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“Stranger, rest your tired body, under the shade of the rock. In deed a pleasant
breeze blows through the tender leafs. Drink from the refreshing
water of the spring, for this brings relive to the travelers
of the hot summer.”
Many a time I have been asked the question: “What is so special about
Greece, why Greek products are so good?”
The reasons are so many that one would have difficulty to begin.
Shall I begin with the dazzling light of the islands, or the harsh
scenery of the Greek mountains?
Or start with the delicate harmony of the Cycladic villages, or the
strict architecture of the mountain settlements of the mainland?
The Greek landscape is the materialization of variety, of antithesis
and alternation, of the variety of color and of the human presence in prefect
harmony with nature.
 Over a period of many years, in long and short wanderings, I have admired the
beauty and diversity of Greece, in places that time has forgotten, places
that bring to our days a particular historical presence and a cultural heritage
of times bygone.
I have met people that in spite of modern times, continue to radiate
the warmth of authenticity and humanity, like the scent of old wood, in which,
previous generations were raised under harsh conditions in difficult times.
I have climbed on high mountain picks and admired the view of vast
mountain slopes covered in forests, undisturbed from the brutality of modern
civilization.
I have rowed to deserted coves, occasionally visited by a lone fisherman.
I have watched farmers cultivating their land with time long methods
without the aid of science or technology, and producing the most tasty fruit
and vegetables.
I have gazed at the horizon, as far as the eye can see, over a glittering
sea.
I have admired the beauty of wild flowers, not seen elsewhere, in
a Country; only second to Brazil in variety of plants.
 Greece, is still real, it has resisted the temptations of contemporary “comforts”.
It is a reality that has survived the pressures of commercialization,
in spite of the ever-increasing bad taste of the technological barbarity,
against the vulgarity of daily life that in latter years answers to the name
of modernization and globalization.
Mother nature has been very generous to this small corner of the
earth, placing it, in an ideal location with the prefect climate, and the
people have ensured that it remains free! Free from industrial waste, free
from the construction of gigantic monuments of technology. Free from air pollution.
And most importantly, free from the greatest threat of modern times, nuclear
energy! Electricity in Greece is produced in 13 thermal power stations, 27
hydroelectric (water) power stations, 8 wind and alternative power stations
and the independent island system of small thermal power stations and what
is more, a very active program of research for alternative forms of energy
exist, to replace thermal power in due course, thus improving further the
environment.
Future generations have a right to a clean and healthy place to live.
We have a duty to ensure that they have it. |
