Visiting Greece instead of Iceland

The plane towards the capital of Greece was full of tourists, but they may have somehow travel to different parts of Greece, as there was absolutely no crowd inside the city.

Traveling in the times of the virus turned out to be an incredibly good move in the end. There were no expected summer crowds of tourists in front of each landmark. And what could be nicer than entering the Acropolis of Athens and not having to wait for two hours like one would during a “normal” summer visit.

The actual meaning of Athens’ greatest landmark is said to be "High Place". The acropolis rises high above the city and from the top you can see on all sides, even to the seaside. The most famous monument on the Acropolis is the Parthenon, which rises above the city with its high pillars and was dedicated to the goddess Athena, the patron saint of Athens. It was built in the 5th century BC. Parthenon is the most famous remnant of ancient Greek architecture. In 1687, the Parthenon was severely damaged in an explosion. The south side was destroyed. From 1975 onwards, the Greek government began efforts to rebuild the Parthenon and other structures on the Acropolis. At the time of my visit, it was still partially under renovation.

Another attraction that fascinated me is the Panathenaic Stadium. The stadium was named after the games held on the birthday of the goddess Athena. During this time, the Panathenaea Festival was held, all women could leave the house and even enter public life, and men competed in various competitions. Those who oiled their bodies and tensed their muscles stepped into the stadium and competed in various disciplines, and the prize for winning were amphorae with oil.

The Panathenaic Stadium is interesting because of many other things as well, one of them being the fact that it is built entirely of marble as the building was originally wooden. The stadium is known for something else. The first modern Olympic Games took place here in 1896, in a completely renovated stadium. In 2004, the last meters of the marathon were run by participants of the 28th Summer Olympics, which were hosted by Athens.

One of the best-preserved temples, which was in my opinion the most beautiful among the temples in Athens, is the Temple of Olympian Zeus, built in the 2nd century AD. It is also known as Olympieion or Columns of Olympic Zeus. It was dedicated to Zeus. The name derives from his position as the leader of the Olympian gods. In the Roman period, the temple, which contained as many as 104 colossal columns, was known as the largest temple in Greece. Today, even after so much time, 16 columns are still preserved.

Athens offers a huge slice of history and many of the foundations and monuments are still well preserved. I chose the three most beautiful ones for the article. Even if the virus is spreading around the world, by taking all the protective measures, you can feel completely safe and come home healthy. There were also very, very few tourists, which really made it easier to see the city and its surroundings, and the flight change was free, which happens very rarely. And I am a little sorry that I did not buy more tickets and discover more of Europe during the summer holidays.