Having
exported
chaos,
drama,
tragedy
and
democracy
before
most
nations
stayed
up
late
enough
to
want
souvlaki,
Greece
boasts
a
legacy
that's
unrivalled.
From
smoggy
Athens
to
blindingly
bright
islands,
there
are
more
ancient
fragments
than
you
can
shake
a
stick
at
-
the
belly
button
of
the
cosmos
at
Delphi,
fallen
columns
galore
on
the
sacred
island
of
Delos,
frescoed
Minoan
palaces
in
Crete
and
even,
quite
possibly,
the
remnants
of
Atlantis
at
Santorini.
Greeks
are
fierce
guardians
of
tradition,
but
that
doesn't
mean
they
don't
know
how
to
have
fun
-
their
propensity
for
partying
dates
back
to
Dionysos.
In
addition,
hot
sun
and
limpid
seas
conspire
to
make
Greece
a
compelling
place
to
relax.
Whether
you're
supping
in
a
beachside
taverna,
sipping
coffee
in
a
shady
plateia
or
disco-dancing
till
dawn,
chances
are
the
gods
already
have
you
ensnared
When
to Go
Spring
and
autumn
are
the
best
times
to
visit
Greece.
Conditions
are
perfect
between
Easter
and
mid-June
-
the
weather
is
pleasantly
warm
in
most
places,
but
not
too
hot;
beaches
and
ancient
sites
are
relatively
uncrowded;
public
transport
operates
on
close
to
full
schedules;
and
accommodation
is
cheaper
and
easier
to
find
than
in
the
mid-June
to
end
of
August
high
season.
Conditions
are
once
more
ideal
from
the
end
of
August
until
mid-October
as
the
season
winds
down.
Winter
is
pretty
much
a
dead
loss
outside
the
major
cities
as
most
of
the
tourist
infrastructure
goes
into
hibernation
from
the
middle
of
October
till
the
beginning
of
April.
This
is
slowly
changing,
however;
on
the
most
touristy
islands,
a
few
restaurants,
hotels
and
bars
remain
open
year-round.
Environment
Greece
lies
at the
southern
extremity
of the
Balkan
Peninsula
in southeastern
Europe.
To the
north,
it has
borders
with
Albania,
the
Former
Yugoslav
Republic
of Macedonia,
and
Bulgaria,
and
to the
east
it borders
Turkey.
The
peninsula,
which
constitutes
mainland
Greece,
is surrounded
by more
than
1400
islands,
of which
169
are
inhabited.
The
islands
are
divided
into
six
groups:
the
Cyclades,
the
Ionians,
the
Dodecanese,
the
islands
of the
North-Eastern
Aegean,
the
Sporades
and
the
Saronic
Gulf
islands.
The
two
largest
islands,
Crete
and
Evia,
do not
belong
to any
group.
Roughly
four-fifths
of Greece
is mountainous,
with
most
land
lying
over
1500m
(4920ft)
above
sea
level.
Epiros
and
Macedonia,
in northern
Greece,
still
have
extensive
forests,
but
goat
grazing,
felling
and
forest
fires
have
seriously
denuded
the
rest
of the
country.
Greece
is endowed
with
a spectacular
richness
of flora
- over
6000
species,
some
of which
occur
nowhere
else,
including
more
than
100
varieties
of orchid.
In spring,
the
Peloponnese
and
the
mountains
of Crete
explode
with
the
country's
best
show
of wildflowers,
including
crocuses,
anemones,
irises,
poppies,
lilies,
rock
roses
and
cyclamens.
Herbs,
too,
grow
wild
all
over
the
Greek
countryside
- follow
your
nose
and
you'll
find
yourself
standing
knee-deep
in wild
oregano,
basil
and
thyme.
Greeks
are
overly
fond
of hunting
and
fishing,
resulting
in the
serious
depletion
of marine
and
bird
life
in some
places.
The
human
population
that
shares
their
mountain
habitats
considers
wolves
and
bears
pests
rather
than
endangered
species.
Watching
dolphins
and
porpoises
as they
follow
the
boats
is one
of the
pleasures
of island
hopping,
and
the
waters
around
Zakynthos
and
Kefallonia
are
home
to the
last
large
colony
of sea
turtles
in Europe.
The
baby
turtles,
which
are
hatched
on sandy
beaches,
now
have
to face
not
only
natural
hazards
as they
make
their
way
out
to sea,
but
also
cars,
discos
and
beach
parties.
The
Mediterranean
monk
seal
is the
rarest
of all
the
seal
species
and
one
of the
six
most
endangered
mammals
in the
world.
Numbers
have
declined
drastically
in the
last
100
years
and
the
present
population
is 400,
about
half
of which
live
in Greece.
Greece
has
mild
wet
winters
and
hot
dry
summers.
Winter
temperatures
can
be severe
in the
mountains,
and
even
Athens
can
get
viciously
cold.
Maximum
temperatures
on the
islands
hover
around
30°C
(87°F)
in summer,
but
the
heat
is often
tempered
by the
northerly
wind
known
as the
meltemi
Environment
