Get Into the Games

This month, the world's best athletes gather in Athens, Greece for 16 days of intense competition, and WHYY celebrates all the pageantry and prestige with special programs on TV12. Also be sure to check out Olympics on WHYY, an ongoing series on 91FM profiling local athletes who are "going for the gold" this summer. Photo © ATHOC by N. Tassoulas.

The Real Olympics

This two-part program explores the dramatic contrasts between the ancient Greek Games and the present-day contest, which now encompasses 28 sports with a total of 37 disciplines. Using vivid reenactments and the expertise of world-renowned historians, the first installment, "Death or Glory, " reconstructs the major events of the ancient Games (complete with stuntmen, horse wranglers, and hundreds of young athletes) to examine how the Games have been reinvented throughout history. The second hour, "Playing to Win, " highlights the powerful human connection between past and present, revealing that the more the Games evolve, the more they are connected to their ancient roots. Tuesday, August 3 & Wednesday, August 4 at 9 p.m.

From the Acropolis: A Salute to the Games

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berlin Philharmonic -- featuring solo pianist Daniel Barenboim -- in a moving performance of Brahms' Piano Concert No. 1 during this musical salute to the 2004 Summer Olympics. The concert, which opened Greece's five-month cultural celebration of music, theater, and art in May 2004, was recorded in the 1,800-year-old Herodes Atticus Amphitheatre in Athens and highlights the physical, spiritual, and cultural ties between modern-day and ancient Athens while remembering Greece's role as the birthplace of democracy. Wednesday, August 4 at 10 p.m.

Travels in Europe with Rick Steves "Athens"

The money-wise traveler (pictured below) visits the old port city of Napflion and explores the Pelopponese Peninsula before setting off to bustling Athens. Seeped in culture, tradition, and history, Athens blends the old world -- the ruins of Olympia, the well-preserved theater at Epidauros, and the ancient capitol of Mycenae -- with modern-day life. After climbing the Acropolis and visiting the National Archeological Museum, Rick feasts on Greek specialties and retsina wine and dances the night away. Sunday, August 8 at 6:30 p.m.

Visions of Greece

From a vantage point few but the Greek gods have experienced, this scenic program takes viewers on an aerial tour of the mainland's ancient ruins and isles' beckoning white-sand beaches, all set to a soundtrack of traditional and modern Greek music. The program "island hops" to Naxos and Santorini (pictured) in the Aegean, circles above Crete, and soars to the heights of hidden monasteries built into the mountains near Meteroa. A poetic narrative celebrating Greece's history and mythology also accompanies this vivid, visual journey. Wednesday, August 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Travels in Europe with Rick Steves "Greek Islands"

Tourists from all corners of the world frequent the Greek Isles for their gorgeous, white-sand beaches, relaxed culture, and incredible nightlife. Rick does his own version of island hopping aboard the Aegean's ferries, making stops in Samos -- where he takes a motorbike tour -- touristy Santorini, and the barely-known island of Lipsi. Rick also strolls along a private black sand beach and visits the peaceful Spiliani Monastery and the ancient ruins of the Temple of Hera. Thursday, August 12 at 7:30 p.m.