Each year thousands of international students consider the prospect of receiving a quality education with the added bonus of glorious sunshine and spectacular scenery. The Indian Student investigates the appeal for students who all head for Greece…
Think of Greece and a host of appealing images spring to mind. Idyllic beaches and crystal-clear seas. Lazy lunches on a vine-shaded tavern terrace. Shady olive groves and honey -coloured ruins. Whitewashed cottages and blue-domed churches gleaming against an impossibly clear sky.
Greece, officially known as the Hellenic Republic, lies in the eastern Mediterranean and shares land borders with Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. It's a peninsular country with an archipelago of thousands of islands, of which around 160 are inhabited. Famed as the cradle of western civilisation and the birthplace of democracy, Greece attracts over 12 million visitors a year.
It's perfect for every type of student. Hedonists can party until dawn and then crash out on the beach all day. Nature-lovers can head off the beaten track and find themselves with only goats and backgammon-playing granddads for company. Culture-lovers are blessed with an unmatchable wealth of monuments and ancient sites. Sun-worshippers can lie back and appreciate the fact that Greece has more clean beach awards than any other EU country. It's a favourite with couples because only the hardest of hearts could fail to feel romantic faced with such beautiful scenery and stunning sunsets. And every budget is catered for, with accommodation ranging from the cheap and simple to exclusive villas.
Greece is also blessed with a varied geography. The north is relatively unvisited - apart from the beach resorts of Halkidiki - yet it has dramatic mountain scenery, important archaeological sites, and Mount Olympus , mythological home of the gods. There are pretty mountain villages in the Pelion Peninsula and the historical site of the Oracle at Delphi. Central Greece has more Blue Flag beaches than anywhere else in the country, and down in the Peloponnese there are more fine beaches and dramatic mountain gorges.
But for many students, Greece represents a part of Europe that is not only home to a plethora of educational opportunities but a place that can be all things to all people. The islands create a wide variety of experiences that are steeped in history as well as pleasure. All this plus plentiful sunshine, hospitable locals, a relaxed atmosphere and value for money is it any wonder why Greece remains a firm favourite with students.
CRETE
Crete is the largest of the Greek islands - 160 miles long and between nine and 38 miles wide - and the most visited by far, attracting two million visitors a year. It's also the most southerly, on the same latitude as Tunisia and Syria, so the sunny weather starts earlier and lasts longer here than elsewhere in the Aegean.
Lying as it does between three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa, it's distanced from the rest of Greece and so has developed a distinct identity of its own. The people are renowned for their passionate love of freedom and independence.
Crete is one of the most varied Greek islands, rich in history and legend as well as bars and beaches. It's famed as the home of the ancient Minoan civilisation . In Greek mythology, Daedalus and Icarus made their ill-fated flight from here. Zeus was born and raised here, and the Minotaur (half man, half bull) lived in the Labyrinth beneath the palace of Knossos.
Everywhere there are beautiful beaches to lounge on but if too much sunbathing bores you stupid, you can explore Venetian towns, admire Minoan ruins or visit Byzantine churches. For the sporty, there's good windsurfing, mountain trekking and cycling. Inland, the scenery is ruggedly beautiful, with spectacular mountains, gorges and ravines. Three-quarters of the land is hilly or mountainous. The remaining quarter is flat land taken up by agriculture, the island's second biggest earner after tourism. The island is harsh and barren in places, lush and green in others. You'll find palm trees at Vai and Preveli , and cedar forests at Gavdos and Hrissi . There are enough species of wildflowers to keep the keenest botanist busy, countless caves to explore, and hundreds of different wild herbs scenting the air.
In the north west, Chania and Rethymnon both have historic old towns, with narrow streets of old Venetian and Turkish buildings, and pretty harbours where you can sit out in one of the many taverns lining the quayside and concentrate on sipping a glass of raki and watching the caiques bobbing up and down. And if you take the narrow, winding mountain road over to the south-west corner of the island you'll find pretty villages, jagged cliffs, clean beaches and clear seas without crowds.
Best of all Crete is sunny, sunny, sunny - it claims to have at least 300 days a year of clear skies and sunshine. So, with all this plus quality education and living conditions is it any wonder why thousands of international students every year choose Crete!
