Located in Glyfada on Kyprou street, Oh Mama is a laid-back brunch spot that seems to always be poppin' according to Athens Coast. With its cool decor, like those love-seat velvet bar stools, and its industrial flare, Oh Mama is definitely a brunch spot to check out this summer!

Oh Mama’s brunch is the real deal. Some menu items include chicken and waffles, fried eggs, hash browns, and of course, pancakes! The brunch menu is served from 10am-6pm, and then they switch to a dinner menu.

The prices are reasonable by Glyfada standards and the staff is attentive and friendly. Summer evenings here are perfect! But don’t be deterred to hit up Oh Mama in the cooler months, they enclose the patio area and there is a party going on inside all year long, with DJs performing on weekends.

Address: Kyprou 48

Telephone: 210 898 6049

To read this article in full, please visit: Athens Coast

As part of the World Book Capital initiative and Athens‘ role as the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2018, the municipality created a mobile library and is bringing books to every neighborhood in the city.

The areas of Zapio, Agios Panteleimonas, Petralona, Avdi square, Pagkrati and Syntagma Square are just some of the locations the library will visit in June.

The mobile library is offering residents and visitors the opportunity to become members and borrow up to two books at a time for free. Books offered are in Greek, English and French.

For more information (in Greek), please visit: City of Athens

Article source: Greek Travel Pages

The Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens has the special honour to host the exhibition of George Condo, an artist who was vital in reviving the movement of figuration in America in the 1980s. He is also considered one of the most important American figurative sculptors and painters to this very day.

His first large personal museum exhibition in Greece, will present a total of 30 works (including paintings, drawings and sculptures) which span over the past 20 years of the artist's career.

Also displayed for the first time, is a series of paintings and drawings created in 2017, featuring a suite of self-portraits titled Self portrait in Paris 1-3 (2017) and Me, Myself and Him (2017).

Rather than a chronological display of George Condo's oeuvre in the form of a retrospective, his exhibition at the Museum of Cycladic Art (in the Stathatos Mansion) is a selection of artworks that implore us to explore the human figure. A principal theme of the museum's contemporary exhibitons program.

What the artist aims to showcase is the references, ideas and mastered skills collected by him over time. Condo's work, infused with deep literary, musical and art historical knowledge seems to be a reflection of his character. A charismatic, insightful and cultivated man with a great sense of humour.

The exhibition is curated by Atalanti Martinou and is accompanied by a bilingual catalogue. Guided tours will be organized every Wednesday at 11:00 (in English) and every Thurday at 19:00 (in Greek).

Opening hours:

- Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday: 10:00 to 17:00
- Thursday: 10:00 to 20:00
- Sunday: 11:00 to 17:00
- Tuesday: Closed

The 1st Kimolos Trail running race was successfully organised, for the first time, on Sunday 3 June 2018. Besides the running routes, the Kimolos Trail event had an educational seminar and a movie night event.

The first race of theCycladesTrailCup 2018 was held in Kimolos island on 3rd June. The 1 st trail running race: Kimolos Trail had two routes, 21 and 9 kilometers long. The starting and finish line was the Chorio village and the 21km had a unique solidarity for runners. Besides the already difficult rocky terrain, the strong Aegean sun made the race even more hard for the participants.

Athletes form all around the world and many Greek islands had filled the registration form pretty early on. The total number of registrations reached the number 95, 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, Ukraine, France, Canada and the Republic of Congo! On Sunday 3 June, 62 athletes started the race but only 50 reached the finish line on time!

The Ukraine-Russian athlete,RamanBurakov, was the big winner of the 21km trail race, by reaching the finish line at 2 hours and 38 minutes and winning for the first time a Cyclades Trail Cup race. Last year, in 2017, he sucesfully finished 5 out of 6 races of the series and was awarded 2nd place in the Cup.

The second place of Kimolos Trail was awarded toPanagiotis Kapsanisrepresenting myathlete and N.A.O. Kithiron and the time of 2 hours and 47 minutes. In the third place of the 21km race, came Evangelos Zigouris with the time of 2 hours and 53 minutes. In the women category,Maria Bisketzi from Syros island won the 21km race with the time of 5 hours and 20 minutes.Korina Stiakaki finished in second place with 5 hours and 30 minutes.

In the 9 km trail race, the first athlete at the finish line was MauroVespegiani from Italy with the time of 47 minutes. In second place,John Mallis from Milos island, representing Milos Runners and the time of 49 minutes. In third place of the 9km race, Valentinos Konstantis, representing Starttech Ventures, finished the race with the time of 53 minutes and 47 seconds.

In the women category of the 9 km trail race, in first place came the Italian-Greek,Valentina Makri with the time of 55 minutes. In second place cameAnastasia Mathioudaki with the time of 1 hour and 7 minutes and in third place,Stefania Malli and Matilda Patso finished together with the time of 1 hour and 8 minutes.

In a special category, the organizers awarded the 1st man and woman, local to Kimolos island. The first woman wasMaria Logotheti and the first manTheodoros Kotsonis with the time of 1 hour and 27 minutes and 1 hour and 7 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.

TheKimolos Trail 21km awarded you83 points and theKimolos Trail 9km awarded you33 points. Considering thought that the sun was really hot that day, a 5% points will be awarded to each participant. This means that

every athlete of the 21km race will get 83 + 4 = 87 points and every athlete of the 9km33 + 2 = 35 points.

Claire Lloyd and Matthew Usmar Lauder live their lives between London, Sydney and the Greek island of Lesvos where they have created a charming home in the village of Skalochori. Both are creatives. Claire is an author, photographer, creative director, and a creator of nurturing spaces. Matthew is a painter and creator of three-dimensional art, exhibiting in Sydney and London.

The couple fell in love in the village of Skalochori thirteen years ago and renovated an old house in the middle of the village. Both are passionate animal lovers and when they moved to Greece they rescued a beautiful tortoiseshell cat and called her Sweetie. And so began a new phase of their lives devoted to helping animals in need.

Many unwanted dogs in Greece are dumped on the streets and cats are also left to their own devices to survive. Claire and Matthew were touched by the plight of these animals and began to rescue the dogs and cats they found. So far they have rescued more than 70 dogs and many, many cats - at the moment they are feeding about 50 cats every day (including their own house cats).

Rescuing animals is very rewarding and while this could be a full-time career for both of them, Claire and Matthew are still fully engaged with their creative careers and frequently travel to London and Sydney from Greece. That’s all fine if they can travel separately, but they also need (and want) to travel together sometimes.

The couple used to rely on local friends to help out with their animals but, as time went on, this became more and more complicated, so they turned to TrustedHousesitters.com. TrustedHousesitters works by pairing home and pet owners with caring, verified sitters who move into their homes to care for their animals while they are away. The owner gets the reassurance of knowing that their house and pet family are being well cared for, while the sitter gets an unforgettable and authentic travel experience. At TrustedHousesitters, Claire and Matthew found caring sitters who understand the needs of their pets and also respect their home and appreciate having a taste of a different life in Greece.

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Exclusive 50% off Membership for Xpat Athens Readers

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Claire says, “We have a number of permanent pets who live with us in the house. They include our gorgeous Nellie, who was our first rescue dog and used to live alone in the countryside chained to a barrel. She was very traumatised when she first came to us and now needs to be cared for by animal lovers.”

“TrustedHousesitters is perfect because it fits with our needs. It is essential that we have sitters who really care about animals and want to have a travel experience which is different. Living in a small Greek village, in the winter for example, is not for everyone,” adds Matthew.

“We always make it really clear to people applying for a sit that they will be experiencing Greek life in a small, simple village and that if they come in the winter, the weather can be challenging as well. Being honest with each other is essential to getting the right fit with a sitter. We’ve been very fortunate and have had some wonderful people to stay. Our last couple said that their time in our home had been life changing. That is so rewarding for me as a creator of nurturing spaces. I believe that life is about being able to move to be creative whenever you feel that you need to be renewed. You should never be afraid of change and of taking on new challenges,” Claire concludes.

Since launching in 2010, the site has arranged more than two million nights of house and pet sitting globally, saving its members more than half a billion dollars in accommodation and pet care costs.

Unlike a home rental, no money changes hands. Unlike a house swap, there is no need to have someone stay in your home if you simply want to travel as a sitter. All arrangements are made through trust, with members building their trust profiles through references, recommendations and police background checks. The site has more five-star reviews than any other travel or pet company on TrustPilot.

The first heat wave of the year is officialy upon us! According to weather forecasts, temperatures will rise up to 38 degrees Celsius in Athens during the week of June 5, 2018 and 34-37 degrees in various parts of Greece.

Although weather like this perfectly resembles Greek summer and tempts us to a quick refreshing escape to the beach, precautionary measures are advised by the Ministry of Public Health.

Since such high temperatures can cause headaches, tiredness, high blood pressure and even fainting, it is recommended for all people to visit a hospital immediately in case similar symptoms appear in severe form. However, light clothing, using ice to cool down and frequent cold showers can help keep the body within normal temperatures.

 

In order to avoid dangerous overheating, it is also advised for everyone to avoid or limit sun exposure, heavy physical exercise, seek shady places, use hats and umbrellas and most importantly stay hydrated!

Especially for elders and anyone with heart and other medical conditions, immediate medical help should be considered necessary in order to prevent symptoms caused by the high temperatures and receive help regarding any potential changes in medicine doses.

Stay cool and stay safe, everyone!

Originally posted on Kathimerini

Translated by XpatAthens

In an intriguing event both at St. Paul's Anglican Church, as well as Syntagma Square, Reverend Billy wishes to spread an enlightening message after realizing a long time ago that the world needs saving from consumerism and to that end he founded the Church of Stop Shopping in New York.

Together with the members of the Stop Shopping Choir he preaches and sings against the alienation of our capitalist societies, joining local activist groups, preaching on the streets, as well as inviting the audience to gospel shows on stages and museums around the world.

Bill Talen is not only a renowned performer and activist – he has protested against neoliberalism, consumerism, Trump’s pipeline plans and climate change – but was also the Green Party’s candidate for Mayor of New York.

The Church of Stop Shopping will come on a pilgrimage from New York to Athens to listen to and connect with the current social and political situation in Greece. The choir will perform together with local artists both in public spaces and on stage, seeking an analogy between Athens and New York – both pre- and post-crisis.

Time Schedule:

- St. Paul's Anglican Church from July 9th to July 11th at 19:00

- Syntagma Square from July 12th to July 13th at 19:00
 

In his message to Americans encouraging them to travel to Greece, US Ambassador Pyatt reflects on his travels and shares his favorite places to go, what to experience, and to explore the lesser-known parts of the country.

"Over the last two years, I’ve had the pleasure to explore Greece, from its cities to its islands, from its mountains to its archaeological sites and cultural gems."

"Reflecting on my travels in Greece, here’s my advice to Americans: dive deep into Greece and let yourself be amazed by the options available. We learn from a young age that Greece is the birthplace of democracy, the cradle of western civilization, and so many people plan their whole lives to go to the Acropolis and the various monuments in Athens that record the birth of democracy. Do not miss them, but I would encourage you to venture further, to visit ancient Dodoni or ancient Olympia, just a couple of the dozens of UNESCO world heritage sites in Greece that are still largely undiscovered by American tourists."

"I also advise Americans to expand their horizons beyond the customary island stops like Mykonos and Santorini. They are incredible places for a holiday, but many of Greece’s lesser-known islands, like Syros, Naxos, Andros or Chios, will also take your breath away."

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek News Online

The Danish Institute at Athens is pleased to invite you to a fascinating lecture in English by John Lund, Senior Researcher at the National Museum of Denmark.

The main aim of this event is to contradict the theory that the distinctive "Cypriot character" has been deluded, especially after the political union of the island by the Ptolemies in Egypt and the Romans.

Based on the ceramic evidence and distribution of local and imported pottery in Cyrpus, a continued existence of regional exchange networks during Roman times is indicated.

The paper will continue with what some might imply is actually an early sign of globalization, that being the engulfment of the island by mass produced and standardized ceramic fine wares from the 1st centrury BC onwards, putting the indigenous makers of such products out of business.

The experienced researcher will conclude with a fresh look at the period when ceramic fine wares were scarce, in an attempt to explain this intriguin phenomenon.

According to the latest annual bathing water quality report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the Commission, Greece ranked 4th in Europe for having 95% or more of "excellent" quality bathing waters. This means that Greece's bathing waters were free of pollutants that can be harmful to a person's health and the environment.

Based on information from 2017, 95.9% of the 1,598 sites that were assessed in Greece reached "excellent" quality. Luxembourg ranked first, Malta second, Cyprus third, and Austria fifth.

Nearly all bathing water sites (over 21,000) monitored in Europe met the minimum quality requirements under EU rules according to the report.

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