Kristin and I had an opportunity to travel to Greece in October 2018. We joined the Expat Explore's 12-day Best of Greece Tour, but we also spent some time in the cities the Tour was not going.
Greece, officially known as the Hellenic Republic or Hellas, is a country located in Southern Europe, on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula. Its population is approximately 11 million in 2016. Its capital is Athens that is the largest city, followed by Thessaloniki.
Greece is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, bordering with Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. As a peninsula, Greece has the Aegean Sea to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Cretan Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It has approximately 6,000 islands and islets of which 227 are inhabited.
Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilization, being the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, Western literature, historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematical principles, and Western drama, as well as the Olympic Games. Amazing!
From the eighth century BC, the Greeks were organized into various independent city-states, known as poleis (singular polis), which spanned the entire Mediterranean region and the Black Sea. Philip of Macedon united most of the Greek mainland in the fourth century BC, with his son Alexander the Great rapidly conquering much of the ancient world, spreading Greek culture and science from the eastern Mediterranean to India.
Greece was annexed by Rome in the second century BC, becoming an integral part of the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine Empire, wherein Greek language and culture were dominant.
Apostle Paul began his mission journey out of Asia Minor to Europe in Greece. Rooted in the first century AD, the Greek Orthodox Church helped shape modern Green identity and transmitted Greek traditions to the wider Orthodox World.
Apostle Paul began his mission journey out of Asia Minor to Europe in Greece. Rooted in the first century AD, the Greek Orthodox Church helped shape modern Green identity and transmitted Greek traditions to the wider Orthodox World.
Greece fell under Ottoman dominion in the mid-15th century, the modern nation state of Greece emerged in 1830 after a war of independence. Greece's rich historical legacy is reflected by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
It was a great opportunity to see the rich ancient heritage and history through this trip. More detailed blog posts will follow. - Jeffrey
