Just recently, African dust coming from the Sahara covered much of southern Greece and Crete. With plenty of pictures to prove it, the environment looked more like it belonged on planet Mars with the entire city covered by a thick orange cloud of dust.

The Athens Observatory stated that it was one of the largest ever transfer of Sahara desert sand to Greece. 

In fact, the orange cloud of dust wasn't just seen in Athens, it was seen around the country. Dust storms are a regular occurrence in Greece, particularly around this time in the spring. Sand and dust storms are a natural meteorological phenomenon, although the Mediterranean region is seeing more of them thanks to global warming, land conversions, and agricultural practices that lead to desertification and drought.

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

 

Photo Credit: Greek Reporter

Coinciding with a decade of museum operations, the excavation site at the Acropolis Museum is set to open to the public in the summer of 2019. The Museum Director, Dimitris Pantermalis, announced the opening recently to the Central Archaeological Council. 

The excavation site is located on the south side of the Acropolis, below the museum, and will be showcased through special lighting effects, informative signage, and digital applications. The site will also be accessible to anyone with disabilities, and admission is likely to be free due to the increase in ticket cost.

Visitors will have the chance to see ruins of an Ancient Athenian neighborhood along an ancient road, as well as homes, bathhouses, and workshops from 5th century BC.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Discover how Athens hit the headlines with some exceptional recognitions and learn all about "Open House Athens 2018" , a unique event kicking off this weekend that invites the public to explore and understand the value of architecture. Also, if you are a native english speaker who loves the Mediterranean lifestyle see if you can get casted for "HGTV Mediterranean Lifestyle", a show similar to House Hunters

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Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 23year- old NBA superstar who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, recently shared his inspiring and compelling story on "60 Minutes."

One of the highlights of the segment was his story about his family growing up in poverty in Greece, and wanting to help his parents out, Giannis and his brother would sell items including glasses and watches, on the streets. According to Giannis, "he was the best salesman." 

Giannis was playing basketball in a gym in Greece when a grainy video of him playing went viral. After that, NBA scouts from everywhere began to check him out. Eventually, at 18 years old, he was drafted by the Bucks. Now know as the 'Greek Freak,' Giannis is one of the NBA's brightest stars.

This "60 Minutes" feature is a remarkable look into Antetokounmpo's story. Even for those who don't know him, they will be able to gain an appreciation for the player now known as the "Greek Freak."

To watch the full video, please visit: CBS News

On March 25th Greece celebrated it's Independence day. But, how much do you know about it? Read a brief outline of this historic day, the story behind the Greek national anthem and much more in this week's newsletter!

Remember to stay connected with us through our weekly newsletter, Facebook, and Twitter!

HGTV is currently casting for Mediterranean Life, a new HGTV show set on the Mediterranean coast of Europe.

Similar to House Hunters International, Mexico Life and Caribbean Life, Mediterranean Life will tell the stories of English native speaking families/couples/individuals who’ve started their new life in Mediterranean Europe and are renting or buying a property here.

 

The satellite television channel is looking for energetic people who are in love with the Mediterranean lifestyle and searching for a new home by the Mediterranean Sea. Ideally candidates will be native English speakers who have recently moved to Greece, and have already bought/rented their dream house/apartment with a seaview (if possible!). There is no limit in terms of the length of stay in Greece, but candidates should be fresh in their new place.

SNI’s lifestyle portfolio includes the popular television and internet brands DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and Great American Country, which collectively engage more than 190 million consumers each month.

The company’s global networks and websites reach millions of consumers across North and South America, Asia, Europe, Australia the Middle East and Africa. International operations include TVN, Poland’s premier multi-platform company; UKTV, an independent commercial joint venture with BBC Worldwide; Asian Food Channel, the first pan-regional TV food network in Asia; and lifestyle channel Fine Living Network.

Check Out The Trailor Here: https://www.hgtv.com/shows/mediterranean-life

 

 

The exhibition is curated by the art historian and assistant professor at the University of Athens Κonstantinos Vafiadis.

Dimitris Lazarou has the responsibility for the concept,organization and communication of the exhibition.

69 contemporary visual artists present art works of painting,sculpture and photography, inspired by the words of the Frenchpoet Paul Verlaine: "Art is to be absolutely yourself".

Paul Verlaine is characterized as a purely lyric poet who hasmarked a transition from romance to the symbolism movement,and is distinguished by the musical effect of his writing, throughthe use of several secrets of French procreation, such asappearances, assertions and imparisyllabic lyrics.

Art historian and Assistant Professor at the University of AthensKonstantinos Vafiadis in his text, titled "Commentary on PaulVerlaine's Exclusion: Art is to Be Absolutely Yourself"; notes: “Consequently the aphorism of the lyric poet Paul Verlaine (1844 –1896) “Art is to be absolutely yourself, seems to adopt a view ofthe same aspect. Nevertheless it reveals ambiguity as it refers totwo ancient notions, concerning Representation, absolutely notcompatible to each other.

According to the first notion Art is considered to be realized tomatter, reference to the Self as a materialistic projection to theexteriority of a nonvisible essence, and thus as a way out (exit)from the walls of an individual consciousness.In that case the artistic work constitutes a symbolic parallel to theself having a reference relationship, a point without objective butrelevant substance.

According to the second – more ancient – notion. Art is the Self inan absolute Sense. In that case the artistic work constitutes apresence, it doesn’t refer to the Self. It is the Self. Thus the artisticwork sheds the arbitrary character that is innate in the relationshipbetween phonetics and the meaning and at the same time itestablishes itself as objective.

Having all these in mind and within the frame of Paul Verlaine’ssymbolic thought the latter seems to support the second notion ofthe artistic representation as a testimony of the art work. Itproceeds even further by equating the art work with the self orrather by substituting and converting the self into the ultimatepiece of Art fully independent from the recent manipulatingcollectiveness.

In that sense the french poet seems to prepare the path that wasdestined to lead to the “Death of the Art” and later on to thepostmodern Situation, innate to the variations of Conceptual Art –not only to the manipulation of the artistic produce by the “Worldof Art” since the latter doesn’t do anything else but continuouslydirect the dominant World of power.”

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday: 14:00 - 20:00Saturday: 11:00 - 15:00

*Due to the Easter holiday period the gallery will be closed from 5 th tillDue to the Easter holiday period the gallery will be closed from 5 th till11 th of April.

Easter in Greece is the most celebrated holiday of the year! Although the traditions surrounding Easter begin with the festivities of carnival and the first day of lent on Clean Monday, the ten-day period leading up to Easter weekend is perhaps the most revered on the Greek Orthodox calendar. 

The traditions and customs of this special time are rooted in religious history and still remain a significant part of modern Greek culture. The preparations for Easter in Greece begin with Holy week, which runs from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, and culminates with a celebration of traditions on Easter Sunday!

While there are several Easter traditions observed by everyone across the country, Mili Lo shares with us the different local customs in each region in Greece. Below, are the traditional customs celebrated by everyone, as well as some of their favorite destinations to celebrate Easter in Greece.

Easter wouldn’t feel authentic without the traditional preparation of red eggs and sweet egg bread called tsoureki which are prepared during holy week on Thursday; the eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ. The delicious Easter bread tsoureki is also typically baked on Thursday. In the evening, people attend church to watch a symbolic representation of the crucifixion and in some places in Greece, it is common for women to stay at church throughout the night in traditional mourning.

On Good Friday, considered the holiest day of the year in the Greek Orthodox Church, it is a day of fast and many foods are strictly prohibited. Traditionally, women take flowers to the church and decorate the Epitaphio, a shrine bearing the image of Christ, which symbolizes his tomb. In the evening, people gather around to watch as the shrine is carried in a procession in the street. This is one of the most solemn experiences one can have during Easter in Greece.
   

Article Source: Mili Lo, Design & Event Planning Expert

Athens International Airport has recently been awarded 'Best Airport in Europe' in the 15-25 million passengers a year category, which was announced at the 2017 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) awards by the Airports Council International World.

Mumbai received first place for airports in the Asia-Pacific, Toronto Pearson received first place for North America, and Rome Fiumicino received first place for Europe, all serving over 40 million passengers a year. The winning airports were congratulated on their dedication to excellent customer service. 

Athens International Airport saw a 6.5 percent increase in passenger traffic in February 2018, mainly from international arrivals. According to ACI World, in 2017 over half of the world’s 7.7 billion travelers passed through an ASQ airport. This year, sixteen airports were first time winners – with Athens Airport among them –  delivering top-quality customer service.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Photo Credit: Greek Travel Pages

The Faliro Delta is moving onto the next phase of the revamp project after the Attica Region council said it would be allocating 90 million euros for the project.

The second phase of the project will only focus on the landscaping needs while the sports facilities, port upgrades, and cultural/commercial areas will be the focus during the third phase of the project. The construction will continue to 2021 when the park is set to open to the public.

The project was designed by Italian architect and engineer Renzo Piano and funded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages