Greece

[Prawn_86]

Greece, is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east and south of mainland Greece, while the Ionian Sea lies to the west. Both parts of the Eastern Mediterranean basin feature a vast number of islands.

[Prawn_86]

Aside from the recent riots, i have always thought Greece would be an intersting place to visit.

Anyone have any stories?

[Prawn_86]

GREEK authorities have launched a campaign to prevent female tourists from wearing stiletto heels at key archaeological sites in a bid to protect monuments.
The authorities are concerned about the impact of women’s heels on the sites, which will be home to theatrical and operatic performances as the summer seasons kicks off.


http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,28318,25521397-5014090,00.html

While it may seem like a good idea i think its just posturing. It seems hard to enforce, are they really going to check each person and what shoes they are wearing?

I think perhaps an education campaign so people are aware that high heels may actually damage the ancient monuments is a better idea.

[EverNothing]

A RAGING bushfire is threatening homes near Athens, causing authorities to declare a state of emergency and order residents to evacuate as they worked to bring the blaze under control. "This is one of the worst fires ever to strike the eastern Athens area," civil protection authority official Dimitris Karamessinis told Skai television.

A force of 120 firefighters with 35 fire engines, nine water-bombers and five helicopters assisted by army water trucks battled the fire in the communities of Grammatiko, Varnavas and Kalentzi around 40km northeast of the capital.

Greek media reported that several homes burned down but the fire department could not confirm the reports.

As smoke billowed across the eastern Athens sky, the blaze evoked memories of a 2007 wave of bushfires that killed 77 people and destroyed thousands of hectares of forest, including part of the Mount Parnitha national park northwest of Athens.

Authorities declared a state of emergency and the fire department ordered an evacuation but television footage showed many residents still defending their homes with water hoses.

"We call on people who are near the area to promptly leave for their own safety and to avoid interfering with the firefighters' work,'' fire department spokesman Yiannis Kapakis told reporters.

The fire comes just two days after another major blaze in the capital's industrial zone.

On Saturday, television footage showed a military truck towing away anti-aircraft missiles. A military barracks is located near the area of the fire.

The blaze broke out on Friday and burned through pine forests in an area with widely dispersed rural and summer homes.

A strong and constantly shifting wind fed the flames, the fire department spokesman said.

"This is a difficult fire because it is in a mixed area with homes and forest, meaning that firefighters are focusing their attention on protecting lives and properties,'' he said.

Officials said the fire raged out of control during the night when water-bombers were unable to fly.

With high temperatures and seasonal strong winds, Greece is particularly vulnerable to summer fires that claim thousands of hectares of forest and agricultural land.

Other fires raged on the central Aegean island of Skyros and the Ionian island of Zakynthos, which has been hit by repeated blazes this summer.

On Thursday a bushfire destroyed at least two factories and a number of containers and trucks, according to local officials in the industrial zone of Magoula, west of Athens.

Wow, that sucks. Maybe we should send up some of our own Firies to help battle the blaze. Australia have the best in the entire world, after all.

I don't get fire. It's like play-doh except its hot. Weird.

[buddinghealth]

I know there have been a number of problems in Greece but it is generally a safe, relaxed country and is very beautiful to visit - choose one of the greek islands which have stunning beaches and awesome food (great kebabs!)

[ifigeniaki]

I know there have been a number of problems in Greece but it is generally a safe, relaxed country and is very beautiful to visit - choose one of the greek islands which have stunning beaches and awesome food (great kebabs!)
I have visited a lot of Greek islands and are really beautifull. This year I visited Crete and I was impressed by a few beaches. Elafonisi and Balos are two of my favorite beaches at Chania. They are exotic beaches with white/pink sand and they have crystal clear, warm and shallow waters.

For those that like hiking, I suggest visit Preveli at Rethymno. After a 20-minutes hiking you can reach a beautiful beach, which is surrounded by trees. But the most amazing thing is that a river crosses the shore and empties into the sea.

Another exotic beach is Vai, which is surrounded by a forest with palm trees. I just loved this place. It was like being at Hawai.Of course I don't forget my cruise at Chrissi island, which is opposite Ierapetra. The visitor there may swimm in turqoise waters and have a nice nap under the trees (kedroi) around the shore.

For more information and photos you may visit my blog http://greektraveler-ifigeniaki.blogspot.com/.

[francisscriven]

Greece has so much coastline that for me it compares easily with the best in the world. Don't stick to the places with packed sunbeds. Do a search fo kavourotripes on google images. I used to live near there. Snorkelling doesn't get better than those waters in my opinion!