Greece And Its Many Wonders!
Trip Start
Dec 20, 2008
1
Trip End
Jan 20, 2009
All Over, Greece
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Greece is a mountainous peninsula mainland sticking out into the sea at the southern end of the Balkans, the Peloponnesus, and numerous islands. These islands include Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, and Skopelos, the Dodecanese Islands (which include Chios, Samos, and Rhodes), the Ionian Islands and the Cyclades or "Kiklades".
- The Cyclades are the classic Greek islands that we imagine when we see photos of the white-washed villages. The Cyclades include the presumed legendary Atlantis, Santorini, Mykonos and the famous historic island of Delos.
- Greece has the tenth longest coastline in the world. Measuring in about 14,880 km (9,246 mi) with a land boundary of 1,160 km (721 mi).
-Greece is of the most mountainous country in Europe, containing four fifths of mountains and hills.
Western Greece contains a number of lakes and wetlands and it is dominated by the Pindus mountain range.
History:
-The history of Greece can be traced back to Stone Age hunters.
-Later, the first advance civilizations in Europe, the Minoan in Crete and the Mycenean on the mainland, began in the beaches of the Aegean Sea. These civilizations were followed by the Dark Ages, a period of wars and invasions.
-One of the invasions occurred in about 1100 BC, where people calling themselves Dorians invaded from the north and spread down the west coast.
-City-states emerged later (from 500-336 BC), across the Greek peninsula and spread all around the Black Sea, South Italy, and Asia Minor. Each city-state consisted of a city and its surrounding countryside and each resulted in a cultural success expressed in architecture, science, philosophy, and drama. The number one cultural boom spot was Athens, which became the first to be under a democratic environment.
-Today, after becoming the tenth member of the European Union, Greece has experienced a remarkable and sustained economic growth. Funds from the European Union and growing revenues from tourism and trade, have raised the country's standard of living to miraculous
levels, including the hosting of the 2004 Olympic Games and the adoption of the Euro in 2001.
-Most other forms of history knowledge and liabilityof the ancient Greeks we now apprehend is because of sculpture, ancient temples, artifacts, pottery and other archaeological findings.
Culture:
Traditons, music, food, language, wines, and religion are the major blend of the Greece culture and complete the base for those who dream of visiting the gorgeous country.
~food~
-Greek food is an example of a Mediterranean diet. Which includes : baklava, the Greek salad, grilled octopus, small fish, cheeses (preferably feta), dolmades (rice, currants, and pine kernels wrapped up in vine leaves), and of course, olives. Olive oil is added in almost all Greek dishes.
-Desserts include the sweet, galaktoboureko, which is a lemon or orange flavored custard baked in a pastry and served with clear syrup. (ADRIAN : you can find a picture of this dish on wikipedia).
-And to drink, wine (including retsina, a white wine that has been made for at least 2000 years) is usually present.
-Greek cuisine differs widely from different parts of the mainland and from island to island.
~music~
Greek music is incredibly diverse due to the creative mix of the Eastern and Western cultures of Asia and Europe.
Music, Greece, and the Greek Islands have a long history dating from the Antiquity, during which dancing and music were assembled with poetry and played an important part in the ancient Greek's everyday life.
~entertainment~
Greece, home to the first modern Olympics, holds a long tradition in sports.
Waterpolo, cricket, handball, and volleyball are all practised widely in Greece.
As the birth place of the Olympic Games, Greece was most recently host of 2004 Summer Olympics and the first Modern Olympics in 1896.
~traditions~
-An important Greek tradition that takes place in the entire country is that everyone who has a name coming from a saint celebrated by the church celebrates his name on a given day of the year. On the "name day" of someone, friends and family visit without invitation and offer their wishes (long life to you, live many years, etc...) as well as small presents. The hostess of the house offers pastries, sweets and hors d'oeuvres to the guests. In Greece, name days are more important than birthdays.
~superstitions & beliefs~
Evil Eye- Some Greeks, especially in villages, believe that someone can catch the evil eye, or "matiasma", from someone else's jealous compliment or envy. A person who has caught the evil eye usually feels bad physically and psychologically.
In order to avoid this, those who believe in it wear a charm : a small blue marble glass with an eye painted on it or a blue bracelet. Blue is believed to be the color that wards off the evil eye but it is also believed that people with blue eyes are givers of the matiasma.
Garlic is another way to ward off the evil eye, and is usually seen hanging off the walls of some houses.
~religion~
Greece's constitution sees the Greek Orthodox faih as the "prevailing" religion, while still guaranteeing religious freedom to all.
Judaism has existed in Greece for more than 2,000 years. But nowadays, the Greek-Jewish community who survived the Holocaust is estimated to number around 5,500 people
Greek people of the Roman Catholic faith are estimated at about 50,000, while Protestants stand at about 30,000.
~language~
Today, Greece has various linguistic terms, with a majority of the native peoples using Greek as their first or only language.
Current Events:
Recentley, the death of a 15-year-old Alexandros Grigopoulos, has caused chaotic riots over the country.
The teenage boy was killed in a police shooting on Dec. 6, and since then more than 3,000 protestors have been marching, chanting, and harrasing cops all over Greece.
This is Greece's worst riots in decades and has kept many stores in downtown Athens closed.
Shopkeepers fear their store getting looted, smashed, or burned, as hundred of other stores around the country have been damaged or destroyed.
In December, protestors chanting "Cops, Pigs, Murderers" marched through Athens overturning police cars and setting fire to a papier-mache model of a pig's head wearin a policemen's hat, before the rally ended peacefully.
Conclusion:
Over all, Greece is a beautiful country, with strong beliefs and unique cultures that really define individuality.
Greece offers exciting Mediterranean foods, artistic history, and powerful trditions, that are sure to welcome any imaginitive traveler. To get a glimpse of the feel and look of Greece, watch movies like Mamma Mia!, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the Bourne Identity, and Tomb Raider. Mamma Mia! is set around the island of Skopelos, while The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Tomb Raider shows the island of Santorini. To get a glimpse of the island Mykonos, watch the Bourne Identity. These islands and others are my number one destination for my next trip, and I hope theyre yours too.
