2020 Travel the World - Week 11

I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.

This week's country is...

Greece

Greece is located in southeast Europe, close to both Africa and Asia.

Greece is roughly the size of Alabama.

Greece is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe.

Because of its heavily mountainous terrain, the country actually has no navigable rivers.

Greece has more than 2000 islands, but only 170 of them are populated.

Greece's coastline is 9,000 miles long — one of the ten longest in the world.

Greece is the leading producer of sea sponges.

Greek has been spoken for more than 3,000 years, making it one of the oldest languages in Europe

During the summer, there are more tourists in Greece than Greeks.

Greece is the third largest producer of olives in the world.

Athens has been continuously inhabited for more than 7,000 years. This makes it one of the oldest European cities ever, and definitely one worth visiting.

Around two thirds of the Greek population live in urban areas. In fact, 40% of the residents of Greece live in its capital city, Athens.

Greece is a developed country with a high standard of living. Important industries include the service sector, agriculture and tourism.

Greeks don't wave to one another with an open palm. In fact, they find that kind of salutation insulting.Instead, they greet others with a closed palm, so when in doubt, fist bump.

The Olympic Games originated in Ancient Greece.

In Greece, children usually stay with their family until they marry, and the grandparents usually live with their children’s family until they die. There are very few retirement homes in the country, and generally, you keep the family close.

Roofs in much of Greece were actually painted the highly recognizable shade of blue to ward off evil.

At traditional Greek weddings everyone dances and throws plates.

Greeks love dancing so much that there are over 4,000 different kinds of traditional dances throughout the country.

After giving a compliment, Greeks might make a puff of breath through pursed lips, as if spitting. This is meant to protect the person receiving the compliment from the “evil eye.”

Finding a coin in your slice of the New Year cake is believed to bring good luck.

Greece is home to 116 species of mammals, 18 species of amphibians, 59 species of reptiles, 240 species of bird, and species 107 of fish. Among these animals are the Monk Seal, the Loggerhead Sea turtle and many more.

Greece began the first community dump around 500 B.C.

Birthdays aren't a big deal in Greece. Instead, the feast day of the saint whose name a person has is a bigger celebration day.

Feta, which is made from goat’s milk, is the Greece’s national cheese. 

No one in Greece can choose to not vote. Voting is required by law for every citizen who is 18 or older.

I decided to let this Greece fact be the inspiration for this week's card... In the 1950s, only about 30% of Greek adults could read and write. Now, the literacy rate is more than 95%.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp/Die Set: MFT Birdie Brown Our Story stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Wild Wasabi CS and DP from my scrap file

Die: Spellbinders Circle

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Enamel Dots