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- Greek Singer Nana Mouskouri
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- At the ancient site of Delphi, where the Greeks once consulted the Oracle about
the future, there's a small round sculpture. It's known as the omphalos -- the
cosmic belly button. The Greeks believed that Delphi was the very center of the
world -- the place where everything came into being. Indeed, many aspects of
Western culture came into being in Greece -- drama, art, philosophy and science.
It's a heady feeling to walk on stones that may have been trod upon by Plato,
Homer or Agamemnon. Here, you can find beautiful settings that can soothe your
soul, and centuries of art and history to invigorate your mind.
Ancient Greek Civilization was at its peak during the 400's BC. During this
period of time, sick people went to the temples dedicated to Asclepius, the
Greek god of healing. They were seeking magical cures. At this time, a man
named Hippocrates began teaching that every disease had only natural causes. He
wrote the Hippocratic oath, an oath that every new doctor still says to this
day.
The Greeks are lively, warm, welcoming people. Their shortcut to communication
is - dancing. Live music and traditional dancing are part of the Greek
experience and make for a lively night out.......
Eating out is a national pastime in Greece and whether your choice is a local
taverna or elegant restaurant, meals are enjoyed as a pleasurable leisure
pursuit. Among the most popular traditional Greek dishes are meze mixes
(consisting of hors d’oeuvres like stuffed vine leaves, meatballs and tzatziki
dip),moussaka, gyros, spanakopita and souvlaki. Tavernas, cafes and ouzeri (bars
specialising in ouzo, the aniseed flavoured liqueur) abound.
The historic sites span four millennia, encompassing both the legendary and the
obscure, where a visit can still seem like a personal discovery. Beaches are
parcelled out along a convoluted coastline equal to France's in length, and
islands range from backwaters where the boat calls twice a week to resorts as
cosmopolitan as any in the Mediterranean.
Modern Greece is the result of extraordinarily diverse influences . Romans,
Arabs, Latin Crusaders, Venetians, Slavs, Albanians, Turks, Italians, not to
mention the Byzantine Empire, have been and gone since the time of Alexander the
Great. All have left their mark: the Byzantines in countless churches and
monasteries; the Venetians in impregnable fortifications in the Peloponnese; and
other Latin powers, such as the Knights of Saint John and the Genoese, in
imposing castles across the northeastern Aegean. Most obvious is the heritage of
four centuries of Ottoman Turkish rule which, while universally derided,
contributed substantially to Greek music, cuisine, language and way of life.
With
no local ruling class or formal Renaissance period to impose superior models of
taste or patronize the arts, medieval
Greek peasants, fishermen and shepherds created a vigorous and truly popular
culture, which found expression in the
songs and dances, costumes, embroidery, carved furniture and the white Cubist
houses of popular imagination.
Of course there are formal cultural activities as well: museums that shouldn't
be missed, magnificent medieval
mansions and castles , as well as the great ancient sites dating from the
Neolithic, Bronze Age, Minoan, Classical,
Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras. Greece hosts some excellent summer
festivals too, bringing international
theatre, dance and musical groups to perform in ancient theatres, as well as
castle courtyards and more contemporary
venues in coastal and island resorts.
General Info
Time: Local time is GMT +2 (GMT
+3 between the last Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October).
Electricity: Electrical current
is 220 volts, 50Hz. A variety of plugs are in use including the European-style
two-pin and
the round three-pin.
Money: The Euro (€) is the
official currency, divided into 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of €500,
200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Banks and bureaux de change are widely availble and
travellers cheques and major credit cards are
widely accepted. ATMs are widespread and are generally the cheapest and most
convenient method of obtaining euros.
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Sources: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, Columbia
University Press.; Lonely Planet; Frommers Guide |
