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Posts Tagged ‘Greece’

The Highlights of Paris

October 11th, 2009 No comments
by Morten Elm

Paris is known as the City of Romance, and the city is a great place to go with your partner for a romantic weekend. In Paris you find everything from great food and shopping to some very interesting sights.

The landmark of Paris is the Eiffel Tower. The tower was build for the World Exhibition in 1889. The plan was to tear it down afterwards, but luckily enough the decision was changed. The tower is 319 meter (1047 feet) high, and until the Empire State Building was built in 1931, it was the highest building in the world.

A visit in the high season demands patience. Because of the limited capacity of the elevators, the line can be very long. Another option, if you do not want to wait a couple of hours, is to take the 1.665 stairs instead. Whatever you take the elevator or the stair, your reward will be a fantastic view. On a sunny day, you can see as long as 70 kilometers (about 43 miles

The Louvre Museum was made famous by Dan Brown in his book The Da Vinci Code. But the museum is more than a crime scene in a famous book. It is also the scene of one of the world’s most amazing art exhibitions. Look for the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci and the ancient Greek statue Venus from Milo.

But the exhibition in the old building from 1190 is much more than a statue and a painting. You can also experience ancient are from Greece and Egypt; or modern fashion and design. So if you are both to old and modern art, one day is not enough to see it all.

Other great sight in Paris are Champs-Elyses and Notre Dame Cathedral. You might also want to visit Versailles about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the city centre. Disneyland will certainly also make yourself and your kids happy.

You can also do some heavy shopping in Paris. You can find all the famous luxury trademarks in the department stores. When it comes to haute couture fashion houses, Rue du Faubourg-St-Honor on the right side of the Seine is the place to go. Look for Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Pierre Cardin, Chanel, and Christian Dior.

If you are more into markets, Paris is a great city. You can find old postcards, porcelain, musical instruments and books at the March de la Porte de Vanves market. Superb food can be bought at the Rue Mouffetard market, while cheap souvenir is found around Rue de Rivoli.

In the end of the day, you should spoil yourself with some great French food and red wine; or you could go on a sunset cruise on the Seine. After that, visit one of the many nightclubs to party all night.

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Corfu Island, Greece

October 10th, 2009 No comments
by Mandy Jeeves

The most northerly and, with Greece’s highest rainfall, the greenest of the Ionian Islands. Corfu lies close to the mainland and the Albanian coast. Described by Homer as ‘beautiful and rich’, it is mountainous, lushly fertile and fringed by fine beaches with lovely aquamarine waters.

From the 8th century BC, Corfu was subject to a succession of powers, though it never became part of the Ottoman Empire.

Venice held it for 200 years, then Napoleon seized it, and for some years it was a British Protectorate. Long a favourite with travelers, its quiet, idiosyncratic life is lovingly recorded in the books of Lawrence and Gerald Durrell. Now despite some indiscriminate tourist development, it remains bewitching.

Corfu Town is a lovely place, a blend of splendid Italianate buildings; narrow alleyways and grand, French-influenced arcades. There are museums and fine churches, including the Church of Ayios Spyridhon, where the mummified body of the island’s patron saint lies in a glass-fronted coffin. (It is paraded through the town several times a year.) A popular excursion is to the photogenic islets of Vlaherna and Pondikonissi.

North from Corfu Town, brash or prestigious resorts are interspersed with fishing harbours and backed by magnificent scenery. Southwards lie the site of the ancient capital, Corcyra, and some large resorts.

Then a winding coastal road reaches some quieter beaches. The west coast boasts long stretches of glorious sand, a backdrop of green mountains – and some of the largest hotel conglomerations. Even here, more peaceful coves can be reached by boat, or a scramble on foot.

Inland, traditional villages offer shade and good food. Corfiot cuisine, unusually, has no Turkish influence, and often seems more Italian than Greek. A stroll and a climb in scented mountain air amid ancient olive trees rewards with views over ethereal greenness towards the heavenly blue sea.

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Enjoy A Cheap Mediterranean Holiday

October 6th, 2009 No comments
by Michael Bolderwood

Plenty of us have hectic lives and really look forward to our holidays as a result. It can be a really good idea to travel to somewhere that will be nice and warm. It’s easy to see why the Mediterranean has become such a popular holiday destination. Countries like Spain, Greece and Tunisia now attract millions of visitors, all attracted by the climate and the relaxed way of life.

If you’re thinking about getting away to the Mediterranean this year then there may well be one thing putting you off: the price. There’s no doubt that such holidays can be expensive and especially so if you’re taking the whole family. Fortunately, there are a few things that you can do to try and reduce costs. Many of them are about flexibility and taking a new approach to travel bookings.

Remember that the Mediterranean Sea is surrounded by many differing countries and possible destinations. A holiday in one part of the region could be really different to taking a trip to another destination that’s not too far away. It’s because of these differences that you’ll find that prices can vary considerably. If the first destination that you look at seems too expensive then don’t be put off. There will undoubtedly be cheaper options available.

Do you generally book your holidays by nipping in to see a traditional travel agent? Many people still think of this as being the only option, but the reality is that cheaper deals can often be found by looking online. You’ll be able to compare prices more easily and spot the very best deals.

When making your booking, try to be flexible. You need to consider that most people like to travel during the same few months of summer. By avoiding traveling at these busiest times, you can keep costs down. That doesn’t mean to say that you have to fly in the winter months, but it does mean that it makes good sense to think about the days and times of day when you are intending to travel.

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Holidays In Greece : Greek Traditions And Culture

July 1st, 2009 No comments
by Tim Handy

In this part of our guide to holidays in Greece we focus on the culture you’ll experience there…

Greece lies at the crossroads where East meets West. It has also been ruled by the Romans and the Turks, and in turn Greece’s own Byzantine Empire governed much of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. This history has left a rich cultural legacy and the Greek people take a passionate pride in their culture and their country.

The national language and native tongue of the vast bulk of the population is Greek. But English is relatively widely studied and understood and English-speaking visitors usually encounter no significant language problems. French, Italian, and German are the next-most commonly studied foreign languages.

About 10% of the country’s population, or roughly a million people, were born elsewhere. Eastern and Central Europe are the most common sources of immigrants, with others coming from the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa. This has made the country linguistically and culturally diverse.

In this very religious country, 97% of the population classify themselves as Orthodox Christians. While the Greek State and the Orthodox Church are officially separated, this separation is not formalised by the Constitution and the Greek Orthodox Church is very influential.

They can also be said to be of a superstitious nature and to have beliefs in supernatural or paranormal phenomenon. Traditions and superstitions vary from village to village and from region to region, but common ones include spitting to chase the devil and misfortune away and blessing bread by making the sign of the cross with a knife before slicing it.

Easter is the most celebrated holiday, and involves feasts and costumed parties, whereas Christmas tends to be a private, family holiday, though lights and decorations still adorn city squares across the country. In addition to Easter and Christmas, many towns and regions have their own regional festivals throughout the year commemorating various historical events, local patron saints, or wine harvests.

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Ways to Charter a Luxury Yacht in Greece

April 14th, 2009 No comments

As you must be aware, Greece is one of the greatest holiday spots on earth. People from all around the world love to visit to this place and unfold its marvels. In fact, Greece holiday is very well regarded as the perfect holiday destinations. This is because Greece has all that the tourists crave for. You will get to see historical marvels here, enjoy great food, do some amazing shopping, and rejoice in modern bars and cafes amongst other activities.

Besides all this, another great way to enjoy Greece holiday is to rent a yacht. Well if you are wondering as to how and why to do so, know that there are multiple reasons for it. When you hire a cruise, you can enjoy Greece as well as the other island in its vicinity. For this reason, getting a cruise is great way of enjoying a holiday here. You will have an adventurous trip on the yacht and have a wonderful time on the sea.

Do you know that Greece has the most striking and amazing seas in the whole world? Yes, this is right. The loveliness of the water along with enjoyable winds will make your holiday a memorable journey on a cruise.

In reality, getting a cruiser in Greece has emerged as one of the pre-eminent ideas to have a brilliant holiday. Tourists love to get them and have a pleasurable holiday. You can find all classes of cruiser rentals. Because they are accessible in all price ranges, it is unproblematic for you to hire one within you particular resources. In case you fancy hiring a luxury yacht in Greece, you need to know the course of renting it.

You must remember that yachting offers much fun only if you hire a luxury yacht. As yachting has become very popular in Greece, you can get numerous charters that can get you all types of yachts here.

You can find a wide range of ferries analogous to the ones which you engage to take you to Peloponnese, Ionian Islands, Cretan etc. All these places hot tourist spots and people love to visit them by cruiser. You can find a yacht of your own fondness with regard to its size and sort. There are many sorts of them accessible such as the ones for family, couples or huge tourist groups. You do not necessitate insurance to charter a luxury yacht. Besides, you will always be able to get the support of an operator.

To rent a yacht effectively, all you require doing is to get in touch with a charter operator. Discuss with him as to which beach and places you long to trip on your yacht. He can also lead you the top places to see and give you several advices pertaining to the voyage.

By giving you a schedule for your ferry trip, the charter guide will make things uncomplicated for you. As soon as you reconcile upon a package, you will be able to get a great ferry in Greece which would be your individual.

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