Snow globes from the Greek Islands
Greece has many islands surrounding it. Estimates range from a pesimistic 1,200 to an optimisitc 6,000, including large rocks. There are well over a hundred or so inhabited islands. Only a few are well known to tourists and we have been to Crete, Corfu, Kos and Rhodes.
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A note on Dolphins. They swim all around Greece, from the warm waters of the southern Aegean from Kos to Crete up to the cooler waters of the Ionian Sea and Corfu. The dolphin was associated with the god Apollo and the goddess Athena in ancient Greece. They symbolized protection, guidance, protection and good fortune to sailors and fishermen. They are still a symbol of Greece today and found in many snow globes.
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Rhodes
Rhodes has a long and impressive history beyond classical times. Rhodes is the most popular of Greece's Dodecanese islands due to its large size and history. It has many ancient and medieval sites.
The medieval capital called Rhodes Town is considered one of the most beautiful towns in the world and was first built in 408BC.
Outside the walls the island has beaches, woods and mountains and is dotted with small whitewashed villages.
Greek island snow globes often have dolphins in the globe itself. The ornate base for this one features the Seahorse Fountain surrounded with images of marine life on blue tiles. The present fountain with its 3 bronze seahorses replaced a previous fountain that was destroyed during World War II.
​The back of the globe shows one of the harbour statues of the two deers, named ‘’Elefos’’ and ‘’Elafina’’ which stand where the feet of the Colossus of Rhodes (one of the 7 wonders of the world) was supposed to have been built in 280 BC.
The Islands are inundated with cats, many of which are feral or strays who have themselves become a symbol there. The base illustrates the little white cube houses scattered across the Greek Islands and in Rhodes, especially around the town of Lindos, seen in the photo from a distance. The colour reflects the summer heat and the thick walls maintain the cool atmosphere inside the rooms. The common blue and white combinations reflects the colours of the Greek flag.
This Rhodes globe confusingly contains a model of the church of Panagia Vlacherna which is in Corfu! (see below). This odd thought of thing can happen from time to time when collecting snow globes.
Mouse Island (Pontikonisi) and the church are the most famous and photographed spots of Corfu. Constructed in the 17th Century. The chapel has an impressive wooden-carved iconostasis and beautiful frescoes inside. The roof has red tiles and above the gate entrance appears a tall bell tower.
Crete
Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest of all the islands in the Meditteranean. It is a long and narrow island, stretching for 160 miles (260 km). Over half a million people live on the island. It is a mountainous island containing ruins from various civilisations, green valleys, yellow beaches and surrounded by blue seas.
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Another dolphin globe.
Agios Nikolaos is a coastal touristy town where the globe was bought and is an hour east of the island's capital Heraklion. The town itself is painted around the base. It was built upon the ruins of the ancient city of Lato pros Kamara.
The Voulismeni Lake, is supposed to be where Athena and Artemis used to bathe in its waters. Bars and restaurants make it a lively place for tourists to gather. A narrow canal shown on the globe and the photo connects the lake to the sea.
This is A Cretan snow globe the only one we found for sale in the capital Heraklion, but celebrates the Presidential Guard, a ceremonial infantry unit that guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Presidential Mansion in Athens. The unit called Evzones were light infantry in the Hellenic Army. They still wear the traditional Evzone's uniform including the fustanella, a distinctive kilt-like cloth.
A yacht with some old Cretan town buildings and harbour around the base. Greece with its 6000 islands many only accessible by boat is the ultimate island hopping yacht destination.
The Mediterranean sea around Greece has a hot climate, warm clear blue seas and a sailing season that covers spring to autumn. Sailing ships crowd the Island harbours and views of the seas.
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, and is in parts a few miles from mainland Albania Its shape resembles a sickle. It is largely composed of rugged mountains with tourist resorts around the coasts. . It was ruled by Venetians, French and British before it was united with Greece in 1864. Corfu Town is the main population centre.
The first Corfu globe shows an outline of the island with a Hellenic temple and columns around the base. The other has the traditional dolphin with buildings from the Corfu Old town around the base.
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See also the Rhodes/Corfu combination globe above
Kos
Kos is part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It is the third largest island of the Dodecanese by area, after Rhodes and Karpathos but is only 42 by 11.5 kilometres (26 by 7 miles).The main town is Kos town
And yet another dolphin in the globe. Nice rocky beach type base to give it some style and counteract the tacky Kos sticker stuck on the side.