The Universities of Athens, Cagliari, and Mississippi, the RCAAM of the Academy of Athens, and the INFN invite all interested researchers and students to participate in the First Mediterranean Conference on Classical and Quantum Gravity (MCCQG), which will take place in Kolymbari (Crete, Greece) from Monday 14th to Friday 18th September 2009.

The purpose of this meeting is to bring together workers from General Relativity, Field Theory, and related areas to discuss the present status and latest developments in the classical and quantum treatment of gravitational systems.

The scientific program, to be decided by the Advisory Committee, consists of invited plenary talks and short communications.

Advisory Committee: Ignatios Antoniadis (CERN, Switzerland) Orfeu Bertolami (IST, Lisbon, Portugal) Loriano Bonora (SISSA, Trieste, Italy) George Contopoulos (Academy of Athens, Greece) Ruth Durrer (Geneva University, Switzerland) Enrique Gaztanaga (IEEC, Barcelona, Spain) Gabriela Gonzalez (Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA) Marc Henneaux (Brussels University, Belgium) Roman Jackiw (MIT, USA) Claus Kiefer (Cologne University, Germany) Stefano Liberati (SISSA, Trieste, Italy) Ofer Lahav (University College London, UK) Roy Maartens (University of Portsmouth, UK) Don Marolf (UC Santa Barbara, USA) Hermann Nicolai (AEI, Potsdam, Germany) Augusto Sagnotti (Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy) Mairi Sakellariadou (King's College London, UK) Jorge Zanelli (CECS, Valdivia, Chile)

Organizing Committee:

Spyros Basilakos (RCAAM, Academy of Athens)
Mariano Cadoni (University of Cagliari and INFN Cagliari)
Marco Cavaglià (University of Mississippi)
Theodosios Christodoulakis (University of Athens)
Elias Vagenas (RCAAM, Academy of Athens)

Local Organization:

RCAAM, Academy of Athens
University of Athens

The Conference Venue

The meeting will take place at the Orthodox Academy of Crete (OAC) in Kolymbari on the north coast of the west part of the island of Crete, Greece (see map).

The OAC is a modern Conference Center situated in an exceptionally beautiful location, only a few meters from the sea and next to the 17th century Gonia Monastery. Following the inauguration of the new Conference Center in November 1995, the OAC offers all the facilities necessary to meet the most demanding requirements. It provides a multi-purpose hall with a capacity for 730 persons. In addition, the OAC has 7 meeting rooms, offices for consultations, secretariats, areas for displays, posters, exhibits, and areas for outdoor events. Most facilities are air-conditioned. The OAC is fully equipped with modern technology tools to cover all conference needs.

About Kolymbari

Crete is the biggest island in Greece and the fifth in the Mediteranean. It consists of four prefectures: Chania, Rethymnon, Heraklio and Lasithi. The OAC is located at Kolymbari, a small scenic village on the coast, situated at the inlet of the homonymous bay. Kolymbari is in the prefecture of Chania, about 22 km from the city of Chania.

Kolymbari is a waterfront village at the base of the Rodopou Peninsula with a long, pebble beach. Once a rural village with olive-trees and vineyards, today Kolymbari is a quiet, natural, holiday resort with a developing touristic village. Kolymbari has several quality tavernas serving seafood and traditional food. You can try these special dishes in one of the downtown fish tavernas or at the waterfront next to the beach. There are few cafes and bars for a coffee or a drink. The village is served by a Post Office, the Bank of Chania, and several ATMs. A short walk from downtown Kolymbari takes you to the 17th century Gonia Monastery, which is located 1 km to the north of the village and offers a magnificent view. The monastery was built as a fortress overlooking the bay and is surrounded by verdant vegetation. A center of resistance during the revolution of 1821, today it hosts an important collection of precious post-Byzantine icons, relics, and other rare religious treasures. A short boat trip takes you to the north-eastern edge of the Rodopou Peninsula, where you can visit the ruins of the ancient town of Diktynna, the Gramvousa island with the Gramvousa castle at its top, and the beach Balos. (Balos can also be reached on foot from Kolymbari.) The nearby beaches of Falasarna and Balos are regarded as two of the purest beaches of Crete. The famous Elafonissi beach is within one hour driving distance from Kolymbari.

Other tourist information can be found at this web site.

Weather

The weather of Crete is a temperate, Mediterranean climate. In September the weather in Crete is normally very good, with warm days and cooler but pleasant evenings. The wind speed is moderate, and average temperatures are 21C (min) and 27C (max). It rarely rains.

Conference Registration

There will be a conference fee of Euro 250 to be paid at registration (cash please). This includes the reception, the conference dinner and one excursion. Tickets for the conference dinner and other social events may be purchased for accompanying persons.

Accommodation

The conference center is at the Orthodox Academy of Crete where accommodation is provided. See the accommodation web page for further information.

Travel

AIR

During the summer period there are many direct flights to Heraklion and Chania from various European cities.

The recommended airport, closest to the conference site is Chania International Airport (CHQ). The OAC is located 39 km west of CHQ airport. The best way to reach the conference site from the airport is by taxi. The full fare including airport surcharge is around 50 Euros. A cheaper way is by bus (line Hania - Castelli). However, the bus stop is located at a distance of about 1 km from the OAC.

If you decide to fly to Heraklion, you can reach the conference site by taxi (one-way fare around 140 Euros) or by bus from Heraklion to Chania (one bus per hour, line Heraklion-Rethymnon-Hania, duration about three hours) and then to the OAC as explained above.

Please note that the conference period is high season. We strongly advise you to book your flights as soon as possible.

SEA

Chania can be reached from Athens daily by boat. The company operating the route is ANEK Lines (see ferry schedules at this link). Boats dock at Chania's port Souda bay, which is located about 7 km east of the city of Chania. From there you can reach Chania and Kolymbari by bus or taxi.

LOCAL TRANSPORT

We are trying to arrange buses from the Chania International Airport to the OAC. A schedule will be posted after travel information has been collected from the participants and no later than a few days before the beginning of the meeting.

VISAS

Those participants needing an invitation in order to apply for visa or financial support are requested to send all details by e-mail: mccqg@phy.olemiss.edu or fax: +1 662 915 5045 (attention of Dr. M. Cavaglià). We will supply letters/faxes in English and/or Greek as necessary.

Personal inquiries can be addressed to: mccqg@phy.olemiss.edu.

This meeting is sponsored by:

RCAAM, Academy of Athens
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Cagliari
University of Athens
University of Cagliari
University of Mississippi