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| HISTORY
Athens and Piraeus stretch at the southern end of mainland Greece and they have been built in between the 3 mountains that surround them, namely mounts PARNIS, PENTELIS, EGALEO. They are surrounded by sea to the effect that the climate is mild. |
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| The golf of Saronicos, with its lace - lithe coast and its dozens of rocky islets, gents sweep the coastline from the south west up to the extremity of the peninsula called cape Sounion, where the ruins of the Temple of Poseidon have stood proudly for thousands of years. |
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On the eastern coast the waters of the Aegean sea caren the beaches of Athens. The eastern side of Attica is separated from the long isle of Evia by a channel a few miles wide that narrows to approx. 10 meters at the straight of Halkis. The history of Athens and of the Hellenic Nation ought to be study by every thinking person. The thoughts and the wisdom that developed here still lighten to this day the long march of human progress. |
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It is the birthplace of civilization with a history dating back to very many centuries ago. It is neither the object of the present quid to detail it, nor in fact it is possible to do so. It should be mentioned nonetheless how, according to legend, its appellation came about. When its inhabitants decided to give the agglomeration a name, two Olympian Gods - ATHENA and POSEIDON - came forward each offering their godly protection. |
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The inhabitants suggested them that each God offers the city a present and they would then decide. Poseidon struck the ground with its Trident and from the Attican soil sprang an admirable war - horse. Atena, in turn, stroke the soil with her spear and there sprang an olive tree. The wise inhabitants of the city preferred the peace symbol to the war inciting present of Poseidon and their option was Atena. |
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| SIGHTSEEING
They form a unified inhabited area of 4,5 million residents, which represents approximately half of the country's population. In the old days the capital city of Athens and its port, Piraeus, were separate entities, but nowadays there are no clear borders as to where the one starts and the other ends. Both cities are built at exactly the same spots where the ancient |
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cities existed. The ancient monuments of Athens, known throughout the world, are in the middle of modern neoclassical buildings and modern apartment blocks forming a chronological puzzle. Athens and Piraeus as a modern capital city have a very extended variety of places to visit and one should revert to a special guide book for that purpose. |
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| Generally speaking however it should be mentioned that a visit to the following is a must: The ACROPOLIS, the ATALLOU GALLERY, the MONASTIRAKI, the PLAKA, the parliament at Syntagma square, the botanical Garden, the National Archaeological Museum, the Old Olympic Stadium and the hill of Lykabetus. In Piraeus one should visit the picturesque harbors with the thousands of sea craft and the battleship AVEROFF, a thrill of Greek naval valor. |
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