Chestnuts and the Greek winter are almost synonymous and roasted chestnut street carts are a common sight this time of year!

Chestnuts grow everywhere in Greece in Macedonian forests in the north and all the way down to the Cretan mountains in the south; the new harvest, usually in October, is cause for celebration in many parts of the country.

Although they are the perfect accompaniment to pork and poultry, the Greek traditional confectionery is where they are mostly used in. Enjoy them as a spoon sweet, in jams and spreads and you will certainly love it in cakes such as tsoureki, vasilopita and sweet breads.

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

It’s Christmas in Greece and there is no better way to celebrate than with a beautifully designed dinner party. As with any Greek tradition, the essential elements will include a joyful gathering of family and friends and a table full of delicious dishes that have been passed from generation to generation. These simple guidelines will help you create the perfect Greek Christmas dinner atmosphere!

 

 

Greek tradition involves decorating a sailing boat instead of a tree for Christmas. This quintessential tradition originates from the Greek islands and symbolizes the safe return of seamen and their ships during the long and stormy winter months.

To add a modern and rustic feel to your Christmas dinner table, find some pine cones and scatter them around white pillar candles for an elegant and wintery Christmas decoration. Fold a napkin into a boat shape to match your Christmas boat decoration for a simple but chic place setting décor.

 

Baked treats of all kinds are an essential ingredient of Greek Christmas celebrations! Traditional desserts, such as diples, kourabiedes, kataifi and melomakarona, and baklava will surely satisfy your guests’ sweet tooth!

Step 4. Festive Drinks 

A Christmas dinner party isn’t complete without a drink or two! For a traditional Greek Christmas drink, try warm wine infused with orange and cinnamon or oinomelo, a Greek alternative to mulled wine which is simply warm wine with honey. These enticing festive drinks will definitely keep your guests warm and their spirits high!

 

To read this article in full, please visit: mili-lo.com

Over 220 events have been planned by the Athens municipality this year for Christmas and the New Year, including the tree lighting at Syntagma Square on December 12, 2017 at 19:00. Over 34 days, a plethora of events will take place including outdoor and indoor activities for adults and children, theatre and musical performances, art exhibitions, and Christmas bazaars.

From December 12-30, a number of concerts and live music can be heard under the city’s Christmas tree at Syntagma Square.

Wander over to Omonia Square to see a decorated Greek Christmas boat. Or find the special key words scattered about Syntagma square, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Klafthmonos Square, Monastiraki, the Athens Propylaea, and Thissio.

Mark your calendars on December 21, the longest night of the year, when Lena Platonos will perform at the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Be sure to check out the Library-Academy-University complex on Panepistimiou Street for literature and science-related events.

For the kids, visit Klafthmonos Square from December 19-31.

Between December 14-24, the Kypseli municipal market is organizing festive Christmas activities, especially for the food lovers.

Various museums, libraries, and cultural venues, as well as the Athens municipality's pottery centre, will hold theatrical performances, art events and workshops from December 19-31.

On New Year’s Eve, the municipality will host performances by percussion ensembles Batuca and Batala. You can watch a concert by the City of Athens Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as performances by Evanthia Reboutsika, Mariza Rizou and Panos Mouzourakis, and other artists.

And finally, the Mayor of Athens will help us ring in the New Year at the Apostolos Pavlos pedestrian walkway in Thisio.

 

On Sunday December 3^rd, the winner of Social Impact Award, Labyrinth of Senses and the Non for Profit Organization Joy Park: A Park for All, with the support of Impact Hub and Kypseli Municipal Market successfully organized a large fest occasioned by the International Day of Persons with Disabilities event took place in the Kypseli Municipal Market and the participation was free.

The aim of this event was entertaining children and adults, people with and without disabilities and discovering diversity through a whole of original and specifically adjusted activities.

Labyrinth of Senses once more stunned the audience with its imaginative, multi-sensed activities. The day of its birthday, becoming 3 years old, the Labyrinth received the most precious gift, more than 100 smiles. The message of equality, respect and understanding to all and to ourselves was heard again.

The Joy Park: A Park for All occupied the children with and without disabilities with the most beautiful way, giving them unforgettable and unique experiences. Children, along with their parents, had the chance to participate in an adjusted drama workshop regarding diversity, under the guidance of theatrologist and author Ersi Niaoti. At the same time, the kids with the help of volunteers created all together Christmas crafts under the sounds of DJ Vaggelis Bertolis. Finally, Joy Park: A Park for All, in cooperation with the mixed dance team Griego Latina and the children of Open Hug offered a unique latin dance workshop for people with and without disability to the audience.

Labyrinth of Senses and Joy Park: A Park for All promise to unite their powers again in the future and offer even more beautiful moments to the participants of all ages and capabilities.

For more information on Labyrinth of Senses and Joy Park: a Park for All check out their Facebook pages HERE and HERE!

“Is Athens the New Berlin? No, it is Athens. But, something is happening.” As Athens continues on a creative regeneration, the city has been compared and called the “New Berlin,” but some disagree on the city’s new label. As Neos Kosmos reports, “Artists, collectives, new bars, farm-to-table restaurants, startups, and alternative music venues are amassing in Athens. Abandoned buildings, the scars from what Greeks simply call ‘the Crisis’ are turning to cultural spaces and startups. Political statements are now blazoning street art. Artists from Mexico, Bali, New York and Western Europe are making Athens a new base.”

Athens starts at 9am and ends at 4am. The city has its own distorted symphony made of diverse music from limitless bars and cafes, car horns, vendors’ shouts, people talking, dogs barking, scouters and motorbikes.

Psyri, previously a poor inner city neighborhood is now a hipster hub. The hole-in-the-wall bar, Cantina Social, renowned for alternative music and heaving late night parties is burrowed in a secret courtyard. Embros an abandoned warehouse is a performance space run by a collective presenting theatre, performance, dance and alternative music.

To read this article in full, please visit: Neos Kosmos

“Greece has it all. Not many European nations can boast over 300 days of year-round sunshine, islands outnumbering the days spent in one country, epicurean adventures to please the most discerning food connoisseur, and a cultural treasure chest of antiquities,” the Huffington Post reports.

 

The year 2017 brought a record 30 million visitors to Greece and as the year closes, projections for 2018 are high. As travelers continue to fall in love with Greece, the Ministry of Tourism is promoting Greece with its mild spring and winter season as a year-round destination.

And tt’s not just the usual suspects of Athens, Santorini, and Mykonos who are reaping the benefits from Greece. Significant increases in arrivals include: Lesvos and Samos in the North Aegean; Kavala in Eastern Macedonia; the island of Kos in the South Aegean; the Ionian islands of Zakynthos and Kefalonia.

To read this article in full, please visit: Huffington Post

Every once in a while, we all deserve a break from our daily routine, and there's nothing better than enjoying a quick and easy getaway! Because time and money are always at the top of the list, we've put together our favorite road-trip destinations around Athens that are easy and won't break the bank. These three recommendations are ideal to visit all year around and will surely give you the much-needed break you deserve!

Athens to Sounio

Approximately one hour from the city center 


Temple of Apollo, Sounion. Photo credit: @instavier
 

Sounio is located 69 km southeast of Athens at the southernmost tip of the Attica region of Greece and is an area of great archaeological importance. Visitors can see the Temple of Poseidon, an impressive structure built in 444 BC that was dedicated to Poseidon - God of Sea - who held a high position in the hierarchy of Greek mythological gods. It was there that Aegeus, the King of Athens, leaped to his death when he thought his son Theseus died. As a result, the Aegean sea was named after him.

Once you arrive at Sounio and have explored the archaeological site, you can relax at the site's cafe or head to one of the many traditional Greek tavernas in the area. The view from the temple is simply breathtaking and during the winter months, visitors enjoy a reduced entrance fee rate. Last but not least, if you time it perfectly, you'll be lucky enough to enjoy one of the most incredible sunsets in Greece!

 

 

Mycenae is about an hour and a half away from Athens and used to be a major center for Greek civilization. It was home to the kingdom of Agamemnon, a legendary hero in the Trojan War. Once at the site, visit the tomb of Agamemnon, the palace, and the lion's gate, which once served as the city’s main entrance.

After exploring Mycenae, head about 45kms to the world-famous Epidavros - home to the Ancient Theater of Epidavros. Constructed in the 4th century BC and dedicated to Asclepius, the God of Medicine, Epidavros is regarded as the best-preserved ancient theater in Greece. It was here that the works of well-known ancient Greek writers and poets debuted their work!

 

Nafplio is one of the most romantic destinations in Greece and a town of great history, as it was once the country’s capital city (from 1823 to 1834). Syntagma Square is at the heart of the town where you can admire many historical buildings like the first Greek parliament and the archaeological museum.

The city’s most important sight is the prominent Palamidi Castle, which can be reached by climbing its 999 steps(!) but also by car and footpath. At this famous castle, Theodoros Kolokotronis, hero of the Greek revolution, was kept imprisoned. Across the city's port is a small island called Agioi Theodoroi on which stands the beautiful Venetian fortress called Bourtzi. Except for the many cultural sites, Nafplio is also famous for its restaurants, cafes, and bars, its impressive natural scenery, but most importantly its authentically Greek atmosphere.

 

During the recent 33rd International Tourism Exhibition ‘Philoxenia’ that took place in Thessaloniki, the Region of Attica released its new tourism identity and logo.

The new logo drew the participants’ attention “with its charming clarity inspired by the cultural elements and shapes, the colors of the sea and the light, which characterize Attica,” the Region of Attica said.

“Attica was presented as a distinctive tourism destination to representatives of the international tourism market,” said Eleni Dimopoulou executive regional councilor for tourism.

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

Every corner of Greece has unique specialties and dishes that have evolved over time. From the interplay of necessity and invention; from raw materials that grew naturally in harsh or fertile environments; from passersby – invaders or refugees – who introduced new ideas and from the Orthodox Church, whose stringent regulations regarding fasting compelled countless generations of housewives to create an enormous repertoire of wonderful vegetarian and vegan dishes. Discover Greece takes us on a gastronomic experience to taste big city Greek cuisine, traditional products, wine and local spirits, and more!

The key for any visitor is to ‘go local’, enjoy the gifts of the land and see and the company of people who have upheld ancient culinary traditions for centuries. Exchange toasts with your neighbours as you drink wine made from exquisite home-grown grapes. Have fun at lunch parties on Sundays and holidays that last till evening, enjoying traditional dishes that have been seasoned with love and special care.

In the big cities, you’ll dine at innovative and star-spangled restaurants serving new Greek cuisine and you’ll visit traditional markets that have been open since the 19th century. Shop windows and open-air displays will entice you with their novelties and freshness, inviting you to sample and taste familiar or unfamiliar foods. Live like a local in a land that has been influenced by waves of conquerors and embrace the habits that have for so long nourished body and soul of an entire nation.

To read this article in full, please visit: Discover Greece

To investigate what superfoods can do for us, Jamie Oliver traveled to Ikaria, Greece, where the residents live an average of 10 years longer than anyone in Europe and America. In this video, Oliver searches for the answer to Ikaria’s longevity. What’s their secret? Find out below!

*Unfortunately as of December 1, 2017 this video is no longer available online.

 

 

Source: Greece by a Greek