The Youth Time Travel Guide To Greece

One of the most visited countries in the world, Greece has what most countries don’t.

Splendid beaches, monuments that take you back to ancient times, many active volcanoes and any number of islands to choose from. Above all are the people of this country, fun and hospitable who enjoy life to the hilt. 

They also have the most sex in the world according to to available statistics and the latest survey conducted by the condom manufacturer Durex.

89% have it at least once a week and like to make it last. At the other end of the spectrum is France with the least duration. The sexual revolution began in Europe in the 1960s and in Greece it was always a part of healthy living.

This is the nation that gave democracy to the world and also history as a discipline to Europe. History was taught several centuries BC. 

Many of the European languages, including English, have a vast percentage of words with Greek roots.

The History of Greece

The civilisation goes back to the stone age. 

As early as around 500BC began the origins of the western civilisation and democracy in this country when it comprised many small city-states that were self governed. 

Education was always a part of the culture and the Platonic Academy began around 335BC. After that Aristotle founded the Peripatetic school.

Greek civilisation is among the five most popular ancient civilisations taught at universities around the world. 

This very country where democracy originated became a dictatorship in the 1960s and the 1970s. It was only in 1977 that it became a democracy again.

Greece today holds the 13th position in the world in terms of tourism and saw more than 31 million international arrivals in 2019. About 25% of the GDP comes from tourism and  the sector directly employs close to 400,000 people and many hundreds of thousands more indirectly.

The country has eighteen UNESCO heritage sites.

Interesting Customs

Engagements – To this day the engagement between a couple is a commitment between families. The engagement rings are switched from the left to the right hand once the couple is married.

Evil eye – Blue eyed people are feared in the country. The Greeks believe in the evil eye from jealousy and envy that emanates from people especially those with blue eyes. Many of them wear a charm with a blue eye to neutralise the effect of the evil eye from those with blue eyes or not.

They spit on people – On special occasions such as births, weddings, birthdays and so on, to ward off bad luck and to invite good luck they spit on the babies, couples etc., three times while making audible spitting sounds.

They break crockery – To invite good luck and keep away bad luck they also break dinner plates. 

Unlucky 13 – The same as Spain, in Greece, Tuesday the 13th is considered unlucky.

Easter – While Christmas is celebrated, Easter is considered more important.

Catholic Orthodox Church – Also known as the Eastern Orthodox Church, often the Greek Orthodox church has a following of more than 220 million people not only in Greece but also other countries

Christmas – Christmas is celebrated in January and in 2022 it shall be January 7.

Festivities – Families are extremely important and large, so are festivities. It is quite common to see families comprising a couple of hundred getting together to celebrate. 

All in all, it’s a fun culture and as someone said, there’s romance in superstition. 

Places to See 

Athens – Named after the Greek Goddess of wisdom and warfare Athena, this is the city state that first gave the world what we call democracy and every adult citizen was eligible to cast a vote on matters of significance. 

The fifth century BCE landmarks such as the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Acropolis Museum, and the National Archeological Museum are the first things you should head for. Walk down the narrow pedestrian streets and visit the restaurants especially in the Plaka and Anoflotika districts. 

Most of Athens is ancient and at the same time festive. You can easily spend a few days exploring this city.

Islands and beaches – There are any number of them. Crete is the largest with the highest population. Santorini is another island popular with tourists. 

There are ferries and flights to both. As for ferries you can opt for the slow ones which are cheaper or the super fast ones which cost as much or more than taking a flight. 

Of the two, Crete is more budget friendly. There are several other islands such as Mykonos, Zakynthos, Korfu, Milos and more. 

Rhodes deserves a special mention for the Colossus of Rhodes which is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world,  the beautiful beaches and the centre of the old town which is one of the World Heritage Sites.

Depending upon how many days you plan to stay in Greece there are several other places to visit. The main ones being Dehphi, Attica, Peloponnese, Mount Athos, Meteora, Central Macedonia, Olympia, Delos and much more.

Greece is still nice and balmy even in October with an average high of 23 to 24 degrees and low of 15 to 16 degrees.

Let’s all head to Indonesia!

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