THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

It is possible, from Greece, to visit the sites of all seven of the Wonders of the Ancient World. This can actually be achieved by using ferries and buses. In most instances, of course, you will just be looking at where they originally stood; as little, or any of them still remain today.

1. The STATUE of ZEUS was at Olympia.

2. The TEMPLE of ARTEMIS is at Ephesus - just a hop across from Samos.

3. A day-trip from Kos across to Bodrum in Turkey will take you to the site of THE MAUSOLEUM.

4. To Rhodes for the COLOSSUS.

5. From Rhodes to Egypt (via Cyprus) will take you to Alexandria; site of THE PHAROS. (Lighthouse)

6. Thence to Cairo to see THE PYRAMIDS. (Yes, in this case, they're actually still there!)

7. From Haifa (via ferry from Athens) you can get to the site of THE HANGING GARDENS of BABYLON.

So, there you are!

CICADAS

One of the sounds of Greece that adds to its ambience, is the shrill sound of the cicada. It fills the otherwise almost thunderous silence that envelopes you when, during the blazing heat of the day you are sitting in an olive grove, lying on a deserted beach, or strolling somewhere in the wide open spaces. Like the goat-bells, it is inseparable from the sounds of the landscape. There is a delightful myth to explain the existence of this shrill-voiced insect which sings all through the Aegean summer, yet is rarely seen.

Tithonus, a young prince, was taken from his father's palace by Eos, who was goddess of the dawn. She had fallen in love with the good-looking prince, and took him off to Ethiopia where they lived happily. Eos then begged Zeus to grant immortality to Tithonus. This was granted, but she forgot to ask for his eternal youth as well, to go with the gift of everlasting life.
As time went on, therefore, he began to age. His hair turned grey, and his skin wrinkled. His body became stooped and his voice became hoarse and "croaky" As he had everlasting life, he became more and more shrivelled as the years passed; eventually becoming old and ugly. Eos could not bear the sight of him, so locked him up, alone, in a room.
Finally, she took pity on him. As the only thing left of him was his hoarse, shrill voice, she turned him into a cicada and set him loose. That is what you hear during those long, lazy summer days in Greece.

CAN YOU NAME THE TWELVE OLYMPIAN GODS?

ZEUS was the all-powerful ruler of the heavens and the universe. He ruled from his kingdom on Mount Olympus. He was married to Hera, but had many love affairs with other goddesses - and even humans.

HERA was the wife of Zeus, and goddess of women, marriage; and the chief goddess of childbirth.

APHRODITE. The goddess of love. She was born from the foam of the sea.

APOLLO. One of the sons of Zeus. Twin brother of Artemis. He was the god of music and archery. He was also a healer and a prophet.

ARES. A son of Zeus and Hera. The god of war.

ARTEMIS. The goddess of hunting and the guardian of wild animals.

ATHENA. The goddess of arts and crafts. Also the goddess of war. A daughter of Zeus. She became the guardian of the city of Athens.

HADES. God of the underworld.

HEPHAESTUS. The god of fire, volcanoes and metalwork. He lived underneath Mount Etna where he made golden chariots for the gods.

HERMES was the messenger of the gods. He also assisted travellers. He was a musician as well, and invented the lyre.

HESTIA. Goddess of the hearth. All cities had a hearth built in her honour. She was the sister of Zeus.

POSEIDON. God of the seas, horses and earthquakes.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…….

· Half of male Greeks are named either John or George.
· Nafplio was the first capital of liberated Greece (from 1829 - 1834).
· Athens became the capital of Modern Greece in 1834.
· Most of Modern Athens has been built in the last 60 years.
· In Greece it is constitutionally impossible to be fired from a civil service job.
·There are between 1400 and 3000 islands in Greece (depending how you define them), but only about 160 of them are officially "inhabited".
· The New Testament was written in Greek.
· In English alone, about a third of the words are either transliterated Greek, or of Greek origin.
· 97% of the Greek population is Greek Orthodox.
· Greek male life expectancy is 74.6 years, the 9th highest in the world. (The UK is 10th with 73.2!)
· Greece has the lowest crime rate in the EU.
· Since 1926 the Greeks have used approximately 15 different electoral systems.
· In the 1990 Greek elections there was a party called the Self-Respect Party - it got 2 votes!
· There are half as many Greeks outside the country as in. Melbourne, Australia, is the second largest "Greek" city in the world.
· Greece has the second lowest birth rate in Europe.
· The Greeks drink over 45 million bottles of whisky per year - the world's greatest per capita consumption!
· The Greek word for hotel is "ksenothokhio" - which, literally translated, means "a container for foreigners"!

WHAT WAS THAT AGAIN….?

Abbreviations abound in Greece; here are some of the more common ones you are likely to come across:

	Electricity Supply Company.
	Postal Service
	National Tourist Organisation
	National Syndicate of Bus Companies (The term used to refer to bus stations)
	Greek Communist Party.
	New Democracy Party
	National Telephone Company
	Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement

Agios/Aghia
This simply means Saint or Holy (plural:Agii). It is a common place name prefix.

Chorio
Village.

Hora
Main town of an island or region; literally, it means "the place". An island Hora is often known by the same name of the island.

Kastro
Any fortified hill or castle, but most usually the oldest, highest, walled-in part of an island hora.

Moni
Formal term for a monastery or convent.

Panagiri
Festival or feast - the local celebration of a holy day.