Every year on the anniversary of moving to Greece, Lynn Roulo, an American expat and a good friend of XpatAthens puts together a list of reasons why she loves living in Greece. Nine years ago, she left her job and life in San Francisco and decided to make the move to Athens, Greece. She has never looked back!

Here are this year's top 10–plus an extra reason–why she loves living in Greece:

 

 

 

1. The Region Of Mani

Since international travel was unpredictable, local travel became more attractive, and I went on a road trip to Mani, a part of south mainland Greece in the Peloponnese. In Mani, you can easily spend weeks going from village to village and ancient site to ancient site. The landscape is beautiful and rugged, the beaches unspoiled, the tavernas offer inexpensive and amazing Greek dishes, and there are lots of hidden surprises in the area. My favorite was the shipwreck in Valtaki named Dimitrios. It is like straight out of a movie…

2. Use of “oula”

In the Greek language, it is considered rude to be too direct so Greeks add “oula” to the end of a word to soften the delivery. If you want to ask for the price of something, “timi” (price) becomes “timoula?” (sweet, little price). Need a favor? “Hari” becomes “haroula” as in “I need a sweet, little favor.” I got good at that one this year…

3. Outdoor Everything

As the pandemic unfolded, and it became clear that transmission was less likely in outdoor environments, I was very grateful to be in Greece. From outdoor cinemas, to beach bars and outside dining, everything is done outdoors anyway in the warmer weather. For the months we weren’t in lockdown, it was easy to keep our social lives moving along. The outdoor theatres (called theorion) are my favorite, and you’ll find them all over Greece, from tiny villages in Ikaria to the famous Thission Outdoor Summer Cinema in Athens where you can see the Acropolis from the seating area. It’s magical watching a movie under the stars on a hot Greek summer night.

4. Athens Is Cleaning Up

Omonia Square used to be a really rough part of Athens where prostitutes and drug dealers hung out. Even in the daylight and with my dog, I never felt comfortable walking through the neighborhood. But this year, they’ve cleaned up the square by installing an elegant water fountain in the center, planting green grass all around, adding better lighting, and having police on patrol during the evening hours. I won’t say it’s like Union Square in San Francisco, but it’s starting to have that feel. Nice!

5. The Food Delivery People

E-food and Wolt delivery people were my unsung heroes during the pandemic and in the first lockdown, I saw them more often than I saw my own friends. Fast, reliable, and supporting lots of restaurants and food establishments, they became small symbols of resilience. I love watching them whiz through Athens on their scooters and bikes. Wolt also became a verb when I had to ask my friend “Can you Wolt me a burrito? I lost my wallet…” I like them so much, I even acquired my own Wolt jacket. Fashion circa 2020…

6. I Became A Greek Correspondant

Like many of you, the pandemic changed the way I earn money. With Airbnb and yoga income collapsing, I changed my focus, and 2020 is the year I became a freelance writer and the Greek correspondent for International Living, a site that helps people move abroad. It is almost like a small miracle because now I get paid to write about and promote the country I love.

7. Ertflix

ERT, the Greek national television station, started a free online movie service called Erflix, and I started watching a series called “Our Best Years” (Τα καλύτερα χρόνια μας). It’s the rough equivalent of the US show “The Wonder Years” and is set in Greece around the time of the dictatorship (early seventies). I love watching life in Greece during a different era, when things moved at a slower pace. And as another benefit, it’s helping my Greek. Thanks Ertflix.

8. Hidden Neighborhoods

To relieve the monotony of being housebound during lockdown, I take my dog Andromeda on long walks most days. This was the year I explored Dafni, Exarchia, Kallithea, Gazi, Mets, Metaxiougio, Petralona, Tavros the list goes on. There are hidden corners everywhere, and our long daily strolls keep life interesting during Lockdown 2. I’ve found haute couture dress shops in Kallithea, modern lofts in Gazi, the organic food stores in Petralona, and even an ancient Aqueduct I had never heard of in Kolonaki. Athens has lots of secrets to uncover when you go off the beaten path.

9. The Greek Government’s Response To The Pandemic

It’s a tremendously difficult situation and no country nailed it 100%, but Greece is doing a pretty good job. The administration follows science, takes measured actions, communicates clearly and regularly, and offers rational explanations for their decisions. They even came up with innovative ideas like “click away” when the holidays were approaching but the virus case numbers didn’t support a reopening of the shops. It hasn’t become “us against them” and instead the response felt like a mature approach to an international crisis.

10. The Holiday Decorations Throughout Athens In December 2020

In April of 2019, I was baptized Greek Orthodox with the name Evangelia/Ευαγγέλια and as part of the process, I formed a relationship with a church and a Greek Orthodox priest. I love my church–it is called the Ragavas Church in Plaka, and it is where the revolution in 1821 started in Athens. They have a special bell-ringing ceremony on March 25th to commemorate the revolution, which works out well for me since that’s also my name day.

11. The Greek Attitude In The Face Of Crisis

The pandemic has been hard for the entire world, but as Greece was just coming out of a decade long economic crisis, it has been really difficult here. Over 20 percent of the country’s GDP is based on tourism, and the country has a very large elderly population, making the situation even more precarious. But the country came together, and phrases like “kali dinami” (good strength) and “ipomoni” (patience) became our daily mantras. This isn’t a pandemic thing though. I saw this same resilience during the 2015 referendum crisis. There was one week in July of 2015 when we didn’t know if we’d leave the euro zone or stay. Everyone was tense and stressed. In the middle of all this I overheard a taxi driver say to his friends “A beautiful woman is a beautiful woman whether we spend drachmas or euros.…we’ll be fine.” Yeah, we will...Thanks for the reminder Greece. Love you.

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Lynn is an American Kundalini yoga and Enneagram instructor teaching a unique combination of the two systems, combining the physical benefits of Kundalini yoga with the psychological growth tools of the Enneagram.

 

Most of her adult life has been as a Certified Public Accountant (US CPA) working in the Silicon Valley/San Francisco technology start up and venture capital industries. In 2012, she decided to move to Athens, Greece for purely intuitive reasons.  She's not Greek by heritage, she did not have a job here, she didn’t speak any Greek (at the time), and there wasn't a Greek man in the picture either! She simply had a really clear feeling that she should go to Greece. And so she did.

 

“I remember getting on the plane to leave San Francisco. My dog and two cats were in cargo below and I had packed a suitcase full of clothes. Almost everything else I had sold or given away. There wasn’t anyone to meet me in Athens because I didn’t know anyone. But it was one of the calmest moments of my life. I was totally sure I was making the right choice.  And I haven’t regretted it at all. I love Greece.”

We're thrilled to collaborate with Lynn as an official XpatAthens Content Contributor! To learn more about her and all the great things she does in Athens please click here.

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The Greek government plans to convert the former Royal Palace in Tatoi into a hub of history, culture, and luxury. The palace, which sits on grounds spanning 10,000 acres, was bought as a summer residence for the Greek royal family in the 1880s has been abandoned for almost 50 years.

Following the restoration, the estate will include shops, restaurants, nature walking trails, and a luxury hotel and spa. The main palace building will become a museum to display artifacts and items found on the site, including the royal family’s famed car collection.

Tatoi lies on Mount Parnitha, 27 kilometers from the center of Athens, in a green area with woods, rivers, and abundant wildlife.

By transforming the site into a luxury vacation spot and highlighting its royal history with a new museum, the government aspires to attract more visitors and history lovers to Greece.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com

When people ask which island has the best beaches in Greece, they expect to hear answers like “Crete” with the world-famous pink sands of Elafonisi Lagoon or “Mykonos” with the beaches named Paradise and Super Paradise. While these beached are beautiful, they often get overcrowded, hard to get to, or expensive. For just as gorgeous but more accessible beaches, I invite you to the island of Milos.

Milos is the most southwestern island in the Cyclades. It takes about 3 hours to get to Milos from the port of Piraeus on a fast ferry. The island has an airport, so taking a flight is also an option. Milos has over 40 beaches, and since the island is relatively small, you can go beach hopping, taking-in stunning seaside after stunning seaside, in a short time. Like most Greek islands, Milos offers both organized and unorganized beaches.

Organized beaches offer sunbeds, umbrellas, and snack bars so you can eat, drink, and relax on the beach without bringing much more than your beach towel and sunscreen.

Unorganized beaches offer raw Greek nature at its finest but with very few extra amenities. There are typically no sunbeds for rent, no umbrellas, and few, if any, options for food or drink. If you bring along your gear, you'll be rewarded with unspoiled beaches and free access.

Sarakiniko

Sarakiniko is a truly unique beach with an almost lunar landscape featuring white volcanic rock formations set above the sparkling turquoise water. Its otherworldly feel makes it a popular spot for climbing, diving, and snorkeling. Sarakiniko is not an organized beach, so bring along a towel, water, and sunscreen.

Firiplaka

Firiplaka beach is an easily accessible, gorgeous beach where you can rent sunbeds and get refreshments. With sand instead of pebbles, Firiplaka is the calm, clean cousin of the wilder beaches nearby. Firiplaka is an ideal beach for a relaxing, enjoyable afternoon at the beach, however, try to arrive early as sunbeds can sell out.

Triades

Triades beach constists of 3 sandy beaches side by side. Situated on the west side of the island, this fairly unknown beach is remote and unorganized with no restaurants, cafes, or sunbeds anywhere to be seen. If you're looking for an unspoiled setting, off-the-beaten-track, you should head to Triades!


To read this article in full and discover other amazing beaches on Milos, please visit: internationalliving.com

Written By: Lynn Roulo

When it comes to architecture in Athens a visitor's first thought will most probably be the Parthenon and the second the sea of apartment blocks that dominate downtown residential neighborhoods such as Kolonaki and Pangrati and spread outward to the suburbs.

However, if you take a closer look you will find, tucked between the ancient sites, the neoclassical buildings, and the monotonous apartment buildings a bunch of modernist architectural gems.

Among them, the National Hellenic Research Foundation and the Athens Tower, have been overlooked in part due to being erected during the military dictatorship of 1967-1974 and dismissed as “junta” projects. But the Greek architects of these and other landmark post-war structures were largely inspired by the Bauhaus school and sought to amalgamate Greek urban life with the international spirit of the times. Here are 3 of the most notable modernist buildings in Athens.

Embassy Of The United States

The US Embassy in Athens is a monumental example of mid-century modernism. The Embassy was designed by Walter Gropius, one of the most influential architects of the 20th century and founder of the Bauhaus school, alongside Greek architect Perikles Sakellarios.Opened to the public on July 4, 1961, the building features brilliant white Pentelic marble, black marble from the Peloponnese and grey marble from Marathon, and a simple colonnade that wraps around the entire structure.

The Embassy's expansive courtyard was designed to encourage people to linger, converse and debate ideas openly. Unfortunately, the openness Gropius envisioned has had to submit to security concerns and now the unique outdoor landscaping has now given way to security fencing.

The Athens Hilton

The Athens Hilton opened its doors to the public on April 20, 1963. Conrad Hilton himself attended the inaugural celebrations and proclaimed the new building “the most beautiful Hilton Hotel in the world.” The Athens Hilton is a bold showcase of contemporary architectural ideas, seamlessly blending timeless local materials with cutting-edge modernism.

The building's facade is adorned with massive reliefs created by the noted mid-century artist Yiannis Moralis. The reliefs depict ancient and mythical themes and manage to combine modern and classical.

Emmanuel Vourekas, Procopius Vassiliades, Spyros Staikos, and Anthony Georgiades were the 4 architects responsible for the building's design. Vourekas was one of the busiest Greek architects of the era is also the architect of the Megaron-Athens Concert Hall.

National Hellenic Research Foudation

This building was designed by Constantinos Doxiadis, the father of ekistics – the science of human settlement. Doxiadis oversaw projects around the world, from Islamabad, where he was in charge of the city's master-plan, to Detroit. At the time of the NHRF commission in 1962, his firm, employed about 400 people, half of which were deployed internationally, while the other half worked from the firm's headquarters in Kolonaki.

The National Hellenic Research Foundation was the first Greek public building to materialize the dictum that "form follows function." It consists of three principal structures, a six-story office building, a three-level library, and the entrance foyer and lecture hall. The buildings are dressed in white and pink marble to project monumentality, without compromising the foundation’s mission.

 

 

To read this article in full and discover more modernist buildings in Athens, please visit: greece-is.com

 

Eager to please you more, Executive Chef Asterios Koustoudis and Pastry Chef Evgenios Vardakastanis with their epicurean Team present a new menu for the ultimate brunch experience at home, inspired by the famous Weekends at the Winter Garden.

The finest sweet & savor delicacies and handmade pastries compose another unforgettable culinary experience! The menu includes a variety of freshly baked croissants, traditional mastiha scented ‘tsoureki’, brioche and caramelized puff pastry ‘baton’ served with fresh local butter, pine honey and homemade forest fruit marmalade. The experience goes on with a unique appetizer of smoked salmon and ‘balik’ with avocado, quail egg, king crab and crisp green salad. For main course, the ‘candele’ pasta filled with slow cooked beef, mushrooms, winter truffle gratinated with Cretan ‘graviera’ cheese and the seafood –shrimp and scallops- with fennel and spinach, citrus and grill-smoked eel will carry you away. A delicious pear tart with almond cream, hazelnut praline and lemon seals the sweetest epilogue of your family brunch. While opening the boxes, you will find an exquisite menu for four people uniquely presented in ovenproof porcelain tableware, which will enrich your home collection, as well as the authentic white linen napkin embroidered with the crest of the historic hotel.

To fascinate even the most discerning palates, Chef introduces the Caviar & Champagne Brunch featuring the exclusivity of a TAITTINGER BRUT 750ml and a ROYAL GOLD RESERVE CAVIAR 30gr.

Hotel Grande Bretagne promises to deliver exquisite flavors and aromas at home creating for you the most elegant brunch.

The 21st Century Dance Masterpiece, Akram Khan's Giselle, is coming to your home in February from the Christmas Theater On Line!

This new version of perhaps one the most important romantic ballet performances offers  a great opportunity to relive the moving story of love, betrayal and redemption in modern times.

Experience the passion and flame of Flamenco with Carmen, the legendary performance of Antonio Gades and Carlos Saura that sealed flamenco! 

A great choreography showing the explosive power and intensity of emotion in traditional Spanish flamenco. Passion, emotion, love and freedom are synonymous with Carmen. Leading soloist Vanessa Vento lives and breathes Carmen, emphasizing the many faces of this character, a woman, passionate and freedom fighter, but unstable in love as she flirts with men, inspiring desire, rivalry and jealousy between men and women. 

Carmen is undoubtedly the most fascinating opera character of the French composer and pianist Georges Bizet, inspired by the novel of the same name by Prosper Merimee. 

Greece has taken another necessary step to limit the spread of Covid-19, as part of the ongoing lockdown measures. One of the newest changes currently in effect is the 'Click in Shop' method of shopping at all retail stores across the country.

More specifically, all retail stores that sell clothes, shoes, and books - including the ones located in large shopping malls -  will now operate with the Click in Shop process as part of the government's effort to curb overcrowding in public spaces.

Click in Shop means that consumers make appointments in advance to shop in person inside retail stores thus allowing only a limited number of consumers in a store at the same time. All other stores will continue to operate by the 'Click-Away' method which means consumers place their orders from home and then collect their items from outside the store and by appointment only.

Click in Shop requires the customer to select and book the product they wish to buy, either online or via phone. Then, they will make an appointment in order to visit the store, try on the preselected items and make their purchase. They can also browse the store and try on other products as well, as long as they don't exceed the specified time limit for each customer. Appointments are scheduled based on the size of a store and the number of employees working at the time of the appointment, in order to avoid overcrowding. Remember that sending an SMS is still mandatory for leaving your home!

The main advantage of the Click in Shop method is that it actually offers consumers the opportunity to try on products, an option that the Click-Away system does not offer. Although the aim of the try-on option is to minimize the chances of returning products, customers will still be able to do so - strictly by appointment - and all return and warranty rights will still be valid. With regard to payment methods, consumers will be able to pay in cash is they like, with the cash limit set at €500. This is an additional advantage of the Click in Shop method, as the previous system in the majority of cases worked only with credit and debit cards. 

The duration of this new method of shopping will be determined based on the epidemiological data gathered daily by authorities. Retail businesses will work to ensure that all the necessary protection measures and operation regulations of the Click in Shop model are maintained.

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This content has been sourced and translated by Codico Lab.

For many years, Athens has been facing complaints from residents, professionals, and visitors alike about cleanliness. As in any capital around the world, cleanliness is essential, and the objective of every municipality is to design practices that are both substantial and effective.

For the first time, the City of Athens is moving towards a strategy of total cleaning interventions that have shown significant results. For the last 12 months, 37 cleaning operations in 37 different areas have been changing the image of dozens of Athenian neighborhoods.

How Things Are Changing

Every Sunday, entire city areas are sanitized. To achieve the required cleansing result, dozens of cleaning staff gather in a specific area to wash sidewalks, streets, and public spaces with hot water. Due to the current circumstances, they also carry out the required disinfection.

These operations are the pinnacle of everyday cleaning and combined with smaller-scale but equally significant actions, they are changing the city for the better. For example, the group interventions that take place in the squares. During those interventions, a large group of staff take care of the green and wash and repair the equipment within a few hours. The cleaning staff is also in charge of washing-out the bins–that are gradually being replaced by new ones throughout Athens–and organized recycling.

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Street cleanings have been happening every Sunday for about the last year, neighborhood-by-neighborhood, and not just for hygienic reasons during Covid. The Mayor would say 'it’s about returning to the basics of quality of life,' and it’s starting to have a noticeable effect. Attention to neighborhoods outside the touristic center – focusing on the neighborhoods where people actually live – is part of telling people that they are wanted and belong in Athens.

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Equipment

Today, Athens is renewing its old cleaning equipment, but it has also obtained new, modern machinery to make cleaning even more efficient. The cleaning operations rely on modern equipment such as large vacuum cleaners, 20 high-pressure cleaners, water trucks, sweepers, and other equipment for washing and sweeping sidewalks, squares, and pedestrian streets. In other words, the municipality is moving away from superficial cleaning, which may have temporarily given the feeling of cleanliness but did not offer the desired result.

How Often Do Cleaning Operations Take Place?

Every Sunday and in a different area. In every Municipal Community, non-stop. The Municipality of Athens now follows a cleanliness cycle where one cycle closes a new one opens up. The cleaning cycle is supported by daily actions in every corner of the city. "This couldn't go any further, and we all saw it for so many years," explains Mayor of Athens Costas Bakogiannis. "We have the human resources and we are renewing the equipment. We had to, at all costs, find another way to clean Athens. We had to design the cleanliness plan from scratch, avoiding one mistake: Clean it in fragments, without planning, phobically. We've reached a threshold and applied dynamic interventions in the whole city, in entire neighborhoods. And as it turns out, we are winning the bet. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but now we know how to deliver the results that all Athenians want", he adds, talking about the citiy's new cleaning strategy.

Operations By Date

Votanikos- Kato Petralona 19/01/20, Kypseli 26/01/20, Kolonaki - Exarchia 02/02/20, Gyzi- Goudi 09/02/20, Pagrati 16/02/20, Pagrati- Neos Kosmos 23/02/20, Patissia 08/03/20, Omonia 10/05/20, Akadimia Platonos 17/05/20, Neapoli Exarcheion 24/05/20, Probonas 31/05/20, Neos Kosmos 07/06/20, Plateia Amerikis (Filis Street) 14/06/20, Kolonos 21/06/20, Ampelokipi 28/06/20, Metaxourgio 5/7/20, Sepolia 12/7/20, Kolonaki 19/7/20, Plaka 26/7/20, Agios Panteleimon 6/9/20, Exarcheia 13/9/20, Kato Patissia 20/9/20, Kato Patissia 28/9/20, Sepolia 4/10/20, Ano Petralona and Thiseio 11/10/20, Neos Kosmos 18/10/20, Ellinorosson 25/10/20, Votanikos 01/11/20, Agios Pavlos 8/11/20, Lambrini 15/11/20, Omonia 22/11/20, Metaxourgio 29/11/20, Koukaki 6/12/20, Commercial Triangle 13/12/20, Kypseli 10/01/2021, Kypriadou, Ano Patisia 17/01/21, Gyzi, 24/1/21, Kato Petralona, 31/1/21

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XpatAthens extends a warm thank you to This Is Athens and the City Of Athens for sharing with us news and inspiring stories about how Athens is constantly becoming a cleaner, friendlier, and more welcoming city to live in.

From March till May 2020, and from November 2020 until now, we have been spending lots of time indoors due to the COVID 19-related lockdowns in Greece.

Staying at home is very important given the current circumstances, but it doesn’t have to feel dull. We would like to introduce you to a funny and upbeat Greek song about – what else? – staying home and relaxing!

Even though the song Θα Κάτσω Σπίτι (Tha Katso Spiti – I'll Stay At Home) dates back to 1986, nowadays it feels more relevant than ever. The song was originally written and performed by Greek singer-songwriter Loukianos Kilaidonis, while the version you will listen to here is a remake sung by numerous contemporary Greek singers (order of appearance): Violeta Ikari, Giorgia Kefala, Maria Kilaidoni, Christos Mastoras, Panos Mouzourakis, Dimitris Basis, Miltos Pashalidis, Nikos Portokaloglou, and Mariza Rizou.

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It’s a well-meaning initiative to spread the message that people need to stay home (#menoumespiti) whilst looking at the bright side: staying safe and healthy, maintaining a positive attitude, and making the most of these days spent indoors.

Click here to listen to the new cover of Θα Κάτσω Σπίτι (I Will Stay home) and sing along!

To read the lyrics in Greek, as well as the English translation, click here.

Omilo Greek Language and Culture inspires people from all over the world to learn Greek, while exploring Greece. They offer 1- and 2-week courses for adults that combine beautiful course locations, experienced teachers, and a balanced combination of Greek classes with cultural activities. All these make Omilo a place where people enjoy learning modern Greek and have fun.

Besides the courses, Omilo also creates online publications to help adults expand their language skills through Language Books and eBooks for different language levels.