Though I usually visit the Greek Islands for holidays, it’s worth it to visit Athens at least once. This city will just amaze you – add it onto your must see list, if, like me, you’re interested in history.
Athens, capital of Greece, must be one of the cities with the longest and most fascinating history, a land of the gods and worshipped by many peoples. Athens has been the crucible of several civilisations – it was where democracy was first established and some of the world’s wisest men lived. Just about everybody has heard of the Acropolis but just seeing photos of it are a pale shadow of the reality.
It’s the most famous archaeological monument in Europe and is nominated to be one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. The Acropolis hill (acro = edge, polis = city) is called the “Sacred Rock” of Athens and a symbol of the power of the city-state of Athens itself in the 5th century BC, known as the Golden age of Pericles. Athens and Attica in general have the country’s most important archaeological monuments, including the Acropolis as mentioned, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Olympian, the Roman Market, Pananthinaiko Stadium or Kallimarmara, and the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio.
The capital is just full of neoclassical buildings – for example, the Greek Parliament and the University. A really good place to get a feeling for the amazing history of Greece visit the Archaeological museum and the Byzantine Museum for starters.
Modern Athens is in Attica and extends to the peninsula that reaches up to central Greece. It is surrounded by the mountains of Ymmytos, Pendel and Parnitha to the north and east, and the Saronic Gulf to the south and west. It has a climate of mild winters and hot summers, ideal for tourists, and today is the heart of Greece, though I'm still sticking with the islands (my favourite is Rhodes I have to say) and the beaches as well !
