By Derek Kachadurian
Greek men hold worry beads (komboloi) in their hands—not to be confused with Catholic Rosary beads. It’s viewed as just a hobby!
Greece has a an abundance of “street dogs” who are loved by those in the community and taken care of by everyone!
Mana ine mono mia means “there is only one mother.” This common Greek expression refers to the role of the mother in society. Mothers are always important, but even more so in the Greek culture, partly because most men live with their mothers until their mid 30s.
Throughout the Greek mainland and Greek islands, you will come across white tree trunks. The Greeks actually paint them white to protect them from ants. They also add to the general scenery and match the color schemes of most of the islands!
Athens is the capital of Greece, and the first inhabitants to this city were present around the 11th-7th millennium BC. That makes it one of the world’s oldest cities. Part of what makes Athens so beautiful is the mix between history and modern life!
Greeks never eat alone! Greeks love their food and combine their amazing food with friends and family almost like a party! If you are eating alone the waiter will never come because he assumes others will join you.
You probably remember learning about the Parthenon in high school history class, but perhaps you didn’t realize how truly incredible it really is. It was originally built as a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena in 438 BC.
There are estimated to be around 120,000,000 olive trees in Greece, and some of the olive trees from the 13th century are still producing olives today.
Greece has anywhere from 1,200 to 6,000 islands, depending on the minimum size to take into account. But of all of these islands, only between 166 and 227 are inhabited.
Greece is 5 times the size of Massachusetts!
The annual olive production totals to be the weight of 1,575 blue whales!
The Greek nickname for the national soccer team translates to “the pirate ship.”
