mr. Suter pointed out that he worked there, to which Hala’s retort was, “But there’s nobody in it, so why does he have to work there?” 

From there, we drove through the city to the car park at the base of the Acropolis, from where we began our ascent.  The weather has been absolutely gorgeous today – the warmest day by far and not a drop of wind at the top.  Our poor children were lugging bags around with them packed with layers to put on at the top!  Ah well, better to be prepared.  Anna stopped us at various points along the ascent, to give us information about what we were seeing, but every stop was longer than planned as our children didn’t stop asking questions.  She has been really impressed with them.  We posed here, there and everywhere and had several hundred photos taken – although surprisingly none by other groups today.

From the top, we descended down through the Agora – we were slightly early for lunch and so had a bonus visit to the agora to visit the temple of Hephaestus.  Whether there was something in the water, but our group had been warned about the slippery floor surfaces.  No sooner had that been done, however, than Haruka slipped down on her backside.  Having just been told not to walk on the walls, Andy fell off the wall he was walking along.  Amin wasn’t doing anything he shouldn’t have been, but he managed the most spectacular fall of the day, face down in the sand.  Rest assured parents, none of them were injured.  What was amazing in the Agora (we should point out here that the Agora was the marketplace of Athens – it was somewhat appropriate that Hala should know that the main activity taking place there was shopping!) was that as we walked along, we were able to pick up pieces of pottery that have lain there for hundreds – if not  thousands  - of years.  The piece Anna picked up was quite clearly still marked with paint from all those years ago.  Following the mantra of “take only photographs, leave only footprints” we did leave all the bits we had picked up back on the ground.

After another four course meal at a little restaurant nestled in the heart of the Plaka (even Mr. Whitaker could only manage two lots of seconds) we walked on to the New Acropolis Museum, where we got to look at scale models of the Acropolis as it developed over the centuries, pots that had been found there, and then up to the top floors of the Acropolis where the remaining frescoes are on display.  The room itself is built the exact same size as the Parthenon itself, and metal columns hold up the remains of the frescoes (or actually mostly replicas of them – those of us who are British are made to feel slightly guilty as of course the majority of them, the Elgin Marbles, are in the British Museum) from the Parthenon.  Tara was particularly impressed by one that described a fight with a panther, but the only panther she knew was the Pink Panther and that left her a little confused.  Mum, you need to get her a copy of the Jungle Book! 

After the museum, what the children had been looking for – shopping!  We delved deep into the Plaka again, exploring the shops there as the children found every opportunity to spend their last money.  On entering one shop to chivvy the children in his group along, Mr. Suter called across to Ms. Naidoo to ask her a question.  “Miss Naidoo?,” asked the shocked shopkeeper.  “You’re a teacher?  I thought you were one of the students!”  As Mr. Suter picked himself up from the floor laughing, the shopkeeper called to him, “Take care of her, you could easily lose her.” 

And so to the hotel, and dinner, and then our final evening activity, a quiz night recalling all the events of the week.  We had some gems of answers to questions:

Q. What edible plants did we see by the side of the road?
A. Candy floss

Q. What did Mr. Whitaker do when he thought he’d lost his hat?
A. Wet his pants.

Q. Who was the king who reigned at Mycenae?
A. King (Don’t know Name) Someone

Q. What was the length of the Corinth canal?
A. 6234 cms

Q. What was the name of the bird associated with the goddess Athena?
A. Pigeon

Q. What type of cheese do you find in a greek salad?
A. The white one
A. Philadelphia

And so to bed, and tomorrow on to the airport and we’ll be bringing them home to you.  We did have a final awards session for the children for things that had happened during the week, or for their behaviour, and suchlike.  Here were those we awarded –

Neatest room – Kareem and Adam
Consideration award – Humza
Asked most questions of the guide  - Andy and Kirsty
Best eater – Fay
Biggest trouble maker – Martina
Gappiest smile – Tara and Rad (both lost teeth)
Biggest shoppers – Cagla and Ahmed K
Most waterworks – Emma and Ipek
Most enjoyable trip – Amin (fell flat on his face in the Agora)
Biggest poser for photos – Arkady
Food adventurer – Ahmed H
Biggest breakage – Vian
Best listeners – Hala and Sumbal
Best swimmer – Tony
Touching most things in museums he shouldn’t have – Andy
Sir Edmund Hillary Award for Perseverance – Effat
Best castle climber – Umnia
Most reliable for the week – Haruka
Athlete of the week – Sina

So there you have it.  We have had an absolutely fabulous week here in Athens but most of all, the children have been an absolute credit to themselves, their school and their parents – you can be very very proud of them.  We’ve the joys of trying to fit all their purchases and dirty clothes into their bags tomorrow, but that’s for another day’s blog.

We thought we'd leave you with Haruka's comment about looking forward to coming home:

Theatre of dreams

After our late night hot chocolate excursion the children were quite tired this morning – everyone of them needed a wake up call, as opposed to other mornings where they’ve been up before us.  Mr. Whitaker and Mr. Suter told two of the boys groups as soon as they woke up that they would be going swimming again first thing – without batting an eyelid, they slowly groped for their swimming things which were still cold and soaking wet from yesterday’s swim, never mind how cold the water would have been this morning!  Thankfully we’re not that mean and instead everyone went downstairs – dry – for another filling buffet breakfast. 

The orchestra

It was obvious what was on the mind of some of the children today (“Will we get a chance to waste money today?” asked Cagla) but in fact we headed off to the theatre at Epidaurus.    We were joking with our paparazzi comments on Hydra, but upon arrival at the theatre we had several tourists break off their guides’ explanations of the theatre to come over to us to take pictures!  We’ve been quite an attraction.  We have to say here that the children have been absolutely impeccably behaved – our tour guide Anna was getting quite annoyed at the manners of other groups at the theatre.  It wasn’t possible with the numbers there for her to demonstrate the excellent acoustics of the theatre by dropping a coin at the bottom for us to hear at the top, but Ms. Thomas showed her theatre production prowess and threw together a 30 second Machiavellian drama with evil villains, beautiful damsels and operatic singing of the finest quality (OK, so ‘Happy Birthday’ in Arabic doesn’t really count as opera) featuring ten of our braver thespians (In fact, later on a couple who were leading another group came over to Mr. Suter just to tell him how well behaved our children were).

I see no ships...

How do you spell that?  E-p-i-d-...

From there, we wove our way across the Peloponnese to Mycenae, the ancient citadel of Agamemnon, leader of the expedition to Troy.  With the sun blazing down upon us, we explored the ancient ruins.  The children were completely fascinated by the idea of the cyclopean walls – of course a name given to the walls by later historians with a reference to the Cyclops being the only race that would have been strong enough to carry the five tonne stone blocks of the outer walls.  Our children have taken this literally and have come away with the idea of these one-eyed giants living and working at the citadel in ancient times.  Many of the children thought that the beehive tomb adjacent to the site (the Treasury of Atreus) was thus called because of the number of bees that were flying around on the inside!

Lion Gate

Treasury of Atreus

How many layers of stones are there?

From there we finally had lunch at the much anticipated restaurant in Mycenae – for the children, a combination of stuffed vine leaves, chicken and pasta, greek salad, omelettes and stuffed tomatoes for the non-meat eaters, and ice cream.  The staff get slightly preferential treatment – these four courses are supplemented with an additional three and almost everyone left the restaurant groaning at the seams.

After lunch, we headed to a local pottery shop that makes its own pots on site.  Downstairs, we met Jimmy Potter who demonstrated at his wheel how to make a pot.  In fact, he made a miniature vase (we suppose the recession has hit in Greece, after all) – that it was a good one was attested by Andy who no sooner it was off the wheel shouted, “How much?”  Arkady and Cagla got to try their pottery skills at the wheel – Cagla was a bit nervous at first but quickly developed to produce a perfectly symmetrical pot, while Arkady’s slapdash approach produced a ‘unique’ piece.  After the practical stuff, there was the usual shopping frenzy and the staff of the shop ended our visit with a lucky draw.  On hearing the number 70 called as a winner, Andy exclaimed, “Aww, I’ve got 69 – that’s not fair!”

The delicate touch



Biys will be boys

Poseidonsuter

With a combination of the sun and the food, needless to say there were a few snorers in the bus on the way to Corinth, where we stopped for a final break before Athens.  You’d have thought the children hadn’t eaten in weeks.  Despite a ‘no food on the bus’ ruling, it was simply amazing how much the children packed into their stomachs again!  There was slight disappointment at Corinth – this end of the canal rises some 80m above the sea, and at peak times they have a bungee jumping station.  Before you all start reaching for the phone, parents, it was Mr. Whitaker’s idea that he would do it if Mr. Suter did.  Much to Mr. Suter’s relief (headlines of “Children’s tour group leader plunges into sea” had been going through his mind) the station was closed. 

And so on to Athens, and back to the Atrium Hotel.  At dinner, we were joined by friends of Emma’s parents who reside in Athens, but we think Haruka got most pleasure from their visit as she was able to chat in Japanese to the younger of their daughters who is learning the language.  We suspect she was somewhat shocked at the quality of the English girl’s Japanese, but she enjoyed the conversation.  After a dinner of vegetarian pizza, mushroom omelette, beef in tomato sauce, greek pasta, greek salad and a warm honey cake (because after all we didn’t have much to eat for lunch!) the children have retired to their rooms and bed.  Surprisingly, we haven’t had any complaints of stomach aches!  The children all have their favourite parts of the day, but it has obviously stuck in Amin’s mind as, when asked his favourite part of the day, he replied, “I can’t really remember what we did!”

Add caption