I loved the video on Greece’s culture, history, and way of living. I was blown away by the greeting done in Greece. I was unaware that this is how people greet each other, and I look forward to experiencing this. Also, I never knew that Greece is seen as the cradle and birthplace of European Civilization and thought. This is new to me, and I am glad to have learned this! I also found it really cool to learn about the geography in relation to Greece because I was not well-informed on this prior to watching this video. I did not know that there are 13 regions in Greece.

I was interested in the portion of the video that talked about Greece’s islands. I did not know that there are 2,000 islands. Also, I learned that you can find a body water very close in all directions in Greece. All of the photos shown in this video are getting me incredibly excited for this trip!! Everything looks absolutely beautiful. It was cool to learn about the individual islands and what characteristics and features they carry.

I also really enjoyed learning about the historical sites in Greece. I found the Meteora Pillars and the other sites featured to be fascinating. Watching this video made me want to explore more of the historical sites virtually, before going to Greece. I also was interested to learn about the culture and lifestyle of the Greek people. It was funny to hear the reference to My Big Fat Greek Wedding. A fun fact I learned is that retirement homes in Greece are not as prevalent as they are here. Most grandparents who should be in a retirement home end up moving in with their families.

• Ashley Kaufman

Hi Ashley,
I also thought the video was really fun! I thought the pictures they kept showing of Greece were beautiful, too, so that was really cool for me.

The only part of the video that was weird to me was that monastery that doesn't allow women, which definitely made me feel kind of weird. The fact that some women throughout history have snuck in was something I found funny.

• Jessica Andrews

The video starts with the point that Greece is often viewed as being the cradle of European civilization and thought, with so many influences to Greece prominent throughout the world in various cultures and countries. Greece is made up of nine different regions with it's capitol, Athens, being one of the oldest capitols in the world. With around 2,000 islands, Greece is one of the largest sea-faring countries in the world. The country is about 80% mountains, with two main mountain ranges, and Mt. Olympus as the tallest mountain in Greece (also known throughout mythology). In addition, it is one of the most seismically active countries and gets an average of 250 days of sunshine in a year.

Some aspects of Greece culture is the food which includes popular dishes like gyros, pita, olives, and moussaka. Vast majority of the country are made of ethnic Greeks (around 93%), it has one of the eldest populations, and majority of the population is female. Greece history has played a large impact on the rest of the world (the video references classical Greece, Roman Greece, etc. to name a few of its periods), and voting/conscription are required by law. Instead of birthdays, many celebrate name day which celebrates the patron of which they got their name from. Many citizens are Christian, have close-knit/large families, and traditional dance and music can easily be found around Greece.

• Phoebe Handler

Hey Phoebe! I found the video to be incredibly informative, fascinating, and enjoyable to watch. I learned so much about Greece and I can honestly say that this video got me even more excited about this trip!! The information you wrote about is great, and I found many connections to my post while reading yours. The history of the islands in Greece is very interesting, and I did not know that there are around 2,000 islands! I too enjoyed learning about the food in Greece as well as the family culture. Great post!

• Ashley Kaufman