Attica has always been generous to its inhabitants. Its land produces an abundance of agricultural and garden products. Olives from the trees that legend says the goddess Athena gave to the town of Athens， grapes and the famed wine from the vineyards in the area are all local trademarks. There are also the thyme， the honey， and the natural resin of the pine trees as well as pentelic marblePentelic marble 潘泰列克大理石 and the silver that was formerly extracted from the mines at Lavrio.
When planning a trip to Athens， the weather is a considerationconsideration n.体谅， 考虑， 需要考虑的事项， 报酬. Attica，s sunshine and pleasant climate give visitors the opportunity to enjoy a trip to Athens during any season. From March through May it，s almost always pleasant and mild. Between June and August， the temperature rises steadily， making August the month in which Athenians try to avoid the city. Although sometimes almost as hot as August， September is usually balmybalmy adj.芳香的， 温和的， 止痛的， (空气)温和的， with occasional light rain. October offers beautiful weather， with rain and some high winds Most rain falls between November and February， when Athens can be cold and windywindy adj.有风的， 刮风的， 多风的， 风强的， 腹胀的， 吹牛的. Even so， there are many sunny days in winter and a heavy rain is often followed by brilliant sunshine. Average daytime temperatures range from 52F in January to 92F in August， sometimes rising above 100F.
Persons with asthma and other breathingbreathing n.呼吸， 瞬间， 微风 adj.呼吸的， 逼真的， 短暂的休息 problems should be aware of Athens，s smog. Visitors with these medical conditions will probably want to plan brief visits to the major historic sites， and then spend most of their holiday in the countryside or mountains around Athens， or at the seaside towns. The distances are not great from Athens to any of the surrounding areas.
While in Athens， consider a side excursionexcursion n.远足， 游览， 短程旅行， 远足队， 离题， ［物］偏移， 漂移 to one or more of the “isles of Greece”. It is easy to arrange a day trip by boat from Piraeus to one or more of the islands of the Saronic Gulf. Aegina Egina， Poros， and Hydra Idra. All are feasiblefeasible adj.可行的， 切实可行的 day trips but it is best not to schedule a tour for the day before you leave Athens. It is possible that a sudden storm could leave you stranded for a day on an island. Allow time to savor an unexpected adventure such as this！
Whatever the season， whether you have a day or a month to explore Athens， it is a time to be treasured. Athens， rich in culture and contrasts， is a city like no other in the world.
Thessaloniki古城萨洛尼卡
萨洛尼卡(Thessaloniki)是希腊除雅典之外的第二大城市，人口100万，即是希腊北方工业重镇，又是整个巴尔干地区的商业中心。
该城市始建于公元前316年，是欧洲最古老的城市之一。城市以亚历山大大帝之妹、马其顿国王之妻的名字命名，并从此成为马其顿王国的首都。
作为巴尔干地区的门户，萨洛尼卡已成为巴尔干半岛的经济贸易中心。许多国际和地区组织就坐落在这座美丽的海滨城市，其中有黑海贸易和发展银行（该银行成员国由巴尔干和黑海地区的11个国家组成）、巴尔干贸易中心、负责巴尔干重建事务的欧盟办事处等。目前，萨洛尼卡及其所在的北希腊大区共有商业企业21 895家、工业企业635家、小型工业企业25 000家、出口企业2 700家及35 000家专业公司。北希腊大区在希腊经济上占有举足轻重的重要位置。其GDP占全国的25%，工业产值占30%，农业产值占35%，服务业占24%。
Thessaloniki is the second city of Greece and the administrativeadministrative adj.管理的， 行政的 centre for the north. Its history dates back more than 4000 years. The city of Thessaloniki was founded in 316 B.C. on a site of old prehistoricprehistoric adj.史前的， 陈旧的 settlements dating back to 2300 B.C.， by Cassander， king of Macedonia， and was named after his wife， sister of Alexander the Great.
During the Byzantine era， Salonica， as it was then known， was the second city after Constantinople (Istanbul)， remaining so until its sacking by Saracens in 904. It was restored to the empire in 1246， reaching a cultural “Golden Age” until Turkish conquestconquest n.征服 n.战利品 and occupation in 1430. Until just a few decades ago the city，s population was mixed as any in the Balkans. Besides the Turks， who had been in occupation for close on five centuries (and even Mustafa Kemal Pascha， today known as Kemal Atatürk was born here)， there were Slavs， Albabians and the largest European Jewish community of the period. In World War II when all but a fractionfraction n.小部分， 片断， 分数 were deported to the concentration camps， in the worst atrocityatrocity n.残暴， 暴行， 凶恶 committed in the Balkans.
Situated on the shores of the Thermaikos Gulf， Thessaloniki is divided in a modern area and the old town. The old town is where most of the sights are. In the old town it will be mostly Byzantine churches and buildings that you are looking for. They are what Thessaloniki is famous for. You can get glimpsesglimpse n.一瞥， 一看 v.瞥见 of “Old Salonica” in the walled Kastra quarter of the city， on the hillside beyond the modern grid of streets. In the modern areas you will find examples of recent architecture， which are interesting enough if you are into that kind of thing.
Thessaloniki is a great city with an everlastingeverlasting adj.永恒的， 持久的， 无止境的， 耐用的 presence.
The first Neolithic settlement known to us grew along the shores of the Thermaic Gulf， where Thessaloniki was later founded， named after the sister of Alexander the Great.
In her centurylong history， the present capital of the Greek north has been a major centre in Hellenistic times， a royal seat of the Roman empire， the second city of Byzantium and in more recent years， a metropolitanmetropolitan adj.首都的， 主要都市的， 大城市 centre of the Balkans.
Thessaloniki was founded by the king of Macedonia， Kassandros， in 315 B.C. Its culture is teemingteeming adj.丰富的 with diverse religions， customs and traditions. Conqueror or conquered， it played host to all those who chose to live there for the quality of its land， its relationship with the sea and the roads linking it with other worlds.
A City， which passed from Aristotelian thought to the Greek Orthodox religion， participatedparticipate vi.参与， 参加， 分享， 分担 in the Western way of thinking and became acquainted with Eastern philosophyphilosophy n.哲学，哲学体系，达观，冷静.
A City of the Christian Orthodox religion that witnessed the teaching of the Laws of Moses and the Koran. A City of workers， refugees and immigrants， known as the second Jerusalem， which grew into the cosmopolitancosmopolitan n.四海为家的人， 世界主义者 adj.世界性的，全球(各地)的 centre for which she was predestined in modern times.
