Greece

Greece is a land of metamorphosis. Travel the dusty routes bordered with laurel trees, raise your eyes to the rough hills ringing the horizon - all seems still and dry. And yet, a turn in the road may reveal a green valley lush in the brilliant sunlight. And of course, beneath the thin crust of the present, lie reminders of the great civilisation which was built here: the art and architecture of Ancient Greece. The snowy peak of Mount Olympos yields to the wooded slopes of Thessaly. Once home to Zeus and other gods, it is now for visitors to enjoy walking and climbing among the nine peaks of the range. The ancients viewed this as the northern boundary of their world. Off the southern tip of the country, the islands offer another landscape, where the blue sea and white sand beaches beckon. From the noisy exuberance of Athens, to the natural charm of rural Greece; from modern sea-side resorts to ancient temples and theatres; from white villages against the azure sea to the ornate Orthodox churches, Greece is a land which will please yen with its many changing facets.