Greece an Overview

Things you need to know about Greece

Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country situated in Southeastern Europe, positioned on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. It has borders with Albania, the (former Yugoslav) Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east and south of mainland Greece, while the Ionian Sea lies to the west. Both parts of the Eastern Mediterranean basin feature a vast number of islands. Greece lies at the meeting point of Europe, Asia and Africa. It is heir to the heritages of ancient Greece, the Roman and Byzantine Empire, and nearly four centuries of Ottoman rule. It has been sporadically occupied also by various other nations, such as the Venetians, before entering Ottoman rule. Greece has a particularly long and eventful history with a diverse cultural heritage that both shaped and has been shaped by cultures throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. It is considered as the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophical thought, the Olympic Games, Western literature, political science, major scientific and mathematic principles, and Western theatrical drama including both tragedy and comedy.

Greece is a developed country and a member of various institutions. These institutions are the European Union (member since since 1981), the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (member since 2001), NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, member since 1952), the OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, member since 1961), the WEU (Western European Union, member since 1995) and ESA (European Space Agency, member since 2005). Athens is the country’s capital; Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion, Volos and Larissa are some of the country's other major cities.

No matter what short of vacation you are looking for, Greece has plenty to offer. Its numerous islands can satisfy all expectations. Whether you are looking for a party island or a quiet peaceful island, chances are there will be more than one you could visit to satisfy your expectations. But Greece is not all about the islands as the majority of visitors expect. Greece is famous for its beautifully mountainous terrains, like mount Olympus the home of the ancient Greek Gods, with small picturesque villages springing up like wild grass after the first spring rains. The majority of antiquity remains can also be found on the mainland. Some of the nicest beaches to be found in Greece are located on the coastline rather than in the islands. But of course, when in Greece, Athens should be the starting point of all future excursions. Its mystifying combination of millennia in historical existence along with current Greek ideological perspectives on entertainment and socializing make Athens a place surely worth visiting. You cant visit Greece and not feel in aw of all the aspects of this ancient culture.

Athens

Athens, the Birthplace of Democracy

Athens is a vivid example of a city that brings culture, antiquity, and modernity together in a mystifying mixture of its past, as well as its recent heritage. Athens is comprised by numerous suburbs which play a key role in the unfolding of its uniqueness as a historical city, but as well as a major modern actor in areas varying from science to trade. Athenian architecture can bewilder even the most experienced eye, with buildings representing eras such as the Greco-Roman, Neo-Classical and modern. With the Athenian municipality being divided into several districts, the very heart of the city brings up several different expressions of its past as well as its current standing as a European capital.

The history of Athens is rich and extensive.
Athens has been occupied from 3,000 BC onward, but it wasn’t until the height of Mycenean rule (1,400 BC to 1,200 BC), that the city began to create its basis for future development. Originally situated around the vicinity of the Rocky Mount known as the Acropolis (Acropolis literary means “the edge of the city”), the city began to spread southward. As Athens expanded physically towards the seacoast to form the port of Piraeus, so too did it evolve from a political standpoint. Politically, Athenians were divided into four classes, based on their wealth and their ability to perform military service by Solon in the beginnings of the 500’s B.C.E. The poorest class, the Thetes, who were the majority of the population, received political rights for the first time, being able to vote in the Ecclesia (Assembly), but only the upper classes could hold political office. This new system laid the foundations for what eventually became known as the Athenian democracy. Most of the major Athenian temples which were destroyed during the first Persians invasion of Greece, were rebuilt under the leadership of Pericles during the Golden Age of Athens (460–430 BC) in which democracy was officially established. From 400 BC onward, the city of Athens began to take on the facade of classical Golden Age Greece. Within this time in Athens, the Agora, which is the area below the citadel, became the center of civic life. The Agora was the marketplace and meeting place where the Athenians could speak of civic and public affairs. Once in Athens, you should always have in mind, that the modern city is build over an ancient one. That being said, you will not find the grid like mapping you will find in north American cities. If you want to get around in Athens always carry a map with you.

Athens, Psyrri

The Psyrri District in Athens

The Psyrri neighborhood is in the center of Athens and in the heart of Athenian night life.
Located in down town Athens near the historical monuments of the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora (market), it connects several of the city’s hotspots. Its numerous renovated neoclassical mansions work not only towards entertaining the eye but also as great locations for the several fashionable bars that can be easily found in the neighborhood’s narrow streets. Many of the city’s art galleries and especially artist’s spaces can be found in Psirri. Its vast majority of restaurants will please even the most demanding costumer with great food and affordable prices. A number of these restaurants feature live music, with bands playing mostly traditional Greek rebetiko music, the so called “Rebetadika”. With its origins in modern Turkey, rebetiko music travelled to Greece through the immigrants that the Asia Minor destruction brought to the country in the 1920’s. Ever since, this peculiar type of music has survived and flourished and is now considered to be a major player in defining the Modern Greek musical scene.

Even though Psyrri is regarded as a traditional tourist attraction you will find most of its cafes and bars filled with locals even during the summer months. Wine and ouzo are the mainly consumed beverages, but you could also find some more peculiar drinks such as “rakomello”. Made with raki (the Greek grappa) and honey, both are boiled and served warm in a small jug with a few cinnamon sticks. It is definitely a drink worth enjoying even during the heat of the summer along with some of the peculiar “mezedakia” (tapas) that the different bars serve. In Psyrri and in its neighboring suburbs such as Thissio and Monastiraki you will find an assortment of interesting outdoor festive activities, such as live concerts and theatrical acts sponsored by the municipality of Athens. These activities occur more frequently during the summer months when tourist activities are heightened. If you are planing to visit Athens, and the Psyrri district have in mind that the night will always be young. Make sure you nap in the afternoon and prepare for a night out on the Psyrri which starts at midnight.

The Acropolis

The Acropolis, once the beacon of western civilization

The greatest and finest sanctuary of both modern and ancient Athens, dedicated primarily to its patron, the goddess Athena, dominates the center of the city from the rocky cliff known as The Acropolis. The monuments of the Acropolis, literally translated into “the edge of the city”, stand in complete harmony with their natural setting. These unique masterpieces of ancient architecture combine different orders and styles of Classical art in a most innovative manner and have influenced art and culture for many centuries. The Acropolis of the fifth century BC is the most accurate reflection of the splendor, power and wealth of Athens at its greatest peak, the golden age of Perikles. Pottery findings of the Neolithic period (4000/3500-3000 BC) and, from near the Erechtheion, of the Early and Middle Bronze Age, show that the hill was inhabited from a very early period. A fortification wall was built around it in the thirteenth century BC making the citadel the centre of the Mycenaean kingdom. This early fortification is partially preserved among the later monuments and its history can be traced fairly accurately. After the Athenian victory over the Persians at Marathon, in 490 BC, the city’s inhabitants began building a very large temple, the so-called Pre-Parthenon.

This temple was still unfinished when the Persians invaded Attica in 480 BC and pillaged the Acropolis while set fire to its monuments. The Athenians buried the surviving sculptures and votive offerings inside natural cavities of the sacred rock, thus forming artificial terraces, and fortified the Acropolis with two new walls. Several architectural elements of the ruined temples were incorporated in the northern wall and are still visible today.In the mid-fifth century BC, when the Acropolis became the base of the Athenian League and Athens was the greatest cultural centre of its time, Perikles initiated an ambitious building project which lasted the entire second half of the fifth century BC. Athenians and foreigners alike worked on this project receiving a salary of one drachma a day.

The most important buildings visible on the Acropolis today - that is, the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the temple of Athena Nike, were erected during this period under the supervision of the greatest architects, sculptors and artists of their time.In later centuries the monuments of the Acropolis suffered from both natural decay and human intervention. After the establishment of Christianity and especially in the sixth century AD the temples were converted into Christian churches. The Parthenon was dedicated to Parthenos Maria (the Virgin Mary and served as the city's cathedral in the eleventh century. The Acropolis also became the fortress of the medieval city. Under Frankish occupation (1204-1456) the Propylaia were converted into a residence for the Frankish ruler, and in the Ottoman period (1456-1833) into the Turkish garrison headquarters. The Venetian siege of the Acropolis in 1687 had a devastating effect on one of its most prominent structures. On September 26^th of the same year, the Venetians bombarded and destroyed the Parthenon, which then served as a munitions store. Further serious damage was caused by Lord Elgin in 1801-1802. He and his excavating crew looted the sculptural decorations of the Parthenon, the temple of Athena Nike and the Erechtheion. The Acropolis was eventually handed over to the Greeks in 1822, during the Greek War of Independence. Regardless of which part of the world you are from, chances are you have seen a picture of this monument, representing either Greece, or Athens.

Athens, Monastiraki,

Monastiraki is located at the northwest of the Acropolis, and its exact translation means 'little monastery'. Its small and narrow streets are mainly taken up by the flea market stalls that sell all sorts of souvenirs, jewelry, clothes. You could literally find anything there, from antiques to transistor radios, phone cards; used cell phones, books, old collector edition records and generally stuff that might be classify as sheer junk but might be the exact thing that someone else was looking for on that particular instance.

The flea market is the best place to buy souvenirs from Greece at reasonable prices. If you think that the asking price doesn’t necessarily represent the value of a particular item bargaining is always an option. Much of the flea market is not actually a flea market throughout the week. It is only on Sundays that the majority of Athenians come down for shopping and socializing. During the week it is a collection of small shops of which most of them are tourist shops. Only on Sundays you could find an antique market in Avissinias Square, where merchants sell old furniture and bric-a-brac. The large number of cafes and restaurants will make your experience even more delightful. At Monastiraki Square especially you will find many kebab and souvlaki restaurants which are constantly full of locals and tourists alike.

If night life is what you are after, then Monastiraki is definitely one of the places in down town Athens you should visit. Its large variety of bars and night clubs will provide the visitor with a unique Athenian experience. Getting to Monastiraki is fairly easy. The subway system in Athens expanded its route by adding a Moanstiraki stop in late 2003. This made commuting to Monastiraki a breeze, with the two subway exits leading to the main Monastiraki square and the other leaving you a minute’s walk away from the Psirri neighborhood. Athens is full of these neighborhood gems. Mostly around The acropolis, in the center of the modern city, and in the area where ancient Athens was based.

Plaka, Athens

Plaka is the oldest neighborhood in Athens. It is located directly under the hill on which the ancient monument of the Acropolis was built upon. Most of its labyrinth streets have been closed to automobile traffic, though you should still be careful for speeding motorcycles or other vehicles. At one time it was the nightclub district, but most of these clubs closed down when the government out-lawed amplified music in the area in the eighties in an effort to get rid of the undesirables. This strategy was quite successful and it is now an area of restaurants, Jewelry stores tourist shops, and cafes. Though it is fairly commercialized it is still a neighborhood and arguably one of the nicest in down-town Athens. The best example that could be provided about the beauty of Plaka’s neighborhoods would have to be the Anafiotika.

It’s a cluster of small houses built on the slopes of the Acropolis above central Plaka. The architecture of the houses greatly resembles that found on the Greek Islands. It's named Anafiotika because the original inhabitants were stone masons who came from the Cyclades island of Anafi to help build a palace for King Otto in the mid 19th century. While moving to Athens these builders brought with them not only their local culture but also their architecture. If culture is what you are after then Plaka is the place to visit. There are many museums among them the museums of Greek folk art, the Children's Museum, the Frissiras Museum of Greek painting and the Greek music instruments museum. You will be able to find plenty of antiquity sites such as the “Roman forum and Winds tower”, the “Temple of Olympian Zeus", the “Temple of Hephaestus and Athena Ergane” and ofcourse the “Acropolis”.

The Roman marketplace which supplemented the original Greek Agora was founded by Emperor Augustus the name of which is inscribed on the magnificent gate called Archegetis. One of the most amazing units is the Winds Tower built in 50 B.C. It is a unique achievement of the ancient world and is decorated on each side by personnificated winds and their names. Within the ancient Agora museum, which was renovated in the early 2000’s, you can find a variety of peculiar artifacts used for several reasons such as cooking, physical training and ofcourse artifacts such as shields and swords. The “Temple of Olympian Zeus” is a ruined colossal temple in the centre of the Greek capital, Athens that was dedicated to Zeus, king of the Olympian gods. Its construction began around the 6th century BC, but was not completed until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD. During the Roman periods it was celebrated as the largest temple in Greece and housed one of the largest cult statues in the ancient world. The temple's glory was short-lived, as it fell into neglect after being pillaged in a barbarian invasion in the 3rd century AD. After that it was never repaired and was left to remain in ruins. In the centuries following the fall of the Roman Empire, the temple was extensively quarried for building materials to supply building projects elsewhere in the city. What we see today is what remains after the most recent collapse of a number of its pillars in the 1850’s. Within the vicinity of the “Ancient Agora” you will also find the marvelous “Temple of Hephaestus and Athena Ergane”. It was dedicated to Hephaestus which was the patron-god of metal working and to Athena Ergane who was the patron-goddess of pottery and crafts in general. Being constructed in 415 BC it was meant to embody the richest evidence of Athenian tradition after the Greek victory over the Persians. It remains in excellent form even today, nearly two and a half thousand years after its construction.