Where will you celebrate Easter? The question is not asked by chance, because, doing a quick survey of the travel agencies in our area, we found that a lot of people will be spending the peak of Holy Week outside the walls.
The destinations, in fact, are specificwith Corfu being the number one goal of our fellow citizens. “And this Easter, Corfu will be flooded with people” commented characteristically Patrinos who comes from the island of Phaeacians and knows good people and things there. Among the main options, however, are also islands of the Cyclades and the Dodecanese with holy pilgrimages, such as Tinos and Patmos, without, however, going back and cosmopolitan islands such as Zakynthos, Hydra, Spetses, Skopelos, Chios and Aegina.
In Tinos, Epitaphios is lit up in the sea
“There are few places left on the excursions to Corfu and Tinos”reported to “Peloponnese” agency officials “Kavalieratos Tours”. “There are several interesting 4-day packages at good prices and with extra benefits in tours and meals, which have increased the interest of people who want to spend Easter away from home.”
What they told us from the agency was on the same wavelength “Matthews Tours”. “We as an office are almost full for Corfu and Zakynthos. We see a strong trend of people wanting to get away for a few days. In fact, a lot of people are starting to plan for the summer as well.”
Finally, George Spyropoulos from the agency “Rania Tours” stated the following: “Corfu is the main choice of our customers. The traffic is heavy, as also for the excursion to Skopelos. Personally, I notice a remarkable movement from Athens as well and I hope that this tendency of the world for escapes will continue throughout the next period”.
In terms of prices, there are packages for all sizes, although we must not ignore that at the current time there is a slight increase. Nevertheless, travel agencies try to maintain a high level of service by including various extra benefits in their packages. On average, a four-day excursion starts from 250-270 euros per person and can reach even higher levels, even two or two and a half times higher, depending on the destination, the level of the hotel, the provision of breakfast, lunch or meals , some guided tour, etc. All of the above shows, however, that during the Easter season, money will move into our country, with tourism creating optimism and revealing good omens ahead of the summer season.
We left for the end two more special Easter destinations in our homeland. First of all, the Syros, capital of the Cyclades, which has a peculiarity: The common celebration of Easter by the Orthodox and the Catholic Church, even though the Catholic Easter falls on a different date. This celebration proves how harmoniously the two communities coexist on the island. And then Leonidio, with the famous custom of the lantern-balloons. Residents make hundreds of balloons in various colors, which they set on fire and let decorate the sky on Easter night. The custom is extremely impressive and is one of the most well-known Easter customs in our country. At the same time, on the afternoon of Easter Sunday, the Gospel in the Agapi ceremony is read in the Tsakonian dialect, followed by a feast with Tsakonian dances.
Near us, however, is also Nafpaktoswith the town’s harbor and castle illuminated at the height of Holy Week with lit candles, torches and crosses, creating a magical atmosphere.
Orthodoxy beyond borders
We wrote about the Greek destinations that the Achaeans have as a priority to spend Easter. Did you know, however, that there are also several regions abroad, which are high on the list of Easter getaways for our compatriots? The big battle, in fact, takes place between Rome and Florence, with Paris and Constantinople na follow immediately after.
“Italy is a nearby destination either by ship or by plane and it is not chosen by chance” he told “Peloponnese» travel agent. “Many Patrians, in fact, take their car and travel through Bari or Ancona, to various regions of the neighboring country, making a road tour in the north and south.” A basic option on Italian soil is Venice, where there is the famous church “San Giorgio dei Greci” (St. George of the Greeks), while if someone is interested in spending Easter in Rome, there is the magnificent church of St. Theodore of Tiron, but and in Milan the historic church of the Annunciation of the Virgin. Of course, we don’t need to make any further mention of Constantinople, as it houses the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and those who find themselves in the once-reigning city are eagerly awaiting the Holy Week services at St. George in the Lantern under the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. We will see many Achaeans there again this year.
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