LIFE & CULTURE

XpatAthens
New Tourism Campaign Turns The Spotlight On Athens
“Athens: The City is the Museum” is available at athens.withgoogle.com and presents users with a map indicating a series of walks and stops showcasing the city’s street art, music, food, and architecture, as well as enticing them to explore neighborhoods off the beaten path. The campaign also seeks to underscore Athens’ attractiveness as an all-year destination.
Speaking at the initiative’s launch, Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias explained that it stems from an effort that began in April 2000 to promote the notion of sustainable tourism. Describing it as a “travel experience,” Kikilias said the app “opens up Athens to visitors who want to experience the city’s pulse.”
“Athens is not just its impressive antiquities and wonderful museums. The entire city is a unique, vibrant, open, interactive, huge museum that gives visitors hundreds of ‘stages,’ ‘exhibits’ and experiences, all year round,” said Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis.
“Visitors to the city, but also its residents, will be able to discover a different part of Athens every day, thanks to technology,” added Peggy Antonakou, Google’s general manager for Southeast Europe.
Steve Vranakis, the executive director of Google Creative Lab for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, described “Athens. The city is the museum” as a means of seeing the Greek capital from a different perspective, through the “image of a modern and constantly evolving city.”
Originally published on: ekathimerini.com
First Greek Series To Make Netflix Debut
The popular streaming platform recently bought the worldwide rights, as announced on Tuesday. The drama series, which Papakaliaatis wrote, directed, and starred in, will air in Greece and Cyprus on December 19, 2022, on Netflix. It will then premiere for the first time to audiences worldwide in early 2023.
Papakaliatis stated: ”I hold Maestro very close to my heart and I feel deeply honored and happy that this story will travel around the world through Netflix. I’m looking forward to this journey.”
Maestro: a story of passion and conflict
In the nine episodes of “Maestro”, Christoforos Papakaliatis narrates a story of passion and conflict. A cast of talented actors embodies multidimensional heroes, through whom the creator attempts to open discussions on societal matters.
In the story, Orestes travels to a small Greek island during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to set up, from scratch, a music festival. Confronted with the small society of the island, he will find himself involved in a passionate love story that will act as the catalyst for the manifestation of all the social problems that plague an entire group of people. The characters are connected to one another and therefore each complicit in what comes next.
Speaking about the series in September, Papakaliatis said: ”I am very proud of this project because I think that artistically it is a unique moment, not only for me but for everyone who was involved. ”
Maestro is produced by MEGA TV and stars Christoforos Papakaliatis, Maria Kavoyianni, Marisha Triantafyllidou, Fanis Mouratidis, Antinoos Albanis, Giannis Tsortekis, Kora Karvouni, and Haris Alexiou.
To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com
Digital Guide Offers Architectural Walks In Piraeus
“The main purpose is to highlight and promote the architecture of Piraeus as a new tourism product, as a cultural route,” write the project’s creators (namely the Municipality of Piraeus with Aegean Solutions SA and the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation), on the ArchWalks website. ArchWalks presents a comprehensive view of the city’s neoclassical heritage of the 19th century as part of the Virtual Tours of Piraeus program. The digitally interactive initiative includes four architectural walks starting at key locations that offer access to Piraeus, such as the ISAP metro station (green line).
“Piraeus has a rich offering of Architectural buildings and history and is the ideal place for developing a project like this,” says Alexandros Tzortzakakis, CEO of Aegean Solutions SA, located in Heraklion Crete. The company has established itself as a leading provider of “holistic solutions” in digital culture, social development and tourism, and was recently awarded the Gold Medal for Digital Tourism at the “Tourism Awards 2022” for the design and development of incrediblecrete.gr. “Similar projects have been developed in the past,” says Tzortzakakis, “but ArchWalks is different and innovative because it consists of 3D representations of selected buildings.”
The four walks cover four different zones, with photographs and informative texts for every architectural stop along the walk: the northeastern districts (with 32 architectural stops), northwest and west districts (37 architectural stops), south and southwest districts (37 architectural stops), and east districts (10 architectural stops).
Even without the app, by simply following the information on the website, architecture aficionados can traipse entire routes, or even just sections of them, regarding the buildings and landmarks listed. Apart from observing the architectural features of the included buildings, visitors can learn about Piraeus’ and Athens’ history, social culture, and industrial development.
The website also includes a Timeline of Piraeus that classifies the major historical phases and turning points represented by the town’s landmarks. It is described as “an interactive timeline about the port city that began to be built in the early 19th century on deserted ancient ruins, matured, reached its peak, declined towards the end of the 20th century, and seeks its rebirth in the early 21st century.” The Timeline begins with a map depicting “Long walls, 462-458 BC”, followed by “Ancient ship sheds of Zea, 4th century BC,” and concludes with “The port 1970 – 1985 AD”. (See the Timeline here.)
The “Piraeus ArchWalks” app is expected to be available within the next few weeks. For upcoming information on the app, check the Municipality of Piraeus website
To read this article in full, please visit: greece-is.com
8 Practical Ideas That Bring Laughter & Joy Into Your Everyday Life
Think about it. You cannot feel stressed when you laugh, can you? On the contrary, you may feel relieved even if it’s for the short term. I’m sure you’ve noticed how easy and how often children laugh out loud.
Among others, laughter is a powerful communication tool. It brings people together and strengthens relationships. Here are some practical ideas to increase laughter in your life:
- Watch a comedy, a funny TV series, or a funny video on YouTube. There’s plenty to choose from.
- Share a good joke with friends, family, and colleagues. A good sense of humor is essential so all parties involved have fun.
- Play with your pet. Dogs may show a more playful and joyful attitude but cats can be lots of fun too.
- Watch your favorite stand-up comedian. Whether in a live show or not they will definitely make you laugh.
- Tell funny stories with your kids. It can be something that happened to you or to someone near you during the day or a story from your childhood. Make sure you have a screen-free environment.
- Laugh at your mistakes. This may be tough sometimes but learning not to take yourself too seriously takes out some weight off your shoulders.
- Look at funny photos. They can be photos of your children or from your childhood. Even better, share them with your funny friends.
- Spend time with people who bring you joy. Get your distance from grumpy people and choose to be around those who understand the value of good, authentic laughter.
Originally published on: itsmylife.gr

Athens English Comedy Club
- Sunday Novembr 13th
10 comedians, 5’ each, all in English.
MC: To be announced!It'll be a mix of everything. A potluck of comedy. Colourful, comedic, chaos.
Experienced and new comedians trying out their best new jokes. Some of them will be good, some of them will be great, and some will never see the light of day again. It's up to you!
Time: 21:30pm (Doors open 20:45)
Tickets: €12 early-bird til November 6th / €14 general admission / €17 at the door
Duration: 1h15
Reservations: 6987994689 // athensenglishcomedyclub@gmail.com
Las Vegas Magic Festival
At the end of the 19th century, the art of magic as a form of entertainment became famous all over the world. The one and only Houdini and other famous magicians of the time laid the groundwork to create the type of entertainment called a Magic Show. It became so popular that it managed to earn a place on Broadway and Las Vegas shows in no time.
The Magic Show maintained its popularity well into the television era, with magicians such as David Copperfield and David Blaine successfully modernizing the art of magic.
And the story continues to this day. All these years Las Vegas continues to attract the best magicians from around the world.
For three years now, the Christmas Theater has hosted the Las Vegas Magic Festival, a show that presents every year famous award-winning magicians, with impressive performances that are sold out. It's time for another unique experience. Las Vegas Magic Festival 4!
FokiaNou Art Space - “Touch Me” Exhibition
“Touch Me”, photographs by Susan Daboll
Opening: Thursday, 10 November, 18.00 – 21.00
Duration: 10 – 26 November, 2022
Hours: Thursday – Saturday 17.00-20.00
FokiaNou Art Space, Fokianou 24, 7th Floor, Pagrati Metro: Evangelismos
Hiking Mt. Parnitha
Visit TrekkingHellas.gr to learn more about the tour!
Weekends At Winter Garden
Sports Festivities For The 10 Years of Navarino Challenge
More than 3,000 participations and world-class athletes in this year’s top world sports tourism event
Europe’s top sports tourism and wellness event, Navarino Challenge, celebrated its 10th anniversary on October 21-23, 2022, presenting a schedule of more than 40 activities, 16 Olympic sports and 15 Olympians at Costa Navarino and Pylos.- Lefteris Petrounias, Miltos Tentoglou, Stefanos Ntouskos, Vasiliki Millousi, Thodoris Vlachos, Dimitris Diamantidis, Georgios Printezis, Christos Volikakis, Maria Prevolaraki, Kristian Gkolomeev, were awarded by the Founder & CEO of Kaizen Gaming Mr. George Daskalakis
- Konstantine Dean Karnazes with his parents Fran & Nick were awarded by the co-founders of Navarino Challenge, the former Executive Director of The Hellenic Initiative, Mr. Peter Poulos and the CEO of ActiveMedia Group, Mr. Akis Tsolis
- Nasos Ghavelas was awarded by the President & CEO of Samsung Electronics Hellas, Mr. Theofilos Shin Byungmoo, for the gold Olympic medal that came to Pylos, 109 years after Tsiklitiras
- Lefteris Petrounias and Vasiliki Millousi were awarded by the Marketing Manager of Europa, Ms. Maria Michalopoulou for promoting sports as a family role-model
- Thodoris Vlachos was awarded by the Key Account Manager of Vikos SA, Mr. Michael Evdemon with the ethics award, representing the Greek national water polo team
- The international football player of Liverpool FC, Kostas Tsimikas and the CEO of Prosport, Mr. Paschalis Tountouris, who represented the athlete were awarded by the Managing Director of Miele Hellas, Mr. Thanos Kyriazis
- Grigoris Souvatzoglou was awarded by the Country Manager of The North Face, Elias Kanakis
- The ambassadors Grigoris Polychronidis, Periklis Iakovakis, Evina Maltsi, Michalis Triantafyllidis, Nikos Gemelos, Joe Arlauckas, Christina Flampouri, Georgia Kaltsi were awarded by the Market Access & Public Affairs Director of Novo Nordisk, Ms. Mary Karageorgou
- The instructors Mandy Persaki, Christos Gatsis, Dimitris Moros and Alexandros Nikolaidis were awarded by the owner of Sportadore & exclusive distributor of Luanvi in Greece, Mr. Manos Sifakis
- the Pylos-Nestor Mayor, Mr. Panagiotis Karvelas who represented the Municipality of Pylos-Nestor, the President of Pylos Association of Enterprises for Tourism Development and Poseidonia Restaurant owner in Pylos, Mr. Vasilis Vrettakos and the owner of the Karalis Beach Hotel and the Karalis City Hotel, Mr. Dionysis Karalis were awarded by the Facilities Management Director of Costa Navarino, Mr. Giorgos Panageas.
- tennis demonstration powered by Miele with the participation of George Lazaridis
- basketball demonstration with wheelchair athletes powered by Samsung with the participation of the wheelchair basketball team of Maroussi, Georgia Kaltsi and Makis Kalaras
- 4on4 basketball tournament powered by Trace ‘n Chase with the participation of Joe Arlauckas and Evina Maltsi. A tournament dedicated to the memory of the two-time silver Olympic medalist of tae kwon do Alexandros Nikolaidis, with all participants wearing the jerseys of Aris basketball team with his name and the number 6.
- tennis induction powered by Miele
- bike ride to Voidokilia powered by Stoiximan with Christos Volikakis
- high intensity training
- kick boxing lessons powered by Samsung
- baby swimming lessons
- boxing lessons
- rowing lessons powered by Stoiximan with Stefanos Ntouskos
- spinning challenge powered by Vikos
- pilates lessons powered by Samsung
- yoga powered by Messinian Spa
- men’s & women’s round robbin tournament with UTS format powered by Miele
- sea kayaking to Sphacteria island
- basketball lessons powered by Iroes with Dimitris Diamantidis, Georgios Printezis, Joe Arlauckas, Evina Maltsi
- half day kids camp
- padel tournament powered by Stoiximan
- beachathlon powered by Europa
- F45 Barrio Salamanca Heavy Cardio Workout
- Tsimikas Football Clinics powered by Prosport
- climbing lessons powered by The North Face
- King of the Court Beach Volley Tournament men, women and mixed powered by Europa
- CrossFit
- long jump powered by Stoiximan with Miltos Tentoglou
- golf lessons powered by Bombay Sapphire
- gymnastics powered by Stoiximan with Lefteris Petrounias
- gymnastics powered by Iroes with Vasiliki Millousi
- wrestling lessons powered by Stoiximan with Maria Prevolaraki
- “Feed the Fish” golf exhibition game powered by Samsung
- Swimming lessons powered by Stoiximan with Kristian Gkolomeev
- Half Marathon run powered by Miele
- 10km run powered by Stoiximan
- 5km run powered by Samsung
- 1km run for children powered by Vikos