XpatAthens

XpatAthens

On Thursday July 19th, Wyndham Grand Athens and Best Radio 92.6 invite you to a special After Office Party at the hotel's Roof Garden, the ABOVE Rooftop Bar Restaurant!

On the 9th floor of Wyndham Grand Athens and next to impressive city and acropolis panoramic views, guests are invited to join the 2nd After Office Event and enjoy refreshing drinks or signature cocktails, while listening to great music choices by Best Radio's DJs! 

Music by:
Evi Sidiropoulou
G.PAL
Maria Papidaki
Theodosis Michos

Beers: starting from 6 €
Wines by the Glass: starting from 6€
Standard Drinks: starting from 9 €
Cocktails: starting from 12 €
Standard Vodka Bottle Service: starting from 100 €

‘’AFTER OFFICE’’ Special ROOM rate: 120€ upon availability
For world famous basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece holds a special place in his heart.

Because of his love and ties to the country, the Minister of Tourism, Elena Kountoura, invited Mr. Antetokounmpo to become an ambassador of Greek tourism and help promote the country to the world. 
The Minister of Tourism was very emotional when she saw how much the NBA star loves Greece, who accepted her invitation straight away. Unofficially, Giannis has been promoting the country through his succesful achievements.

Giannis, of course, wanted to thank the Minister of Tourism for her effort to strenghten Greek tourism and stated that he and his family will do anything to boost the beauty and culture of his beloved country.

Furthermore, the Milwaukee Bucks player ran for a good cause on July 7th, 2018, encouraging solidarity in Greece.

The video below shows the tourism campaign by Visit Greece where Antetokounmpo invites you to his beautiful country!



Originally posted in Greek on Athens Voice
Translated by XpatAthens
Thursday, 12 May 2022 07:00

5 Beautiful Places To Stargaze In Athens

No doubt in our minds that Athens is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With historical ancient sites and exceptional beaches along the coast, Athens is a fascinating place for both tourists and locals. Most sightseeing is done during the day, but Athens is just as wonderful and impressive at night.Below are some excellent spots to sit and stargaze!



Thiseio

National Observatory
@observatoryathens

Right in the heart of Athens, the bright lights of the busy city might not create the best circumstances for a crystal clear sky, but the local observatory and its telescope have sure taken care of it! So next time you're downtown, don't forget to pay it a visit.

Penteli

Penteli
@paranoid_pastel

The Penteli Observatory is undoubtedly one of the most famous observatories in Greece. Whether you live in Athens or just visiting, you can take part in one of the organized tours that they offer, which include walking at night and observing the clear sky through a Newall telescope.

Sounio

Cape Sounion
@leva_alex

One of the most magical places outside of Athens is the famous Sounio. The Temple of Poseidon and its sandy beach just under it make it a once in a lifetime oppurtunity to gaze at the sky while enjoying a refreshing swim. 

Elikonas

Elikonas
@tasos_palamidas

Just about an hour away from Athens lies the country town of Elikonas, which offers a fantastic site in the woods to gaze at the stars. The place is called Arvanitsa where visitors can also enjoy a quick bite far from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Kitheronas

Kitheronas
@kimon_papathanasopoulos

The mountain of Kitheronas is situated between Attica and Viotia and has become a favorite place for passionate stargazers. If you do visit it, the best place for a great view of the sky is near the EOS Eleusina shelter, Vaggelis Tsakos.


Thursday, 05 July 2018 09:52

Folegandros Sunset Trail

The 1st Folegandros Sunset Trail running race was successfully organized, for the first time, on Saturday 3rd June 2018. The late afternoon route offered a unique and lovely experience to all participants.

The second race of the Cyclades Trail Cup 2018 was held in Folegandros island on 30rd June. The 1st trail running race: Folegandros Sunset Trail had one route, 10 kilometers long.

The starting point was at Ano Meria village in front of the Iliovasilema tavern and finish line was at the famous Pounta square of Chora village. The route followed the south-west coastline and all athletes run next to the gradient blue of the Aegean Sea while watching the sun set, “painting” the sky with his reddish colors.

Athletes form 6 countries of the world and many Greek islands had filled the registration form pretty early on. The total number of registrations almost reached the 100, which is a lot for a small island of the South West Aegean Sea. Athletes from islands like Andros, Sifnos, Milos and Syros came to run alongside visitors from Italy, Sweden, Ukraine, Australia, Canada and the USA! On Saturday 30 June, 53 athletes started the race.

The first runner reachenig the finish line and setting the official best time, was Daniel Parheden from Sweden, finishing in 1:09:21. The Ukraine-Russian athlete, Raman Burakov, came second just 3 seconds later with 1:09:24. In the third place of the 10km race, came Christos Kiriazakos from Mykonos island with the time of 1:10:20.

In the women category, Voula Katsavou won the 10km race with the time of 1:31:45. Katerina Koukaki finished in second place with 1:32:00 and in third place came Valentina Makri with the time of 1:37:00.

In a special category, the organizers awarded the 1st man and woman, local to Folegandros island. The first woman was Anastasia Dekavala and the first man Antonis Papadopoulos with the time of 2 hours and 7 minutes and 1 hour and 31 minutes accordingly.

Every race and course offers score points for Cyclades Trail Cup, determined by the new CTC_PointSystem. The athlete that earns the highest amount of points by the end of the year will be the winner of Cyclades Trail Cup 2018. The Folegandros Sunset Trail 10km race awarded all runners you 43 points
Thursday, 05 July 2018 08:16

The Pie Shop In Athens

Located in the heart of downtown near Syntagma Square, The Pie Shop opened its doors in October 2017 with the motto, "Bake the world a better place." Dating back to Minoan times and 5th century BC onwards, pies were everywhere in ancient Athens, most notably the cheese pie. Not much has changed today, as pies can still be seen being enjoyed all over Greece.

Amidst this sea of Greek pies, The Pie Shop is looking beyond national borders to the large variety of pies across the globe. The shop is owned by two women, Marina and Nanda, who love food and love to bake. All the pastries are handmade and prepared with only the best ingredients. After having spent most of her adult life working in the food industry, Nanda has learned the simple secret to success: use the finest and freshest ingredients.

During their visit, Culinary Backstreets tasted their way across the globe, from Indian samosas to Argentinian empanadas and British egg and bacon pie – we even tasted a Korean tomato tart that rivaled the Mediterranean version. All of these many different pies looked good and tasted even better.

Address: Voulis 16, Syntagma
Telephone: +30 211 403 7328
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 8:30am-6pm; closed Sunday

To read this article in full, please visit: Culinary Backstreets
According to a research team at the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products, Hellenic Agricultural Organization DEMETER in Athens, Greek feta cheese could turn probiotic. This would help meet the demand for food to be 'functional' and healthy.

The researchers began with the bacterial strain Lactobacillus planetarum T571 to produce probiotic feta. The results were of a high quality cheese, with characteristics very similar to traditional feta.

The scientists stated to the Dairy Reporter, "In today's global food industry, the probiotic market is encountering an unprecedented growth to conform with the consumer demand for new products with health benefits. Considering the global demand, L. planetarum strain is a promising adjunct candidate to develop functional feta."

To read this article in full, please visit: The Dairy Reporter
Greece received many accolades at the recent World Travel Awards held in Athens, with the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) awarded as the organisation with the best national tourist strategy and campaign in 2018.

The General Secretary of GNTO Constantinos Tsegas received Europe’s Leading National Tourism Strategy & Campaign 2018 Award and referred to the successful multilevel programme implemented by GNTO, according to the Tourism Ministry’s strategy.

Additionally, GNTO’s President of the Board, Charalambos Karimalis, received Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2018 for the Acropolis.

To read the full article visit Greekcitytimes.com
The 6th Petit Paris d'Athènes is already underway!

The festival will take place from the 4th to the 14th of October 2018 and will be in the general area of the centre of Athens including Omonoia square, Larissa Station and Peloponnisos Station, Metaxourgeio, St Paul square and Victoria square. These are the neighborhoods where many streets are named in French and have served as cultural meeting points between the cosmopolitan and folk culture of Athens with foreign traditions of refugees, travelers and visitors.

The festival’s theme is “May of 1968. Fifty Years Later...” (Mai 1968. Cinquante ans après...) Petit Paris d'Athènes includes music, art and photography exhibitions, street art, theatre and variete, performances, street shows and parties, lectures, “tables rondes” and “rendez-vous sociaux”, guided tours and educational programs.

The festival is co-organised by the Athens Art Network, the City of Athens Culture, Sports and Youth Organization, and the Region of Attica. It is under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Sports and has the support of the French embassy and the French Institute of Greece.

The festival's goal is to mend through art and culture some of the most abused neighborhoods in Athens and to allow young artists to thrive. In essence, it is a 10 day celebration of art and culture in which more than 500 artists and people of intellect from Greece and worldwide participate at multiple selected places (such as streets, squares, parks, theatres, conservatoires, galleries, bistros, schools, neo-classical buildings, hotels and many other alternative spaces).

In 2013 the festival was dedicated to Albert Camus for the 100th anniversary of his birth and in 2014 to the Βelle Époque and the start of World War I. In 2015 the theme was “The culture of Café and Bistros” with a special nod to rive gauche in post-war Paris. In 2016 the festival was about Team Spirit and Arts and lastly, in 2017 Petit Paris d' Athènes was dedicated to Woman in Europe.

In 2018, the festival’s theme is “May of 1958. Fifty years later...”

How did the French revolution of May in 1968, without any racial, political, cultural or societal discrimination, but with a strong international impact, become a landmark in 20 th century history, influence and continues to influence societal struggles and cultural expression both in France and around the world? Art, either militant for a cause or simply as a product of a free mind, deeply marked the revolution of ‘68 has been a movement of timeless value.

For all artist and cultural groups interested in joining the 6th Petit Paris d' Athènes, the proposed artwork should be inspired by the revolution itself or the general ideas and values as well as the main and side actions of societal struggle to this day.

Information for artists/teams
Suggestions are to be submitted via e-mail to info@mikroparisi.com and should include:
  • all info on the project plus a short description of it (up to 200 words)
  • a digital sample of the suggestion
  • collaborators’ personal details (in both English and Greek)
  • a short CV of the artist/ team
Information for volunteers
Volunteers interested in joining in photography team or organizing team of the festival are welcome to send a short CV via e-mail to info@mikroparisi.com.

Throughout the preparation of the festival, all volunteers are expected to take part in the scheduled seminars and after completing the predetermined time of participation and volunteer work, they will receive a certificate of participation.

Applications will be accepted until Wednesday 29th August.
Info & contact: info@mikroparisi.com
Sunday, 01 July 2018 20:53

NHSA | Beach Clean-Up | Saronida Beach

​​Trash can travel throughout the world's rivers and oceans, accumulating on beaches and in the sea.

This debris harms physical habitats, transports chemical pollutants, threatens aquatic life, and interferes with human uses of river, marine and coastal environments.

On July 7th , the National Hellenic Student Assocation (NHSA) are on a mission to make Greece a country better than was it was before. Join them in this Beach clean up in Saronida at 11:30, along with locals and Greeks of the diaspora! 

Free transporation & food.
Bus leaves at 10:30am from Elliniko Station.

3 Reasons to Join a Beach Clean-up:

1. You’ll become more aware of your own lifestyle as well as saving marine animals.
"After picking up all the plastics it’s hard to ever go back to using them or to not speaking up against them.” – Kahi Pacarro – Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii. Thousands of marine species become extinct and endangered every year due to man-made pollutants.

2. You’ll get to know the people in your community better and help them from spreading diseases
Many chemicals are found in polluted oceans and can contaminate water supplies and food chains, which eventually end up in the water we drink and the food we put on our plates. What’s better than spending a couple hours with family, friends, and neighbors making your home a healthier environment?

3. You'll help the ocean breathe and revive the beaches of Greece!
During periods of high tide, the ocean may also sweep some of the trash or debris that has been left on the beach back into the sea. This in turn puts marine wildlife in danger. Beach clean-ups help reduce this risk towards the survival of marine wildlife, and helps the overall marine system be safer and healthier for all. By helping maintain the highest standards and by keeping our beaches clean, we can ensure that tourists continue to visit local beaches.
Beginning from July 22, 2018, the process to set up a business or company will only take two days, at the longest. This piece of news is according to a joint ministerial decision determing the mode of operation and the stamp duties at the one-stop shops for establishing an enterprise.

By being set up at one-stop shops, companies are automatically entered into the tax register and receive an registration number (AFM), while the one-stop shop will also automatically inform the Single Social Security Entity (EFKA).

When an application to start a company is submitted at the one-stop shop, the latter must examine all relevant documents and data, and, if the legal prerequisites are met, the process should be completed on the same day or the next.

Applicants also have the option of submitting all documents online, at https://eyms.businessportal.gr.

To read this article in full, please visit: Ekathimerini
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