The Greek Islands and Their People The classical gods made their home here, fighting their battles, having their love affairs, and giving birth to their children. The Persians coveted them over 7,000 years ago, and they were stepping-stones on the long East–West trading routes throughout Hellenistic and Roman times. Throughout most of the last two millennia, they were fought over by European superpowers and became pawns in the religious conflicts between Christianity and Islam. Although they now form part of the modern state of Greece, a deep imprint of history’s footsteps can be seen clearly on every dusty hill, in every olive grove, and along every coastline. Today, with their hot summer days, warm waters, abundant beaches, and distinct lifestyle, the Greek islands of the Aegean are among the major tourist playgrounds in the world. The Aegean is a small sea, a finger of water 640 km (397 miles) long, and 320 km (198 miles) wide, pointing up out of the eastern Mediterranean between the modern states of Greece and Turkey. Its more than 1,400 islands, although scattered, form a series of groups, each with its own particular character. This guide will introduce you to many, but not all, of the popular Aegean Islands. The most accessible islands from Athens are the Cyclades to the southeast, thrown like a handful of pebbles into the sea. In ancient times, they sat in a circle (cyclos) around the sacred island of Delos, and their name has carried through into modern times. The islands’ barren landscapes and stark white, cubical houses with their blue-shuttered windows bedecked with geraniums represent the Greek islands to many. The most popular and best known are the lively island of Mykonos and the awe-inspiring caldera of Santorini. Collected together in the southeastern reaches of the Aegean Sea are the Dodecanese islands. They rest against the southwest corner of the Turkish coastline. The major island in the group is Rhodes (covered in its own Berlitz Pocket Guide), but others include Kos and Patmos. In the eastern Aegean, three of its larger islands mirror the western Turkish coastline. Lesvos, Chios, and Samos still have many vestiges of the traditional rural lifestyle that made them rich and coveted during previous centuries. In the northern Aegean are three more disparate islands — Thasos, Limnos, and Samothraki — while southwest of these, closer to Athens, are the Sporades islands of Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonissos, and Skyros — until recently the exclusive playground of the Greek jet set. The volatile and fascinating history of the whole area means that no two islands are identical, although similarities do exist. Despite countless different landlords, the basic elements of the way of life of ordinary people have changed little for over 5,000 years. The seas produced abundant food for the earliest settlers, and the warm summers brought forth crops of grain that sustained humans and provided grazing for herds of goats from the fifth century b.c. onward. Since the Bronze Age, donkeys and mules have provided a means of transport; around the same time, the first olives and vines were planted in the ground. Life was governed by seasons of planting, tending, and harvesting. Look around the Greek islands today and there is little cause to think that much has changed. Tradition plays a great part in island lifestyle. The sexes still lead separate lives, with the women in the home, chatting across balconies festooned with washing or sitting on shady street corners. The men work in the fields or at their boats, with older men at the kafeneion or coffee shop — where the world is put to rights over a strong café ellenikos. The family is the core of daily life. Children, especially boys, are seen as a blessing and are treated with indulgence, fussed over by mothers and grandmothers. Grandparents and fathers push the carriages of the new arrivals during the evening volta, or stroll, glowing in the warmth of the congratulations of their neighbors and friends. Fathers and uncles employ sons and nephews in family businesses, before any outsider. The siesta is an important part of the day. Everyone from the youngest to the oldest rests during the heat of the afternoon and makes the most of the cool evenings, often not going to bed until well after midnight. Historically, the fabric of life has been sustained by religion. Indeed, the church, and the Orthodox religion, was identified with all that was Greek long before the modern state was created in 1832. Through natural disaster, war, and disease, the church has been there as a place of refuge and solace, both physically and spiritually. To this day, the priest has a strong influence within the community. Women have traditionally formed the majority of the congregation, praying for the protection of their fathers, husbands, and sons while they were away at sea in merchant fleets, diving for sponges, or working in lands far away. The smallest whitewashed churches house a simple cross, icon, and lit candles, although you will find the largest churches are somewhat more lavish and ornate. Greece once had the largest merchant fleet in the world, and the sea still plays a major role in the life of the Aegean. On smaller, more remote islands, ferries form the only transportation link with the outside world. They carry essential goods, just as they have done throughout history. Each island has a flotilla of small craft setting sail daily to bring fresh catch to the island’s tables. However, tourism has begun to alter this long-standing scenario. It is now the biggest money earner in the islands. In high season, you will share your Greek odyssey with visitors from almost every country in Europe, and increasingly from around the world. This has saved many islands from the brink of poverty and depopulation, although it is undoubtedly affecting the character of many of the more popular islands. Island society has seen more change in the last twenty years than in the previous thousand. Today, motor scooters often drown the sound of playing children, and mobile phones are heard far more frequently than the haunting cadences of the bazouki. More often than not, the harried man walking briskly along the street while taking his call — often waving an arm in animated fashion — has a business empire of restaurants, car-rental agencies, ticket offices, and studio apartments to manage. He needs to keep his finger on the pulse to succeed during the short tourist season. As incomes rise, the young farmer buys a truck to replace his father’s trusty donkey, or he gives up farming altogether to open a bar or car-rental office. The fisherman uses his boat to ferry tourists to nearby beaches rather than to catch fish. But the picture is not quite as bleak as it is painted. Tourism too is a seasonal industry, fitting neatly into the traditional cyclical pattern of island life. In spring, before the tourists arrive, goats and sheep give birth and their herds head out to the open pasture; a little later, the grain crop is harvested. As autumn approaches, another harvest begins. Olives, walnuts, almonds, and late developing fruit must all be brought in and preserved before the start of winter. So in a sense, island life continues just as it always has!