Rhodes

I wish I could visit this magnificent place listed on the UNESCO list. Doesn't it look charming?

Rhodes (ro-dos in Greek) is the jewel in the Dodecanese crown. It’s big, brash and bold and receives by far the lion’s share of visitors to this island group. It’s open year-round and enjoys an exceptionally mild climate. It combines all that is needed in a holiday island: beaches, nightlife, culture, scenery, greenery and comfort. Like Crete, its larger neighbour to the southwest, it could almost exist independently of the Greek mainland.

Rhodes grows on you slowly. If you’re not captivated at once by the intriguing and almost magical World Heritage–listed old centre of Rhodes Town with its labyrinthine back streets and medieval fortifications, you will be by the dreamy beaches, snaking mountain roads, wild almost untouched interior and rocky mountains. The best dining and accommodation is found on Rhodes.

The island is also the focal point for most regional transport and you will almost inevitably pass through the island at some stage. [source: lonelyplanet]

Thank you very much Milda!

Piraeus

Again a splendid card from Greece with such a beautiful variety of stamps!

Piraeus is the main port of Greece and one of the Mediterranean’s major ports. The city is the hub of the Aegean ferry network, centre of Greece’s maritime export-import and transit trade, and base for its large merchant navy. While Piraeus was a separate city, nowadays it virtually melds imperceptibly into the expanded sprawl of Athens. The road linking the two passes through a grey, urban sprawl of factories, warehouses and concrete apartment blocks.

Piraeus can be as bustling and traffic-congested as Athens, though the proximity to the sea gives it a different feel. Central Piraeus is not a place where many visitors linger; most come only to catch a ferry. Beyond its façade of smart, new shipping offices and banks, much of Piraeus today is a hotchpotch of rejuvenated pedestrian precincts with shopping strips, restaurants and cafés and more grungy areas with run-down buildings or industrial zones.

The most attractive part of Piraeus is the eastern quarter around Zea Marina, and the lovely, albeit touristy Mikrolimano harbour, where the seafront is lined with restaurants, bars and nightclubs. The charming residential neighbourhood of Kastella on the hill above Mikrolimano and the swanky seaview apartment blocks around Freatida are where the money is. Piraeus’ waterfront was tarted up before the Olympics, creating a tree-lined promenade along the ancient walls surrounding the harbour. [source: lonelyplanet]

Thank you very much Milda!

Serifos

What an amazing card and the stamps are fantastic as well! 

Just like so many other parts of Greece, Serifos has a rich history that divides its origin into two different streams: the mythological history and the historical facts. The island was already inhabited since Prehistoric times, as shown findings in Koutalas Cave. 

The Cretans came in the historical times and their economy was based on exploiting the mines of Serifos.

After the Cretans, the Phoenicians took Serifos, and then the Mycenaens. All this has in part been deducted from the testimony left by the tombs, the 5th century White Tower and other monuments of different origins.

Today, although the population has decreased and the remaining inhabitants are devoted to agriculture and fishing, Serifos manages to attract tourists by means of its natural beauty, and has been developed in this branch, which is also one of its main current economic resources, hosting thousands of tourists every year. However, when it comes to mythology, the story is very different. 

There are two legends related to this subject. The first one is related to a few real facts, like the explanation of why the coastline looks so rocky, which feature is true.

On the other hand, the other legend is more related to the historical facts previously mentioned. According to this one, the island was at first inhabited by Cyclops, a group of giants, sons of Poseidon, who lived in a cave near Psaropyrgos. They are said to have construct the huge walls surrounding the island, so the mentioned walls of Liomandra and the White Tower are said to be the remaining of these.

Regarding the mineral resources of the island, these are said to be exploited by them, which made possible the development of the later civilisation. So in this story, we can see one way to conciliate the real facts, with the mythology that surrounds Greece, which is an undeniable part of the Greek culture. [source: greeka.com]

Thank you very much Milda!

The Odeon of Herodus Atticus

Besides the card itself I was also extremely glad to see this great amount of very nice stamps put on it! The above 0,03 cent stamps is issued in 2011 part of the Destination Greece series. The 0,03 cents stamp in the middle shows an Octopus vulgaris and is part of a 2012 issue Treasures, riches of the sea. The above right stamp with 0,10 cents value I couldn't find any info on and the paper boat stamp (no visible value) issued in 2010 is part of a Greek Islands series. -update: the paper boat stamp has a value of 0.62 cents.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens: Built at the base of the Acropolis, the ancient amphitheatre of Herodeion, also known as the Odeon of Herodus Atticus, is today one of the best places to experience a live classical theatre performance. This ancient theater was built in the Roman times, in about 161 A.D. by the Roman philosopher, teacher and politician Herodes Atticus. It was built in the memory of his wife Aspasia Regilla who died in 160 AD.

This semi-circular amphitheater has a wide 1,250 feet radius with a seating capacity of more than 6,000 people. The original wall of the stage stood three storeys high and was decorated with marbles and ceramic pieces while today it stands in ruins. The stage and seating area was laid with marble while it has been renovated today. A cedar-wooden roof covered the theatre in the ancient times.

In the 1950s, a renovation took place helping us to visit and get a taste of this architectural treasure. Today you can attend the Athens Art Festival, musical concerts and classical tragedies under the night sky with a marvelous acoustic experience. All events are held from May to early October since the theatre is open. The Herodeion Theatre stands on Dionysiou Areopagitou Pedestrian Street, right under the Acropolis. [source: greeka.com]

Thank you very much Milda!

Greece

Experience endless miles of aquamarine coastline, sun-bleached ancient ruins, strong feta and stronger ouzo. The Greek landscape thrills, and Greek people are passionate about politics, coffee, art and gossiping.

Let the Greece you’ve been imagining fill your senses, whether it’s through the pulsing nightclubs of Mykonos or the solemnity of Meteora; the grandeur of Delphi or the earthiness of Metsovo; the rugged Cretan hillsides and the lush wildflowers of spring. You’ll quickly become acquainted with the melancholic throb of rembetika (blues songs) and the ability of the ancient sights to unleash an imagination you might not have realised you had. You’ll also encounter thought-provoking modern art and a vivacious contemporary music scene, stumbling across galleries, live music and impressively modern museums in the most unexpected places. Greece balances its past, present and future in a way managed by few other countries. The result is a country with endless cultural pursuits. [source: lonelyplanet]