When you think of Greek national pride, the first things that come to mind are the Greek flag and the national anthem.

The Greek national anthem, officially titled "Ymnos is tin Eleftherian" in Greek and the Hymn to Liberty in English, is a reminder not only of how far Greece has come since the Ottoman Empire was officially defeated, but also of the journey that the people took that ultimately led to their freedom.

 

The Anthem was written by the famed poet, Dionysios Solomos, in 1823. He was born and raised in Zayknthos, but his family were refugees from the island of Crete. As a member of a prominent wealthy family, Solomos was well educated, which eventually drove him to become a poet. Although he studied in Italy for several years, he eventually penned his poems in his native Greek language.

 

The Hymn to Liberty is one of Solomos' most inspiring works. The Greek Revolution began in 1821 and was happening just as he began his career as a poet. In addition to the revolution that finally ended the Ottoman occupation, it served as a source of inspiration for this poem. Solomos wanted to put into words his feelings about the struggles of the Greek people and the inevitability of the win.

To learn more, please visit: Greek Boston

Learn about Athens' architecture, how the city was named, and what to do for one day in Athens with young kids!

 

 

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Santorini is the ultimate destination for every traveler around the world. Known for its iconic Cycladic architecture, unique sunsets, and distinctive sandy beaches formed by the volcanic activity, Santorini invites you to explore the island all year round. This October you have one more reason to discover all these features by combining your visit with the ultimate sporting experience of Santorini Experience.

The top sports tourism event returns for the 6th consecutive year from October 2-4, 2020. Through its exciting open water swimming and trail running activities, Santorini Experience, continues to attract the global interest of professional and amateur athletes on a yearly basis.

The races will have an eco-friendly approach, through a strategy that incorporates plastic-free actions, always with respect to the natural environment of the island.

The routes of Santorini Experience have been designed on the enchanting path that connects Oia with Fira, featuring breathtaking views. Runners will discover the totally white, majestic settlements built on the edge of the Caldera, with the picturesque cobbled streets and the impressive churches. Athletes will run at a maximum altitude of 334 meters above sea level, with a wonderful view of the clear blue waters of the Aegean and the islet of Nea Kameni while they will find themselves only a breath away from the sky.

The running races will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2020, with the background scenery of Imerovigli, Firostefani, and Oia. The 10km route is addressed to the most experienced in distances, while the “Aristides Alafouzos” 15 km route is ideal for those who prefer strength, endurance, and adrenaline. All routes start and finish at the desalination plant in Oia and the ground mainly includes parts of soil.

The exciting routes overlooking the volcano are designed by the former marathon runner, Greek classic route record holder, running trainer, and director of All About Running, Nikos Polias.

Register today for the “Aristides Alafouzos” 15km and 10km running routes, as well as the 1.5 miles swimming route, and take advantage of the early bird prices with a 25% discount. The offer is valid until 31/7. The event, always prioritizing the participants themselves offers a refund of their registration costs until August 31.

As every year, the event will be held, in accordance with the strict standards set by the Greek Ministry of Tourism, the General Secretariat of Sports and all relevant sports Federations. Santorini Experience will be planned and delivered based on the protocol of races, which will ensure public health and safety of all parties involved. Moreover, the health and safety of all participants remains the event’s main priority. The 10km race will be organized along with AS Ifestos Thiras and EAS SEGAS Cyclades Region and approved by the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS). The 1.5 miles (2.4 km) open water swimming race will be held with the approval of the Hellenic Swimming Federation, according to FINA regulations.

Santorini Experience 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 award-winning Active Media Group is responsible for the event’s Sports Production, while the event’s Official Hashtag #SantoriniExperience, has created its own unique trend on social media.

Up to this point and in these difficult times, this year’s event is supported with amazing offers and prices by the following hospitality sponsors: Athina Luxury Suites, Santo Maris Oia Luxury Suites & Spa, Canaves Oia, Andronis Arcadia, West East Suites, K&K Unique Holiday Homes, Marvarit Suites, Folia Bianca, Iriana Suites, Nefeles Luxury Suites, Sienna Resort, Memories Hotel, Uma Ray Suites, Santo Houses, 270 Oia’s View, Fanouris Condo, Monolithia, Epavlis Hotel, Loizos Stylish Residencies, Iokasti Villa, Olive Cave Houses, Panorama Boutique Hotel, Cori Rigas Suites, Esperas Santorini and Santorini Hospitality. Whether you wish to stay in the Caldera, Fira, Imerovigli, Oia, or in the beautiful Pyrgos, Monolithos, Akrotiri, Kamari, Messaria, Emporio, Megalochori or at the endless beach of Perissa and Perivolos, Santorini has everything. Participants may opt to stay in a room for two people, in a house for 4-6 people or in a villa with a pool for 4-10 people, amongst the many other options of Santorini.

Discount on the already low fares of ferry tickets

All those traveling to the island by ferry for the 6th Santorini Experience will be able to enjoy the safety and comfort of Blue Star Ferries once again this year. The top Greek shipping company offers a 40% discount on the ferry tickets from/to Santorini and a 30% discount on vehicles to all those visiting the event and the island during that period. Each person who has completed his/her registration is entitled to the same discount for 3 more people if these are his/her escorts, or for 4 people if these are family members. With consistency and responsibility, Blue Star Ferries continues to implement all necessary measures on all its ships before and during the trip, in order to ensure the health of both their passengers and their staff.

Discount on car rentals

The top Greek rental company Avance, as the event’s official car rental partner, provides participants of Santorini Experience with an opportunity to make their reservation, with a 15% discount on the official price list, for any vehicle of their choice regarding their travel to the island during the period of the event. In terms of bookings, participants need to send an email to reserv(at)avance.gr

Santorini Experience is co-organized by the Municipality of Santorini, Municipal Sports Cultural Environmental Organization of Santorini (DAPPOS), and Active Media Group.

At this time of year we typically would be celebrating carnival in Greece, but due to Covid-19 things are a little bit different this year; normally it is a huge celebration rooted in many cultural traditions throughout Greece and lasts 3 weeks. Many articles are written about Greek carnival, but have you ever heard of Lady Sarakosti?

It is not easy to translate the Greek “Kiria Sarakosti”, but we propose to call her “Lady-Lent” in English! It is an old tradition in Greece and a way to count the weeks from Clean Monday (the end of carnival) until Easter. This year the Carnival period ends on March 15 with Clean Monday, and from that day onward, you can use “Lady Lent” to count 7 weeks until Easter.

In most regions of Greece Lady Lent is just a paper drawing, but in some places she can be made of salt dough to be better preserved. In any case, it is not meant to be eaten, but to be used as a calendar! Elsewhere in Greece, you also find her made of cloth and filled with feathers. Its name in Greek recalls the 40 days of fasting beginning on Clean Monday and ending with the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. She has her arms crossed and is praying, and she has no mouth because of the fasting period.

Lady Lent has 7 feet (one for each week of the Lent period). The purpose is to cut one foot at the end of each week, so you can easily count how many weeks are left. The last foot–which is cut on Easter Saturday–is placed in the Easter bread (like with the vasilopita). The person who finds the piece in his bread will have good luck.

Although this tradition is now a bit forgotten, many young children draw Lady Lent in school. They will keep her in their room or the kitchen, to count the weeks till Easter! Easter is one of the main celebrations in Greece, but also a two-week holiday for all school children!

Click here to read more, learn some extra Greek vocabulary or the read this entire article in Greek!

Bring your heartiest appetite. In this episode, Sofka takes us food shopping the Athenian way, with two local food writers. Get ready to scour buzzy neighborhood markets and exotic spice-scented streets - and along the way, myth bust the Greek love affair with meat; tuck into Athens’ booming “world cuisine” scene; and meet the Greek superfood served at every taverna in town. Finally, we’ll take a nose dive into the heady aromas of Athens and explore the uniquely Greek approach to fasting. “You can always trust a Greek to turn a fast into a feast,” says Sofka Zinovieff in this fourth episode, devoted to the Greek capital’s most enticing perfumes and flavors.

Bestselling writer and former anthropologist, Sofka Zinovieff, embarks on a quest to uncover the true essence of her adopted home, in all its layers and mysteries. Discover how Athenians feel about their own architecture, how tragedy and trauma have flavored the city’s cuisine, why Athens has always been a “15-minute city”, and much, much more.

 

As part of the effort to attract foreign students, hence providing higher education institutes with a more extroverted outlook, a growing number of Greek medical schools are introducing or planning to introduce English-language undergraduate programs.

More specifically, the medical schools of the universities of Patras, Thessaly, and Crete are planning to establish an English-language medicine program.

To further this aim, Education Minister Niki Kerameus is joining the entourage of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ trip to the US next week, where she will meet with representatives of American universities to discuss new partnerships with Greek institutions and the expansion of existing ones.

Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University has already launched such programs, while that of the University of Athens will start next October, in the 2022-23 academic year.

Originally published on: ekathimerini.com

The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) aims to smack two flies with one poster: attract retirees and prolong the tourist season.

As part of a 20-million-euro campaign to advertise Greece abroad, starting next week, posters with an older couple cheekily feeding each other watermelon and enjoying wine onboard a yacht, featuring the question “Wanna feel 20 again?” will appear in several European capitals.

It’s not just a reference to feeling young again; it’s referring to temperature. The idea of promoting Greece to retirees is part of the country’s plan for prolonging its tourist season, inspired by the current energy crisis. It’s based on the idea that hotels stay open and host northern Europeans who might be motivated by the much lower heating costs in the mild climate, as well as the lower cost of living in general. Below the question on the poster is the explanation: “With warm winter temperatures up to 20°C, Greece is the place to be.”

Speaking to the Guardian’s Observer, Greek tourism minister Vasilis Kikilias described part of the plan, saying that “there will be clusters connected by direct flights with hotels and restaurants that are prepared to stay open,” and explaining that “it might be less costly to turn off the heat back home and come here.”

Over the last month, the magazine also noted, the minister has visited Paris, Berlin, Vienna, and Stockholm, talking with pension fund managers, tour operators, and airlines, and spreading the word that Greece is “open” year-round. Among the Greek destinations to be promoted are Athens, Thessaloniki, Rhodes, Kos, and Crete – places with good medical care.

Worth noting is that while the new GNTO campaign aims to reap some momentum from the energy crisis, northern European retirees have long shown interest in Greece. In January, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported that more and more German retirees were looking to move abroad, and called Greece the “Florida of Europe.” Meanwhile, Swedish retirement homes have been taking elders on trips to Greece for over a decade. Previous attempts by the Greek government to bring retirees to Greece permanently have included generous tax incentives.

To read this article in full, please visit: greece-is.com