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Chapter 1: Greece

It's Greece we're going to look at first, which may seem something of an odd choice.
Sticking out into the Mediterranean Sea between the Aegean and the Adriatic, nudging
against Asia Minor in the east and the former communist states of the Balkans to the
north, Greece defies classification as either Western or Eastern European. Its major
religion, Orthodox Christianity, is definitely of the east, while its westernized consumer
economy and its longstanding role within the EU give it a more western feel.
The things that really make Greece stand out as a country of Western Europe are
the values and philosophies it gifted to the world. Democracy was born here, as were the
ideas of men like Plato and Socrates which, although we often don't realize it, underlie
the entire western way of thinking and behaving.

For all that its thinkers essentially created western civilization, Greece is perhaps
a little on the margins of western culture today - not a backwater, exactly, but not one of
the makers of modern European manners. The area in which Greece most certainly
excels, though, is looking after visitors. There aren't many countries in the world that can
genuinely claim to offer something for everyone, but Greece is one of them - it has
snowy mountains, beaches to rival anything in the Caribbean or Pacific, and more history
and culture than you could take in over the course of several lifetimes.

Before we step ashore, it's worth taking some time to look at the "Jewels of
Greece" - the offshore islands in the Aegean and the Mediterranean that have been
famous for their beauty since ancient times. Although there are several archipelagos, the
Greek islands can roughly be divided into two groups: those lying off the west coast of
mainland Greece in the group dominated by the Ionian islands of Corfu, Cephalonia,
Ithaca, Leucas and Zante; and those lying off the east coast, in the Aegean Sea, to the
north of Crete. The Aegean Islands are more numerous than the Ionian Islands, and until
recently were more heavily visited by tourists. Islands like Delos, Euboea, Samos,
Lesbos, Limnos, Patmos, and Rhodes in the Cyclades and Dodecanese groups have been
popular destinations with European tourists since the 1970s.

The Greek islands may be spread over a wide area, and even have rather strongly
varying cultures from island to island, but the things that make them popular with visitors
are universal. For a start, the climate is as near perfect as anything on earth; although
things can get pretty hot, it's very rarely humid and oppressive, and evenings can be cool
with light breezes - perfect weather for sitting on the terrace of your holiday villa with a
glass of chilled wine and some crusty bread, olives and feta cheese, the great staples of
Greek cuisine.


The Greek islands are so popular that it can be quite hard to find somewhere truly
out of the way and isolated, especially on the larger and more popular islands such as
Rhodes and Lesbos. The Ionian Islands used to be the place to go for the discerning
traveler seeking a little peace and tranquility, but even they have experienced an
increased influx of tourists over the past decade, many of them brought to Cephalonia by
the success of Louis de Berniere's novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin and the subsequent
movie of the same name. There has been some controversy over the extent to which the
Greek islands have been given over to the demands of tourism, but whatever the
arguments they remain one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Because of the stunning beauty of the islands, mainland Greece is sometimes a
little overlooked as a vacation destination. In fact the interior has a lot to offer visitors.

Cities like Athens and Corinth may get a little hot and crowded, but there’s no way you
can fault their impeccable credentials as centers of European culture. Be warned that the
heat combines with the frantic pace of city life in Greece to create a significant smog
problem in some cities, especially Athens. Although this has been mitigated somewhat in
recent years by government-enforced environmental measures, the atmosphere in
downtown Athens in the middle of the day in summertime can still be pretty unbearable
if you’re not used to it – asthmatics take note. Probably the best way to explore Greek
cities is to get up early in the morning and look around until the day begins to get really
hot, and then it’s probably time to retire to the shade for a light lunch and a siesta before
venturing out again in the evening.


If ancient but smoggy cities begin to get you down after a while, head inland to
the cool, forested slopes of the Pindus Mountains, where you can find great hiking and
cycling opportunities to help you wear off the effect all those olives and chunks of feta
have on your waistline.

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