Come and get it

King Leonid`s response to Xerxes as the Persians awaited a small Greek unit to capitulate and give way was this. Thermopylae, a critically important passage to Greece and the locale of a bloody battle, saw 300 brave Spartans defend their homeland until the very end, never considering surrender. They all perished, but they took a swarm of Persians with them, and thus cemented the legend of an unconquered Greece.

Thermopylae stands as a symbol of military excellence, a feat that is known far and wide. The strategic importance of the pass cannot be overstated; and after it, it remained the site of many skirmishes, among them the struggle between calipp and the gauls. The spirit of former bravery still lingers in thermopylae, and king leonid stands proud and tall over them.

Delphi: the sacred hearth of the Greeks

Delphi, home to the god Apollo and renowned for its prophetic abilities, was a sacred place for the ancient greeks. Located on the slope of parnassus, the mythical mountain of the muses, it was a refuge and a center of religious life, comparable to athens and sparta’s political centers. It was here, at the «navel of the earth,» that people from cities across the land converged, and from this disparate city-state a nation was formed. All who visited delphi revered it and felt an affinity with their fellow greeks.

What remains of the main temple of Apollo is still impressive enough to show the significance of the place. Each visitor is expected to take a dip in the castalian spring, which is said to bring rejuvenation and prophetic abilities. In addition to the temple, the ruins of the stadium where athletes competed two and a half thousand years ago are still visible. It was here that the pythian games were held, rivaling the Olympic ames. Delphi was the sacred hearth of the Greeks.

City of the divine and heroic

Crammed with folklore, Athens has seen a lot — no time in its history has been free of peaks and troughs, and remnants of all its chapters can be found in its streets. Any visitor should be greeted by the Acropolis, a tremendous fortified hill that served as the home of kings. This is a small city in the big city. It is the atmosphere of old-time Greece, as all its constructions are at least two millenniums old. A pleasure beyond measure — to wander these ancient roads, untouched by modern development, and breathe in its air — it`s as if the famous ancient philosophers and strategists are still here.

The Parthenon, a temple devoted to Athena, tops this place off and leaves an imprint on anyone who beholds it. But in the city there is much more to observe! Prophets, erechtion, areopagus, museums and theatres of such antiquity that the masterpieces of great playwrights were performed in their lifetime, and under the rule of the roman emperor nero, who performed at the Dionysus theater, it was already deemed a relic. The attractions here are innumerable, yet it`s better to see them with your own eyes