Delphi & Athens

 “Come and get it”

King Leonid answered Xerxes in such way, when the Persians were waiting for a small Greek unit to surrender and let them pass. Thermopylae - a strategically important passage to Greece that became the scene of a fierce battle, in which three hundred brave Spartans defended the Motherland to the last and none of them thought of surrendering. They all fell down, but they took with them a great number of Persians and gave birth to a legend, and so Greece remained unconquered. Thermopylae has become a true embodiment of military glory - who does not know about that feat? The strategic significance of the passage is difficult to exaggerate - and after it continued to be the arena of fierce fights, as when Calipp stood the onslaught of the Gauls here. And now the spirit of the former heroism is still felt in Thermopylae, and King Leonid stands proudly above them.

Apollo’s house

Delphi, according to the legends that served as a refuge to the god Apollo, was the center of religious life, just as Athens and Sparta - political centers. It was from here, from the slope of the legendary Parnassus, where the muse dwelt, from the "navel of the earth" was the Pythia, to which many great men turned for predictions. It was Delphi that served as a common hearth for everyone, a place where people from Athena and Corinth, Sparta and Thebes converged. Here, from a disparate city-state, the nation was forged - the Greeks felt themselves to be a single nation, being in this place, because all revered Delphi the same. The main temple of Delphi is the sanctuary of Apollo, from which now only the ruins remain, but they are grand enough to experience the significance of this place. Each visitor is obliged to plunge into the waters of the Castalian Spring - originating in the mountain of the muses, he is able to give inspiration and discover prophetic abilities, and, according to local, rejuvenates the person. There were Pythian Games that competed with the Olympic Games, and the stadium where athletes competed two and a half thousand years ago, in times of myths and legends, is still preserved.

City of Gods and Heroes

Covered with legends, Athens experienced a lot - not one period of rise and fall was in the history of this city, and evidence of every page of life can be found on its streets. The first thing any tourist should meet is the Acropolis, an impressive fortified hill that served as the residence of kings. This is a whole city in the city. It is the atmosphere of ancient Greece, because all the buildings here are for at least two thousand years old. Priceless pleasure - to walk along such ancient streets which are not spoilt by modern buildings, and breathe its spirit - it seems that it is still the same as the great ancient philosophers and strategists breathed. The pearl of this place is the Parthenon, dedicated to Athena temple, which makes an indelible impression on everyone who sees it with their own eyes. But in the city there is more to see and beyond that! Propheles, Erechtion, Areopagus, museums, and theatres of such an antiquity that the plays of great playwrights were staged during their lifetime, and under the Roman emperor Nero, who performed at the Dionysus Theater, he was already considered a monument. Enumerate the attractions can be endless, but it's better to see them with your own eyes - who was not in Athens, he did not see the world!