Do you know which Olympic torch relay has the widest scope? In 2004, the 28th Athens Games, Greece. To commemorate the return of the Olympic Games to their hometown after 108 years, the Olympic torch has spread across the five continents of the world for the first time, and has been lit in Africa and South America and the land for the first time. The entire torch relay process took 78 days and covered 78,000 kilometers.

As the birthplace of the Olympic Games, Athens has advantages unmatched by any other city. In this Olympic Games, the shot put competition in the track and field event was held in the ancient Olympia stadium; and the course of the marathon was completely the original route that the legendary Greek warrior Philipidis ran when he delivered the message.

The 2004 Athens Olympic Games brought Athens into a new golden period and injected new vitality into this ancient city.

A must visit place in Athens

Acropolis

"Acropolis" means the city above, named after its 156 meters above sea level, anywhere in the city of Athens It can be seen.

In ancient Greece, many cities were built around the Acropolis. When the enemy invaded, people could take refuge on the Acropolis. Therefore, almost all the most sacred buildings in ancient Greece were built on the Acropolis, such as the Parthenon (also known as the Temple of Athena), as well as the entrance to the Acropolis.

The Parthenon is dedicated to the god Athena. Like the Great Wall, it is the most famous symbol in the world. In 1687, when the Venetians bombarded the Acropolis, a cannonball hit the ammunition stored in the temple, which destroyed the temple. The remains of the temple have been preserved to this day, reminding the world of the cruelty of war.

The ruins of ancient Angola

The ruins of ancient Angola were the commercial business of Athens in ancient times center. When it was prosperous, merchants, legislators and philosophers gathered. The famous Greek philosopher Socrates often walked here with his disciples, including the later famous Plato. But there was no place for women here, which was not allowed at the time.

The buildings of the ancient Angola ruins are now incomplete: only a long wall of Hadrian's library remains, and only a wind tower still stands at the entrance to the market. The most well-preserved ones are the colonnade of Atros and the temple of Tiseion. The colonnade of Atros, built in the 2nd century BC, is a very typical Greek-style two-story building. On the first floor are 45 Doric columns surrounding the 22 Ionian columns in the middle, and on the second floor there are Ionian columns surrounding the central column of Egyptian palm leaf capitals. The lower level of the Colonnade of Trois is the museum, where five thousand years of Greek history can be traced.

National Archaeological Museum

The National Archaeological Museum is the largest museum of antiquities in Greece and an important attraction in Athens. The National Archaeological Museum collects extremely valuable cultural relics from various periods in Greece, and most of the cultural relics are the embodiment of Greek mythology. The museum has more than 50 rooms such as halls and showrooms, among which the gold masks, utensils and decorations in the Mycenaean cultural relics exhibition area are the most famous. The museum also displays a variety of sculptures, war tools and pottery, the shapes and patterns of pottery reflect the essence of Greek art.

Greek Shadow

In legend, Greece has three treasures: sunlight, sea water and stones. Its beautiful love sea and almost everywhere cultural relics make travel lovers from all over the world fascinated.

Olympia Village

Olympia Village is the birthplace of the World Olympic Movement. In ancient times, it was the center of religious sacrifice and sports competition. The first Olympic Games were held there in 776 BC. It has been held every four years since then for a thousand years. By 393 AD, the ancient Olympic Games were held 293 times. The 393 Olympics were the last after the Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned non-Christians from holding polytheistic sacrifices and games.

The main monuments of ancient Olympia are: dozens of temples, altars and shrines It consists of a temple area, a stadium, a gymnasium, a wrestling school, a gymnasium, a conference hall, a carving workshop, as well as bathrooms, lounges, etc. The Temple of Zeus is the largest building in the temple area, and the large stone pillars that have been dumped to the ground are all over 2 meters in diameter. The entire building is 20 meters high and has a rectangular shape. The Namfion shrine is where the torch is lit during the Olympics. All the torches of the modern Olympic Games are obtained here. The stadium is located in the east of the temple area, surrounded by stands made of earth slopes, which can accommodate 45,000 spectators. There are ancient stadiums, the temple of Zeus, the temple of Hera and other relics.

Santorini

Santorini is one of the highlights of Greek tourism and the most popular island for tourists. Santorini consists of three small islands. On one side of the island there is a crater that leaps out of the sea, and there are four small towns next to the crater. Navigating a ferry into a giant volcanic cave is one of the most magical and wonderful experiences in the world.

Santorini has the perfect sunset view, and many newlyweds love to spend their honeymoon here. It is also known for its black sandy beaches and rich nightlife.

All images courtesy of the Greek Tourism Board.