9 things to love about: Athens

Dr. Constantine Kirits lists his favourite things about Athens, Greece

1. The Parthenon: Everyone knows the Parthenon. At the top of the Acropolis, it symbolizes the power and influence of the Athenian politician, Perikles, who championed its construction in the 5th century BC. One of the "real" wonders of our world, still standing after 2,500 years. The museums adjacent present a great opportunity to witness ancient 'gems'. 

2. Education: The influence of Greek thought on modern education remains significant across the planet. Greeks value education and Athens is the hub linking Europe with Asia & the Middle East. With the long awaited approval of programmes offered in Greece by EU Universities anticipated in October 2007, there are dozens of excellent choices not only from the state Universities. Greece and Athens specifically is also a important supporter of life long learning and has recently become a great conference destination. How does a semester in Athens sound? 

3. Syntagma square: The main square of Athens which is a landmark meeting point. Classic luxury hotels are located right next to the square itself, like the Grand Bretagne, the St. George or the Plaza Hotel. On the top of the square the Greek parliament demonstrates stability and a pure example of neoclassic architecture. Exactly across, the famous "Ermou street" gathers numerous shopping opportunities and leads you directly towards Plaka and Psiri, two of the most well known areas demonstrating Greek traditions. 

4. Plaka & Psiri: The oldest district of Athens, "Plaka", is characterized by monuments of all periods which prove that this was the heart of the city from Antiquity until modern times. There are several small churches, a mosque, an Ottoman bath and quite interestingly, the first university of Greece. Together with the Roman Agora (market), constitute its cultural mosaic. Psiri is becoming the 'new Plaka' in a certain sense, which is a small street area with traditional Greek shops and restaurants, tavernas modern theaters and live music. 

5. Panathinaikos Stadium: This was the first stadium to feature the modern Olympic Games in 1896, 108 years before it was restored again to feature the recent 2004 Olympic games in Athens. The stadium was built in 330 BC by Lykourgos who transformed it to feature the Panathinaic festival in ancient times. The stadium is one of the city's landmarks. 

6. Island proximity: Athens is situated in the Attica region of Greece, only 15 – 20 minutes to the closest harbor that can lead you to islands such as Spetses, Hydra, Myconos, Aigina, Santorini and a whole lot more. One can actually go 'island hoping' every day. If that's not a good idea, there are hundreds of beaches on the Attica shore line to choose from. 

7. Greek food: Who hasn't heard of the famous Greek salad, "Mousaka", "Feta Cheese", "Tzatziki", or "Souvlaki"? Athens is famous for such traditional dishes / items and hefty portions either at home or at a classic Athenian taverna. A good tip is to be prepared to eat late, since Greeks in general have dinner after 8 in the evening while some of the major clubs open at midnight. Be prepared! 

8. Night Life: Everyone has heard about Greek nightlife. There are thousands of clubs, bars & restaurants in the city with a population of close to 4.5 million. Since the times of the ancient Greeks, Athenians knew how to have a good time and party till the early hours of the morning. Who hasn't heard of the "breaking plates" tradition, the Greek dancing or the 'flower throwing"?

9. Weather: All of the above would not be possible without good weather. Athens has a very good climate and is quite dry despite the heat. Tourism is the Number 1 industry in Greece and the weather is the number 1 factor responsible for arrivals from every part of the world.

Dr. Constantine Kiritsis is the Executive Director of Globaltraining®