Guide to Athens

If you look at the Athens in general, you will see nothing similar to those amateur pictures from your primary school history books. It is just one more modern metropolis. The is not a trace of parks Socrates used to walk in or palace once being home to Alexander the Great. Usual buildings, streets, MacDonald's red signs... nothing special. All Greece is just EU-member, “first-world” country. But, it is an illusion. My university instructor used to say: “Turkey will never enter European Union, it has no place there and no task to perform.”. Well, what about Greece. What is its task? - Greece is EU's history museum! So, it is hard to spot at first site, Athens as main hall of it has examples from every period of European civilization's progress. Since exploring it is so difficult and no touristic guidebook have been printed yet, I will try to fill you in about location of stands. First of all end of 20^th - beginning of 21th century. It is located in Acropolis. Very difficult to pass by, it is that big ruined building on the hill in the middle of the city. Wind blowing throw holes in the walls... So, it is place which symbolizes and is actually the center of democracy. People voted there. Actually all people who had right to vote are there. What? You met only several Americans and two British guys? And you are surprised? Don't be. I told you it is 21th century. Lets pass to Middle Ages... humanism, Renaissances... you know. Actually those artifacts are pride of this museum. It was very difficult to find them. They are kept in place called Exorchia. During visit you will be most probably watched by personnel, don't get worried. It is normal. There are fragile and expensive examples there. You can by no means touch them. ( They can be touched and when needed restored only by professional officials of the museum. ). Ok... that is enough, take your picture and lets continue our journey. Next stop is Ancient or Classic period. It is also a very rare exposition. Follow Google Maps to Polytechnic University and check our bars in attaching area. There you can find Aischylos, Plato and other original staff. Those artifacts you can touch. I mean they have been standing for ages... it is hardly possible you can harm them. Well, of course you should be aware of the falsifications. The older artifact, the expensive it is. So this could not be prevented. You can come across an Albanian copy of 80ies. Most probably you want see the difference. But does it matter? Fake is fake. Can you compare a Hoxha to an Aristoteles?

It is well known that a museum tries to show off with oldest artifacts. The more it has, and the older they are – the better museum it is. Isn't it? The more tourists it will attract. ( By the way, you may have missed WW2 exemplars, that collection is a little messed up. Actually it is due to insufficient fund, but you will sure come across 3-5 Nazi guys during the visit, so have a look.). Now lets go to the main square. Here is hall of Stone Age. You should be aware that your cell phone may not work here. It must be realistic after all. Most valuable collection is here. Have you seen guys with stones and sticks? Enjoy you visit. Of course they are replicas. They are specially educated to be inconspicuous from original. There are special school, well of course education is same during first years, but in the last semester they choose a branch ( like stone or stick, depending on personal talents and choice ).

To think about it... you can have a paleontology museum, ethnographic museum and even children toy museum in one city. But it is stupid to have two same museums in one city, right? So, it is stupid to except Turkey to EU. :D