This May, the Meet Market returns to the fabulous venue of the Athens Conservatoire, Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th, with 70+ Greek brands of spring essentials in the ‘Ω2’ exhibition hall.  Located 5 minute walk from Syntagma Square or Evangelismos, this super central venue is an architectural piece of art, a cultural landmark, and the perfect place for the Meet Market to kick off the spring-summer season.

Whether it’s a weekend stroll you’re after, a refreshing cocktail, a Greek Craft Beer, a coffee and a chat, a big scoop of ice cream, a spontaneous shop or a place to come meet up with friends or take your kids, join us because there is something for everyone including nonstop dj sets, plenty of creativity to admire and lots of free stuff to win at the central cashier.

A Weekend for Kids: Moms and dads, make sure you bring your little people because there’s lots going on for them too!  And there will be plenty of shade from the hot days ahead to keep your kids cool while keeping them busy.  For the first time this May, the Meet Market is doing a very special collaboration with the Hellenic Children’s Museum, located right next to the entrance of the Meet Market at the Athens Conservatoire.  All kids are welcome to come and play all weekend long at the Hellenic Children’s Museum, or head downstairs to enjoy a puppet theater show, stretch their little bodies with Yoga for Kids, or get creative at our Doodling and Graffiti workshops!

It’s official.  Spring has sprung.  See you there!

Adopt, don't shop! There are so many stray animals in Athens and around Greece who need loving homes. If you are looking for an animal to adopt, please see the organizations below that help with rehoming stray animals.

KAZ Shelter for Stray Animals

The KAZ (Shelter Stray Animals) is a non-profit association founded in 1988.  The shelter's activities rely on the love and voluntary actions of its members, donations, and sponsorships. KAZ offers care and treatment to stray animals at its privately-owned facilities in Markopoulo, Attica. The shelter operates exclusively as a transit center for the animals and not as a place for their permanent residence.

To 'Virtually Adopt A Dog' please click HERE.

Animal Welfare Society Of Marathon

All the cats, kittens, dogs, and puppies are vaccinated and are given with health papers, while adult animals are also neutered. The society does not provide a place for fostering animals, nor is an animal shelter. Rescued animals are taken care of in houses and yards of volunteers until they get well and then they return to their initial neighborhoods unless they are adopted.

Adoptions are finalized with an “Adoption Deed” signed between a liable member of the society and the prospective guardian according to Greek Law. The fees for each animal’s vaccination, deworming and microchip tagging are €30 and are lifted only in the case where the animal has passed through the Municipality’s strays management program, otherwise is paid in full by the prospective guardian.

Please click HERE for more information.

Nine Lives Greece 

Nine Lives Greece is a network of volunteers dedicated to the reduction of stray cat overpopulation through trap-neuter-return programs.

Each year they get hundreds of stray cats in Athens neutered/ spayed (1,577 cats in 2016 alone) and they help improve the quality of life of some 450 street cats through daily feeding programs and veterinary care. They also try to find responsible homes for as many stray or abandoned cats and kittens as possible.

Please click HERE to view the cats available for adoption.

Save A Greek Stray

Founded on Erietta Kourkoulou-Latsis’ private initiative Save A Greek Stray is a non-profit organization whose volunteers share one vision: a country where pets will be stray no more whilst given the opportunity to live a decent life within a loving domestic environment. In order to assist with the implementation of the above goal, SGS has created a shelter for stray animals, offering them a safe haven until their family comes along.

Please click HERE to see the pets up for adoption.

Dog's Voice

Dogs' Voice is a non-profit organization that supports the work of 112 animal welfare organizations throughout Greece. It has the largest network for promoting stray dogs in responsible adoptions, implements an integrated urban animal protection program at the local government level, and provides legal support for animal abuse complaints. 

The organization's mission is a Greece without strays; a country where citizens respect animals and their rights.

Greek Animal Rescue 

Greek Animal Rescue is a UK-based registered charity, which aims to help the abused, neglected, stray and injured animals of Greece.

GAR was founded in 1989 and works to alleviate the suffering of animals in Greece by supporting a number of animal shelters, sterilizing as many dogs & cats as funds allow, and finding homes for the lucky few in the UK and several other EU countries.

Cat Rescue Athens

With the motto "Until the last cat is loved", Cat Rescue Athens is a voluntary union for live-saving and adoption promoting for stray cats. 

They help street cats with sterilizations, they give sick and/or injured and weak cats and kittens shelter and care, veterinary treatments, and medications, and provide food for struggling street cats.

Hellenic Animal Welfare Society
 

Collects injured and ill strays in its animal ambulances and takes them to its clinic near Athens airport for treatment, sterilization, and rehoming; works with Attica municipalities on neutering and vaccination programs; organizes information campaigns on TV and other media. 

A Little Shelter

Founded in 2020 by Katrina Tsantali and Tonia Sotiropoulou, a little shelter is a functional temporary accommodation facility with decent and safe living conditions and a large courtyard area. The shelter's actions include hospitalizations, treatments, sterilizations, and of course adoptions, always in collaboration with a very experienced veterinary team.

 

Greetings to all of our followers and friends in the community!

We wanted to raise awareness about a recent issue we've had in our Classified listings. Unfortunately, some people have fallen victim to a scam disguised as 'Puppies For Sale.' This incident has since been reported and handled accordingly. We want to let everyone know that: 

1. Any kind of animal for sale will no longer be allowed on XpatAthens. Although not all of these posts are scams, we have decided as an organization to support animal adoption. If you're looking for a puppy, dog, cat, or other please visit our list of animal adoption organizations in Athens.

2. Users who post inappropriate content (scams or other) will be blocked from posting on XpatAthens in the future.

As always, if you come across any suspicious content in our Classified or Event postings, please contact us at info@xpatathens.com so we can solve the issue as soon as possible.

At XpatAthens, we always strive for the best for our community. Our priority is to provide our readers with positive and quality content. We will stand by our efforts in making XpatAthens a safe place to receive news and other useful information within the international community in Greece.

Sincerely,

The Team at XpatAthens

What’s hidden on a Greek hillside can change your destiny …

Edinburgh journalist Bronte McKnight is summoned to a hillside village in the wild and beautiful Mani region of Greece by her estranged expat father Angus to help him with a medical problem. But she soon discovers that Angus, whom she has barely seen in 10 years, has lured her there with a tougher challenge in mind – solving a mystery from the Second World War when his father disappeared in Greece during the disastrous Battle of Kalamata, ‘Greece’s Dunkirk’.  

With the country gripped by economic crisis, and the clock ticking against them, their near-impossible quest to discover how and where Kieran McKnight died, takes them from Kalamata to a remote mountain village where its few remaining inhabitants are bound by old traditions and secrecy. As the tensions of their own fractured relationship rise, Bronte and Angus are helped in their search by a cast of intriguing Greek characters, especially charismatic doctor, Leonidas Papachristou. He has a pivotal role, not least in challenging Bronte’s assumption that she hasn’t the time nor the courage to fall in love in Greece. 

The secrets unearthed by Angus and Bronte will be painful and astonishing. This is a compelling tale of heroism, faith, and love - with a heart-warming conclusion.

To buy 'A Saint For Summer,' please visit: Amazon

About The Author

Marjory McGinn is a Scottish-born author and journalist, brought up in Australia. She worked in Scotland for 10 years from 2000 as a freelance feature writer. Her journalism has appeared in leading newspapers in Britain and Australia, including The Daily Mail, The Times, The Telegraph; and The Scotsman, The Herald. In Australia she was a senior feature writer on The Sun-Herald, and stories have appeared also in The Australian and The Age.

A youthful work/travel year in Athens inspired a lifelong fascination for Greece. In 2010, together with her partner Jim and their Jack Russell dog, Wallace, she set off from Scotland  on an adventure to the southern Peloponnese that lasted four years and was the basis for her three travel memoirs (Things Can Only Get Feta, Homer’s Where The Heart Is and A Scorpion In The Lemon Tree.

For more information on McGinn and her other books, please visit: Big Fat Greek Odyssey

EgyptAir's regional director for Greece and Cyprus recently stated that the airline will add two new flights from Athens to China. The two flights will connect Athens to Hong Kong and Shanghai via Cairo.

The addition of the two new routes comes as part of EgyptAir's 5-year plan to boost its presence in Greece and the wider region. After their success with the Santorini route added in 2017, the airline will plan to add more flights to the Greek islands.

In 2017, EgyptAir carried over 112,000 daily passengers from Athens to Cairo and Alexandria. In addition to adding new routes, EgyptAir also pans to add new aircraft to its fleet.

Source: Greek Travel Pages

Mid-season sales in Greece are here just in time for summer! Sales begin May 1 and will last until May 15, 2018.

Shops will be open on Sunday, May 6, from 11:00 to 20:00.

In our modern society, we're often caught in the throes of work, technology, and sedentary lifestyles that can significantly affect our relationships, our health, and our sanity. According to Greece Is however, finding more meaningful lives is easier than one used to think. By following the Greek's path to well-being, we'll start living lives that bring us much more fulfillment!

Connect Meaningfully with Others

"A related challenge we face today is that, instead of relying on those we know for the necessities of life, we’re dependent on strangers and institutions for our survival. We don’t barter with neighbors, or even know where our food comes from; instead, we shop at supermarkets. We don’t depend on others for information or advice; we turn to the Internet."

Sharing and Caring

"Throughout Greece, building relationships through conversation is an integral part of daily activity. Stopping to greet others acknowledges their presence – their human existence – and tells them they’re an important part of the “village.”

Embrace Life with Zest

"The ancient Greeks taught us that life is short and ever-changing. Importantly, the need to embrace the fullness of life – all its ups and downs, joys and sorrows – with gusto and an appreciation for being alive is built into the Greek DNA. Indeed, to be “enthusiastic” about life means, literally, to manifest the spirit within!"

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

Are you ready to jazz?

The biggest jazz music festival in Greece celebrates its 18th birthday and this year will throw the best birthday party ever! Music, activities, surprises and much much more!

For 7 days, Technopolis' main stage, will host the best jazz tunes from around the world and for the first time this year, its first day will be dedicated to Greek Jazz Music, presenting the best Greek jazz bands.

Meanwhile, METAPolis Photography Group will present its annual exhibition, 'W', a female-oriented project, with a mesmerising personality and our favorite Meet Market, will introduce us once again with its vibe by displaying innovative ideas, finely crafted products and fresh concepts.

#JazzBeThere and remember: Once you go jazz, you never go back!

The high summer season has officially begun in Greece! The Greek Culture Ministry announced recently that state-run museums and archaeological sites will have extended operating hours, beginning April 1, 2018.

See below for the extended summer hours for some of the most popoular sites in Athens:


The Acropolis

April 1 – October 31, 2018
Monday: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Last admission: 3:30 p.m.)
Tuesday to Sunday: 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (Last admission: 7:30 p.m.)
Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. (Last admission: 9:30 p.m.)

National Archaeological Museum

April 1 - May 31, 2018
Monday: 13:00 – 20:00
Tuesday – Friday: 08:00 - 20:00
Saturday – Sunday: 09:00 - 16:00

Theatre of Herodes Atticus

Daily 8:00 to 20:00

Ancient Cemetery of Kerameikos

Daily 8:00 to 19:00

Ancient Agora

Daily 8:00 to 15:00

Roman Agora

Monday through Friday - 8:00 to 15:00
Saturday and Sunday - 8:00 to 17:00

Temple of Olympian Zeus

Daily 8:00 to 19:30

Temple of Sounion

Daily 9:00 to sunset

Library of Hadrian

Daily 8:00 to 15:00

Theatre of Dionysus

Daily 8:00 to 19:30

For more information regarding operating hours of the archaeological sites, museums, and monuments, please visit: Culture.gr

Following the highly successful series of performances of the 1st Panhellenic Fairytale Festival (2017),  the "Pot of Gold" team sets off for a limited number of appearances in the hospitable scene of Art Space (Xoros Texnis)"14th Day", narrating musical legends and legends of Celtic tradition.

Starting from the excellent collection of Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs (1854-1916), the "Pot of Gold" group delivers with honest respect, but in a free and creative spirit with the form of musical narrations, the magical world of Celts, where lyricism meets power and romance!

In a dreamlike environment of innovative lines and musical compositions, multidimensional orchestrations, melodic interpretations and kinesiological excitements, the Pot of Gold team approaches with the sensitivity of a "seanchaidh" the inwardness and richness of this tradition which was lost in in the depths of the ages and attempts to make reality one with the imaginary element  and coexistence of absolutely natural expressions of Celts idioms.

Performances:

Sunday 13/5/18

Sunday 20/5/18

Sunday 27/5/18

Sunday 3/6/18