Almost 400 runners joined the 2018 Castle Run in the town of Nafplio on Sunday, November 25. The Castle Run is a unique sporting event that aims to attract runners from all over Greece while promoting Nafplio’s natural beauty, cultural heritage, and historical significance. The event was organized by the Municipality of Nafplio in cooperation with the Regional Union of Argolis, Harvard University’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece, and the Sports Club of Argolis; under the auspices of EOT and Alliance For Greece.

 

The first part of the demanding race involves the steep climb up the 999 steps to the historic Palamidi Fortress that overlooks the town, while the second part is about 4km-long and takes place in the paved streets of the town. The Nafplio Castle Run is one of the hardest races in Greece and is addressed to experienced runners.

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

Photo Credit: Nafplio Castle Run

Actor Bill Murray, rugby champion Mike Tindall and basketball legend Joe Arlauckas added to the event’s appeal! 

Costa Navarino’s 3rd International Messinia Pro-Am was held February 20-23, marking the start of the tourist season with the participation of 31 teams from 20 countries.

More than 120 professionals, celebrities and amateur golfers enjoyed the game at the award-winning The Dunes Course and The Bay Course among century-old olive trees overlooking the Ionian Sea and the historic bay of Navarino. Among the participants were Oscar-nominee and Golden Globe Award-winner Bill Murray, Mike Tindall, the former rugby player who represented England 75 times and 5 times as captain in his 17-year career and basketball legend Joe Arlauckas.

Click HERE to see the best highlights of the event! 

Accommodation was provided at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino and all participants had a unique experience on and off the greens, with a rich programme including thematic a series of thematic social events culminating in a memorable gala dinner and prizegiving ceremony.

The competitive action included two rounds of golf on The Dunes Course, and one on The Bay Course. All players warmly embraced the thematic charity bowling night, and continued to lend their support for SOS Children’s Villages Greece initiatives through the Messinia Pro-Am website.

The tournament concluded with the “Buena Vista” gala dinner and award ceremony, hosted by pro golfer and TV presenter Iona Stephen and golf coach and YouTube star Peter Finch, including a special moment with actor Bill Murray who enthused: “This is the best place I’ve ever been. The golf courses are great; I’ve never been treated nicer anywhere. This is a different level; it is not like anything I’ve ever seen.”

Click HERE to see photos from the event!

At the 54-hole Strokeplay individual competition, professional golf players claimed the total prize pool of 31,000 Euros. Alessandro Tadini (PGA of Italy) with 197 points, 15 under par won the tournament, second place fell to PGA of GB&I Professional, Stuart Boyle and the PGA of Portugal’s, Tomas Gouveia, finished in third.

Gouveia also won the Team Pro-Am event with his team of Ivailo Dimchev, Lyubomir Minchev and Konstantin Sinapov. Second place went to Berni Reiter (PGA of Austria) with Franz Pichler, Johann Schygulla and Gottfried Traintinger, whilst the team of Antonis Sotiropoulos (Chairman of PGA of Greece) took third place. In the other categories, Milada Tupova-Faensen won “Closest to the Pin” award, George Vafiadis claimed the “Longest Drive Men” and Belgian Delphine Dewitte the “Longest Drive Ladies” and “Best 4-Hole Net Score”.

AEGEAN , a member of Star Alliance, was the official airline partner of the event.
Vodafone Business, Eclectic Greece by Kyvernitis Travel , Ford Motor Hellas , Athens International Airport and Hertz were the official sponsors of the event.
Luanvi was the official sportswear partner.
Official supporters of the tournament included ECOLAB , "Vikos" Natural Mineral Water , J.VOURAKIS SONS EE , Poseidonia , Pylos Poems , METAXA , Luc Belaire , Paulaner, The Blue Beetle , Nescafé Alegria and Kalamata Papadimitriou .
Fysiotek was the physio partner of the event providing rehabilitation and prevention services for sports injuries with its rehab station.

The tournament was assisted by Salty Bag , Stoli , Fever-Tree , Ahead and BiancoNero .

Erasmus was the official travel partner coordinating and ensuring the smooth registration & accommodation process.

The 3rd Messinia Pro-Am was organized in collaboration with the PGAs of Europe and was held under the auspices of PGA of Greece and the Hellenic Golf Federation . The awards were created by J.VOURAKIS SONS EE .

The gifts of the “Buena Vista” Night were offered by Luc Belaire , Salty Bag and Ahead .

Hashtag: #messiniaproam

Photo credit: Elias Lefas 

The fossilized remains of two new unknown snake species have been discovered near the city of Serres in northern Greece.

 

The Greek researcher who discovered the fossils that are dated back 5,5 to 6,0 million years, has named them Periergophis micros and Paraxenophis spanios.

 

“These two new snakes have new names because they belong to a totally new species and are completely different from any other species. The strange thing is that such vertebral anatomy has not been observed anywhere else and there is nothing, either in modern or in extinct serpent species, that even comes close to the morphology of these new species,” palaeontologist Dr Giorgos Georgalis told AMNA.

Dr Georgalis has published a scientific paper about his discovery, in collaboration with other scientists from German, Czech, and Swiss universities. According to Georgalis the serpents are so unique that it is hard to classify them under any known family, so they have understood that they belong to a new species.

To read this article in full, please visit: The National Herald

In the wake of Women's Day on March 8, this video is a tribute to pioneering Greek Women Immigrants. This inspiring video describes the life and accomplishments of some of the most open-minded, hard-working, and fierce women immigrants that immigrated to the USA at the beginning of the 20th century.

Even though it is impossible to recount the heroic Greek immigrant women, speaking of just a few invokes the memory of all of them.

It is certain that whatever heights the Greek ethnic community has attained today, is much owed to the love and labors of these extraordinary women!
 

 

 

The award-winning sports marketing department of ActiveMedia Group and the Sports Management Society of the leading private educational institution in the country, Deree – The American College of Greece return with another collaboration for a good cause.

The best wellness program in Europe and 2nd best in the world, as distinguished in the latest International Travel & Tourism Awards of the World Travel Market in London, Navarino Challenge, the Sports Management Society of Deree – The American College of Greece and the unique agency in Europe, dealing with trading cards and memorabilia, Trace ‘n Chase, join their forces for a charity initiative that aims to reinforce nonprofit organizations.

Items from world-class athletes, hall of famers and ambassadors of Navarino Challenge will be available in a series of online auctions to be held in December 2021, through the digital auctions platform Charityidols.com

Following the successful implementation of the auctions in 2019 and the transfer of 2020’s scheduled auctions for this year, all proceeds will be offered once again to non-profit organizations.

It may be that nowadays the electric car makes quite the impression and is funded by big industrial firms, but in Greece, it was already constructed for the first time 45 years ago!

The electric car is hosted in the industrial museum of Syros. The car was built in 1973 in an old mill building close to the Neorion yard of Ermoupolis, the capital of Syros.

This electric car is the model Enfield 8000, an innovation at the time when the problem of air pollution had made its appearance in the big cities. At the same time, the concern related to oil stocks and dependence on them also grew big. It seemed that an electric car would solve many problems.

History of the electric car of Syros island

The car’s history began in the late 1960s. The company Enfield Automotive, based in the Isle of Wight of Great Britain and owned by the Greek John Goulandris (a member of a large shipowner family), won a competition for a contract with the Council of Electric Energy of England. Shortly before the start of the production of the car, Goulandris encountered technical problems with the Isle of Wight and so decided to move the factory to Syros. It was a risky decision, as the island of Syros had a long tradition in shipbuilding but no relation to the manufacturing of cars, let alone electric. However, it seems that the outcome vindicated Goulandris. The designer of the electric model was George Michael. The construction involved men from the yard, engineers, craftsmen from Syros, Piraeus, and many other places around Greece. It was a truly Greek affair.

To celebrate the history of the first electric car in Greece, a documentary was filmed, titled "A tale of two Isles", directed by Michael Stavropoulos (Director of the magazine for cars). One day Michael Stavropoulos went to Syros to try a modern electric car. On this occasion, he was introduced to the Greek story of the electric car, talked with people involved in the construction, and finally made a movie about the Enfield 8000.

To read this article in full and discover more about the Enfield 8000, please visit: omilo.co

Omilo Greek Language and Culture inspires people from all over the world to learn Greek, while exploring Greece. They offer 1- and 2-week courses for adults that combine beautiful course locations, experienced teachers, and a balanced combination of Greek classes with cultural activities. All these make Omilo a place where people enjoy learning modern Greek and have fun.

Besides the courses, Omilo also creates online publications to help adults expand their language skills through Language Books and eBooks for different language levels.

How do I set a new goal?

Of course, you’ve heard that it is necessary to have goals. The goal is a buzzword, practically what drives us to go further. It can be small and immediate or grandiose and long-term. It can be magical and fulfill your deepest dreams, it can also be something simpler and possible. In any case, it is useful and if we set it correctly, it drives us, creates a way forward, and fuels our dreams. A goal is a vision for the future that we desire.

Of course, you will have set goals in the past, but there is a high chance that you did not achieve them. What do we do wrong and most importantly, how can we correct it?

Here are some ways to get it right, using all the functions of the brain, conscious and unconscious, to achieve what you want from now on.

For maximum achievability, your goal must be:

• Well-formed. Proper goal setting achieves the upgrade of our quality of life to multiple levels. A not-so-successful goal slows us down, reduces our self-confidence, disorients us, and at worst fills us with doubts and procrastination.
• Inspirational and alluring, and motivational to you. How do you imagine your life a month, a semester, or a year from now? If you had all the tools and power, what would you want to achieve?
• Challenging, stretching us a little. Our brain wants the challenge, we need to get out of our comfort zone, dare new things, and see what we can achieve. If the goal is very easy, the subconscious mind achieves it immediately and then does not deal with it anymore. If a goal is not realistic, there is no hope, but if it’s not challenging, there is no motivation.
• Toward a positive direction. If you are thinking: “I want to leave this job”, then all your attention is where you want to leave from. But if your goal is stated positively: “I have a job I’m in the flow, I feel passionate about, a job that motivates me”, your brain looks at your goal.
• SMART – including various “technical characteristics to succeed”.
• Starting from and ending with you. If you are responsible for the success of the goal and only you (e.g. to run in the next marathon), then you have a much better chance of achieving it. If your goal depends on others (e.g. World Peace), then you are more likely to not be able to control the outcome. This does not mean that you will not do your best to achieve all the goals, just don’t be disappointed if you do not achieve what you want immediately.
• Ecological. To help/promote our “ecology”: our family, our work, our environment, and society in general. A goal that works in line with the needs and wants of others is much more readily achievable.
• Certifiable. How will you know that you succeeded? What will you see, feel, hear, and say to yourself when you achieve it? What is your own evidence procedure? The subconscious brain moves on until it receives this confirmation, and when it receives it, it moves on to the next goal you set for it.

For example, if your goal is a trip that you really want, you write it as follows: “It is August 5th. I am on a beach in South Crete, I feel calm, relaxed, and happy. I hear the wave and feel the heat on my face. I put on my swimsuit and read my favorite book. Life is beautiful!”

Last but not least, your goal that is specific, that is well-formed, that meets all the specifications, should be installed in your subconscious brain. There are two brains, the conscious brain works intelligently, logically, and linearly and gives us commands. We use this brain in deciding what goal to set (goal-setter). There is also the unconscious or subconscious brain, which has stored all the knowledge, all the tools, and all our psyche and is constantly at work. So, we install the goal in the subconscious mind to collect the data that are suitable for this purpose, that help us to go in the correct direction. The subconscious brain is the one that manages to achieve the goal (goal-getter). There are various ways and techniques to install the target in the subconscious brain and activate it to achieve our goal much more easily and directly.

Finally, on the way to achieving the goal, we need to calmly and realistically change course if necessary. We take in all the information, asses it, and if necessary, adjust accordingly.

The help of an expert can help in this process at all stages, from concretization to targeting, overcoming obstacles and limiting beliefs/behaviors, and of course implementation.

Do not forget, we are talking about your life. Insert passion, and imagination and kick-start your dreams!

Originally published on: christinadrakopoulou.com

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I help outstanding individuals get unstuck from personal fears and limitations and fast-track to the life of their dreams. I specialize in the problems of modern life in urban environments: a job we do not love, dead-end relationships, lethargy, burnout, inability to live in stereotypes, excessive stress, a general feeling of “blockage”, “helplessness” and “entrapment”. For more information about me and my work visit my website.

Leaving Greece Needs Planning Too

The conclusion of leaving Greece can come with its own challenges. Whether the next step involves a new destination, a job change, or a return home, proper coordination is essential. Tailored departure services provide the structure and support needed to ensure that leaving Greece is smooth, timely, and free from unnecessary complications.

Move-out logistics involve much more than just packing! From rental contract termination to utility disconnections, expert coordination ensures that every detail is handled efficiently and in full compliance with local procedures. With the right support, tenants can avoid financial penalties, meet their obligations, and close their experience in Greece with confidence.

• Formal notice to end lease agreements within legal deadlines.
• Property walkthroughs and coordination of any required repairs.
• Supervised cleaning and maintenance to meet tenancy standards.
• Disconnection of services such as electricity, internet, and water.
• Change-of-address notifications (banks, post offices, insurance, etc.).
• Guidance on recovering security deposits, when applicable.

With everything properly handled, departing Greece can be a well-organized process, free of loose ends and unresolved issues.

If you're preparing to move from Greece to your next destination, ask us about planning a stress-free departure fully supported from start to finish!