A Brief History Of Greece

The Greeks were one of the first people to settle in the region. The Greek Civilization soon emerged and reached a golden age during Pericles's rule. Under Alexander The Great, the Greek city-states united. After the Romans conquered and Greece became part of the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Greece, like the rest of Europe became a chaotic state during the Dark and Middle Ages. Later on, the Venicians and the French conquered. After their occupation, the Turkish empire rose and took over Greece. Greece was occupied by the Turks until the 1850' when it got liberated. The last war between the Turks and Greeks took place in 1920. After this Greece became a peaceful, independent country, and soon joined the European Union. 

A picture showing the war between the Turks and the Greeks

Guide For First Time Visitor:

Food- In Greece, they eat a lot of salad. But don't let this fool you, after the salad you eat almost always some meat, and french fries or rice. Even though, it is a costal country, fish is not a common dish from what I've eaten.

Accommodations – Greece, and especially Athens is full of hotels of all kinds and all standards. So finding a hotel shouldn't be too hard. Greek Hotels use the European star systems. So a three star hotel will look like a three star.

Getting Around- In Greece, like anywhere else, the car is the easiest way to get around. But be careful! Greece has a population of 12M, in Athens 5M reside. Athens being an old city, the streets aren't really large so the traffic is really bad. A brand new metro system was inaugurated a few years ago. It is cheap and clean. If you are staying in Athens, this is the best way to get around.

Things to do- Greece is full of things to do. The main revenue of Greece comes from tourism, so finding things to do when you are new to the place is an easy task. Historical places like the Oracle of Delphi, or the Parthenon are everywhere and they are always fun to visit. A lot of museums were newly created so if you want to stay in the capital, but still learn about Greece, they are a good option. Finally, if you aren't interested in history. Greece is full of beautiful scenery and beaches, while achieving high culinary standards...

Climate- The Climate of Greece is really Mediterranean. It gets really hot and sunny during the summer and mildly cold and cloudy during winter. Greece is quite humid and it rains fairly often during winter.

Dress- If you are going during summer, dressing warmly won't be necessary. Shorts, tee-shirts and flip-flops, will probably a god way to dress. Don't forget your towel!

During winter, dress warmly. A sweater, jacket and umbrella will be necessary. If you are mainly visiting, don't forget sneakers, as you will probably walk a lot.

post 8- Final Reflection

Even though I think I enjoyed the trip more than most others, I really loved it. This is because Greece always fascinated me, and this was my first time there. Also, I learned so much on this trip. I felt like a sponge just absorbing knowledge day after day. Even though I wished the trip would have been a bit longer and we would have seen more things, I was also happy to get back.

post 7- Friday

After this long journey throughout Greece, the final day had arrived. In the morning, we visited the extremely modern and newly constructed museum of the Acropolis, what we saw in it was incredible but the museum itself was also breathtaking. The museum won the award for the most modern museum in the world in 2010. Inside, we saw, pediments, statues and frescoes, from Athens but more particularly from the Parthenon. After we left for the airport. Even though, I wanted to stay longer, I was also happy to go back home. 

Bye Bye Greece!

post 6- Thursday

Today was really interesting. We went and visited the only attraction of the small town of Olympia, you guessed it: the original Olympic Complex. It was really interesting because it was huge and a lot of history was present in this place. Also, we discovered a lot of their ancient rituals and traditions. After we went to the Olympic museum where we saw the really famous statue of Hermes and Dionysus. Unfortunately, it was raining that day. After the extremely long ride back to Athens, we went to a restaurant, where a lot of folklore dancers and singers were present. There we danced and broke some plates!

Here is us dancing!

post 5- Wednesday

I thought today would've been bad, but it was better than I thought it would be. The whole day we took the bus and crossed Greece to go to Olympia. On the way, we stopped at many historical places. Firstly, we stopped at a huge and deep canal that was really impressive. After, we went to the famous theater of Epidaurus, where Maria Callas sang. Later, we stopped at the ruins of the old city of Mycenea, where the famous Lion's Gate where built. This is also where the tomb of Agamemnon was found. Later we arrived in our one night hotel in Olympia, where at nightfall we went “clubbing”.

The canal

post 4- Tuesday

Today, we went to Delphi. Delphi is known for it's famous Oracle, where in the ancient times people would go there and ask questions to the gods. When we arrived, I was surprised at how big the place was, it was the size of a village. After showing us the place, had free time in the ruins, to take pictures and explore. After, we went to the museum of Delphi where we admired the famous statue of the charioteer, where his eyes follow you. When we came back to the hotel, a dance teacher was waiting for us. With her, we learned traditional Greek dances and learned a bit more about Greek culture.

Here is a drawing of the Oracle of Delphi