See you in Greece - Σας δείτε στην Ελλάδα

Greece is a wonderful country to visit and it offers so much. Tourists will never cease to find excitement on any of the islands because the culture is so rich and the people are unbelievable nice. Although only a few cities were mentioned in this blog, there are more islands on the Aegean Sea that should be visited as well. However, my favorite ones are Mykonos and Ephesus. Both islands offer incredible beauty and magnificent views. Plus, they were the ones in which I had the most fun in. J

A vacation in Greece is something that one will never forget; I know I will certainly remember each day forever. From temples to mountains, monasteries to churches and exotic foods, Greece offers tourists a wonderful location for relaxing environments, yet exciting vacations.  

I hope you all enjoyed this blog about Greece and that the pictures and information provided serve as a guide to encourage you to visit this beautiful country or have it in mind for the near future.

Have fun, enjoy and see you in Greece!

The Cyclades - Κυκλάδες

Another place that I would have loved to visit while Greece is the Cyclades - a group of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. After some research I found out that they are the most beautiful Mediterranean islands and part of its beauty comes from the coexistence of white and blue in the Cycladic architecture, the traditional way of life, the island songs, the warm hospitality, the stark landscape embroidered with deserted country churches, the stunning coasts, and the beautiful beaches.

The name means ‘the islands' refers to the circle the islands form around the sacred island of Delos. According to Greek mythology, the Cyclades were created by the God Poseidon, who turned the Cyclades nymphs into islands after the nymphs had provoked the god’s wrath. 

An interesting fact that I learned was that the Cyclades is where the native Greek breed of cats first came from. I found this to be considerably interesting since I had no idea Greece had its own breed of cats!

Olympia - Ολυμπία

Another city that I would have loved to go to is Olympia, the sanctuary of ancient Greece. In classical times, this is where the Olympic Games took place in honor of Zeus.

Olympia is also known for the gigantic ivory and gold statue of Zeus, named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. There is much to see in this city, since there is a vast of archaeological remains.

I thought Mount Olympus was IN Olympia, but apparently that is not the case. After some research I realized I am not the only one who thought that since there is great confusion between the two.

- Olympia is the home of the original Olympic Games, and it is located in the Pelopponesse, the large peninsula forming the southwest of Greece.

- Mount Olympus is home to Zeus and the other Olympian gods and goddesses. It is located in Central Greece, on the Greek mainland. It is known fro its rich flora and national park.

Meteora - Μετέωρα

For ten days I was able to enjoy and admire a country that is so rich in culture. As we flew back to NY, I realized that although we visited several important and beautiful places in Greece, there were many cities and archeological sites we were not able to go to because of time and distance. One of the sites I would have loved to visit is Meteora.

Meteora means: ‘suspended rocks’ – ‘suspended in the air’ or ‘in the heavens above’.

This is one of the largest and most important sites of Eastern Orthodox Monasteries in Greece. There are six monasteries that are built on natural sandstone rock pillars.

This is the kind of place that even though you are not religious, you are going to want to visit. According to UNESCO, “these monasteries represent a unique artistic achievement and are one of the most powerful examples of the architectural transformation of a site into a place of retreat, meditation and prayer. The Meteora provide an outstanding example of the types of monastic construction which illustrate a significant stage in history, that of the 14th and 15th centuries when the eremitic ideals of early Christianity were restored to a place of honor by monastic communities, both in the Western world and in the Orthodox Church.”

From the pictures I got to see in the brochure and the ones I found on Google, this site looks breathtaking and picturesque! Looks like it is a great place for reflection and peace. 

Cape Sounion - Aκρωτήριο Σούνιο

On our last day in Greece we docked on the port of Piraeus and our tour bus was ready to take us to Cape Sounion. The drive from the port to our destination was about 3 hours, so all of us fell asleep on the bus. As we got close to Cape Sounion I woke up and realized that we had been driving next to the shore for a while and the view was incredible; the temple of Poseidon – Neptune looked amazing with the contrast of the Aegean Sea.

According to legend, Cape Sounion is the spot where Aegeus, king of Athens, leapt to his death off the cliff, thus giving his name to the Aegean Sea. Every year the Athenians were forced to send 7 boys and 7 girls to Minos attribute. These youths were placed in the labyrinth to be devoured by the Minotaur. Theseus - Aegeus’ son - had volunteered to go with the third tribute and attempt to slay the beast. He had agreed with his father that if he survived the contest, he would hoist a white sail. Theseus managed to overcome and slain the Minotaur, but had simply forgotten about the white sail. As he sailed back from Crete, King Aegeus saw the black flag on his son’s ship and despaired, throwing himself off a cliff.

We were able to walk around, take many pictures and enjoy the wonderful view this spot offered. On our way back to the hotel, we all planned to take the subway into Plaqa so we could all enjoy one last meal in Athens. The subway station was amazing! There is an entire exposition of the ancient artifacts they found while they built the station. The subway system was also amazingly modern and cheap.  

As we got back to out hotel, we all went to the terrace, hung out in the pool and enjoyed a nice glass of wine with the view of the Parthenon. It was a truly wonderful experience: Greece is certainly a country worth visiting!

Santorini – Σαντορίνη

Santorini is basically what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion. The explosion destroyed the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island. It lead to the creation of the current geological caldera.

Our tour guide told us that we had two options for the tours: * Tour the city and shop. *Do the volcano hike and see a little of the city.

As a group we figured we needed a little more excitement, and so we all decided to do the second option. While we prepared for our tour, we were told to wear bathing suits because we would have the opportunity to swim in the hot springs. We all looked hilarious with our distinct fashion trends: sneakers and bathing suits. 

When we were on the line getting ready to disembark, we realized we were being disembarked in the middle of the Aegean sea into a smaller boat, because our cruise ship was too big to go near the volcano area. This was exciting and freaky! We all got into the smaller boat and sailed to the edge, where another boat was waiting to take us to the volcano.

The color of the water changed drastically as we approached the volcano. This was due to the sulfur in the water. The hike wasn’t intense at all! I hiked a volcano in Guatemala once before, therefore I was expecting this one to be a bit challenging, but I was way off! It was fairly easy to climb; the only problem was that is was extremely sandy, so we had to be very cautious with our steps. To my disappointment, this is not an active volcano. By the time we got to the top there was not much to do or see. However, we got to smell a little fume that still emanates from years ago, through a hole in one of the remaining peaks.

As we made our return from the other side of the volcano, the boat took us to the hot springs. I was not able to swim in them, but from what I saw and heard, people had mixed feelings about them. The boat had to stay about twenty-five feet from the hot springs, so people had to swim from the boat to the hot springs. The water from the boat to the hot springs was really cold; this I assume was the part that most people did not like.

After this, we sailed to the edge of the island and got on a bus that drove us up a very scary hill, till we got to the town of Santorini. We had very little time to explore, since most of our day had been spent hiking and enjoying the volcano. In order to get back on the cruise ship, we had to descend from the other side of the town. The way they do it is CRAZY! But AWESOME! We all got to sit in cable cars and ride down to the cruise. 

Crete – Κρήτη

The following island on the list was Crete, the largest and most populous Greek island. We were told that the excursion to Crete had two options. We could either go on a guided tour with a professor or we could explore on our own. Of course, more than half of the group decided to do the second choice since this one allowed everyone to sleep until at least 8:30am. By the time we all got ready to disembark on the boat, we realized neither of us really knew where to go or what to see. However with our good spirits we all decided to take it as easy as possible and just walk around. 

As we strolled on the streets of Crete, we noticed that the port in which our bout docked is considered the commercial port; therefore the surroundings were mostly houses and commercial places. We managed to find a place to grab a quick bite to eat and we found it extremely interesting to see that the bagel was considered a regular sandwich or piece of bread.

By the time we got to the port, to get checked and pass security, we saw a huge line of passengers (from various cruise ships) so we stood at the end of line waiting. Somehow I overheard a tourist saying that whoever was in the Aquamarine cruise ship was most likely going to miss the boat because of the huge line. I immediately told all my classmates, and of course, we all freaked out. We started to run and ask people if they would let us cut the line and thankfully, they did and we passed through security in a rush. As we ran to the exit of the security checkpoint we noticed that the bus to the cruise was giving the final call; we were so relieved when we got to the cruise!

Having said that, there are a large number of archaeological sites to visit in Crete: the Minoan sites of Knossos and Phaistos, the classical site of Gortys, and the diverse archaeology of the island of Koufonisi which includes Minoan, Roman, and World War II ruins.

Rhodes – Ρόδος

Next on the list was the island of Rhodes, which is famous worldwide for the Colossus – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We were told that this had been the island of the Sun and he had chosen to divide the land between his three children. One of these new cities was Lindos, a maze of picturesque streets with great views of the acropolis.

The acropolis is located on the top of a hill; therefore a hike of about twenty minutes has to be done before getting to the top. The view of the Aegean Sea was spectacular and it only got better as we got to the top. On our way down, we passed through the town and got to see the little village located at the bottom of the acropolis. We also went to a pottery shop were we got to see how natives created wonderful pieces of art.

Another incredible site in Rhodes was the Old Town, which is a walled medieval city that was divided into three parts: the northern part includes the Acropolis of the Knights and the Palace of the Grand Master, the southern part includes the Hora – where the commoners lived, and the third part is the Jewish quarter. This was pretty impressive and it made us feel like we have traveled back in time. 

Patmos – Πάτμος

On our third day on the cruise we got to visit Patmos, a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea. We were told that in 1999 the island’s historic center Chora, along with the Monastery of Saint John were declared ‘World Heritage Sites’ by UNESCO.

According to one of the legends within the Greek mythology, Patmos’ original name was ‘Letois,’ name given after the goddess Artemis. It was believed that Patmos came into existence thanks to her divine intervention.

As we rode up the hill in our tour bus, we were given information about the place we were about to visit. We were told that Patmos is mentioned in the Bible in the Book of Revelation. It is said that John, was on Patmos when he was given a vision of Jesus. It is said that John the Apostle wrote the Book of Revelations while being on a cave on Patmos. As we made our way through the cave, we saw various religious objects around the room. It was dark and humid, but the view from the little windows was amazing.

The next stop was the Monastery dedicated to Saint John, which was also on top of a hill. The structure of building resembled a castle, and it also had many arches in the main square. There were lots of paintings and silver chandeliers in each room. At the very top of the Monastery there was a museum in which we were able to see an exhibition of Saint John’s belongings.

As we walked down the hill from were the Monastery was located, we were able to stroll trough the little town and see lots of sale stands. Most of the merchandise in these places was religiously oriented, since Patmos has become a destination for Christian pilgrimage.

Kusadasi - Turkey

On our second day on the cruise we were told that the next city on the list was Kusadasi, which is actually in Turkey. This got us really excited because neither of us had been in that country before Plus, we were going to have time to go the local markets, or agoras, to enjoy ourselves. As we drove into the mountains from the port we got a glimpse of Kusadasi. It looked beautiful! It had many Middle Eastern traits. We were told that Turkey is a great producer of olives and figs.

Our first stop was the House of the Virgin Mary – Meryemana in Turkish, located in a nature park between the ancient cities of Ephesus and Seljuk. It is believed that this was the last residence of the Virgin Mary. It was highly interesting to know that this site is sacred to both Christians and Muslims, and is visited year round by tourists and pilgrims. It is a small stone structure with one bedroom and a kitchen. They have kept the inside of the structure quite simple with an altar, candles and images of the Virgin Mary. As we walked outside of the room, we realized there was a wall in which people had hung hundreds of tissues; we were told that this was a prayer wall and people usually write wishes or small prayers on tissues and hang them on the wall. There was also a particular place in which pilgrims could collect holy water. As we left in our tour bus and headed towards our second destination, I think we all realized how lucky we had been to be able to visit such ancient and sacred places.

Ephesus was our second destination. This was certainly one of the most amazing places visited in the trip. Most of the structures within the complex were pretty much standing, so it gave us all a better view and perspective of how things used to be. In ancient times, Ephesus was established as a port, and it became the most important commercial center. In 356BC the Greeks built the Artemesium – a temple dedicated to their Goddess Artemis. This later became a part of the seven wonders of the ancient world. During the 2^nd century BC, it also became famous for the Library of Celsus and its medical school. We got to sit on the amphitheatre where according to the Acts of the Apostles (19:23-4 1); the theatre was the site of the ‘riot of the silversmiths’ in which those who made silver figures of Artemis rioted because St. Paul’s preaching was bad for business. It truly was an amazing and unforgettable experience!

Mykonos – Μύκονος

In Greek mythology, Mykonos was the location of the battle between Zeus and the Titans. The island was named in honor of Apollo’s grandson Mykons.

The island is composed primarily of granite, and is known to be one of the most cosmopolitan islands in Greece. Its nightlife is extremely popular, but Mykonos’ main attractions are its sandy beaches and windmills.

The view this island offers is simply breathtaking! Upon docking at the port, we all took a nice walk along the seashore till we got to the main town. What was remarkably beautiful, was that every piece of architecture in the island is relatively small and painted white with blue shutters. This particular detail is what best describes Mykonos and what amazed me the most.

The windmills are located at the far end of the port, but everything is at an accessible distance. The windmills are what give this island a beautiful touch and we were told that they have been there since around the 16^th century.

The best part of this excursion –besides that it was the most relaxing one- was that we had the opportunity to see the sunset while listening to a native musician playing a very traditional Greek song.  As he played his ‘guitar’ and said "Opa" every now and then, my best friend and I danced to the tune, yelled Opa and saw the sunset from Mykonos – I’m pretty sure we scared some of the residents with our much enthusiastic 'OPA' move =).

All photo right reserved to Neda M.R.

Delphi - Δελφοί

Delphi was the second archeological site we visited on our tour. It is located on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.  This site was the place where the Delphic oracle –probably the most important oracle in all of the classical Greek world- was located. It is a great place to visit because the view is amazing and the different structures within the site are very impressive. Delphi is also one of the sites with the most history, since the temple that was dedicated to Apollo is located within the site.

One of the things that I remember from the tour, was a moment when we stopped to look at the different places where the oracle ‘predicted the future’ because our tour guide made a comment saying that we should picture lots of goats through the passage we were walking, since at the time people use them as a mode of transportation. However, the funny part was that she also said to picture the goats being high because they probably had inhaled whatever the oracle was inhaling to make the predictions. For some reason, we could not stop laughing after the thought had been placed in our minds.

Over all, Delphi is great! There is lots of places within the archeological site to explore and just admire the wonders of the Greek culture. The temple of Apollo, Amphictyonic Council, Phaedriades circle and the treasuries buildings are amongst the biggest sites to see here. 

- All photos taken by Neda MR.

Touring through Ἀθῆναι (Athens)

Less than a year ago, I had the wonderful opportunity of traveling to Greece. First stop: ATHENS.

- Plaka Market: has a variety of stores and food shops. Streets are extremely narrow and are packed with vendors and tourists. You are able to find cheap things (if you know how to bargain your way through them) and very interesting pieces of art.

- The Acropolis: magnificent! There are 21 archeological remains with in this site. The Parthenon, Old Temple of Athena, Erechtheum, Propylea and the Theatre of Dionysus are some of the most visited ones. The size and structure of these sites are unbelievable! I could not believe how amazing everything was.

- The Roman Agora: although it has nothing to do with the Romans, its name comes from the time it was built –during the Roman times. The Library of Hadrian is located within this site. The detailing in each of the pyramids and towers is something to admire.

- Temple of Olympian Zeus: I had the best time on this place. After watching the movie Hercules (the Disney version) my best friend and I had to sing one of the theme songs while being on this site. Although not much of it remains, there is enough of it to admire.

- Syntagma Square: located in central Athens. Many tourists enjoy visiting because parliament is located across from it and every hour, people are able to observe the changing of the guard ceremony. It is an interesting act to witness, so if you wish to watch it, click the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm-XBYOz2PE


(Photograph credits: Neda MR)

Athens

Athens is said to be one of the oldest cities of the world and the largest city in Greece. The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. The original Olympic logo still stands and can be seen in many of the tours that the city provides. Athena is the goddess of Athens and she represents war, civilization, wisdom, strength and skill. Amongst the things you do not want to miss in Athens are: the market – plaka, the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Roman Agora, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the National Archeological Museum and the changing of the guards in Syntagma Square. Of course do not miss out on the traditional meals and the delightful olives and feta cheese served with almost every meal.

Stay tuned for details and pictures of my experience in Greece!