Desalination for the Environment: Clean Water and Energy

3–6 September 2018, Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece

About Greece

• Athens is one of the oldest capitals in the World, and more than 45% of Greece’s population lives there.
• There are over 120 million olive trees in Greece; some of them date back from the 13th century and still producing olives.
• Greece is considered to be one of the sunniest countries in the World, with over 300 days of sunshine a year.
• There are thousands of English words that came from Greek language, words like apology, siren, marathon, academy, alphabet and many others, Greek being also the oldest Written Language Still in Existence.
• Greece has over 6.000 islands and islets, out of which about 170 of them are inhabited.
• Greece is the country with the most archaeological museums.
• Greek language has been spoken for over 3,000 years, making it one of the oldest languages in the World.
• If a Greek spits on you, don’t get mad, it’s a good thing. It’s supposed to chase the misfortune away.
• The highest point in Greece, Mount Olympus, was considered to be home of the Gods.
• In Greece it considered an insult to wave somebody with the fingers extended. Try remembering that next time you visit Greece.

Athens

The historical capital of Greece named after goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge.
Athens is where democracy was born, 2.500 years ago,
where the marvel of architecture, the Parthenon, was created,
where art became an inseparable part of life and philosophy became a way of thinking.
Athens is a symbol of art, freedom, and democracy in the conscience of the civilized world. A city built in history.

Useful information

• Arriving/Departing: Athens International Airport "Elefterios Venizelos". is situated in Spata area, 25 km from the center of Athens (approx. 40 min drive). Athens airport is directly connected to al major cities in the World, including some regional airports of European destinations.
• Getting Around: Transportation in Athens is inexpensive. A subway and metro system links the city with Piraeus port, the suburbs and downtown Athens. Buses run regularly all over the city. The Metro runs every about four minutes during rush hours and at about every ten minutes at all other times. From midnight to 5:30am, the Metro is closed. Taxis in Athens are cheap and easy to catch. You can normally pick them on the road at any time of the day but you can also call a radio taxi. You may find yourself sharing a taxi with strangers... While this is illegitimate in principle, it is, however, an everyday Athenian acceptable practice.
• Entertainment and Cultural Events: Whether one wishes to broaden his/her cultural horizon or just to have fun, Athens is the place to be! The days and nights present the visitor with a dilemma on what to choose : museums, ancient Greek drama or modern theatre, dance, cinema in high tech theatres or in cute little open-air cinemas (during summer season), listening to music and/or dancing, eating out or clubbing. Musical events range from opera and classical music at the Megaron Mousikis (Athens Concert Hall) to Greek music played at all sorts of different places (taverns, concert halls, nightclubs) and from rock or pop concerts to Ethnic music events and Jazz concerts, … everything is there!
• Currency: Greece's monetary unit is the Euro, since 2001.
• Shopping in Athens: Shopping is easy and enjoyable, with many shopping centers where variety is again a main feature together with quality and fashion. Thousands of traditional artefacts are available in Monastiraki’s Flea Market, located in the area of Plaka at the foot of the Acropolis, where even a simple stroll is fulfilling.
• Time difference: Greece (GMT + 2) is 2 hours ahead from Greenwich.

Tours to consider while in Athens

Athens and the Acropolis

Guests’ will meet at the Hotel’s lobby, where their English speaking guides will welcome them.

Together, they will board their awaiting coaches and depart for the day’s City Tour around the city’s main points of interest, such as the Panathenaic marble Stadium, the Parliament and other landmarks of the city of Athens.

After about 30 minutes’ drive around the city center, they will reach the foot of the Acropolis. On the natural fortress of the Acropolis, reinforced by the hand of man, stand the Propylaea, the temple of the Winged Victory, Erechtheion with the Porch of the Caryatids and, towering over all, and the majestic Parthenon.

Cape Sounion

The scenic ride will take guests along the “Apollo Coast”, passing by some of the most popular summer resorts and beaches, to Cape Sounion, a promontory on the southernmost tip of Attica. Here, on a windswept bluff rising above the Aegean Sea, rises the Temple of Poseidon, one of the most impressive classical monuments to have survived to the present day.

The temple was built shortly after the middle of the 5th century B.C., during the same period that saw the beginning of work on the great monuments on the Athenian Acropolis. What remains of the temple today are 13 Doric columns, standing majestically on the edge of the cliffs nearly 200 feet above the sea.

Even though today it is in ruins, it still dominates the surrounding countryside from its position on the highest point of land in the region.

Full Day Delphi

The tour to Delphi will take guests via the plains of Thebes and Levadia and through impressive mountainous terrain, to what is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of classical Greece.

According to mythology, it was here in Delphi that Zeus released two eagles, one from the East and the other from the West. At the point where they met he threw a sacred stone, thus marking the center of the earth, or the "Navel of the World". Today the excavations at this site have revealed the impressive Sanctuary of Apollo, dating back to the 5th century B.C., with its numerous temple ruins, treasuries and monument foundations. A Doric temple dedicated to Apollo, the god of Spirit and Music, dominates the center of the sanctuary. It was to this temple that ancient Greeks came to consult with one of the most important oracles of all antiquity -- the famous Oracle of Delphi.

Dress code : Comfortable shoes, sunglasses

Full day Argolis

This is going to be a rather long but interesting day, so early departure from Athens is suggested.

The first stop will be at the Corinth Canal, where guests will be able to get off the coaches and gat some pictures of this great achievement of the past, while their guide will give them all relevant historical facts.

Departing from the Canal, we will drive towards the Archaeological site of Epidaurus, where the World famous theatre lies.

Built against the lower slopes in a beautiful setting, the Theatre of Epidaurus is the most famous and best preserved of all the ancient theatres in Greece.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site it is made of limestone, seats about 15,000 people and is still used for performances to date.

Upon completion of the visit at Epidaurus, we will continue towards the town of Nafplion, for a quick visit – we have the option to also have lunch in Nafplion – before we continue towards the Archaeological site of Mycenae.

These are imposing ruins of one of the greatest cities of the Mycenaean civilization, which dominated the eastern Mediterranean world from the 15th to the 12th century B.C. and played a vital role in the development of classical Greek culture. The city has an indissoluble link to the Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey , which have influenced European art and literature for more than three millennia.

One Day Cruise

Schedule:

• Sailing time 8.15 am
• Return approx. 7.30 pm

Islands visited:

• Hydra
• Poros
• Aegina

Lunch onboard

Dress code: Comfortable shoes, sunglasses