Fodor's Exploring the Greek Islands

by Franquet, Sylvie; Sattin, Anthony

• ISBN13: 9780679032083
• ISBN10: 0679032088
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-04-01
• Publisher: Fodors Travel Pubns

Summary

+Description= P>Praise for Fodor's Exploring Guides "Astonishingly hip." -- New York Daily News "Handsomely designed...Fun to leaf through...Conveys a sense of what each destination is like." -- The Los Angeles Times "Authoritatively written and superbly presented...Worthy reading before, during, or after a trip." -- Philadelphia Inquirer "Concise, comprehensive, and colorful." -- Washington Post Fodor's Exploring Guides are the most up-to-date, full-color guidebooks available. Covering destinations around the world, these guides are loaded with photos, essays on culture and history, descriptions of sights, and practical information. Full-color photos make this a great guide to buy if you're still planning your itinerary (let the photos help you choose!) and it's a perfect companion to a general guidebook, like a Fodor's Gold Guide. All the great sights plus the history and anecdotes that bring them to life Extraordinary coverage of history and culture Itineraries, walks and excursions, on and off the beaten path Architecture and art Practical tips and full-color maps and photos Getting there and getting around When to go and what to pack Quick tips on where to sleep in every price range Savvy restaurant picks for all budgets

Table of Contents

Quick Reference Our Greek Islands

The Greek Islands Are

The Greek Islands Were A to Z

The Greek Islands Are

Athina (Athens) Geography

The People Earning a Living Paying the Price Politics

Religion Festivals Food and Drink Restaurants and Kafeneia

The Greek Islands Were

Mythological Beginnings Ancient Gods

History Cycladic Culture

The Minoans Mycenaean and Archaic

Classical and Hellenistic

Roman and Byzantine

Crusaders and Venetians

Under Ottoman Rule

Independent Greece

Recent Times

Turko-Greek Relations Focus On Cretain Painters Island

Flowers Scheilmann and Evans Kazantákis and Zorba Greek Easter

Ancient Religion Greek

Shipping Greek Art

Greek Wine Atlantis

Earthquakes Pilgrims and Monastics Sponge

Diving Greek Medicine

Knights of Rhodes Homer and

The Odyssey Italian Influences

Foreign Writers Greek Poetry

Greek Theater

Greek Islands Wildlife

The Illiad Greek Music

Walks Old Chaniá, Crete

Agioi, Apóstoloi and Potamiá, Náxos

Diafáni to Olympos, Kárpathos Rhodes Old Town

The Arethoúsa Fountain, Itháki Fríkes to Stavrós, Itháki

At the Foot of Mount Lepétimnos, Lésvos Spétses Pine

Forests From Skópelos

Town Bike Rides

In the Foosteps of Hippocrates, Kós To the Temple of Aphaia (Naós Afaía),

Aígina Drives

Réthymno to Irákleio, Crete

The Tragéa Valley, Náxos Thíra in a Day

The Knights Castles, Rhodes Palaiokastrítsa and Agios Geórgios, Corfu

To the Mastic Villages, Chíos Northern Evvoia Travel

Facts Hotels and Restaurants

Index

Acknowledgments

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

THE ISLANDS ARE



Geography


Island Landscapes


Geology, topography, and climate have combined in Greece to create some of the most stunning
scenery in the Mediterranean -- helped, of course, by a legendary blue sea that is glimpsed at almost
every turn when you are traveling in the islands. The Greek Islands are mostly the peaks of an
otherwise submerged landmass. Their appearance is so varied that it is impossible to make
generalizations: many of the larger islands have extremely fertile districts, as in the interior of
Naxos, for example, while some smaller islands appear to have been worn down to the bare rock.
Other small islands, such as Paxoi and its tiny neighbor Antipaxoi, in the Ionian Sea, are very
fertile -- Paxoi is entirely given over to olive cultivation while Antipaxoi is dedicated to
grapes.



The People


Meeting the People


You might not be invited into people's homes, but even on a first meeting -- out strolling along
the waterfront or lingering over a coffee or an ouzo -- islanders are usually welcoming and open.
Their hospitality, like so much else on the islands, is shaped by the sea. History has taught
islanders to be wary of invaders; you might be met with suspicion if you hint of any plans to settle,
but otherwise you are welcome because you have stopped on their island, of which they are proud. Often
you will find yourself being shown around or told about the place with candor, wit, and humor.



Festivals


The Greek year is punctuated by festivals. There are saints' days every day of the year, and
many traditional festivals are maintained locally, celebrating everything from harvest to the arts.
The Lent Carnival is a time of freedom and excess. If you are lucky enough to be on an island during
a festival, join in, for a glimpse of real island life.



Taking Part


Greeks are extremely welcoming to outsiders: if you happen to be on an island at a time of
public celebration, feel free to join in. For religious celebrations, Orthodox church services are
generally more informal than those of Roman Catholic or Protestant churches. People come and go,
children run around and, provided you are suitably respectful, you will be welcome.



Food and Drink


Greeks love to spend evenings talking, laughing, drinking, and eating. A meal is always shared,
wine flows freely and bread is abundant as both body and spirit are satisfied. Mealtimes tend to be
late, leisurely, and, above all, are there to be enjoyed by everyone.



Eating Habits


Greeks eat little in the morning, so hotel breakfasts are often poor. It may be better to shop
for a picnic breakfast of bread, fruit and rich, thick Greek yogurt with honey. In comparison with
most visitors, Greeks eat the main meals of the day late: in Greek homes lunch is usually served after
2pm, and dinner at 10 or 11, although restaurants do serve meals earlier than that. Children are
welcome and Greek cuisine offers several dishes to their taste. Many dishes are cooked in the morning,
so food is often lukewarm, sometimes cold, but Greeks do not complain as they believe that hot food is
bad for the stomach.



Ordering Food


Before ordering, Greeks ask the waiter what's cooking, as specialties are often not on the
menu. You may want to look at the menu to familiarize yourself with the Greek names of food or to get
an idea of the price range, but ask the waiter if there is anything else.



Mezedes


Starters or mezedes are served with ouzo or beer as a complete light meal or at the beginning
of a larger meal. As soon as Greeks arrive in a restaurant drinks are ordered, a variety of dishes
is put in the middle of the table to be shared by everyone and the evening is under way. Anything
served in portions smaller than a main course will do, but there are a few classics: choriatiki or
Greek salad, tzatziki (yogurt with cucumber and garlic), grilled feta cheese, ochtapodi
(grilled or boiled octopus), melitzanosalata (eggplant mousse), taramá (fish-roe salad),
and tiropitákia (spinach and cheese pies).



Main Courses


Greeks are the biggest meat-eaters in Europe. The most common meat dishes are souvlaki
(lamb, veal or pork brochette), brizoles (chops), keftedes (meatballs), biftekia
(Greek hamburger), and kotopoulo (chicken). On special occasions a spit-roast lamb
(arni psito), kid (katsiki) or suckling pig may be available.



Restaurants and Kafeneio


Local Knowledge


Greeks love going to restaurants with company or parea, a group of friends or the extended
family. Like most Greek cuisine, Greek restaurants are easy-going, apart from a few more formal
places in Athens and Mykonos. The best advice is to choose a restaurant where Greeks eat, remembering
that they dine later in the evening. This may well mean giving the sea and the often tourist-oriented
waterfront a miss and venturing inland. Simple tavernas, filled with Greek families around long
tables, frequently produce the most delicious food and their waiters do not need to tout for business.




Where to Eat


An estiatorio is the closest thing to a restaurant, often with French or Italian
cuisine. A taverna is a straightforward place with plastic-covered tables and, a menu of mezedes,
grills, and stews. A psarotaverna specializes in fresh fish. These can be tiny beach cabins, where
fishermen cook the day's catch, or expensive waterfront tavernas with superb displays of fish,
seafood, and lobster. A psistaria is a grill house specializing in char-grilled meats, which
often serves kokorétsi, a sausage made of offal, or a lamb's head.



The kafeneio is the coffee bar where from morning till evening men sip coffee or play cards and
backgammon. In small villages without tavernas the woman of the house may serve home-cooked food or
offer some local cheese.

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Excerpted from Exploring the Greek Islands by Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc. Staff
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.