Background: 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. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between royalist supporters of the king and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece was able to join 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); it became the 12th member of the euro zone in 2001.
May 1st 2008Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki On Tuesday I headed out to Vergina. Lonely Planet claims you can do Pella and Vergina in one day, and perhaps you can, but you would need to get an early start and have a copy of the bus timetables. I ... 17 photos[full story]
April 29th 2008Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki Here I am in Thessaloniki, Greece. The flight went well. I watched Charlie Wilson’s War (great film, despite starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Tom Hanks is one of those actors though - you m ... 10 photos[full story]
April 5th 2008Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki April 4 - 5
Friday April 4
After a great breakfast, provided by our hotel, Kia, James, and I ventured out into the rain that was coming down on Thessaloniki. We made out way to the Archaeological M ... [full story]
March 24th 2008Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki My last day in Thessaloniki was spent with the family. We had a lazy morning and then went to meet Eleni's other sister Alexandra and her husband Gregory. Alexandra was exactly what I imagined a Gre ... 11 photos[full story]
March 24th 2008Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki {A little background before I start this one. My Grandpa (Dad’s dad) is from northern Greece near Thessaloniki. Around 10 years ago we got a letter from one of his cousins trying to make conta ... 10 photos[full story]
December 16th 2007Europe » Greece » Macedonia » Thessaloniki For almost a year now I have been hopping the same fence almost daily, and not just the simple meaning of fence. I don’t mean the little white pickets which are conjured up in the brain at the m ... [full story]
Map of Greece
Greece's Flag
