A few years ago, Costas Varotsos’s emblematic glass sculpture “The Runner” had to cover the distance from Omonia Square in central Athens, where it was originally placed, to a tiny square facing the Hilton Athens Hotel, where it stands today.

These days a 3-meter-tall copy of the 12-meter original gazes out over the Aegean Sea from a luxury property on the cosmopolitan Cycladic island of Myconos.

Turkish businessman Ugur Ozkan had stayed at the Hilton Athens in the past and observed the original “Runner” from his room. Finding himself under its spell, he subsequently went in search of the Greek artist and commissioned him to create a smaller version of the work for his Myconos villa.

“Ever since the story broke in the local press a few days ago my phones have been ringing nonstop,” the artist told Kathimerini, adding that he “never expected that something which was created two years ago would become the subject of such publicity today. In fact, I had never been commissioned to create a smaller version of a large-scale public sculpture. ‘The Runner’ has an urban quality about it; it is a work especially conceived for display in the city. It had never crossed my mind that it could grace a private residence. It took me a while to execute, but when I saw the end result and the exact spot that was chosen for its display, I must admit that I liked it. Especially when the wind is blowing and the sea gets rough.”

For more on this story, please visit ekathimerini

Story by Margarita Pournara

Travel Bloggers Greece selected to visit the Montanema Handmade Village in Central Greece to experience “another face of Greece” that combined mountain hiking, village excursions, local gastronomy and lake activities.

 

Several outdoor excursions included a guided hike in Agrafa Mountains to its famed waterfalls and horseback riding at the Saloon Stables along Lake Plastiras.  TBG also experienced a “farm-to-table” tour. The bloggers milked sheep, gathered eggs at a family farm in Frago, toured the fifth-generation Pyrotzello flour mill and helped make traditional Greek egg pasta called hilopetes at the Karagouna pasta factory.  Throughout the trip, members dined at Montanema’s Fournia restaurant sampling specialties prepared with local meat, dairy products, herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables. 

 “The idea for the village was planted 15 years ago when the owner was hiking and stumbled upon a little home built in the forest hidden in the lush mountainous landscape.  He envisioned Montanema and today his dream is a reality. It opened last year as a unique accommodation that reflects the natural beauty of this area of Greece. Now, Travel Bloggers Greece can share that experience with their international readers and followers,” said Artemis Kokkinou, Village Hostess of the Montanema Handmade Resort.  

The mountain’s steep slopes meld in harmony with the 33 apartments and suites that were built with an eco-friendly, bio-climatic architectural design.  

“Our travel bloggers loved exploring the mountainous nature of Greece,” said Elena Sergeeva, co-founder of TBG. “Montanema’s hospitality has enabled us share the incredible nature and culture of Central Greece with our photography, social media activity and our travel writing.”

Also at Montanema, TBG member and photography blogger, Dimitrios Asithianakis, taught the group’s first educational workshop: You and Your DSLR Camera.  

 “We aim to collaborate and help educate each other so we can all be better travel bloggers,” said Marissa Tejada, co-founder of TBG. “Like Montanema, we look forward to sharing more authentic experiences on our international blogging and website platforms that focus on travel and culture in Greece.”

About Travel Bloggers Greece (TBG):  TBG is the first blogger networking group established in Greece based on a core set of professional values. Members are Greeks and expats who live in Greece and cover Greece as a travel destination in various languages.  TBG members abide by ethical standards and encourage positive cooperation, education and collaboration.  TBG works with Greece-based businesses to help promote authentic travel and increased awareness of Greek travel destinations. For more information visit: www.travelbloggersgreece.com

The following TBG member blogs participated in the trip to Montanema Handmade Village:

A Greek Adventure http://www.agreekadventure.com

Family Goes Out http://www.familygoesout.com

Life Beyond Borders http://www.lifebeyondbordersblog.com

Meet Culture  http://www.meetculture.com & http://www.meetculture.cn

My Greece, My Travels http://mygreecemytravels.com  

Passion for Greece http://www.passionforgreece.com

Photography Traveler http://photographytraveler.com

Representatives from the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently met with the Greek Tourism Minister, Elena Kountoura, to discuss possible cooperation to expand medical tourism in Greece. It would be part of an effort to strengthen Greek-Russian relations. Representatives from Russia said that the Greek market would be a top destination for Russian citizens for various medical and health services.

During the meeting, Minister Kountoura presented the various opportunities in the health tourism sector in Greece, placing  emphasis on the high-level of scientific staff and specialized rehabilitation centers. Minister Kontoura also mentioned that the Greek government is working with the Greek Medical Tourism Council (ELITOUR) and industry professionals to set up working groups to move medical tourism forward in Greece.

For more on this story, visit All About Aviation and Greek Travel Pages

Archeon Gefsis, an Ancient Greek-style restaurant located on 6 Agion Anargiron Street in the Psyri District in Athens, recently opened its doors. This themed restaurant, which translates to Ancient Tastes, is renowned for its unique style and atmosphere and aims to offer guests a brand new culinary experience.

Backed by a team that includes specialized architects, taste specialists and researchers of ancient writings, Archeon Gefsis focuses on the revival of the cuisine of Ancient Greece and aims to initiate food lovers into the healthy nutritional and dietary habits of the sophisticated men who led the way to our civilized society.

The restaurant offers a very interesting combination of recipes and flavors that are based on ancient ingredients. With the addition of traditional wines and along with the mystagogic atmosphere of antiquity, guests will feel as if they have suddenly been transferred to Ancient Greece and are about to dine with Socrates, Platon and Pericles.

All dishes are prepared strictly on the basis of ancient recipes of the 5th, 4th and 3rd Centuries BC, adapted to suit contemporary tastes. The menu is written with detail and contains authentic ingredients and cooking methods extracted from the ancient books from which recipes were derived.

To read more, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Serendipity Magazine explores how artists express through their spirit in this issue. This issue, a fourth in a series exploring The Anatomy of the Artist, features painters, writers, photographers and a tasty bit more!

Click the following link to read this issue of the magazine: http://free.yudu.com/item/details/3154087/Anatomy-of-the-Artist---Art-of-the-Spirit.

Despite connecting with new "friends" via online social networking (e.g., Facebook), despite living in cities with thousands of people, and despite working in large organizations, the incidence of people who say they are lonely keeps rising. Many people are connecting all the time -- working two jobs, using Blackberries, iPhones and other devices 24/7, engaging in numerous activities -- yet they still feel that they have no one with whom to talk about serious issues in their lives, no one to talk things out. It's becoming a big issue in our society and postmodern world.

A recent AARP study, for instance, found that the percentage of Americans who have no one with whom to discuss important matters has risen to more than 24 percent (that's right, essentially one out of every four people!). They also found that the loneliest people were in their mid-years, not the older folks who are typically thought to be the loneliest in our society.

It's time for what the Greeks call an antidoto (αντίδοτο), which translates into the familiar English word, "antidote," meaning a remedy or something that relieves or prevents a situation. It's time to return to the OPA! Village where connecting meaningfully with Others is a daily priority.

In the village, it is customary to find men sitting in kafenios (cafés) talking and connecting with each other in the early mornings before the day's chores begin and again in the late afternoons after the day's chores have been completed. We also find young men taking walks with other young men with their babies in strollers in the early evening. We find community tables in restaurants where people truly bond over food, taking the time to share a meal such as dinner together and discuss life while eating from shared platters of food.

This is in sharp contrast to what is experienced in our North American society, where we typically eat at separate tables with individual plates of food, or rush through our meal at a "fast food restaurant," or even purchase "takeout food" that we take home to eat, often sitting alone in our homes. Importantly, we would like to point out that the Greek word for "banquet" is συμπόσιον, which is the English word "symposium," even though its contemporary meaning and practical uses have obviously changed over the years. To the Greeks, both in ancient times and today, the idea of connecting with others over food (and drink) is the true essence of the symposium, which is not treated lightly and, in point of fact, is a very important part of daily life.

Insight: Socializing is important to our health, not just in physical sense but also in terms of our emotional and spiritual well-being. Research has shown that bonding and having friends lowers our blood pressure and stress levels and also strengthens our immune systems, leading to longer, healthier lives! So go beyond social networking online -- reach out to truly find ways to bond with others. Let's bring back the traditional notion of the "symposium." This is an essential part of living (and working) The OPA! Way! Opa!

Dr. Alex Pattakos and his partner, Dr. Elaine Dundon, are the co-founders of The OPA! Way® lifestyle of "Living Your Inner Greece!" which means living all of life to the fullest with enthusiasm and meaning. You can find out more about Dr. Pattakos, author of the international bestselling book "Prisoners of Our Thoughts," and Dr. Dundon, author of the international bestselling book, "The Seeds of Innovation," in their HuffPost bio. You are also invited to follow The OPA! Way on Twitter (www.twitter.com/TheOPAWay) and join the OPA! Village (www.theopaway.com).

By Alex Pattakos

The hotels on seven Greek islands are luring visitors to Greece as revealed by online booking agent Trivago UK’s annual Mediterranean Island Reputation Ranking 2015 released recently, placing the Cycladic isle of Ios on the top of the list.

Ios with 86.22 percent, Hydra at 88.11 percent and Folegandros at 85.03 percent lead the way with the best-rated hotels in the Mediterranean. Destinations that follow are Italy’s Capri with 84.95 percent, Santorini at 84.66 percent, Mykonos with 84.38 percent, Naxos with 84.33 percent, Paros at 84.31 percent, Lipari in Italy with 84.18 percent and Portugal’s Madeira at 83.76 percent.

The index ranks Mediterranean islands according to the reputation of their hotels, based on over 140 million reviews and ratings aggregated from over 200 booking sites worldwide between April 1 and September 30, 2014. Included in the list are islands with at least 50 hotels and hotels with at least 50 reviews.

To read more, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

There are many excellent outdoor areas to enjoy in and around Athens. This list is an excellent resource for finding the best child-friendly parks!

This playground is located within the National Park of Athens. The big trees of the park shadows the playground providing a safe heaven for children during those sunny days. The park is located in the center of Athens, nearby Syntagma Square.

Zappio playground has a big jumper mast net for children and a wooden structure with climbing ladders, ropes, and slides. The playground is a few minutes by foot from the Panathenaic Stadium and the National Garden.

Thisio playground is located on Apostolou Pavlou pedestrian street. Although it is quite small, this playground has a view of the Acropolis. If you walk further up Apostolou Pavlou Street from the Thisio Metro Station, you will reach the main entrance to the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum.

This is one of the Flisvo Marina attractions in Palio Faliro. There is an entrance fee of 5 euros for the inflatable castles. The children's access to the playground area is controlled, so you can sit calmly and enjoy a coffee while your kids are playing. The Fun Park also contains an artificial pond with small swan boats, a trampoline area, and a small track with electrical toy cars.

Marina Flisvo is ideal for the weekend. The marina, complete with luxurious boats and yachts, coffee shops and restaurants, makes this place a pleasant destination for both parents and children.

To read this article in full, please visit: AthensFever

We know that the Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest, if not the healthiest diet in the world.

The culinary habits of Greece and southern Italy offer numerous health benefits from heart protection to mental health.

This diet is based on simple ingredients such as olive oil, vegetables, fruit, beans, yogurt, cheese, some fish, a bit of meat and plenty of herbs. And while these ingredients may sound simple, they are nutritionally complex, full of antioxidants, substances that protect the body from various chronic diseases.

Anyone can make their diet more Mediterranean by using mostly olive oil for their cooking needs, eating plenty of seasonal fruit and vegetables and eating less meat. Here are simple steps to get you started:

In Greece partucularly in Crete a popular dish is the Dakos, a whole grain barley rusk (paximadi) topped with soft white cheese, tomatoes, olives and drizzled with olive oil. You can make your own by substituting a thick piece of toasted whole wheat bread. Top first with tomatoes, than crumbled feta cheese, a few olives, add some olive oil and a sprinkle of dry oregano.

Greeks have the highest consumption vegetables in the world according to a latest study from the Tufts University. How do they do this? The answer is vegetable casseroles. Greeks consume so many vegetables because they serve them as a main course. Use fresh or frozen vegetables; almost anything will do, but the best are green beans, peas, okra and cauliflower. Sauté a chopped onion in 4 tablespoons of olive oil, add about 500 grams of vegetables and continue sautéing. Next, add about 250 grams of crushed tomatoes, a bit of parsley, salt and pepper, and some water, enough so that it halfway covers the vegetables. Let it simmer for about an hour. Serve with a slice of fresh bread and feta cheese.

Leisure and MICE tourism will be the focus of the 2nd Greek Tourism Expo to take place at the Athens Metropolitan Expo on 4-6 December, when sector professionals come together to discuss challenges, offer solutions and forge ties for the most effective promotion of the Greek tourist product.

Organised by LeaderExpo, the three-day event offers a platform of exchange for professional bodies, municipal authorities, entrepreneurs, tour operators and tourist agents as well as cruise companies, managers and marketing experts.

For more information, please visit Greek Travel Pages