* * * * * Flag of Greece. Flag of Athens. Athens' Logo. Present day Athens. Ancient Athens. In ancient times Athens possessed a wall, running not only around its city, but all the way down and around its Port of Piraeus. The present day ports . Ellinikon International Airport ( sometimes spelled Hellinikon ) lies 4.3 miles south of Athens, alongside the Sardonic Gulf’s beach to the west, and a low range of mountains to the east. Ellinikon International Airport – note how clear the sea is, one can see all the way to the bottom. In 1941 the Nazis took the airfield, making it a Luftwaffe air base . Afterwards the Americans bombed it flat in 1944 - acquired possession in 1945 - eventually setting up the USAF Hellenikon Air Base on the northeast portion of the airfield until 1993 . ...