Walking in the shadow of the Acropolis in the Agora, you can almost hear the voices of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle arguing about who was the greatest philosopher. In the soaring, subtly curved Doric columns of the Parthenon you see the masterful hand of Pericles, Athens' greatest general and builder. And in the ethereally graceful bodies of the Karyatids supporting the porch of the Erectheum, you behold the beauty of the immortals. Ancient Athens, the birthplace of democracy and epicenter of western civilization, is a city for all eternity.

Fethiye is a port city, and district, on Turkey's southwestern Turquoise Coast. It's known for its natural harbor, blue waters and numerous rock tombs including the 4th-century B.C. Tomb of Amyntas, carved into a bluff overlooking the city. Near-shore islands are popular for day trips by boat. In the south, the beach at Ölüdeniz is sheltered by a lagoon, and Butterfly Valley is a designated nature reserve.

Symi is a Greek island, part of the Dodecanese island group. It’s known for its beaches, an annual music festival and for the harbor at Symi Town, surrounded by colorful neoclassical houses. On the southwest coast, the 18th-century Monastery of Archangel Michael Panormitis is a major Greek Orthodox pilgrimage site with a Byzantine museum.

Gold gave birth to Sifnos. Every year, the islanders would offer a solid gold tribute to Apollo. When they tried to substitute a fake, Apollo decreed that their rich mines would sink into the ground. Now the abandoned mines are the only reminder of Sifnos golden age. Apollonia, the little capital named after Sifnos' wrathful patron god, is now a center for folk arts, where delicate laces and distinctive island pottery are sold in the markets. Visit Panayia Chrysopyi, a 17th-century monastery precariously perched on a rocky islet jutting into the sea.

Monemvasia is a town and a municipality in Laconia, Greece. The town is located on a small island off the east coast of the Peloponnese. The island is linked to the mainland by a short causeway 200m in length

Walking in the shadow of the Acropolis in the Agora, you can almost hear the voices of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle arguing about who was the greatest philosopher. In the soaring, subtly curved Doric columns of the Parthenon you see the masterful hand of Pericles, Athens' greatest general and builder. And in the ethereally graceful bodies of the Karyatids supporting the porch of the Erectheum, you behold the beauty of the immortals. Ancient Athens, the birthplace of democracy and epicenter of western civilization, is a city for all eternity.