In Greece, you are standing at a crossroads of cultures, colours and civilisations, you feel the strength of history and the warmth of being in the southernmost part of Europe, you discover an evolutionary process of thought, influence and experience. A country that despite being rich in history has a population that moves towards the future. A country that although statistically small, is huge in its diversity. A landscape that has given us thousands of postcard images but remains incredibly vibrant and impossible to capture.
Greece is a country of beautiful contradictions, a constant journey in time, from the present to the past and back again.
Walk through the olive groves, through ancient sites. Move to clusters of sparsely inhabited islands. Roam from the beaches to rocky mountains and explore breathtaking scenery.
In Greece the fusion of images becomes more than imagery and turns into reality.
Live your myth in Greece

The Greek coasts

The Greek coast has a total length of approximately 16,000 km.  Half of these are on the thousands of Greek islands, while the rest extends along the mainland. What characterizes the famous Greek coasts is their unique diversity (beaches stretching over many kilometers, small bays and coves, sandy beaches with dunes, pebbly shores, coastal caves surrounded by steep rocks and with the characteristic dark sand of volcanic soils, coastal wetlands), their clean and transparent waters which have made them renowned all over the world and, for this reason, extremely popular.
In 2006, Greece has 404 beaches and 5 marinas that were awarded the “Blue Flag” (See below), a fact that puts the country in a top-ranking position among the European countries.
Most of the thousands of Greek coasts are freely accessible and you have the opportunity to discover and enjoy them without the presence of a large number of swimmers. There are, however, also many organized beaches in the country with the necessary infrastructure providing high-quality services (umbrellas, reclining chairs, changing booths, cafes, bar-restaurants etc), where, apart from swimming, you can enjoy water sports  (water ski, windsurfing, diving etc) as well as other means of having fun in the water, such as the parachute for one or two persons, “tires” and the “banana”, pedalo, jet ski etc. All organized beaches also have lifeguard towers ensuring safe swimming in the area.

Greek Islands

The islands are Greece’s chief morphological trait and an integral part of the country’s civilisation and tradition. The Greek territory comprises 6,000 islands and islets scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Sea, a truly unique phenomenon on the European continent; of these islands only 227 are inhabited.
The Greek Archipelago takes up 7,500 km of the country’s total 16,000-km coastline, offering a highly diversified landscape: beaches stretching along many kilometers, sheltered bays and coves, golden stretches of sand with dunes, pebbly beaches, coastal caves with steep rocks and black sand typical of volcanic soil, coastal wetlands… Many Greek beaches have been awarded the blue flag under the programmed Blue Flags of Europe . Apart from swimming, they lend themselves to scuba diving, snorkeling, water skiing, sailing and windsurfing. As they are the cradle of some of the most ancient and prosperous European civilizations (the Cycladic, Minoan civilizations, etc.), the islands boast unique archaeological sites, an outstanding architectural heritage and centuries-old, fascinating local traditions of a multifaceted cultural past. Moreover, 58.5% of the country’s lodging establishments and 62.6% of hotel beds are found on the islands (data for 2003). All the above, combined with the ideal climate, the safety of Greek waters and the short distances between ports and coasts, have rendered the Greek islands extremely popular among Greek and foreign visitors.

Most islands lie in the Aegean Sea and are divided in seven groups (from north to south):The Northeastern Aegean Islands: Agios Efstratios, Thasos, Ikaria, Lesvos, Limnos, Inousses, Samos, Samothrace, Chios, Psara. The Sporades: Alonissos, Skiathos, Skopelos, Skyros Evia The Argo-Saronic Islands: Angistri, Aegina, Poros, Salamina, Spetses, Hydra and the coastal area of Methana. The Cyclades: A group of 56 islands, its most important ones being Amorgos, Anafi, Andros, Antiparos, Delos, Ios, Kea, Kimolos, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Serifos, Sikinos, Sifnos, Syros, Tinos, Folegandros, as well as the “Minor Cyclades” comprising Donousa, Irakleia, Koufonisia and Schinoussa. The Dodecanese: Astypalaia, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Thasos, Kastelorizo, Kos, Lipsi, Leros, Nisyros, Patmos, Rhodes, Symi, Tilos, Halki, Crete

The Ionian Sea:

The Ionian Islands: Zakynthos, Ithaca, Corfu, Cephallonia, Lefkada, Paxi, Antipaxi, Ereikoussa, Mathraki, Meganissi, Othoni, Strofades.
These islands, together with Kythira, which is however cut-off from the rest, opposite the southern Peloponnese (Lakonia), as well as neighbouring Antikythira, they constitute the Eptanissa

Sea tourism

The wealth and diversity of the Greek seas, the endless kilometres of the Greek coasts and the thousands of Greek islands, the protected sea areas covering thousands of square kilometres, the mild climate, the high percentage of sunshine and its interesting and varying landscape make Greece the ideal destination for the development of sea tourism activities. This advantage is strengthened both by thousands of years of marine tradition and by conditions favourable for sea travelling: the Greek seas are considered safe, distances between coasts are small, while conditions related to wind strength, ambient and sea temperatures are equally favourable.
In Greece sea tourism started in the ‘60s and since then has been developing at a fast pace, especially in recent years.  Cruise ships under Greek flag organising short or longer cruises to Greek ports and ports of other countries of the Eastern Mediterranean amount to more than 160,000 GRT units and have a total capacity of over 10,000 passengers. Greek ports, however, are also visited by cruise ships under foreign flags, which annually bring more than 500,000 passengers into the country by sea.

Mountain Holidays

Greece is above all a mountainous country, as it is occupied by more than 300 rocky masses varying in elevation. The Pindus Mountains are the principal mountain range and form the backbone of mainland Greece, extending through central Greece into the Peloponnese and Crete. The majority of islands throughout the Aegean are in fact the mountain peaks of the now-submerged landmass of Aegeis, which was once the link between mainland Greece and Asia Minor.
Mt Olympus (Macedonia), known from Greek mythology as the abode of the gods, is the highest mountain in the country, rising at 2,917 m. About forty 40 mountain groups throughout the country reach elevations over 2,000 m.
The Greek mountains are renowned for their diversity, landscapes of singular beauty and unique forests, many of which rank among the oldest natural wooded lands in Europe.  Due to the astoundingly rich flora and fauna they support, many of these environments  have been designated as National Parks and are protected as such, while as a result of infrastructure developed over the last decades, they constitute today ideal destinations for winter and alpine tourism.

Greek nature – Ecotourism

Notwithstanding its limited surface area, Greece is endowed with a particularly rich and diversified natural environment as a result of a rare geomorphology, with many striking natural contrasts and areas of great ecological value. The country’s abundant natural gifts –thousands of indented coasts, imposing rocky massifs, caves, gorges, lakes, rivers, biotopes of spectacular beauty and unique natural habitats– coupled with the mild climate, place it among the ideal destinations for ecotourism and alternative forms of tourism.
When travelling in Greece, nature-loving tourists are offered the opportunity to:
- to wander in aesthetic forests or explore national parks not merely in the mountainous regions of the mainland, but also on certain islands or in the proximity of rivers and lakes
- to enjoy the wonderful natural monuments, gorges, caves and waterfalls.
- to watch and admire rare bird species nesting or seeking refuge in coastal ecosystems and wetlands (rocky coasts, sandy beaches, sand dunes, river deltas, lakes, marshes, coastal plains, etc)
- to study the highly diverse floral life of the Greek countryside
- to visit the unique marine parks supported near the islands of Alonissos and Zakynthos, which provide shelter to two protected species, the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus-Monachus) and the Mediterranean green loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) respectively.
- to engage in extreme sports (canoe-kayak, rafting, monoraft, hydrospeed, canyoning, mountain biking, etc), activities which have seen a spectacular rise in popularity in recent years
- to stay in agrotourist units which are being developed all over the country and afford visitors the opportunity to become familiar with vernacular architecture, cultural and gastronomic tradition, local products, farming activities and the daily life of local inhabitants.

Arts and Culture

Civilisation is the sum total of the material and cultural achievements of a group of people. Culture and arts are two concepts that are closely interwoven, as art is the  characteristic expression of the culture of a given period.  Arts such as architecture, sculpture, pottery, weaving, music, jewellery making, and painting have a long-standing tradition in Greece, where civilisations were already established in pre-historic times.
Little is known to date about the Palaeolithic period in Greece, but quite a lot about the subsequent Neolithic period (7th – 4th millennia B.C. approximately) and its civilisation, which is found mainly in areas such as Thessaly and Macedonia.
Civilisations with impressive achievements developed during the Bronze Age (3,000 – 1150 B.C. approximately) in the Northeastern Aegean, the Cyclades (its trade-mark being the big-sized marble figurines), Crete and the Greek mainland.  The civilisations which flourished during the 2nd millennium in the latter two areas, known as the Minoan and Mycenaean respectively, are considered the first two major civilisations of Greece.  The architectural remnants (e.g. palaces), as well as the samples of pottery, stone carving (vessels, sealstones), metallurgy (vessels, weapons), jewellery making and painting (murals) are impressive and representative of these civilisations.
During historic times, the civilisations of the Geometric (9th – 8th centuries B.C.) and the Archaic periods (7th – 6th centuries B.C.) are considered forerunners of the culture of the classical period (5th – 4th centuries B.C.). The classical works of art, with their ideal proportions and beauty, expressed the philosophical ideals of their times and were the model of the European Renaissance of the 15th century A.D.  During the subsequent Hellenistic (3rd – 1st centuries B.C.) and Roman times (1st century B.C. – 3rd century A.D.) Greek civilisation developed within the framework of big kingdoms and an empire, respectively.
Again within the framework of an empire, Greek civilisation developed during the Byzantine period – early, middle and late – (4th -15th centuries A.D.), while in more recent times civilisation is marked by the Ottoman domination and the first steps of the new Hellenic state after the War of Independence of 1821.
A visit to archaeological sites, museums and monuments all over the country offers a vivid picture of the civilisations in Greece, their achievements in arts and technology from the pre-historic era to modern times.

Archaeological sites – Monuments

Greece is full of archaeological sites and monuments of distinctive prestige and charm, on which all known periods of its long-standing history have left their mark.  Visitors have the opportunity to make a unique “journey” through the rare “mosaic” of historic and cultural memory which has left an indelible mark on every region of the country and effortlessly highlights the manifold manifestations of Greek culture to date.
According to the UNESCO catalogue, the following archaeological sites and cultural areas in Greece have been characterised as Monuments of Cultural Heritage:

1. Monastery complex of Aghio Oros (Mount Athos)
2. The Acropolis of Athens
3. Vassae: The Temple of Epicurean Apollo
4. Vergina – Aegae
5. Delphi (archaeological site)
6. Delos (archaeological site)
7. Epidaurus (archaeological site)
8. Early Christian and Byzantine Thessalonica
9. Monastery complex of Meteora
10. Mystras (Medieval City)
11.The Monasteries of Daphni (Attica), Ossios Lucas (Central Greece) and Nea Moni (New Monastery) of Chios
12. The archaeological sites of Mycenae and Tiryns
13. Olympia (archaeological site)
14. Patmos: Monastery of Aghios Ioannis Theologos and the Cave of the Apocalypse
15. Medieval city of Rhodes
16. Samos: Pythagoreio and Heraion

Article Source : http://greekconsulate.org.au/catalog.php?id=233

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Samos beaches

Overlooked by most tourists, Samos is a small, lush island only a few miles off the Turkish coast, soothed by the warm lap of the Aegean sea. Most people reach Samos via ferry from Turkey. Boats depart daily from the busy port of Kusadasi, bringing day-trippers onto the boardwalk in Samos town, also known as Vathy. For a few hot hours, tourists throng the cafes: German couples fanning themselves or young Greeks arguing over iced coffee. Most of these groups enjoy dinner and a stroll on the boardwalk, then depart back to Turkey before dark. It is in the evening, when Samos empties, that the island reveals its quiet, idyllic character.

We watched sunset over the calm, gray-blue sea while white-hulled fishing boats idled offshore. Vathy is built at the inlet of a large bay, with forests rising up on all sides, and white and blue homes running steeply up to the base of the hills. That evening, we enjoyed Greek dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with fragrant rice) and a glass of Samos’ famous sweet red wine.

Beaches are easily reachable by public bus from Vathy. The village of Kokkari, only 10km from Vathy, has become a popular windsurfing destination, and offers access to several beaches.  On the Western side of the island, Potámi beach draws tourists and locals alike from Karlovassi, a large nearby town. The Western coast is generally considered the most unspoiled, but intrepid beach-hunters can find pebbled, palm-fringed beaches all along   Samos’ coastline.

A highway winds around the island with spectacular views of the sea, and many tourists rent motorcycles to tour the island. In the bay at Pythagorio, the birthplace of mathematician Pythagoras, boats dock in the swaying blue bay. Built on an ancient city, Pythagorio now serves as Samos’ major tourist destination and the site of several archeological sites. A 19th century castle overlooks the bay, and a monastery, restored with a lack of artistic vision, sits on the shady hills above Pythagorio. Sadly, the nearby ruin of Ireon, the mythical birthplace of Hera, looks fairly unimpressive, though it once ranked as a major sanctuary. The best place to learn about the ancient history of this area is in the Samos Archeological Museum in Vathy (open Tues-Sun, 3 euro).

The town of Monolates hides itself far up in the Samian hills. This artistic community is a haven for craftspeople who sell glazed pottery, woven products, metalwork, and paintings out of their workshops. Most tourists hire taxis to Monolates; for the more adventurous, a walking trail rises 3,000 feet from the beach through forest, vineyard, and olive groves.

Monolates looks like the Greece of the movies, with narrow, winding streets and white-washed homes. In a courtyard covered with trellises of grapevines, we ate fava beans, spiced olives, tea made from Samos’ mountain herbs, and yogurt with fresh honey. Our lunch came with a price: it made us miss the last bus back to Vathy. But on Samos, the pace of life is slow and easy, so we decided to act like locals, and ordered another tea.

Written by Caitlin Dwyer     http://www.europeupclose.com/author/caitlin-dwyer/

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