Geography Athens is considered to be the birthplace of western civilization, home of the immortals, and the Olympic Games - which were recently celebrated here once again in 2004. With a recorded history of over 3,400 years, Athens is the capital of Greece and is home to the nation’s most important industries. Sitting upon the Attica Basin and bordered on three sides by four mountains and the Saronic Gulf to the southwest which opens out into the Aegean Sea, Athens itself has twelve major hills, most notably the Acropolis, upon which the lofty temple awaits its visitors. The city bustles with an estimated population of over 745,000 within the city center with a a total urban population of over 3 million and is a continuous destination for thousands of tourists making their city-break yearly. Languages The main language of Athens is Greek, which is split into the two categories of popular Greek (known as Dhimotiki) and professional or clerical Greek (called Katharévoussa). While these two subsets evolved from Ancient Greek, each is clearly a language of its own. English is widely spoken and understood along the hot spots in Athens. Should you wish to travel off the beaten path, it is of course useful to have a little Dhimotiki to get by. Most street signs are also in Greek and English, but knowledge of the Greek alphabet won’t hurt. See and Do Athens is a city bursting with magnificent architecture, local colour, and a network of hotels, clubs, outdoor markets, and festivals. Your airBaltic flight delivers you to the newly conditioned Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport built in 2001 and only 27 km from the city center. Once ready to explore, it is recommended to divide the city into sections, admiring the breadth of architectural styles along the way, from Greco-Roman to the Modern. Travel to Psirri and Gazi Squares famed for its artist spaces, galleries, many fashionable bars and the “rebetadika” playing in its restuarants. For your luxury shopping spree Syntagma Square should be next and it has something for everyone. Then make off to Plaka, just beneath the Acropolis, where travelers oggle at neo-classical architecture and cnap up cheap bargains at the bustling flee-market. And of course, Athens has much in the way of local cuisine, so don’t end your travel without sampling a little moussaka, ordering saganaki (cheese set aflame in a broth of ouzo), and tasting some of the fabulous ouzos and Greek wines which are something of a national secret (except retsina, whose pine sap flavour arguably takes a little getting used to).
For those interested in catching a show, with almost 150, Athens has the most venues of any European city to offer. For purists, a solid mainstay is the Herod Atticus Theatre, close by the Acropolis. And before sadly saying goodbye to Athens with your airline, why not head out to one of the many Greek Islands from Pireaus, Athens’ seaport. |
