- Read up on Mykonos and learn a few words of Greek - Greeks like it when you try speaking their language, it shows respect towards their culture.
- Remove all excess packaging - waste disposal is a problem on the Greek islands. Where most rubbish have to be burned polluting the environment. Keep plastic and waste away from the beaches.
- Ask your hotel for specific tips for responsible travel in Mykonos.
- Ask your hotel whether there are local conservation or social projects that you could visit on your trip, and if/how you could help support them while on holiday
- Buy local produce in preference to imported goods.
- Hire a local guide - you'll discover more about Mykonian culture and lives, and they will earn an income. Guides are available for your trip to ancient Delos.
- Do not buy products made from endangered species, hard woods or ancient artefacts
- Respect local Mykonian culture, traditions and holy places - if in doubt ask advice or don't visit
- Use public transport like buses, hire a bike or walk when convenient - its a great way to meet local people on their terms and reduce pollution and carbon emissions.
- Use water sparingly - its very precious in the Greek islands and tourists tend to use far more than local people.
- Remember that Mykonians have different ways of thinking and concepts of time, this just makes them different not wrong - cultivate the habit of asking questions (rather than the Western habit of knowing the answers).
- Write to your hotel with any comments or feedback about your holiday, and especially include any suggestions on reducing environmental impacts and increasing benefits to the local community.
- Why not donate to a local project in the area you’ve visited?
Above all enjoy and experience the Greek hospitality, gastronomy and unique nature.
Showing posts with label SUPPORT GREEK TOURISM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SUPPORT GREEK TOURISM. Show all posts
Saturday, 15 January 2011
Saturday, 8 January 2011
SUPPORT OUR CAUSE USE #SGT11 ON TWITTER!
We are a new online travel service, with offices in London, England and Athens, Greece. We promote quality and sustainable forms of tourism in Greece.
Our focus is to bring independent travellers in touch with the unique Mykonian culture and its authentic people, in destinations that are both on and off the beaten track, helping them relax and spend quality time with friends and family.
Our travellers are able to explore, share knowledge and gain experiences by visiting exciting destinations offered by our network of carefully chosen partners.
Our mission is to help explore inform, share, gain and above all show that there is more to sustainable and quality tourism !
OUR CAUSE :
SUPPORT GREEK TOURISM 2011 USE #SGT11 ON TWITTER
We are launching our new twitter campaign to Support Greek Tourism in 2011.
If you are a Twitter fan, then please use #SGT11 to express your support for sustainable Greek Tourism in 2011. You can share with us positive experiences, tips, advice or suggestions for destinations that you have visited and want to share with others. Our philosophy is to explore, inform, share and gain!
Greek tourism is the main drive of the Greek economy and many people and businesses are depending on tourism to survive. Exploremykonos, is promoting sustainable, quality forms of tourism in Greece.
Use #SGT11 to support one of the most beautiful destinations on the planet!
Become a member with http://twubs.com/sgt11 and tweet with us!
Greek tourism is the main drive of the Greek economy and many people and businesses are depending on tourism to survive. Exploremykonos, is promoting sustainable, quality forms of tourism in Greece.
Use #SGT11 to support one of the most beautiful destinations on the planet!
Become a member with http://twubs.com/sgt11 and tweet with us!
PARTNERS
HOW DO WE CHOOSE OUR PARTNERS?
We are looking for partners that share our passion and are willing to join our efforts.
Guidelines and procedures for quality responsible Tourism
• A procedure for responding to travellers complaints & feedback on sustainable travel practices
ENVIROMENT
• Efforts to reduce waste and save energy (reduce-reuse-recycle).
• Evidence that travellers are provided with suggestions how to reduce water use in their destinations.
• Evidence that travellers are provided with relevant suggestions to minimise damage to the environment, wildlife and marine ecosystems.
COMMUNITY
• Evidence that the partner promotes visits to appropriate local projects with direct or indirect environmental benefits.
• Evidence that travellers are provided with suggestions of ways to minimise negative impacts on local cultures
• Evidence that the partner provides suggestions for destination visits to appropriate local social projects with direct or indirect benefits to the host community.
• Evidence that the partner employs local people wherever possible under fair employment practices.
• Evidence of ethical management and leadership.
• Evidence that the partner makes use of local produce, manufacturers and other services.
• Evidence that travellers are provided with suggestions of local services that provide local community benefits (e.g. restaurants, guides, shops, craft markets)
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
500 years of wine drinking!
500 years of wine drinking cups mark social shifts in ancient Greece
University of Cincinnati research examines a timeline of wine drinking cups over a 500-year period in ancient Athens. Changes in cup form and design point to political, social and economic shifts.
How commonly used items – like wine drinking cups – change through time can tell us a lot about those times, according to University of Cincinnati research to be presented Jan. 7 by Kathleen Lynch, UC associate professor of classics, at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America.
Lynch will present the research at the event’s Gold Medal Session, when archaeology’s most distinguished honor will be bestowed on her mentor, Susan Rotroff of Washington University.
UC’s Lynch will present a timeline of wine drinking cups used in ancient Athens from 800 B.C. to 323 B.C. and will discuss how changes to the drinking cups marked political, social and economic shifts.
Think of these symposia as the ancient world’s ultimate cocktail parties, with established rituals and rules. An important aspect of any symposium was the wine cup, and the form of and the imagery on the cups reflected the shared culture of participants, as well as the larger social realities and changes in their world during the following periods:
Drinkers imbibed in rounds, so consumption of wine (mixed with water) was equitable. In other words, everyone got drunk at about the same rate. No teetotalers permitted.
Said Lynch, “The focus was on drinking communally and in equal amounts. Inhibitions were lost. In-group bonds were formed.”
Why study these items? “Because,” stated Lynch, “People’s things tell you about those people and their times. In the same way that the coffee mug with ‘World’s Greatest Golfer’ in your kitchen cabinet speaks to your values and your culture, so too do the commonly used objects of the past tell us about that past. And, often, by studying the past, we learn about ourselves.”
![This three-foot-high Iron Age gravemarker is in the form of a mixing vessel (water and wine) used at symposia. It signals the importance of the symposia in Athenian society. People wanted to be remembered for their ability to sponsor these gatherings. [Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art]](//lh6.ggpht.com/_BfC6j03vee0/TSL4u5VYLDI/AAAAAAAAJU4/cnVzrfqFbNA/1atoasttohist_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800 "This three-foot-high Iron Age gravemarker is in the form of a mixing vessel (water and wine) used at symposia. It signals the importance of the symposia in Athenian society. People wanted to be remembered for their ability to sponsor these gatherings. [Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art]")
At this time, even grave markers for the very wealthy came in the form of the mixing bowls (kraters) used to blend wine with water during symposia. In other words, the ability to sponsor these drinking events was what people wanted to be remembered for.
The drinking cups during this period were simply decorated and rested directly on a base (no stem).
The middle of the 6th century B.C. saw a rapid proliferation of cup types: Komast cups, Siana cups, Gordion cups, Lip cups, Band cups, Droop cups, Merry-thought cups and Cassel cups – last only a few decades in terms of popularity. Some of these remain popular for only a few decades.
Explained Lynch, “Possessing what was newest in terms of mode and style of drinking cups was likely equated with knowledge and status. The elites may have been seeking cohesion and self definition in the face of factional rivalries and populist movements. This hypothesis underscores how the drinking symposia – and specific cup forms identified with specific factions – might have been used by aristocratic blocs to cement group bonds in the politically charged environment of the time.”
It’s estimated that drinking vessels for symposia comprised up to 60 percent of the terra cotta fineware (collection of dishes) in the typical Athenian home of this period. “The typical home had few useful dishes for eating in contrast to many vessels designed for drinking wine in communal settings,” explained Lynch.
This period ends with the devastating Persian Wars, which Greece won. The proliferation of cup types fell, with red-figured drinking cups, introduced around 525 B.C., becoming the most popular.
By the end of the 5th century B.C., Athens was weathering the Peloponnesian Wars and plague, and people were searching for an escape. This came in the form of an aesthetic restlessness. Fads in drinking cups came and went, but few developed into long-lived styles.
These new cup innovations tended to emulate the fineness commonly found in silver work at the time. For instance, there were many more plain, black clay cups with shiny surfaces. And delicate stamped and incised designs in clay cup interiors imitated metal prototypes on the cheap. In other words, the common terra cotta cups were “designer knock-offs” of the “high-end” designs found on silver cups.
Stemmed cups had finally run their course, being 200 years old at this point, and a stemless form became more popular.
Said Lynch, “People may have been seeking a visual antidote to the struggles of the period and a yearning for luxury at odds with daily conditions.”
Also “running out of steam” in this period was the tradition of decorating cups with human figures. A decorative innovation, called West Slope, became popular at this time. It consisted of colored clay applied atop black-glazed surfaces to create the effects of garlands and wreaths. Human figures were no longer depicted.
Finally, as Athens fell under the sway of Philip of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great, the symposium came full circle. It began in the Iron Age as a practice of the elite. Then, with the movement toward democratization in Athens, participation in symposia broadened. Now, in Athens’ Hellenistic period, the practice was again the prerogative of the elites as a luxury and display of ostentatious consumption. Equality was no longer important in a state that was no longer democratic but monarchical.
Lynch’s research on symposia of ancient Greece received funding from the Louise Taft Semple Fund of the Department of Classics at UC; the Samuel H. Kress Foundation; and the Sheldon H. Solow Foundation, Inc.
Author: M. B. Reilly | Source: Red Orbit [January 03, 2011] http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/
How commonly used items – like wine drinking cups – change through time can tell us a lot about those times, according to University of Cincinnati research to be presented Jan. 7 by Kathleen Lynch, UC associate professor of classics, at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America.Lynch will present the research at the event’s Gold Medal Session, when archaeology’s most distinguished honor will be bestowed on her mentor, Susan Rotroff of Washington University.
UC’s Lynch will present a timeline of wine drinking cups used in ancient Athens from 800 B.C. to 323 B.C. and will discuss how changes to the drinking cups marked political, social and economic shifts.
Background
Lynch’s specific area of study, which will result in a forthcoming book, is what’s known as the “symposium” in ancient Athens. These were gatherings held for nearly a millennia where communal drinking of wine was a means for cementing cultural norms and social bonds that carried over into the world of politics and business.Think of these symposia as the ancient world’s ultimate cocktail parties, with established rituals and rules. An important aspect of any symposium was the wine cup, and the form of and the imagery on the cups reflected the shared culture of participants, as well as the larger social realities and changes in their world during the following periods:
- Iron Age (1,100-700 B.C.)
- The Archaic Period (700-480 B.C.)
- The Late Archaic Period (525-480 B.C.)
- The High Classical Period (480-400 B.C.)
- The Late Classical Period (400-323 B.C.)
- The Hellenistic Period (323-31 B.C)
Basic rules of Athenian symposia
Couches or mattresses used by reclining participants were set in a circle or square. So, there was no formal position of status or group “head.”
Drinkers imbibed in rounds, so consumption of wine (mixed with water) was equitable. In other words, everyone got drunk at about the same rate. No teetotalers permitted.Said Lynch, “The focus was on drinking communally and in equal amounts. Inhibitions were lost. In-group bonds were formed.”
Why study these items? “Because,” stated Lynch, “People’s things tell you about those people and their times. In the same way that the coffee mug with ‘World’s Greatest Golfer’ in your kitchen cabinet speaks to your values and your culture, so too do the commonly used objects of the past tell us about that past. And, often, by studying the past, we learn about ourselves.”
Iron Age Symposia and Drinking cups (1,100-700 B.C.)
The drinking gatherings (symposia) were reserved for the elite, probably allowing political factions to consolidate power and set themselves apart from the population at large. In other words, the drinking gatherings were for the “in” crowd.![This three-foot-high Iron Age gravemarker is in the form of a mixing vessel (water and wine) used at symposia. It signals the importance of the symposia in Athenian society. People wanted to be remembered for their ability to sponsor these gatherings. [Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_BfC6j03vee0/TSL4uQZ3T2I/AAAAAAAAJU0/ksQVSyv889c/s1600-h/1atoasttohist5.jpg "This three-foot-high Iron Age gravemarker is in the form of a mixing vessel (water and wine) used at symposia. It signals the importance of the symposia in Athenian society. People wanted to be remembered for their ability to sponsor these gatherings. [Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art]")
At this time, even grave markers for the very wealthy came in the form of the mixing bowls (kraters) used to blend wine with water during symposia. In other words, the ability to sponsor these drinking events was what people wanted to be remembered for.The drinking cups during this period were simply decorated and rested directly on a base (no stem).
The Archaic Period (700-480 B.C.)
After the turn of the 6th century B.C., changes in the fashion of drinking cups began, corresponding with Athens’ rising political power and rising dominance in the ceramic market. Variety and quality were high during this period. It was the beginning of black-figured pottery production as well as plain, black-glazed versions. Stemmed cups became more popular, probably because they were easier to hold while reclining.
The middle of the 6th century B.C. saw a rapid proliferation of cup types: Komast cups, Siana cups, Gordion cups, Lip cups, Band cups, Droop cups, Merry-thought cups and Cassel cups – last only a few decades in terms of popularity. Some of these remain popular for only a few decades.Explained Lynch, “Possessing what was newest in terms of mode and style of drinking cups was likely equated with knowledge and status. The elites may have been seeking cohesion and self definition in the face of factional rivalries and populist movements. This hypothesis underscores how the drinking symposia – and specific cup forms identified with specific factions – might have been used by aristocratic blocs to cement group bonds in the politically charged environment of the time.”
Late Archaic Period (525-480 B.C.)
The overall number of wine-drinking vessels increased dramatically during this period, pointing to the democratization of the symposium, as well as the democratization of the political and social arenas. The masses had become the political, if not the social, equals of the elites, and these masses were now enjoying symposia of their own.
It’s estimated that drinking vessels for symposia comprised up to 60 percent of the terra cotta fineware (collection of dishes) in the typical Athenian home of this period. “The typical home had few useful dishes for eating in contrast to many vessels designed for drinking wine in communal settings,” explained Lynch.This period ends with the devastating Persian Wars, which Greece won. The proliferation of cup types fell, with red-figured drinking cups, introduced around 525 B.C., becoming the most popular.
High Classical Period (480-400 B.C.)
Red-figured cups (cups decorated with red figures vs. black) remain popular through the first part of this period of cultural development in Athens, but the cups grow taller and shallower.
By the end of the 5th century B.C., Athens was weathering the Peloponnesian Wars and plague, and people were searching for an escape. This came in the form of an aesthetic restlessness. Fads in drinking cups came and went, but few developed into long-lived styles.These new cup innovations tended to emulate the fineness commonly found in silver work at the time. For instance, there were many more plain, black clay cups with shiny surfaces. And delicate stamped and incised designs in clay cup interiors imitated metal prototypes on the cheap. In other words, the common terra cotta cups were “designer knock-offs” of the “high-end” designs found on silver cups.
Stemmed cups had finally run their course, being 200 years old at this point, and a stemless form became more popular.
Said Lynch, “People may have been seeking a visual antidote to the struggles of the period and a yearning for luxury at odds with daily conditions.”
Late Classical Period (400-323 B.C.)
Trends toward pseudo luxury (designer knock-offs) in drinking cups continued; however, the variety of these “silver-inspired” clay cup designs diminished after the turn of the 4th century B.C., probably because the forms were impractical. For instance, one clay cup – modeled on a silver drinking vessel – featured delicate high-swung handles that served no useful purpose in clay.
Also “running out of steam” in this period was the tradition of decorating cups with human figures. A decorative innovation, called West Slope, became popular at this time. It consisted of colored clay applied atop black-glazed surfaces to create the effects of garlands and wreaths. Human figures were no longer depicted.Finally, as Athens fell under the sway of Philip of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great, the symposium came full circle. It began in the Iron Age as a practice of the elite. Then, with the movement toward democratization in Athens, participation in symposia broadened. Now, in Athens’ Hellenistic period, the practice was again the prerogative of the elites as a luxury and display of ostentatious consumption. Equality was no longer important in a state that was no longer democratic but monarchical.
Lynch’s research on symposia of ancient Greece received funding from the Louise Taft Semple Fund of the Department of Classics at UC; the Samuel H. Kress Foundation; and the Sheldon H. Solow Foundation, Inc.
Author: M. B. Reilly | Source: Red Orbit [January 03, 2011] http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
#SGT11
We are launching our new twitter campaign to Support Greek Tourism in 2011. If you are a Twitter fan then please use #SGT11 to express your support for Greek Tourism in 2011. You can share with us positive experiences, tips, advice or suggestions for destinations that you have visited and want to share with others. Our philosophy is to explore, inform, share and gain!
Greek tourism is the main drive of the Greek economy and many people and businesses are depending on tourism to survive. Exploremykonos, is promoting sustainable, quality forms of tourism in Greece.
Use #SGT11 to support one of the most beautiful destinations on the planet!
Greek tourism is the main drive of the Greek economy and many people and businesses are depending on tourism to survive. Exploremykonos, is promoting sustainable, quality forms of tourism in Greece.
Use #SGT11 to support one of the most beautiful destinations on the planet!
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