Greece

Credits: Nam Ho Travel

Article written for www.natastravel.com  

OVERVIEW :

Greece is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, ranking in the world's top 20 countries. According to the Greek Ministry of Tourism, the nation received about 17 million visitors from January to mid August 2007, a large number for a small country of 11 million. Visitors are drawn to the country's beaches and reliable sunny summer weather, its nightlife, historical sites and natural beauty.

ATTRACTIONS :

Visit the Historic Sites in Athens

When considering things to do in Greece, it only seems natural to schedule an itinerary for Athens. Athens has some of the most famous attractions in Greece, from the Acropolis to the Parliament Building at Syntagma Square. The world class museums in Athens, like the National Archaeological Museum and the Benaki Museum, are more than worthy of a visit, and will give added insight and understanding into the many historic Greece attractions spread throughout the country. Wander around the ancient agora and visit the Kallimarmaron stadium to see where the ancient Panathenaic Games were held.

Soak Up Some Sun in the Greek Islands

This is easily among the top things to do in Greece. Especially in the summer, the beaches of Greece are at the top of the list of attractions in Greece. While you can find plenty of isolated and serene beaches on both the mainland and the islands, the summer nightlife found at many island beaches is among the best in all of Europe. On islands like Crete, Santorini and Mykonos, the beaches are the place to be in the summer. Scores of tourists and native Greeks head to the Greek islands beaches to enjoy the refreshing blue waters of the Aegean Sea and take in the evening sunsets. There are also many naturist beaches in the Greek islands, if you are looking for them.

Take in a Show during the Hellenic Festival

Every summer in Athens, the Hellenic Festival is in full swing, and it is among the most popular and significant events in Greece. The Hellenic Festival celebrates the performance arts and at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus theatre, musical and dance performances by international and national artists are featured. The ancient theatre provides a stunning venue for such shows. There are also popular music concerts held during the festival atop Lykavittos Hill and theatre performances at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus and the Little Theatre of Epidaurus. Where better to see a recreation of a Greek tragedy than in Athens?

Take a Bus and Guided Tour to Olympia

Among the many attractions in Greece, the ruins at Olympia are one of the most popular. From Athens, or the city of Pyrgos, you can arrange a guided tour to these ruins to get the full appreciation. Tourist attractions in Greece rarely get more historically significant than this. Olympia was the location for the ancient Olympic Games and here you will find the remnants of an old stadium and sprinting track, as well as the ruins of the once great Temple of Zeus. The Temple of Zeus once housed the great Statue of Zeus, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Visit the Soaring Rocks and Monasteries of Meteora

First of all, the landscape is amazing here. The rocks of Meteora are a conglomeration of natural rocks at the edge of the Pindus Mountains that rise to form pinnacles in the sky. These rocks were a place of refuge for monks who built an amazing series of monasteries dating back to the 13th century. Of the original 24 monasteries, only 6 remain, and they are almost unbelievably perched among the rocks. The Church of the Metamorphosis is the most famous remaining monastery and offers a wonderful small museum. This area easily ranks among the best Greece attractions.

Take a Wine Tour on the Islands of Crete and Santorini

Greek wine is steadily gaining popularity, and as if these islands weren’t already among the top tourist attractions in Greece, you can add a wine tour on them to your list of things to do in Greece. On the island of Santorini, the volcanic-rich soil makes for some unique tasting wines. On Crete, wine production can be traced back in history to the Minoans, and visiting one of today’s wineries is a nice diversion in between enjoying the mountains and beaches of Crete.

GENERAL INFORMATION :

Capital of Greece: Athens

Official language: Greek

The currency: Euro(€)

Time Greece: GMT +2

WEATHER:

Greece has a Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine, mild temperatures and a limited amount of rainfall. 

Due to the country's geographical position, its rugged relief and its distribution between the mainland and the sea, there is great variation in Greece's climate. 

In summer, the dry hot days are cooled by seasonal winds called the meltemi, while mountainous regions have generally lower temperatures.

The winters are mild in lowland areas, with a minimum amount of snow and ice, yet, mountains are usually snow-covered. Moreover, a common phenomenon is the occurrence of different climactic conditions during the same season (for instance, mild heat in coastal areas and cool temperatures in mountainous regions).

PASSPORT AND VISA:

Please check with your Travel Agent.


This article was submitted by Nam Ho Travel (A member of NATAS)

Previous blog entries written on Greece: A trip down to Athens, Greece and My fairytale, my kingdom. My castle, my knights.

A trip down to Athens, Greece

Author: Stephanie Leong

Article written for www.natastravel.com 

Dream destination, conquered!

Greece has always been a country that I MUST GO before I die, because of my fascination with their mythology, the stories of their Gods and Goddesses, the war heroes, the philosophers, poets and playwrights and the many aspects of our lives originating from there.

It's like the birthplace of culture as a whole. Literature, mathematics, science, art, society etc. The Olympics started from there. Names of Sororities and Fraternities are after their alphabet. Things we know now as understood facts of life were thought of in Greece thousands of years ago.

We got our first taste of the amicable Greek service when we touched down. The cab driver who drove us to our hotel was incredibly helpful, eagerly suggesting places we could go to and pointing out different monuments as we cruised past. His English was not fantastic, yet he kept trying, which I thought really highly of, because some cabbies would do only the minimal, which is to ferry us from the airport to the hotel, collect money, and drive off. 

We stayed at Soho Hotel near the acropolis (20 minute walk). It's in a narrow one-way street, and rather inconspicuous. The receptionist was just as eager to help with navigation to the various attractions and to get to our next city. Their service is really applaudable! 

I love the colour scheme, it's like their national flag!

 

We walked to Monastiraki for dinner. It was one straight road down, and I felt like we were walking through Chinatown on one side and Little India on the other. Tried searching for the restaurants in my Let's Go Travel Guide but one of the hosts took a look and told me that all but one have closed down, because of the poor economy. We settled at a local rustic restaurant. 

Fatus Salad 

The food was amazing  and the portion was HUGE. The cute waiter later served us two double shots of tequila on the house, which was a nice gesture, but neither of us drink, unfortunately.

We wandered around Monastiraki, which, after dark was lit up with the orange glow from the street lamps, the aroma of food wafting in the chilly air as we strolled down the meandering cobble-stoned streets, lined with restaurants and bars. Most people were eating al fresco, so the sounds of their conversations and laughter filled the air, along with the acoustic music playing indoors.. I was in love. It was exactly like how I imagined the Grecian nights to be.

DAY 2

Walked to the Acropolis in the morning. The sun was amazing, I miss the blinding rays that will make you squint without the protection of sunglasses.

This is how strays sleep in Greece. Everywhere we go!

Chanced upon the Athens Flea Market. Lively and bustling, like how a market on a Saturday morning would be.

Had breakfast at the entrance of the Agora. 

My spinach pie

Sighted in every city of Greece as well!

After breakfast, we entered the Agora, which was the 'heart and soul' of ancient Greece. It was the city's marketplace, which is basically the focus of everyday life from the 6th century BC all the way through the AD 6th century.

Stoa of Attalos- Now an archaeological museum containing relics and sculptures from the site.

It was built by Attalos II, the King of Pergamon, as a gift to Athens. It used to be filled with shops and held informal philosophers' gatherings. Standing in the museum, reveling in the fact that great men such as Socrates, Aristotle and St. Paul were once upon a time where I was; it felt completely surreal.

Church of the Holy Apostles Solaki, the only other temple besides the Temple of Haphaestus that remained intact since its foundation.

Odeon of Agrippa, which used to be a concert hall. The roof collapsed, possibly because of the lack of interior supports. Now, standing proudly in its own ruins are 3 colossal figures of giants.

 Challenging (to me, someone with zero sense of balance) little hike up was completely worth it. Standing at the top, the view overlooks the whole city of Athens, filled with tiny houses clustered together, spreading outwards till it seems to meet the sky.

Theater of Herod Atticus, built by the Romans in 161 AD and  still used today for classical concerts, ballet, performances of high cultural value.

Further on is the Theater of Dionysious the first stone theater and home to Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides and Aristophanes.

The Parthenon, built in the 5th century BC as a monument to the cultural and political achievements of Athens. The term acropolis means upper city, where the inhabitants can go as a place of refuge in times of invasion, thus the most sacred buildings are usually on the acropolis. It's the safest most secure place in town. It took 9 years to build, and served as the home of the giant statue of Athena. From a temple it became a church, a mosque and finally as a storage facility for Turkish gunpowder. In 1687 the Venetians bombarded it from below. A cannon ball hit the gun powder and blew it up. 

What makes the Parthenon so facinating is that each piece of the Parthenon is unique and fits together like the world's biggest and heaviest jigsaw puzzle. Lines that look straight are actually not. The ancient Greeks understood the mechanics of site and that to make a line look straight it had to be tapered or curved. (Athensguide.com)

The Erecthion- where Poseidon and Athena had their contest over who would be the Patron of the city. Poseidon thrust his trident into the rock and a spring burst forth, while Athena touched the ground with a spear and an olive tree grew. Athena was declared the victor and the great city of Athens was named for her.

The building itself contains the porch of the maidens or Caryatids which are now copies. The funny thing is that, in photos, I have always thought that these statues perch over the edge of a cliff (possibly overlooking the city), like i cropped this photo. But it actually sits on grass, facing inwards, to the Parthenon.

Awesome savoury Greek snack, ubiquitous along the streets in pushcarts.

Whilst eating our pretzel, we saw a man running after and jumping on this train (The Happy Train). So we decided to do the same, only to have the wntire train stop for us and have the guide walking all the way to the back to ask us for a fee. 6 euros, so we proceeded. Best decision ever, after walking all day. 

The toy-like street train wheeled us to the various attractions of Athens, from the Acropolis, to Plaka (the oldest area in Athens), the Temple of Zeus, Thisseon, Ancient and Roman Market, Zappeion, Panathinaiko Stadium, Theatre of Herodes Atticus, Hadrian Arch, Monastiraki Square, and finally dropping us off at the New Acropolis Museum.

I copied all that from the Happy Train website because, to be honest, the guide's accent was so heavy, her English sounded like Greek to me. & it didn't help that I had a joker of a local and his girlfriend hopping on the train just for laughs, imitating everything the guide says, speaking so loudly in Greek, I couldn't hear the commentary.

I had a good laugh, though, because he was so humorous, waving at diners when we chugged slowly past the row of restaurants, like he was the Queen. And when the street touters walked by with their humongous balloons, he pretended to burst them all with an imaginary needle. Joke!

This is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the parliament building in Syntagma Square. It is the heart of the city, where the most expensive hotels are found, as well as Ermou Street, the city’s most expensive shopping strip!

Every hour, guards called Evzones perform the changing of the guard. The Evzones wear uniforms with pom-poms on the toes of their shoes and skirts with stockings. The 11 o’clock a.m. Sunday changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Greece is supposedly a more elaborate ceremony, but I didn't have the chance to watch it.

Hadrian Arch- erected in honour of the Roman emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century A.D. An inscription on the western side of the arch (facing the Acropolis) states: This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus. On the eastern side of the wall, it states: This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus.

The Acropolis Museum, which is free for students! Actually, I didn't pay a cent to enter any of the sites, because they are all complimentary for EU students!

Beneath the museum

After an hour or two of admiring the sculptures and reading the history of the glass panels, we were completely mentally zoned out. Sat in a corner and chatted 'til darkness fell outside, before we left for dinner (pita & crepe!) and took the 70cents metro back!

The Parthenon, standing in all its glory in gold luminescence, contrasting the starless night sky.

DAY 3


Got terribly lost while finding our way back to Syntagma Square in the morning, trying to find any travel agency to book our bus tickets up to Meteora, which we were leaving for the next day. We mistook the National Library for the Parliament building. In our defense, they looked really similar! After walking in circles for 2 hours, we finally found the actual parliament building. From there, we ventured into the little roads in search of a travel agency.

The first one we walked past looked pretty dubious, and the second one, we stayed there for hours and hours. 

Apparently, there was going to be a boat strike for the next three days, so it was impossible for our planned itinerary to carry through. So down the drain it went, all our money we paid for the hotels' deposit. Some were 10% of the actual stay, so it was not too bad, but the most expensive one we booked, in Santorini, we paid for that in full! Oh, the agony. 

Our travel agent was incredibly helpful, planning everything for us from scratch, and he threw in a discounted private tour to Delphi and Meteora! i snuck a peek at the price list from my tour guide, we paid less than half the price! Because we were leeching on an Argentinian family's private tour. Everything got settled there, including hotels, flights, boats and transfers.

The contact of our saviors. Makis guided us through everything, and his daughter is an Olympic swimmer! He was proudly showing us pictures and stacks of newspaper article cut-outs to us.

Left to right: Stephanie, her friend and their friendly tour-guide

It was then I realised how fulfilling a travel agent's job could be. Especially when the country is so prone to strikes and protests.

We shopped around the city center before strolling back to our hotel under the glorious sun, packing up and getting ready to set off on a brand new adventure to the mountains the following day!