Month: January 2010

Dream Greece Vacations and Weddings

Greece is known for being a romantic destination. The Greek islands is the ideal travel destination for a romantic Greece vacation, celebration, honeymoon, anniversary or weddings. From the awe-inspiring sunsets of Santorini to the peaceful opportunity to escape to a world where feelings blossom with ease.

A lot of couples have decided to tie the know in Greece. May people are choosing Greece as a wedding destination because it offers some of the most magical and mystical views, with incredible festivals seemingly every month of the year and some of the worlds most breathtaking sunsets while being reasonably priced.

But to get married in Greece there are some legalities that should be taken care of. Couples are required to present birth certificates that have translated into Greek and that carry an apostille stamp.

Apostille stamp is the seal placed on documents that are used abroad. Letters of No Impediment, also sealed with an apostille stamp stating that both are free to legally marry. This would serve as the marriage license.

After finishing of the formalities and the technical aspects of the wedding, then the planning for the wedding and the actual ceremony starts. To make guided and well-informed decisions, then it would be better to hire a wedding consultant in Greece. Getting a local consultant, will help you decide on the locations and other aspects of the wedding.

Wedding consultants in Greece are pretty much affordable. There are many affordable services that handle all of the paperwork and offer packages for Civil Ceremonies, Catholic Ceremonies, Gay Ceremonies as well as Greek Orthodox.

Locations are certainly breathtaking, since there are great places with extraordinary ocean views and amazing sunset. For those who are adventurous, then there are weddings that ca be performed in Mount Olympus and the isle

Perhaps, a bit more adventurous locale will best suit your passions and Mount Olympus an the isle of Cyprus could just be the prefect selection. Cyprus is the third largest isle in the Mediterranean and each year more and more couples are exchanging vows stop the isle’s highest peak, Mount Olympus. It is also the location of the of the annual festival to Aphrodite in the fall and one of the best times to mix festivals and merriment with your special day.

Another of the many Greek isle, Santorini is among the most popular venues for weddings. It is easy to comprehend why. What could be more mystical than exchanging vows in the shadow of a volcano overlooking the clear blue sea?

Other technical aspects or requirements of weddings are the following:

Bride and grooms passports and a photo copy of each passport. No apostille necessary and no translation necessary.

Marriage License/Registration of Marriage from your City Hall.

Documents to be authenticated with the apostile: the apostille must be issued by the state/country where your document was issued.

Other important things to remember:

European & US citizens must obtain a Marriage License.

US citizens must ensure the Marriage License states the name of the person who they wish to marry.

Couples who will remain in Santorini for less than 24 hours in total must obtain a Marriage License and not a Single Status Letter.

If Divorce is in the event, then there should be a photocopy of it, no translation is needed.

Everybody dreams to have a unique and one of a kind wedding, then try it next time. Try your romantic, celebration of marriage and joys and exhaustion of a Greece vacation and wedding.

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Crete Greece Vacation Guide

Crete is another interesting place to go to on your Greece vacation. It is one of the more notable and the largest of the many islands in the country. It is located in the Mediterranean Sea in between the Sea of Crete and the Libyan Sea. Crete is about 260 kilometers long and 60 kilometers wide. The island is divided into four prefectures, namely, Chania, Rethimno, Heraklion and Lasithi. Crete is considered one of the most beautiful of the Greek islands and is always worth exploring.

The biggest and main prefecture in Crete is Heraklion. It is home to about 275,000 inhabitants and is the largest city and the considered capital of the whole island. Tourism is the main industry of Crete. Its economy is mainly driven by the arrival of tourists on its shores. That is why it considers its visitors with care and tries to ensure that the tourists would have a wonderful time in the island. After all, it is tourists that pump blood into the economy of the island.

Crete was once considered as the center of the ancient Minoan civilization. The island provides evidences of the achievements, knowledge and power of this ancient Bronze Age culture through the various palaces, tombs and other sacred sites found throughout the area. This provides a historical backdrop that would guide tourists of what to look for while in Crete.

The main language used in Crete is Greek. And because the island is a main tourist destination, many of the inhabitants can understand and speak English. Even those located in the small villages on the island can speak and understand English, making communication with foreigners not that much of a problem on the island.

Getting into the island can be made through various means. By plane, Crete can be reachable through the three significant airports located in the island. There’s the Nikos Kazantzakis airport that is located at Heraklion. There is also the Daskalogiannis military airport available in Chania where tourists can land on Crete. A new public airport is also located in Sitia where visitors can also make use of to get into Crete. There are several flights available for Crete that usually departs from the main island of Greece.

The island can also be reached by ferry. There are various ferry services located in mainland Greece as well as the other islands that service Crete. The trip usually takes 2.5 hours from the mainland. Going around Crete can be done through an inland bus service that operates around the island. The bus schedules are fairly frequent and serves many parts of the island. Some buses even divert trips from their usual route in order to bring tourists to small villages if asked. Public transportation is by far the most convenient and affordable means of going around Crete.

Car rentals are also available if you wish a more private and more personal adventure on your visit to Crete. But tourists may need to bring along their drivers license for this and make sure that the car insurance covers them to the places that would be visited. Petrol stations also close early, usually around 7pm.

It might be important for private car tourists to fill up beforehand so as not to let an empty gas tank on an isolated part of the island spoil your Greece vacation.

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Get Back To Nature In Mexico: Explore Sian Ka’an Biosphere

Get Back To Nature In Mexico: Explore Sian Ka’an Biosphere

There are 27 United Nations World Heritage sites in Mexico and only three of them made the list primarily for their natural significance, as opposed to historical. The most beautiful and diverse is Sian Ka’an Biosphere, a 1.3 million acre ecological park filled with lagoons, forests, marine habitats, and wetlands. It is the largest marine protected area in Mexico and offers one of the few natural treasures of the Yucatan peninsula that is accessible to tourists.

Added to the UNESCO list in 1987, Sian Ka’an translates as “Origin of the Sky”. It provides a habitat for a diverse population of flora and fauna, as well as over 300 species of birds. There is a small ecotourism and education center there that serves as a model for sustainable development in sensitive tropical ecosystems. The center is funded by the various tours, fishing, accommodation on-site, and various other activities offered there. Some of the ecologically responsible techniques the center uses are rainwater collection, using wind and solar power, and employing systems for wetland waste management. It also provides educational outreach and biological research opportunities.

Accommodations at Sian Ka’an consist of tents that are raised off the ground to allow ecological and hydrological processes to continue. They have gorgeous views from private patios, as well as plenty of shade and cooling breezes. Bathrooms are shared, but they are always clean and also have stunning views over the water. The dining areas and kitchens are designed to maximize comfort while minimizing impact on the surrounding environment. The menu for the restaurant is wide and varied, but the best choice would be the fresh seafood dishes that are offered.

Activities in the park include fishing excursions, kayaking, or taking one of several tours that will highlight the canals and the Mayan ruins, abundant flora and fauna, and the history of the reserve. There is also a sunset tour that centers on bird watching where you will float along in an open-air boat through beautiful lagoons while viewing birds, plants, and diverse ecosystems. The tour then culminates in watching the sunset over the mangrove forest and lagoon.

The kayaking tours are designed to give visitors a more intimate access to the natural splendor of the park. Single or double kayaks are available and expert guides, who speak both English and Spanish, can accompany you through the reserve to bird watch and explore the wetlands. Free basic training is provided if you have never kayaked before. If you would like to explore alone, the guides can give you directions and information on where to go to use ancient trading routes through the park used by the Mayans. This is an excellent option for experienced kayakers, but an additional fee can give someone basic training to undertake this more advanced tour.

Sian Ka’an is a beautiful ecosystem to visit and learn about history, ecology, and sustainable technology that will open your mind to possibilities you may never have otherwise known about. At the very least it will give you an appreciation of conservation and natural beauty that should stay with you forever.

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