Info Travel 4 Greece

Icaria island useful information

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:21:50 PST

IKARIA or ICARIA lies at the very southern tip of the Aegean group of Greek islands, south-west of Samos and off
the Turkish coast. Since ancient times, Ikaria has been famous
for it's dark red wine, its thermal springs, and for the legend of Icarus.
In the interior of Ikaria the landscape is rugged, the villages unkempt, and there are only a handful of good beaches. But the island has its strong adherents and the best of the Ikaria beaches can compare with any to be found in the Greek islands.
Ikaria may be off the usual tourist beat but it is an island blessed with some of the best beaches in the Aegean. The holiday beaches range from long sandy stretches with seasonal tourist attractions to quiet pebble coves where you will be lucky to see a couple of locals. If your idea of a good beach holiday is banana rides and beach music bars then give Ikaria a miss. But if you appreciate peaceful, lovely landscapes and lounging by a freshwater beach lagoon then Ikaria may be the place for you. The best sandy beaches are on the north coast but the south coast offers several beautiful and secluded coves.

Ikaria Telephone Numbers
To call Ikaria from UK: 0030 2275 + Number
Island code: 0030 2275
Tourist police: 022222
Health centre: 022236
Port: 022207

Ikaria Facts
Size: 255 sq km
Population: 8,300
Season: May (24°C) - Oct (22°C)
Special interest: Thermal Spas
Island hopping: Good
Time: +2 hours GMT
Power: 220 volt, 50 cycle AC
Emergencies: Dial 100
Speed Limits: 100-120km/hr. Towns: 50km/hr

Ikaria is noted for its 'panigiria' religious festivals that take place in villages all over the island from May to October. Travel agents in Agios Kirykos or Evdilos will have details. Festivals usually include all-night street parties with traditional music, dancing and feasting. If you're on Ikaria in the first week of August you can catch the Khristos Rahes festival where all night revelry is no challenge as locals do most of their socialising long after midnight at any time of the year.
Banks are normally open from 8am to 2.30pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to 2pm on Friday, and closed Saturday and Sunday. Telephone and Post offices operate 7:30am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday and close at the weekend.

Ikaria ferries

There are daily ferry connections from Piraeus (Athens) to both ports at Evdilos and Agios Kirikos with journey times of about 7hours. There are also ferry connections to Samos, Mykonos, Tinos, Syros, Naxos and Paros.
Also from Agios Kirikos there is a Flying Dolphin service three times a week to Patmos, Leros and Kos as well as a daily boat service to Fourni. There is a one a week ferry from Evdilos to Chios. A weekly summer ferry on Nel Lines in connects Ikaria to Limnos, Lesvos and Kavala.
Ikarian water taxis called 'venzinas' also connect Agios Kirikos with Therma throughout the day and three times a week visit beaches at Faros, Manganitis and Karkinagri. The water taxis can also be hired for day excursions and around-the-island trips.

Summer ferry schedules may not be confirmed until April or May, and not published until then.
The information is as accurate as I can make it but note that ferry schedules can change at any time.

Ikaria transport

Local transport on Ikaria is by bus, taxi, boat, or hired car/bike. During the summer season the scheduled daily bus service connects Agios Kirikos with Therma, Evdilos, Armenistis and Raches. Private buses can be hired from local travel agents and taxi stands are found in Agios Kirikos, Therma, Evdilos, Armenistis and at the airport at Faros.
Ikaria's bus service is not known for its efficiency and is geared more to locals than tourists so you might prefer to hire a car or motorbike to explore the island. Petrol stations can be found at Agios Kirikos, Ploumari, Miliopo, Evdilos, Avlaki and Christos Raches. Be warned that north - south roads through the mountains can be nerve racking drives with many hairpin bends and sheer cliff drops.
Hikers should head for the area around Rahes, inland from the island's single major beach resort of Armenistis. You can explore the idiosyncratic village of Khristos Rahes and its neighbouring villages on foot with the aid of two good local guides -The Round of Rahes on Foot and the Road and Hiking Map of western Ikaria. Both are available at island bookshops.
source: http://www.greekisland.co.uk/ikaria/ikaria.htm

Icaria island

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:06 PST

Icaria, also spelled Ikaria (Greek: Ικαρία), is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, 10 nautical miles (19 km) southwest of Samos.
It derived its name from Icarus, the son of Daedalus in Greek mythology, who fell into the sea nearby. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Ikaria regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Agios Kirykos.
Ikaria has been inhabited since at least 7000 BC, when it was populated by the Neolithic pre-Hellenic people that Greeks called Pelasgians.
Around 750 BC, Greeks from Miletus colonized Ikaria, establishing a settlement in the area of present day Campos, which they called Oenoe for its wine.

Ikaria, in the 6th century BC, became part of Polycrates' sea empire, and, in the 5th century BC, the Ikarian cities of Oenoe and Thermae were members of the Athenian-dominated Delian League. In the 2nd century, the island was colonized by Samos. At this time, the Tauropolion, the temple of Artemis was built at Oenoe. Coins of the city represented Artemis and a bull. There was another, smaller temenos that was sacred to Artemis Tauropolos, at Nas, on the northwest coast of the island.

Nas had been a sacred spot to the pre-Greek inhabitants of the Aegean and an important island port in antiquity, the last stop before testing the dangerous seas around Ikaria. It was an appropriate place for sailors to make sacrifices to Artemis Tauropolos, who, among other functions, was a patron of seafarers; here, the goddess was represented in an archaic wooden xoanon.

The temple stood in good repair until the middle of the 19th century when the marble was pillaged, for their local church, by the Kato Raches villagers. In 1939, it was excavated by the Greek archeologist Leon Politis. During the Axis occupation of Greece during World War II, many of the artifacts that were unearthed by Politis disappeared. Local custom states that there are still marble statues embedded in the sand off the coast.

In the 14th century Ikaria became part of a Genoese Aegean empire. At one stage, during this time, the Ikarians actually destroyed their harbors to deter the aggressive visitors.
According to local historians, the Ikarians, left to their own devices, built seven watchtowers around the coast. As soon as a hostile or unknown sail was seen, the watchers immediately lit a fire and then ran to a cistern that was always filled with water. They pulled out a wooden bung in the bottom, and the water, of course, began to leak out. The garrisons of the other towers had been alerted by the fire to do the same thing at the same time.

Inside each cistern in each castle were identical lines, like those on a measuring jar. Each of these calibrations had a different message attached to it: "pirates attacking", "unknown sail approaching", etc.
When the water level reached the level of the appropriate message, the senders rebunged the cistern and put out the fire, and everyone in the other towers could determine the size and the proximity of the danger.
During this time, the Ikarians seldom built villages. Each house was remote from its neighbors, had one door, and was barricaded behind high walls. A working chimney could be a giveaway, so they endured smoke-filled rooms that were kept bare of lootable belongings: they hid their belongings in wall niches and slept on the floor.
The Knights of St. John, who had their base in Rhodes, exerted some control over Ikaria until 1521, when the Ottoman Empire incorporated Ikaria into its realm. The Ikarians hanged the first Turkish tax collector but managed to escape punishment, as none would identify the guilty one and the Turks realistically determined that there was neither profit nor honour in punishing all.
The Turks imposed a very loose administration, not sending any officials to Ikaria for several centuries. The best account we have of the island during these years is from archbishop J. Georgirenes who in 1677 described the island with 1,000 hardy, long-lived inhabitants, who were the poorest people in the Aegean.

Without a port, the island depended for its very limited intercourse with the outside world on small craft that were drawn up on the beaches, for which Icarian boat-builders had a high reputation, building boats from the abundant fir forests; they sold botas and lumber for coin and grain at Chios. The inshore waters, Georgirenes asserted, provided the best cockles in the Archipelago. Goats and sheep roamed virtually untended in the rocky landscape. Cheeses were made for consumption in each household. Ikarios in the 17th century was unusual in the Archipelago in not providing any wine for export; rather than keeping the wine made for local consumption in barrels, they continued to store it in the age-old fashion, in terracotta pithoi sunk to their rims in earth.

Apart from three small towns, none of which exceeded 100 houses, and numerous village settlements, each house had a walled orchard and a garden plot. Unlike the closely built towns of Samos, the hardy inhabitants lived separately in fortified unfurnished farmsteads. They slept without bedding and wrapped themselves in their clothing. They often lived to great ages. They admitted no strangers, and strictly married among themselves.

The ruins of the lighthouse on the promontory that faces Samos, called the "Tower of Icarus", were strictly off limits to the islanders, as tradition asserted that there was treasure to be found in them.
In 1827, during the Greek War of Independence, Icaria broke away from the Ottoman Empire, but was not included in the narrow territory of the original independent Greece and was forced to accept Turkish rule once more a few years later.
source :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icaria

Ierapetra city in Crete

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 05:00:13 PST

Ierapetra (Greek: Ιεράπετρα, meaning Holy Stone;ancient name:
Ἱεράπυτνα Hierapytna) is a town and municipality in the southeast
of the Greek island of Crete.
The town of Ierapetra (in the local dialect: Γεράπετρο Gerapetro) is located on the southeast coast of Crete, along the beach of Ierapetra Bay. It lies south of Agios Nikolaos and southwest of Sitia and is an important regional centre. With its 15,323 inhabitants (2001) it is the most populous town in the prefecture of Lasithi, and the fourth town of Crete. Ierapetra is nicknamed "bride of the Libyan Sea" because of its position as the only town on the south coast of Crete.

Ierapetra has had a place in the history of Crete since the Minoan period. The Greek and later Roman town of Hierapytna was on the same site as present day Ierapetra. In the Classical Age Ierapytna became the strongest town of eastern Crete and as a Dorian city in continual rivalry with Praisos, the last Minoan city in the island. Later, in the 3rd century BC, Hierapytna was notorious for its tendency to piracy and took part in the Cretan War along with other Cretan cities in the side of Philip V of Macedon against Knossos and Rhodes.

Its importance as independent state ended when it was conquered by the Romans in 67 BC (the last free city in Crete) and was surpassed by the city of Gortyn. The Roman conquest of Ierapetra occurred about the same time as that of Knossos, Cydonia and Lato. Today remains of the Roman harbor can still be seen in the shallow bay. In AD 824 it was destroyed by Arab invaders, only to be rebuilt as a base for pirates again.

In the Venetian Age, from the 13th to the 17th centuries, Ierapetra - now known by its present name - became prosperous again. The Fortress of Kales, built in the early years of Venetian rule and strengthened by Francesco Morosini in 1626 to protect the harbor, is a remnant of this period, although local myth says it was built by the Genoese pirate Pescatore in 1212. In July 1798 Ierapetra made a small step into world history: Napoleon stayed with a local family after the Battle of the Pyramids in Egypt.

The house where he stayed can still be seen. In the Ottoman period a mosque was built in the town. Finds from Ierapetra's past can be found in the local Museum of Antiquities, formerly a school for Muslim children. The centrepiece of the exhibition is a well preserved statue of Persephone.

Present day Ierapetra consists of two quite distinct parts, Kato Mera and Pano Mera. Kato Mera is the old town on the southwestern headland. It is characterized by a medieval street layout with narrow alleyways, cul-de-sacs and small houses, creating a village-like atmosphere. The former mosque and the "house of Napoleon" can be found in this neighbourhood, as can Aghios Georgios metropolitan church (built in 1856) in the town's center. It is considered one of the most interesting churches of Crete. The ceiling of the church has many "blind" domes. Those, as well as the central dome, are wooden (mainly cedar wood). Pano Mera is the much bigger new town, with wider streets and three and four storey houses. Pano Mera is still expanding towards the west, north and east.

Ierapetra's main shopping street is Koundouriotou. In the centre the town hall, the museum and two cinemas can be found. The local hospital lies in Pano Mera. To the west is the southern headland with the fortress, a port for fishing boats and ´Navmachia´ area, where sea fights among slaves for citizens´ pleasure were taking place, during Roman period. Further east is a short beach with bars and restaurants, followed by the quay for ferries to Chrissi. Further on lies the main boulevard with hotels, bars, restaurants and souvenir shops. At its end a new promenade leads alongside Ierapetra Bay's long beach.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ierapetra

Rethymno city in Crete

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 02:32:12 PST

Rethymno (Greek: Ρέθυμνο, [ˈreθimno], also Rethimno, Rethymnon, Réthymnon, and Rhíthymnos) is a city of approximately
40,000 people in Greece, the capital of Rethymno regional unit on the island of Crete. It was built in antiquity (ancient Rhithymna and Arsinoe), but was never a competitive Minoan centre. It was, however, strong enough to mint its own coins and maintain urban growth. One of these coins is today depicted as the crest of the town with two dolphins in a circle.
This region as a whole is rich with ancient history, most notably through the Minoan civilisation centred at Kydonia east of Rethymno. Rethymno itself began a period of growth when the Venetian conquerors of the island decided to put an intermediate commercial station between Heraklion and Chania, acquiring its own bishop and nobility in the process. Today's old town (palia poli) is almost entirely built by the Venetians. It is one of the best preserved old towns in Crete.

The town still maintains its old aristocratic appearance, with its buildings dating from the 16th century, arched doorways, stone staircases, Byzantine and Hellenic-Roman remains, the small Venetian harbour and narrow streets. The Venetian Loggia houses the information office of the Ministry of Culture. A Wine Festival is held there annually at the beginning of July. Another festival, in memory of the destruction of the Arkadi Monastery, is held on 7–8 November.

The city's Venetian-era citadel, the Fortezza, is one of the best-preserved castles in Crete. Other monuments include the Neratze mosque (the Municipal Odeon arts centre), the Great Gate (Μεγάλη Πόρτα, Porta Guora), the Piazza Rimondi (Rimondi square) and the Venetian Loggia.
The town was also captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1646 and was ruled by them for almost three centuries. The town (Resmo in Turkish) was the centre of a sanjak during Ottoman rule.

During the Battle of Crete (20–30 May 1941), the Battle of Rethymno was fought between German paratroopers and Australian and Greek forces. Although initially unsuccessful, the Germans won the battle after receiving reinforcements from Maleme in the Northwestern part of the island
Today the city's main income is from tourism, many new facilities having been built in the past 20 years. Agriculture is also notable, especially for olive oil and other Mediterranean products. It is also the base of the Philosophical School and the University Library of the University of Crete and the School of Social and Political Sciences having 8.000 students on its university campus per annum at "Galos", where the Academic Institute of Mediterranean Studies is situated. The city has an Archaeological Museum and a Historical and Folklore Museum.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rethymno

Heraklion city in Crete

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:00:04 PST

Heraklion, or Heraclion also Iraklion (Greek: Ηράκλειο Greek pronunciation: [iˈraklio]) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of
Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece.
Heraklion is the capital of Heraklion regional unit. The ruins of Knossos, which were excavated and restored by Arthur Evans, are nearby. The Heraklion International Airport is named after Nikos Kazantzakis.
The Arab raiders from Andalusia who founded the Emirate of Crete moved the island's capital from Gortyna to what a new castle they called rabḍ al-ḫandaq 'Castle of the Moat' in the 820s. This was hellenized as Χάνδαξ (Handax) or Χάνδακας and Latinized as Candia, which was taken into other European languages: in Italian as Candia (used under the Venetian rule), in French as Candie, in English as Candy, all of which could refer to all of Crete as well as to the city itself; the Ottoman name was Kandiye.

After the Byzantine reconquest, the city was locally known as Megalo Kastro or Castro (the Big Castle in Greek) and its inhabitants were called Kastrinoi or Castrini (Castle-dwellers in Greek).
The ancient name Ηράκλειον was revived in the 19th century and comes from the nearby Roman port of Heracleum ("Heracles' city"), whose exact location is unknown. English usage formerly preferred the classicizing transliterations "Heraklion" or "Heraclion", but the form "Iraklion" is becoming more common.
Heraklion is close to the ruins of the palace of Knossos, which in Minoan times was the largest centre of population on Crete. Though there is no archaeological evidence of it, Knossos may well have had a port at the site of Heraklion as long ago as 2000 BC.

Founding

The present city of Heraklion was founded in 824 AD by the Saracens who had been expelled from Al-Andalus by Emir Al-Hakam I and had taken over the island from the Eastern Roman Empire. They built a moat around the city for protection, and named the city ربض الخندق, rabḍ al-ḫandaq ("Castle of the Moat"). The Saracens allowed the port to be used as a safe haven for pirates who operated against Imperial shipping and raided Imperial territory around the Aegean.

Restored Greek Era

Further information: Byzantine Greece

In 961 Imperial forces under the command of Nikephoros Phokas, later to become Emperor, landed in Crete and attacked the city. After a prolonged siege, the city fell. The Saracen inhabitants were slaughtered, the city looted and burned to the ground. Soon rebuilt, the town of Chandax remained under Greek control for the next 243 years.

In 1204, the city was bought by the Republic of Venice as part of a complicated political deal which involved among other things, the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade restoring the deposed Eastern Roman Emperor Isaac II Angelus to his throne. The Venetians improved on the ditch of the city by building enormous fortifications, most of which are still in place, including a giant wall, in places up to 40 m thick, with 7 bastions, and a fortress in the harbour.

Chandax was renamed Candia and became the seat of the Duke of Candia, and the Venetian administrative district of Crete became known as "regno di Candia" (kingdom of Candia). The city retained the name of Candia for centuries and the same name was often used to refer to the whole island of Crete as well. To secure their rule, Venetians began in 1212 to settle families from Venice on Crete. The coexistence of two different cultures and the stimulus of Italian Renaissance led to a flourishing of letters and the arts in Candia and Crete in general, that is today known as the Cretan Renaissance.

After the Venetians came the Ottoman Empire. During the Cretan War (1645–1669), the Ottomans besieged the city for 21 years, from 1648 to 1669, perhaps the longest siege in history. In its final phase, which lasted for 22 months, 70,000 Turks, 38,000 Cretans and slaves and 29,088 of the city's Christian defenders perished. The Ottoman army under an Albanian grand vizier, Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Pasha conquered the city in 1669. Under the Ottomans, the city was known officially as Kandiye (again also applied to the whole island of Crete) but informally in Greek as Megalo Castro (Μεγάλο Κάστρο; "Big Castle"). During the Ottoman period, the harbour silted up, so most shipping shifted to Chania in the west of the island.

Modern era

The Cathedral.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraklion

City of Knossos

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 02:57:35 PST

Knossos (alternative spellings Knossus, Cnossus, Greek Κνωσός pronounced [knoˈsos]), also known as
Labyrinth, or Knossos Palace, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site
on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and store rooms close to a central square. Detailed images of Cretan life in the late Bronze Age are provided by images on the walls of this palace. It is also a tourist destination today, as it is near the main city of Heraklion and has been substantially restored by archaeologist Arthur Evans.
The city of Knossos remained important through the classical and Roman periods, but its population shifted to the new town of Chandax (modern Heraklion) during the 9th century AD. By the 13th century, it was called Makryteikhos 'Long Wall'; the bishops of Gortyn continued to call themselves Bishops of Knossos until the 19th century. Today, the name is used only for the archaeological site situated in the suburbs of Heraklion.
The ruins at Knossos were discovered in 1878 by Minos Kalokairinos, a Cretan merchant and antiquarian. He conducted the first excavations at Kephala Hill, which brought to light part of the storage magazines in the west wing and a section of the west facade. After Kalokairinos, several people attempted to continue the work, and Heinrich Schliemann had previously showed an interest but it was not until March 16, 1900 that archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, an English gentleman of independent means, was able to purchase the entire site and conduct massive excavations.

The excavation and restoration of Knossos, and the discovery of the culture that he labeled Minoan, is inseparable from Evans. Assisted by Dr. Duncan Mackenzie, who had already distinguished himself by his excavations on the island of Melos, and Mr. Fyfe, the British School at Athens architect, Evans employed a large staff of local laborers as excavators and within a few months had uncovered a substantial portion of what he named the Palace of Minos. The term 'palace' may be misleading: in modern English, it usually refers to an elegant building used to house a head of state or similar. Knossos was an intricate collection of over 1,000 interlocking rooms, some of which served as artisans' workrooms and food-processing centers (e.g. wine presses).

It served as a central storage point, and a religious and administrative center. The throne room that was discovered was repainted by a father-and-son team of artists, both named Émile Gilliéron, at Arthur Evans' command. Evans based the recreations on archaeological evidence, but drew criticism from some quarters, because some of the best-known frescoes from the throne room are believed to be inventions of the Gilliérons.

The site has had a very long history of human habitation, beginning with the founding of the first Neolithic settlement circa 7,000 BC. Over time and during several different phases that had their own social dynamic, Knossos grew until, by the 19th to 16th centuries BC (during the 'Old Palace' and the succeeding 'Neo-palatial' periods), the settlement possessed not only a monumental administrative and religious center (i.e., the Palace), but also a city with a population of up to 100,000. The site was destroyed by fire but has been reconstructed.

The palace is about 130 meters on a side and since the Roman period has been suggested as the source of the myth of the Labyrinth, an elaborate mazelike structure built for King Minos of Crete and designed by the legendary artificer Daedalus to hold the Minotaur, a creature that was half man and half bull and was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.

"Labyrinth" may have come from labrys, a word that refers to a double, or two-bladed, axe. Its representation had religious and probably magical significance. It was used throughout the Mycenaean world as an apotropaic symbol: the presence of the symbol on an object would prevent it from being "killed". Axes were scratched on many of the stones of the palace. It appears in pottery decoration and is a motif of the Shrine of the Double Axes at the palace, as well as of many shrines throughout Crete and the Aegean.

The first written attestation of the word 'labyrinth' is believed by many linguists to feature on a Linear B tablet as da-pu₂-ri-to-jo po-ti-ni-ja, 'lady of the Labyrinth', which makes the etymology connecting it to labrys less likely. Whatever the word's ultimate origin, it must have been borrowed by the Greeks, as the suffix labyr-inthos uses a suffix generally considered to be pre-Greek.
The location of the labyrinth of legend has long been a question for Minoan studies. It might have been the name of the palace or of some portion of the palace. Throughout most of the 20th century the intimations of human sacrifice in the myth puzzled Bronze Age scholars, because evidence for human sacrifice on Crete had never been discovered and so it was vigorously denied.

The practice was finally confirmed archaeologically (see under Minoan civilization). It is possible that the palace was a great sacrificial center and could have been named the Labyrinth. Its layout certainly is labyrinthine in the sense that it is intricate and confusing.
Many other possibilities have been suggested. The modern meaning of labyrinth as a twisting maze is based on the myth.
Several out-of-epoch advances in the construction of the palace are thought to have generated the myth of Atlantis.

The great palace was gradually built between 1700 and 1400 BC, with periodic rebuildings after destruction. Structures preceded it on Kephala hill. The features currently most visible date mainly to the last period of habitation, which Evans termed Late Minoan. The palace has an interesting layout , the original plan can no longer be seen due to the subsequent modifications. The 1,300 rooms are connected with corridors of varying sizes and direction, which differ from other contemporaneous palaces that connected the rooms via several main hallways.

The 6 acres (24,000 m²) of the palace included a theater, a main entrance on each of its four cardinal faces, and extensive storerooms (also called magazines). Within the storerooms were large clay containers (pithoi) that held oil, grains, dried fish, beans, and olives. Many of the items were processed at the palace, which had grain mills, oil presses, and wine presses. Beneath the pithoi were stone holes that were used to store more valuable objects, such as gold. The palace used advanced architectural techniques: for example, part of it was built up to five storeys high.
source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knossos

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The Minoans in Crete island

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 02:35:18 PST

Minoan civilization

The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of the British archaeologist Arthur Evans. Will Durant referred to it as "the first link in the European chain." The early inhabitants of Crete may have settled as early as 128,000 BC, during the Middle Paleolithic age. However, it was not until 5000 BC that the first signs of advanced agriculture appeared.

What the Minoans called themselves is unknown. The term "Minoan" was coined by Arthur Evans after the mythic "king" Minos. Minos was associated in Greek myth with the labyrinth, which Evans identified with the site at Knossos. It has sometimes been argued that the Egyptian place name "Keftiu" (*Káftiu kftiw) and the Semitic "Kaftor" or "Caphtor" and "Kaptara" in the Mari archives refer to the island of Crete; "On the other hand some acknowledged facts about Caphtor/Keftiu can only with difficulty be reconciled with Crete," observes John Strange. In the Odyssey, composed centuries after the destruction of the Minoan civilization, Homer calls the natives of Crete Eteocretans ("true Cretans"); these may have been descendants of the Minoans.
Minoan palaces (anaktora) are the best known building types to have been excavated on the island. They are monumental buildings serving administrative purposes as evidenced by the large archives unearthed by archaeologists. Each of the palaces excavated to date has its own unique features, but they also share features which set them apart from other structures. The palaces were often multi-storied, with interior and exterior staircases, light wells, massive columns, storage magazines and courtyards.

It seems that the Minoan people were not Indo-European, and that they were even related to the pre-Greek dwellers of the Greek mainland and Western Anatolia, the so-called Pelasgians. However the Minoan civilization was much more advanced and sophisticated than the contemporary Helladic civilization during the bronze-age. The Minoan script (Linear A) has not yet been deciphered, but it seems that it represented an Aegean language, unrelated to any Indo-European language.

From the neolithic ages Crete stood in the middle of two cultural-streams leading to the west: The forward-Asiatic and the north-African cultural streams. It seems that for many centuries Minoan Crete remained free from any invaders and managed to develop a distinct self-based civilization which was probably the most advanced in the Mediterannean area during the bronze-age.

The oldest evidence of inhabitants on Crete are preceramic Neolithic farming community remains that date to approximately 7000 BC. A comparative study of DNA haplogroups of modern Cretan men showed that a male founder group from Anatolia or the Levant, is shared with the Greeks. The neolithic population dwelt in open villages. On the shores, there were fishermen's huts, while the fertile Mesara Plain was used for agriculture.

The Bronze Age began in Crete around 2700 BC. In the late 3rd Millenium BC, several localities on the island developed into centers of commerce and handwork. This enabled the upper classes to continuously practice leadership activities and to expand their influence. It is likely that the original hierarchies of the local elites were replaced by monarchist power structures - a precondition for the creation of the great palaces. From the Early Bronze Age (3500 BC to 2600 BC), the Minoan civilization on Crete showed a promise of greatness.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoan_civilization

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Corfu island holiday reviews

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 03:00:07 PST

Acharavi was wonderful

I went to Acharavi,
Corfu, and it was wonderful. Yes, the main road through the town was busy and noisy but the several roads leading to
the beach, which had loads of bars right on the sand, was very peaceful especially Skondros Bar, lovely food and friendly owners. We stayed at Hotel Panos, about a 15 minute walk up into the hills away from the main road. It was perfect, quiet, surrounded by olive groves and a sea view. Also, the place was spotless and had a nice pool and bar with friendly owners.

Our friends have been to the north and south of the island and rate the north much better. We also walked to Roda several times, which also had a nice beach and OK for fishing off the rocks which my husband likes to do. We never had a bad meal anywhere but our favourites were Skondras and Acharavi Garden, but the best was The Lemon Garden which has tables set out down through all the lemon trees, wonderful. We went to Kalamaki beach, which was very quiet, and to Kassiopi which was a pretty village.

The weather was in the 80's all week. I will definitely return. I would be interested in anybody else's opinion and advice on the island.
Jacqui Angel

Kassiopi a great holiday destination

Have just returned from Corfu and had a really great holiday. Kassiopi is a super resort, plenty going on at night if you want it quite lively or visit sidestreets for quieter times. Though there is no immediate beach in Kassiopi, there is good swimming and snorkeling for the kids nearby.

You are quite welcome to use any pool though you are usually expected to buy a drink. A good thing for kids is the bars show all the latest DVD films - watched quite a few myself. For a change of scenery you can catch a bus to Acharavi and Roda, about 40 mins and very cheap. There is a waterpark just before you get to Acharavi which the kids will enjoy or, bigger and further away, is Aqualand, about one hour south.

Any trips you plan it pays to shop around the travel agencies. I found big variations in prices. Don't buy from reps. Eating out in Corfu is excellent value. A lot of tavernas display set menus at really good prices. I would think you would pay more eating and drinking on the harbour side.
Be prepared for very hot weather. Take the plug-in type mosquito devices, you can also buy locally a coil called Spirox any supermarket. Mozzys hate the smell and keep away. At lunchtime what better than Greek bread tomatoes and feta cheese for a cheap lunch?
Jim

Never seen any trouble in Roda

I have been visiting road on Corfu for the last 13 years and found your article quite true on some points but also failing on others. We have been returning so often because we have some friends over there - not ex pats but real Greeks who are the best hosts I have ever met. They are very helpful and are family orientated.
I have attended several Greek weddings and christenings in the beautiful little Rhoda village church, which is open to the public and dates back to Roman times. You failed to mention it's existence. There are also a lot of traditional tavernas in the old village, which again you don't mention. There are only steps to the beach at one part and being as it is only three steps then it hardly merits a mention. You are correct about the noise at night and karaoke and bingo but these are not all the bars but a few which are on the main street outside the village.

In all the years I have been visiting Roda I have never seen any trouble, apart from some mindless English hooligans after they got beaten in the last world cup who decided to pitch some pool furniture into the hotel swimming pool. It does have a very laid back relaxed atmosphere and is well worth a visit. If you enjoy the noisier part of town then head down to the Drunken Sailor or Mistral (both owned and run by local Greeks!) or if you go over the crossroads heading out of the town you will find the only disco, which changes names annually but is known to locals as the Millennium Club.

The animals that roam around are not strays either, but get looked after by Maggie (owner/proprietor of a small restaurant with excellent food in the old town) as well as an animal charity called the Arc (Animal Rescue Corfu)
Cathie McKerracher

Great break in Sidari

I just wanted to email and say thank you for the great website! We've just come back from two weeks in Sidari, and it was incredibly useful. Just a few recommendations to add:
The Venezian (left at the crossroads by the Oh La La Bar), absolutely fantastic, had three simply wonderful meals there, and really good value for money (2 courses, beer and half carafe of house wine for around 25 Euros for 2). Get there early to get a table and speedy service, or later for a more relaxed and slower paced meal.

Viva Dionyssos (right at the crossroads, opposite the Mimosa Hotel) - really good quality Corfiot food. Alto of the restaurants have all the same menus, and the food is not particularly good, but we went to Viva Dionyssos twice, and had really filling, cheap and delicious meals.
Athena (left at the crossroads, on the left hand side) - wonderful moussaka (melt in the mouth delicious), the only place that doesn't automatically assume you want chips with everything, and is the only place we could find that has houmous and pitta. Again very good value for money and gorgeous food (best souvlaki as well!).

San Remos (right at the crossroads) - this is more a lunchtime favourite, as they have a very wide menu, but they also do great club sandwiches. The portions are more than adequate, and it's very friendly too. We have seen several reps eating here as well, so it must be okay!
Hiring bikes- not as bad as we expected, but get them to check the brakes before you go off . . . Corfu is very hilly, and it's not nice to go bouncing down a hillside because you're going too fast to turn the corner!

Don't expect many gears to work. Pink Panther has a range of bikes at different prices, but Mountain Mania has the cheapest, don't expect miracles though. Mountain Mania have a 15 mile cycle route, which takes in Agios Georgos and Kavadades - do not attempt this unless you are pretty fit, or don't mind pushing your bike up most of the hills. This will probably take the best part of a day, including lunch at Agios Georgos and perhaps a dip in the sea. There are a lot of steep hills on this route. Alternatively you could cycle up to Peroulades the long way around, which is hilly, but not so bad, and then complete the circuit through Melitsa and back into Sidari.

It's a good way to get out into the countryside and get away from the resorts - don't expect to see many other enthusiasts though, but you will see some breathtaking scenery and the views are amazing - take cameras and water!

Car hire - we hired a car through our rep (39 Euros for 24 hours) and they delivered it and picked it up, with a 100 km free, then 20 cents per extra km. We went to Corfu Town and Paleokastritsa. Be aware that everything in Corfu shuts at 3pm and then reopens later. We went on the glass bottomed boat trip at 2pm, came out at 3pm and the town was deserted apart from a few tourists with cameras. The fortresses are worth a visit, and interesting to know that from the top of the old fortress you can see both the Greek and Albanian coastlines!

All in all, we had a great break, though I must admit in the resorts the Corfiots weren't as friendly as I had expected. We made an effort to converse in Greek, and people became much friendlier when we did. It is very touristy, and don't expect to go to Corfu and find loads of museums, and ruins to visit. There is loads to see and appreciate, but only if you make the effort to find it, the guided tours are good for a starting point, but it was much more worth it to explore on our own. Thanks again for the great web site!
Caroline Growcott

Corfu review inaccurate and misleading

I don`t know where you got your information from about Corfu as most of it is inaccurate and misleading. My wife and I are discerning Greek Island travellers and have visited Corfu nine times. I do agree with you that some of the resorts that attract young people are tacky to say the least, as in most places, but there are still some very beautiful places if you know where to look, as you obviously do not. To call the Nissaki Beach Hotel "ugly" is way over the top. In fact it blends in well with the surrounding area quite well and the beach is very good.

We have stayed at this hotel many times and it is surrounded by olive groves and cypress trees and has beautiful gardens. The beach is also very good and we have eaten many times at Yanni`s taverna on the beach. Obviously you have never been to the unspoiled fishing villages of Kaminaki, Agni, Kaloura, Klarissa, San Stefanos to name but a few on the northeast coast. These places are totally unspoiled and beautiful with the best food on the island.

As far as Kalami not having a beach according to you, totally untrue, it has one of the best beaches on the island and I doubt very much that you have ever visited the village of Perithia in the northern mountains, a place not to be missed. I suggest that you research your information more thoroughly before publishing this sort of rubbish on the internet in the future.
RS Miles
source : http://www.greekisland.co.uk

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Zante island , ( Zakynthos ), holiday reviews

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:59:14 PST

Zante has something for everyone

Most people on this site seem to slag off Zante. I'm only 17 but
I had a brilliant time. I have stayed in both Laganas and Argassi.
Laganas is very loud and not really for a family holiday but the people are friendly and welcoming - a perfect resort for students as it is close to Kalamaki which has a very big club up in the hills.

In the past I have travelled to Zante with my parents and younger siblings and we all really enjoyed ourselves. Argassi is the perfect distance from the airport and the town is generaly quiet but still has lively bars and tavernas. The food was good and the scenery was very nice. The weather was even better.

This year i am travelling with a group of friends for my 18th and sure I will have a great time. I have decided to go back to Argassi but will probably travel to other places such as Laganas and Kalamakie.
Many people feel it is very loud and lacks authenticity but I disagree. Take a 5-10 min travel into Zante town and you can see just how wrong people are - a huge gold church! I would encourage anyone to go to Zante at least once.

These other comments are very biast against Zante and it does not really reflect the island. People that give comments such as these I would think come from an older generation (a lot older). The island has something for everyone and I would recomend it to anyone.
Danielle Andersonm

All in all a great holiday in Zante

I last visited 20 years ago and it was somewhat quieter then. However when my wife saw your review after we had booked, she thought it was going to be nightmarish! Luckily it wasn't and therefore I thought I would email you with a few comments.
1) Went to Zante Town twice, never thick with petrol fumes, as for scruffy, don't agree, clean and nicely turned out.

2) Tsilivi, where I stayed. Most of the tourists are not at Planos, but equally spread. The worst thing about the beaches was the cigarette ends on the main beaches. The best beach was the quiet one below the Alexandra beach. Set in a small cove, it was great for snorkelling and the beach was regularly cleaned of weed etc throughout the day by the elderly female who took the money 6 euros for sun beds. The restaurants etc are much of a muchness but the food was always well prepared and very cheap. It's well worth it, if you drink wine, to drink the house reds.

They are quite drinkable, and a third of the price of bottled stuff. Half a litre for 3euros can't be bad in a restaurant! The roads aren't as bad as you say in the resort itself. It's a different matter around the island where the roads can be great all the way to ridiculous, but isn't that half the fun of driving on holiday?

3) The water park is at Sarakinada not Farakino and is very good but a bit pricey at 18 euros each, about a dozen slides of varying types, the best time to go is from 2.30pm when the coach trips are gone and entry fee is reduced. It closes at 6pm.

4) Volimes is a quiet little town with lots of houses selling their wares. Not a market as such. Again, it's great when the coaches aren't there. We arrived as they were leaving. There's a nice little cafe opposite the school.

5) Keri is very pretty, you can hire boats, but if you want individual motor boats book early, we were disappointed to find that they were all booked when we arrived and it was the last day of our car hire so we couldn't come back. Come in the early morning to avoid crowds.

6) Gerakas, Again come early as we did, the beach was almost deserted. It is a protected area and you are only allowed on the beach for 3 hours and only to sit in specific areas where the sun beds are. we did not see anyone charging for these, but there are people policing the back of the beach where the nesting sites are. A fantastically beautiful natural place totally unspoiled at the moment. lets hope it stays like this.

7) Porto Roma, took your recommendation and loved it, arriving after Gerakas. the sand is not as golden or fine but it is a beautiful spot. There are 2 beach bars now and lots of accommodation back behind the beach. Even so, it was not crowded and I would love to come back here for a holiday. We then went on to Aghios Nikolas and Plaka a little farther up the coast. Again beautiful, restful and with a nice beach bar. There are new places being constructed back behind the beach.

8) The Blue Caves were visited from the other Aghios Nikolas. Again arrive early. We did and caught a small boat out with another family. Only 7 of us on a boat designed for about 25 it cost us 6 euros each for a trip that lasted about 1 1/2 hours. We did all the caves going in etc and had a swim stop in the deep water. Fantastic. Far better than catching a large boat with 200 people on it which is unable to even get in the caves. My son aged 15 was even allowed to drive for a while by the captain! As for the shipwreck cove, we took your advice on that and went up above for the most spectacular views rather than take a boat out. The beach was teeming with people when we saw it.

9) Exo Hora is a small hill village where the oldest olive tree in the island is. It is estimated to be 2000 years old. There is a wonderful little cafe in the village square where they provide you with local sweets following your food for free!

10) Limnionas is on the west coast and well worth a visit after your lunch at Exo Hora. The road down to it is a bit of an experience, but when you get there it is beautiful. A deep water cove where you jump into deep water from the rocks at the side. You can swim into the caves and the snorkelling is fantastic and very safe We were advised not to do a jeep safari as they are apparently illegal in Zante at the moment. Hence probably not insured. Apparently a stop was put on them because of East Europeans coming into the area and taking over. They had little training etc. They still exist but are probably operating outside of the law, so be careful.

All in all a great holiday, the food has obviously moved on from what you have said. We went self catering as we like to eat good food, not lots of chips and fry ups. However we were pleasantly surprised with the food and although there were lots of kebabs and steaks if you wanted them, there were also lots of stuffed vine leaves and tomatoes, Zante rabbit and beef, fish of all types etc. We ate out every night, and very reasonably at that. Hope this is of some assistance.
John Stribley

Ham fisted way to treat Zante visitors

We had a lovely week with Pigi at Plessus Palace, Alykanas, but this was totally spoiled by the airport experience. The queuing and getting ripped off for food by an arrogant bartender. We travel every month but wont go back to Zante until we hear its sorted and the food is edible. A ham sandwich went straight from his counter to the bin after I asked where the ham was and he totally blanked me. Please pass this on to anyone who has influence as I cant find anywhere to complain.
Alan Drabble

Zakynthos not as bad as painted

Returned from Zak and it's not as bad as you paint -- really! The thing is to avoid the hotspots, which are indeed packed with tattooed youf, mostly Brits we'd guess. Zakynthos Town was very good on the Saturday night -- bustly, friendly and fun -- with a good mix of Greeks and tourists and fine entertainment in the main square. The main shopping street has useful cloisters for cool shopping by day. The mountains are surprisingly quiet and remote for such a small island and thank goodness the UK's health-and-safety paranoids haven't got round to posting warnings at every clifftop: one slip and you're doomed, so stay awake there!

Up north there are pleasant boat trips to the blue caves and afterwards, you can all jump in the sea to cool off before returning to Ag Nikolaos. Great fun. There are restored windmills for rent on a clifftop which I have noted for a long weekend's laptop work some day. Louros Beach hotel is pleasant (with very good poolside snacks) though next to final approach at Zak airport, but there are not really enough planes to spoil things too much. All in all we preferred Kefalonia (which we loved last year) but provided you are mobile and choose your outings carefully Zak's OK. A big bonus are the (huge) turtles, which are now an eco-draw and looked after very well indeed.
David Jefferis.

Steering away from Zante tourist areas

We've taken our little boy to Greece every year since he was 8 months old, he's now 6 years old and he loves everything about Greece even trying to speak the language. As everybody says the Greeks simply adore children and you'll be made welcome everywhere. A lot of people have this concept of Greece being dirty! but we've never had any problems. We do try to steer away from touristy areas but went to Alikanas in Zante last year. Yuk!! very commercialised and catering for the British masses that go there - not very Greek!
Janet

source: http://www.greekisland.co.uk

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Kos island

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 02:58:58 PST

Kos or Cos (Greek: Κως) is a Greek island in the south Sporades group of the Dodecanese, next to the Gulf of Gökova/Cos.
The island measures 40 kilometres (25 mi) by 8 kilometres (5.0 mi), and is
4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the coast of Bodrum, Turkey, and the ancient region of Caria.

The island forms a separate municipality within the Kos regional unit, which is part of the South Aegean region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Kos town. The island has a population of 30,947.

History

In the Roman mythology, the island was visited by Hercules.
The island was originally colonised by the Carians. A contingent from Kos participated in the War of Troy The Dorians invaded it in the 11th century BC, establishing a Dorian colony with a large contingent of settlers from Epidaurus, whose Asclepius cult made their new home famous for its sanatoria. The other chief sources of the island's wealth lay in its wines and, in later days, in its silk manufacture.

Its early history–as part of the religious-political amphictyony that included Lindos, Kamiros, Ialysos, Cnidus and Halicarnassus, the Dorian Hexapolis (Greek for six cities),–is obscure. At the end of the 6th century, Kos fell under Achaemenid domination but rebelled after the Greek victory at Cape Mykale in 479. During the Greco-Persian Wars, when it twice expelled the Persians, it was ruled by tyrants, but as a rule it seems to have been under oligarchic government.

In the 5th century, it joined the Delian League, and, after the revolt of Rhodes, it served as the chief Athenian station in the south-eastern Aegean (411-407). In 366 BC, a democracy was instituted. After helping to weaken Athenian power, in the Social War (357-355 BC), it fell for a few years to the king Mausolus of Caria. In 366 BC, the capital was transferred from Astypalaia to the newly built town of Kos, laid out in a Hippodamian grid.

Proximity to the east gave the island first access to imported silk thread. Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) mentions silk weaving conducted by the women of the island. Silk production of garments was conducted in large factories by women slaves.

In the Hellenistic age, Kos attained the zenith of its prosperity. Its alliance was valued by the kings of Egypt, who used it as a naval outpost to oversee the Aegean. As a seat of learning, it arose as a provincial branch of the museum of Alexandria, and became a favorite resort for the education of the princes of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Among its most famous sons were the physician Hippocrates, the painter Apelles, the poets Philitas and, perhaps, Theocritus.

Kos was also known as Meropis and Nymphæa. Diodorus Siculus (xv. 76) and Strabo (xiv. 657) describe it as a well-fortified port. Its position gave it a high importance in Ægean trade; while the island itself was rich in wines of considerable fame (Pliny, xxxv. 46). Under Alexander III of Macedon and the Egyptian Ptolemies(from 336 B.C.) the town developed into one of the great centers in the Ægean; Josephus ("Ant." xiv. 7, § 2) quotes Strabo to the effect that Mithridates was sent to Kos to fetch the gold deposited there by the queen Cleopatra of Egypt.

Herod is said to have provided an annual stipend for the benefit of prize-winners in the athletic games (Josephus, "B. J." i. 21, § 11), and a statue was erected there to his son Herod the Tetrarch ("C. I. G." 2502 ). Paul briefly visited here according to (Acts 21:1).

Except for occasional incursions by corsairs and some severe earthquakes, the island has rarely had its peace disturbed. Following the lead of its great neighbour, Rhodes, Kos generally displayed a friendly attitude toward the Romans; in 53 AD it was made a free city. Lucian (125-180) mentions their manufacture of semi-transparent light dresses, a fashion success.

The island was later conquered by the Venetians, who then sold it to the Knights Hospitaller of Rhodes (the Knights of St John) in 1315. Two hundred years later the Knights faced the threat of a Turkish invasion and abandoned the island to the Ottoman Empire in 1523. The Ottomans ruled Kos for 400 years until it was transferred to Italy in 1912.

In World War II, the island was taken over by the Axis powers. It was occupied by Italian troops until the Italian surrender in 1943. British and German forces then clashed for control of the island in the Battle of Kos, in which the Germans were victorious. German troops occupied the island until 1945, when it became a protectorate of the United Kingdom, who ceded it to Greece in 1947.

Culture

The main port and population centre on the island, also called Kos, is also the tourist and cultural centre, with whitewashed buildings including many hotels, restaurants and a small number of nightclubs forming the famous Kos town "barstreet". The town has a 14th century fortress at the entrance to its harbour, erected in 1315 by The Knights of Saint John of Rhodes.

The ancient physician Hippocrates is thought to have been born on Kos, and in the center of the town is the Plane Tree of Hippocrates, a dream temple where the physician is traditionally supposed to have taught. The limbs of the now elderly tree are supported by scaffolding.

The small city is also home to the International Hippocratic Institute and the Hippocratic Museum dedicated to him. Near the Institute are the ruins of Asklepieion, where Herodicus taught Hippocrates medicine. Kardamena is a popular resort for young British holidaymakers and has a large number of bars and nightclubs.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kos

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Sitia town in Crete island

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 08:38:49 PST

Sitia (Greek: Σητεία) refers both to the port town, with 8,900 inhabitants (2001) and to the municipality with
19,209 inhabitants (2001) in
Lasithi, Crete (Greece). It lies to the east of Agios Nikolaos and to the northeast of Ierapetra. Sitia port is on the Sea of Crete, which is a part of the Aegean Sea and is one of the economic centers of the Lasithi region.
European route E75, which ends in Vardø, starts in Sitia. Sitia is served by the Sitia Public Airport. Sitia has not experienced the effects of mass tourism even though there is a long beach along the road leading to Vai and several places of historical interest. The town is visited by few tourists.

The earliest settlement of the town dates back to before Minoan times; excavations in the neighbouring site of Petras have unearthed architectural remains that date back to the end of the Neolithic period 3000 BC and continue throughout the Bronze Age 3000-1050 BC. In addition, there are several Minoan settlements unearthed in the various archaeological sites in the municipality, such as in Itanos and in Mochlos.
According to Diogenes Laertius, Sitia was the home of Myson of Chen, one of the Seven Sages of Greece.

The municipality of Sitia is served by Sitia Public Airport with several domestic destinations, the first landing was on June 7, 1984 and the airport opened officially on June 9, 1984. Construction of new building facilities that included a control tower was completed in May 1993. Runway and apron extension works were finished in May 2003. Recently (2011), the local authorities have completed negotiations with international travel agents for organizing regular charter flights starting from May 2012.

Currently (2011), local officials are under negotiations with the low-cost airline Ryanair
In addition, Sitia is served by a port which connects Sitia and eastern Crete with several other Greek islands as well as with the port of Piraeus. The town also has a marina which accommodates smaller fishing boats and yachts.

Health Services

The General Hospital of Sitia was founded in 1947 as a local health center and was later (1994) relocated to a new 7500sqm (110-bed capacity) building and accordingly upgraded to serve as the main hospital for the municipality of Sitia and the surrounding area.

Environmentally protected areas

The are a number of sites in the municipality of Sitia that are protected as National Parks, Aesthetic Forests, Wildlife Refuges etc under national and international laws. Notable examples are:

Dionysades Islands which carry many rare and endangered plant species and also serve as a refuge of several animal species (mostly birds and small reptiles), including the falcon, Falco eleonorae, which finds sanctuary here.
Vai Palm Forest.
Richtis Gorge and waterfall.

Attractions

Vai forest and beach, the largest natural palm forest in Europe.
Moni Toplou, founded in the mid 15th century, is one of the most significant monasteries in Crete.
Kazarma fortress, in the town of Sitia.
Richtis Gorge and Waterfall at Exo Mouliana village (Map).
Gorge of the Dead (at Kato Zakros).
Various archeological sites with Minoan civilization settlements from the Bronze Age, such as in Itanos and Mochlos.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitia

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Zakynthos island

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 08:16:07 PST

Zakynthos (Greek: Ζάκυνθος), also called Zante (its Italian name), is the third largest island in the Ionian Sea, located off the west coast of Greece. The island is named after Zacynthos,
son of legendary Arcadian chief Dardanos.

While Ios and Kos are associated with party, and Rhodes and Crete with families, Zakynthos is something in between. The majority of all beaches, towns, etc. are located along the south and east coasts, as the west and north coasts are extremely mountainous often with cliffs dropping many hundreds of feet straight into the sea.

Archaeological excavations have proved that Zakynthos was inhabited from the Neolithic Age. The island is first mentioned by the Greek poet and writer Homer. In his masterpieces, the Iliad and the Odyssey, he stated that the first inhabitants of Zakynthos were the son of King Dardanos, Zakynthos (which the island has been named after), of Troy and his men who settled around 1500-1600 BC.

Over the years the island was conquered by King Arkeisios of Kefalonia, and after him Ulysses from Ithaca. Later on Zakynthos became the first independent democracy in the Hellenic area, as a treaty was signed and it lasted over 650 years.

In the summer of 1953, Zakynthos was hit by two severe earthquakes, resulting in the total destruction of the islands infrastructure and most of its state archives. The most powerful of those quakes registered 7.3 on the Richter Scale occurred on August 12 and was felt throughout almost the entire country. In Zakynthos Town only three buildings were left standing: the St. Dionysios Cathedral, the National Bank building and the church of St. Nicholas "tou Molou". The rebuilding of the island was subject to a very rigid anti-seismic code, and has thus withstood several moderate and powerful earthquakes at a minimal amount of damage, one as late as 2005.

Mining has been common on the island, today however the only activity is two quarries on the mountain range in the western part of the island. A small mountain located on Zakynthos west side was mined during the late 20th-century, though it is no longer in use. Today tourism is the most important source of income and Zakynthos is currently one of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece.

By plane

Zakynthos is served by one airport (airport code ZTH), located towards the south end of the island near to the resort of Laganas and Kalamaki, it caters for both international and domestic flights. Almost all international flights are chartered flights from other European cities during the holiday season (May-October).

Domestic flights are available between Zakynthos airport and Athens, served by the national airline Olympic Airlines , there are usually two flights a day. The journey time to Athens is approximately 1 hour. As of January 2010, Easyjet started flying to Zante from nearly all UK airports and flights are usually Thursday to Sunday.

By ship

Zakynthos has ferry links to Kyllini on the Greek mainland from Zakynthos Town During the last years, the area has evolved to a famous tourist resort with clubs, restaurants, cafes and shops € 8.20 per person and € 38 per car. Ferries to Kefalonia can be joined at Aghios Nikolas, on the North-East tip of the island.

Get around

By public transport

There are buses that go between the most crowded areas of the island. Ask around and there will be no pain in finding the bus stops. However, bus services on the island are rather infrequent and sometimes unreliable. Taxis, however, are not too expensive.

By car

The best way to get around is by rental car. There are literally dozens of rental agencies on the island besides the big ones. Preferably get a 4WD car, as some attractions are located off the main roads. Beware of the condition of some of the roads - the smaller roads may well have pot holes and even the "better" roads are extremely slippery. Also beware of other drivers.

If you assume everyone else on the road is out to get you and drive accordingly it's probably the best way of dealing with it. Due to the island being fairly small and only a few major towns its quite hard to get lost as most roads either go eventually to Zakynthos town or to Volimes in the north and you can work it out from there. Road signs are sporadic and some are bi-lingual with English and Greek, some are greek alone. Also watch out for scooters especially in the main tourist areas.

By motorbike/scooters

Rental agencies abound. However, scooters may be somewhat painful to ride around the island, because it is very hilly, so get something with a little bit more power.

By bike

Cycling is a pleasant way of navigating the southern and central parts of the island, if somewhat impractical in the rougher, more hilly terrain of the north. Bike hire is available in all but the smallest of resorts, costing around €4-€8 per day, with discounts available for multi-day hire periods. A basket and a lock will usually be included but hire shops are very unlikely to hire helmets, so bring your own if required.

A New business callled Bike Ride Zakynthos has started up for the 2011 season, offering tours of the island if you didn't fancy doing it alone. They can be found on Facebook and their information can be found around the resorts and hotels.
source : http://wikitravel.org/en/Zakynthos

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Ionian Islands

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 03:07:13 PST

The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: Ιόνια νησιά, Ionia nisia; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: Ἰόνιοι Νῆσοι, Ionioi Nēsoi; Italian: Isole Ionie) are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called
the Heptanese, i.e. "the Seven Islands" (Greek: Ἑπτάνησα, Heptanēsa, or Ἑπτάνησος, Heptanēsos; Italian: Eptaneso), but the group includes many smaller islands as well as the seven principal ones.

Geography

The seven are, from north to south:

Kerkyra (Κέρκυρα) usually known as Corfu in English
Paxi (Παξοί) also known as Paxos in English
Lefkada (Λευκάδα) also known as Lefkas in English
Ithaki (Ιθάκη) usually known as Ithaca in English
Kefalonia (Κεφαλλονιά) often known as Kefalonia, Cephalonia and Kefallinia in English
Zakynthos (Ζάκυνθος) sometimes known as Zante in English
Kythira (Κύθηρα) sometimes known as Cerigo in English

The six northern islands are off the west coast of Greece, in the Ionian Sea. The seventh island, Kythira, is off the southern tip of the Peloponnese, the southern part of the Greek mainland. Kythira is not part of the region of the Ionian Islands, as it is included in the region of Attica.

The islands were settled by Greeks at an early date, possibly as early as 1200 BC, and certainly by the 9th century BC. The early Eretrian settlement at Kerkyra was displaced by colonists from Corinth in 734 BC. The islands were mostly a backwater during Ancient Greek times and played little part in Greek politics. The one exception was the conflict between Kerkyra and its mother-City Corinth in 434 BC, which brought intervention from Athens and triggered the Peloponnesian War.
Ithaca was the name of the island home of Odysseus in the epic Ancient Greek poem the Odyssey by Homer.

Attempts have been made to identify Ithaki with ancient Ithaca, but the geography of the real island cannot be made to fit Homer's description but archeological investigations have revealed interesting findings in both Kefalonia and Ithaca.
Today, all the islands are part of the Greek region of the Ionian Islands (Ionioi Nisoi), except Kythera, which is part of the region of Attica. Kerkyra has a population of 113,479 (including Paxoi), Zakynthos 38,680, Kefallonia 39,579 (including Ithaca), Lefkada 22,536, Ithaki 3,052, Kythera 3,000 and Paxi 2,438.

In recent decades, the islands have lost much of their population through emigration and the decline of their traditional industries, fishing and marginal agriculture. Today, their major industry is tourism. Specifically Kerkyra, with its harbour, scenery and wealth of ruins and castles, is a favourite stopping place for cruise liners. British tourists in particular are attracted through having read Gerald Durrell's evocative book My Family and Other Animals (1956), which describes his childhood on Kerkyra in the 1930s. The novel and movie Captain Corelli's Mandolin are set in Kefallonia.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionian_Islands

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Heracles or Hercules, the myth...

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 02:48:26 PST

A major factor in the well-known tragedies surrounding Heracles is the hatred that the goddess Hera, wife of Zeus, had for him. A full account of Heracles must render it clear why Heracles was so tormented by Hera, when there were many illegitimate offspring sired by Zeus.
Heracles was the son of the affair Zeus had with the mortal woman Alcmene. Zeus made love to her after disguising himself as her husband, Amphitryon, home early from war (Amphitryon did return later the same night, and Alcmene became pregnant with his son at the same time, a case of heteropaternal superfecundation, where a woman carries twins sired by different fathers).

Thus, Heracles' very existence proved at least one of Zeus' many illicit affairs, and Hera often conspired against Zeus' mortal offspring as revenge for her husband's infidelities. His twin mortal brother, son of Amphitryon, was Iphicles, father of Heracles' charioteer Iolaus.

On the night the twins Heracles and Iphicles were to be born, Hera, knowing of her husband Zeus' adultery, persuaded Zeus to swear an oath that the child born that night to a member of the House of Perseus would become High King. Hera did this knowing that while Heracles was to be born a descendant of Perseus, so too was Eurystheus. Once the oath was sworn, Hera hurried to Alcmene's dwelling and slowed the birth of the twins Heracles and Iphicles by forcing Ilithyia, goddess of childbirth, to sit crosslegged with her clothing tied in knots, thereby causing the twins to be trapped in the womb. Meanwhile, Hera caused Eurystheus to be born prematurely, making him High King in place of Heracles.

She would have permanently delayed Heracles' birth had she not been fooled by Galanthis, Alcmene's servant, who lied to Ilithyia, saying that Alcmene had already delivered the baby. Upon hearing this, she jumped in surprise, loosing the knots and inadvertently allowing Alcmene to give birth to Heracles and Iphicles.

Fear of Hera's revenge led Alcmene to expose the infant Heracles, but he was taken up and brought to Hera by his half-sister Athena, who played an important role as protectress of heroes. Hera did not recognize Heracles and nursed him out of pity. Heracles suckled so strongly that he caused Hera pain, and she pushed him away. Her milk sprayed across the heavens and there formed the Milky Way. But with divine milk, Heracles had acquired supernatural powers. Athena brought the infant back to his mother, and he was subsequently raised by his parents.

The child was originally given the name Alcides by his parents; it was only later that he became known as Heracles. He was renamed Heracles in an unsuccessful attempt to mollify Hera. He and his twin were just eight months old when Hera sent two giant snakes into the children's chamber. Iphicles cried from fear, but his brother grabbed a snake in each hand and strangled them. He was found by his nurse playing with them on his cot as if they were toys. Astonished, Amphitryon sent for the seer Tiresias, who prophesied an unusual future for the boy, saying he would vanquish numerous monsters.

Labours of Heracles

Driven mad by Hera, Heracles slew his own children. To expiate the crime, Heracles was required to carry out ten labors set by his archenemy, Eurystheus, who had become king in Heracles' place. If he succeeded, he would be purified of his sin and, as myth says, he would be granted immortality. Heracles accomplished these tasks, but Eurystheus did not accept the cleansing of the Augean stables because Heracles was going to accept pay for the labor.

Neither did he accept the killing of the Lernaean Hydra as Heracles' nephew, Iolaus, had helped him burn the stumps of the heads. Eurysteus set two more tasks (fetching the Golden Apples of Hesperides and capturing Cerberus), which Heracles performed successfully, bringing the total number of tasks up to twelve.
Not all writers gave the labors in the same order. Apollodorus (2.5.1-2.5.12) gives the following order:

To kill the Nemean lion.
To destroy the Lernaean Hydra.
To capture the Ceryneian Hind.
To capture the Erymanthian Boar.
To clean the Augean Stables.
To kill the Stymphalian Birds.
To capture the Cretan Bull.
To round up the Mares of Diomedes.
To steal the Girdle of Hippolyte.
To herd the Cattle of Geryon.
To fetch the Apples of Hesperides.
To capture Cerberus.

Further adventures

After completing these tasks, Heracles joined the Argonauts in a search for the Golden Fleece. They rescued heroines, conquered Troy, and helped the gods fight against the Gigantes. He also fell in love with Princess Iole of Oechalia. King Eurytus of Oechalia promised his daughter, Iole, to whoever could beat his sons in an archery contest. Heracles won but Eurytus abandoned his promise. Heracles' advances were spurned by the king and his sons, except for one: Iole's brother Iphitus.

Heracles killed the king and his sons–excluding Iphitus–and abducted Iole. Iphitus became Heracles' best friend. However, once again, Hera drove Heracles mad and he threw Iphitus over the city wall to his death. Once again, Heracles purified himself through three years of servitude — this time to Queen Omphale of Lydia.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracles

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Need to know links on the web...

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:20:42 PST

A list of , need to know, blogs and sites around the globe.
Useful information and insights. Tips and tricks.

Make Money Online With Dosh Dosh

A Viral Garden

Connected Internet

Blog-Op

Can I Make Big Money Online

Blogtrepreneur

Blogging to Fame

Million Dollar Experiment heads Down Under

Kumiko’s Cash Quest

Calico Monkey

Internet Bazaar
Shotgun Marketing Blog

BrandSizzle

bizsolutionsplus

Customers Rock!

Being Peter Kim

Pow! Right Between The Eyes!

Billions With Zero Knowledge

Working at Home on the Internet

MapleLeaf 2.0

Two Hat Marketing

darrenbarefoot.com

The Emerging Brand

One Reader at a Time
One blogger’s experiment in building and engaging with online communities.
Ruminate this site
Reviews blogs and sites so that we don’t have to.
SMogger Social Media Blog
The ethical use of social media for bloggers and other web users.
SuccessCREEations
Blog Consultant bringing the twin passions of business and blogging together.
Successful Blog
The legendary Liz Strauss, blogger extraordinaire and creator of the SOB award.
Troy Worman's Blog
Focus on writing, ideas and connections
Copywriter's Crucible
The importance of copy in corporate blogging
Copywriting Tuneups
How to measure reading effectiveness and why it is important in the blogosphere
Dipping into the Blogpond
Blogging about starting an Internet company in the Sutherland Shire.
BrandSizzle
Broad and deep insight into the branding process.
Own Your Brand!
Blog to help businesses re-imagine their brands.
The Emerging Brand
Corporate branding blog focused on leadership.
The Engaging Brand
Using technology and marketing knowledge to improve business communications.
What is Brand?
Japanese readers/speakers? Anyone?
Presentation Zen
(Site in English) Tips for great presentations, marketing, and business communications.
Dummies Guide to Google Blogger Beta
Complete help on the new blogger. Blogger Hacks, Blogger templates. Adsense. Search engine Optimization.
Bob Sutton
Discussions of “jerks” in business.
Perspective
Health, wealth and the freedom to choose. Archived blog. New one is jugaad (http://www.nitibhan.com/jugaad).
Ramblings from a Glass Half Full
Views on business life.
Simplicity Mary’s Blog
Business development, marketing troubleshooting
Funny Business
Wide ranging discussion on business with a funny and pictorial approach.
Creative Think
Fun Ideas to stimulate your creativity.
The Copywriting Maven
Marketing and SEO copywriting tips.
Brain Based Biz
Tips for stirring creativity in business.
Experienceology
How to create great customer experiences on the web and in the “real” world.
Creating Passionate Users

raving lunacy

Anne 2.0
Emily Chang - eHub
Darren Barefoot - Vancouver Technologist, Writer, Raconteur, Miscellanist
Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - Thinking, writing, business ideas ...
ALLIED by Jeneane Sessum
Presentation Zen
good to know
Logic+Emotion
gillianic tendencies
Steve's 2 Cents
Listics - Frank Paynter's Voice and Vision
Escape from Cubicle Nation
Blog Sisters: Where men can link, but they can't touch
Designers who Blog
E-Commerce Blog by Solid Cactus
Brand Autopsy
Unconventional Thinking
The Boomer Chronicles
Renovate Your Life with Craig
I Dream of Kimchee
The Moronosphere
SYLVIA HUBBARD'S STORIES
Paula Mooney
Inspiration Lane
me,myself & me
A Gota de Ran Tan Plan
How Can I do That
Bonnie Writes

Flee the CubeStarting up a small business in web design.
Community Guy
Online and offline community building tips and tricks.
A Free and Decent Blog Host
Technology news focusing on blogs and blog software
Billions With Zero Knowledge
Changing the world with little bits of knowledge
Connected Internet
All things to do with technology, mobile phones and gaming.
darrenbarefoot.com
Tech news, writing and marketing
Deepak
Focuses on the technology of the Internet and loves Google.
MapleLeaf 2.0
Tech news stories relating to Canada
Scott Burkett's Pothole on the Infobahn
Musings on technology, IT management, and online community.
Small Surfaces
Interaction design, user interface design, user experience, usability and social trends related to mobile devices.
TechBuzz
Tech new and reviews written by 17 year old in India. Awesome.
Masey.com
Design and photography blog.
Through the Lenses
Travel/photography blog includes stunning shots and photography tips.
Travel And Vacation On Blog
Lightweight travel guide/destination information on selected cities. Needs more.
The Best Guides to eCommerce with Favor
Viral marketing tools, memes and SEO tips.
Web Metrics Guru
Web analytics, in particular for blogs
The Future of the Web
Use of new technologies for the web.
Social Media on the fly

Leonidas I , king of Sparta

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 05:25:17 PST

Leonidas I, was a hero-king of Sparta, the 17th of the Agiad line, one of the sons of King Anaxandridas II of Sparta, who was believed in mythology to be
a descendant of Heracles, possessing much of the latter's strength and bravery. Leonidas I is notable for his leadership at the Battle of Thermopylae.

According to Herodotus, Leonidas' mother was his father's niece and had been barren for so long that the ephors, the five annually elected administrators of the Spartan constitution, tried to prevail upon King Anaxandridas to set aside his wife and take another.
Anaxandridas refused, claiming his wife was blameless, whereupon the ephors agreed to allow him to take a second wife without setting aside his first. This second wife, a descendent of Chilon the Wise, promptly bore a son, Cleomenes. However, one year after Cleomenes' birth, Anaxandridas' first wife also gave birth to a son, Dorieus.

Leonidas was the third son of Anaxandridas' first wife, and either the elder brother or twin of Cleombrotus. Because Leonidas was not heir to the throne, he was not exempt from attending the agoge, the public school that the sons of all Spartans had to complete in order to qualify for citizenship. Leonidas was thus one of the few Spartan kings to have ever undergone the notoriously harsh training of Spartan youth.Leonidas also went into the barracks to meet his future general Lysander.

During this pre-teen time he was good friends with Lysander. Both of these boys grew up to be legends in the Spartan culture and history of Greece.
Cleomenes succeeded to his father's throne somewhere between 520 and 516 BC. Dorieus was so outraged that the Spartans had preferred his half-brother over himself that he found it impossible to remain in Sparta. He made one unsuccessful attempt to set up a colony in Africa and, when this failed, sought his fortune in Sicily, where after initial successes he was killed. Leonidas' relationship with his bitterly antagonistic elder brothers is unknown, but he married Cleomenes' daughter, Gorgo sometime before coming to the throne in 490 BC.

Leonidas was clearly heir to the Agiad throne and a full citizen at the time of the Battle of Sepeia against Argos (c. 494 BC). Likewise, he was a full citizen when the Persians sought submission from Sparta and met with vehement rejection in or around 492/491 BC. His brother had already gone mad and fled into exile when Athens sought assistance against the Persian invasion that ended at Marathon (490 BC).
Plutarch has recorded the following: "When someone said to him: 'Except for being king you are not at all superior to us,' Leonidas son of Anaxandridas and brother of Cleomenes replied: 'But were I not better than you, I should not be king.'" As the product of the agoge, Leonidas is unlikely to have been referring to his royal blood alone but rather suggesting that he had, like his brother Dorieus, proven superior capability in the competitive environment of Spartan training and society, and that he believed this made him qualified to rule.
Leonidas was elected to lead the combined Greek forces determined to resist the Persian invasion in 481 BC.

This was not simply a tribute to Sparta's military prowess: The probability that the coalition wanted Leonidas personally for his capability as a military leader is underlined by the fact that just two years after his death, the coalition preferred Athenian leadership to the leadership of either Leotychidas or Leonidas' successor (as regent for his still under-aged son) Pausanias. The rejection of Leotychidas and Pausanias was not a reflection on Spartan arms. Sparta's military reputation had never stood in higher regard. Nor was Sparta less powerful in 478 BC than it had been in 481 BC.
This election of Leonidas to lead the defense of Greece against Xerxes' invasion led to Leonidas' death in the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas_I

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Thinks you can see in Agios Nikolaos

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 05:08:22 PST

The town has three faces to the sea: The Lake & port, Kitroplatia beach and the Marina.

Its unique features, start with
the lake ("Voulismeni"), a folklore-inspiringly deep body of water which is connected to the sea by a narrow inlet. It is surrounded and overlooked by cafes and restaurants - a busy gathering place for local residents and visitors alike.

Cafes meander between those suited for talking, meeting and lounging, to those playing thump-dump music, nestled alongside more scholarly hang-outs. Standard but good tavernas are overlooked by fine-dining establishments. As the lake joins the sea with a strip of water under the tiny road bridge and becomes one with it, the microscopic island of Agii Pandes (All Saints) is in view - adding another facet to the three sides of the town. Ferries come and go from the open port area just beyond.

Next, the beach at Kitroplatia is one of the few in Crete to provide that town-centre-by-the-sea beach location, together with its own original restaurant & cafes and a handful of hotels and apartments.

Then, stroll up to the square and down the other side of the town, this gets you to the marina, where another sea front offers its wares.
Take a walk around the marina to see if by chance someone has arrived in a dazzling yacht (a stop at the cafe by the first slipway is a good idea for Crepes - savoury or sweet).

Many churches ply their trade, scattered within the streets of Agios Nikolaos - including the small church which lends its name to the town.

Shopping is fun in Agios Nikolaos - there are shops with original items on offer, from woven fabrics, to cups, mugs and china wear and a miscellany of clothes, house decor and local food products and delicacies.

Agios Nikolaos - apart from being a summer draw for visitors - is for the most part open in winter. Yes, people live, love and learn here, grow up, function and work year round.
Beaches: Ammos (sandy public beach by the marina), Kitroplatia is the town centre (shingle & sand) beach, Ammoudi and Havania beaches (on the way to Elounda).
In the area: Almiros & Ammoudara (sandy beaches with organized facilities, about 2.5 km east of Agios Nikolaos), Istron/Kalo Horio - 2 good beaches (10 km), Elounda small sandy beach (10 km), Plaka pebble beach (16 km).

Marina details: One of the more organized in Greece, 255 vessel capacity. Provides water, electricity, showers, laundry facilities, fuel, WiFi, car parking. Tel. 28410-82384/5, www.marinaofagiosnikolaos.gr

Useful: Town's Tourist Information Office. By the harbour, beside the bridge, open daily in the summer 08:30-21:30 for maps & brochures. Tel:28410-22357.

The Archaeological Museum, a small, easy to navigate museum, exhibiting finds from the whole of Eastern Crete, like the early Minoan cemetery of Mochlos, the Zakros palace, Lato and Elounda. Good collection of coins ranging from about 330-350 BC to 200 AD. More than 1500 vases (!).
On Konstantinou Paleologou street, a little before the hospital. Open 08:30-19:30 (15:00 in the winter), except Monday. Tel. 28410-24943.
The Folklore Museum with woven textiles, embroideries, handicrafts and a model of an old traditional Cretan house.
Old photographs, paintings and costumes...takes you back in time. Overlooking the lake, at Kondylaki 2. Open 10:00-14:00 but erratically (call 28410-25093 to check). Closed Monday.
The Iris Museum, in a listed neoclassical building on the 28th Oktovriou pedestrian street, holds a local flora exhibition. Tel. 28410-25899. Limited opening hours.

Back down by the lake, there is usually a mock "Sir Francis Drake" style boat where you can have a drink on board. The same harbour is also the starting point for excursions to the famous Spinalonga, recently featured in the novel "The Island" . Or imagine, an island you can visit for its quiet presence of palm trees and soothing watered sandy beaches - then take a boat trip from here to Chrissi Island.
You can book boat trips (and ferry tickets) at Nostos Tours, up the road that leads to the harbour (Roussou Koundourou 30). Tel. 28410-22819.

In the area around Agios Nikolaos:
After a visit to Elounda & Spinalonga island, Kritsa's tourist shops offer some local hand woven linens, rugs, tablecloths and handicrafts; visit the Katharo plateau above Kritsa and the Lassithi Plateau for its starkly contrasting climate, topography and geology. If excited by caves, the Dikteon Cave is waiting for your visit and has a rich foundation in mythology (and much argued-about it is!).
source: http://www.cretetravel.com

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Need to know information about Naxos island

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 04:52:23 PST

The largest and most fertile of the Cyclades Islands, Naxos in fact gains much of its income from agriculture rather than solely from tourism.
The main town, referred to as 'Hora' on maps, but also as simply 'Naxos' or 'Naxos Town', contains most of the shops and restaurants frequented by visitors. A number of beach communities extend south along the coast from Hora.

Naxos is about 5 1/2 hours by the fastest regular ferry from Piraeus, faster by catamaran, and about 2 hours by regular ferry from Santorini.
From the Greek mainland, ferries and highspeed catamaran services run daily from Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio.
Naxos is a central hub in the sea transport system, and enjoys multiple connections in all directions. Ferry boats and high speed catamaran services, respectively costing around € 29 and € 45 one-way in economy class, run daily from Piraeus during high season.
Various shipping companies sail for Naxos (via Paros) including:

Hellenic Seaways
Blue Star Ferries
NEL Lines
Aegean Speed Lines .
Anek Lines .

NEL Lines also operates a highspeed link from Lavrio in Attica. This is a pleasant port to travel from if you have the option, as it is relatively near the airport and doesn't have the stress and chaos of Piraeus.
There is also the High Speed (Hellenic Seaways) which leaves from Rafina, closer to Athens airport than Piraeus and a pleasant place to have lunch if you have time before you board your ferry. The High Speed takes just under 4 hours and is around € 40 in high season.

In Naxos, ticket offices for ferries in all directions can be found along the quay in Hora. Ferries from Pireaus to Naxos are frequent, as many as half a dozen a day during the summer but generally two or more. The length of the trip does not require a cabin. Blue Star Lines is the most common carrier between Pireaus and Naxos. The ferry takes about 6 hours and the high-speed takes half that time and costs twice as much. Usually there are several departures at 7:30AM every day and then a high-speed and ferry at around 5PM and in the summer a ferry that leaves Pireaus at around 10PM. The Hellas Flying Dolphin High-speeds are catamarans and take about 4 hours to get to Naxos from Pireaus.

By plane

Olympic Air operates a service from Athens on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (as at May/June 2009).
On weekends between May till October there are direct flights from Austria (Klagenfurt and Graz)

Get around

Within town walking is the best method of transport. Bus services do operate between the towns, and car and motorbike rentals are readily available; however, be very careful to fully document all dents and even scratches at the time of hire to avoid additional expense and unpleasantness later (You've been warned!) -- and even this may not save you from hassles later. Dependable rental agencies include RUN (Rental Union Naxos) and Rental Center.

The most recognizable landmark of Naxos is the Portara, an iconic 6th century BC marble gate on the islet of Palatia in Naxos harbor. It is the only remnant of a temple dedicated to Apollo. Naxos is well known for its wonderful beaches, some with advantageous winds for prime windsurfing and kitesurfing. Most of the Island's West coast is one long sandy beach with crystal clear azure water, the most popular areas of which are Prokopios, Agia Anna, Plaka and Mikri Vigla. It also has a mountainous interior with a great variety of valleys and villages, easily reachable by a well-maintained road system. Archaeological highlights include the Kouros of Melanes and Apollonas, Dimitra's Temple at Sangri and the Cheimarros Tower.

The Castro (old walled city) section, on its elevated ground overlooking the harbor, provides some of the quietest and most photogenic alleyways to be found in the town. It survives from the days when Naxos was an outpost of the Venetian empire.

Daytime activities center around the beaches, especially those to the south of town, Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna and Plaka being the most famous ones. Naxos beaches, like those on many Greek islands, offer clothing options. Generally, nude sunbathing is more frequently encountered in southern beach communities that have sand dunes blocking the view from the access road - such as in Plaka.
At the end of Plaka beach nearest to Ag. Anna there is a group of rocks and small coves, and this area is excellent for naturists. It is hidden from the road by trees, yet is an easy (300m) walk along a flat beach from the bus stop at Paradiso taverna.

For those who love adventure, the island offers many opportunities for active sports. Bluefindivers Naxos Diving Center , located at Agios Prokopios beach, offers beautiful and safe diving/snorkeling trips around the island. Excellent conditions are formed among meadows of sea weed (Posidonia Oceanica), sand banks, reefs and vertical cuts along with shipwrecks, not only for marine life but also for the divers/snorkelers who explore them.

Truly ancient ruins are limited to the Portara gateway, visible from the harbor, and a rather modest half-finished Kouros statue uncovered in a quarry near Melanes (Kouronohori) as well as a larger version near Apollonas on the northern coast. Special attention has been given in recent years to the sites of Dimitra's temple at Sangri, and Dionysus' temple below Glinado village, where the Ministry of Culture organizes full moon concerts in July and August.

The tiny harbors of Lionas and Moutsouna on the East coast are very picturesque and quiet even in the summer months. Both have tavernas and a beach. A newly asphalted road from Moutsouna down to Panermos is also very much worth exploring, as it passes by several secluded bays.
source : http://wikitravel.org/en/Naxos

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Spinalonga island, in Elounda village.

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 03:07:52 PST

The island of Spinalonga (Greek: Σπιναλόγκα), officially known as Kalydon (Καλυδών), is located in
the Gulf of Elounda in
north-eastern Crete, in Lasithi prefecture, next to the town of Elounda. It is near the Spinalonga peninsula ("large Spinalonga") - which often causes confusion as the same name is used for both.

The official Greek name of the island today is Kalydon.
Originally, Spinalonga was not an island, it was part of the island of Crete. During Venetian occupation the island was carved out of the coast for defense purposes and a fort was built there.
During Venetian rule, salt was harvested from salt pans around the island. The island has also been used as a leper colony.
Spinalonga has appeared in novels, television series, and a short film.
According to Venetian documents, the name of the island originated in the Greek expression στην Ελούντα stin Elounda (meaning "to Elounda").

The Venetians could not understand the expression so they familiarized it using their own language, and called it spina "thorn" lunga "long", an expression that was also maintained by the locals. The Venetians were inspired for this expression by the name of an island near Venice called by the same name and which is known today as the island of Giudecca.

The Venetian cartographer Vincenzo Coronelli reports that Spinalonga was not always an island, but was once linked with the adjacent peninsula of Kolokitha. He mentions that in 1526, the Venetians cut down a portion of the peninsula and thus created the island.

Because of its position the island was fortified from its earliest years in order to protect the entranceway of the port of Ancient Olous.

Olous, and accordingly the wider region, were depopulated at the middle of the 7th century because of the raids of the Arab pirates in the Mediterranean. Olous remained deserted until the mid-15th century when the Venetians began to construct salt-pans in the shallow and salty waters of the gulf.

Subsequently, the region acquired commercial value and became inhabited. This fact, in combination with the emergent Turkish threat, particularly after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the continuous pirate raids, forced the Venetians to fortify the island.
In 1578 the Venetians charged the engineer Genese Bressani to plan the island's fortifications.

He created blockhouses at the highest points of the northern and southern side of the island, as well as a fortification ring along the coast that closed out any hostile disembarkation. In 1579, the provedditore generale of Crete Luca Michiel put the foundation stone of the fortifications, built over the ruins of an acropolis.

There are two inscriptions that cite this event, one on the transom of the main gate of the castle and the other on the base of the rampart at the north side of the castle. In 1584, the Venetians, realising that the coastal fortifications were easy to conquer by the enemies attacking from the nearby hills, decided to strengthen their defence by constructing new fortifications at the top of the hill. The Venetian fire would thus have bigger range, rendering Spinalonga an impregnable sea fortress, one of the most important in the Mediterranean basin.

Spinalonga, along with Gramvousa and Souda, remained in Venetian hands even after the rest of Crete fell to the Ottomans in the Cretan War (1645–1669) and until 1715, when they fell to the Ottomans during the last Ottoman–Venetian War. These three forts defended Venetian trade routes and were also useful bases in the event of a new Venetian-Turkish war for Crete. Many Christians found refuge in these fortresses to escape persecution from the Ottoman Turks.

The island was subsequently used as a leper colony from 1903 to 1957. It is notable for being one of the last active leper colonies in Europe.
Leper colonies or houses became widespread in the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe and India, and often run by monastic orders. Historically, leprosy has been greatly feared because it causes visible disfigurement and disability, was incurable, and was commonly believed to be highly contagious. A leper colony administered by a Christian religious order was often called a lazar house, after Lazarus, the patron saint of lepers.

Some colonies were located on mountains or in remote locations in order to ensure quarantine, some on main roads, where donations would be made for their upkeep. Debate exists over the conditions found within historical leper colonies; while they are currently thought to have been grim and neglected places, there are some indications that life within a leper colony or house was no worse than the life of other, non-quarantined individuals.

There is even doubt that the current definition of leprosy can be retrospectively applied to the medieval condition. What was classified as leprosy then covers a wide range of skin conditions that would be classified as distinct afflictions today.
Some leper colonies issued their own money (such as tokens), in the belief that allowing lepers to handle regular money could spread the disease.
The last inhabitant, a priest, left the island in 1962. This was to maintain the religious tradition of the Greek Orthodox church, in which a buried person has to be commemorated at following intervals of 40 days; 6 months; 1 year; 3 years; and 5 years, after their death. Other leper colonies that have survived Spinalonga include Tichilesti in Eastern Romania, Fontilles in Spain and Talsi in Latvia. As of 2002, few lazarettos remain in Europe.

There were two entrances to Spinalonga, one being the lepers' entrance, a tunnel known as "Dante's Gate". This was so named because the patients did not know what was going to happen to them once they arrived. However, once on the island they received food, water, medical attention and social security payments. Previously, such amenities had been unavailable to Crete's leprosy patients, as they mostly lived in the area's caves, away from civilization.
source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinalonga

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Elounda in Agios Nikolaos

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 02:15:53 PST

Elounda (Greek: Ελούντα), alternative transliterations Elounta or Elouda, is a
small fishing town on the northern coast of the island of Crete, Greece.
It is part of the municipality of Agios Nikolaos, until recently (2010) belonging to the prefecture of Lasithi and as of the passage of new legislation, the periphery of Crete.

The road into Elounda from Agios Nikolaos is approximately 12 km in length and follows the shore as it climbs to the top of a small mountain. The view from the top is incomparable; on a clear day it is possible to see the whole of Mirabello Bay and all the way to the eastern tip of Crete.

It is also the closest major town to the former leper colony of Spinalonga (Greek: Σπιναλόγκα), located on an island officially named Kalydon (Greek: Καλυδών). In 1579, the Venetians built a mighty fortress on the island on the ruins of an ancient acropolis. The Venetians kept control of the island even after the rest of Crete fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1669 and it remained under their control for almost another half a century until its capitulation in 1715.

Spinalonga island is notable for being the last active leper colony from 1903 until 1957. Today, it is unoccupied and is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the area.
The small fishing village of Plaka (Lasithi), which overlooks the island of Spinalonga and the Kolikithia Peninsula, can be reached a mere 5 km from the main square of Elounda heading north away from Agios Nikolaos.

Elounda is a famous tourist attraction, heavily visited by VIPs for its seaside luxury resorts.
The earliest recorded settlement at Elounda was the ancient Greek city of Olous, whose people were in intermittent conflict with the citizens of Dorian Lato, until a peace treaty was eventually reached. Elounda has a later history as part of the Venetian era.

Elounda has changed considerably during its lifespan. The bulk of the ancient city of Olous was reclaimed by the sea towards the end of the Ancient Greek period and is still visible, in part, when diving in the bay of Elounda.
During the early 1900s, Elounda acted as a stopping off point for lepers being transported to the leper colony at Spinalonga

Bus services in Elounda are operated by the KTEL (Greek: ΚΤΕΛ) bus company, with scheduled services running to Plaka (Lasithi) and Agios Nikolaos throughout the day..
Elounda was used for the filming of the popular BBC television series Who Pays the Ferryman? in the late 1970s. It is the setting for the Belinda Jones novel Out of the Blue. It features in Victoria Hislop's novel The Island, the novel is also being adapted for Greek television, set to air as a mini series starting in October 2010.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elounda

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What to do in Agios Nikolaos

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:12:37 PST

This charming little town, which for many years has attracted ever greater numbers of visitors, is situated right in the heart of the
glorious Bay of Mirabello with its breath taking vistas, azure blue seas and very pleasant climate.

Agios Nikolaos sits on the ancient site of the town of Lato-Etera. Both towns were administrative centres and reached their pinnacle in the 3rd Century A.D. Today, Agios Nikolaos is an important centre for Administration, for the Arts and for Transport Service, and has become one of the most advanced regions for these in Crete, and in Greece.

This is the place, where tourism first began in Crete and it gradually became a much favored area, thanks to very traditional big open hearted welcome given to visitors, the wonderful coastline, the clean beaches, nine of which in the region as a whole have now been awarded the European Blue Flag plus of course the very rich variety of ancient sights to visit. Agios Nikolaos has much to offer both young and old.

It is ideal for walkers, for those who seek history and culture, and there is a wide selection of nightlife to suit every taste. Every summer the town council arranges a programme of cultural events. It is also an ideal centre for all kinds of watersports, and various hotels and sports centres have swimming pools, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts.

In the centre of the town is the picturesque harbour, with the curious little round lake of Voulismeni, and the cafes around provide a popular meeting point for locals and visitors alike.

To add to the attractions, one of the most beautiful yacht marinas in the Aegean was built here in 1994. Always appealing too are the numerous small shops to browse through in the little winding streets of the town. Many of the shops sell traditional Cretan craftwork, jewellery,
embroidery and of course a wide variety of other goods.

You can find innumerable opportunities for night-time entertainment at a variety of bars and discos. Visit the outdoor summer cinema ”Christina” where the surrounding walls are covered by honeysuckle, or find other places of entertainment where genuine Cretan feasts are always accompanied by local wine or strong raki.

A high quality and range of athletic facilities provides professional athletes and sports fans, and local and visiting amateur athletes with the opportunity to get involved in any sports. There is a football pitch, tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, beach volley facilities, mini-golf and swimming pools, all providing the opportunity for exercise and fun.

Agios Nikolaos, Crete island

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:45:38 PST

Agios Nikolaos (or Aghios Nikolaos, Greek: Άγιος Νικόλαος) is a
coastal town on the Greek island of Crete, lying east of the island's capital Heraklion, north of the town of Ierapetra and west of the town of Sitia.
In the year 2000, the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos, which takes in part of the surrounding villages, claimed around 19,000 inhabitants. The town is a municipality of Crete region, and sits partially upon the ruins of the ancient city of Lato pros Kamara.
Agios Nikolaos was settled in the late Bronze Age by Dorian occupants of Lato, at a time when the security of the Lato hillfort became a lesser concern and access to the harbour at Agios Nikolaos became sufficiently attractive.
The name Agios Nikolaos means Saint Nicholas, and its stress lies on the second syllable of the word "Nikolaos". Agios Nikolaos or Ayios Nikolaos (alternative transliterations of the Greek Άγιος Νικόλαος) is observably a common placename in Greece and Cyprus, since Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors and of all of Greece.

Modern Agios Nikolaos

Agios Nikolaos is probably best known as a tourist town that serves as a hub to the twenty or so small villages and farms that make up that part of Lassithi. Tourist attractions include the small lagoon Lake Voulismeni, small beaches in the town, the tiny island Agioi Pantes, the archaeological museum, the local flora exhibition “Iris” and numerous fairs. Tourism is mainly West European with Greek tourism concentrating in mid August. The lagoon features a small park with a trail, traditional fishing boats, ducks, pigeons, an amphitheatre and many cafès.

Transportation

Agios Nikolaos is accessible from the mainland and the whole of Europe through Nikos Kazantzakis airport, and the many daily ferry services in Heraklion (64km). You can also travel through Sitia airport boarding onto a domestic or charter flight or through it's harbour (67 km). Recently the town became host to a department of a Technological Educational Institute (TEI), offering tourism-related courses.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agios_Nikolaos,_Crete

Lasithi in Crete island

noreply@blogger.com (InfoTravel 4 Greece) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:21:07 PST

Lasithi (Greek: Λασίθι) is the easternmost regional unit on the island of Crete, to the east of Heraklion. Its capital is Agios Nikolaos, the other major towns being Ierapetra, Sitia and Neapoli.
The mountains include the Dikte to the west and the Sitia Mountains to the east. The Sea of Crete lies to the north and the Libyan Sea to the south.
To the east of the village of Elounda lies the island of Spinalonga, formerly a Venetian fortress and a leper colony.
On the foot of Mount Dikti lies the Lasithi Plateau, famous for its windmills. Vai is well-known for its datepalm forest.
Thanks to stunning beaches and its mild climate year-long, Lasithi attracts many tourists. Mass tourism is served by places like Vai, Agios Nikolaos and the island of Chrissi. More off-beat tourism can be found in villages on the south coast like Myrtos, Makrys Gialos or Makrigialos, Xerokambos and Koutsouras.
Lasithi is home to a number of ancient remains. Vasiliki, Fournou Korifi, Pyrgos, Zakros and Gournia are ruins of Minoan date, Lato and Itanos were Doric towns.

History

The history of Lasithi can be traced over at least three millennia. The region has considerable ancient history antecedents, including the Dorian era settlement of Olous and Lato.

Administration

The regional unit Lasithi is subdivided into 4 municipalities. These are :

Agios Nikolaos
Ierapetra
Oropedio Lasithiou
Siteia

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasithi

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source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agios_Nikolaos,_Crete

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Lasithi in Crete island

History

The history of Lasithi can be traced over at least three millennia. The region has considerable ancient history antecedents, including the Dorian era settlement of Olous and Lato.

Administration

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasithi

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