The marvelous dry climate and continuous sunshine create year around conditions which are perfect for observation, photographs and videos under an extraordinary variety of natural lights and colours that give the visitor the exceptional advantage of reaching the interior of the volcano by boat.
Since the 1st of January 2002, the Euro (EUR) is the currency of Greece. Notes in circulation are 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euro while coins are in denominations of 1 euro, 2 euro, 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents and 20 cents. A currency converter is available here.
The banks on Santorini are open 8.00 am-2.30 pm Monday to Thursday and 8.00 am-2.00 pm on Friday. ATMs are available in almost all villages on Santorini. Most accept Visa and MasterCards as well as debit cards of internationally recognised networks.
The electricity supply in Greece is alternating current, 220-250 volts, 50 cycles. Appliances for 110 or 120 volts may be operated by using step down transformers of 220 - 250/110 volts connected to each outlet.
Bottled water is recommended for drinking. Tap water can be used for washing, bathing and cleaning your teeth. In the area of Oia the tap water that comes from the local desalination plant is drinkable.
There is a taxi stand in the square of Fira. Taxi fares are based on a catalogue issued by the Ministry of Transport, and not based on the taxi's meter. KTEL buses carry out daily bus routes to almost all destinations. The KTEL terminal is also in the square of Fira next to the taxis.
ELTA is the official name of the postal service and their colours are blue and yellow. The main postal offices on Santorini are in Fira, Emporio and Oia. Postal agencies are in Pyrgos, Kamari and Perissa. Mailboxes are available in all the villages of Santorini. A standard letter or postcard less than 20 grams sent anywhere in Europe or abroad costs €0.65 (as per April 2007). Courier services are also available.
Most hotels provide internet access for their guests. Internet cafés are available mostly in Fira.
Santorini National Airport,an airport that serves as both military and civil airport, is north of the village of Kamari. The airlines that run here include Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines. To get to and from the airport you can use buses, taxis, hotel car-pickups and rental cars.
Samarra
Sāmarrā () is a town in Iraq. It is on the east bank of the Tigris in the Salah ad Din Governorate, 125 km north of Baghdad. In 2003, the town had an estimated population of 348,700 people.
Samarra is a city of culture and heritage. Samarra is home to the Malwiya Mosque Minerat. People from Samarra are known for looking different in physical appearance to other Iraqis. They tend to have lighter skin, hair, eyes and have more caucasian looking characteristics.
Holy See
The Holy See (Latin: "Sancta Sedes", "holy seat") is the office of the Bishop of Rome, that is, the Pope.
The term Holy See also means the Pope and the Roman Curia, the central government of the Roman Catholic Church.
Every episcopal see is seen as holy and the Eastern Orthodox Church constantly applies the adjective "holy" or "sacred" () to all its sees, but "the Holy See" (definite singular) normally means the see of Rome, which is also called "the Apostolic See". While "Apostolic See" can refer to any see founded by any of the Apostles, the term is in this case used to refer to the see of the bishop seen as successor of the chief of the Apostles, Saint Peter.
Aside from Rome, the archiepiscopal See of Mainz, which was also of electoral and primatial rank, is the only other Western see that bears the title of "Holy See", although this usage is less common.
The Pope governs the Church through the Roman Curia. The Roman Curia consists of the Secretariat of State, nine Congregations, three Tribunals, 11 Pontifical Councils, and a complex of offices that administer church affairs at the highest level. The Secretariat of State, under the Cardinal Secretary of State, directs and coordinates the Curia. The current incumbent, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, is the Holy See's equivalent of a prime minister. Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary of the Section for Relations With States of the Secretariat of State acts as the Holy See's foreign minister. Bertone and Mamberti have been named in their respective roles under by Pope Benedict XVI in September 2006.
Among the most active of the major Curial institutions are the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees church doctrine; the Congregation for Bishops, which coordinates the appointment of bishops worldwide; the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which oversees all missionary activities; and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which deals with international peace and social issues.
The Holy See is especially active in international organizations and is a member of the following groups:
The Holy See is also a permanent observer of the following groups:
The Holy See is an observer on an informal basis of the following groups:
The Holy See sends a delegate to the Arab League in Cairo. It is also a guest of honour to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The Holy See, not the Vatican City, maintains diplomatic relations with states (such as with the United Kingdom), and participates in international organizations. Foreign embassies are accredited to the Holy See, not to the Vatican City, and it is the Holy See that establishes treaties and concordats with other sovereign entities. When necessary, the Holy See will enter a treaty on behalf of the Vatican City.
Under the terms of the Lateran Treaty, the Holy See has extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five Italian sites outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo.
The same authority is extended under international law over the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in a foreign country.
Tigris
The Tigris is a river in the Middle East. It is the eastern of two rivers that define Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia literally means "(the land) between the rivers". The other river is called Euphrates. The source of the river is in the Taurus mountains in Turkey. From there, it flows through Northern Kurdistan in Turkey and forms part of the border between Turkey and Syria. The remainder is in Iraq.
The river is 1,900 kilometres (1,181 miles) long. It comes together with the Euphrates in the Shatt-al-Arab (which is called Arvand Rud in Persian). The Shatt-al-Arab flows into the Persian Gulf. The river had an important role in the development of civilization, as early farmers used water from the river to water their crops and produce more food.
Tawaret
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Tawaret (also "Taweret) "was the demon-wife of Apep, the first god of evil. She was often shown as a hippopotamus. Because female hippos are aggressive to protect their young, pregnant women wore amulets of Tawaret to protect their pregnancies.
Tawaret was a very popular goddess in the first Dynasty. She was, overall, the goddess who protected women during childbirth and pregnancy. In ancient Egypt, it was believed that if you wanted to live through childbirth it was necessary to pray to Tawaret.
Seshat
Seshat was the ancient Egyptian idea of knowledge, shown as a goddess. She became the goddess of writing, astronomy/astrology, architecture, and mathematics. When Thoth became the god of wisdom, Seshat was seen as his daughter, or sometimes, as his wife. In art, she was shown as a woman with a stylised papyrus plant above her head. This symbolised writing since the Egyptians wrote on a material that came from papyrus.
Apep
Apep (also spelled Apepi, and Aapep, or Apophis in Greek) in Egyptian mythology was an evil demon. He was associated with darkness and chaos. He was often shown as a snake.