With nothing planned for Saturday (for once!) and sunny skies overhead, I decided to plan an afternoon escape from the city.  As it still felt a bit too early for a dip in the sea, I called up a friend and made a quick decision to head north to Mount Parnitha. We loaded our bicycles on the back of the car and drove the quick 30minutes on the national road.

 

Parnitha is a forested mountain range north of Athens, the highest on the Attica peninsula, with an elevation of 1400m. It has something for all nature lovers: endless forest, walking trails, off-road bicycle trails, picnic areas, etc. There are several ways in once you get to the area, with parking lots and maps posted. On this day, there were numerous other families and groups enjoying the day.

 

Parnitha is the location of the Tatoi estate. Tatoi was the summer home and 10,000 acre estate of the former Greek royal family, and the birthplace of King George II of Greece. You can walk around and see the old buildings of the estate. These are all derelict now, and in need of some attention – but you can get a bit of a sense of ‘the past’ from your visit.

There is a great history of the estate written by Kostas Stamatopoulos, here: http://www.tatoi.org/?page_id=69 (scroll to the bottom of the page for English).

 

Parnitha is also the location of the popular Regency Casino, accessible by cable car/teleferik. As our day was about exercising our bodies vs exercising our luck, we did not visit the casino on this trip, but made a mental note to come back ;)

 

I would describe the section of Parnitha that we visited as ‘rough and wild’ vs ‘groomed and cultivated’. Of course, we didn't see the whole area in one afternoon, but it certainly felt like a nice escape from the city, some good exercise and some fresh mountain air. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.

 

Until next week,

 

Jack

 

 

Parnitha Visitor Overview

 

Tatoi Info (in Greek, some English):

www.tatoi.org

 

Regency Casino

Greece has made it through to the Grand Final of the Eurovision song contest after Maria-Elena Kyriakou’s dynamic and at the same time emotional performance of ‘One Last breath’, a song she co-wrote with Efthyvoulos Theoharous, during last night’s first semi-final impressed the crowd attending Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle  arena and won the vote of both the TV viewers and that of the professional juries.

The 31-year old, mother of three, Cypriot-born singer will be joined in this Saturday’s final by nine other acts from Serbia, Armenia, Belgium, Estonia, Hungary, Russia, Albania, Romania and Georgia.

Finland, Moldova, Netherlands, FYROM, Belarus and Denmark failed to qualify for the final.

As one of the ‘Big Five’ countries, the UK has gained automatic qualification to the Grand Final alongside Spain, Germany, France, Italy and current title holders Austria.

Name days are celebrated in many European countries. The tradition stems from the Christian church where specific days are dedicated to a saint's 'feast day.' In Greece, name days are widely celebrated, and traditionally they are more important than a birthday, particularly as people get older.

Traditionally, name days are celebrated as an 'open house' where close friends and relatives drop by to give their wishes, offer a small gift, and receive the traditional 'kerasma' (food, sweets, coffee, and drinks). In recent years the 'open house' tradition has changed and name days are celebrated by invitation.

XpatAthens has a name day widget at the bottom of our homepage. This widget is updated automatically with the names that are celebrated each day.

 

Greek culture, products and social entrepreneurship will be showcased all around the world from May 22 until May 31 through the 2nd “Greece All Over” International Festival.

“This is a one-week celebration of Hellenism in various countries around the world to demonstrate that Greeks can and want to work together”, organizer Ellada Pantou (Greece All Over) said in an announcement.

The “Greece All Over” festival is a collaborative celebration filled with music, poetry, dance, art exhibitions, gastronomy, product presentations, charitable actions and more which will take place in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Ireland, China, Malaysia, Norway and The Netherlands.

To read more, please visit Greek Travel Pages.

Shipping Minister Thodoris Dritsas, Alternate Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura and the US Ambassador to Greece David Pearce were at the port of Piraeus on Monday morning, 18th May to welcome the Quantum of the Seas, one of the largest cruisers to dock at the Greek port.

Launched in 2014, the 1 billion dollar Royal Caribbean dream ship has 2,090 staterooms plus 28 for solo travellers, 16 guest decks served by 16 lifts, 18 restaurants ranging from Asian and Italian to pub-style and steakhouse options, and a total 1,500 crew members from 68 countries serving its passengers.

But what makes the Quantum of the Seas special is the latest in technology as well as the limitless recreational activities on board including bumper cars, simulated skydiving and circus trapeze classes, a rock-climbing wall, roller-skating, basketball, a shuffleboard court, the North Star observation dock that swings daring passengers some 92 meters above the sea so they can catch a bird’s-eye view and robots mixing drinks at the bionic bar.

On a more human level, super chefs Jamie Oliver, Michael Schwartz and Devin Alexander have drawn up innovative meals for passengers, who book their meals and activities via apps.

This is a very light, summer dish. You can use either fresh or salted cod. If the fish is salted, you should soak it in water for at least 24 hours, changing the water often so that the salt is washed out. A good idea is to stand the fish on a rack, so that it doesn’t come into direct contact with the salt that has settled at the bottom of the basin. If you have to feed more people, you just increase the ingredients accordingly.

500gr. cod, fresh or salted, cut in portions

3 medium potatoes

3 fresh tomatoes chopped (or a can of chopped tomatoes)

3 green onions

1 clove garlic minced

2 tablespoonfuls parsley finely chopped

4 tablespoonfuls olive oil

Salt, pepper

Peel and wash the potatoes, and cut them into quarters. Remove any yellow or wilted leaves from the green onions, cut off the root part, wash and slice thinly.

Featuring

Anthea Sylbert and Richard Romanus

Costume Designer

Actor

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Having spent the last forty years in Hollywood in the movie and television business on both sides of the camera, we decided to retire. When we first arrived in Skiathos we were on our way to no place in particular and had planned to stay only six months. It was the week they were changing from the drachma to the euro and all we had was dollars and nobody would accept them because the exchange rates hadn’t been established. In Richard’s book, ACT III, he mentions the moment in the second chapter:

“Climbing down the steps of the police station, I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. Where had we landed where without hesitation, without questioning, without exception, people opened their hearts and wallets to complete strangers?”

And we’ve never left.

We’ve been to the capital, all over the Peloponnesus, there's so much to see, Thessalonica - excellent shopping, breathless Meteori, Metsovo, which Richard used as the setting for his novel Chrysalis, and Richard has been to Mt. Athos and is returning again.

A story that we treasure most is when we stopped in Selegoudi, a small village below Sparta, which is Anthea’s ancestral home. After first thinking it deserted, two dozen relatives appeared and a large table was set for a feast, with each carrying another food or wine. During World War II and the ensuing Civil War, Anthea’s father sent a large box every week to the village containing clothes, canned goods, and toys and candies. Towards the end of the meal, an old man sitting next to Anthea leaned in and whispered “I was married in one of your father’s suits.”

Taking your kids to a restaurant is already a challenge, especially if they’re picky eaters. Finding something they’ll like is always a daunting task, but certainly not impossible!

With these suggestions, you and your children can both enjoy the best dishes Greece has to offer. Read on for some tips about what to order the next time you’re at a Greek restaurant.

Let’s start with the basics. A good option is souvlaki, which is roasted chicken or pork on a skewer, usually with some roasted bell peppers thrown in as well. Souvlaki will appeal to the pickiest eater.

You could also try biftekia (burgers on the grill), which often come with french fries or potatoes baked in olive oil and lots of garlic.

Pair it with a Greek salad (also known as horiatiki salata), which tends to be popular with kids (as far as salads go). A Greek salad will have cucumbers, tomatoes, and green bell peppers chopped up with a piece of feta on top, and lots of olive oil for dunking bread.

You could also order a pita gyro, which is pork or chicken meat wrapped in a pita with tomatoes, onions, potatoes and tzatziki. We’ve never met a youngster who didn’t love it.

Eat Your Vegetables

The great thing about Greek food is that it’s packed full of vegetables. You can eat a totally vegetarian (or even vegan) meal at almost any restaurant without missing out on any flavor. And there are tons of options for getting veggies into your kids diet. Ask about what’s in season, and you can’t go wrong.

If your children aren’t wild about vegetables, then try a dish with “secret” veggies. Kolokythokeftedes (fried zucchini balls) are full of nutritious zucchini, but they don’t taste a thing like “rabbit food.” You could also try fried zucchini with tzatziki, which is a yogurt sauce packed with garlic and cucumber. It’s a fabulous combination.

Savory turnovers are a time-tested trick for getting Greek kids to eat their veggies. Try spanakopita (spinach “pie” or turnover), kolokythopita (zucchini “pie” – it’s a popular vegetable), or hortopita (wild greens “pie”).

Try Traditional Mezedes

As you can see, there’s a lot of good food in Greece. Every town and every island has its own specialty. Fruits and vegetables are at their peak when they’re in season, so you’ll get a fabulous variety the whole year round. Mezedes, or small plates, are a great way to experiment with new flavors. Order a little bit of everything. Among the best places to go for mezedes are ouzeri (ouzo shops) and tsipouradika (tsipouro is a kind of strong Greek liquor).

To read this article in full, visit Kids Love Greece

Passenger shipping company Hellenic Seaways has announced its new ferry schedules for travel to the Northeast Aegean islands this summer, following approval by the Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Marine and Tourism.

The new routes will begin on June 15 and cover this year’s whole tourist season. According to the Greek shipping company, the connection of the specific islands will create strong growth prospects both for local communities and for tourism, as the combination of destinations is expected to increase passenger traffic.

To read more, including routes and schedules, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Made with just 5 ingredients with one pot in just under an hour, this traditional Greek potato stew (πατάτες γιαχνί) is rustic potato perfection. Red ripe tomatoes, fresh parsley, sweet red onions, minced garlic and yellow potatoes simmered in olive oil combine to create one of the simplest, most authentic and amazingly delicious Greek dishes you will ever enjoy!

Yellow potatoes seem to work very well in this recipe and much better than, say, red potatoes which just seem to fall apart here. You need a heartier potato that’s able to soak up all the amazing flavors of the sauce while still remaining intact.  And I recommend peeling your potatoes with this recipe. Leaving the peels on takes away from the finished dish for me but you’re welcome to  keep them on if you prefer. Thick slices of potato are my favorite and really give you a meal as opposed to just a side dish, though you can certainly serve it either way- I love a side of patates yiahni with Chickpea fritters (revithokeftedes)!

It’s important to remember that because there are just a few ordinary ingredients in this recipe, you need to make sure they’re the best quality. Ripe, juicy tomatoes and Greek olive oil are must haves in addition to fresh (not dried) parsley which brings such a brightness to this hearty potato dish. I use chopped fresh tomatoes because they make for a sweet and light tomato sauce but in a pinch you can use canned whole peeled tomatoes. If you do go with canned, drain off as much of the liquid as possible before chopping. Do not go with crushed or pureed tomatoes as your sauce will be much heavier and not nearly as light as it should be.