The Athens Traders Association in collaboration with the Attica Region and the Municipality of Athens recently announced plans to revamp and use abandoned buildings to house small and medium-sized retailers and entrepreneurs. Their hope is to revive once thriving trade areas and to establish new business neighborhoods.

In view of increasing tourist flows to Athens, the action, initially a pilot program, will create new prospects for trade as well as upgrade the city center. Sights for the first project are set on central Stadiou St.

“Every store window display that’s lit up drives away delinquency and creates jobs,” said Stavros Kafounis, the association’s president. The Attica Region Governor and the municipal authority of Athens will try to devise a plan so small and medium-size retailers can rent out large spaces on privileged terms over a two-year period.

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

The last time Culinary Backstreets visited Pipería in Neo Psychiko was five years ago until just recently, they made their way back to this unchanged restaurant owned by Yannis Galaktopoulos.

 

“I’m not a chef, just a cook,” Yannis said, as he originally wanted to be an architect (and in fact still harbors a dream of becoming one). He only got involved in the food business after his father bought a beach resort in Glyfada, one of Athens’ southern suburbs, in 1993. It was in the resort’s restaurant that he learned his way around a kitchen.

He opened Piperiá in 2001 with a friend, the well-known chef Panagiotis Papanikolaou, who designed most of the menu. “When I bought Piperiá, which had been a café, we conceived it as a mezedopoleio [a meze restaurant], but we quickly changed the focus to seafood and fish,” he explained. “The name, which means pepper, the vegetable not the spice, already existed, and it sounds more like a meat place, but we decided to keep it, as it was becoming known.”

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

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens, Greece, has been nominated for the RIBA International Prize 2018, a biennial architecture award given by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

The RIBA International Prize 2018 will be awarded to a building which exemplifies design excellence, architectural ambition and delivers meaningful social impact. The SNFCC, an international complex for sustainability, culture, education and entertainment, is the only Greek nominee among 62 buildings in 30 countries.

 

Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop in collaboration with the Greek architectural office BETAPLAN, the SNFCC is one of Greece’s largest infrastructure projects that houses the Greek National Opera, a two-million-book National Library and the 170,000m2 Stavros Niarchos Park on the Faliro Bay shoreline.

Winners will be announced in December 2018.

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

Photo Credit: Greek Travel Pages

Unique in its antiquity, Athens boasts thousands of years worth of democracy, plays and philosophy, and classical buildings that surround the Acropolis. Amongst the Athenians have been foreigners and strangers visiting the capital city for centuries, creating the term philoxenia, meaning 'love of strangers.' It's a term that locals use to give warmth and welcome to foreigners and as BBC explains, the people of Greece, "can be very hospitable and friendly."

"Though more than 4.5 million people visit the city every year to delve into its past, Athens has plenty in its present to make it worth staying for the longer term."

Why do people love it?

"The always-on atmosphere of Athens attracts Greeks and expats alike. 'Athens is a buzzing city,' said Chrissy Manika, an Athens native and blogger at Travel Passionate. 'No matter when you go out you will see the cafes and bars filled with people having a good time.' She especially likes wandering the city centre neighbourhood of Plaka, on the north-east side of the Acropolis. 'With all the tourists around, it feels like you are on holiday on an island, especially in summer.'"

"Despite living in an ancient city, residents never get sick of the views. 'Driving into the city and seeing the Acropolis or the Temple of Zeus takes my breath away,' Mina Agnos from Travelive said. 'At every turn, there is a beautiful reminder of the ancient past of this city. It is a lovely reminder of our limited time and that we should make the best of it.'"

To read this article in full, please visit: BBC

Released by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and McKinsey & Company, their latest report addresses the issues surrounding tourism, including constrained infrastructure, diminished cultural experience, damage to natural resources, threat to cultural heritage, and alienation of local residents.

Titled “Coping with Success: Managing Overcrowding in Tourism Destinations”, the report found that the top 20 country destinations – among these France, the US, Spain, China and Italy – will add more arrivals by 2020 than the rest of the world combined.

Greece is also among these countries expected by 2020 to see the number of international tourist arrivals rise by 3 million.

Besides highlighting the problems posed by too much tourism, the survey also identifies actions including extending visitor numbers over time, spreading visitors across sites, adjusting pricing to balance supply and demand, regulating accommodation supply and limiting access and activities.

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

In a bustling city like Athens, it’s easy to find street food of all different kinds. But what are the places that offer the best food? Why Athens tells us where to find a great sandwich, the best souvlaki, delicious pies, and for our sweet tooth, loukoumades.

The pies at Pie Works go beyond the traditional spanakopita or spinach pie, with delectable meals wrapped in a light, crispy pastry. The breakfast pies will truly brighten up your morning. Eat in or take away.

Address: 16 Amerikis

Telephone: 211 1847595

 

For the best souvlaki in central Athens, look no further than Kostas. Upholding a 65-year-old tradition, the delicate flavours are a combination of fresh ingredients and quality meats on oil free pita bread. You’ll need to get in early. The daily line ups usually sees Kosta all sold out by 3pm.

Address: 5 Pentelis

Telephone: 210 3228502

There’s nothing more satisfying than loukoumades which are Greek style doughnuts. The modern day version is found in the middle of the very hip Agias Irinis Square. You can go traditional with honey, cinnamon and sesame seeds sprinkled on top or go all out with chocolate filled centres with a side of ice-cream.

Address: 21 Eolou St. Agias Ironis Sq.

Telephone: 210 3210880

 

Serving hot, delectable pies in Athens since 1910, Ariston is as much an institution as an Athenian bakery. On the edge of Syntagma square you will find morning line ups for the famous “kourou” pies, the crescent-shaped pastries filled with feta cheese. You’ll also find a myriad of other sweet and savoury varieties. Closed on Sundays.

 

 

 

To read this article in full, please visit: Why Athens

 

Image Credit: Pie Works

One of Athens’ inner-city neighborhoods, Eleonas, will get its own metropolitan park in 2019 offering repose and recreation for its residents, according to the Greek capital’s municipal authority.

The project includes landscaping, outdoor sports facilities, including skating, basketball and volleyball courts, walking paths, fountains, and event areas as well as cafes. All areas will be accessible to via ramps.

Future plans include linking pedestrian walkways from the Botanical Garden of the Agricultural University of Athens to its olive groves and with the archaeological site of the Plato Academy.

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

Photo credit: Greek Travel Pages

Chestnuts and the Greek winter are almost synonymous and roasted chestnut street carts are a common sight this time of year!

Chestnuts grow everywhere in Greece in Macedonian forests in the north and all the way down to the Cretan mountains in the south; the new harvest, usually in October, is cause for celebration in many parts of the country.

Although they are the perfect accompaniment to pork and poultry, the Greek traditional confectionery is where they are mostly used in. Enjoy them as a spoon sweet, in jams and spreads and you will certainly love it in cakes such as tsoureki, vasilopita and sweet breads.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Reporter

It’s Christmas in Greece and there is no better way to celebrate than with a beautifully designed dinner party. As with any Greek tradition, the essential elements will include a joyful gathering of family and friends and a table full of delicious dishes that have been passed from generation to generation. These simple guidelines will help you create the perfect Greek Christmas dinner atmosphere!

 

 

Greek tradition involves decorating a sailing boat instead of a tree for Christmas. This quintessential tradition originates from the Greek islands and symbolizes the safe return of seamen and their ships during the long and stormy winter months.

To add a modern and rustic feel to your Christmas dinner table, find some pine cones and scatter them around white pillar candles for an elegant and wintery Christmas decoration. Fold a napkin into a boat shape to match your Christmas boat decoration for a simple but chic place setting décor.

 

Baked treats of all kinds are an essential ingredient of Greek Christmas celebrations! Traditional desserts, such as diples, kourabiedes, kataifi and melomakarona, and baklava will surely satisfy your guests’ sweet tooth!

Step 4. Festive Drinks 

A Christmas dinner party isn’t complete without a drink or two! For a traditional Greek Christmas drink, try warm wine infused with orange and cinnamon or oinomelo, a Greek alternative to mulled wine which is simply warm wine with honey. These enticing festive drinks will definitely keep your guests warm and their spirits high!

 

To read this article in full, please visit: mili-lo.com

Over 220 events have been planned by the Athens municipality this year for Christmas and the New Year, including the tree lighting at Syntagma Square on December 12, 2017 at 19:00. Over 34 days, a plethora of events will take place including outdoor and indoor activities for adults and children, theatre and musical performances, art exhibitions, and Christmas bazaars.

From December 12-30, a number of concerts and live music can be heard under the city’s Christmas tree at Syntagma Square.

Wander over to Omonia Square to see a decorated Greek Christmas boat. Or find the special key words scattered about Syntagma square, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Klafthmonos Square, Monastiraki, the Athens Propylaea, and Thissio.

Mark your calendars on December 21, the longest night of the year, when Lena Platonos will perform at the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Be sure to check out the Library-Academy-University complex on Panepistimiou Street for literature and science-related events.

For the kids, visit Klafthmonos Square from December 19-31.

Between December 14-24, the Kypseli municipal market is organizing festive Christmas activities, especially for the food lovers.

Various museums, libraries, and cultural venues, as well as the Athens municipality's pottery centre, will hold theatrical performances, art events and workshops from December 19-31.

On New Year’s Eve, the municipality will host performances by percussion ensembles Batuca and Batala. You can watch a concert by the City of Athens Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as performances by Evanthia Reboutsika, Mariza Rizou and Panos Mouzourakis, and other artists.

And finally, the Mayor of Athens will help us ring in the New Year at the Apostolos Pavlos pedestrian walkway in Thisio.