ATHENS BY MARIA CAMILA LONDOÑO

Athens is the capital of Greece. The city of Athens has a population of 664.046. The nationality is Athenians. The Athenians talk Greek. This is the main language in Athens, many Athenians speak English and some speak French and German, too. The menus and road signs are in both English and Greek. Greece's currency is the euro. The flag of Greece is popularly referred to as the "sky blue-white".  It is a national symbol. The flag has nine horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There is  a white cross in the upper part.

Athens has a subtropical Mediterranean climate. The winters are wet, cold and rainy but summers are hot, mild and dry. It rains about 70 days a year. There is rain between the months of October and April. July and August are the driest months, when thunderstorms occur once or twice a month. The winters sometimes have snowstorms but these are infrequent.

In summer the persons use light clothing for example shirts, shorts or jeans, sandals or sneakers. At night they use coat. For fall, people use  raincoat and boots because it rains. For winter people use several outerwear, scarves, and gloves.

In Athens people can practice: athletics, football, volleyball, basketball, tennis, golf, and sailing windsurfing. An important event in Athens is the Athens Marathon.

Athens people like to eat salads, foods based on fish and meat. A typical food  is the Greek salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, black olives, onions, and feta cheese. The "soutzoukakia" is other typical food. it has meat, spices, meatballs, and rice with tomato sauce.

 The main shopping places are: Kolonaki, Monastiraki, Plaka and central market. The kolonaki shops have the clothes of the best Greek designers. In Monastiraki there are clothing stores, antique stores, book stores. Plaka is the best place to buy gifts and traditional Greek products as copper, some decorations, or typical foods. The Central Market is the place where the Athenians come to buy fresh produce such as meat and fish.

In Athens tourists can buy  Gold and Silver in Greek design, archaeological replicates, vases, and other elements in bronze. The visitants also buy foods. The favorites are the olive oil, honey, spices, olives, and wines.

The places that Visitors frequently visit are the Acropolis of Athens and the Acropolis Museum, the Agora of Athens, Syntagma Square, the pantenon, other temples and museums. The neighborhoods of Athens have nightclubs, shops, bars, hotels, and theaters.