The most ubiquitous symbol of summer, beyond blue skies, tan lines and flip-flops, must be the endless stream of top 10 lists – top 10 summer patios, top 10 rooftops, top 10 summer cocktails, top 10 best beaches – and the list goes on…

 

I seem to read these lists every day – my Facebook feed has precious little else these days, apart from kitten videos and the like… We all have our own top 10’s, our favorite spots and our favourite ‘locals,’ but I often find myself trying to find these lists again and again, when I’m looking for an interesting activity or asked for a recommendation.

 

So here you have it – my ‘Top 15 list of Top 10 Lists’ – some in English, some in Greek, but you’ll get the point I’m sure. Check these out to see what you might be missing:

So take your pick, make a plan, and get out and enjoy the glorious summer sunshine… Before you know it, we’ll be looking at Top 10 Ways to Escape Winter…

 

Until next week,


Jack

*We'll work on getting the Greek into English and bring you an update of all the above very soon!

On September 27, 1960, six days after his twenty-sixth birthday, Cohen bought a house in Hydra for $1500, using a bequest from his recently deceased grandmother. This was a "big deal" in the words of one of his friends, a commitment to place and a world that was mysterious and unusual. Buying the house was a complicated act, needing the assistance of his friend Demetri Gassoumis as translator, adviser, and witness to the deed. Cohen later said that it was the smartest decision he ever made. The tree-story, ancient whitewashed building, with its five rooms on several levels, was run down and had no electricity, plumbing or running water. Yet it was a private space where he could work, either on the large riled terrace or in his music room on the third floor.

He knew he had been accepted by the community when he began receiving regular visits from the garbage man and his donkey. To a friend he explained that, “Having this house makes cities less frightening. I can always come back and get by. But I don't want to lose contact with the metropolitan experience.” Buying the house also gave him confidence, “The years are flying past and we all waste so much time wondering if we dare to do this or that. The thing is to leap, to try, to take a chance.”

It was a place of solitude, of plodding donkeys (even today no cars are allowed on the island; nor would they get very far if they were), cold water and kerosene lamps. In such primitive surroundings, amid the stunning beauties of the island and the glories of the Aegean, where fishermen still wrested a living from the sea and ferries scrabbled one from the land, Leonard found his peace, his sitting-down time, as he called it, where he could -as all pots must - recollect in tranquillity. Here he could live in virtually complete seclusion, at a fraction of the cost it would take in Northern Europe or Canada, where the people were unconcerned as to who you were or what you did; And where breathtaking vistas opened up for the seeing - both external and internal.

Leonard Cohen was a Canadian songwriter who died on November 7, 2016 at his home in Los Angeles, California. He was 82 years old. 

To read this article in full, please visit: Leonard Cohen Files

If you’re in the neighborhood of Kolonaki, you may want to try Philippou, a restaurant known for its delicious home cooked meals. Culinary Backstreets takes us on a tour and offers great suggestions on the food and drinks to try!

Founded in 1923 by Kostas Philippou, it began as a humble taverna with earthen floors and big barrels filled with home-made wine. In 1968 the building where the taverna stood was converted, like thousands of others in the 60s, into a modern block of flats, and the taverna reopened on the ground floor in the same spot it occupies today, a few steps below street level.

Still run by the same family, Kostas Philippou, the grandson of the original owner, and his Greek-Australian wife, Patricia, are now in charge. They are chic and soft-spoken, with the big friendly smiles of good hosts, and soon we understand why: most of their clientele are regulars, who either eat here or have their food to go every day.

'We try to keep things light and easy on the stomach, so we don’t use many spices or a lot of oil in our cooking,' Kostas Philippou said.

To read this article in full, please visit: Culinary Backstreets

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Every year on the anniversary of moving to Greece, an American expat and a good friend of XpatAthens puts together a list of reasons why she loves living in Greece. Eight years ago, she left her job and life in San Francisco and decided to make the move to Athens, Greece. She has never looked back! Here are this year's top 10 things she loves about living in Greece:

 

 

 

1. The Paliatzis/Παλιατζής
   
   All throughout the streets of Athens, you can hear the paliatzis, a driver with a megaphone shouting out cryptic messages. When I first moved to Greece, I thought it was some sort of political announcement but I eventually came to understand they are asking for our old household furniture-like a self-appointed recycling program.
   
   
2. GNTM
   
   I’m surprised to be listing a Greek reality show about fashion models as one of my favorite things about living here, but the truth is… I’m obsessed. I started watching the show on YouTube to improve my Greek, but after the initial auditions and 20 young women moved into a house together, it was impossible not to get swept into the drama.
   
   
3. B&E Goulandris Modern Art Museum
   
   In October of 2019, the B&E Goulandris Modern Art Museum opened in central Athens. The art at the Goulandris Museum could easily go toe-to-toe with the collection at SFMoma in San Francisco. It’s four floors of modern art including one floor dedicated only to Greek artists. The collection is impressively diverse. No one can say Athens doesn’t have a culture.
   
   
4. Greece Is Going green
   
   When I moved to Greece in 2012, plastic bags were everywhere, recycling was a joke, and I was met with confusion when I asked about composting. Not so anymore–Greece is waking up to the green moment with zero-waste stores like Plastikourgeio shop & lab in the center of Athens. Paros island is working to become the first plastic-free island. In 2018, the country banned free plastic shopping bags, and it’s working to abolish plastic straws. And over the last few months, I’ve started to see electric cars and charging stations in Athens. No word on composting yet, but I bet that’s coming soon.
   
   
5. The Island Of Ikaria
   
   Last summer, I discovered the island of Ikaria, a blue zone location where a disproportionate percentage of the population live to be over 100 years old. The island is famous for its relaxed relationship with time–Ikaria has its own rhythm where no one rushes, and days seem to disappear without you realizing where they went. The island has beautiful beaches, great food and even a nice surf break.
   
   
6. Greek Names
   
   I read Greek mythology when I was young, but I never thought I would have real-life friends named Athena, Aphrodite, Eros and Aris. It feels sort of majestic having friends named after the gods, though it is puzzling why I’ve never met a Zeus or Hera.

7. Smoking Has Been Banned (For Real) In Restaurants, Bars And Tavernas

   Ten years after being passed, it seems the ban on smoking in public places in Greece is actually being enforced. The no-smoking ban went into effect in 2009, but it was widely ignored to the point of being comical. But then almost overnight, that changed, and now when I walk into a bar or taverna, it is smoke-free. I try to stay out of politics, but I do appreciate this element of the new administration.

8. The Tiny Specialty Stores
   
   All throughout central Athens, there are small stores specializing in the sale of a single thing: the doorknob store, the glass jar store, the rope store, the ladder store, etc. It is a mystery to me how these stores stay in business, but there is something very charming about the way you see so much expertise concentrated in a tiny shop. Most of the shops have been around for years, they are passed down through the generations and the owners really do seem to know everything about the single thing they sell. It takes a little longer to get your shopping done, but it is worth it.

9. I Generally Feel Safe In Greece

   Greece is a country with 11 million people and while things do happen, as a country it scores low for violent crime. The police presence is strong, violent crime is low, regular people are willing to get involved, and unlike my own country, there is no need for “active shooter” drills in children’s schools.

10. I Have A Church!
    
    In April of 2019, I was baptized Greek Orthodox with the name Evangelia/Ευαγγέλια and as part of the process, I formed a relationship with a church and a Greek Orthodox priest. I love my church–it is called the Ragavas Church in Plaka, and it is where the revolution in 1821 started in Athens. They have a special bell-ringing ceremony on March 25th to commemorate the revolution, which works out well for me since that’s also my name day.

To read more of Lynn's 'Top 10 Reasons,' please visit: Lynn Roulo

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Lynn is an American Kundalini yoga and Enneagram instructor teaching a unique combination of the two systems, combining the physical benefits of Kundalini yoga with the psychological growth tools of the Enneagram.

 

Most of her adult life has been as a Certified Public Accountant (US CPA) working in the Silicon Valley/San Francisco technology start up and venture capital industries. In 2012, she decided to move to Athens, Greece for purely intuitive reasons.  She's not Greek by heritage, she did not have a job here, she didn’t speak any Greek (at the time), and there wasn't a Greek man in the picture either! She simply had a really clear feeling that she should go to Greece. And so she did.

 

“I remember getting on the plane to leave San Francisco. My dog and two cats were in cargo below and I had packed a suitcase full of clothes. Almost everything else I had sold or given away. There wasn’t anyone to meet me in Athens because I didn’t know anyone. But it was one of the calmest moments of my life. I was totally sure I was making the right choice.  And I haven’t regretted it at all. I love Greece.”

We're thrilled to collaborate with Lynn as an official XpatAthens Content Contributor! To learn more about her and all the great things she does in Athens please click here.

 

 

Greece was recently awarded as the leading tourism destination in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe for 2018 by SACEN International, the international center for the promotion and development of the tourism and catering sectors, during a special ceremony held in Belgrade, Serbia.

Known as the “Oscars of Tourism”, the award has been given to countries and enterprises active in the field of tourism in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe for the last 17 years.

The winners are selected in seven categories: Tourism destination; business tourism; cultural tourism; tour operator; gastronomy tourism; best enterprise in the catering sector; tourism personality of the year in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe.

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

This week the whole country of Greece was in the unfortunate state of witnessing one of the most tragic wildfires to ever break out in the country, taking the lives of many people people.

We would like to express our deepest condolences to all the families affected by the event, and help as much as possible by gathering information about emergency contacts and ways one can help individually.

Remember to stay connected with us through our weekly newsletter, Facebook, and Twitter!

As part of the municipality's urban overhaul program that aims to bring life back to the inner-city neighborhoods, Athens' has revived its Theatrou Square, which is off the central Varvakeios Market.

The first seven shops as part of the POLI² pilot project, which subsidizes neighborhood upgrade and renovation projects, have opened for business.

At the recent announcement of the shops opening, the mayor highlighted the symbolic meaning saying, "Light always drives darkness away. That’s what we are doing now on Theatrou Square near the central market, which will also be carried out at the Merchant’s Arcade on Voulis St."

The selection process of businesses lasted four months, including the renovation of the shops and handing these over to the winning teams, which are Astika Motiva, Niroi, I Love Athens, Creators of Cosmos, Book & Play, COCO-Mat.bike, and O Horos.

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