Greece welcomes with open arms thousands of visitors each year who flock to admire its national assets. No one leaves without having been warmed, both by the sun and the hospitality.
Athens exudes a unique charm, its lively character winning over
visitors. Street markets, vine-covered tavernas, souvenir
stalls and ancient monuments all form a conglomerate with
buildings old and new in this city, which one out of four
Greeks call home.
For tourists, the greatest advantage is that most
attractions are accessible on foot in the central area around
the landmark Acropolis. Walking is the best way to soak up the
Athenian atmosphere because the traffic can reach nightmare
proportions.
Athens was named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom,
who according to mythology won the city as prize after a duel
against Poseidon.
The city can chart its history back thousands of years and
is regarded as the cradle of western civilization; the place
where democracy was invented and philosophy, art and
architecture were refined.
After a classical golden age when it was home to Socrates,
Plato and Aristotle, the city declined in the Middle Ages,
dwindling to nothing but a town with a few thousand residents
gathered in the colourful area that is now known as the Plaka,
until its rebirth as capital of an independent Greece in 1834.
Before you go to Greece, get a sneak preview. Science North
IMAX Theatre is showing Greece: Secrets of the Past.
Using the science of modern archeology to decipher the past,
Greece: Secrets of the Past probes some of the greatest
lingering mysteries of this remarkable civilization.  How
did the Greek empire of some 2,500 years ago flourish so
fantastically? What was life like in the Golden Age of ancient
Greece? And why did it suddenly fall?
Narrated by Nia Vardalos, star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding,
this adventure of discovery takes audiences on a fascinating
archeological journey back in time.
The film sets out on a quest to uncover the buried secrets
of one of the world's most enlightened societies - ancient
Greece during the Golden Age that for 100 years, from 500 BC to
400 BC, became the centre of human thought and creativity and
laid many of the foundations for the way we live today.
Greece: Secrets of the Past is playing daily at the Science
North Imax Theatre at 1 and 3 pm daily with additional showings
at 7 and 9 pm Thursday through Sunday evenings.
The French version is being shown at 4 pm Saturdays and
Sundays. 
For more information, phone  523-IMAX. For information about travel to Greece, contact the  Tourism Offices of Greece in Toronto, (416) 968-2220 or Montreal  (514) 871-1535.
