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Matala & Crete Information
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| Mermaid Cafe in Matala 1969 |
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Mermaid Cafe
Dana Kennedy [Islands Magazine]
September 2006
It's been 35 years since Joni Mitchell sang "Come on down to the Mermaid Cafe and I
will/buy you a bottle of wine/and we'll laugh and toast to nothing/and smash our empty
glasses down" in her timeless song "Carey. |
| A visit to Matala |
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Where is it?
Matala is on the southwestern coast of Crete, about a ninety-minute drive from Heraklion (Iraklion).
Why You Should Go:
Famous since ancient times for its magnificent cave-pocked cliffs, Matala was a prime hippie destination in the 1960's. |
| Taxis in Crete |
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Taxis are quite cheap in Greece, so they can be considered a very convenient way of moving around in Crete. Using a taxi in the cities of Heraklion or Chania will rarely cost more than 3 €.
Taxi fare structures are the same all over Greece and they are regulated by the Greek State. |
| Ancient Greece – The Players |
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Below is a partial list of some of the more important figures and characters, both mythical and real, that played a significant role in the history of Greece (The Roman counterpart is found in parenthesis).
The Olympian Gods and Goddesses:
Aphrodite (Venus) - goddess of love and beauty. |
| National Holidays |
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Note that most businesses and shops close down for the afternoon before and the morning after a religious holiday. If a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is often observed.
The Greek Orthodox Easter is usually a week before or after the Roman Easter. |
| Kreta |
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Crete is to Greece what Scotland is to the UK, the Deep South is to the US, or Bavaria is to Germany: a country-within-a-country, with its own traditions, unique character and history, and even linguistic idiom, but an integral part of a unified national whole. |
| Churches |
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The national religion is the Greek Orthodox faith, but the church of Crete is not under the Greek mainland church.
It is an autonomous institution which owes its allegiance directly to the Patriarchate of Konstantinople.
The Greek clergy have always been associated with the political and national life of their people. |
| Baptism |
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The Baptism of a baby is an extremely important ceremony in the Greek Orthodox faith.
The rite not only marks the moment the child becomes a Christian but is also filled with traditional symbolism.
One of the most important roles in the ceremony is that of the koumbaros (godparent) and to be appointed as a koumbaros is to receive a great honor . |
| Naturism in Crete |
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Throughout Greece, naturism is only allowed in a few licensed areas but it is tolerated in a number of places.
Most of these places are quiet, remote beaches or coves. The situation might change suddenly (often when a beach canteen is built a "No nudism" sign will appear) or seasonally (for example at weekends and in July and August when many Greek families go to the beach) so do use your common sense. |
| Athens 2004 |
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Athens was selected as the host city of the 2004 Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland on 5 September 1997. On that same day, the Host City Contract for the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad was signed. These events marked the beginning of a unique journey in the history of Olympism that will culminate in Greece from 13 to 29 August 2004. |
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Matala & Crete Information
Sites close to Matala
Kamilari, Preveli Monastery, Mires, Matala Crete, Timpaki, Galia, Plakias, Odigitria Monastery, Knossos Palace, Sivas, Asterousia Mountains, Iraklio, Zaros, Agia Galini, Messara Valley, Red Beach, Agia Triada, Gortyna, Komos, Kaliviani Monastery,
Rent a Car in Matala
Matala Dimitris Villa Hotel Photo Gallery
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