| Destination: Greece |
By Adele Woodyard |
In the summer of 2004, the Olympic Games will return to its birthplace -- Greece. It was a foot race in 776 B.C. through this ancient, sunlit, pine-scented land of woods, vineyards, and olive trees that marked the first Olympic games. Modern man has built countless villages with narrow, cobbled streets abounding with natural beauty have been added to this birthplace of modern civilization. Here, rocky mountains reach for pure blue skies, and shimmering delft-blue waters lap the shores along the country's rugged coastline.
History comes to life in Greece. Visitors can explore sacred groves that hold ruins of temples to pagan gods and follow in the footsteps of Socrates, Plato, and Hippocrates, who once walked the streets of Athens.
The mainland is divided into seven areas: Attica, Peloponnese, Central Greece, Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, and Thrace. The country also has more than 1,400 islands.
Five cities in this "cradle of Western Civilization" will host the Summer Games -- Athens, Thessaloniki, Volos, Patras, and Iraklion. Each offers visitors a chance to experience ancient history as well as modern-day pleasures.
Athens -- Modern city in an ancient land
Opening ceremonies will be held at the Panathenaic Olympic Stadium in Athens, which was the site of the first modern Olympics in 1896. This city of more than 4 million people sprawls across seven hills, but a new underground metro and buses and taxis allow visitors to traverse the city with ease.
While in Athens, be sure to watch the changing of the evzones or guards, who wear short, pleated skirts, and pom-pom trimmed shoes, in front of the Parliament Building and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Constitution Square.
Those who have children may want to visit the small zoo, children's library, and playground located in the 40-acre National Garden.
While in Central Greece, one of the more mountainous regions of the country, many visitors seek word of the future from the Oracle of Delphi. Present-day athletes hike up or ski down Mount Parnassos after spending the night in the town of Arahova.
Those who prefer to remain in Athens can get a glimpse of the ancient city byover , climbing to the top of the Acropolis. Built as a strategic military fortress in the fifth century B.C., the Acropolis holds the ruins of the Parthenon, also known as the Temple of Athena. The nearby Erechtheion has six columns, the Caryatids, which are in the shape of women. Antiquities include the tiny temple of Athena Nike (Winged Victory), which stands at the cliff's edge near the entrance.
The onsite Acropolis Museum contains many priceless finds. However, it's the National Archaeological Museum a few blocks away that's truly a must-see. One of the largest and most important museums of ancient Greek art, its exhibits include such magnificent statuary as that of Poseidon, Zeus, and the Boy on a Horse, as well as marble stela and the gold mask of Agamemnon.
Neoclassical houses, small shops, and tavernas line the narrow streets and alleys of the Plaka, which lies at the center of the old city. For flea market buys to the sound of music, stroll the main square of Monastiraki.
Both areas are within sight of the Acropolis and, like all of Athens, are known for their nightlife. So if you're out mingling with the locals one evening, be sure to try ouzo, which tastes like licorice, or retsina wine, which has a hint of turpentine. Both local drinks are indigenous to Greece.
Thessaloniki -- A mix of cultures
Thessaloniki, the capital of Macedonia and the second largest city in Greece, was established in 316 B.C. and named after the sister of Alexander the Great. A bronze statue of the warrior king and the White Tower, a Byzantine museum, grace the Themaic Gulf waterfront in Thessaloniki.
Once the hub of a caravan route from Istanbul, Turkey, to Rome, Italy, you can find ruins of a roman market, forum, and hippodrome. Relief sculptures on the remains of the Arch of Galerius depict the emperor's war against the Persians in 296. Turkish-Jewish baths from the 16th century also reflect the cultures that shaped the city's heritage.
This modern city, which has a population of more than 3 million, is filled with large avenues, parks, and squares where shops, restaurants, theatres, music halls, and ouzeries jostle the shoulders of old Byzantine churches. Paul, the Apostle of Nations, introduced Christianity here in 50.
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