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Greece :
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Home to the 2004 Summer Olympics
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for Greece
Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in
1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th
century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with
Greek-speaking populations. Following the defeat of Communist rebels in 1949,
Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended
many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven
years. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary
republic and abolished the monarchy.
Greece has spent a tremendous amount of money to be able to
handle the crowds of people that are Olympic fans. Fortunately this will benefit
all those that want to see the country for what it is. History and culture.
Greece is steeped in history and is the birthplace of modern thinking.
The architecture is a blend of modern and ancient
construction. Just standing in the midst of structures that are hundreds of
years old gives you a sense familiarity with all the lessons we received in
school. You can almost feel the roots of humanity springing out from the traffic
polished cobblestones roads passing between the stone structures and gives you a
new respect for the progress of man.
Greek Isles
Ándros
The town's jasmine-scented streets are inaccessible by car and therefore
ideal for walking.
Cephalonia
Made famous by Captain Corelli's Mandolin, this Ionian island is perfect
for families, with its intimate resorts, dazzling beaches—don't miss the
powdery sand of Myrtos—and plenty to keep everyone entertained: kids can watch
wild horses at Mount Ainos National Park; adults can visit the Drogarati Cave,
where Maria Callas once sang.
Chios
The verdant interior of Chios, a 45-minute ferry ride from Cesme, in Turkey, is
reminiscent of Tuscany: sprawling, cypress-and-citrus-lined farmhouses and
charming agritourism inns. The 14th-century village of Pyrgi still harvests
mastic, the resinous ancestor of modern chewing gum (packs of Elma gum are
available all over the island).
Corfu Corfu is so alluring that centuries of visitors and rulers
felt compelled to make it their own, to leave something of themselves behind. The
Venetians carved the lion of Saint Mark on the city walls and erected not one
but two fortresses thrusting into the sea. The French modeled the archways and
swinging gas lamps of the town's main drag, on their Rue de Rivoli. And
the British introduced cricket, an affection for ginger beer, and the Palace of
St. Michael and St. George, now the Museum of Asiatic Art.
Crete
Although hideously overdeveloped in parts, the largest and southernmost island
in Greece beguiles with enigmatic Minoan ruinsand the stunning Samaria Gorge.
Stay south and west, avoiding the rowdy scene along the northeast's endless
stretch of Irish pubs.
Folegandros
The Cinderella of the Cyclades, Folegandros is a sleepy oasis with a cliff town
rivaled only by the ones on Santorini, its nearby neighbor to the southeast.
"Folegandros can boast of the most majestic coastline...anywhere,"
wrote 19th-century traveler and archaeologist Theodore Bent.
Hydra
Hydra is for those who yearn for a place where nothing much happens. Ferries
from Piraeus bring the tourists, while nearby the Ferretti yachts sway gently on
the water, and fishing boats bob defiantly beside them. One might wish to
visit the monastery of Profitis Ilias or the convent of Agia
Eupraxia.
By nightfall, Hydra is left to its residents, Athenian weekenders, and
jet-setters.
Ikaria
On a pristine northeast Aegean island known as Red Rock (Communists were once
exiled here), you'll find dramatic hill villages, unspoiled beaches on the
northern coast, and the popular cooking school of Diane Kochilas, the world's
leading authority on Greek cuisine.
Ithaka
"I shall not see on earth a place more dear," Odysseus says of Ithaka,
a quiet Ionian isle three hours from the mainland, beloved by Greece's sailors
for its secluded coves, sweet coastal villages, and fish tavernas.
Kárpathos
This slender island between Crete and Rhodes is a gateway to the past. In the
mountaintop village of Olymbos, villagers dress, worship, and live much as they
did half a millennium ago; they even speak a Doric dialect.
Kíthira
Athenian cognoscenti love the aristocratic mountain villages, the endless walks,
and the powerful sense of history that permeates this island south of the
Peloponnese (Aphrodite is said to have risen from the crystal-clear waters just
off Kíthira's shores). Don't miss the uncrowded Kaladi and Fyri Ammos beaches,
or just-caught lobster at the warm, family-run Manolis taverna in the port town
of Diakofti.
Koufonisia
These two tiny, virgin islands just south of Naxos in the Cyclades offer some of
the best diving and snorkeling in Greece: submerged ruins, stalactite caves,
Technicolor starfish, pastel coral, morays, and schools of sea bream.
Lesbos
Blanketed with millions of olive trees, Lesbos is the legendary birthplace of
the poet Sappho and the producer of Greece's finest ouzo. The village of Molyvos,
a former Genoese fortress town with distinctive red-roofed houses, is an
excellent staging ground for visits around the island. You're also just a short
ferry ride away from the classical sites of Ephesus and Pergamon, in Turkey.
Mykonos
Mykonos has a history of wild nightlife that dates back to the disco era And
is prevelant in the minds of westerners as an alternate home for Jackie O.
Now it is known mostlyfor its tolerance and even embracing alternative
lifestyle. Gay Straight Bi whatever is your preference and the human body is not
something to be hidden, No not all. Nude beaches are not just the exception but
almost the rule.
Naxos
A six-hour ferry ride southeast of the Athenian port of Piraeus, Naxos is the
largest of the Cyclades and is home to Mount Zeus, at 3,294 feet the island
chain's highest peak. Theseus abandoned Ariadne on these lush shores, which
beckon modern trekkers with fertile valleys, citadels topped by Venetian ruins,
and miles of silver beaches.
Páros
Marpissa is on the other side of the island from the port town of Páros, a
ride of about half an hour over a mountain. At a sudden turn in the road, it
appears below, white and compact against the dark brown of an extinct
volcano.
There is tourism, lots and lots of it, which, along with the production of
wine and olive oil, has made Páros rich. There's no arguing with that, but the
richer the island becomes, the deeper the division between the old Greece and
the new.
Paxos
Paxos, seven miles from the southern end of Corfu.
Rhodes
Its imposing Gothic Old Town (built by the multi-ethnic 14th-century Knights of
St. John) and the labyrinthine village of Lindos are reason enough to brave the
marauding crowds of British tourists. Located in the southeastern Aegean, Rhodes
is also Europe's sunniest spot.
Samothrace
Twenty miles southwest of the northern city Alexandroúpolis, this island was
once the beacon of the Aegean; Poseidon watched the Trojan War from its mighty
Mountain of the Moon. Today, much of Samothrace (of Winged Victory fame)
is a virtual wildlife refuge teeming with rare flora and fauna—and very few
foreign tourists.
Santorini
Five hours southeast of Piraeus, Santorini has something for everyone: sublime
views of exploding sunsets, sexy black volcanic beaches, the Aegean's finest
winemakers, cave-rock hotels, startling wall paintings at Akrotiri, and
postcard-perfect cliff-hanging towns.
Sifnos
There's no glitz on this small Cycladic isle, just miles of olive and almond
groves, respectful tourists, and lovely villages like Kastro, a captivating maze
of houses on a precarious cliff.
Sími
Hugging the southern coast of Turkey, the island of Sími has a graceful main
port that resembles a wedding cake of Neoclassical villas. Greece's onetime
sponge-fishing capital is now a center of aquaculture and boatbuilding.
Skopelos
Aleppo pines (which yield the resin used for flavoring retsina), plane trees,
and chestnuts cover nearly half of this enchanted island, a 21/2-hour ferry ride
from the mainland, in the Sporades. Save for a lively port—where neon is
banned—Skopelos is for wanderers and nature-lovers.
Skyros
Five and a half hours northeast of Athens, in the Sporades, Skyros is known for
unusual attractions, both traditional and New Age. It houses Europe's oldest
holistic arts center (poetry, filmmaking, salsa, yoga) and plays host to an
outrageous pre-Easter carnival where men dress as wild goats and vast quantities
of wine are consumed—the Skyrianversion of Mardi Gras.
Syros
This island's elegant port, Ermoúpolis, four hours southeast of Athens, brings
Venice to mind; its huge ballroom of a square recalls St. Mark's. Once labeled
the Pope's Island and still a Roman Catholic enclave, Syros has serene beaches
and a wild interior that are little known to non-Greeks.
Tínos
At the Lourdes of Greece, as it's sometimes called, the Greek Orthodox faithful
climb on bloodied knees to the hilltop Church of the Annunciation, one of 750
churches on the island. This former Venetian stronghold, a 30-minute ferry ride
north from Mykonos, also has thousands of dovecotes that are lessons in
geometry.
—G.A.M.
The
"World Factbook" on Greece is compiled by the CIA
and gives you statistic that may be useful.
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