Greece

Having exported chaos, drama, tragedy and democracy before most nations stayed up late enough to want souvlaki, Greece boasts a legacy that's unrivalled. From smoggy Athens to blindingly bright islands, there are more ancient fragments than you can shake a stick at - the belly button of the cosmos at Delphi, fallen columns galore on the sacred island of Delos, frescoed Minoan palaces in Crete and even, quite possibly, the remnants of Atlantis at Santorini.

Greeks are fierce guardians of tradition, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to have fun - their propensity for partying dates back to Dionysos. In addition, hot sun and limpid seas conspire to make Greece a compelling place to relax. Whether you're supping in a beachside tavern, sipping coffee in a shady plateia or disco-dancing till dawn, chances are the gods already have you ensnared.

Facts for the Traveler (top)

Spring and autumn are the best times to visit Greece. Conditions are perfect between Easter and mid-June - the weather is pleasantly warm in most places, but not too hot; beaches and ancient sites are relatively uncrowded; public transport operates on close to full schedules; and accommodation is cheaper and easier to find than in the mid-June to end of August high season. Conditions are once more ideal from the end of August until mid-October as the season winds down. Winter is pretty much a dead loss outside the major cities as most of the tourist infrastructure goes into hibernation from the middle of October till the beginning of April. This is slowly changing, however; on the most touristy islands, a few restaurants, hotels and bars remain open year-round.

Events (top)

The Greek year is a succession of festivals and events, some of which are religious, some cultural, others an excuse for a good knees-up. Gynaikratia on 8 January is a day of role reversal in villages in northern Greece. Women spend the day in kafeneia (cafés) and other social centers where men usually congregate, while the men stay at home to do housework. The Greek carnival season runs through February-March over the three weeks before the beginning of Lent, and features fancy dress, feasting, traditional dancing and general merrymaking. Easter is the most significant festival in Greece, with candle-lit processions, feasting and fireworks displays. Emphasis is placed on the Resurrection rather than on the Crucifixion, so it is a joyous occasion. There are numerous summer festivals across the country, the most famous being the Athens Festival (mid-June to end of August), which hosts drama and music in ancient theatres.

Money & Costs (top)

Relative Costs:
Meals
Budget: US$4-8 Mid-range: US$8-20 Top-end: US$20-50

Lodging
Budget: US$30-50 Mid-range: US$50-90 Top-end: US$90 and upwards

Greece is no longer dirt cheap. A rock-bottom daily budget would be US$20 a day. You'd be hitching, staying in youth hostels or camping, staying away from bars, and only occasionally eating in restaurants or taking ferries. Allow at least US$40 per day if you want your own room, plan to eat out regularly, and intend to see all the sights. If you want a real vacation - comfortable rooms and good restaurants all the way - you will need closer to US$70 per day. Hotel rates vary enormously according to season - you can save as much as 30% if you travel outside high season (mid-June till end of August).

Banks exchange all major currencies in cash, travellers' cheques or Eurocheques; the commission is lower for cash. Post offices exchange cash but not travellers' cheques, and usually charge lower commissions than banks. Travel agencies and larger hotels change cash and travellers' cheques but usually charge higher commissions than banks. Banknote exchange machines can be found in most tourist areas. All upmarket shops, restaurants and hotels accept credit cards. Visa, MasterCard (Access) and Eurocard are the most widely accepted. Most banks have ATMs where you can access your debit or credit account.

In restaurants the service charge is included in the bill but it is the custom to leave a small amount; rounding up the bill is usually sufficient. Likewise for taxis - a small gratuity is appreciated. Bargaining is not as widespread in Greece as it is further east. Prices in most shops are clearly marked and non-negotiable, but your haggling skills will come in handy at markets. It's always worth bargaining over the price of hotel rooms, especially if you are intending to stay a few days.

Attractions (top)

Athens ranks with Rome and Jerusalem for its glorious past, yet few fall in love with the modern city. Most visitors never see beyond the nefos (smog) and the high-rise apartment blocks built hurriedly to house the refugees who poured in from Asia Minor during the 1922 population exchange with Turkey. But beyond the off-putting veneer of concrete there is a kind of dilapidated charm. Almost every house and apartment has a balcony bulging with geraniums, and many of the city's streets and squares are fringed with orange trees. Athens is a curious blend of east and west; its raucous street vendors and colorful markets are reminiscent of Turkish bazaars, while crumbling neoclassical mansions hark back to the city's brief heyday as the 'Paris of the Mediterranean'.

The Acropolis, crowned by the Parthenon, stands sentinel over Athens and is visible from almost everywhere in the city. Pericles set about transforming the Acropolis into a city of temples after being informed by the Delphic oracle in 510 BC that it should become a province of the gods. The city was a showcase of colossal buildings, lavishly coloured and gilded, and of gargantuan statues, some of bronze, others of marble plated with gold and encrusted with precious stones. Now in ruins, the cool grandeur of the bare marble is still breathtaking. Beside the Parthenon, which is unsurpassed in its grace and harmony, is the Erechtheion, immediately recognisable for its much-photographed Caryatids, the six maidens who take the place of columns. The Ancient Theatre of Dionysos, where every Athenian citizen took their turn in the chorus of Greek tragedies, is on the southern slope of the Acropolis.

Nestled into the northeastern slope of the Acropolis is the old village of Plaka, virtually all that existed of Athens before it was declared the capital of independent Greece. Its narrow labyrinthine streets retain much of their charm despite gross commercialism. Fenced off on the verge of Plaka is the ancient Agora (marketplace) which formed the centre of social and civic life in ancient Athens. Other attractions include the National Archaeological Museum, which houses magnificent gold artefacts from Mycenae and spectacular Minoan frescoes from Santorini (Thira), among other exquisite objects and antiquities; and the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic & Ancient Greek Art, with a collection of the elegant marble figurines that inspired the likes of Modigliani, Brancusi and Picasso.

Plaka is the most popular area to stay, and some budget hotels may let you sleep on the roof in summer. Book in advance in July and August though, as Athens becomes overrun with tourists.

The Peloponnese, Greece's southern peninsula, is rich in history and scenically diverse. Packed into its northeastern corner are the ancient sites of Epidaurus, Corinth and Mycenae, all easily reached from Nafplio. The ghostly, capacious Byzantine city of Mystras clambers up the slopes of Mt Taÿgetos, its winding paths and stairways leading to deserted palaces and fresco-adorned churches.

Further south, you can explore the Mani, a region of bleak mountains and barren landscapes broken only by austere and imposing stone towers, mostly abandoned but still standing sentinel over the region. Other attractions in the region include ancient Olympia, the beautiful medieval town of Monemvasia and the thrilling Diakofto-Kalavryta rack-and-pinion railway, which rollercoasts its way through the deep Vouraïkos Gorge.

The monasteries of Meteora, in the province of Thessaly, are one of the most extraordinary sights in mainland Greece. Built into and on top of huge pinnacles of smooth rock with cheese-like holes in it, the monasteries provided monks with peaceful havens from increasing bloodshed as the Byzantine Empire waned at the end of the 14th century. The earliest monasteries were reached by climbing articulated removable ladders. Later, windlasses were used so monks could be hauled up in nets, a method used until the 1920s. Apprehensive visitors enquiring how often the ropes were replaced were told 'When the Lord lets them break'. These days access to the monasteries is by steps hewn into the rocks and the windlasses are used only for hauling up provisions.

The Cycladic islands epitomise the postcard image of the Greek islands: dazzling white buildings are offset by bright-blue church domes, while golden beaches meet an aquamarine sea. Some of the Cyclades, such as Mykonos, Santorini, Paros and Ios, have vigorously embraced the tourist industry; others, such as Andros, Kea, Serifos and Sikinos, are visited infrequently by foreigners but are favorites with holiday-makers from Athens.

Mykonos is the most expensive and heavily visited of all Greek islands. It has the most sophisticated nightlife and is the undisputed gay capital of Greece. Barren, low-lying Mykonos would never win a Greek-island beauty contest, but it does have superb (if crowded) beaches. The town is an enchanting warren of chic boutiques and chimerical houses with brightly painted balconies draped in bougainvillea and clematis; it's too perfect for some tastes. Santorini (also known as Thira) is regarded by many as the most spectacular of the Greek islands. Thousands of tourists come every year to gape at the sea-filled caldera, a vestige of what was probably the world's largest volcanic eruption, ever. Despite the crowds who visit in summer, Santorini's weirdness, apparent in its black-sand beaches and mighty cliffs, holds a distinct allure.

If you want to escape the tourist hordes, Sikinos, Anafi and the tiny islands to the east of Naxos offer some respite.

Greece's largest island has the dubious distinction of playing host to a quarter of all visitors to Greece. It's still possible to find some peace by visiting the undeveloped west coast, the rugged mountainous interior and the villages of the Lassithi plateau. Crete was the center of the Minoan culture, Europe's first advanced civilization, which flourished from 2800 to 1450 BC. The palace of Knossos, just outside Crete's largest city, Iraklio, is the most magnificent of Crete's Minoan sites. While Iraklio is a hell-hole, the other large towns, Hania and Rethymno, are packed with beautiful Venetian buildings. Paleohora, on the southwest coast, was discovered by hippies in the 1960s and from then on its days as a quiet fishing village were numbered, but it remains a relaxing place favoured by backpackers. Many travellers spend a day trekking though the 18km-long Samaria Gorge to get to Agia Roumeli on the southwest coast. Further along the south coast, which is too precipitous to support large settlements, are the villages of Loutro and Hora Sfakion, linked by boat. The climate on the south coast is so mild that swimming is possible from April to November.

Strung along the coast of western Turkey, the Dodecanese archipelago is much closer to Asia Minor than to mainland Greece. Because of their strategic and vulnerable position, these islands have been subjected to an even greater catalogue of invasions and occupations than the rest of Greece - Egyptians, the Knights of St John, Turks and Italians have all done their bit as conquerors. Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese islands and its town is the largest inhabited medieval settlement in Europe. The Avenue of the Knights is lined with magnificent medieval buildings, the most impressive of which is the Palace of the Grand Masters, restored, but never used, as a holiday home for Mussolini. The imposing Acropolis of Lindos shares its rocky outcrop with a Crusader castle above winding streets with whitewashed, elaborately decorated houses.

Other popular islands in the Dodecanese include Kos, Symi and Patmos. The untouristy islands of Lipsi and Tilos have fantastic beaches without large crowds, and the far-flung Agathonisi, Kastellorizo and Kassos are great places to experience traditional island life. Kassos is a rocky little place just south of Karpathos, populated only by prickly-pear trees, sparse olive and fig trees, dry-stone walls, sheep and goats. If you tell Karpathians you're off to Kassos, they'll tell you to take your knitting.

The Ionian group consists of seven main islands: Corfu (also known as Kerkyra), Paxoi, Kefallonia, Zakynthos, Ithaki, Lefkada and Kythira. Strung along the west coast of Greece, the Ionian islands are the only group not in the Aegean, and in many ways they are more reminiscent of their close neighbour, Italy. Apart from tiny Meganisi, none are 'undiscovered', although, as with all Greek islands, anyone who forays into their hinterlands will be rewarded with the delights of unspoilt villages. Corfu, with its beguiling landscape of vibrant wildflowers and slender cypress trees rising out of shimmering olive groves, is considered by many to be the most beautiful of the Greek islands.

There are seven major islands in the northeastern group: Samos, Chios, Ikaria, Lesvos, Limnos, Samothraki and Thasos. Huge distances separate them, so island hopping is not as easy as it is within the Cyclades and Dodecanese. Most of these islands are large and have very distinctive characters. Samos, the birthplace of philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, is lush and humid with mountains skirted by pine, sycamore and oak-forested hills. Egg-shaped Samothraki has dramatic natural attributes, culminating in the mighty peak of Mt Fengari (1611m) which looms over valleys of massive gnarled oak and plane trees, thick forests of olive trees and damp dark glades where waterfalls plunge into deep icy pools.

There are four inhabited islands in this mountainous and pine-forested northern archipelago: Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonnisos and Skyros. They are all heavily touristed and expensive. People go to Skiathos for the exquisite beaches and the nightlife; if you're there for anything else, you'll probably leave quickly. Skopelos is less commercialized than Skiathos, but is following hot on its trail. There are some lovely sheltered beaches, but they are often pebbled rather than sandy. Alonnisos is still a serene island, partly because the rocky terrain makes building an airport runway impossible. The water around Alonnisos has been declared a marine park and consequently is the cleanest in the Aegean. Every house has a cesspit, so no waste goes into the sea. Skyros is less developed than the other three, designed to attract posers rather than package tourists.

The five Saronic Gulf islands are the closest of all to Athens, and Salamis is virtually a suburb of the capital. Aegina, Hydra, Spetses and Poros are all surprisingly varied in architecture and terrain, but they all receive an inordinate number of tourists and are expensive. Hydra, once the rendezvous of artists, writers and beautiful people, is now overrun with holiday-makers but manages to retain an air of superiority and grandeur. Motor vehicles, including mopeds, are banned from the island: donkeys rule.

Off the Beaten Track (top)

There are 46 villages in the region of Zagoria, north of Ioannina. As with many inaccessible mountainous areas in Greece, these villages maintained a high degree of autonomy in Turkish times, so their culture flourished. The houses are built entirely of slate from the surrounding mountains, and the villages, with their winding cobbled and stepped streets, look as if they've leapt straight out of a Grimm's fairy tale. Many of the villages are now sadly depopulated, with only a handful of elderly inhabitants.

The area is thickly forested with hornbeam, maple, willow and oak, and bears, wolves, wild boars, wild cats, wild goats and rare Rissos quadrupeds roam the mountains. Vlach and Sarakatsani shepherds still live a semi-nomadic existence, taking their flocks up to high grazing grounds in the summer and returning to the valleys in autumn. The Vikos-Aoös National Park encompasses much of this area, which, although popular with trekkers, is untouched by mass tourism.

Between the Cycladic islands of Naxos and Amorgos there is a chain of small islands variously called the Little Cyclades, Minor Islands, Back Islands and Lesser Islands. Only four of the islands have a permanent population: Donousa, Koufonisia, Iraklia and Shinousa. The islands were densely populated in antiquity, as evident from the large number of graves that have been found, but these days they are inhabited only by a few goatherds and an increasing, though still relatively small, number of visitors attracted to the pristine beaches. The islands have a few domatia (rooms) and taverns, but don't expect anything fancy.

Grey rocky mountains, mottled with defiant clumps of green scrub, characterize the Mani region of the Peloponnese. The people of the Mani claim to be direct descendants of the Spartans, the fierce warriors who chose to withdraw to the mountains rather than serve under foreign masters. Until independence, the Maniots lived in clans led by chieftans. With fertile land scarce, blood-feuds were a way of life, so families constructed towers to use as refuges. To this day Maniots are regarded by Greeks as fiercely independent, royalist and right-wing. Areopoli, the capital of the Mani, is aptly named after Ares, the god of war. In the narrow, cobbled streets of the old town, grim tower houses stand proud and vigilant. The Diros caves, 8km south of Areopoli, were inhabited by Neolithic people and may extend as far north as Sparta. Visitors are taken on a boat trip along the subterranean river through narrow tunnels and immense caverns filled with myriad clusters of stalactites and stalagmites. Further south, there are stark, barren mountains, broken only by deserted settlements of mighty towers. Vathia, the most dramatic of the traditional villages in this region, is a barnacle-like cluster of tower houses perched on a lofty rock.

Stuck out in the Libyan Sea south of Crete, Gavdos Island is the most southerly place in Europe. Rumor has it that this was the island where Calypso the sea nymph held Odysseus captive on his way home from the Trojan War. The island has three small villages and pleasant beaches, and it is perfect for those craving isolation. There are no hotels but several of the locals rent rooms and freelance camping is tolerated. Fishermen from Gavdos take visitors to the remote, uninhabited island of Gavdopoula.

Activities (top)

Greece's mountainous terrain is perfect for trekking. The countryside is crisscrossed with donkey and goat tracks, and Byzantine cobbled paths link most villages. Although some of the alpine trails are a tad overgrown, most of the popular routes are well maintained. The forested Pindos mountains of Epiros, the Peloponnese and the southwest of Crete are the among the best areas for trekking. The meltemi and the lake like surface of the Aegean provide perfect conditions for windsurfing, which is the most popular water sport in Greece. Although snorkelling is encouraged and well worthwhile anywhere along the coast, scuba diving is strictly forbidden, unless under the auspices of a diving school, so that underwater antiquities are protected from pilferers. Greece is one of the cheapest places in Europe to go skiing and has around 20 resorts which provide a pleasant alternative to the glitz of the Alps. The most developed resort is on Mt Parnassos near Delphi.

History (top)

During the Bronze Age (3000-1200 BC) the powerful Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean maritime civilizations flourished. According to Homer, this was a time of violence and wars based on trade rivalries, although it is thought that Minoan culture was generally peaceful and harmonious. By the 11th century BC the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures had collapsed, due to changing patterns of trade and a Dorian invasion from the north, and a 'dark age' ensued.

By 800 BC Greece was undergoing a cultural and military revival, with the evolution of city-states, the most powerful of which were Athens and Sparta. Greater Greece was created, with southern Italy as an important component. This period was followed by an era of great prosperity known as the classical (or golden) age. During this time, Pericles commissioned the Parthenon, Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King, Socrates taught young Athenians the rigours of logic, and a tradition of democracy (literally, 'control by the people') was ushered in. The classical age came to an end with the Peloponnesian Wars (431-404 AD) in which the militaristic Spartans defeated the Athenians.

While embroiled in the Peloponnesian Wars, the Spartans failed to notice the expansion of Philip of Macedon's kingdom in the north, which enabled him to easily conquer the war-weary city-states. Philip's ambitions were surpassed by his son Alexander the Great, who marched into Asia Minor, Egypt (where he was proclaimed pharaoh and founded the city of Alexandria), Persia and parts of what are now Afghanistan and India. The reign of the Macedonian empire, which lasted in the form of three dynasties after Alexander's death at the age of 33, is known as the Hellenistic period, due to the merging of Greek ideas and culture with the other proud cultures of antiquity, creating a new cosmopolitan tradition.

From 205 BC there were Roman incursions into Greece, and by 146 BC Greece and Macedonia had become Roman provinces. After the subdivision of the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western empires in 395 AD, Greece became part of the illustrious Byzantine Empire. By the 12th century, the Crusades were in full flight and Byzantine power was much reduced by invasions by Venetians, Catalans, Genoese, Franks and Normans.

In 1453 the Turks captured the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, and by 1500 almost all of Greece had also fallen under Turkish control. The lands of present-day Greece became a rural backwater, with many merchants, intellectuals and artists exiled in central Europe. It was traditional village life and Orthodox religion that held together the notion of Greekness. A cultural revival in the late 18th century precipitated the War of Independence (1821-32), during which aristocratic young philhellenes such as Byron, Shelley and Goethe supported the Greeks in their battle against the Turks. The independence movement lacked unity, however, and in 1827 Russia, France and Britain decided to intervene. After independence, the European powers decided Greece should become a monarchy, with a non-Greek ruler to frustrate Greek power struggles, and installed Otto of Bavaria as king in 1833. The monarchy, with an assortment of kings at the helm, held on despite popular opposition until well into the 20th century, although George I established a new constitution in 1864 that returned democracy and pushed the king into a largely ceremonial role.

During WWI, Greek troops fought on the Allied side and occupied Thrace. After the war, Prime Minister Venizelos sent forces to 'liberate' the Turkish territory of Smyrna (present-day Izmir), which had a large Greek population. The army was repulsed by Ataturk's troops and many Greek residents were slaughtered. This led to a brutal population exchange between the two countries in 1923, the resultant population increase (1,300,000 Christian refugees) straining Greece's already weak economy. Shanty towns spilled from urban centers, unions were formed among the urban refugee population and by 1936 the Communist Party had widespread popular support.

In 1936 General Metaxas was appointed as prime minister by the king and quickly established a fascist dictatorship. Although Metaxas had created a Greek version of the Third Reich, he was opposed to German or Italian domination and refused to allow Italian troops to traverse Greece in 1940. Despite Allied help, Greece fell to Germany in 1941, leading to carnage and mass starvation. Resistance movements sprang up and polarised into royalist and communist factions, and a bloody civil war resulted, lasting until 1949, when the royalists claimed victory. During the civil war, America, inspired by the Truman Doctrine, gave large sums of money to the anticommunist government, and implemented the Certificate of Political Reliability, which remained valid until 1962. This document declared that the wearer did not hold left-wing sympathies; without it Greeks could not vote and found it almost impossible to get work.

Fearing a resurgence of the left, a group of army colonels staged a coup d'etat in 1967, said by Andreas Papandreou to be 'the first successful CIA military putsch on the European continent'. The junta distinguished itself by inflicting appalling brutality, repression and political incompetence upon the people. In 1974 the colonels attempted to assassinate Cyprus' leader, Archbishop Makarios, leading to Turkey's invasion and occupation of Northern Cyprus. This is still a volatile issue for the Greeks, and tensions with Turkey are easily inflamed.

In 1981 Greece entered the European Community (now the EU), and Andreas Papandreou's socialist party (PASOK) won elections. PASOK promised removal of US air bases and withdrawal from NATO, but these promises were never fulfilled. Women's issues fared better, though, with the abolition of the dowry system and legalisation of abortion. In the end, scandals got the better of Papandreou and his government was replaced by an unlikely coalition of conservatives and communists in 1989. Elections in 1990 brought the conservatives to power with a majority of only two seats, and intent on redressing the country's economic problems, the government imposed unpopular and severe austerity measures. A general election in 1993 returned the ageing, ailing Papandreou and PASOK to power.

Kostas Simitis was appointed prime minister in early 1996 when it became clear that Papandreou's time was drawing nigh - Greece's elder statesman died mid-1996. Simitis was re-elected by the skin of his teeth in April 2000, with a victory margin of one percentage point. Since receiving a fresh mandate, he has pledged to forge better relations with Turkey and to carry out economic reforms that will secure Greece a place in the European Monetary Union.

Culture (top)

The arts have been integral to Greek life since ancient times. In summer, Greek dramas are staged in the ancient theatres where they were originally performed. Greek literature's ancient heritage spans poetry, drama, philosophical and historical treatises, and travelogues. Western civilisation's mania for logic and 'ideas' can be traced directly back to the musings of ancient Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, and the west's sciences, arts and politics are also deeply indebted to classical Greece. These days, the novelist Nikos Kazantzakis is the most widely read Greek writer, and there is a vibrant poetic tradition in modern Greece that includes the Nobel laureates George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis. A thriving visual-arts scene exists, and traditional folk crafts such as embroidery, weaving and tapestry continue. Rembetika music, with its themes of poverty and suffering, was banned under the junta but is becoming increasingly popular among young people. Greece's most acclaimed film director is Theodoros Angelopoulos, whose films include The Beekeeper and Travelling Players.

The Greek language is probably the oldest in Europe, with a 4000-year oral tradition and a 3000-year written tradition. Today, Greek constitutes a large part of the vocabulary of any Indo-European language, and much of the lexicon of any scientific repertoire. Modern Greek is a southern dialect adopted as a standardized version of the language and differs substantially from Katharevousa, the artificial language loosely based on Ancient Greek that was instated by various right-wing puritanical regimes this century. Katharevousa is still evident on street signs and can cause endless confusion for the tourist.

About 98% of Greeks are Greek Orthodox; the rest of the population is Roman Catholic, Jewish or Muslim. Religion is integral to life in Greece and the Greek year is centred on the festivals of the church calendar.

Environment (top)

Greece lies at the southern extremity of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe. To the north, it has borders with Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Bulgaria, and to the east it borders Turkey. The peninsula, which constitutes mainland Greece, is surrounded by more than 1400 islands, of which 169 are inhabited. The islands are divided into six groups: the Cyclades, the Ionians, the Dodecanese, the islands of the North-Eastern Aegean, the Sporades and the Saronic Gulf islands. The two largest islands, Crete and Evia, do not belong to any group. Roughly four-fifths of Greece is mountainous, with most land lying over 1500m above sea level. Epiros and Macedonia, in northern Greece, still have extensive forests, but goat grazing, felling and forest fires have seriously denuded the rest of the country.

Greece is endowed with a spectacular richness of flora - over 6000 species, some of which occur nowhere else, including more than 100 varieties of orchid. In spring, the Peloponnese and the mountains of Crete explode with the country's best show of wildflowers, including crocuses, anemones, irises, poppies, lilies, rock roses and cyclamens. Herbs, too, grow wild all over the Greek countryside - follow your nose and you'll find yourself standing knee-deep in wild oregano, basil and thyme.

Greeks are overly fond of hunting and fishing, resulting in the serious depletion of marine and bird life in some places. The human population that shares their mountain habitats considers wolves and bears pests rather than endangered species. Watching dolphins and porpoises as they follow the boats is one of the pleasures of island hopping, and the waters around Zakynthos and Kefallonia are home to the last large colony of sea turtles in Europe. The baby turtles, which are hatched on sandy beaches, now have to face not only natural hazards as they make their way out to sea, but also cars, discos and beach parties. The Mediterranean monk seal is the rarest of all the seal species and one of the six most endangered mammals in the world. Numbers have declined drastically in the last 100 years and the present population is 400, about half of which live in Greece.

Greece has mild wet winters and hot dry summers. Winter temperatures can be severe in the mountains, and even Athens can get viciously cold. Maximum temperatures on the islands hover around 30°C (87°F) in summer, but the heat is often tempered by the northerly wind known as the meltemi.

Getting There & Away (top)

Greece has 16 international airports and has air links to every major city in Europe. In addition, there are direct flights to and from the USA, Canada, Australia and various Asian cities. There are also frequent flights to/from Istanbul and Sofia. Cheap charter flights are available from London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris to Athens, Thessaloniki and some of the islands. However, conditions apply; if you take a side trip to Turkey you may not be allowed to use the return portion of your charter-flight ticket.

By land, there are road connections from Turkey, Bulgaria, Albania and Macedonia. There are also trains from Macedonia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey. Travelling to Greece on an Inter-rail or Eurail pass does not necessarily entail travel through Macedonia, however, as the ferry-crossing from Italy is often included in the ticket.

There are ferries from Brindisi, Bari and Otranto in Italy, and from various Aegean ports in Turkey. There are also boats from Israel and Cyprus.

Getting Around (top)

Olympic Airways operates flights between many cities and islands at about three times the ferry fare. Buses are the most popular form of public transport as the train system is limited and confined to the mainland. People do cycle in Greece, but you'll need strong leg muscles to tackle the mountainous terrain. An extensive ferry network connects the mainland and islands.

Visa Requirements (top)

You may not need one Many visitors to Greece will not need to obtain a visa for visits of up to 90 days. This includes citizens of all other European Union countries, Canada, Australia, Japan, and the United States. In addition, no visa is required for citizens of Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, South Korea (the Republic of Korea), Latvia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, St Kitts & Nevis, San Marino, the Slovak Republic, Switzerland and Vatican City. Citizens of Brazil, El Salvador, and Uruguay also do not require visas, but the visa-free period is for 60 days, rather than 90. Requirements for other countries vary substantially and should be verified with the local Greek Embassy or Consulate in that country. 

The 90-day limit applies for both tourism and business. However, if you travel on an official or diplomatic U.S. passport, you will need a visa issued through the U.S. State Department. Similar restrictions exist for other official and diplomatic passport holders from other nations. 

More importantly, your U.S. or Canadian passport must be valid for a minimum of three months beyond the end of your projected stay. This is true for many countries, not just Greece, and it is a good idea to never travel on a passport with less than six months time left on it. Technically, Greek officials may ask to see travel tickets for your return home or for additional destinations beyond Greece. In practice, this rarely occurs and usually will only be asked for if there is a suspicion that the visitor intends to attempt to work in Greece illegally. It is more likely to occur prior to a one-way flight or other transportation into Greece rather than once you've arrived on Greek soil. No vaccinations are required for Greece.

Visa Requirements for Other Countries: These nations do presently require visas, even for transit visits which continue on the same aircraft. They are Angola, Bangladesh, the Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, and Turkey. If the political situation in a nation changes abruptly, it may be added to this list.

Greek Wines and Wine Country (top)

Wine lovers alert - discover the wines of Greece Greek wines, overshadowed by the renowned wines of France and the rest of Europe, are just now being discovered and appreciated by connoisseurs - and the rest of us! 

The land that revered gods of wine such as Dionysus and Bacchus is keeping the tradition of winemaking alive. The wine industry is expanding and Greek wines are winning distinguished awards. Small wineries dedicated to quality are springing up where a combination of unique viticulture methods and the famous Greek sunlight merge to produce distinctive wines. 

In Santorini, where the strong volcanic soil seems to deliver a faint smoky taste to the local wines, grapevines are planted in small pits and encouraged to twine around in a basket shape. This preserves the scant moisture and protects the vines from the omnipresent winds scouring the surface of Santorini. 

Many of the grapes grown in the Pelopponese and on Crete are still ungrafted varieties. In some cases, wineries have sprung up around natural old-patch vines. Most vineyards are in the mountains, or, in the case of Santorini, on top of the volcanic cliffs. One of the most famous of the Santorini vineyards, Gaia, offers a number of delicious wines, including Thalassitis, a wine inspired by the ancient Greek wines that were mixed with a little seawater. 

Many wineries don't export their small output, so go to Greece with an open palate - much of what you sample may not be available anyplace else on earth. Be aware that most wineries do not have tasting rooms, and your best bet for trying local wines will be at the restaurants. Liquor stores will also have wines, generally at very good prices, but may not be able to tell you exactly what you want to know about a particular wine.

I have to confess that I am particularly enchanted by a wine that evokes for me ancient evenings on the Aegean, gazing out over the dark sea and drinking wine nearly as dark. Sporadically available outside of Greece, Mavrodaphne is a rich, dark dessert wine, similar to a port. This romantic wine has a romantic story to match. Supposedly, a German winemaker owned some vineyards in Greece, where the crop was primarily the Mavro variety of grapes. Almost against his will, he found himself falling in love with one of the grape pickers he employed, a beautiful Greek maiden named Daphne. Before he could make up his mind to tell her of his love, the girl sickened and died. Heartbroken, the vintner named his wine after the two things he most loved - the Mavro grapes, and the maiden Daphne. I was once gifted with a case of Mavrodaphne, and in the face of this abundance I even began to use it in cooking. If you're lucky enough to obtain some, or if your habitation in Greece has cooking facilities, try this barbecue sauce. I've simplified the ingredients and provided alternatives to make it easy to reproduce - I carry soy sauce packets in my luggage, but not everyone does!

Mavrodaphne Barbecue Sauce 

• 1 cup Mavrodaphne 
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• Two tablespoons soy sauce or salt to taste
• One teaspoon hot sauce or chopped hot peppers to taste
• Six cloves garlic, finely chopped, or 1 tablespoon garlic powder (not garlic salt) 
• Two green onions, cut into small pieces, or three tablespoons chopped onion. 

Place the mavrodaphne in a small pot and add the sugar while stirring over a low heat. When the sugar is dissolved, add the other ingredients. The end result is a fragrant, tasty sauce similar to that used for Chinese spareribs. It goes well with almost any meat, but is especially good with pork and lamb. Mavrodaphne is not the only dessert wine worth sampling in Greece.

Another, Samos, produced by the renowned Boutari winery, is delightful and is available overseas. Wine Spectator called it "A ripe and round dessert wine, sweet and smooth with plenty of body and delicious apricot flavors and aromas, though not a lot of complexity." Enjoy the wines of Greece during your travels, and at home. Yasou! (To your health!)

Ancient Greek Olympic Games (top)

Pausanias, 5.7.1, states: "As for the Olympic games, the most learned antiquaries of Elis say that Cronus was the first king of heaven, and that in his honor a temple was built in Olympia by the men of that age, who were named the Golden Race. When Zeus was born, Rhea entrusted the guardianship of her son to the Dactyls of Ida, who are the same as those called Curetes. They came from Cretan Ida--Heracles, Paeonaeus, Epimedes, Iasius and Idas. Heracles, being the eldest, matched his brothers, as a game, in a running-race, and crowned the winner with a branch of wild olive, of which they had such a copious supply that they slept on heaps of its leaves while still green. It is said to have been introduced into Greece by Heracles from the land of the Hyperboreans, men living beyond the home of the North Wind." 

The Olympics were held in Olympia in the northwest Peloponessus in southern Greece from 776 BCE until they were prohibited by the Romans in 394 AD. They consisted of a chariot race, a boxing match, wrestling, a footrace, a sword duel, and archery. The archeological investigation of Olympia stimulated the modern Olympic games which began in Athens in 1896. All the buildings in ancient Olympia were for religious worship or for athletic games. 

Mainly men participated, but there were women who participated. In the 3rd Century Cynisca, the daughter of the King of Sparta, won several victories in the chariot races. Other women followed her. She bred her own horses and was the first woman in recorded history to do so. Eurylon, also of Sparta, followed her and won a victory in the two horse chariot race. 

Greek Easter (top)

The Greek Orthodox Church does not always celebrate Easter on the same date as the Catholic and Protestant countries. The reason is that the Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar when calculating Easter. This is case even in the churches that otherwise use the Gregorian calendar. When the Greek Orthodox Church in 1923 decided to change to the Gregorian calendar (or rather: a Revised Julian Calendar), they chose to use the astronomical full moon as seen along the meridian of Jerusalem as the basis for calculating Easter, rather than to use the "official" full moon. 

Many Easter traditions originated long before the beginning of the Christian era. Like Christmas, which is related to pre-Christian winter festivals, Easter is connected in many ways with pagan rituals that accompanied the arrival of spring. It is possible that the name "Easter" stemmed from that of Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of springtime. Easter is also associated with the Jewish festival of Passover, or Pesach. The term "paschal", meaning "of Easter", is derived from the name of the Jewish festival,