Greece occupies the Southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula in the
Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Athens airport is on the crossroads
from Europe to Egypt ,Africa ,Asia and the Near East.
Cradle of civilization and birthplace of the gods, land of legend and
beauty which has inspired centuries of art and the essence of
philosophy, Greece welcomes the world. Since Greeks are naturally
unselfish and friendly, they give visitors a warm welcome. They offer a
sunny country of great natural beauty and magnificent monuments. The
capital of Greece is Athens and the second largest city is Thessaloniki.
The port of Piraeus is Europe's largest port.
Apart from its world-famed historical and archaeological relics, modern
Greece provides many attractions to the traveller. The many islands and
indented coastline, so characteristic of Greece, provide ideal beaches,
yachting harbours and fishing places. For those who prefer the mountains
and the inlands to the sea, for the huntsman. the mountain-climber, the
hiker, the camper and the motorist, there is a vast wealth and variety
of beautiful scenery richly scattered with relics of the Golden Age. The
volcanic island of Santorini attracts every year thousands of visitors
from all over the world with luxury
Santorini Hotels build on the volcanic cliffs.
Climate:
Greece have a mild Mediterranean climate. Spring and autumn are by far
the best seasons to visit Greece. However, there are many pleasant sunny
days in the winter, and even in the middle of summer the heat is often
tempered by fresh breezes from the sea and mountains. The nights are
invariably cool and pleasant even after the hottest days of summer
The
Greek islands: More than 3000 islands and islets (from those more
then 200 are inhabitant) are spread like pearls in the Greek seas of the
Aegean archipelago, the Ionian sea and the Cretan sea as we can see in a
map of Greece. In the Aegean are the the Sporades islands
Alonissos, Skiathos,
Skopelos and Skyros. The north Aegean islands: Ikaria, Lesvos,
Samos, Limnos, Samothraki and Samos as well as smaller islands like
Psara and Agios Efstratios. More south in the the south east Aegean are
the islands of the Dodecanese: Kos, Patmos, Lipsi, Leros, Kalymnos, Symi,
Nisyros, Tilos, Astypalea,
Rhodes
Greece
, Karpathos, Kastelorizo, Chalki and smaller ones like Fournoi,
Agathonisi, Pserimos etc. To the south of Cyclades is the largest island
of Greece, Crete and south of
Crete the small island of Gavdos the southernmost island of Greece. West
of the Dodecanese and south of the large island of Evia are the Cyclades
islands including Andros, Tinos, Syros,Mykonos,
Paros, the island of
Naxos, Ios the island mostly for young people,
Amorgos, Anafi,
Folegandros, Sifnos, Serifos, Mylos, Kythnos, Kea ,the celebrate
volcanic island of
Santorini and many smaller islets. In the Saronic and Argolic gulf
are the Saronic islands: Salamis, Aegina,
Agistri, Poros, Hydra and
Spetses. The islands of Kythira and Antikythira located south of
Peloponesse and they belong to the prefecture of Piraeus. Finaly in the
Ionian sea are located the Ionian islands of Corfu, Lefkada, Ithaca, Paxi, Kefalonia and Zakynthos.
Food:The majority of tourist restaurants serve Continental or
Greek food of good quality. There are also a number of typically Greek
dishes like mousaka (alternate layers of eggplant, ground meat and white
flour and milk sauce agreeably spiced), souvlakia (meat on small spits)
and dolmadakia (rolled vine leaves containing rice, ground meat and
spices). A great variety of excellent fish, a variety of good local
wines, and excellent honey from nearby Mount Hymettus are available.
Excellent bottled wines, Achaia, Santa-Helena, Cambas, Dekelia,
Demestika, Marco, Tour-la-Refine. Sweet wines: Robola, Mavrodaphni,
Samos, Santorini. Local liquors: Ouzo, Coriandolino of Rhodes. All
Continental wines and liquors are also available.
Hunting:
Visitors may hunt al-most everywhere in Greece from Sept. 1 to May 15.
Aquatic birds are numerous at Marathon and Souli, near Athens. Passage
birds are to be found at Lake Carla, near Volos, Halkis and Limni in
Central Greece. The hunting season on aquatic birds and on spring
turtle-doves begins March 15 and ends May 15. Partridges and rabbits may
be hunted from the end of August to the middle of January
Fishing: Fish are plentiful in Greek waters.
Sailing and Yachting Enthusiasts should get in touch with the
several Yachting Clubs . Yacht owners will want to take advantage of the
facilities offered to members of the clubs, where they may be admitted
through a member. Regattas are organized during the summer at many ports
and islands.
Swimming is particularly pleasant during the summer ,spring and
fall seasons. There are good beaches all over Greece and the Greek
islands as well as at the coast near Athens
Sports :All the athletic sports and games practiced in other
countries are to be found in Greece.
