In 2005, some 800 Greeks took part in the Athens Classic Marathon, while this year more than 9,000 are said to have set off from starting line on Sunday November 8. A decade ago, Greece held no more than 50 events a year for amateur runners, but now, including mountain races, these surpass 300.

Running in Greece has become so popular in recent years that even professionals have been caught unaware. It has given rise to new professions, offset the losses of others and gradually changed the mentality of many in regard to sport.

Amateur runner Marios Kritikos tells Kathimerini that he began running on the encouragement of friends, and in a bid to shed a bit of weight. Today, at the age of 37, he works as a software engineer at a mutinational firm and has completed eight marathons in Greece and abroad, two mountain races on Olympus and one 12-hour race in Elefsina. Not everyone could understand his passion at first. “The first summer I went to my wife’s village and ran in tights, the locals laughed at me,” he says. “Last year and this year, though, I saw a lot of people either running or walking in the same areas. We’re growing accustomed to the sight. It does not raise eyebrows as it once did.”

The growing popularity of running is particularly well illustrated in the numbers for the Athens Marathon, which is organized by SEGAS, Greece’s athletics federation. Enrollments this year (including the 5k and 10k races that are held on the same day) came to more than 40,000, from just 7,300 in 2007. In the period between 2011 and 2012, foreign travel agents reduced their reservations for runners from abroad because of the mass protests in Athens but this loss was offset by a spike in the number of Greeks who signed up, breaking all previous records.

An athletics event of this size is particularly lucrative. This year organizers estimated that, thanks to the arrival of runners and their friends and families from abroad, around 10 million euros will be spent at hotels, restaurants, archaeological sites and retail stores over the five-day period.

How can Greeks’ sudden interest in running be explained? “I think the crisis played a big role. Running is a form of stress relief and low-maintenance. All you have to do is put on a pair of shorts and running shoes and go outside,” says physical therapist Giorgos Psaroyiannis, a veteran runner himself. Last year he treated more than 1,000 runners, compared to a decade ago when he barely had 200.

ΟHe has noticed that most people start running in their 30s and while it starts as a hobby, many overdo it or make technical mistakes, often leading to injury. “I tell them that they need to have continuity. The aim is to run for as many years as we can,” says Psaroyiannis.

One recent afternoon at the Olympic Stadium, dozens of amateur runners pushed the extra few kilometers under the floodlights as they counted down the last two weeks to the Marathon. Polias watched them from a corner, stopwatch in hand.

“I want to believe that this is not a passing trend,” he says. “In running, nothing comes for free. You have to keep trying until you reach your goal. People who put running in their lives and are committed keep doing it because it is an unbelievable source of joy and well-being.”

To read this article in full, please visit eKathimerini

Despite uncertainty in the outbound holiday market in Europe and the ongoing publicity of the refugee crisis, Athens has not lost ground as a leisure tourism and city break destination, according to the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB).

“It’s business as usual for Athens at ITB”, the convention bureau’s press officer, George Angelis, told the Greek Travel Pages (GTP) on the sidelines of the trade show in Berlin. “We have not seen or heard anything that should cause some concern. On the contrary, we see that there is currently a healthy demand for Athens, particularly in for city break and leisure tourism”, he said.

The Greek capital was represented once again at ITB (the world's leading travel trade show) which took place in Berlin from March 9-13, 2016.

To read more please visit: GreekTravelPages

In recent news, swimmers have been urged to be cautious this summer when choosing a beach for a swim due to highly polluted waters found at 4 of the Attica region beaches.

According to a report conducted by the Greek National Center for Ecological Research (PAKOE), 4 of the 17 popular beaches in Attica were found to have water with high pollution levels and were listed as ‘unfit for swimmers due to unsafe bacteria levels in accordance with the EU stipulations.’

Kavouri

Megalo Kavouri

Aghios Nikolaos in Lagonisi

Main beach in Saronida

Source: Greek Reporter

By launching flights to Voronezh, the global carrier reaffirms its ongoing expansion strategy to provide travelers with the greatest number of travel destination options. With existing services to Moscow, St.Petersburg, Sochi, Rostov, Kazan, Ekaterinburg, Ufa, and Stavropol, Turkish Airlines has now added Voronezh to its expanding Russian network.

Due to the carrier’ capacity increase strategy on its Russia flights, roundtrip services between Istanbul and Voronezh will be operated as 3 times per week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Flight TK 481 departs IST Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 01:05 and arrives VOZ 03:45.

Flight TK 482 departs VOZ Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 04:40 and arrives IST 07:40.

About Turkish Airlines 

Established in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines is a 4-star airline today with a fleet of 337 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to 298 destinations worldwide with 249 international and 49 domestic. For more information on Turkish Airlines, please visit Turkish Airlines’ official website.

 

Photo Credit: Turkish Airlines

While surrounded by jewelry designers, archaeologists, entrepreneurs, and historians at the Knossos Palace, Prince Charles was learning about the impact of ancient Minoan civilization on contemporary style.

As Vogue states, "Chiton dress styles, decorative motifs, superfoods and fabric weaves that date back over 3,618 years are part of an ongoing aesthetic dialogue between the Minoan ancients and contemporary designers including Sophia Kokosalaki, Zeus and Dione, Ancient Greek Sandals and fine jewellers, Zolotas and Paulina Ellis."

"There is a strong link between fashion and the Minoans (the civilisation flourished between 3000 and 1200 B.C.) – physical prowess and glamour are entrenched. Back in the 1920s, Mario Fortuny even created a special label marked Knossos for a collection of his densely pleated draped dresses. The surrealists were seduced and published Minotaure magazine in the 1930s. In the 1970s, Cretan designer Yannis Tseklenis became the toast of cocktail society in New York and Paris with his psychedelic image dresses that reprised the fine frescoes and patterned artifacts found in the region. More recently, Chloe and Mary Katrantzou's spring/summer 2017 collections incorporated motifs from the famous Knossos palace fresco "Ladies in Blue" featuring opulent beauties with bejewelled corkscrew curls."

To read this article in full, please visit: Vogue

 

Photo source: Wikipedia

Kathara Deftera (Clean Monday) is one of the most favored holidays in Greece. Not only because of the delicious lenten food, but also because it marks the beginning of spring and is a great opportunity to enjoy nature and spend time outdoors.

 

One of the most significant Kathara Deftera traditions is kite flying; families and friends head to the city’s parks, hills, and open spaces to fly their kite. Weather permitting, because a little breeze is imperative to get the kite up into the air, the Athenian sky becomes a beautiful sight, filled with kites of all shapes and colors.

 

If you're wondering where exactly you can fly a kite in Athens, here are some of our top suggestions:

Syggrou Park


Credit: dasosygrou.gr

Syggrou Park is a lush urban paradise in the northern suburbs of the city, between Maroussi and Kifissia. This 950-acre park is a verdant heaven filled with pine trees, firs, cypresses, and almond trees. Here you will find cycling paths, footpaths, basketball, football, and volleyball courts, and quite a few clearings to practice your kite flying skills.

Sounio


The temple of Poseidon in Sounion. Credit: _zerfos_

Located approximately 70 kilometers from the city center, Sounio is an ideal Kathara Deftera destination. Around Sounio you will find plenty of beaches such as Legrena, Saronida and Agia Marina and open spaces to let your kite fly up into the air. After flying your kite head to a seaside tavern to enjoy a traditional Lenten lunch.

Mount Lycabettus


The stunning views from Mount Lycabettus. Credit: @giannischousos

 

Mount Lycabettus is the perfect place to go and fly your kite if you don’t want to leave too far from the city center. Located just a few minutes away from the lively Kolonaki neighborhood, Lycabettus offers amazing views of the city and plenty of open spaces ideal to send your kite soaring!

 

Philopappos Ηill


Wrap-around views from Philopappos Hill. Credit: @jananasss

Philopappos Hill is the most traditional and popular kite flying spot in Athens. Every year the City of Athens organizes a celebration with live music, lenten food, and traditional dances! We advise you to take the Metro to Acropolis station and continue on foot because, on Kathara Deftera, traffic and parking can be really challenging.

 

 

 

The mayor of the Greek city of Sparta recently announced recently that the city council is organizing a series of events to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae between the Spartans and the invading Persian army.

Spartans are particularly proud of this anniversary, when Leonidas, the warrior king of Sparta, led his brave 300 men in the legendary last stand against the Persian army, precisely 2,500 years ago next year.

The mayor of Sparta, Petros Doukas stated that the committee that will organize the celebratory events that will attract global attention has already been set up and comprises both Greek and foreign nationals. Namely, the board includes politicians, historians, and royals, as well as business people and distinguished personalities, from Greece, the UK, the US, and other countries around the world.

'They will help us with their international prestige, their knowledge, and their international relations and networking abilities in organizing events truly worthy of Sparta, Leonidas and the 300,' the mayor told AMNA.

 

The Battle of Thermopylae commemoration will include events that highlight the achievements of ancient Spartan civilization, including politics, geopolitics, poetry, philosophy, gymnastics, dance, martial arts, Spartan cuisine, and many others.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Reporter

With the recent outbreak of the coronavirus, factories were shut down, the streets were cleared, and the authorities ordered residents to stay home to stop the spread of the virus. As it appears, the lockdown had an unexpected and unintended advantage–blue skies.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment, 'Good Quality Air Days' have increased by 21.5% in February 2020 compared to February 2019–and not only in Hubei.

Satellite images released by NASA and the European Space Agency show a significant reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions in major Chinese cities between January and February while the visible cloud of toxic gas hovering over industrial areas has almost dissappeared.

In Hong Kong, air quality has also improved since the city went into partial shutdown mode as a measure to stop the spreading of the coronavirus.  Key air pollutants have dropped by nearly a third, according to data released by the Hong Kong University School of Public Health, which was analyzed by the environmental organization Clean Air Network.

Similarly in Venice residents are noticing a great improvement in the city's famous canals. The usually murky waters are running clear to the extent that fish can be seen for the first time in a very long time! The lockdown in Italy has left Venice streets empty while the drop in water traffic has allowed the sediment in the canals has been able to settle.

Article sources: CNN & BBC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the holiday period, shops throughout the country will remain open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., the Hellenic Retail Business Association (SELPE) said in a statement.

On Saturdays, they will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sundays, December 11 and 18, they will open from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m., in order to help the public make their holiday purchases.

It should be noted that the member companies of SELPE have taken all the necessary measures to comply with the health rules, the association stressed.

Originally published on: ekathimerini.com