JUST like any other Christian country in the world, Greece has its own peculiarities during Christmastime. And more so because Greece is mainly an Orthodox Catholic country, meaning it does not adhere to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican City. By the way, the Roman Catholic Church in itself is divided into various sects. There’s what we call as the fundamentalist Catholics, those ultra-conservative ones and some of its most famous members are Hollywood director Mel Gibson and Hollywood actor James Caviezel.

With this foreground, we can note that there are a lot of Christians around the world with very diverse traditions. In Greece for example, they open their Christmas gifts only on January 1. Whereas Catholics celebrate this event as the feast of the Queenship of Mother Mary (the mother of Christ), Greece Orthodox celebrate the event as the feast of St. Basil, the patron saint of Greece and the patron saint of Catholic sailors (the Roman kind).

Also during St. Basil Day, holy water is renewed blessing. In the Roman Catholic world, holy water is blessed during Holy Week so there’s the difference of the customs there. But there are commonalities however. In Greece, as in all Christian places around the world, children also go caroling. They carol the most to vacation homes where foreign visitors stay so go easy on them. After all, Christmas is a celebration for children because it is a celebration of the birth anniversary of Jesus, the Messiah for Christians.

Anyway, that’s just one part of the year that Greek children will go caroling in your house. The other part is during Halloween but I don’t think you’ll gonna be spending the whole year in Greece unless of course that you’re assigned here. But if you’re assigned here in Greece, then this will be entirely an adventure for you so here are some tips to maximize the enjoyment of your stay here.

Greece of course as we know is a country where crime virtually does not exist. People here are good-natured happy. And Greece has the largest Christmas tree in Europe smacked right in the middle of Athens thanks to the city government there under dynamic Mayor Dmitris Avramopoulos. Right now, it’s the first week of December already but there are still a few flights left for Greece. Go rush now, click that keyboard to the websites of either Expedia or Travelocity for a few deals left for Christmas. There are lots of bundled deals available online (i.e. round trip air tickets, hotels, car rentals and guided tours).

Greece is connected to Eastern Europe but theoretically, it is part of the Western World since it follows Western traditions. It is also a signatory of the Schengen agreement so if you come here via your own car from Albania or Macedonia, then your papers need not be checked. To the east lies Turkey, one of two countries in the world which lies on two continents – Europe and Asia. Have a merry Christmas in Greece!

PART of Greece being in the Mediterranean, its food is naturally healthy. It is because the combined seafood found in the Mediterranean such as redfish, grouper, lobsters, mussels; shrimps, prawns and crabs are mixed with olive oil which is also cultured in the Mediterranean region. Olive oil is said to be the healthiest cooking oil in the world because it has less fat content.

Although Greece is a relatively old civilization and therefore has its own established culture, most of its food is borrowed from other races. Some of them come from Turkey which is a landlocked neighbor and famous for its shawarma and lamb kebab, two of the most superior dishes in the Islamic world. Aside from there being delicious, shawarma and lamb kebab are eaten as nutritious because they are not composed of heavy fat content like pork.

Other specialties in Greece include sea urchin eggs mixed in lemon and olive oil, baked eggplants and other lasagna varieties, fried cheese and horiatiko psomi. There are lots of indigenous desserts here too including baklava, custard pies, among others. Meanwhile, flavorings included in the food mixture are oregano, mint, garlic, onion, dill, salt and bay laurel.

Common ingredients in a typical Greek diet count lemon and tomato paste. Some of the shawarma varieties include gyros which is actually roast pork or chicken with mixed fixings. Then there is also grilled meat called souvlaki locally. Since grilling is common in the Mediterranean area, it’s ideal that you buy a house which has a backyard or front yard. You may want to organize barbecue parties in your place to attract neighbors and friends. Other meat that can be barbecued includes octopus and sausages. When you grill sausages, you should incorporate wine in the mixture. The Greeks are very polite and friendly people and mingling with your new neighbors is one way to enhance cultural awareness. You may have seen My Big Fat Greek Life on television. That is an excellent example of a Greek family living in harmony. Mingling with your Greek neighbors surely creates friendship.

When you are scouting for properties here in Greece, bear in mind that you will be living in one of the oldest civilizations in the world – Olympia. The closer you are to the ancient city of Olympia, the higher the prices of properties here. There are some Greek properties which are fully furnished already while others are still vacant lots. These vacant lots will ultimately be constructed properties and specifications must be in conjunction to what is required by the developer. After all, these are plush subdivisions and the integrity of the developer must be kept intact.

But then again, you can espouse some ideas in your campus such as a squash court or a swimming pool perhaps. You must consult this with your architect and interior designer but above all, with the rest of your family. They are most essential in the decision process because they will be the ones living in the property for the rest of their lives.

SINCE Greece is a natural tourist destination because of its immensely rich history, its real estate industry is obviously booming. Common sense dictates that the tourism industry works hand in hand with the real estate industry. If there are many visitors in the place, there will always be people who are enticed to live there for good. But hey, properties are not just intended as permanent settlements. Some of the property buyers in Greece are people who invest in the properties and intend to lease them to other vacationers. Let’s now take a look at some of the hottest properties in Greece.

But first, let’s enumerate the various reasons why Greece is such a hot tourist destination aside from its rich history. Just like Spain, Italy and France, parts of Greece are bound to the Mediterranean Sea. As we all know, the Mediterranean is home to the finest seafood in the world such as redfish, grouper, mussels, lobsters and shrimps. Greek folks love to eat their Mediterranean catch fresh instead of refrigerated or frozen. This is one of the reasons why tourists love being in here. Another reason is their clean and beautiful beaches. As part of the European Union, Greece’s beach resorts are constantly inspected and marked for blue flag accreditation. A blue flag accreditation means that those beaches have achieved quality sanitation. Beach resort managements are so strict that they don’t even allow your rented off-road vehicle to be parked in their paved parking spots because the muddy imprints your tires will leave look unattractive. Other reasons include lack of internal strife, low crime rate, an excellent properties registry system, economic stability, a perfect climate all year round, the mushrooming of golf courses with PGA-accredited instructors and the most important of all factors – low interest mortgage rates..

Speaking of climate, Peloponnese peninsula in Greece is a potential for winter sports. Peloponnese peninsula counts off as one of the places in Greece with high mountain ranges. These mountains turn snowy during winter and if the easily accessible area is developed for skiing and other wintry sports, this can help turn the Greek economy around which has been reeling of the deadly forest fires just a few months back.

Now let’s take a look at the hottest properties in the country. In Santorini Island, you can find for example structures of a residential complex which can be fetched in for only 680,000 euros. This residential complex offers a stunning view of the island but if you want to literally look in, you can have your own swimming pool completely furnished already. All cottages are built in traditional Greek architecture and each unit in this high-end subdivision is two levels high and contains three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a cozy kitchen and dining area and a garden. The garden is ideal for middle-aged couples who want to have a second honeymoon for the rest of their lives. The first bedroom is theirs, the second bedroom is for the kids and the third bedroom is for the guests who may want to take a look at how serene Santorini Island can be.