Karpathos, Greece

Greece, the home of enticing music, wonderful food and beaches giving the gift of serenity for free, is also the home of Karpathos. Finding an Island to visit is really your major problem when visiting Greece. I choose Karpathos. Karpathos is a 116 square mile, mountainous area between Rhodes and Crete. This area is small, but filled with big things to do. It comes complete with picturesque villages, sun-soaked beaches and excludes the traffic caused by tourists. Karpathos Town is the major village. At the airport, you can catch a cab to the fabulous Blue Bay Hotel, just 11 miles from the airport. Visitors come to the Blue Bay Hotel from all areas of the world. Rarely though do you see and American. That is not a bad thing when you are trying to get away from it all. You can bump into travelers with backgrounds of German, Scandinavian and Dutch. Across the street form the Blue Bay Hotel is a convenient place to rent a car, which will lead you in your exploration of Greece. You will find a small paved road that twists and turns all over the hills. While driving the road you will see many fascinating domed chapels, but most significant are the remains of a fourth-century Byzantine church and its fine belongings of mosaics. The church was founded in 1923 by archaeologists. Its remains are interesting to roam around in, picturing yourself in the fourth-century and how the church must have looked glowing with candles. Following the road along the coastline and rocky shore is a sight for sore eyes. The beauty takes you through to four hillside Villages. These village towns only have single lanes and tourists and locals have to share the road, letting the on coming car pass. Believe it or not, this unusual and rather annoying way of traffic works, and the locals love it. The main village is Olympos. Founded in 1420, this village offers traditional costumes, traditional cooking techniques including grinding flour with windmills, and home baked bread fills the town with its enticing smell. Along the maze of streets are plenty of shopping and coffee places to sit and enjoy. You could definitely loose and afternoon sitting in this amazing town. Many of the residents open their homes as family museums. The family history that fills each town is so amazing! The rows of hand painted plates and family photos sit above the flower printed table stands. The built in beds fill one wall and you will be amazed at how well the space was used. A vacation to Greece can be relaxing and fun, but a vacation in Greece that can be educational and fun is even better!! Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. Following the defeat of Communist rebels in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy; Greece joined the European Community or EC in 1981 (which became the EU in 1992). A gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and organized crime .

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