f1jc Gold World Travel

Corfu, one of the most beautiful islands in Greece, lies in the northern part of the Ionian Sea. Homer calls it the island of the hospitable Pheakes. Corfu town has a lot of ancient monuments and mansions for the visitors to admire, as well as two museums, a Greek Art one and a Chinese Art collection one housed at the Palace of St George and Michael.

Out of the town there are a lot of interesting places to see, and one of them is Pantokrator, the highest mountain on the island. It is 918 meters high and has a small monastery on the top of it. There is a wonderful view to all directions from up there.
On the way to Pantokrator the road is winding and narrow but lies between endless olive groves which are the green beauty of the scenery.

On the mountain there are a lot of villages easy to reach by car, motor bike, bicycle or on foot. Walkers usually follow the route: Ipsos beach, Ayios Markos, Korakiana, Dassia and back to Ipsos from a different road.

Pantokrator is for those who love the countryside and its tradition. Visitors can admire the breathtaking view of the green olive groves and the sea, as well as the magic sunset and dawn. Ideal for relaxing and enjoying natural living in a friendly atmosphere.

WHERE TO STAY

You can find a room near the beach, a hotel, a villa or a camping on the mountain. Many local houses rent rooms for a night or more, and children are always welcome. If you choose to stay in Corfu town, get the green bus to Ipsos or Korakiana village. It takes 30-35 minutes.
Further information: For hotels, rooms etc contact the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) at 06610 37520.

WHERE TO EAT

Along the beaches of Ipsos and Pyrgi are several restaurants , fast foods and cafes, while on the mountain there is a good restaurant at Korakiana villlage called ?Luna d?Argento? offering folk music in the evenings. Moreover, you can find small cafes in the center of the village , as well as a grill room. Ayios Markos has one tiny cafe overlooking the fields and beaches beyond.

WHAT TO EAT

Try traditional dishes such as ?pastitsada?, ?mousakas? ,?sofrito? and salads. Local wine is offered in many places, while the ?baklava? cake is worth trying.

WHAT TO BUY

Souvenir shops are plentiful along the beach but not on the mountain. Herb lovers should buy fresh oregano, camomile and mint leaves gathered from the top of the mountain. In Korakiana village they sell ?Koum ?Kouat? , a kind of tiny citrus fruit in heavy syrup, as well as Koum-Kouat drink. They are local products as well as ?Mandolato? (almond bars) and ?Mandoles? (almonds coated with honey). Local honey is also excellent. Lace tablecloths, leather shoes, wallets and bags are very popular ,too.

DON?T MISS

The sights in Corfu town:
The two palaces, the two castles, the museums, the archaeological sites , the churches. Also there are band concerts, painting exhibitions, parades and religious processions all the year round.

In the outskirts:
Achillion museum, The monastery of Paleokastritsa, Canal d?amour and a lot more.

TAKING CHILDREN

The island is good for family holidays. There is plenty for children to do, including two popular water parks, pools, playgrounds and sports.

BEST TIME TO GO

Corfu is a year- round destination with temperatures that vary from 14 C in January to 35C in July. There is a lot of rainfall during winter but there is regular sunshine throughout the year. Spring is a good season as it is less crowded and there is Easter celebration at that time, which is a spectacular open air event. Summer months are very popular but the island is crowded.

GETTING THERE

You can fly direct to Athens every day of the week and then fly to Corfu. There are several local flights daily. If you fly to UK first, there are cheap charter flights direct to Corfu. (Heathrow- Corfu, 3 hours). The cheapest fares available are on charter flights, which are operated by all major tour operators.

Ends

 ‘Living on a ship is fabulous!’ says 24-year-old Louise. ‘I would never have seen so many exotic places if I hadn’t been on the ship, probably not in my whole lifetime!’

 Here’s what Louise says about her job…

 Q So, Louise, what’s your job, and what exactly does it involve?

 A I’m a crew purser…that means that I’m responsible for a lot of paperwork concerning crew and passengers. I’ve got my own office but I sometimes work at the reception desk, so I’ve got the chance to meet a lot of people and make new friends.

 Q How did you find this job?

 A Through a job agency in London. It would be my first job after graduating, and I was actually looking for a hotel based job…but it all happened by accident…

 Q What do you mean?

 A One day the agent left me a message about a new interview…I thought it would be about a hotel job, as the previous ones, so I met the person in charge on the same afternoon. It was during the interview that I realized we were talking about a ship! But I had to make up my mind promptly, so I grabbed the chance to try something more challenging than a hotel job. As soon as I left the interview the agent called me and said that I’d got the job!

 Q What qualifications do you need to get this position?

 A Well, it depends… . You could have a degree in Languages and Tourism or something relevant to it. I’ve got an MA in Tourism Management and I speak five languages, but there is a variety of posts on board according to the qualifications one has got.

 Q How long was your first contract?

 A Three months. But you can renew it for a longer period if you wish to. At first I wasn’t sure if I could handle sea-sickness, but it was ok; I only felt a little dizzy, but my roommate got really sick! Now I can’t sleep if I don’t feel that rocking movement!

 Q What about the crew? Are there many female members on board?

 A The majority of the crew are men. There are only few female officers in high ranks. So, we are being taken good care of and I like that. I’ve recently been promoted to a higher rank, so I do enjoy being the boss of a couple of male officers!

 Q What do you particularly enjoy on board?

 A Everything! I meet a lot of new people, apart from the crew members, and we are all a big family. I love the feeling of being in a place that reminds me of my student days. It’s like being in the university Residence Hall, you’re never alone , and I like that.

 Q What about the drawbacks of this job?

 A Well, there’s hard work on board! It’s not all fun and games as many people tend to think. You are expected to work on a very tight schedule, from 6.00 am till late at night. It’s shift work actually. Sometimes you don’t have much free time to relax, and some of the passengers can get real annoying! But you must wear your prettiest smile and be polite and helpful all the time. You must be patient, friendly and available. It’s very important the passengers feel at home.

Q Do you meet any young people on board?

 A To tell you the truth, only some of the crew members are young. Their age ranges from 24-that’s me- to 40 something. The passengers are mostly middle-aged retired people.

 Q How do you spend your free time on board?

 A I usually go to the gym. There’s a fab gym on board, you know. There are also two pools but crew members are not allowed to swim in there, so I just lie on a sunbed to get a bit of a tan. Sometimes I get up early in the morning and I go jogging around the deck. Many a times, after the evening shift some of the crew get together and chat, sing or dance. We’re having a great time; sometimes you’ve got the feeling the party is non stop.

 Q Which are the best places you’ve visited?

 A Honolulu…I loved Hawai, it looked so full of life, high buildings on the beach, marvellous view, lots of shops and lots of people. Second best comes Tayland, I just loved it! There were also other nice places such as Melbourne in Australia. I would love to stay there for a while. Small islands such as Bora Bora and Christmas island in the Pacific were fantastic. I sometimes have the chance to swim in the blue green sea of remote islands and take a lot of pictures.

 Q Were your family happy with your decision?

 A No, not at all! They all disapproved of my decision. But I was firm so, I went on board.

 Q How do you feel about this job?

 A Great! I mean I’m getting paid to see all the exotic places in the world. Isn’t it fantastic? I would need a fortune to travel around the world, but now I can do it and keep my savings as well!

 Q Are you going to be on board next year?

 A Don’t know yet. If I find something more challenging that this , I’ll leave. One thing I know for sure! I won’t work in an office. I’ll just find it too boring after my present experience on board!

 Q What’s your advice to other young girls who wish to work on board?

 A If they are adventurous and hard working, then they can go ahead!

It’s a great experience to work on a ship, and a good opportunity to get useful connections they might need later on, when they decide to work on land.

 Q Thank you, Louise, and good luck!

 A You’re welcome!

———————————-

 Liana Metal

 1014 words

Looking for that European flavor? Or simply in need of a vacation in a different culture?

 Whatever your wishes are, take a plunge into the deep blue of the Aegean and reach Salonica, the capital of Macedonia and a big trade and cultural pole .The port of Salonica is on the northest coast of Greece and is a major landmark in trade to and from other countries. It is the second import center after Pireus port and the first one in exports.

  Thermaikos is the bay’s name, and, despite the huge traffic it attracts, it is quite picturesque ,and romantic at sunset.

 What is Salonica like?

 A big European city combining different cultures and customs, art displays of every kind and local festivals for every taste. It is a city for business and fun as well. Despite the hustle and bustle of downtown, the long bay of Thermaikos offers a relaxing atmosphere . The people like strolling along the bay and admiring the view. Salonica is not a cement city, it doesn’t look crammed and suffocating– it’s got a lot of green and blue and plenty of light and fresh air. It’s a safe student city as well. The traffic on the roads is not congestive, and the inhabitants and the visitors can find local markets nearly everywhere, so shopping is relatively easy.

 The myth, the old and the new.

Salonica, Thessaloniki for the Greek , was set up by the king of Macedonia, Kassandros in 316, and was named after the daughter of King Filippos B of Macedonia . Thessaloniki was also was the step sister of Alexander the Great.

The first inhabitants setteld down there during the pre-historic years, in Neolithiki period. In the third century BC the walls of the town were built, and in 168 Salonica became a Roman province. The 14^th century was the golden era for the city , followed by the 18^th century domination of the Turks and the eventual freedom in 1912.

Nowadays…

The International Trade Exhibition, a big international event, was set up in 1926 and has been running annually in September since then offering a great range of goods and services. It attracts a great number of people every year both business and fun lovers.

 The visitor shouldn’t miss to see the round White Tower, a remnant of the ancient walls of the city dated back to 1866, which is now the characteristic symbol of the city. There are more towers around the city but they are all square shaped apart from two of them.

Feeling hungry?

 

Looking for fresh fish? Don’t miss the fish tavernas at Kalamaria, a popular suburb by the sea.

Down town there is a big number of restaurants offering all kinds of tasty dishes, from grilled meat to fish and sea food. Bakeries and pastry shops offer a wide range of traditional cakes that can be found only in Salonica, as well as homemade fruit jams.

So , what’s the best speciality to try?

A kind of pie called ‘trigona’ (triangles). It’s got a filo wrapping outside and rich creme inside. They are sweet and tasty and are kept in the fridge.

‘Touloumba’ is another sweet dessert . It’s a kind of pastry roll with no filling inside but dipped in heavy syrup. It’s like ‘Baklavas’ in taste, which is a typical Greek sweet in syrup.

Chocolate speaking the ‘anomala’ bits are delicious. They are small unshaped choco bites made of plain dark chocolate and have a filling of whole almonds.

The best meat dishes are Giros and Souvlaki pittas, and the appetizing Greek salad topped with feta cheese.

Take aways are very popular with the students and the locals. Freshly made dishes delivered to your place –hotels included!

For sport lovers, Toumba stadium is renowned for the local team of PAOK . There are two more local teams, ARIS and IRAKLIS.

Art

Theatrical performances and live concerts take place all year round.

What about the sights?

There is a great number of them as Salonica has a long history.

The Arc of Galerios is in the middle of the city, an imposing monument dating back to the third century.

Ayios Dimitrios church, down town, attracts a lot of people, both tourists and locals. It was built in the 5^th century and has great architectural value.

There is a number of museums all over the city such as Rotonda ,which is a church for St George, and the Museum of Salonica.

Studying in Salonica

Salonica has a number of universities as well. The Aristotle University is popular for Medicine, Literature, Law, Theology and other studies.

The University of Macedonia is the best for Ecomonics and Social studies,as well as for Computer programming.

There is a number of foreign institutions in Salonica as well, offering courses and studies to English speaking students.

Food is relatively cheap and there are plenty of Take Away restaurants and local tavernas for every budget. Rents are high but shared rooms and houses are easy to find within the area of the old part of the city which offers easy access to the universities. All universities offer discounts on meals on campus and one of them, The Aristotle University, gives away daily meals. The quality of the food is good and there is a variety of dishes every week based on fresh vegetables, meat, fish ,pulses, and fruit .

Accommodation

The old city has got a great number of cheap hotels. The Eastern part of Salonica and the suburbs offer better quality hotels but more expensive.

The hotel rates range from 73 to 140 Euros depending on the location and amenities offered.

There is also a number of house agents who can find you a flat or a house in no time. This service is very popular among the students who are new to the area and cannot search themselves for appropriate accommodation.

 Getting around

Local buses run on a daily basis schedule to and from all suburbs and resorts, towns and cities. The bus service is a good one and the easiest way to move around the city.

 Train services are for distant locations only, not for urban use.

 Taxis are easy to find , and if you need a taxi at a certain time you can call the station and reserve it. They are punctual and trustworthy.

If you want to see everything , you should walk. It’s not difficult to follow a route a day and explore the inner part of the city on foot.

Cycling is not recommended in the down town area as there is a lot of traffic.

Sidebar info

Restaurants

Big ones:

To Horio (the village)

Tel: 0310 327 080

Take away as well.

Ta Kalivia (the huts)

Tel: 0310 845 310

Take away as well.

Small ones that are take aways too:

To Fournaki tis Giagias (granma’s oven)

Tel: 0310 311 999

Twitty

Tel: 0310 865 866

This one offers Giros specialities.

Trocadero

Tel: 0310 942001

Creperie

Take aways only:

Pizza Hut

Tel: 0310 049222

Pizza Espana

Tel: 0310 988080

Pizza Roma

Tel: 1732

———————–

University of Macedonia

Info:

Tel: 0310 847310

Web: University of Macedonia

————————–

Hotels

The hotels here are listed from the cheapest to the most expensive ones.

You should check the hotels directly for update rates and further info.

 

Park

Tel: 0310 52412

City

Tel: 0310 269421

El Greco

Tel: 0310 520620

Olympia

Tel: 0310 235421

 Elektra

Tel: 0310 232221

 —————————-

 

House agents

Athanasios Leondarithis

 Tel: 0310 840120, 0310 843555

Mobile: 0932171225

 Kerameus

 Tel: 0310 241548

Chris Anagnostou

 Tel: 0310 260135

 Eleni Toura

 Tel: 0310 327473

 Karypidis

 Tel: 0310 265588

 ——————————

 Bus Terminal

 To Corfu , Tel: 0310 595409

There are various bus terminals depending on the destinations.

 Taxis

 White Tower station

 Tel: 0310 214900

 ——————————-

 Regional links :

Municipality of Thessaloniki   (it is under construction)

 Entertainment  (The TV and Radio link)

 Liana Metal

By Liana Metal

 Free lodging!

Find a pen friend. Maybe you haven’t thought of this. It’s the best solution to your budget problems, but you can’t have it overnight! Greek people are hospitable and so are other countries’ people if you become friends with. It’s the simplest thing to do if you like writing letters or just exchanging cards and souvenirs. I’ve done it and a lot of other people have, why not you? Your friend will probably be happy to put you up for a couple of nights and show you around as well. The other alternative is to exchange your house/flat with somebody else’s abroad. There is a site online that will help you find a place . Try Welcometraveller , they advertise ‘exchange homes free of charge’. Try also for more info and help on Greece Travel.

 Low cost travel

 Stay at campsites. The cheapest alternative to free lodging, at least in Greece. You save money and have fun . Find a campsite at

Greecetravel Campsites

Invest on a bike.

If you like cycling, then you can do it. In Greece you can cycle to most places and see areas that are worth visiting. You can easily rent a bike , and if you are in Corfu you can try Mountainbike Corfu

 Rent a room in a village or at the port

There are families who rent rooms in their own house ; cheaper than hotel rooms but you have to follow the rules. Where can you find them?

Watch the port area if you come by ship. There are people who approach you and tell you about their own rooms around the area, at low prices. Sometimes you can even bargain to get a better price.

 Well, if all these don’t suit you and you may own a caravan , you don’t have to worry about lodgings. You can stay at campsites at low cost, at the side of the road or even in a field for free. You can also hire a caravan and share the expenses, if you travel with friends.

 Don’t know where to find one? In Greece you can try Greecetravel

  Greece is ideal for traveling at low cost. But you must be inventive and explore all the sources available. Visit.

Byzantine literature may be defined as the Greek literature of the Middle Ages, whether written in the territory of the Byzantine Empire or outside its borders. It forms the second period in the history of Greek literature, though popular Byzantine literature and early Modern Greek literature, which begin in the 11th century, are indistinguishable. Many of the classical Greek genres, such as drama and choral lyric poetry, had been obsolete by late antiquity, and all medieval literature in the Greek Language was written in an archaizing style, which imitated the writers of ancient Greece. This practice was perpetuated by a long-established system of Greek education where rhetoric was a leading subject. A typical product of this Byzantine education was the Greek Church Fathers, who shared the literary values of their pagan contemporaries. Consequently the vast Christian literature of the 3rd to 6th centuries established a synthesis of Hellenic and Christian thought. As a result, Byzantine literature was largely written in a style of Atticistic Greek, far removed from the popular Medieval Greek that was spoken by all classes of Byzantine society in their everyday lives. In addition, this literary style was also removed from the Koine Greek language of the New Testament, reaching back to Homer and the writers of ancient Athens. In this manner, the culture of the Byzantine Empire was marked for over 1000 years by a diglossy between two different forms of the same language, which were used for different purposes. However, the relations between the “high” and “low” forms of Greek changed over the centuries. The prestige of the Attic literature remained undiminished until the 7th century AD, but in the following two centuries when the existence of the Byzantine Empire was threatened, city life and education declined, and along with them the use of the classicizing language and style. The political recovery of the 9th century instigated a literary revival, in which a conscious attempt was made to recreate the Hellenic-Christian literary culture of late antiquity. Simple or popular Greek was avoided in literary used and many of the early saints’ lives were rewritten in an archaizing style. By the 12th century the cultural confidence of the Byzantine Greeks lead them to develop new literary genres, such as romantic fiction, in which adventure and love are the main elements. Satire made occasional use of elements from spoken Greek. The period from the Fourth Crusade to the Fall of Constantinople saw a vigorous revival of imitative classicizing literature, as the Greeks sought to assert their cultural superiority over the militarily more powerful West. At the same time there was the beginning of a flourishing literature in an approximation to the vernacular Modern Greek. However the vernacular literature was limited to poetic romances and popular devotional writing. All serious literature continued to make use of the archaizing language of learned Greek tradition. Byzantine literature has two sources:Classical Greek and Orthodox Christian tradition. Each of those sources provided a series of models and references for the Byzantine writer and his readers. In occasion, both sources were referred to side by side, for example when emperor Alexius Comnenus justified his actions of seizing church property to pay his soldiers by referring to the earlier examples of Pericles and the biblical king David. Greek The oldest of these three civilizations is the Greek, centered not in Athens but in Alexandeia and Hellenistic civilization. Alexandria through this period is the center of both Atticizing scholarship and of Graeco-Judaic social life, looking towards Athens as well as towards Jerusalem. This intellectual dualism between the culture of scholars and that of the people permeates the Byzantine period. Even Hellenistic literature exhibits two distinct tendencies, one rationalistic and scholarly, the other romantic and popular: the former originated in the schools of the Alexandrian sophists and culminated in the rhetorical romance, the latter rooted in the idyllic tendency of Theocritus and culminated in the idyllic novel. Both tendencies persisted in Byzantium, but the first, as the one officially recognized, retained predominance and was not driven from the field until the fall of the empire. The reactionary linguistic movement known as Atticism supported and enforced this scholarly tendency. Atticism prevailed from the second century B.C. onward, controlling all subsequent Greek culture, so that the living form of the Greek language was obscured and only occasionally found expression in private documents and popular literature.

 

Roman

Alexandria, the intellectual center, is balanced by Rome, the center of government. It is as a Roman Empire that the Byzantine state first entered history; its citizens were known as Romans (Rhomaioi), its capitol as New Rome (Constantinople). Its laws were Roman; so were its government, its army, and its official class, and at first also its language and its private and public life. The organization of the state was very similar to that of the Roman imperial period, including its hierarchy and bureaucratic elite

Christian

It was in Alexandria that Graeco-Oriental Christianity had its birth. There the Septuagint translation had been made; there that that fusion of Greek philosophy and Jewish religion took place which culminated in Philo; there flourished the mystic speculative neo-Platonism associated with Plotinus and Porphyry. At Alexandria the great Greek ecclesiastical writers worked alongside pagan rhetoricians and philosophers; several were born here, e.g. Origen, Athanasius, and his opponent Arius, also Cyril and Synesius. On Egyptian soil monasticism began and thrived. After Alexandria, Antioch held great prestige, where school of Christian commentators flourished under St John Chrysostom and where later arose the Christian universal chronicles. In surrounding Syria, we find the germs of Greek ecclesiastical poetry, while from neighboring Palestine came St John of Damascus, the last of the Greek Fathers.

Oriental

Greek Christianity had of necessity a pronounced Oriental character;Ptolemaic Egypt and Seleucid Syria are the real birthplaces of the Graeco-Oriental church and Byzantine civilization in general. Egypt and Syria, with Asia Minor, became for the autochthonous Greek civilizationa place where hundreds of flourishing cities sprang into existence, where energies confined or crippled in the impoverished homeland found release; not only did these cities surpass in material wealth the mother country, but soon also cultivated the highest goods of the intellect (Krumbacher). Under such circumstances it is not strange that about nine-tenths of all the Byzantine authors of the first eight centuries were natives of Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and Asia Minor.

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