Sunday, the last day before Lent, according to the Christian Orthodox calendar, saw the conclusion of Carnival celebrations in Greece. Helped by the sunny weather, many thousands took part in the parades and other Carnival celebrations all around Greece.

 

The best-known Carnival in Greece takes place in Patras, the country’s 3rd largest city. This year the Patras Carvival attracted some 40,000 visitors and included a Chinese troupe, “Flying Dragons and Dancing Lions - Team of Cuigezhuang Township”.

 

The Patras Carnival is most likely the most flamboyant and crowded, while places such as Naoussa in northern Greece and the island of Corfu base their celebrations on old traditions and retain a more authentic character.


To read this article in full, please visit: ekathimerini

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.

 

 

 

In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8 and their 60th anniversary, Mattel has created a new series of role model Barbie dolls in an effort to inspire even more girls around the globe.

 

 

 

 

As a part of the #MoreRoleModels initiative, Eleni Antoniadou has become the first Greek Barbie doll. Eleni Antoniadou is a NASA researcher and one of the most notable Greek scientists in the world today. She is an expert in the fields of regenerative medicine and bioastronautics, an advocate for organ donation, an activist against illegal organ trafficking, and a firm supporter of girls in STEM. Antoniadou has been awarded with several academic distinctions and honors for her continuous efforts to connect the dot between technology policy, research and entrepreneurship!

 

Other role model Barbie’s include Tessa Virtue, an ice dancing champion from Canada, Patty Jenkins a filmmaker from the USA, and Iwona Blecharczyk, a professional truck driver from Poland.

Photo: facebook

STOart Korai presents the work of Mary Cox, in a lively painting exhibition entitled "Unruly Phenomena".

The show focuses on plants, particularly wild ones growing in Attica, whose hardiness and resistance is the basis for the title. Synonyms for "unruly" are wild, unmanageable, and not amenable to discipline or control. Each work in this series is based on photographs which are zoomed in on to magnify details that are often overlooked. The paintings set realistic, detailed images against abstract backgrounds, often reworked from earlier paintings done years before. Vibrant bright colors and manipulated perspectives translate the work from photographic to fantastical, while the inclusion of fences, architectural elements and other objects references social and political, as well as psychological states. Included in this exhibition is another recent series: small digital prints of collages made using reproductions of art from art magazines. Each piece is essentially an amalgam of appropriated work, playing with color and composition as well as scale. The rejection of the idea of originality, inherent in appropriation, and the melding of styles results in a happy, hybrid metamorphosis.

Mary Cox is an American painter with Greek nationality living and working in Greece since 1993. She holds a Masters in Fine Art from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, California. She has shown her work in galleries in Greece and abroad since 1999. Over the years she has taken up different subject matter and used a range of media, from a mixed-media series on migration which was selected for a biennial in Lulea, Sweden in 2011, to a photo- realistic series of paintings of old houses in the southern suburbs of Athens. Since 2014 she has co-directed the alternative artist-run FokiaNou Art Space.

Opening Day: 12 March, 7 pm
Duration: 12 March - 11 April, Monday-Friday 10am - 8pm

As of March 1, 2019, we have introduced a new fee structure regarding how individuals can post on XpatAthens. Until now, we did not charge for individuals to post on XpatAthens, which includes uploading Classified and Event posts.

We have elected to introduce a small fee for uploading posts because we respect your contribution, value the work that we do, and want to enable our team to continue improving the quality of our content and services.

Anyone who has lived in Athens knows exactly what it’s like to chit-chat with a friend at one of the capital’s countless coffee shops while enjoying a cup of coffee for on hours on end. Even though Greeks love their coffee and leisurely time they are also keen book lovers, appreciate a vivid conversation or an interesting book presentation. Recently, a few bookstores around the city cover the need for a cup of coffee and a healthy snack while nurturing the locals’ need for intellect, culture, and good books.

 

 

 

Little Tree Books & Coffee

Located just around the corner from the Acropolis Museum, Little Tree is the ideal place to relax and read your book while enjoying a fragrant cup of coffee or tea and a light homemade snack. Food here is prepared using a variety of fresh local ingredients and the desserts are simply delicious. Apart from its cosy atmosphere and yummy snacks, Little Tree is also stocked with interesting books of all sorts and holds an exceptional selection of children’s books.

Address: 2 Kavalotti, 117 42, Makrygianni, Athens
Telephone: 210 9243762

Booktalks

Part bookstore part coffee shop, Booktalks is one of the most delightful little shops in Athens. It’s the ideal place to relax, rest, read, drink and eat. Located in Palaio Faliro, Booktalks was created by two bibliophile bloggers who came together to create a welcoming space that combines two of their favorite pleasures, books and coffee. Drop by to buy a good book, enjoy a hot cup of coffee, and join the various book presentations and literaryevents that take place at the bookstore.

Address: 47 Artemidos & 58 Agiou Alexandrou, 175 61, Palaio Faliro
Telephone: 210 9802520

Evripidis Kifissia

Evripidis in Kifissia is much more than just another bookshop. It’s a meeting point, a relaxation spot, a hub for fruitful discussions, and a charming coffee shop at the same time. One of the oldest bookshops in Athens and one of the largest in Greece, Evripidis first opened its doors in 1955 and continues to attract bibliophiles from all around Athens because of its large collection of Greek and foreign language books. Evripidis runs a book club, hosts events on a regular basis, and serves delicious coffee and snacks.

Address: 310 Leoforos Kifissias, 145 63, Kifissia
Telephone: 210 8075792

 

Image Credit: Little Tree Books & Coffee

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated this year on Sunday March 17th and the Hard Rock Cafe Athens is about to be sham-rocked! Famous for its legendary burgers, and in tribute to Ireland's National holiday, the HRC Athens has a special menu running from March 13-17 to celebrate! 

We wanted to make this year's St. Paddy's Day celebration extra special so we've teamed up with Hard Rock Cafe Athens to offer a fun and eventful experience in Athens!

1. Seasonal salad for 2

2. Guiness burger per person

3. Lil brownie per person

4. St. Paddy’s shake for 2

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HOW TO ENTER:

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Get ready for a crazy carnival party with loads of dancing, playing and festive creations this Sunday, March 10th in Technopolis!  

The day will start with a tour around the old industrial factory-museum and the tallest building in Technopolis, with a beautiful panoramic view of Athens. Don't worry if you're not sure on which costume to choose, you can make your own right there or buy a mask from the Greek Childrens Museum!

At 12:00, an interactive magical comedy play with Magic Tolto will make the day even more enoyable for both kids and adults!

Schedule

- A walk in the museum at 11:00 (Kaminada B')
- Festive carnival tailoring at 11:00 (Palaioi Fournoi)
- Mask making at 11:00 for kids aged 4-7 and at 12:00 aged 7-12 (Ground floor)
- Funny Lies with Magic Tolto at 12:00 (Apothiki)
- Story-telling theatrical play at 12:00 (Neoi Fournoi)
- Super Fiesta at 13:00 (Dexamenes Katharismou)


Entrance is free of charge, but phone reservation is necessary.

Yannis Behrakis, one of Reuters’ most talented photographers, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was only 58 years old.

 

Behrakis covered many turbulent events around the world, such as the conflicts in Chechnya and Afghanistan, the Egyptian uprising of 2011, and a huge earthquake in Kashmir. In 2000, while covering the civil war in Sierra Leone, he narrowly survived an attack that killed 2 of his colleagues.

 

For the 5th consecutive year the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs celebrates French gastronomy with a unique culinary celebration that will take place around the globe from 21 to 24 March 2019. Good/Goût de France is a gourmet festival to celebrate French gastronomy held across the globe! Thousands of dinners “à la française” on the five continents and nation-wide gourmet initiatives. This year’s focus is on socially and environmentally responsible cuisine. The festival was first introduced in 2015 following the inscription of the ‘Gastronomic Meal of the French’ on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

 

In 2018, 83 restaurants in Greece took part in the Good/Goût de France event and created original menus to promote French gastronomy in Greece. The event is organized under the auspices of the French Embassy in Greece.

 

For further information, please visit: The French Embassy in Greece