Written by the 2nd Grade Junior High School students,Olga Machaira, Georgina Moutropoulou, Anthi Douka, Maria Koumantzia.

Greece is a mountainous country in Europe and it is a part of the Balkan peninsula with over 6,000 islandsd . It has got the longest coastline in the Mediterranean. It is known as the birthplace of democracy and western civilisation with a population of over 10 million people. As it is one of the countries that belongs  to the Mediterranean sea, its climate is hot with dry summers and mild winters. Moreover, it has some of the most famous and crystal clear waters that tourists love to visit every summer. The most visited islands are Santorini and Mykonos; they cost an arm and a leg to visit, though.

Its capital city is Athens with the world’s best tourist attractions such as  the  Parthenon which is a monumental 5th century marble temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. Monastiraki square is visited  by tourists who shop many different things daily  but they mostly want to have something memorable like antiques and unique souvenirs. The best  time to visit the sights  is on Sunday mornings when the sun shines brightly. The Acropolis in  Athens is an ancient temple  located on a flat-topped rocky hill that rises 150 meters above the city. Last but not least, the temple of Olympian Zeus is a colossal statue  that took over 700 years to finish. Luckily, nowadays ,  15 of the  original 104 towering Corinthian columns of the Parthenon still remain standing.

Greece is also known for its delicious cuisine and its traditions.  Gyros, moussaka and tzatziki dip are the most well known dishes that tourists are dying to try .  The most popular dishes  are defined by fresh Mediterranean ingredients like feta, olive oil, vegetables and grilled meats. As for the festivals, don’tforget to try  loukoumades, a kind of dessert full of syrup,  which are  sold in every Greek festival. In Greece, name days are a significant thing that are celebrated everyday depending on the saint they are named after.When it is somebody’s name day  people usually gather together and often pay house visits to friends or family members. Furthermore, Kafeneio culture is when elderly men gather in traditional coffee houses to drink their daily coffee discussing about everyday life. In addition, a food tradition is celebrated on a “Smokey Thursday” before lent dedicated to eating grilled meat. Everyone that day is dressed up depending on what they like, dance and have fun.

   Eventhough  Greece is not a large country, it has won many  wars . Greece has the best history in the whole world as it is consindered by many historians  from all over the world . Students study and learn about Greek history and Ancient Greek. On daily basis, they learn more and more from our culture or history while many of us forget most of those things. To sum up, every resident of Greece is proud of what we have accomplished so far and it is beneficial to continue being such a successful and  outstanding  country. If you ever want to visit such a historical country ,Greece is the best option for you.