Contents

Introduction___________________________________________________ 2

1. The face of Greece____________________________________________ 4

2. Attica______________________________________________________ 6

3. Athens_____________________________________________________ 7

4. Piraeus_____________________________________________________ 8

5. The Peloponnese______________________________________________ 9

6. Central Greece______________________________________________ 11

7. Delphi_____________________________________________________ 12

8. Crete______________________________________________________ 13

Conclusion___________________________________________________ 15

Introduction

Every person has his vocation. And a lot of great things happen when a person follows it. One of my favourite things is travelling, that is why I have decided to be a student at the South Ural State University at the faculty of service and light industry. So I have chosen this profession because I enjoy visiting different interesting places. Every country has its tradition. And one of my best dreams is to find out something new in other countries. It is good to read different books about other countries’ history, geography, ways of life, and sightseeings. But if you see it with your own eyes you get an unforgettable impression and you can express your own opinion. I am sure that it is always interesting to discover new things, different ways of life, meet new people, to try different food, to learn their culture. I want to help people to organize their holidays and to find thee best ways of travelling. I think that the main thing of my future profession is to make life of people more interesting and more colorful. Visiting different countries gives us a lot of knowledge about their history, geology, art and makes their holidays unforgettable.

So I have chosen Greece as the theme of my research work. It is one of the most picturesque places in the world. Every one dreams to visit this country because Greece can tell us about mankind’s past. This is a small country with a long history, a country which has always fought for the great ideal of freedom. By reason of its geography, the spirit of the people who compose this country, and its position in the Eastern Mediterranean, Greece has taken on an enduring character which makes each generation of Greeks dependent on their forefathers and pledged to their descendents. Therefore, the State which is answerable for Greece, is in charge at one and the same time of yesterdays' heritage, today's interest, and tomorrow’s hopes.

If you get a chance to visit it the magic of Greece works on you the moment you set food in the country, and by combining ample leisure time with well planned sightseeing you will find that Greece has few equals for the wealth and variety of impressions it leaves in the mind. And these will remain cherished memories long after the holiday itself is over.

1. The face of Greece

It is true that Greece typifies the contrasts, geology, climate, even paradoxes inherent in the Mediterranean region. But contrasts between town and country, bareness and fertility, and between man dominating nature and nature dominating man, are more marked in Greece than anywhere else.

Although it is a geological prolongation of the Balkan peninsula, it is a distinct world that fills the mind with unforgettable impressions. The light is almost unnaturally clear and luminous, spilling over mountains and flashing of the sea on to the coasts and islands. The air is clean and fresh and scented with the aroma of countless wild flowers. More tangible is the aura of history that enfolds you: the sophistication of Minoan Crete, prehistoric Mycenae and megalithic Tiryns, classical Athens, Byzantine Mystra ahd medieval Rhodes. Partly it is the timeless background-ancient ruins and crumbling stone walls, Bronze Age volcanoes, and the tang of the sea. Dotting a historical span of almost 4000 years is Greece’s incredible tradition of arts and crafts, ranging from prehistoric pottery of ingenious shapes and vivid Minoan frescoes to the incomparable sculptures of the Golden Age and Byzantium jewel studded treasures'.

The Contrasts

Greece is always more than one expects. And with good reason. Around every corner it seems there lurks some hidden treasures: splendid ruins that indicate past glory and long human occupancy, a shop full of appealing folkcraft, a beach sited bungalow resort, a stretch of sapphire sea, or a wayside taverna inviting you to lose all sense of time over a glass of wine. This combination of antiquity and modern feeps the visitor hovering between reality and fantasy until the reconciles the long history of Greece with its living present.

Then again, Greece consists of several bits of diverse geography. Soaring mountains are separated by deep valleys, lakes and seas, its ternal imprint. There are countless peninsulas and bays and indentations, And, of course, innumerable islands. It is really a land of islands, one after the other, no two alike.

The waters that almost surround the 50,000 square miles of Greece are blue, pure and clear. They moderate its temperatures in all seasons, and the constant sunshine gives a diamond sparkle to everything. To think of Greece is to think of its climate, which is typically Mediterranean and just as warm and delightful in April and October as it is July and August.

The people

There are more than 9 million Greeks: cheerful, fun loving, unpredictable perhaps, but full of contagious enthusiasm. One hardly ever comes across a bored or Greek.

From the beginning, indeed, from the time when Greece was first inhabited, some 7000 years ago, her hardly been intent on proving that they are a special breed, fully capable of guiding their own destiny they still are. And they still do. Their boundaries may have altered, and they have undergone the most diverse experiences in the course of history, but this has mounded them into a signal nation embracing countless generations. The spirit that made this craggy land what it was 25 centuries ago, a very small corner of the earth that exercised an influence out of all promotion to its size, still persists. Greece is one again a living entity, responding to the call of the centuries, yet remaining herself through time.

The Present Scene

Along with scenery, the history, the beautiful islands, brilliant sunshine and blue seas, Greece also has to offer modern facilities in all parts of the country. That is why it is now fast becoming one of the favourite holiday countries in Europe and the Middle East. Almost all the hotels are new and equipped with every up-to-date amenity. Even a third class hotels are with a bath is the rule rather than the exception. Travel by boat, train, airplane, or car ferry is easy and comfortable. Reasonably cheap too. The beaches are crowd free, and there are well-placed camping sites for the go-it alone marinas, on islands and coasts.

The ideal way of to see Greece and to gain some insight into the true spirit of the Greeks is by car or bus combined with ship or airplane. The magic of Greece works on you the moment you set foot in the country, and by combining ample leisure time with well planned sightseeing you will find that Greece has few equals for the wealth and variety of impressions it leaves in the mind. And these will remain cherished memories long after the holiday itself is over.

2. Attica

Attica is the Greek area upon which ancient Athens nurtured philosophy and democracy. In this little corner of the earth the vitality of the Greeks found expression in all creative fields, and their thoughts helped to transform the whole outlook of Western man by the immortal and splendid Attic Civilization.

First inhabited in the 4th millennium B.C. by Pelasgians and later by lonians, possesses strong links with the historical past and there is hardly a part of the region where evidence of human activity centuries old cannot be found. Place names and historical remains at Marathon, Eleusis, Brauron, Amphiareion, Ramnous, Sounion and Athens itself commemorate an older Greece, which in those long-gone eras exerted an influence out of all proportion to its size.

However, this deservedly popular part of Greece does not live in the past. Along with the scenery, the history and the clear blue sea there are modern tourist facilities to be enjoyed in first class hotels, beach bungalow resorts and sports grounds. Excellent roads bring most of the beauty spots and historical sites of Attica within easy reach from Athens.

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