Read more about the tradition of Tsiknopempti and why the National Museum of Contemporary Art is listed as one of the top museum openings for 2017. You can also meet a fellow expat and learn a few secrets of the Acropolis!

 

Just in time for peak season in Greece, the country was recently featured in two New York Times articles titled ‘How To Have An Affordable Vacation In Greece’ and ‘For Summer, Five Hot Summer Destinations.’

 

In the first article, our friends at TrueGreece shared insider tips about staying within budget on a Greek vacation, from visiting off-the-beaten path places in Greece to renting a villa with friends.

NY Times staff journalist wrote, “If you’re traveling as part of a group of six or more people, renting a spacious villa on a Greek island with a staff, a pool and other bells and whistles will be less expensive — by as much as 30 percent — than booking individual hotel rooms.”

In the second article, it was noted that especially among Americans, travel has increased significantly this summer, up from 2016.

“Some experts say that more Americans are traveling this year than they did in 2016 because of pent-up demand from the heated presidential election, when many people cut back on traveling.”

So, where are Americans traveling to? Greece was among five popular destinations for the summer. other countries included Croatia, South Africa, the Maldives, and Italy.

To read these articles in full, please visit: The New York Times ‘How To Have An Affordable Vacation In Greece’ and ‘For Summer, Five Hot Summer Destinations’

Just recently, the Leading Culture Destinations Awards (LCDA) announced that Athens won as the ‘Best Emerging Culture City of the Year’ for 2017!

The award scheme, also known as the “Oscars for Museums”, celebrates the vibrancy and vitality of museums and institutions around the world, which are constantly evolving.

The Greek capital city won the award for Best Emerging Culture City in recognition that it managed to support culture and tourism with its strategic choices, despite the ongoing economic crisis in the country.

The award was received by Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis in London.

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

 

Additionally, check out the below video from This Is Athens! This is Athens for Culture Seekers:

 

"Right at the junction between East and West, the birthplace of democracy, philosophy and drama, is nowadays a restless contemporary hub, mixing, matching and unfolding in a series of never ending stories." #ThisisAthens

For more videos, please visit: This Is Athens

The Athens Digital Lab (ADL) is a ground-breaking urban project that was included in the City of Athens' award-winning proposal for the prestigious "2018 European Capital of Innovation" award. ADL was founded in 2017 with an exclusive grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), with the cooperation of Athens Partnership, Cosmote, and Nokia and its objective is to support young entrepreneurs, technology enthusiasts, and start-ups through the incubation of innovative solutions and original digital ideas.

 

Following the successful first competition, Athens Digital Lab is launching the second edition of its competition and calling for digital ideas that will improve the quality of life of the city’s residents and visitors while addressing the real needs of the city. For this year’s competition, applicants are requested to submit proposals covering one of the following themes: Tourism, Resilience & Crisis Management, Cleaning, Mobility Data, Schools Infrastructure, and Open Theme.

 

 

Greece’s wide diversity, nature, culture, gastronomy and lifestyle, are showcased through “Oh My Greece | Unlock the Feeling”, the country’s new tourism promotional campaign. The campaign kicked off with a new video, presented at the Megaron Concert Hall in Athens by the company’s CEO, Ioanna Dretta.

The video that focuses on hospitality, features a series of images of Greece and invites travelers to experience a unique Greek getaway, a holiday that will have them saying…“Oh My Greece”.

“We want to enrich the visitor’s experience with even more details. There is always more Greece to see… A Greece that promises original, unique, authentic travel experiences,” Dretta said while presenting the campaign.

Marketing Greece’s CEO underlined that the Greek tourism product may be a combination of nature, culture, gastronomy, traditions, and lifestyle, but it is also offers something more direct: the hospitality of the Greek people.

 

“We really need to understand how much we can offer through our hospitality and how much we are loved for it… Hospitality for our guests is not only perfect accommodation conditions… It is also the friendliness and smile of the locals.” she said.

Time is running out for the historic race of The Authentic Marathon Swim that revives at Artemision 2,500 years later. Amateur and professional swimmers will enjoy the remarkable sporting event, on 4-6 September 2020, at Pefki, Evia, of the Municipality of Istiaia - Edipsos.

For the first time, after 2,500 years, the historic authentic 10km route will revive with the participation of world-class names that will swim over the shipwrecks of the historic naval battle of Artemision in 480 B.C. The demanding route is carried out at the straits of Artemision, connecting Central Greece with Thessaly and the regional units of Evia, Magnesia, and Fthiotida. The event, honoring the history of its location, will symbolically award the winners of the routes with a branch of Mavroelia from Artemision or Olive Mavromandila. It is a monument of nature and local history, one of the oldest olive trees in the world, located in the ancient settlement of Artemision, dating back over 2,500 years.

The event, which has the approval of the Hellenic Swimming Federation, will be held in accordance with the FINA regulations and the health protocol established by event experts, certified by the World Health Organization based on the guidance of the expert scientists-collaborators of the Hellenic Swimming Federation and the epidemiological data and recommendations of Greek General Secretariat of Sports’ Health Committee, aiming towards ensuring the health of athletes and attendees. More information about the health protocol of the event can be found here. 

On Saturday, September 5 at 16:00 in the afternoon, action will begin with the 3km open water swimming race, while at 18:00 the 1.5km start will follow. Swimmers will cover the triangular route that has been designed with a start and finish point at Pefki beach. The warm-up of the athletes will be held by the physical education instructor, Mandy Persaki. Respectively, on Sunday, September 6, the event will culminate with the revival of the authentic 10km marathon swimming route. Sofia Psilolignou, the three-time Greek champion, in the 5 km and 10 km routes, and two-time English Channel marathon swimmer, will be added to the top names participating in this route. The swimmers of this race will meet at the Pefki beach’s pier, at 07:45 in the morning, to be transported by boats at the starting point, immediately after, at 08:00. The race will start at 08:30 with a finish point at Pefki beach. At the same time, at 09:30 in the morning, the 800m children’s race will be held.

All routes of The Authentic Marathon Swim have been designed by the Greek national swimming coach with distinctions in Olympic Games & world open water swimming championships, Nikos Gemelos. You may find the routes here.

The event prioritizing the absolute safety of its athletes will provide everyone with a high- quality safety lifeguard buoy. The participating athletes of the Hellenic Swimming Federation must have their respective health certificates, whereas all other swimmers must provide a health certificate from a cardiologist. The use of wetsuit is not allowed in the 10km route, while in the other routes, swimmers will not be included in the official results. You may find here the detailed terms & conditions that participants should know.

Registrations for the 10km route have already been completed, while those of 3km, 1.5km, and the 800m children’s race continue at an undiminished pace. Please note that no registrations will be allowed on the day of the races. The event provides the opportunity of delivering the participation kit by courier, before the races, to avoid overcrowding in the registration area. Moreover, for the public’s best of service the organization provides the possibility of receiving the participation kit 24 hours before the start of each race as the registration area will be open on Friday, September 4, from 17.00 in the morning until 20:00 in the evening and on Saturday, September 5, from 10.00 in the morning until 20:00 in the evening, at Pefki beach. Participants are kindly requested to arrive at the registration area at least 45 minutes before their race’s start, in order to receive their kit and avoid potential last-minute overcrowding and queues. Swimmers and visitors are advised to wear a protective mask during their stay at the registration area.

The event will also provide participants with the opportunity to watch, update and respond to live chat for the races via Viber, Facebook Messenger, and SMS during the event, to avoid crowds at the registration area, as defined by the GDPR rules on personal data protection.

Among other things, participation kits will include the event’s bag and t-shirt from Luanvi, a swimming cap from Mosconi, towel, tattoo entry number, timing chip, and numerous gifts from the event’s sponsors.

All athletes will receive a medal at the finish. Due to the current health conditions, no award ceremony will be held.

The Authentic Marathon Swim already collaborates with more than 30 hotels in the region, with the aim of revitalizing the sports tourism industry of Northern Evia and strengthening the Greek tourism product. Up to this point, this year’s event is enormously supported with special offers and prices starting from 40 euros, by the following hospitality sponsors: Maria Louiza Apartments, Hydna Studios, Hotel 40 Platania, Altamar Hotel, Ellaeon Throesma, Artemision Hotel, Galini Hotel Edipsos, Ilios Studios, Villa Anastasia, Κochili Apartments, Mirtia Hotel, Island, Irene Studios, Aidipsos Hotel, Aktaion Hotel, Aenaon Studios, Alex Spa Hotel, Anesis Pefki, Athina 3 Studios, Artemis Rooms Pefki, Arethousa Hotel, Avli Hotel, Dimitra Apartments, Ermis Spa Hotel, Evia Dream, Galini Hotel Pefki, Kallithea Hotel, Katerina Apartments, Konstantinos Hotel, Lito Hotel, Mitho Hotel, Jenny Studios, Papadioti Αpartments, Rodon Hotel, Drosia Studios, Garden Studios Pefki.

Participants and visitors can take advantage of the special offers, providing reduced accommodation prices and late check out while discovering beautiful hotels in the areas of Pefki, Loutra Edipsos, Artemision, Istiaia, Kanatadika, Neos Pyrgos, Orei and Agiokampos. Check the event’s specially designed page and discover the accommodation packages and special offers that are valid for the participants.

Ferries itineraries

For the best access to Pefki Evia, you may find the ferry itineraries for the routes Edipsos - Arkitsa and Agiokampos - Glyfa here.

The Authentic Marathon Swim is held under the Auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization and it is listed in the “Thermopylae-Salamis 2020” Anniversary framework. The event is organized by the Municipality of Istiaia-Edipsos while Active Media Group is responsible for its sports production. The Authentic Marathon Swim has joined the Greek actions of the #BeactiveHellas 2020 program of the European Commission and is held under the auspices of the General Secretariat of Sports.

The event has joined the swimming community Global Swim Series (GSS).

The leading company in the field of aquaculture in Greece, Philosofish, the official sponsor of The Authentic Marathon Swim, produces superior quality sea bream, sea bass, porgy, and sharp snout sea bream. With respect to the environment, it applies new techniques and is oriented towards production technologies that utilize the competitive advantage of Greek waters and coasts for the production of high-quality fish. The company’s mission is to develop and promote a rich and balanced diet based on fish. Its vision is to become one of the most significant companies in the industry in the European and international market, always contributing to the effort for production based on the sustainable future of the aquatic environment.

Piraeus is much more than just a port. It’s a city in its own right. Yet most visitors fleetingly pass through on their way to the Greek islands and see little beyond the smoggy hustle of the ferry terminal. Take time to explore and you’ll find archaeological sights, stunning sea views, as far as the Saronic Gulf islands; and some of the best fish restaurants in Athens.

Piraeus was first incorporated into Athens in 515 BC. In 493 BC, the great naval strategist Themistocles began fortification works to enclose both cities behind Long Walls. These defences, still visible today, gave the Athenians uninterrupted access to the sea. Over three millennia, Piraeus has grown to become one of the largest passenger and cargo ports in the world. There’s more to this commercial hub and gateway to the Greek islands than meets the eye. Whether you have a few hours to kill before your onward journey or a full day (or more) to explore the area, this guide will help you get the most out of Piraeus.

Around the Port
Inside the Piraeus metro station, the Electric Railways Museum of Piraeus is free. Highlights include a wooden metro carriage from the turn of the 20th century and a collection of rarely-seen black-and-white photography of Piraeus and Athens from the same period.

Perched on a ridge, the well-preserved fortifications of the Ietonian Gate were developed between the 5th and 3rd century BC. This easily accessible site overlooks the harbour and nearby Liberty Ship Hellas, a floating museum that provides a history of the Greek merchant navy.

The ungentrified, post-industrial area north of the port, Retsina is emerging as a new cultural quarter. Rodeo Gallery, which relocated from Istanbul to a cavernous former warehouse, shows a thought-provoking, avant-garde roster of artists from Greece and abroad. Beirut-born Carwan Gallery is the latest organic addition to Piraeus' gallery district, and promotes and produces collectible design, developing exceptional cross-cultural collaborations that call to attention a specific market—the Near East. Next door, Paleo Wine Store another repurposed warehouse with a striking wooden roof, offers an impressive selection of Mediterranean wines, paired with Greek cheeses and unpretentious tapas. In a former sheet metal factory, Pireé has a decadent ambience and a great cafe and cocktail bar, which bubbles with art events, performances, and pop-up exhibitions. This dynamic area comes to alive Thursday-Sunday when Rodeo is open and the surrounding bars and restaurants brim with a cultured crowd.

Kastella
This breezy neighbourhood perched on top of a hill feels a little like an Athenian version of Lisbon, Valparaiso or San Francisco, with winding stairways and colourful turn-of-the-century buildings. Climb up to the summit to take in the great views from the park surrounding Profitis Ilias Church, with the Saronic Gulf and Athenian Riviera stretching out below. Afterwards, refuel at the quaint cafés and tavernas around Idis Street, like O Kalognomas ouzeri.

Mikrolimano
Greek for ‘little port’, Mikrolimano is nestled beneath Kastella. Its biggest draw is the Michelin-starred Varoulko Seaside, presided over by celebrity chef Lefteris Lazarou. If that’s out of your budget, the cute houses that lead up the hill and the bright fish tavernas that ring the port are an aesthetic delight. Mikrolimano may be dwarfed by its neighbours Marina Zea and Piraeus port, but it has more of an upmarket island vibe.

To read this article in full, please visit: thisisathens.org
Photo Credit: Thomas Gravanis

An increasing number of places in Greece are becoming locations for international film shoots. Among them is the southern town of Argos, where traffic restrictions were enforced on June 3rd for the filming of the German action series “Autobahn,” made by Avaton Films.

Shooting for “Autobahn” in Nafplio and Argos started several days ago, but it will be extended to other Greek cities too.

Meanwhile, Thessaloniki in northern Greece is the location of the new action film “Tin Soldier” starring Robert De Niro and Jamie Foxx. Filming is expected to last until July 30.

The film also includes scenes in the town of Drama.

Originally published on: greece-is.com

Zoe Fitsiou and Milena Kontou delivered an outstanding performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, clinching the bronze medal in the women’s lightweight double sculls on Friday. The event, held at Vaires-sur-Marne, saw the Greek duo finish behind Great Britain, who took gold, and Romania, who secured silver.

This achievement marks Fitsiou and Kontou’s debut at the Olympics, contributing to Greece’s medal count and making it the country’s fourth medal in Paris. It also adds to Greece’s legacy in rowing, representing the sixth Olympic rowing medal in the nation’s history.

Earlier in the competition, Petros Gkaidatzis and Antonios Papakonstantinou also won bronze in the men’s lightweight double sculls. The Greek pair finished behind Ireland, who took gold, and Italy, who earned silver.

Originally published on: ekathimerini.com