| Travelers who expect to be greeted by lone | | | | mile race), is just northeast of Athens and the |
| standing relics of ancient Greece will be awestruck by | | | | ancient Mycenaean excavation site at Velatouri is to |
| the sprawling urban metropolis of todays Athens. The | | | | the south, boasting the unearthed Thorikos theatre. |
| capital city is an explorers paradise as historic gems | | | | While the Grecian period is omnipresent, Greece has |
| are embedded within the modern day melee and | | | | fascinating Turkish and Persian cultural influences as a |
| cultural nuances of a turbulent past are written | | | | result of many wars and takeovers until the collapse |
| between the lines of concrete and the sparkling blue | | | | of the Ottoman Empire in the 20th century. |
| Aegean Sea. Everywhere in Athens is a testament to | | | | Club Hopping or Island Hopping? |
| why this mythic peninsula is considered the cradle of | | | | In the spring and summer evenings, enjoy the cafs |
| Western civilization and modern democracy. | | | | and restaurants as they begin to spill into the streets |
| Of particular interest, Athens received a much | | | | and squares. Greece, and particularly Athens, is |
| needed facelift in preparation for the 2004 Olympics. | | | | notorious for its boisterous and tireless nightlife. The |
| Notorious for its nefos (smog) resulting from rapid | | | | Port of Piraeus comes to life as many vacationers |
| growth and congestion following World War II and | | | | head out for their island excursions from this historic |
| the Cold War, Athens realized the need to clean up | | | | cove. Athens is the perfect place to become |
| its act when it became clear that historic monuments | | | | immersed in Greek culture and life before taking a |
| were eroding at an alarming rate due to acid rain | | | | ferry ride to one of the surrounding tranquil, historic |
| from air pollution. Due to this Olympic makeover, it is | | | | or party islands the choice is yours. The port itself is |
| extremely easy to navigate around the well marked | | | | also of particular historic interest. One of the oldest in |
| streets in English and Greek and transportation has | | | | the world, the port was heavily used during the |
| never been more streamlined. | | | | Peloponnesian Wars in the 4th century BC and |
| Mythological Mythos | | | | remnants of the long Themistoclean Walls, which |
| Ancient Greece reached its societal peak in the 1st | | | | fortified the port and Athens together during this |
| century BC when magnificent monuments like the | | | | time period, still survive today. |
| Parthenon and the Temple of Athena Nike were | | | | A trip to Athens is not only a journey of history, but |
| constructed on the fortified Acropolis and Socrates | | | | one of modernity and progress. After Greeces |
| and Plato developed their Western thinking schools of | | | | golden age, Athens grandeur was squandered to |
| thought. While most of the major attractions from | | | | nearly nothing by invaders and the sweeping tides of |
| the time period are in the center of the city, travel in | | | | history. Today, the free and booming capital city is |
| the outskirts of Athens will bring encounters with | | | | again a testament to its historic commitment to |
| many significant locations from this time period. | | | | forward thinking civilization. Experience the rebirth of |
| Marathon, of the famous battle (and todays 26.22 | | | | the foundations of the western world in Athens! |