Travel blogger, author, and Athens local, Marissa Tejada, shares her favorite spots and tips for the best panoramic views of Athens!

1. Acropolis
The eternal landmark of this ancient city owns some of the most spectacular views around. Built on a hill, with nothing higher around it, you get an amazing panorama of the Greek capitol. A short hike is the only way to get you up to the top of this unique, majestic wonder of the world.

 

Walking Tip: Check out Mars Hill/Aeropagus. Great views on this rock next to the Acropolis where St. Paul once preached. Talk about standing on history!

Take a leisurely walk through the paths of the hill to reach its full height of 147 meters. From that vantage point, a full view of the Acropolis awaits. Look to the south, and for a view of the Aegean Sea. The park around the hill is lovely.

Walking Tip: It is a public park, so there isn’t an admission fee to walk around. There are various entrances to the hill. You can walk right into the hill at the end of Dionysioiu Areopagito pedestrian way.

Located in in the neighborhood of Exarcheia, the view at the top is of both the Acropolis and Lycabettus Hill. This choice of best view is because it is not a real touristy spot. Here, you can take in a pretty view and be among where locals trek.

Walking Tip: Closest metro is Omonia. One way to get there is to walk up Emannuel Benaki street all the way until you see the hill and follow a path up.

To read Marissa's article in full, please visit: My Greece My Travels

Following the dreadful wildfires in Mati, Neos Voutzas, and Kokkino Limanaki that killed more than 90 people last summer, a group of people – which wants to be called ‘the young people of Mati’– decided to send a message of support to the wildfire victims in California.

 

In an act of solidarity, the group took a series of black and white photos with the burnt-down Mati landscape in the background. Despite the destruction depicted on the photos, and the devastation the group experienced last summer, their message, is in fact, very compassionate: ‘we feel you California.” The group also wrote a moving poem for the victims of the California fires, called, "I Feel You California!."

Since opening its doors in 2017, the SNFCC has become a favorite destination for Athenians. Its gardens attract families with young children, its unique activities and workshops are usually fully booked long in advance, the library is a haven for scholars and bibliophiles, while the new Greek National Opera is an aesthetic and technological masterpiece.

 

According research conducted for the SNFCC and published by Kathimerini, “The SNFCC is most popular with visitors in the 18-29 and 30-44 age groups, which mostly includes families who take advantage of activities and the various SNFCC playgrounds. Most visitors go to the SNFCC to take a stroll in the park, have a coffee or a bite to eat, or to attend a cultural performance—primarily concerts or performances at the Greek National Opera. Visitors provided a positive evaluation of the SNFCC overall (99%), as well as in specific areas like cleanliness (99%) and visitor experience (90%)…”

 

Regarding the SNFCC’s great success with the Greek public, the cultural center’s CEO Nikos Manolopoulos said, “The public has embraced the creation of a unique project of cultural significance and environmental sensibility. The inhabitants of Attica in particular keep coming back to the SNFCC, validating the way it operates with their visits. We owe deep gratitude to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, its Board of Directors and staff, and especially to its co-President, Andreas Dracopoulos, for the continued and active support and encouragement they provide to the SNFCC. We would also like to thank the Ministry of Finance for the exemplary way in which it oversees the project and the support it offers to the SNFCC.”

 

In 2018 alone, the SNFCC received 5.3 million visits, a high mark since its opening, fulfilling SNF's vision for a public space that is open and accessible to all!

Article Source: snf.org
Image Credit: SNFCC | GeorgeDimitrakopoulos

The final countdown to the Athens Classic Marathon "Athens Marathon, The Authentic" officially kicked last week with a press conference organized by the Hellenic Track & Field Federation (SEGAS).

According to SEGAS, this year's event has reached the record number of 60,000 participants in all races while last year, about 55,000 athletes from 105 countries and regions flooded the Attica area.

This year, the organizers, expect to welcome 20,000 marathon runners from all over the world at the original course of the 42.195 km from Marathon to Athens. Together with the 10km and 5km running events, a total of more than 60,000 athletes will run through the Attica region and Athens next Sunday, making the Athens Marathon one of the largest running events in the world.

Every marathon runner that crosses the finish line in the Panathenaic Stadium on November 10 will receive a medal depicting the Battle of Marathon. The classic marathon course begins near the tumulus of Marathon; it ends at the Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro)-the site of the first modern Olympics in 1896-right in the heart of Athens!

To read this article in full, please visit: ekathimerini
Photo Credit: Athens Authentic Marathon

Navarino Challenge, the award-winning sports tourism event that every year brings together people of all ages and abilities, returns for 8th consecutive year in Messinia, Pylos, and Costa Navarino, on October 16-18, 2020. The top wellness event, as highlighted at the World Travel Market in London, which promotes Olympic values ​​and “fair play” will be held with the utmost safety of all participants and attendees.

The event, taking into account the current health conditions, is organized with the strict specifications set by the Ministry of Tourism, the General Secretariat of Sports, and the relevant sports federations. With the safety and health of all participants and staff as its main priority, Navarino Challenge will be conducted based on the health protocol established by experienced staff, certified by the World Health Organization, following the instructions of General Secretariat of Sports’ expert scientists-collaborators as well as the epidemiological data and suggestions of the General Secretariat of Sports’ Health Committee.

Navarino Challenge promotes and supports actions that highlight the history and cultural heritage of our country and more specifically the undeniable value of the Greek language. The Greek language has been a source of inspiration and culture for many countries since many foreign languages ​​use words deriving from ancient Greek. Words such as athlete, energy, harmony, ideals which are used around the world, are highlighted in this year’s video that presents all wellness activities of the 8th Navarino Challenge. 

Participants in this year’s Navarino Challenge will have the opportunity to enjoy exercising along with significant personalities from the wellness field, such as: the physical education instructor Mandy Persaki, the trainer of F45, Barrio Salamanca, Tess Arlauckas, and the personal trainer Dimitris Moros, as well as athletic partners such as FitnessArt, Navarino Outdoors, Navarino Racquet Academy, with the experience and dynamic of the Panellinios Agora Games and the Navarino Golf Academy. In addition, the following instructors will be present: the boxing champion Christos Gatsis, with the 2 support of the Vizantinos target sports club, the kickboxing champion Alexandros Nikolaidis, the table tennis champion and international career model Ioanna Papadimitriou as well as athletic partners such as Swim Academy and Red Swim Academy. For the first time, a beach volley tournament will be held by the champion and pioneer of the sport, Michalis Triantafyllidis.

Top international female basketball player of all time Evina Maltsi meets Euroleague legend Joe Arlauckas at the Navarino Challenge 2020.

The Greek Women’s National Team all-time top scorer and former WNBA player will be an honoree guest at this year’s event. In the context of her participation, Evina Maltsi stated: “It is my honor and pleasure to participate in the 8th Navarino Challenge which is a huge sporting event in a beautiful tourism destination. I hope that this event can live on for one thousand years. What the event stands for, is completely in line with my beliefs, the dissemination of the Olympic idea. It is a wonderful place that can combine sports tourism and attract more people who will adopt the Olympic values ​​as a way of life. As a basketball player, it will be my pleasure to introduce the sport that I have served for more than 25 years, to as many children as I can”.

Dynamic sports will also be included in this year’s award-winning event’s schedule. Specifically, the Olympic and world champion in 400m with hurdles, Periklis Iakovakis, the two-time silver Olympic medalist Alexandros Nikolaidis, the gold Paralympic medalist and world champion of Boccia Grigoris Polychronidis, the European champion, Miltos Tentoglou, as well as the top track and field coach George Pomaski, will be present at the event.

A demonstration of sailing races with OPTIMIST and LASER boats will be held in the Municipality of Pylos-Nestor at the bay of Navarino, by the Maritime Athletic Pylos Association “Nestor”. The “Forgotten Heroes” races will be held in honor of Anastasios Tsamados, Nikolaos Votsis, Stavros Sachinis, Georgios Sachtouris, and the ghost sailors of the warship (brig) Aris of Tsamados. The “Aris” ship (also known as “Athena” during the period 1829–1879) is considered as one of the most glorious ships of the Greek navy in the Greek war of independence, which was owned by the fearless captain, the admiral Anastasios Tsamados. It was the last ship to break through the enemy siege, putting seven enemy ships out of battle, during the siege of the island of Sphacteria at the Battle of Sphacteria on April 26, 1825.

This year, Navarino Challenge through its actions will support the following CSR partners: Through the “Captain Vasilis and Carmen Konstantakopoulos Foundation”, it will support a) Karkinaki and b) Dogs’ Voice, while will also directly support c) Fashion Targets Breast and Prostate Cancer.

The energy you need to start your day stronger

The favorite breakfast cereal bars FITNESS®, as the Official Breakfast Partner of Navarino Challenge, will be by the side of the participants, giving them the energy they need to meet the challenges they will encounter during this unique event! With their B- complex vitamins that help release energy from food, they form the ideal choice for a delicious and balanced breakfast.

Enjoy a weekend full of outdoor wellness activities for people of all ages. For more information on accommodation packages at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino you may send your email to booking(at)navarinochallenge.com or call Vita N Travel at +30 210 3249070.

Entries for the event’s top Greek Half-marathon (21.1km), 10km, 5km by Samsung and 1km children’s races are underway and interested parties can participate by completing the available here. 

Take advantage of the offer by the event’s Official Technology Partner, Samsung Electronics Hellas. Samsung and Navarino Challenge will offer all participants the opportunity to purchase the Galaxy S20, S20+ & Galaxy Z Flip, with a 20% discount upon completion of their registration.

The top Greek rental company Avance, as the event’s official car rental partner, provides participants of Navarino Challenge with an opportunity to make their reservation, with a 15% discount on the official price list, for any vehicle of their choice regarding their travel to Messinia during the period of the event. In terms of bookings, participants need to send an email to reserv(at)avance.gr.

Navarino Challenge is held under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization with the support of the Pylos-Nestor Municipality. Navarino Challenge has joined the Greek actions of the #BeactiveHellas 2020 program of the European Commission and is held under the auspices of the General Secretariat of Sports. All running races are co-organized with Messiniakos Gymnastic Club and EAS SEGAS Peloponnese Region.

A recent study of the most “Instagrammed” beaches in the world revealed that Greece’s Navagio Beach, located on the island of Zakynthos, lands in the top five.

Money.co.uk, analyzed over 26 million Instagram hashtags to determine which are the most picturesque and beautiful beaches in the world.

The most Instagrammed in the world

The study ranked beaches’ popularity according to the number of Instagram posts made of them per meter of beach. According to the hundreds of thousands of posts of beaches on the social media site, Bali’s Kelingking Beach is the most popular beach in the world.


Credit: Shrigusti/Wikimedia Commons

The stunning Indonesian beach uploaded the most times on the platform per meter was Kelingking Beach. The beach itself stretches along only 80 meters (262 feet) of Nusa Penida in Bali. Despite the holiday spot’s relatively small size, Kelingking Beach has more than 338,193 photos of it on Instagram, meaning that for every meter of the beach there are 4,227 pictures uploaded to the site.

The findings also showed that half of the world’s most popular beaches to immortalize in picture form are located in Europe. However, the second most-uploaded beach could not be further away, in Sydney, Australia.

Bondi Beach ranked second on the list, with the mammoth 1.000-meter-long sandy crescent-shaped cove having 1,776 pictures per meter posted on the website. The beach’s name comes from the Aboriginal, meaning “water breaking over rocks,” and calls to both Sydney city-dwellers and tourists alike. 

Greece’s most popular beach on Instagram

The most exquisite beach in Greece features a stunning stretch of fine white sand that is 182 meters long; a staggering 403 pictures are posted on the social media site for each meter of the beautiful bathing spot.


Credit: dronepicr, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

Navagio Beach was originally known as “Agios Georgios Beach.” On October 2, 1980, the Freightliner MV Panagiotis ran aground in the waters around Zakynthos Island during stormy weather and poor visibility. It has been rumored for years that the ship was smuggling contraband, including cigarettes and alcohol.

The Panagiotis was abandoned after running aground, and because of the extraordinary difficulty that would be involved in salvaging it, it still rests half-buried in the limestone gravel of the beach, which is now known worldwide by its nickname “Navagio,” or (“Shipwreck”).

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

Image Credit: @ivanmln

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Originally published in Greek on: moneyreview.gr
Translated by: Codico Lab