Athens: Top 50 Places to Visit Interesting Stories That Bring Them to Life
Clarion Review:Looking for a quick reference to help plan an upcoming trip to Athens? Need an introduction to Greek history and culture for a school or work assignment? Want a post-trip souvenir with sharp photographs and informative text to enhance memories of your Greek holiday? If the answer to any of these questions is in the affirmative, then Athens: Top 50 Places to Visit, Interesting Stories that Bring Them to LIfe, by Tatiana Cassandra Mandis, will fit the bill.The book is arranged by geographic proximity. A traveler can either plan a tour of several sites over an extended visit or attempt to see many of them in a single day, as suggested in Mandis's ambitious itinerary. She also provides an easy-to-follow summary of centuries of Greek history to open the book. This section is really essential in helping the reader understand the importance of the various sites, and how they were affected by different conquering cultures, political upheaval, and cultural events throughout the city's complicated history.Many of the expected tourist highlights are, of course, discussed in this book, but there is equal attention given to some of the lesser-known places of interest, like the prison cell where Socrates was held, the Museum of Cycladic Art, and the shop of Simon the Cobbler. Mandis also provides several informational sections at the end that discuss the Greek flag, holidays, food, the Greek Orthodox Church, the political system, and a list of ways to act like a true Athenian.Kirkus Review:An 11-year-old Manhattanite makes her authorial debut with this  well-researched guide to the Greek capital for tourists of all ages.Heading  to the city of Athena? Here are a few facts to pack with your  sunscreen. It takes 60 days to embroider the waistcoats of the Greek  ceremonial guards known as Evzones, and their famous white kilts contain  400 pleats. During World War II, Winston Churchill narrowly escaped a  bomb plot at the Grande Bretagne Hotel, a swank Athens lodging where  Adolf Hitler also once stayed. In 1920, luckless King Alexander was done  in—not by assassins, rivals or Ottomans—but by a pair of rabid monkeys  in the Royal Garden. Colossal Greek temples inspire awe today, but they  didn’t impress Aristotle. The great philosopher believed tyrants  embarked on such projects merely to prevent rebellions. And that’s just  for starters. What began as research for a family trip to Athens  blossomed into much more when budding writer Mandis decided she had a  full-fledged travel guide in her. She was right. Smartly organized into  need-to-know facts, historical anecdotes, “find it” highlights and  valuable logistics on how to tackle Athens’ many hills, this is a primer  on the renowned temples, museums, palaces and other architectural  marvels that dot the city. Though Mandis insists she is not a historian  (“I am just eleven years old”), she has a lot to teach, and her  guidebook brims with historical details succinctly presented. Ancient  and modern Athenians do come to life in this book, and so do Mandis’ own  roots. Plus, we discover why the original porch maidens of the  Parthenon are crying and learn how to light a candle in an Orthodox  church. A celebratory and mature effort, with insightful appendices on  Greek cuisine, women who helped the cause of Greek independence and  seeing Athens in a day (warning: You’ll need to be an Olympian to cover  it all). Mandis’ parents assisted with the editing and illustrations,  which include five excellent maps of the major monument sites.An accomplished guide to a 7,000-year-old city by a writer just entering her 12th year.