Greece, Cradle of Civilization

Children coming home from school in the town of Sifnos, in Crete

The Orthodox faith is the official and prevailing religion of Greece and a key element to the country's identity, ethnicity, and culture. There are numerous monasteries and tiny churches dotted around the countryside.

The Orthodox faith is the official and prevailing religion of Greece and a key element to the country's identity, ethnicity, and culture. There are numerous monasteries and tiny churches dotted around the countryside.

A woman points out the direction to the town of Pirgos, in Crete.

In the archaeological site of Gortyna, in Crete, one can see the stone tablets engraved with the 6th-century-BC Laws of Gortyna. The 600 lines written in a DOrian dialect were the earliest law code in the Greek World

Once the capital of Minoan Crete, Knossos is the island's major tourist attraction. This photograph is of the theatral area, a series of steps whose function remains unknown. It could have been a theatre where spectators watched performances, or the place where people gathered to welcome important visitors arriving by the Royal Road.

Ripe berries hang thick on the thorny evergreen shrub (Pyracantha coccinea) commonly known as the Scarlet firethorn. This specimen grows high in the White Mountains on the island of Crete.

The farming of sheep and goats is the most important activity in the animal production sector of Greece, both in terms of employment (about 300,000 families) and overall income (45% of the gross value of animal production). There are 9,200,000 sheep and 5,600,000 goats, of which 95% of the adult females are milked, primarily for cheese production.

The Church of Agios Titos, in Heraklion, Crete, was constructed after the liberation of the Crete in AD 961 and was converted to a Catholic church and then a mosque. Twice rebuilt after being destroyed by the big fire in 1554 and then the 1856 earthquake, it has been an Orthodox Church since 1925. This lady is getting the church ready for the Christmas festivities.

Greeks love mussels in a Saganaki, a soup, seafood pizza or, deep-fried. Mussels are served most commonly with Ouzo or Tsipouro (a home-distilled eau de vie with or without the anise flavouring). Lots of bread are called for here, it would be a sin to leave behind all those tasty peppers behind!

In every Greek kafeneio (cafateria) you can see men playing the Greek game of 'tavli'. It looks a bit like the 'western' game of backgammon. Sometimes they play this very quietly but sometimes the situation gets to be very hectic and noisy. It's played for fun and sometimes also for money or a gamble, another favorite sport of many Greeks.

Greece produces the most delicious and healthiest sweet confectionery of all: halvas. Because of its high content of fat, calcium, iron, phosphorus, proteins, and vitamins A and C, it is a long-lasting and nutritious source of energy and is also believed to rejuvenate the cells of the body. Halvas is served for breakfast on account of its nutritional value, as well as for dessert along with a glass of wine. Halvas is particularly popular with Greeks during Lent since it is thankfully not prohibited.

Greek Worry Beads (Komboloi) originated thousands of years ago in the prayer beads of many cultures and traditions... Today they are used for their comforting effect and as a remembrance to all of the Greek people and their culture.

All sorts of dried and fresh beans with vegetables and greens (horta) are a main staple for the traditional Cretan family and almost all meals are accompanied by fresh cooked or raw vegetables. In the Cretan homes in the villages slow food is prepared with only the freshest of ingredients. Recipes are kept simple with wild herbs added for flavour.

The Monastiraki flea market in Athens is a maze of people, stands, booths, and many cafes and restaurants where you can take a break. There are people selling anything from antiques to what you might call useless junk and it goes on forever, beyond Monastiraki Avenue and into Thission and Psiri.

The giant "pithoi" are ceramic jars used for storing olive oil, wine and grain. About 100 of them were found in Knossos, Crete. Some were 2m high.

Greece has been marked by a new development activity in recent years, the birth of the modern theme parks. With the ride-based amusement parks of early 20th century America as its antecedents, the amusement theme park industry has witnessed a fairly rapid international expansion in recent years. This ride patiently awaits the upcoming vacation season.

Studies demonstrate that the Cretan cuisine is the most characteristic and qualitatively high example of the Mediterranean diet. It has been shown that the inhabitants of Crete have the lowest indicators of mortality and, on a global scale, the lowest mortality from cardio-vascular illnesses and cancers.

Many traditional 17th century buildings have been renovated and turned into hotels to offer comfortable and pleasant accommodations in many Greek cities and villages.

A lady selling anemones in the island of Milos. The name Anemone roughly means "wind flower", which signifies that the wind that blows the petal open will also, eventually, blow the dead petals away.

The Greeks developed three architectural systems, called orders, each with their own distinctive proportions and detailing. The Greek orders are: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The Ionic style, shown here in a column at the archaeological site of Delphi, is thinner and more elegant. Its capital is decorated with a scroll-like design (a volute).

Traditional Greek cooking is based on what's in season at the moment. Meals are often planned at the last minute, depending on what looks irresistible at the market. Simple combinations of dried fruits and nuts are great additions to other dishes and morsels served with drinks and beverages.

Visitors to Greece return home with memories of fabulous dishes featuring fresh tomatoes that just taste "different." It's got to be the soil, the sun, the climate - because tomatoes grow around the world.

The beaches in Greece are among the best beaches in world, and although they can be enjoyed most of the year, they serve primarily as a summer playground for visitors from all over the world.

Shrines are a common sight along the roadsides in Greece (and many other countries), ranging from small glass cabinets on metal legs to elaborate brick built altars. Mostly these shrines are erected by family members to honor and remember loved ones who have died in traffic accidents.

The cloister of a monastery was supposed to be a replica of the Garden of Eden, protected from the outside world. Simple fountains, called lavabos, were placed inside Medieval monasteries such as this one at the Gouverneto monastery in Akrotiri, Crete, and were used for ritual washing before religious services.