Trips throughout Greece

Athens - Pireaus - Cape Sounion - Poros - Santorini - Zakynthos - Rhodes - Mikonos - Delos - Corinth - Theater of Epidauro - Nafplio - Mycenae - Delphi - Arahova - Ioannina - Vikos Gorges - Meteora - Messenia and Peloponnesus

Maybe my affirmation surprises you, but it is probable that you don't like the capital of Greece in short stays. The first impression is the chaos and a ugly and old city, with no charming. However, after living here for 6 months I assure that it is a lively and unique town. I have tried to briefly resume what the city offers to the visitor but it has been an impossible mission.

First, I have to advertise that Athens is completely different from the rest of Greece. One third of the Greeks inhabited here. It possesses many industries nearby the Piraeus that induce a dense pollution. If you go up to the top of any hill you will notice the white smoke suspended over the city.
From the airport you have to take a bus or a taxi, that will drive for 45 min. until Athens. In this route you obtain the first disappointing surprises, as you don't find what you expected. Traffic jams, old houses and streets, disorder everywhere and nothing, absolutely nothing that recalls your attention positively. The Olympic Games have improved this image as they have modernized things, such as the airport, subway, highways and more facilities. Because of this your first picture is nowadays a bit better.

I am going to try an explanation about the rich history of this unique people throughout the visit to the city.
In the beginning of the 2nd millenium B.C., two civilizations, the Achaeus and the Ionians, shettled down in the peninsula of Greece. In the middle of this millenium it raised the Mycenaen civilization, that competed in development with the Minoan people of Crete (the most brilliant until then). The commerce with Orient was impelled and many travels gave raise to tales mixing the real with the imaginary. The oriental gods were imported and assimilated. The foundations of mythology were being constructed: Hercules, Jason and the Gold Calf, the Troy War, Pegasus and Bellerophon, Theseus, together with all the fantastic creatures that are still captivating: minotaurs, griffins, unicorns, cyclops, sirens, centaurs, etc. The mythology caught on deeply in Greece and the legends still last. We talk about gods with incredible powers but at the same time very human, capable of starring the best soap opera. Their defects made them very close to the current people. On the other side the heroes carried out unbelievable deeds and adventures easy to remember.

Around 12th century B.C. the Mycenaen culture disappeared under the Dorian invasion, who, at the same time, forced the Ionians to the sea and to Asia Minor (now Turkey) coasts colonization. While the Mycenaen culture felt down and dark centuries arrived, the relates and the culture were kept by professional poets called Aedos. During this period the worship to Zeus started and many gods from Asia were acquired. Near the 800 B.C. Greece experienced a second height that started in the so called Archaic period.

If you are interested in the arts evolution during the Archaic period I would highly recommend three of the museums. We will know about others such as the Benaki's museum and the Archaeological museum further on. The Cycladic Art and Ancient Greece museum shows the evolution of the Greek art throughout 3 milleniums.
The most outstanding in it are the objects coming from the cycladic civilization (a civilization developed in the Cycladic islands from 3300 and 2000 B.C. and which is explained in the trip to Santorini), such as vases, vessels or specially the gracious marble sculptures (called idols), that you could suppose as a modern art work if nobody tells you their origin. There is a huge one in the exposition.

Following the history, under the Dorian influence they came dark centuries but an important event happened: the apparition of a town. The origin is the gathering of clans around a fortress that controlled the plain. The fortresses started to spread the influence to further points. The colonies (mainly Ionians) were forced to leave Greece and extend the Hellenism across the whole Mediterranean Sea .

It is accepted that Homer lived around 700-800 B.C. Homer traveled across the Mediterranean Sea reciting his poems. During this century the alphabet appeared (taken from the Phoenicians), and it helped to the creation of the Citie-States. The most outstanding were Athens and Sparta . The second one was characterized by the military organization. The first one by the invention of the democracy and the birth of the occidental culture.
The first phase of the Greek cities history finishes with the Persian wars. During the 6th century B.C. the Persian Empire spread quickly and surrounded Greece from Egypt, Macedonia and Asia Minor. The Greek colonies of Turkey accepted the domination but later they started to reveal with the support of mother cities like Athens. The Persian king Dario I wanted to punish Athens and thus dominating the Aegean Sea, so he went towards Athens with a 20.000 warriors army. The armies met in Marathon in 490 B.C. and Athens defeated the enemy with only 7.000 soldiers mainly thanks to Miltiades genius.
Miltiades sent a soldier to announce the new to Athens. The soldier, called Pheidippides, ran with no breaks all the way, informed about the battle and died exhausted. This is the origin of the Marathon. The marathon of the first modern Olympic games in 1896 covered a distance of 40 km., the same distance existing from Marathon to Athens. The actual length was established in London in 1908: 42,195 km.

They still keep the stadium where the first modern Olympic Games were held, organized by Pierre de Coubertain. It is located on the same spot than the ancient stadium from the 4th century, which was later reconstructed by Herod the Attic in 144 A.C. It was abandoned and it disappeared, but it was rebuilt according to the drafts for 1896. The marble stands have a capacity of 70.000 spectators, and one of the ends is open.

Hurt in their pride, the Persians invaded again Greece in 481 B.C. under the command of Darius I's son, Xerxes. The Greek cities didn't agree about the defense plan and Xerxes defeated the Sparta army in the battle of Thermopylae. Afterwards they conquered and sacked Athens. Finally they were defeated in the naval battle of Salamis and subsequently in Plataea (479 B.C.).
The gained prestige in the Persian wars served so that Athens assumed the head of the Greek peoples by means of the "Delian League", that was created in 478 B.C. At this point the classic period starts, when most of the culture of occident has been forged. This century is called the "Pericles century". The impulse given by Pericles to Athens as cultural and political aspects are concerned would turn the city into probably the most important of the olden ages. The Athenian politics depended on Pericles hands for almost 40 years (461-429 B.C.) who governed through an absolutist way but he was reelected periodically in charge of the government. He embellished Athens with formidable monuments at the expense of great amounts of money, such as the Parthenon or the Propylaea. His friend Phidias sculpted the statues of Athena Palas and Olympic Zeus for the Acropolis. All the works were paid with the treasure of the Delian League, which had been transported to Athens for security reasons. He ordered the construction of walls linking Athens with the new harbor, the Piraeus, thus defending both spots. On the other side his support to artists, philosophers and poets turned Athens into the most important spiritual center ever known.

To understand the meaning of this height you have to walk around one of the most famous monuments of the history: the Acropolis . You have to enter through one gate at the end of an upwards slope. If the weather is hot I suggest visiting it early in the morning and thus avoiding the hordes of tourists and the suffocating heat. Be aware that there are no trees.

On Sundays the entrance is for free, so if you want to save the expensive ticket try to come this day. Acropolis means "High City". It is located 100 m. high from the ground. It keeps rests of different civilizations, even from the second millenium B.C. However the major part dates from the 5th century B.C., the Pericles century: the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion.

Formerly its location facilitated that the owner of the rock dominated the surroundings. The Athens king decided to consecrate the Acropolis to Athena and a bit later the power was transferred to some chiefs called Aristi (it means "the best ones"), thus being born the aristocracy.
The Persians destroyed everything in 480 B.C., despite the Greeks managed to save many objects that nowadays they rest into the museums. Pericles made well use of the Athenian leadership in the Delian League to build a new Acropolis using all the richness that they were earning. Phidias, the most important sculptor of the olden ages, commanded the works. The Romans invaded Greece but they didn't touch the Acropolis. During the 5th century the Christians from Byzance (today's Istanbul) took the statue of Athena, that disappeared forever.

The Parthenon was used as an Orthodox church and afterwards as Catholic church. Later the Turkish employed it as a fortress. In the course of a siege, the Venetians bombed the Acropolis, they reached a powder magazine and they blew everything up. From 1801 to 1803 the Turkish Sultan authorized to the English ambassador of Constantinople to take possession of everything left. The ambassador, lord Elgin , handed the booty over to the British Museum . Nowadays the Greek government is still reclaiming what the English robbed.

You have to move upward along a stair until the Propylaea . The views from these stairs are really lovely and the sight covers many places that I will explain later. The Propylaea are the monumental entrance to the Acropolis. They were thought to impress everyone going into. Once you walk through them you end in an esplanade where the temples remain, a plain with archaeological rests scattered everywhere. Most of the stone you see is marble from the Pentelic mount, nearby Athens .

At our right here it is the Parthenon . It is a Doric temple built during the Pericles century under the supervision of Phidias. It was dedicated to Athena, and inside there was a statue of the goddess sculpted by Phidias, 2 m. high, made of ivory and a ton of gold. The freizes and metopes were worked in detail and the temple was painted in vivid colors, instead of the white color that everyone imagine.

The statue of Athena was moved to Constantinople and destroyed by the inhabitants during the Crusaders siege in 1203. Most sculptures were destroyed with the explosion of the powder magazine in 1687. Since 1834 they started a restoration plan that was a complete failure and even deteriorated more seriously the stone.

The building surprises with his architectonic tricks employed to bring out it and make it more harmonious, for example by inclining the columns towards the inside or by making them narrower in the upper side. Besides the perfect lines the Parthenon stands out (or better it stood out) because of the architectonic richness, but nowadays there are fewer works remaining. Unfortunately it is not possible to visit the interior, where they kept the statue of Athena and the Delian League's treasure. The building is being restored and covered in scaffoldings, it is a pity but you have to accept that.

The other compelling building is the Erechtheion , a small temple combining the Doric and Ionian styles, from the 5th century as well. Its interior was divided in several worship rooms (for instance to Athena, Poseidon and the Athenian king Erechtheus). It was used as a church, palace, harem and military storehouse. After the Greek independence it was restored. The most beautiful point is, without any doubt, the Caryatids tribune: 6 statues 2 m. high with the shape of women dressed with tunics that support the roof of the porch on their heads.

They are called like this to honor the Carya's women, a region famous because of the women's beauty. The ones that are exposed are copies from the originals, which are kept in a safe place from the atmospheric pollution in the Acropolis museum. If you lean out from the viewpoint you contemplate precious sightseeing of the Plaka's district and the Agora. Indeed any point in the Acropolis is a present for the sight, showing an extensive, white, luminous and homogenous city that occupies all the basin until the feet of the surrounding mountains.

The museum of the Acropolis is a compulsory visit, because it contains many of the rests and works found in the excavations and in the monuments, from 8th to 5th centuries B.C. It is essential to have a guidebook to understand the most important pieces of art because it is worth understanding something: a room with fragments from the freizes telling the history of Hercules, a bust of Alexander the Great, another room with the women sculptures called "Korai", or the statue called "the Moschophoros".

There are many statures and sculpted groups as well as pottery, most of them reflecting historical or mythological motives. We also found the hall dedicated to the reconstruction of the Parthenon's freizes, or the fine and famous statues called "the pensive Athena" and "the Athena Nike" (the last one is particularly beautiful and delicate). Finally you pass in front of the original Caryatids, protected behind a showcase.
Next to the Propylaea we find the temple of Athena Nike , in Ionian style and from the 5th century. According to the legend Aegeus, the Theseus' father threw himself into the void when he saw the ship coming towards the harbor with the black sails raised, a signal indicating that his son Theseus had died in Crete when he faced the Minotaur in the labyrinth. Theseus is one of the great heroes of the Greek mythology and we appreciated it in many sculptures and pottery. However this time he forgot to change the sails before entering Athens. Hence, the Aegean Sea is called like this because of the Theseus' father.

Nearby the Erechtheion it remains an olive tree in the spot where the tender between Athena and Poseidon took place. They disputed the honor of being selected as the protectors of the most beautiful and prosper city across the Attic. Zeus proposed the rivals to give a present to the citizens. The winner had to offer the most useful gift. Poseidon, according to the most spread version, hit the ground with his trident and a horse went out. The god claimed that the animal was useful in war and in peace. Others point that the oceans god hit a rock with the trident and it started to spring seawater, thus symbolizing that he would give his protégés the domain of the seas.

Anyway he was superseded by Athena, that made sprung an olive tree, explaining that the fruit could serve as food, as balsam for the injuries and as light to illuminate in the dark.
Zeus decided that the winner was Athena and that colony was displayed under her protection. Since then the city carried the name of the goddess. Supposedly there are three marks on the rock, corresponding to the point where Poseidon drove in the trident. The first olive tree was planted in the same hole where the horse appeared and this tree remained forever as the town's symbol for everyone visiting Athens.

However the Athenians reserved a privilege position for Poseidon, as it is shown in several temples across the region, such as the well-known temple of Cape Sounion.
Through this duel we check that Athena was the goddess of intelligence, but also the war (she is represented with a helmet and a spear), the craftwork and the politics. His father was Zeus and she was born from the forehead of Zeus without passing through the childhood, that is, she was adult from the first moment when Hephaestus opened the cranium of his king to relieve him from the strong headaches. She is a virgin goddess and the animal associated to her is the owl. She protected many heroes, with an special attention for Ulysses and the Greeks during the Troy War.

After the visit I will retake a little more of history. Sparta didn't accept the Athenian hegemony and they founded the Peloponnesus League, which gathered other cities different from the Delian League. In 446 B.C. both towns argued and finally in 431 B.C. the Peloponnesus war exploded across the whole Greece . It ended with the siege against Athens in 404 B.C. The Greek towns resulted pretty affected and they couldn't face the Macedonian expansionism.
The called Hellenistic period starts with the Macedonian king Philip II's conquer of Greece . He imposed to the Greek cities the Corinthian league and thus he implied them in a new war against the Persians. The king died in 330 B.C. and his son Alexander the Great took the leadership and he invaded a huge extension of lands until India . He reunified the city-states and he spread the Greek culture through the world. His mother was terrific, with visionaries powers, always surrounded with snakes. Alexander was brave and beautiful, with a strong personality. He has fascinated all the generations of kings and governors throughout the centuries. However, in my opinion, you don't have to forget the other side of this figure: he was a despot obsessed with the greatness and that eliminated the democracy. When he died, a century under the command of the Macedonian kings followed until they gave way to the Roman Empire 's strength.

Despite Greece lost its prestige and power it kept its cultural influence due to the Roman politics and religious tolerance, which allowed conserving much of their freedom and traditions.

The Roman spread the Greek culture through the conquers. An important part of the Greek knowledge was lost in the fire of the Alexandria 's library in 48 B.C. During the 19th century the archaeologists started to dig all this forgotten knowledge up. The Greeks didn't have a national conscience and they were separated towns. The first denomination as an entire people was invented by the Romans, who called them "Graeci".

From the Roman époque there are many monuments remaining, and what is better, they respected the previous constructions. Once the Acropolis is concluded we went down to the Aeropagus , a hill acceded through some really slippery stairs excavated into the rock. But it is worth reaching the top because you get incredible views of the Acropolis, the roman Agora and Athens. It is a historical spot where several trials where held, such the Oreste's after assassinating his mother Clytemnestra.

It was a place where they organized judicial tribunals or politic assemblies. Here Saint Paul preached and converted the senator Dyonisus (called Saint Dyonisus the Areopagite) into the first bishop of Athens.

Other example of the Roman respect towards the Greek civilization is the Agora . The agora is the center of the public life for the Athenians first, and for the Romans after. There were all sort of public buildings, but now little remains in good conditions. This zone is watched from the top of a hill by the Thesion , a Doric temple from 5th century B.C., one of the best-conserved temples from the olden ages. It is known as the temple of Theseus, despite it was dedicated to Hephaestus, god of the blacksmiths and metal artisans that lived in a close district.

It is more ancient and smaller than the Parthenon, and made of stone, not marble. The architectonic resorts to gain in harmony are similar in both sanctuaries. Through the freizes the adventures of Hercules and Theseus are related. Again the scenery is marvelous, with both the Acropolis and the Agora. The Agora is an esplanade surrounded by many ruins coming from administrative buildings, temples and shops. The Romans filled the central space with more buildings but finally the barbarians devastated everything.

Near this place it was located the altar of the twelve Olympic gods, from where they measured the distance to the rest of spots in Greece. They kept in the Tholos the weight and length standards. One of the best monuments is the Giants gate , a gate with statues of two Tritons and one Giant that gave entrance to a hall of more than 1000 spectators capacity during the Roman period. Other building standing up is the Stoa Atalou , from 2nd century B.C., reconstructed in the present time.

At the feet of the Acropolis there are two interesting theatres. The Greek theatre recovered the mythology and the history. They built immense theatres of 10.000 spectator capacity who went to attend a tragedy, a comedy or a satiric play created by the fashion authors such as Sophocles, Euripides or Aristophanes.

The most visible theatre is the Odeon of Herod the Attic It is seen from the Acropolis or from the lower part. Very well preserved, it carries the name of a Greek patron of Roman origins that built it to remind his wife in the 161 B.C. They held inside dramatic and lyric performances during the summer festival of Athens. It has a capacity for 5.000-6.000 spectators. If you have the opportunity, a performance in this scenery must be captivating.

A little downwards following the hillside we found the Dyonisus theatre , the most ancient known, from the 5th century B.C. In the 6th century B.C. they built a theatre in this piece of sacred land that was consecrated to Dyonisus.

This place was used to held feasts: chorus, mimes, satires, etc. On the next century they erected a better theatre where the most important plays of the Greek culture were performed, created by figures such as Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus, Aristophanes. In the 4th century they reconstructed a new one for 17.000 spectators. It was used as the people assemble as well (this assemble was located in the Pnyx hill previously). The Romans abandoned it. It was being restored and the entrance was forbidden.

Near the Acropolis there is the Olympeion or temple of Olympic Zeus . It was a huge sanctuary dedicated to the king of gods. To have an idea of this enormous size you only have to look at the standing columns, and consider that the temple had more than 100 columns. The height of each one is 17,25 m. The works were initiated in the 515 B.C. and they ended in the 131 A.C. by the emperor Hadrian, that told to put a colossal statue of Zeus. It was one of the biggest temples of the Greek world.

When he was an adult he fought to obtain the power against the Titans and the Giants, and he defeated all of them. He was a stingy god, wicked, fanciful and he took advantage of his power. Most of gods in the Olympus were his sons, and many of then didn't come from the belly of his espouse Hera but from many other lovers. The love life of Zeus is full of feminine names among the goddesses, the nymphs or the mortals. He used to deceive them by acquiring many shapes through metamorphosis or directly kidnapped them. His wife Hera was very jealous and she was always trying to punish the Zeus lovers and their sons. Hence it was a complicate love relationship. .

Other interesting museum is the Benaki's museum , located in a lovely building from the 19th century and it keeps Greek and Oriental art. The collection belonged to Antonios Benaki, a patron of the first half of this century. It has been enlarged with particular donations and this museum is really nice, as it shows the works of art in chronological order and they are displayed according to the Mediterranean spot where they found it. We found objects from the prehistory till present. In the upper floor there is an interesting reconstruction of customs and rooms.

During the ancient history the sex played an important role. However the woman was relegated to a reproducing mission. So, by elimination, there are the men remaining. The homosexuality was a key pillar of the society and it was habitual between an adult and a youth. It was typical between soldiers as well. The women couldn't enjoy the sex and they were considered sick if they did. It is very amusing to see the representations that the Greeks painted on ceramics, vessels and vases, with people making love in every imaginable positions. Don't miss these details in the museums or even the postcards.

Moving on though the entertaining history, the freedom allowed by the roman caused the division of the Empire into two parts: the occidental and the oriental (including Greece and Asia Minor). In year 330 the Roman emperor Constantine designed Byzance (Istanbul) as the capital of his empire. It was a colony located near the Bosphore that he called the new Rome, although later it was called Constantinople in his honor. In 395 the emperor Theodosius I the Great divided the empire between his sons to facilitate the defense against the barbarians. Constantinople was maintained as the capital of the Oriental Empire, that was considered as the successor of the Roman Empire after the fell down of Rome in 476. Throughout 1000 years it tried to survive to many invaders threatening from every side. Little by little this empire was reduced. From the east the Persians, Arabs and Turkish pressed. During the 11th and 12th centuries the Popes impelled the crusades to help the Byzantines to expulse the other peoples from holy land. One of these crusades, the fourth one, was diverted to Constantinople, which was sacked by them. This fact, the subsequent occupation of the city and the religious disputes brought to the surface many differences between Byzantines (or Greeks) and occidentals. The Latin (occidental) government of Constantinople ended in 1261 after the reconquest of the town.

During these events the orthodox religion was forged. In 380 the Roman emperor Theodosius the Great declared the Christianism the official religion and he banned the pagan worship. The distance between Rome, the religious capital, and Constantinople, the administrative capital, didn't make it easy for the relation of the Pope with the emperor. In 451 Constantinople was established as the capital of the Eastern empire. The Roman Church maintained the supremacy in territories becoming more and more extensive that the orient emperor couldn't reach. They rose different interpretations and finally in 1054 the Church was broken in the Catholics and Orthodoxs: the so called Orient Schism.

From this starting point the art associated to both religions develops its own features.

The orthodox churches are overloaded with mosaics, frescoes, icons that configure the Byzantine style. The Byzantine art is the oriental Christian art, formed from the fusion of different tendencies coming from Western Europe and Asia Minor . The most characteristic aspects are: the Greek cross floors, the vault proliferation, the typical representations of Christ (they are called Christ Pantocrator or "creator of the world"), and the icons (paintings on wood).

Due to the differences maintained between both Churches in the 8th century, the icons abound, because the Pope obliged to destroy all the icons and the orient church didn't accept that.
The religion is very deeply-rooted and it is present everywhere due to its important role and help throughout the Greek history to keep intact their union and culture. Nowadays near the 98% of the population is orthodox.

The chief of their church is the Patriarch, who lives in Constantinople (Istanbul). The popes (priests) head the parishes. Some of them could even get married. It is very probable that you see one of them because they call the attention with the tunic, the long beards and hair, and the high biret. The popes are government employees. The orthodox makes the cross signal in an opposite way to the Catholics. It is common to see people cross themselves in the subway or the bus. The Holy Week is more important for them than Christmas.

In 1453 the Turkish under the command of Mahomet II invaded Constantinople. This booming civilization continued the expansion towards the Mediterranean Sea and Greece. They arrived into Crete in 1669. The Turkish, traditionally Muslims, were very respectful with the Christian and Jewish religions. However the Sultan thought that they were inferior beings and he used them to cover the hard works and needings of the empire, he obliged them to serve to local tyrants that in many occasions became really cruel. The Greeks still remember vividly this episode. The Turkish used to kidnap the children. The Sultan kept the Patriarch of Constantinople with his religious duties and he named the patriarch as the leader of every orthodox religion. Due to that the Orthodox Church survived, and with it the Greek people memory, their language and traditions. The monasteries in Athos, Meteora or Patmos were something similar to the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages, that is, guardians of the Hellenic culture.

During the 18th century there is a cultural renaissance of the national awareness, brought to the surface by the Orthodox Church. The bourgeois and the kleftes, rebels from the mountains, supported the church. The revolution burst in 1821 with many successes. In 1822 Kolokotronis proclaimed the independence of Greece in Epidaurus. The Turkish counterattacked in 1825 leaded by Ibrahim Baja, that took possession of Missolonghi. Across the entire Europe raised a friendship feeling towards the Greeks. Among the known figures that supported the fight Lord Byron is the most famous, and helped the resistance by sending them weapons and money. He died in Missolonghi in 1824. In 1827 England, Russia and France intervened and destroyed the Turkish fleet in Navarino. The Turkish were expulsed and Greece was recognize as a country in 1830. In 1832 Turkey had to admit Greece as a country as well, and Othon of Bavaria was proposed as the first king of Greece, although he was catholic. The king won the antipathy of the revolutionaries. In 1862 it happened a coup d'état to claim a new constitution and to design Greek ministers. Another coup d'état dismissed Othon and chose George I (formerly prince of Denmark ) as the new sovereign. Energetic prime ministers (such as Venizelos) converted the country into a modern state.
By then there were still some territories occupied by the Turkish. In 1866 the king failed to conquer Crete. In 1877, taking advantage of the war between Russia and Turkey he invaded Thessalia. The king restrained the popular desire to occupy Macedonia. The great powers intervened to assign Crete to a king's son. The Greeks were very disappointed with this decision that supposed an expansion failure. They managed to incorporate Crete to Greece in 1908 by means of Eleuterios Venizelos. A year after the military revolt the king designed Venizelos as the president of the government. The aim of his government was the unification of the Hellenic territories. He founded the Balkan League (Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro) and declared the war to Turkey in 1912, occupying Macedonia at once. In 1913 the conflict is finished by the London treaty but a new war started between Bulgaria and its former allies. The Bucharest 's treaty gave Greece most of the Aegean Sea, the Crete sovereignty and the south of Macedonia. The north of Macedonia was included in Serbia.

During the first World War Venizelos opined to enter the allied faction and the king Constantine wanted the German faction. Venizelos won this conflict by entering Athens in 1928 and getting the king abdication with the French help. So Greece entered the allies side. In 1919 Greece declared a new war against Turkey but this time Greece is defeated. This catastrophe caused that 1,5 million of Greeks living in Asia Minor were expelled and had to refugee in Europe. Several kings succeeded and the economic situation of the country became a disaster.

In 1924 they proclaimed the Republic. The following ages were very unstable, with republics, monarchies and dictatorships alternating. In 1940 Italy asked Greece for an authorization to cross the border with their troops. Greece defeated them and sent them back to Albania. However Germany came to help and invaded Greece. The king took refuge in Crete. Many guerilla groups (many of them communists) started the resistance. In 1944 the German left Greece to combat in other fronts.

The monarchy was reestablished, but in 1947 the general Marcos constituted a guerilla against the king, and a civil war arose until 1949, when the heart of the resistance, mount Grammos, was reached with the American help. The extreme right governed until 1963, when the democratic parties won and Georges Papandreu formed a government. The king opposed to the President and it became a political crisis. In 1967 a colonels committee occupied the power instead of the king. They drove the country through terror and oppression. Greece shakes when Turkey invades northern Cyprus in 1974. The military dictatorship ends in 1974 because of the people's dissatisfaction. The same year the Republic was voted by referendum. It can be said that after the civil war the left parties were put aside from the politics until 1981, when Greece entered the European Union and Andreas Papandreu reached the power with his Greek Socialist party. Andreas allowed the return of those who fought on the communist side. Around these years the Greeks knew that the Americans weren't unconnected with the coup d'état that allowed the colonels dictatorship. Therefore the Greeks became even more nationalists and anti Americans. From Andreas, left and right parties alternated. The Greeks have reached equilibrium, as they are left minded but as religion or exterior politics are concerned they are a right unified block.

Although this history may be a little longer it is important to understand the Greek people, as it has marked them deeply.

Athens has developed parallel to the country. After the glorious classic époque the successive occupations left the town in ruins: Frankish, Catalans, Florentines, Turkish, Venetians. It was a town so deteriorated that firstly they selected Nafplio as the capital of the country.

Athens, with 5.000 inhabitants reemerged thanks to Othon's decision to settle here and to construct a new city in a neoclassic style. Since then the city grew and reached the whole Attic, the surrounding region. When the massive arrival of refugees in 1922 took place the city grew in an anarchic way, giving this disordered and chaotic air for the visitor. From any high viewpoint you can contemplate the never-ending outskirts, 15 km. of diameter, due to the quick growth during 19th and 20th centuries.

Which is the influence of all that on the Greeks? For instance they are 10 million inhabitants in Greece, but only a 5% are foreigners. The homogeneity of the country is very strong. There are also 4 million Greeks in foreign countries, and they still conserve faithfully the customs and traditions from home. An amusing example is the movie "my Great Greek Wedding".
It is very habitual that a Greek talks and reminds very proudly the past of Greece. They try to show you where they come from and their influence with continuous references to the olden ages. Opposite to the pulling English and Spanish languages they still try to keep carefully their millenary language, despite their alphabet is different from the rest of Europe. They speak Modern Greek, a simpler variant from the ancient Greek. If you have some knowledge of their alphabet the Latin speakers don't find difficult to understand many things because the words are very similar. A conversation heard from far sounds equal than the Spanish because most sound s are identical and indeed the Greeks get amazed when they hear a Spanish speaking their language as they can't distinguish the accent. The way of speaking is somehow musical and amusing. Of course that like the Latinos, they speak very loud, even higher than Italian or Spanish. They are used to shout and to talk to you from a very close distance. Surely you will witness a heat arguing between two drivers because they happen daily.

It is surprising to know that the Greeks were blonde and blue eyed. Nowadays they are dark-haired and dark-skinned, and they affirm that this is because they mixed with other civilizations, in special the Turkish.
You have to get used to their way to say "no": they raise the head and the eyebrows at the same time in a gentle gesture. Very weird.
They are very passionate and enthusiast with the conversation or the polemic. You have only to hear them talking about soccer or politics, the two national subjects. With all my respects for the rest of Greek teams, most Greeks are supporters of two soccer teams: Olympiakos or Panathinaikos, and some others like the AEK. The Greek supporters are known to alter easily, in soccer or in basketball. I wanted to see a soccer Champions League's match of a Spanish team against a Greek team but they recommended me to avoid that because there are many violent people.
However they have very recent the difficult history after the classic ages, in especial the last century. Despite they are passionate and with strong personality, happy and talkative, deep down they keep a hidden pessimism that is reflected in their songs and popular music.
The politics are marked by their hatred towards Turkey and their negative to reconnoiter Macedonia (the Republic proceeding from the former Yugoslavia). The tensions with the Turkish are constant and when you hear them talking about their neighbors you realize that they are inflexible and they don't reason (probably the same behavior than the Turkish).

It seems that their arguments are out of place taking into account that they are going to belong to the same European Union. The main hot spot is Cyprus, which has born a complicate history. The differences between countries is so big that many Greeks, even the youngsters, call the capital Constantinople instead of Istanbul, and they reject to use the name that the Turkish gave to the town. Things are improving in this relation, but I think it will be needed a long time for the total reconciliation.

This busy history has traduced into a huge religious homogeneity (98% orthodox) and certain intolerance towards minorities such as Muslims from Turkey or Albania, Macedonians, etc. Despite the religion is free the Church and the State are well together, indeed the religious condition appears in the Identity Card. Through the orthodoxy they built a wall against the Catholicism. They see the Pope almost as an enemy. They believe that the Islam is pressing from the East and the North (Turkey and Albania) and this is causing that a traditionally hospitable people is experiencing an increase in the racism due to the illegal immigrants coming from Asia. The country tends to be egocentric, a little close in itself, which smiles when they remember the past. Many youngsters have never gone out of the country because they opine that the best place to stay is Greece. Some of them that had visited places such as Egypt or Switzerland affirmed that they weren't a marvel, because they preferred much more Greece and the sea.

And now lets make a review of the modern Greece, that is so attractive like the ancient one. I would begin with gastronomy and music.

The popular music appears everywhere. There are some typical instruments, such as the bouzouki, that is a sort of lute with a long neck. Other common instruments are the Cretan lire and the sandouri. They accompany songs of oriental inspiration and to the famous rebetika. The rebetika are the dramatic songs referring to sad themes related to the social problems in urban slums and impossible loves. The modern music is preset in modern pubs, radio and TV but the traditional music has a very heavy weight, much more important than in other countries.

The Greek dances are one of the tourist attractions. There are several kinds. The men can dance alone (zembetiko, considered as the dance associated to the rebetiko) or linked by their shoulders (hassapiko). In the national dance they distribute in a circle (kalamatianos). The most wanted dance is, of course, the sirtaki. It was invented for the film Zorba the Greek and it is inspired in the hassapiko.

The greek food is simple but delicious, elaborated with ingredients coming from the Mediterranean cuisine. An ordinary menu would be a salad for first and a second dish with meat or fish. The most usual salad is the Greek salad, made of cucumber, tomato, green pepper, onion and feta, that is a Greek cheese. It is very tasty and you should try it. The variety of fish and meat is high. If you are a group of many persons it is very habitual to ask for many dishes and nibble from all of them. Don't miss the tasteful souvlaki, that has pieces of grilled meat (usually , but there are other options) inserted in a brochette.

Other food that you may know about is the moussaka or the tzadziki (yogurt and cucumber sauce).
They don't accustom to have a desert in the restaurants but this custom is being imported because of the tourism. If you want a good dessert, enter one of the numerous cake shops with their delicious show windows. Their products are varied, very sweet and it abounds the honey. The offer of fruits is also huge and you can buy some in a supermarket.

Other thing that you should try is the number one fast Greek food: the gyro pita. Wherever you see spinning meat toasting near a grill you could ask for this cheap and nice food. They introduce the pieces of meat in a sort of bread called pita and they add many ingredients that you choose. It is perfect to save time if you want to see things or to save money if you travel in a budget trip.
As drink is concerned, the national drink is the ouzo, a sort of strong anissette that could be smoothed with water (very curious change of color when water is added), and it is served in small glasses. Other usual drinks are the Cretan raki (strong fruit liquor) and metaxas (the Greek "brandy"). Greece is a land rich in wine due to the hot and dry climate. The most famous is the white wine called retsina, that they have stored since olden ages in cooked mud jugs that they smear with pine resin to improve the impermeability. This is the reason of its particular flavor, very appreciated by the Greeks. Maybe you don't like it but there are many other wines across the country, and each region offers their wine that we tasted in many occasions.
And finally I don't forget about the most known product, the yogurt. It is completely delicious. There are locals selling only yogurt to carry with you or to taste there instantaneously. The best yogurt I have ever eaten was located in a local called Stani, in a small pedestrian street that ends in Omonia's square. It is very habitual to enjoy the yogurt with honey or even with nuts.

With such a nice food and the hot weather one understands that the Greeks love the siesta.

My suggestion is that once you have visited the Acropolis, move to any of the close hills: Pnyx or especially Filopapo (o Filopappo).
In the Pnyx the assembly of the people met form 6th to 4th centuries. Many important orators launched here their speeches. The people progressively started to abandon these meetings until a point that the army had to pursuit the citizens and oblige them to attend the assemblies, as they were needed 5.000 people to take valid decisions. Located on a hill, the views are magnificent. To find this spot is not so simple.

Filopappo hill owes the name to the funerary monument on the summit to honor this Syrian prince that became Roman consul. During the way up you pass in front of some caves, one of which was called for long time the Socrates' jail , as they believed that the philosopher was locked in here before he was condemned to death and before he drank the poison. In this place one remembers the most important and famous philosophers of the olden ages: Plato (429-347), Aristotle (384-322) or Socrates (469-399). Plato was disciple of Socrates, and he wrote several interesting works such as the Republic.

Aristotle was, at the same time, disciple of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Great. They attribute to him 400 works covering all the fields and arts of the olden ages.
The panorama from the top is awesome, the most spectacular in the city. You cover the entire basin until the sea and Piraeus, the white houses layer and the nearby Acropolis. It is a place to sit down on a rock and enjoy for hours.

For the Greeks it is the meeting point. Once they have the drink they can stay for hours talking, looking at the people or playing tavli (sort of Greek daughters). There are many locals that serve coffee without any charming. However don't leave Greece without entering one of the abundant and charming elegant cafes. Besides, the price is very similar independently of the type of local.

But you have to know one thing: they are not cheating you, the coffee in Greece is the most expensive worldwide. It is a culture, a social custom and the Greeks get astonished when you tell them that the coffee in Europe costs 1-2 euros when they are paying 3-4 euros. This fact is strange because the coffee is not very different from the other countries and generally in Greece the things are cheaper than in other European countries. So taking this into account one realizes that the price they pay is even higher than it seems. Once known this data you have to take a couple of coffees at least and breathe the lively environment, the discussions and the gatherings. There are many sorts of coffee. The common coffee has dregs and if you want it filtered you have to ask for it. The young like the nescafe frappe or the iced-coffee drink (the last rather for summer). Other thing that we pleased much, especially during summer, is that they give you for free a glass of water together with the coffee.

Once we have enjoyed Theseus the path drives us through a path that outskirts the Agora. At this moment we are close form the Keramikos cemetery , the biggest in Athens. There are tombs and statues from 4th century B.C. to 1st century A.C. It has little charming. As I was telling, the street that surrounds the Agora is called Adrianou and it keeps many terraces and restaurants. The street ends in the heart of the Monastiraki district , the Monastiraki square.

It is a place of busy activity, with shops and stands. A mosque and the Hadrian's library embellish the square. The library comes from the 132 A.C. with a length of 100 m. One of the facades still remains. There are many spots to eat, and I recommend Sabbas, located in the busy and crowded Mitropoleos street. Monastiraki and the less known Psiri districts are the old Turkish districts and hence those with more oriental air.

Monastiraki is a noisy and popular center. Don't miss the Athens street market, every morning in Avisisnias square. You will find almost any object and a great atmosphere.

Pay attention to the Greeks bargaining. Taste the Kuluri, small bread with a crown shape and sesame seeds scattered that they sell everywhere.
The district of Psiri possesses small shops and now it is a fashionable place to go out at night since many restaurants have been opened. I didn't find it so special, if I am sincere.

From Monastiraki square we entered the most famous district of Athens: Plaka. Plaka is a group of picturesque narrow streets, small squares, terraces and back alleys. It can be divided into the upper zone called Anafiotika , from the lower one. In the higher part we discovered new wonderful sightseeing over the city and the old mansions from 19th century. The lower Plaka is crammed with commerce, souvenir shops and taverns, that is, the tourism.

The district is not very spectacular nor a present for your sight, but if you pay attention to other things you will find it captivating, as it is the heart of Athens . You can't expect to discover the Greek way of life here because this district lives for the tourism. At dusk the place is very concurred and cheerful, and the friendly atmosphere is guaranteed at any time. It is full not only with tourists but also with Greeks. There are many taverns with concerts and typical live dance. It is built in a total disorder and it gives us away views of the Acropolis in many corners.

One of the main monuments is the Megali Metropoli , the orthodox cathedral. Nearby there is a tiny Byzantine church, the Little Metropoli, from 12th century. The inside of the cathedral worth a stop, because it is an example of Byzantine art, very decorated with golden and numerous icons. The district is full of ancient monuments : the Winds tower (1st century B.C.), the monument to Lysicrates (334 B.C.), the Roman agora (in ruins) with contributions of Julius Caesar, Augustus or Hadrian.

In Plaka there is a narrow street leading up to the Acropolis at the right side of the district, near railings that separates the district from the Greek Agora. The terraces have magnificent views and they are far from the tourist crowded streets, and with many Greeks, that is the best signal to know if a place is nice. The lower Plaka is full shops of every sort, and many of them sell thousands of souvenirs from Greece : kombolois, lucky charms, icons, etc.

The most cheerful and typical streets are Pandrossou, Mitropoleos, Adrianou, Agora square, Lissiou, Tripodon, Thespidos or Filomeno Eterias square. Don't hesitate to leave the itinerary if something recalls your attention. When you approach a shop you will have at once the salesman asking what you want. They don't ask you because they look that you are a tourist, as they ask Greek people as well. It is difficult to wander these shops calmly, as you will be served in a moment despite you were outside the shop.

They use to be very talkative and they know several languages, and they speak to you in your own language despite you haven't opened your mouth. This is the behaving way in Plaka and Monastiraki. In other districts where the shops are more common the attention towards the client is similar to other countries.
There are many places to have a cup or a meal. In Plaka there is danger of entering a "too much" tourist local.
The first advice is to observe if there are Greeks and to try in locals out from the main streets. Agora's square has several terraces for meals or cups and there are always many Greeks, so it is an excellent signal.

The ouzerie Kouklis (Tripodon street) serves very nice and cheap food. It has two floors and the waiters show you a tray with all the dishes and you choose the ones that seem more tempting to you. The atmosphere is very popular, similar to the "tapas" in Spain.

In Mitropoleos street the restaurant Sabbas is very recommendable and fast. One of the attractions of Athens is to have a dinner with dances or live music, and the easiest option if you are going to stay for short in the city is to do it at Plaka.

Among this kind of restaurants I liked Sissiphos, in Mnisikleous street, with live singers, dances and nice food. A little tourist, but in Plaka it is difficult to enjoy something really authentic. I find it very acceptable to have a dinner in a terrace located in a beautiful yard. With candles, listening to the instruments music and enjoying some typical dancing, despite the attempts of the waiter of encouraging the tourists to applaud.

Absolutely avoid the restaurants in the Filomeno Eterias square and the nearby ones on the corner with the street Adrianou because they offer the less Greek menus, they are expensive and claustrophobic. In Lisisou street there are pretty elegant cafes. I remember the Melina Mercouri café. Melina was a woman born in 1923, a famous actress that due to her intense political activity during the coronels dictatorship she had to exile in 1974. At her return she was designed deputy and minister of culture. Near this cafe there is another cafe famous because of the delicious crepes.

Once finished the most tourist districts I will go on with other interesting spots to appreciate the most modern Greece and the actual customs. Taking the history again, the Greek independence aimed to delete the Turkish traces. Othon I started the reconstruction of Athens through a first destruction of the narrow and disordered streets around the mosques and the bazaars to rebuild them in a neoclassic style and thus reminding the Athens past. The part of the town where there are more neoclassic buildings is the zone included inside the triangle formed with three squares as the vertexes: Monastiraki, Omonia y Syndagma.

The streets are well ordered, opposite to the districts that surround the Acropolis. The initial harmony started to deteriorate with the time and today there are little but interesting rests remaining, such as the mansions in Plaka, the royal palace in Syndagma square, Panepistimiou street and some museums.
Syndagma square (or "constitution") is a very centric spot, very frequented and surrounded with travel agencies, airlines offices and banks.

The old Royal Palace dominates it. Othon built it and it became the Parliament in 1935. At its feet there is the monument to the unknown soldier, kept by the soldiers of the Guard, who are called Evzone. It very odd their customs, with a pleated skirt and shoes with pompoms. But it is still more strange the steps that they execute with complete accuracy and in perfect synchrony. On Sunday, at 11 o'clock they held the most spectacular parade. Many soldiers dressed up walk along the middle of the great avenue Vassilis Sofias.

More that once I pursued them with my camera taking pictures of their impassive faces.

Try to attend the guard change if you are in Syndagma square, it is very amusing.
They choose the strongest and tallest soldiers for these guards, so they are absolutely proud of representing the Greek army.
Once the change ends the tourists rush towards the quiet soldiers to take pictures. If a tourist approaches too much to the soldier, he will hit the ground with the butt and the superior will oblige the tourist to keep a prudential distance.

From the crowded square they leave authentic town arteries. First of them is Ermou , the street of Athens with more clothing shops and accessories. It is always plenty of people and it is a reflect of something that I didn't expect: the Greeks, the young in especial love to dress in fashion and they take much care of their aspect. The streets continues parallel to Plaka until the church of Kapnikarea, and beyond until Monastiraki.

Kapnikarea is a tiny church in the middle of this commercial street. Two superimposed chapels form it, one from 11th century and the other from the 13th.
From Syndagma they leave two big parallel streets: Stadiou and Panepistimiou , wide avenues with many shops and high activity. Panepistimiou is the avenue of the University, with hotels, great cafes, restaurants and shops.

The University is located in a open space with three beautiful white marble buildings, erected in the 19th century to bring back the classic art. In the center there is the university, although it is more exactly a building used for bureaucracy and no lessons are taught. On the right there is the most elegant building in my opinion, the Academia. On the left there is the National Library.

In Stadiou there is the ancient Parliament (19th century), that now keeps the National History museum, a route throughout the modern Greek history. If you cover any of the avenues you end in Omonia square , very busy, very noisy, very crowded. And very ugly. It is huge and the center is occupied by a plain esplanade. The surroundings and the square have numerous hotels. The travel agencies use to tell you that the zone is ideal and tourist, but they don't explain that there are many people with strange and bad looks. The 3rd of September street, that goes to the north, is the worst in the whole city.

However, don't be frightened, as we resided for a week in a hotel here and there was no problem, even at night. During the day you don't find it especially frightening and in Athens, for the moment, there are almost none crimes. Look at the numerous kiosks of Omonia, they sell every sort of things (these kiosks are located in everywhere across the city) and newspapers. Fix you attention in the Greek newspapers and you will check that above all, the Greeks are interested in politics and soccer.

From Omonia Athinas street leads to Monastiraki square with the Acropolis at the top of the background, closing the hypothetical neoclassic triangle. If you walk along this avenue, I would suggest loosing a minute and entering the Central Market . Plunge yourselves in the inside atmosphere, particularly at the meat stands. The noise is deafening as the salesmen shout to get their voices over the rest. This is absolutely an authentic Greek spot.

Near the Royal Palace there is the National Gardens , built in 1840 for the queen Amelia. It is a pleasant walk among many and leafy vegetation, such as the orange trees or the tall palm trees. Close to the gardens there is a park called Zappeion (or Zapio), another place to walk and relax. In the middle of the park there is a neoclassic palace from the 19th century.

Other of the interesting districts is Kolonaki and its mounth Lycabettus . To reach the hill you have to walk up though steep stairs and streets. You arrive into a subterranean funicular leading to the summit. I never went up to the top of the hill on foot, and if you plan to stay for short in the city I won't recommend to try it if you don't want to be exhausted for the rest of the day. The funicular is expensive, but it is worthy. The top offers impressive sightseeing of the whole Athens until the sea. There is also a little church and very expensive restaurant, although you can afford a coffee with the magnificent panorama.

Kolonaki is the most elegant and expensive district of Athens. There are many shops of exclusive brands although there are also many common brands. We saw luxury shops, antiques, haute couture, jewelry, arts. It is another shopping paradise. But it also keeps numerous nice cafes and terraces in fashion. Walk through the streets of Tsakalof, Milioni and the surroundings. Sit in some of the terraces to do the same than the Greeks: to contemplate the people and their clothing passing in front of you. The most elegant cafes are located in Haritos street.

Now that I have finished the interesting spots I am going to dedicate a chapter for the transport in Athens. The first option should be the subway, recently finished, cheap and easy to use, it links in little time the main places. In addition it is a free museum as the archaeological rests found during the excavation are exposed in the metro stations.
The buses keep a high frequency, and the line variety is high, but the inexperienced can find it impossible to understand. You have to sign the bus to stop, you have to introduce the ticket in a machine inside the bus that marks the date (sometimes the ticket inspector enters the bus and fines the passengers), and finally you have to push the button if you want to have your door opened at the next stop. Some buses go so crowded that it results claustrophobic. The tickets are bought at the kiosks.
And finally the most thrilling is the taxi. They are a case apart from the rest. You sign the taxi (free or not), and it stops if the driver wants to (depending on where he is going, how many people are inside and how many people you are). If the driver stops he will ask you where you go. If he doesn't find your destiny appropriate he will leave you with a stupid face. If he decide to let you in you can meet other passengers whose destiny will probably be near yours. Besides the same whole route is charged for each group separately. Many drivers are very talkative, especially if you are a tourist.
Here I must explain a Greek custom that many of you can find disgusting but that they don't do with bad-intentions. They ask about everything, including questions that you may find indiscrete. They are naturally very curious, but they do the same among them. Questions such as: how much do you earn? How much do you pay for your rent? Are you married? Which party do you support? Are really habitual, even if you don't know them.
The circulation by car is difficult to be seen in short stays. The driving is undisciplined, chaotic and there are many traffic jams. The cars are piled up rather than parked and to find a parking place is almost impossible near the center. They abandon the old cars in the streets as they find cheaper to do that than to carry the car to the scrapping.

They are very habitual the traffic jams in the early morning! Or during weekends with good weather, as the Athenians escape from the town. The abandoned dogs are very dangerous as they cross the streets and put the drivers in difficult situations. The problem with the wild and abandoned dogs is quite serious, as they are thousands. Many of them live tranquilly through the streets, ignoring the peasants.

As traveling out from the city to the land is concerned the best and cheapest option is the bus. There are two stations, and you have to be well informed about which one you must reach. The train is expensive and slow, avoid it. To visit the islands I suggest a taxi or metro until Piraeus and then a ferry or fast boat. You can buy a trip from the same Athens in good looking travel agencies, because those private or familiar agencies with a hand-painted poster generate distrust, as I could experience that in some occasion.

The Greek people have a festive nature and they make use of any event to celebrate it. My stay of 6 months allowed me to live two of their biggest days.
First, the National Day, the 28th October. They commemorate the repelling of the Italian ultimatum in 1940. There are military parades everywhere. This was the perfect day to visit the war museum , that explains the different wars where the Greeks have taken part. It is interesting and there is an imposing exposition at the outside with many war weapons.

The other festival is the carnival, in February. The most surprising of all was the custom that they had: everyone goes out with clubs through Plaka and they spend all the day hitting others that they don't know. The streets are crowded, you can hardly walk, the clubs are made of plastic but they hurt anyway. For a while it is entertaining but at the end this may not. This weekend the surroundings of the Acropolis and Filopapo hill offer a great atmosphere and the Athenians go for a walk and many of them fly their kites. Finally I have to mention one of the greatest carnival on earth: the carnival of Patras, that the Greeks told us it is fantastic.

As going out is concerned, although the Greeks are transforming their traditions towards the occident's with the proliferation of pubs and modern discos there are many traditional aspects that still stay. I will start talking about the dinner. They have dinner very late, even later than Spanish, and the diners prolong until late in the morning. A typical Greek lively local has live Greek music, with a deafening noise due to both the music and the people. Several dishes are served to share and nibble. This featured local is the most popular. There are other sorts of restaurants more tranquil and with a Greek atmosphere as well.
Afterwards, at night, many Greeks use to sit in a cafe or pub terrace and talk for hours. There is the other option of modern pubs and discos, like in Western Europe.
If you have the opportunity to attend an authentic Greek feast for Greeks, don't miss it. We were invited to a Cretan dinner and the experience was compelling, their hospitality and they festive nature.

In many occasions you can learn more bout the culture of the people in a festival of this sort than visiting hundreds o tourist spots. The Cretan reserve a local of 1000 people capacity, most of them from Crete. They dress up with their best clothing. They serve food and wine without stop until the morning. There is live music, the well-known rebetiko, with a singer of hoarse voice and a couple of instruments accompanying, like the Cretan lire. There is scenery to dance the typical Cretan dances and songs.

In each song a group of friends or familiars go up to the scenery and dance the song. In most dances the people display in a circle taken together. The person at the extreme of the circle is the protagonist. If he is a man, he starts to jump and to execute complicate and spectacular steps till he is exhausted. Then, other dancer substitutes him and the dance goes on. There are some songs where everyone that feels like to, can dance. I participated in these moments, and some of the dances are easy but other difficult. The Cretans chant the songs that every one of them knows. Although the Cretans are of course Greeks, they are a particular culture, they are very attached to their island and to their deeply-rooted traditions.

Most part of the time you stay sat and sometimes you dance. I witnessed a custom that I had heard of, but that seems to be in extinction: when some Greeks are euphoric they throw the plate against the floor.
In other occasion we attended other Greek party in other local for many people, with live music and very similar to the Cretan dinner.
During summer the atmosphere moves to the beaches and the discos there, such as Glyfada.

I would like to recommend some of the most representative Greek works. As for books there is an outstanding writer: Katzantakis. He wrote titles such as Zorba the Greek or the conflictive Last Temptation of Christ. Theodorakis and an immense Anthony Quinn brought Zorba to cinema. For this film an excellent soundtrack was created and also they invented one of the nowadays most known dances worldwide, the Sirtaki (listen to Sirtaki).
Other author showing deeply the country is Nicolas Cage across his books Hellas and Eleni. The second one relates an excellent and dramatic history during the Second World War and the civil war.
I would also suggest Corazón de Ulises (Ulysses Heart), from the Spanish Javier Reverte. He travels the key spots explaining the history and the roots.

I have already told you about the tourist spots and now I will resume other places little frequented in trips but with a singular attractive:
At the north the district of Exarhia, very nice, full of lovely cafes and restaurants. The center of the district is a calm square surrounded with elegant terraces and young people sat. The street Stournari is a paradise of computer shops.
Similar to Exarhia, but with more people, more noise and more fashion, there it is Fokionos Negri street , in the district of Kypseli. There are really big terraces and with loud music. It is a place where the Greek youngsters gather to go out.
A zone of shops and terraces is Zografou , the university district. The students finish their lessons and they go for a cup and to talk. The liveliest street is Stratarhou Papagou, the one where the bus drives towards the university. In the corner of Stratarhou Papagou with Papandreu there is a meat local that I loved. Here I ate the best gyros pita of Athens . It is easy to recognize it by the delicious aspect of the meat that can be seen from the outside.

Kifissia is a residential district at the outskirts. There are elegant mansions with an aristocratic air and very commercial streets. The subway leading to Kifissia passes in front of the Olympic stadium. This is a spot for the shopping lover, as all the brands could be find there.
A pleasant excursion we did was to mount Hymettus and the monastery of Kaisariani . The monastery is on the slope of Hymettus, under the shadow of pines and eucalyptus.

You have to take a bus and then to walk for half an hour. The monastery, from 11th century, is a peaceful backwater. It was famous because of its library and the monks' wisdom. Now it is uninhabited. Wonderful interior yard with a church, baths, monastic cellars, kitchen, and refectory. It is not spectacular but very pleasant. A path among trees led us to a viewpoint covering a captivating panorama over the sea and the city.

One of the attractions of Greece is the good weather. The summer is very hot, with no rain, so this period is better to visit the islands or places with beaches. During the months of September-October or May-June the weather is smoother and it becomes perfect to walk though sites and monuments. I could even eat in a terrace in Plaka in December!

So, Athens is a mixture of modern and traditional customs, places that offer very varied options for the visitor. A trip across Greece gives many knowledge and culture, and you realize the infinite contributions of the ancient Greece to the world, and that it is more present in our quotidian lives than you imagine.
My tip is that sometimes you should leave the typical paths to enjoy the more authentic Greece .

As for Athens , if you arrive already knowing that it seems ugly and it is little spectacular, you will enjoy it very much, you will discover all the marvels hidden under a chaotic appearance.