Travel to Santorini one of the most beautiful islands of Greece!

Fira is the capital of Santorini and undoubtedly one of the most beautiful settlements of Greece, along with Ia. It is built on a naturally impressive site, on top of the cliffs and along the fringe of the caldera at an altitude of 260m. The haven of the town is Fira's bay, where someone can get the teleferique to go up to the town.




-Book here cheap air tickets and hotels to visit Santorini

Alternatively, you can choose going up to town with a donkey or by foot if you are even more adventurous! The view towards the sea captivates you so much that I suggest you be very careful if you pick the latter option (go up by foot) – the cliff is steep and not guarded.
Fira was founded at the end of the 18thC and has been built in the traditional Cycladic architectural style. The houses are brilliant white, small, with domes and arches and lots of little windows along their sides, overlooking the beach; together, they cheekily sneak out from the narrow streets and tease you. Along the fridge of the caldera, the terraces become balconies for the nearby houses.

However, despite the traditional neighborhoods, the bright white houses and the blue domed churches, a walk around the island’s busier streets - where shops and cafes have proudly claimed their space - will make you realize that you really are in one of the cosmopolitan Greek islands.

Santorini Volcano
Santorini owes its existence to it's volcano. Being the only geological phenomenon of the Aegean Sea, the volcano created a place of unique beauty in its heart.
Both Santorini and its volcano will undoubtedly fascinate you. It co-exists with the underwater one of Koloumbos, which is situated 8klm from Santorini, Nisiros, Milos and Methana, as well as the rest of the volcanoes in the Aegean Sea.

Santorini's volcano became active 2,5 million years ago and is still active to this day. Its latest volcanic surface in the Eastern Mediterranean was created just 50 years ago, on the island of Nea Kameni.

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Best beaches on the Ionian Islands, Greece: Myrtiotissa, Corfu

This beautiful beach in Parelia, on the Ionian island of Corfu, is known as Myrtiotissa and is popular with families and nudists.

You will have the chance to decide if you concur with Lawrence Durrell’s claim in Prospero’s Cell that this pearl in the middle of Corfu’s scenic west coast is “perhaps the most beautiful beach in the world”. Tucked beneath steep cliffs, the southern half of its stretch of golden sand, barely 650 feet long, is now the island’s prime nudist beach.

Who goes?

It is not unusual to see families enjoying a picnic at the more modest northern end, while quite a mixed crowd opt to allow some sun on their nether regions to the south. The good news is you needn’t feel obliged to be a bronzed Adonis or Aphrodite to dispense with your togs here.

What is there to do?

The lack of noisy boats and water sport facilities is one of the attractions here, so just lounging around and taking leisurely dips is the order of the day. If you tire of the beach scene, you can visit the tiny monastery of Our Lady of the Myrtles that hangs precariously above the north end of the cove.

Bars and bites

There are just a couple of seasonal snack bars for refreshment down on the beach. For something more substantial, the nearest place is the Myrtia taverna (0030 26610 94113), just back from the cliff top, which serves delicious home cooking and fine barrelled wine. For clubbing, make for Corfu Town.

Getting there

Buses to Vatos from Corfu Town take around 20 minutes to the Myrtiotissa turning, just over half a mile back from the beach. Parking is free but spots at a premium on the unsurfaced approach road. Corfu has multiple daily ferry crossings from Igoumenitsa and regular flights from Athens and the UK. 

                                                                                Source telegraph

Visit the beautiful Parga in Greece

Parga is a wondrous picturesque town located in the northwestern Greece. It looks more like an Island than a city as such it is located in the western coastline of Greece and it surrounded by beautiful beaches! Parga is a wonderful place with many sightseeings and there are great places which you have visit during your visit in Parga.

Some weeks ago Ntitoras Christos created a Tourist Blog (http://www.pargaepirus.blogspot.com) with the aim to promote the beauty of Parga an the wider area of Epirus to all over the world.

Unfortunately the Greek Tourism has been hurt significantly because of the demonstrations and some bad incidents that took place the last weeks and affect negatively the image of Greece and many people who had planned to travel to Greece canceled their vacations there.

Tourism accounts for 17% of Greek GDP and a great percent of the greek labor force is occupied in the tourism sector. Anyone that has the ability has to do their best to help and support the Greek Tourism. The individual efforts of the greek citizens will play a vital role in the recovery of the greek economy.

In the blog there are many photos, videos of Parga, useful information for tourists, information about Events in Parga, various links related to Parga and other useful stuff!

Visit the link below and you will find a lot of information about beautiful Parga:

http://www.pargaepirus.blogspot.com/

                                                      Source www.pargaepirus.blogspot.com/

Let's go Mykonos island in Greece

Mykonos Greece is definitely one of the most popular holiday destinations and most beautiful landscapes in Greece. It is also considered as of the top gay vacation destinations in Europe...









Mykonos is the most famous and expensive island of Greece. It used to be very cosmopolitan and to attract very wealthy tourist and celebrities from all over the world.

Today it is still one of the favourite vacation and holiday destination of Greeks from all over the country.

It also has many foreign adepts still going there like a ritual, as well as celebrities who go for Mykonos vacation because it is a must for holidays. Mykonos welcomes people from all over the world and all over the social classes can enjoy the beautiful and cosmopolitan island of Mykonos.

Often its beauty inspired artists to dedicate works to this island, like the band Fleet Foxes who wrote a beautiful song about it.

Often compared to Ibiza, Mykonos has a crazy and diversified nightlife.

The island is also famous for being the Greek capital and oasis for homosexuals.

Mykonos is such an inspirational place that the sport beach golf was invented there.

Direct international charter flights and regular domestic flights from Athens serve frequently, during summer, the airport of Mykonos.

Because it is so famous, Mykonos gets really overcrowded during peak season but for those who don’t mind or enjoy their vacation in the crowd this is really the place to go. Great fun and all night long entertainment is the definition of holidays in Mykonos.

Most of the people are concentrated in the capital Hora, or Mykonos Town or in the area surrounding the city; to find a bit more calm and peacefulness, one has to go a bit farther away.

Despite the very populated aspect of the island, visitor will realize that Mykonos is very beautiful with a wonderful mountainous landscape, clear waters, long sandy organized golden sandy beaches, beautiful churches, chapels and windmills and picturesque villages. The greek holiday cliché that you never get bored of it.

The capital of the island, Hora or Mykonos Town is particularly charming

and considered as one of the most beautiful little cities of the Cyclades.

It is representative of the island’s architecture which is typically Cycladic with whitewashed cubic houses with flat roofs, blue doors and windows, narrow paved streets, flowered balconies and a picturesque and magical atmosphere.

This beauty has provided the setting for many movies that have been set in Mykonos.

The island is part of the Aegean group of island called Cyclades and lies between Tinos, Syros, Naxos and Paros. As a typical Cycladic island, Mykonos’ landscape is very stony and hilly and almost treeless, with only a few olive trees and a few bushes.

Delos and Rhenia are the islets surrounding Mykonos and closely related to it’ they were Greece’s most important spiritual centres during ancient times with Delphi and the acropolis of Athens.

They both are hilly and treeless, almost deserted, with a very few shepherds and many lizards wondering around the ruins of the great Ancient Greek civilization.

Night life in Mykonos Greece is very exiting and is one of the reasons of the huge tourism of the island. Often compare to Ibiza, Mykonos has a lot to offer in terms of entertainment.

All the bars and clubs in Mykonos island have trendy and modern decors and offer a wide range of (expensive) drinks.

The whole capital, where most of the bars and clubs are located, get crowded with people of all ages, of all sexual tendencies and of all musical preferences, all ready to party and have fun all night long.

The most famous clubs of Mykonos are Argo (rock music), Cavo Paradiso (electronic, trance, etc...from famous DJ’s), Aigli and the famous Pierro’s (gay club with transvestite shows).

Many beach parties are organized on the most famous and popular beaches of the island (Paradise, Super Paradise, Platis Yialos, etc...)

Travel Information

All flights leave from Eleftherios Venizelos.

Mykonos can be reached via Athens from airport "Eleftherios Venizelos." All flights arriving in Greece during the low or high season should allow adequate time for connecting flights to Mykonos. Local flights have minimum seating capacity, please book these flights early. The flying time from Athens to Mykonos is about 45 minutes. Most of the international flights that arrive in Athens effectuate the connection with Mykonos. In summer time, many direct charter flights from different countries of Europe are travelling to Mykonos, without passing by Athens. Most of the travel agencies of the island sell airplane tickets.

ALL FILGHTS from Eleftherios ending BOOK FLIGHTS EARLY

Boats and Ferries

Piraeus, unlike any other port, must be experienced rather then just seen. From Athens its best to arrive early, either by Metro (Red line) or Taxi, to make it easy.

Ferries further information on www.ferries.gr. You can find all Greek ferry companies

schedules, connections and prices that Greek Ferries operate.


Let's go Mykonos...

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Believing: Religions. The Orthodox Christian

Ostrog, Montenegro, Orthodox Monastery

History of the Orthodox Christian Church: Since AD 29, Pentecost. Hear some chants, the Russian Orthodox, at ://magnatune.com/artists/albums/monks-orthodox/hifi_play. Find Ukrainian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox, many more.

See a timeline - always an efficient way to get started. See the timeline at the site for St. Ignatius of Antioch Orthodox Christian Church in Madison, WI: at ://www.saintignatiuschurch.org/timeline.html. But first, here is the home page (with bells at://www.saintignatiuschurch.org/index.html.

Site information from that timeline is summarized here, with other information as we find it separately listed.

For the first millenium: There was basically one church in claiming the direct line of the apostles since Pentecost, and five centers or patriarchates - Jerusalem, Alexandria, Constantinople, Antioch and Rome. There have always been other groups that the "one church" called heretic or schismatic - Arians, Bogomils, look up "heretic" - although they saw their interpretations as having as much validity as anyone else's, or better. Most eventually were killed.

954- Orthodox Church in Russia

Meteora, Greece, Orthodox Monastery

In 1051, the Great Schism. By 1054, the Roman Church Patriarch had pulled away in order to pursue his view of the Roman Church as the sole and universal leadership of the Christian faith. The other four patriarchates have remained in full communion with each other. The Roman church also had by then added the "filioque" clause in the Nicene Creed, not only the Father, but the Father "and the Son," with the later phrase not having been part of the first 1000 years' theology.

Rome vs. Orthodox:
Roman Crusades: 1095-1291- with the "sack of Constantinople," obviously a Christian city, in 1204.
Rome omitting to act when Orthodox put to death in Nazi puppet states, Fascist Concentration Camps, WWII, Balkans (elsewhere?)

1453- Turks overran Constantinople, signaling end of the Byzantine Empire. Note the defensive positions of the monasteries on clifftops. A combination, I recall, of inspiration, signs; and necessity.

Rome dividing into other groupings:
1517, Martin Luther's 95 Theses; Protestant Reformation
1529, Church of England; Episcopal. The Anglican Communion.

1538 - Ottomans overrun Moldavia, Romania

1683 - Ottoman Empire was finally stopped at Vienna, see ://www.geocities.com/paintedchurches/

1794- Orthodox missionaries arrive in Alaska

Rome's theology differing from Orthodox: (see 1054, "filioque" clause also)
1854 - Dogma, Immaculate Conception
1870 - Dogma, Papal Infallibility
See also the progression of terms in creeds, what is added, which groups disagree.

Customs, entering: See://aggreen.net/orth_links/orthlink.html. This site is by a technical writer, and easy to navigate. Go to the clothing and conduct section, at ://aggreen.net/laity_guidelines/laity.html.
Nin, Croatia, Early Christian Church (neither Roman nor Orthodox - All one Church then (9th Century?).

The church at Nin predates the schism between Roman and Orthodox, when the Christian Church was one church, and before Rome pulled away from the other four Orthodox patriarchates. This is said to be the smallest Christian Bishopric in the world.

Learn basic manners: Respect, respect. This takes forms that are not familiar to many of us, so read carefully and follow. Regardless of your own views, do as they. Do not cross your legs, that is too informal;. Skirts, are a must in some areas for women, and below the knee (the monasteries in Greece will give you a large square scarf to wrap around on top of your short skirt, or shorts, or jeans); long pants for men, no beach or athletic gear (defined?), no logos on T-shirts (how to get around these - are the scarves offered? I do not recall). Men, remove caps. Women may cover heads, not required. No smoking, including on entry steps, no gum;. When altar doors open, hands at sides or hands folded in front, no folding of arms, or hands in pockets, out of respect. Communion only for Orthodox;. Close doors softly.

Painted Orthodox church, Bucovina, Moldavia, Romania

The paintings are on fresco, see ://www.geocities.com/paintedchurches/. The churches date from the 16th Century, and the paintings are educative, didactic, a way to teach even outside the church. Armies also were mustered there, and walls surround many church complexes - teach the soldiers as well.

Wooden bars pounding, or beating wooden tablets, signal calls to prayer in many places, the Turks having forbidden the use of bells, and also having melted them down for arms. See geocities site.

Similarities in the hierarchical churches: Use of term, but differing meanings.

The "Metropolitan" is the term for the diocesan or "arch" bishop overseeing other, lower-ranked bishops in an area. See ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_bishop to get started. Info there:

Roman Church: "Metropolitan Bishop." In the Roman church, the lesser bishops are known as "suffragan" bishops. Metropolis used to mean the chief Roman city in an area, like a province or "ecclesiastical province."

Greek Orthodox: the "Archbishop" is above "Metropolitan."

Slavic Orthodox: the Metropolitan is above the Archbishop.

Those with distaff side repro apparatus need not apply, because repro apparatus is placed higher than head or heart, and those with other repro apparatus have so ordained, even though the Founder did nothing of the kind. See theological meander at

The Orthodox and the Roman branches offer a verbal ok to thinking on your own, but not to coming to conclusions on your own that differ from the established line. This was not always true - look to the earliest years when Croatians began doing mass in their own language, 900 AD or so.


Gregory, Bishop of Nin, Croatia, 9th Century

Gregory here started doing the services at Nin, Croatia, in the local language, educating the people. This was soon barred by Rome. The Church in Croatia did become Roman Catholic; the Church in neighboring Serbia, Montenegro and much of Bosnia became Orthodox; with Serbia and Bosnia then being overcome by the Ottomans, the Muslims, in many areas.

Facts arriving after the belief has etched are either a threat, so to be suppressed, as in the case of Gregory of Nin; or become unlikely to change anything thereafter, so get 'em believing early, keep facts out (or make up your own) and keep 'em iggerunt. Is that right? See Joy of Equivocating, Emoticon Dominance Theory.

Rub the toe of the Saint for luck. See ://www.croatianhistory.net/etf/nin.html. And why the tall hats?

For a meander on theology and hierarchy in the hierarchical churches, do visit Martin Luther's Stove - Theology Anomaliesy