An Ancient Attraction | 希腊‧雅典‧爱琴海

by Matthew Brown

Greece is a must-see thanks to thousands of years of history and the timeless appeal of natural beauty.

希腊拥有数千年的历史和历久弥新的自然美景，是不容错过的旅游国度。

With a history that spans over 4,000 years, it's no surprise that Greece is one of the world's favorite tourist destinations. Visitors to Greece get to see where Western civilization, including its literature, art, science, and language, came from. The biggest tourist attraction in Greece today is its ruins, the ancient buildings that show how people lived thousands of years ago. Even so, the Greece of today also has fantastic food, lovely weather, and spectacular beaches. Greece is facing challenges and going through changes these days, but as the world advances, Western societies will always look to Greece to learn more about their roots.

Greece is located in southeastern Europe. It is a country with strong connections to the sea and has nearly 1,400 islands. With the tenth-longest coastline in the world, it includes some absolutely breathtaking beaches. The stretches of sand, along with the warm, relaxing Mediterranean climate, make Greece a great place for a getaway. It has beautiful landscapes, and 80 percent of the country is covered in mountains. The best-known is the famous Mount Olympus, which stands as the highest mountain in Greece at close to 3,000 meters.

People say that Greece is the cradle of Western civilization, and for good reason. The notion of democracy was developed in ancient Greece, and so was Western drama. Also, an incredible amount of Western science exists thanks to the thinkers in Greece that were active some 2,500 years ago. Of course, different parts of the world have their own histories of science, art, and philosophy, but many of the ideas that are such an important part of the West come from this amazing civilization.

希腊拥有 4 千多年历史，无怪乎是世界上最受喜爱的旅游景点之一。到希腊的游客都能一睹西方文明，包括文学、艺术、科学、语言等的源头。今日希腊最大的旅游景点是其遗址，亦即展现数千年前人们如何生活的古老建筑。即使如此，现今的希腊也拥有美食、怡人的天气和景色壮丽的海滩。近来希腊正面临挑战并在蜕变当中。然而当世界在进步之际，西方社会还是会一直仰赖希腊寻求他们的根源。

　　希腊位于东南欧，是一个与海密不可分、拥有近 1,400 个小岛的国度。希腊的海岸线长度在世界上排名第 10，因此她拥有一些景色绝美的海滩。一望无际的海滩加上温暖怡人的地中海型气候，使希腊成为理想的渡假圣地。希腊的陆地景观同样美不胜收，而且这国家有百分之八十都为山脉所覆盖。其中最著名的要属奥林帕斯山了，这是希腊最高的山脉，高度将近 3 千公尺。

　　人们都说希腊是西方文明的摇篮，这是有原因的，因为民主的概念起源于古希腊，西方戏剧亦然。还有，西方科学的昌盛也要归功活跃于 2,500 年前的希腊思想家。当然，世界各国都有各自的科学、艺术和哲学史，但西方许多重要的思想都是来自这不可思议的文明。