CRETECRETE TRAVELTRAVEL GUIDEGUIDE AAnn insider'sinsider's guideguide toto Crete,Crete, featuringfeaturing thethe island'sisland's bestbest restaurants,restaurants, attractionsattractions andand thingsthings toto do,do, includingincluding howhow toto traveltravel therethere andand aroundaround,the,the nightlifenightlife andand beachesbeaches toto go.go. ByBy MariosMarios PapadakisPapadakis WhyWhy Go?Go? “Megalónisos”, the “Great Island”, is the Greek moniker for Crete and indeed it is almost a country uunto itself. It is best known asas the cradle of Minoan civilisation during the second millennium BC. It is also the 5th largest island in Mediterranean sea. Crete has a big production of olives. Crete offers many attractions for tourists and many big towns to stay. WhereWhere toto gogo Iráklio (Heraklion) Archaeological Museum is the world's greatest showcase of Minoan artefacts. Stop in before visiting nearby Knossos, despite much speculative restoration the most impressive of several Minoan palace complexes. Fast-forwarding in time, the medieval old towns of Réthymno and Haniá are redolent of the Venetianian andand Ottoman tenures on Crete. For hikers, the Samarian Gorge is the most spectacular of about a dozen canyons slashing through rugged mountains to arrive at the sea. CreteCrete attractionsattractions Knossos isis thethe largestlargest Bronze age archeological site on Crete and is considered Europe's oldest city. According to the myth, there was a Labyrinth where a mythic creature called Minotaur lived. Phaistos, currently refers to a Bronze age archeological site at modern Phaistos, a municipality in south central Crete. Ancient Phaistos was located about 5.6 km east of the Mediterranianian Sea and 62 km south of Heraklio, the second largest city of Minoan Crete. The name, Phaistos, survives from ancient Greek references to a city in Crete of that name, shown to be, in fact, at or near the current ruins. WhatWhat toto eateat && drinkdrink Crete has figured prominently in the revival in Greek cuisine, drawing on such locallocal ingredientsingredients asas flavouredflavoured rusks,rusks, freshfresh oror curecured meats, wild edible weeds and of course rakí or tsikoudiá, the famous local distilledled clearclear spiritsspirits mademade fromfrom grape pressings in October. WhereWhere toto staystay TheThere is a wide variety of hotels in Crete including luxury hotels, boutiqueboutique hotels,hotels, budgetbudget hotelshotels and studio apartments. Read the reviewsreviews andand book.book. NightlifeNightlife Town-centreTown-centre barsbars andand dancedance clubsclubs onon CreteCrete oftenoften taketake fullfull advantageadvantage ofof itsits considerableconsiderable VenetianVenetian heritage,heritage, specispecificallyfically vaultedvaulted oror arcadedarcaded ex-warehousesex-warehouses oror shipbuildingshipbuilding factories.factories. OtherOther vvenuesenues tendtend toto bebe outout ofof towntown onon beachbeach strips,strips, andand thesethese maymay begibeginn operatingoperating shortlyshortly afterafter (or(or eveneven before)before) noon.noon.On every town you willwill gogo suchsuch asas ChaniaChania andand AgiosAgios NikolaosNikolaos youyou cancan ffindind plentyplenty ofof clubsclubs andand barsbars toto enjoyenjoy yourselves.yourselves. BeachesBeaches Vai is the most popular beach in Crete. For the exotic Caribbean vibe – this is where Mars's "taste of paradise" Bounty bar advert was filmed in the early 1970s. Also known as Finikodassos , this gently curving golden sand beach is backed by Europe's largest natural palm grove – some 500 densely clustered trees in an oasis fed by a stream – which have stood here for more than 3,000 years. According to legend, the palms grew from date stones discarded by Saracen pirates and washed up by the sea. They are, in fact, a species of palm native to much of southern Greece and known to the ancients. Happily, they seem to be immune to the depredations of the Rhyncophorus weevil which has killed most of Greece's other palms – the trees here secrete a goo which envelops and suffocates the creatures. TryTry Crete,Crete, itit worthsworths visiting!visiting! Holiday destinations The island of Samos, Greece A great island… Samos is a great island where you can visit a lot of places and have fantastic holidays there. In Samos there are many sights to see , like Pythagorio and Marathokampos. Also at that places there are a lot of different bitches, some good and other which are the best at Samos. An island of legend and beauty Samos is described as "an island ruled by legend and beauty. It is the island of the father of mathematics, Pythagoras, the astronomer Aristarchus and the philosopher Epicurus. It is the home of Hera and the land that hosted Herodotus and Aesop. An important center of trade in the Aegean and a major naval force in antiquity, it came into contact with important Mediterranean cultures. An island for all This island is for all ages , from young children to elderly people. It is ideal for families as it offers a wide range of choices… You will never forget the crystal clear waters… Kokkari beach was chosen as one of the best European destinations Visit the picturesque Enjoy the local villages dishes . They are delicious The choices are endless Luxurious hotels, rooms, bungalows… Excellent accommodation for all budgets Places to visit… In Samos there are many sights to see , like Pythagorion and Marathokampos. If you go at Samos you will have fun there and when you return from the island you will be full of memories If you are interested in history you must visit the archaeological museum in Pythagorion and admire the dazzling treasures and valuable collections You will have a chance in a life time to visit the temple of Hera in The Pythagorion Samos summer wine…. • Sip on a glass of Samow wine before you leave… • Its sweet taste is unique… • You can also visit the wine museum If you ever come to Samos, it’s certain that you will soon be back….there is so much left to see… Zanneio Experimental Junior High School 2016- 17 A project by Nick Mastrominas B3 SummerSummer HolidaysHolidays SpendSpend youryour summersummer holidaysholidays onon thethe wonderfulwonderful islandisland ofof LefkadaLefkada ByBy MariadaMariada PolitiPoliti Take a trip to the center of Lefkada to see how beautiful this island is. It’s a place where you can relax and see this picturesque view. Another place you can visit is Nidri waterfalls. There you can’t do much but you can enjoy your walk through the olive trees and near the blue river…. And of course you can swim in the waterfalls! And don’t forget these worldwide known beaches, for example Agiofili, Porto Katsiki, Egkremnoi and many more…We also have some of the sunrise which make the seas shine. Something that you might not know is that Vassiliki in Lefkada is the third best destination in Europe for windsurfing! PATRASPATRAS Patras is the third biggest city in Greece. It has a lot of special monuments to visit. The Patras Carnival is one of the biggest in Europe. PATRAS Patras is the third biggest city in Greece. It has a lot of special monuments to visit. Saint Andrew’s Cathedral (Agios Andreas in Greek) is the largest church in Greece and the third-largest Byzantine-style church in the Balkans, after the Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade and Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia. Roman Odeon is an old theatre in Patras which was very popular in the ancient times. Today, it functions as the chief venue for Patras International Festival held every summer and other cultural events. In Patras there are a lot of beautiful beaches, like the beach of Panagopoula and Gianiskari which are very popular. This is the bridge of Rio-Antirio and it is very big. It was completed in 2004 and it unites the cities of Rio and Antirio. That’s why it is called Rio- Antirio bridge. It also connects Peloponnese with the west Greece. The Patras Carnival or Patrino karnavali is the largest event of its kind in Greece and one of the biggest in Europe. It has more than 180 years of history and is organized every year, 40 days before Easter. The carnival of Patras is not a single event but a variety of events that includes balls, parades, hidden treasure hunt and the children's carnival amongst others. It climaxes in the last weekend of Carnival with the Saturday evening parade of carnival groups, the extravagant Sunday parade of floats and groups, and finally the ritual burning of the carnival king at the St. Nikolaos Street pier in the harbour of Patras. Its characteristics are spontaneity, improvisation, inspiration and volunteerism.The purpose of the carnival is for everyone to have fun! So, don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit Patras! PIRAEUSPIRAEUS is a port city in the region of Attica, Greece. It is located within the Athens urban area, 12 kilometers southwest from its city center, and lies along the east coast. By Xristos Stratigos B3 PLACES OF INTEREST The Hellenic Maritime Museum and the municipal theatre are places worth visiting. HELLENIC MARITIME MUSEUM • The first attempt to establish the Hellenic Maritime Museum was in the newly established Greek state in 1867. That year the master of the Navy Gerasimos Zochios, founder of the Navy Retirement Fund, suggested that the Fund takes the task of collecting and conserving objects related to the Greek maritime history. MUNICIPAL THEATER • The Piraeus Municipal Theatre is a neoclassical building built on plans by architect Ioannis Lazarus and was opened on 9 April 1895. • The theatre has a 600-seat capacity and is located in the centermost place of the city of Piraeus. ENTERTAINMENT • One of the greatest things in Piraeus is night life. Pasalimani or Zea is the night outing place. All along the promenade you will find cafes, bars etc. In the two marinas hundreds of luxury yachts give a flavour of Cote D'Azur and St Tropez in France. Take a walk around Pasalimani and stay for a coffee or a drink on the open area cafeterias around the Gulf of Zea.