The people have spoken. Well, at least the millions of users of Tripadvisor have, whose restaurant ratings were analyzed for the 2015 Travelers' Choice Awards.

According to the rankings produced by the site drawing on millions of user reviews the Athens based restaurant Funky Gourmet is the 21st best on the planet.

In the Europe-wide rankings Funky Gourmet came in 13th place.

It is not the first time that the restaurant co-owned by the chefs Argyro Hiladaki, Georgianna Hiladaki and Nick Roussos has been singled out by Tripadvisor for excellence, having been named best restaurant in Athens every year since 2011.

The restaurant was also awarded its second Michelin star this year.

Funky Gourmet topped the top Greek resaurant list, traced by Eleas Gi (Kifissia), Tamam (Rhodes), Lotus Eaters (Elounda, Crete), Sea Side by Notos (Perivolos, Santorini), Manimani (Athens), Prima Plora (Rethymno, Crete), To Psaraki (Vlychada, Santorini), Kerasma (Rhodes) and Melenos Lindos Restaurant (Lindon, Rhodes).

Sources: The TOC and eKathimerini

Athens is a vibrant and multifaceted city with over 3.000 years of history. There are truly many things to do and see, and many things can be experienced on a budget. Some can even be enjoyed for free! Below, TravelPassionate shares some great ideas for discovering Athens for free.

This Is Athens has a great program where you get in touch with locals, and depending on your needs and interests you can arrange a free tour with them. Whether you are a history buff, a foodie, a shopping enthusiast or an outdoor enthusiast you are bound to find a tour that suits you. Discover the great city of Athens through the eyes of a local.

One of the most popular and interesting things to do while in Athens is to watch the changing of the guards. This takes place every hour in front of the Parliament building at Syntagma Square. There you will see the guards called 'Evzones' wearing traditional uniform and standing guard in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Every Sunday morning at 11 a.m. there is a big group of Evzones, accompanied by a small band that marches down Vassilis Sofias Avenue to parliament. It is a ceremony worth seeing if you are in central Athens on a Sunday.

Located just beside the Parliament building is the National Gardens - an oasis in the heart of the city. The gardens were designed by Queen Amalia and completed in 1840. It is home to many plants and animals. Inside the garden you will also find a small lake with ducks, ponds with fish, a playground for the children, the botanical museum, a small zoo, a children’s library and a coffee shop. Also spread inside the park are monuments of antiquity and the busts of important Greek personalities like poets and politicians. So grab a snack or prepare a picnic and relax at the National Gardens in Athens.

There are some days that some of the most important archaeological sites and museums of the city, like the Acropolis, have free admission. These days include, the first Sunday of each month from November to the 6th of March, the 18th of April, the 18th of May, the 5th of June, the last weekend of September, and the 28th of October. Also, ask about free admission to young people, typically for people under the age of 18.

For the most astounding views of the city, head to one of the two hills in the center of Athens. Filopappou Hill, also called the hill of Muses has an incredible view of the whole city that stretches until the Saronic Gulf. The view of the Acropolis is pretty spectacular from there too. At the top of the hill you will find the Filopappos monument built in 115 AD in honour of Julius Antiochus Filopappos. As you climb up don’t forget to stop at the beautiful church of Agios Dimitrios Loumbadiaris with its incredible frescoes. Another hill that offers great views of the city is Lycabettus Hill. You can reach it by taking the foot path from Loukianou street or by taking the funicular. At the top of the hill you will find the chapel of Agios Georgios and a cafe, as well as, of course, an incredible view of the entire city.

For more ideas, please visit: TravelPassionate

What if you could see the original artwork depicted on ancient Greek vases come alive in a series of animated pictures?  Sonya Nevin, co-creator of the Panoply Vase Animation Project alongside with Steve K. Simons, talks to Greek TV all about Panoply.  Below is a snippet of an interview with Sonya Nevin and Michael Klioumis about the concept of Panoply and the usage of animation on vases.

M.K: How did you come up with the concept of Panoply?

 

S.N: It was during my doctorate at University College Dublin. Steve (i.e. Steve Simons – Panoply’s animator) and I started messing around making stop-motion ancient world stories with toy-figurines, just for fun. I showed at a few student society events and they got a great response. Then I heard from teachers that some of them were showing the animations in school. So we decided to push the ancient-world animation concept further. The idea of working with vase scenes came to us and really began to explode the potential of what we were doing. From there we began working on getting the movement right and on ways they could be beneficial in museums and beyond.

M.K: Can you tell us about the uses of the animations on vases?

S.N: In the Ure Museum in Reading, UK, and in the University College Dublin Classical Museum in Ireland, museum visitors can watch animations alongside the vases they were made from. I absolutely love that. It encourages people to look again at the vases – to understand the scenes, to feel their movement, and to think creatively about what the artists chose to depict.

To read the article in full, please visit: Greek TV

Located on the narrow steps of Mnisikleous Street in the heart of Plaka, Yiasemi Bistrot was selected by the editors of Condé Nast Traveler magazine as one of the world's favourite secret destinations that they love to visit during their off-the-beaten-path vacations.

With tables on the steps of a picturesque alley and an interior that reminds you of a hospitable house set in a bygone era, Yiasemi truly prevails as a small treasure hidden in the narrow streets of the most beautiful neighbourhood in Athens, Plaka.

Owner Mariza Kouzeli, who has spent the last eight years of her life turning an old building into this special gem, has managed, through hard work and the marriage of traditional and modern concepts, to find ways to turn her café into a street landmark where customers can go from early in the morning until the late hours of night and immerse in its cosy atmosphere, taste homemade food, delicious spoon sweets as well as genuine Greek coffee.

Yiasemi

Address: Mnisikleous 23
Telephone: 213 041 7937
Hours: Every day from 10:00 to 02:00

To read this article in full, please visit: Neos Kosmos

Photo Credit: Yiasemi Facebook

Discover how Athens hit the headlines with some exceptional recognitions and learn all about "Open House Athens 2018" , a unique event kicking off this weekend that invites the public to explore and understand the value of architecture. Also, if you are a native english speaker who loves the Mediterranean lifestyle see if you can get casted for "HGTV Mediterranean Lifestyle", a show similar to House Hunters

Remember to stay connected with us through our weekly newsletter, Facebook, and Twitter!

Peiraios 260 is an alternative cultural venue that is situated in a building complex in a former industrial area. The site is a contrast between old and modern and is the location for part of the Athens Festival, which offers a wide variety of events for a wide range of age groups.

A great historical sports event revives, linking past and present along with modern History, reminding people of the timeless values of Ancient Greece. The Authentic Marathon Swim, Skyllias & Hydna represents the revival of the original marathon swimming route, 2.500 years after it was first accomplished by Skyllias and his daughter Hydna, both of whom helped Greece in the historical naval battle of Artemision in the year 480 B.C. The event includes open water swimming races of 10km, 3km and 1.5km, as well as an 800m. swimming race for kids that will take place on July 4-5, 2020, at Pefki, Evia in the Municipality of Istiaia-Edipsos, on this Olympic year.

The press conference of this historical sports tourism event was hosted at NJV Athens Plaza, in the presence of Deputy Minister of Culture & Sports, Mr. Lefteris Avgenakis, President of the Greek National Tourism Organization, Mrs. Angela Gerekou, Secretary General of Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE), Mr. Dimitris Kafantaris, Mayor of Istiaia-Edipsos, Mr. Ioannis Kontzias, silver Olympic medalist and world champion, Spyros Gianniotis, Greek national federal technical coach, Nikos Gemelos who has undertaken the technical direction and design of the swimming routes and Active Media Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Akis Tsolis.

During the press conference, Deputy Minister of Culture & Sports, Mr. Lefteris Avgenakis stated: “The organizers of this event need to be congratulated for teaching athletes the value and greatness of the historical achievement of those two swimmers. It is fully aligned with our philosophy of extroversion and the development of sports tourism in our areas. Thanks to this event the history of this land is promoted, and an opportunity for publicizing the natural wealth of the area is created, while also assisting in the development of the local economy and employment through the attraction of visitors from all around the country. The philosophy of this event thoroughly identifies with our main goal of making sport a way of life while achieving: improvement in quality of peoples’ lives, promotion of a healthy model of living and preparation of better citizens through sports. We work systematically in order to attract small and medium-sized events that can establish our country as a force in sports tourism”.

The President of the Greek National Tourism Organization, Mrs. Angela Gerekou stated: “We support sports tourism, and the Authentic Marathon Swim. As we move forward with our strategy of sustainable tourism growth with regional and thematic specialization, we promote the development of tourism in all our country’s Regions. Moving towards this direction we are in pursuit of significant events that can offer high added value to local communities and our country. In this context, sporting events adopt a vital role, due to the high level of interaction that they possess and due to the physical presence of participants that leads to a significant reach in the overall population. For Greece, sports tourism is pinpointed as a strategic target in the effort of promoting thematic specialization of the 2 Greek tourism product. The new sporting event “The Authentic Marathon Swim”, driven by the historical moment of Skyllias’ and his daughter’s Hydna swim from Afetes to Artemision, aims at creating an event that can offer international recognition and increase tourism levels. Greek National Tourism Organization aligns its position with the Ministry of Tourism and supports the publicization and promotion of such attempts, providing our Auspices, in order to give organizers another motive to achieve the best possible results. By supporting actions that promote thematic forms of tourism, such as sports tourism, we highlight the multiple capabilities of the Greek tourism product, adding to the well-known saying “sun and sea”. We are proving that through cooperation and methodical work we can apply our principles for balanced tourism growth between islands and mainland destinations, so that each region can be benefited, and give benefit back to the economy and the community. Finally, I would like to add that we are in continuous communications with the Municipality of Istiaia-Edipsos and all responsible bodies in order to have a successful event”.

On behalf of the event’s organization, Mayor of Istiaia-Edipsos, Mr. Ioannis Kontzias stated: “Our Municipality, through the motivation of the historical and cultural background of this land, initiates through the emblematic swimming event “The Authentic Marathon Swim, Skyllias & Hydna”, a variety of extroversive actions with the goal of developing and boosting our tourism product”.

A statement was also made by silver Olympic champion in open water swimming, as Spyros Gianniotis stated: “This is an historical event that links our past and our present with the glorious times of Ancient Greece. I am honored to be a part of this sporting event being the first Olympic champion in marathon swimming coming from our country. I wish that through this initiative we can attract young champions and great swimmers from all around the world towards marathon swimming, to enjoy this authentic route”.

The Authentic Marathon Swim, Skyllias & Hydna aims at uniting people of all nations and areas of this world, providing them with an opportunity of discovering and experiencing the history of the authentic marathon swimming route. In an effort of globally promoting the event, the organizers will collaborate with internationally recognized platforms of global events, attracting athletes from abroad. More information on the swimming races and the opening of registrations will be announced in the following weeks.

Many prominent personalities from the area of swimming were present at the press conference. People who have helped and continue to strengthen the Greek sport, each one in their own way and through their position, such as Marianna Lymperta, Dimitris Manganas, Dimitris Negris, Giannis Kotsiopoulos, Spyros Chrysikopoulos, Ioannis Palantzas and Nikolaos Simantiras.

A statement was sent by the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Harry Theoharis, in which he states: “Culture and Tourism are two concepts that are tightly linked, especially when they “meet” in order to illustrate the history of our land. The organization of events that promote culture and tourism, is considered vital by our Ministry and Government, obtaining our full support. An event of this nature is “The Authentic Marathon Swim, Skyllias & Hydna”. The event that takes place with the permission of the Hellenic Swimming Federation and under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, will attempt to do exactly that, by promoting the historical wealth of Artemision and Greece. A sporting event, that is simultaneously considered to be a staple of tourism and culture, with added value for the local community and the surrounding area as it contributes towards the promotion and the extension of services offered to tourists and customers that visit our country. Sports tourism identifies one of the main forms of thematic tourism, featuring great potential for growth in our 3 country, being considered as one of the immediate priorities in the strategic planning of the Ministry of Tourism for the following decade. Our country, having a mild climate and an unparalleled coastline, is ideal for the development of sports tourism and the organization of such events. I would like to offer my warmest regards and congratulations to the organizers and participants, while noting that such events contribute towards the overall attempt of developing Greek tourism and the promotion of our country”.

Moreover a statement to the organization was sent by the President of the Hellenic Swimming Federation, Mr. Dimitris Diathesopoulos who mentioned: “The Hellenic Swimming Federation, being the most relevant athletic federation, supports your event as it will be held under our auspices and I would like to believe that, similar to other attempts, it will succeed in terms of its organization and in terms of competition. Through this particular event the history of our country is highlighted, as it revives the authentic marathon swim of Skyllias and his daughter Hydna during the historical Naval Battle of Artemision, 2.500 years later. Best wishes to all participants and good luck”.

The Authentic Marathon Swim, Skyllias & Hydna will be co-organized by the Municipality of Istiaia-Edipsos and Active Media Group.

 

Anamnesia was the press event’s supporter providing all guests with Greek made unique gifts.

Sports Production: Active Media

Group Hashtag: #authenticmarathonswim

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An abundance of commemorating events such as museum exhibitions, theater productions, and historical re-enactments was planned in Greece to honor the bicentennial of the Greek War of Independence.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, mezzo-soprano Artemis Bogri and her fellow vocalists performed the Greek National Opera’s new production of “Despo” in a theater empty of spectators. Despo, the title character in Pavlos Carrer’s 1875 opera chooses death over captivity by detonating ammunition stored in a fortress as Ottoman forces close in.

“Artists prepare two or three months for a production and then take that work to an audience,” she said. “Now, we have to generate that energy with no one there. That’s not easy.”

The bicentennial events intended to illustrate Greece’s modern accomplishments have been postponed, scaled back, or moved online due to the pandemic and school parades were canceled on account of the surge in Covid-19 infections.

Like the National Opera, other cultural foundations have formed small work teams to salvage their celebration plans despite the acute financial pressure they are facing due to the ongoing lockdown measures in Greece.


To read this article in full, please visit: ekathimerini.com