"Greece is a Vast Country"
In his book "The Colossus of Maroussi" Henry Miller declared that "Greece is a vast country" and so it is, if not in square miles, most certainly in all other dimensions. Greece is a land of Shakespearean "infinite variety" of the kind that "custom cannot stain", as the Bard originally wrote for that most notorious of Greek Queens, Cleopatra. Variety, contrasts and conflicts, from the wide variety in the landscape, the beautiful beaches of the islands, the rough craggy mountains of Ipiros, the awe inspiring mountains of Psiloritis in Crete and of course the mythical home of the very Gods, Olympus, from snowy mountains to scorching rocks, there is no end to the different kinds of physical beauty to be found in this unique peninsula, dotted with so many rocks and islands. From the lush fertile beauty of the Ionian islands, with their color of emerald and their mild feeling of peacefulness, to the harsh jagged stern beauty of islands like Hydra with a whole history of armed conflict and piracy marked on its rocky surface. In fact, the Greek islands alone provide us with so much diversity it is difficult to take it in.

"Age cannot Wither Her, Nor Custom Stain her Infinite Variety"
Shakespeare also said for Cleopatra that "age cannot wither her". For Greece age is another vast dimension we are confronted with. A history going back over five thousand years and before that a mythology so sophisticated that it still holds sway today in our own civilization with the myths of Oedipus and the travels of Odysseus. The arrogance of the house of Atreus is still directly relevant to us and a source of contemplation and inspiration.

A Rich Mixture of Different Cultures
Greece has a long and lively history starting from prehistoric times, passing through classical and Roman centuries, enduring the invasions of the Franks (leaving behind them some extraordinary castles particularly in the Peloponnese) and the Venetians whose passage is particularly evident in the Ionian islands and Crete and, suffering four hundred years of Ottoman rule. Even the British and French ruled parts of Greece at some time or another. No wonder Greece has an inherited and rich mixture of different cultures that have influenced everything from the language, the music and poetry to the customs of this land.