INTRODUCTION TO GREECE



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 which were 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, and first and third worlds; 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 colored 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 recognizable 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 north-eastern 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 center of social and civic life in ancient Athens. Other attractions include the National Archaeological Museum, which houses magnificent gold artifacts from Mycenae and spectacular Minoan frescoes from Santorini (Thira), amongst other exquisite objects and antiquities; and the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic & Ancient Greek Art, with a collection of the elegant marble figurines which 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.

     ENVIRONMENT IN GREECE


Greece lies at the southern extremity of the Balkan peninsula in south-eastern 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 about 1400 islands, of which 169 are inhabited. The islands are divided into six groups: the Cyclades, the Ionian, 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 the rest of the country has been seriously denuded by goat grazing, felling and forest fires.

The arid Mani region in the Peloponnese is blessed with the country's best array of wildflowers, including crocuses, anemones, irises, poppies, lilies, rock roses and cyclamens. The fields are not only carpeted with flowers; 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. Wolves and bears are considered pests rather than endangered species by the human population that shares their mountain habitats. 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 not only have to face 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 between 400 and 500 individuals, 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 degrees Celsius in summer, but the heat is often tempered by the northerly wind known as the meltemi.

     GREEK HISTORY


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, the Parthenon was commissioned by Pericles, Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King, Socrates taught young Athenians the rigors 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.

     GREEK CULTURE


The arts have been integral to Greek life since ancient times. In summer, Greek dramas are staged in the ancient theaters where they were originally performed. Greek literature's ancient heritage spans poetry, drama, philosophical and historical treatises, and travelogues. Western civilization'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 which 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 amongst young people. Greece's most acclaimed film director is Theodoros Angelopoulos, whose films include The Beekeeper and Traveling 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, and the rest of the population is split between Roman Catholic, Jewish and Muslim faiths. Religion is integral to life in Greece and the Greek year is centered around the festivals of the church calendar.

Much of Greece's culinary heritage can be sourced to the 400 years of Turkish rule, particularly appetizers such as tzatziki (cucumber and yogurt dip) and octopus pickled in lemon juice and olive oil. Cheap snacks such as souvlaki (skewered, grilled meat in pita bread) and spanikopita (spinach and cheese pie) are easy to find. Popular main dishes include pastitsio (macaroni baked with minced meat and béchamel sauce), stuffed tomatoes and freshly grilled seafood. The mainstay of the Greek diet is the ubiquitous horiatiki salata (country salad), consisting of lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese and olives. Greek yogurt, more like sour cream than the thin sharp-tasting version available in most countries, is delicious and sold everywhere. The old joke about the Greek woman who used to shout at her husband 'Come and eat your lunch before it gets hot' is based on truth, for Greek food is invariably served lukewarm.

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 (June to September), which hosts drama and music performances in ancient theaters. Summer is also the time for Dionysian drunken revelries at wine festivals, where for a nominal admission charge, you can drink as much as you like. The biggest ones are held at Rethymno and Alexandroupolis.

Banner GNC 468x60

Greece Site Copyright © LukeTravels.com™ Credits