Delos, Greece (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/530

According to Greek mythology, Apollo was born on this tiny island in the Cyclades archipelago. Apollo's sanctuary attracted pilgrims from all over Greece and Delos was a prosperous trading port. The island bears traces of the succeeding civilizations in the Aegean world, from the 3rd millennium B.C. to the palaeochristian era. The archaeological site is exceptionally extensive and rich and conveys the image of a great cosmopolitan Mediterranean port.

Sender: Elena,  Sent on: 26 May, 2014, Received on: 6 Jun, 2014, Travel time: 10 days

Old Town of Corfu, Greece (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/978

 

The Old Town of Corfu, on the Island of Corfu off the western coasts of Albania and Greece, is located in a strategic position at the entrance of the Adriatic Sea, and has its roots in the 8th century BC. The three forts of the town, designed by renowned Venetian engineers, were used for four centuries to defend the maritime trading interests of the Republic of Venice against the Ottoman Empire. In the course of time, the forts were repaired and partly rebuilt several times, more recently under British rule in the 19th century. The mainly neoclassical housing stock of the Old Town is partly from the Venetian period, partly of later construction, notably the 19th century. As a fortified Mediterranean port, Corfu’s urban and port ensemble is notable for its high level of integrity and authenticity.

 

 

Sender: Sophie, Sent on: 16 Apr, 2014, Received on: 25 Apr, 2014, Travel time: 9 days

Archaeological Sites of Mycenae and Tiryns, Greece (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/941

he archaeological sites of Mycenae and Tiryns are the imposing ruins of the two greatest cities of the Mycenaean civilization, which dominated the eastern Mediterranean world from the 15th to the 12th century B.C. and played a vital role in the development of classical Greek culture. These two cities are indissolubly linked to the Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey , which have influenced European art and literature for more than three millennia.

Sender: Elena, Sent on: 11 Mar, 2014, Received on: 25 Mar, 2014, Travel time: 14 days

Archaeological Site of Delphi, Greece (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/393

The pan-Hellenic sanctuary of Delphi, where the oracle of Apollo spoke, was the site of the omphalos, the 'navel of the world'. Blending harmoniously with the superb landscape and charged with sacred meaning, Delphi in the 6th century B.C. was indeed the religious centre and symbol of unity of the ancient Greek world.

Sender: Elena, Sent on: 11 Mar, 2014, Received on: 25 Mar, 2014, Travel time: 14 days

Archaeological Site of Olympia, Greece (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/517

he site of Olympia, in a valley in the Peloponnesus, has been inhabited since prehistoric times. In the 10th century B.C., Olympia became a centre for the worship of Zeus. The Altis – the sanctuary to the gods – has one of the highest concentrations of masterpieces from the ancient Greek world. In addition to temples, there are the remains of all the sports structures erected for the Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia every four years beginning in 776 B.C.

Sender: Elena, Sent on: 19 Feb, 2014, Received on: 24 Feb, 2014, Travel time: 5 days

Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonika, Greece (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/456

Founded in 315 B.C., the provincial capital and sea port of Thessalonika was one of the first bases for the spread of Christianity. Among its Christian monuments are fine churches, some built on the Greek cross plan and others on the three-nave basilica plan. Constructed over a long period, from the 4th to the 15th century, they constitute a diachronic typological series, which had considerable influence in the Byzantine world. The mosaics of the rotunda, St Demetrius and St David are among the great masterpieces of early Christian art.

St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church

Imperial splendour and the changing fortunes of the Thessalonian church were inextricably linked during the early centuries of Christianity. It was during the period that the palatial complex of Galerius was being built (298-311) that St Demetrius was martyred (c. 303). Some time later the rotunda, which Galerius had probably planned as his mausoleum, was taken over by the Christians who converted it to a church dedicated to St George. North of the Forum, on the ruins of the thermae (baths) where tradition has it that St Demetrius was imprisoned and tortured, they built the Basilica of St Demetrius. Rebuilt in 412-13 by the eparch Leontius and enlarged in 629-34 according to a grandiose plan that included five naves, the church, despite having been ravaged by fire in 1917, remains one of the most notable monuments of the early Christian era.

Sender: Elena, Sent on: 19 Feb, 2014, Received on: 24 Feb, 2014, Travel time: 5 days

Flag of Greece

My first postcard from Greece   :)

Nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; a blue square bearing a white cross appears in the upper hoist-side corner; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country; there is no agreed upon meaning for the nine stripes or for the colors; the exact shade of blue has never been set by law and has varied from a light to a dark blue over time.

Sender: elena944, Sent on: 17 Dec, 2013, Received on: 13 Jan, 2014, Travel time: 27 days