Victor Travel Blog

Poseidon or Zeus. The National Archaeological Museum of Athens. Greece.

Summer. Athens is melting in the heat, thermometers show 40 degrees in the shade. You can, of course, spend all your time on the beach, but it is unforgivable for Greece. Even if you rest on the islands, muster the courage and make a day trip to Athens. Agree with me, it is better to look at ancient Greek artifacts with your own eyes than read about them in travel blogs.

However, an assault of the Acropolis in summer is a real horror. Yes, the Parthenon is majestic and caryatids are beautiful, but Athens has the one place where you can find the most important Greek artifacts and enjoy them in very comfortable conditions. I’m speaking of the biggest museum in Greece—the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. It has some rare sculptures and ceramics dated to as early as the 11th century B.C.

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Balos. Crete, Greece.

Myths of ancient Greece are fairytales. I liked them from childhood and have read them all, but I don’t think that my mother read those myths to me at bedtime. Most of these ancient stories could be very successful screenplays for horror films. Take the biography of the main Greek god, Zeus, for example.

An oracle predicted to Cronus, the ruling Titan, that his son would defeat him and take his throne. To prevent such an unpleasant destiny, Cronus started to swallow every child which was born to his wife, Rhea. I don’t know how many children he swallowed, but at last, Rhea’s patience was exhausted, and she decided to give birth and raise at least one child. With this in mind, she hid in a cave on the island of Crete with the newborn child. It was Zeus. Of course, he successfully realized the prediction and became the main Olympian god.

Today, you can visit the cave of Zeus on the Greek island of Crete.

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The Mask of Agamemnon, the King of Mycenae.

Just like many true archaeologists, you may not be delighted with the methods of Heinrich Schliemann, but you will not fail to take off your hat before such a strong belief in oneself and one’s own success.

The Greeks forgot where Troy was.

The Greeks forgot where Delphi was.

The Greeks forgot where Mycenae was.

Schliemann discovered and showed them their own history.

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