While the islands and villages of Greece are known for their religious festivals during the period of resurrection, spending Greek Orthodox Easter in Athens is as memorable as it is spiritual. Athens is home to some of the most beautiful and historical churches in Greece and the city has its finest moments under candlelight for the traditional services during holy week.

On Easter Saturday, in a ritual conducted for over 1,200 years, the ‘Holy Fire’ is lit at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. The light is then flown into Athens on a specially chartered flight and received by the “Metohi tou Panagiou Tafou” church in Plaka where candles are lit and then dispersed to churches throughout the Attica region in time for the start of resurrection services.

How to spend Greek Orthodox Easter in Athens? Hearing the haunting ‘Hymn of Kassiani’ on Holy Tuesday, take communion at a 1,000 year-old church on Holy Wednesday, or hear a Byzantine Choir and follow and a candlelit procession through the streets!

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

 

Photo Credit: Why Athens

Greece boasts over 250 days of sunshine, which is the perfect kind of weather to enjoy a rooftop bar and restaurant. Below are some of the best rooftop bars in Athens, with stunning views, tasty eats, and drinks to satisfy your thirst!

One of the best Roof Top Restaurants in the city, “ABOVE” is located on the 9th floor of Wyndham Grand Athens and certainly offers the most breathtaking views of Athens! 

The perfect spot in the city center for getting a mouthful of delicious food and an eyeful of amazing scenery, from the Acropolis to Lycabettus hill and all the way down to the Saronic Gulf! Lay back comfortably in your deck chair and sip on refreshing cocktails or cool off under the impressive waterfall in the most stylish designed roof top pool bar of Athens! 

Address: Wyndham Grand Athens – 2, Megalou Alexandrou Street 
Telephone: 21 6800 9900

 

The GB Roof Garden offers unobstucted views of the Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill and the Parliament in a magnificent setting. For breakfast or lunch, the elegant environment of the GB Roof Garden Restaurant creates a tranquil atmosphere, while dinner is perfect when the city lights come on. For three years in a row the restaurant has been awarded by the Wine Spectator Magazine.

Address: Syntagma Square
Telephone: 210 3330766

The Metropolis Roof Garden with views of the Acropolis is on the tenth floor of Electra Metropolis Athens and is the ultimate dining experience in Athens. It offers a unique opportunity to enjoy today’s creative Greek cuisine and is one of the newest gourmet restaurants in Athens. 

The driving force behind the restaurant is the executive chef, who creates unique dishes with an emphasis on fish or meat. He works to find the perfect balance between Earth and Sea so that his guests can savour truly exquisite results. And you can enjoy all of this while feasting your eyes on the Acropolis, lit either by the famous Greek sun during the day or by impressive flood-lighting at night.

Location: Electra Metropolis Hotel, 15 Mitropoleos, Athens
Telephone: 21 4100 6290

A for Athens with its magnificent rooftop terrace, located on the sixth floor of the homonymous hotel, offers one of the most spectacular views in Athens. Enjoy cocktails in unbelievable combinations, as well as a menu created with special care, with emphasis on local and healthy products!

Location: 2-4 Miaouli, Athens
Telephone: 210 3244244

Art Lounge, rooftop lounge (7th floor) with a panoramic Athens view serving your favorite food & drinks. Designed to be the ultimate penthouse, Art Lounge features a unique Art library with more than 2000 art book titles. The comfort and scenery of the space is reason enough to visit.

Address: New Hotel, 16 Filellinon, Syntagma
Telephone: 694 637 9500

Once you find yourself on the top flor of the Zillers Boutique Hotel and their Roof Garden, you instantly find yourself intergrate in a multifaceted world; an urban roof garden with industrial details and emerald green marbles creates a regreshing atmosphere where you will enjoy your breakfast,luch or dinnner, a coffee or drink an you will feel the ambience of the old merging with the new to create the perfect Athens experience; especially when you have the view of the Acropolis right in front of you!

Address: 54 Mitropoleos, Athens
Telephone: 210 3222277

Air Lounge Bar


Credit: Fresh Hotel

It’s not only the view that is breathtaking. It’s the whole environment in every detail from the bright colours, right down to the Charles Eames chairs… and, of course, its menu! Their Executive chef is the head creator of their sophisticated Greek and Mediterranean cuisine, transforming sheer inspiration to pure culinary enjoyment.

Located in rooftop terrace of Fresh Hotel Athens, the Air Lounge Bar & restaurant is offering panoramic views of the Parthenon, the Acropolis and Athens skyline, all day long!

Location: Fresh Hotel Athens,  26 Sofokleous, Athens
Telephone: 21 0524 8511

Main Photo Credit: GB Roof garden

A photo of the full moon over the Parthenon and the Propylaea in Athens that was recently posted on Instagram by National Geographic has gone viral, attracting more than 1.2 million likes.

 

The photograph capturing the last full moon of 2018 was taken by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Muhammed Muheisen on December 22. This stunning photo of the Parthenon under the moonlight is one of the most popular photos on National Geographic’s Instagram feed.

XpatAthens works with writers, bloggers, cultural platforms, and local media houses in order to give our readers unique, useful, and up-to-date content.

We are always looking to meet and connect with new content contributors. If you believe that your content would be a positive addition to XpatAthens, click here to learn more about working with us!

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Who Is Nadia Georgiou?
 

Nadia Georgiou is an international life coach and writer devoted to leading you to a life-changing journey by unveiling your infinite power and unlimited potential.

As a strong believer in "taking my responsibility in order to bring results" she founded "It's my life" life coaching services after more than 25 years in international corporate communications and while on top of her career. The creator of the seminars "Become Who You Really Are" for women and "We Are Not Born Parents. We Become Parents" for parents, she works with women who dare to live life on their terms, with parents who dare to try new approaches and with children of all ages, especially teenagers, who dare to take charge of their life early on - from all over the world.

Working together, like a coach and an athlete, she will be your avid supporter, your close and trusted partner, who listens to you while gently pushing you with care to discover your personal strength, break your fears and move from your "comfort zone" to the area of unlimited possibilities that exist within you. Nadia will give you the tools, know-how, and confidence to conquer your every new goal.

Nadia is also certified in Yoga Laughter, Pranic Healing and Body Mirror System of Healing and Self Knowledge. A Greek-American based in Athens, she's conversant in French and Italian. Trained at the Robbins Madanes Training Center and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, she holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing Management and a Master's in Communications and Public Relations. Nadia is married and has a daughter; she loves traveling, the arts, children's laughter and red wine.

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Read Nadia's first article, here
Visit Nadia's website, here

 

 

During the early days of the coronavirus, we were careful but a bit more relaxed. Although we were staying home, our schedules had changed. It was almost like a vacation. We were waking up late, leisurely helping our daughter with her school studying, sleeping late, doing everything late. But that's how it got a bit out of hand. The day would pass, and I would still find myself on a chair trying to assimilate the role of my daughter's teacher as the school was sending new material every day. I know she felt secure being with me, but with all the breaks and delays, studying took way too long. Let alone math was not my forte at school.

 

It was a challenge to persuade her to study as she did when she was still going to school. "But this is our home, it's not school," she would complain. "It doesn't matter if I go to bed later." She was fighting and negotiating for her rights. "We have to have a program." my husband would argue, and of course, he was right, but his critical tone of voice was not much help. So we did have some "battles" in the beginning. 

 

I remember telling myself that neither my daughter nor I deserved such treatment. I wanted to hold her in my arms more, play, and laugh together more. Instead, I had to play a role that didn't belong to me. It didn't take long before I realized that facts had changed and that nothing was the same as before. We were all facing a new situation, and the best we could do was to accept it and then take time to adapt to it. We started with baby steps, and eventually, we found the way – the way that would work for us. The truth is that creating a daily schedule and finding a new routine helped us all a lot. Now we laugh more, hug more, and make the best of our time together.

"Being mediocre has become the new measurement of failure," writes Mark Manson in his book The Subtle Art Of Not Giving a F**k. If you don't know him, Mark is a superstar blogger, and his book is on the list of New York Times bestsellers.

 

There is a lot of noise lately about this issue and of course a wide range of opinions. How do you feel about that? Do you think that if a person accepts their mediocrity, they will not achieve anything in life? Or are you one of those people who will use mediocrity as a springboard to strive for something better? By mediocrity, I mean being good enough. Are people that are merely good enough not valuable; are they doomed to failure?

 

Think of the people around you, those you hang out with. Think of your children. What advice would you give them? Does one have to be famous to become great and be admired? Only then is it worth it? Don't get me wrong. I do not mean that we should not try or that we should not step out of our safety zone, nor do I question the great minds and the impressive human achievements. But I believe what a good friend of mine says about herself: "I am unique! As is the case with every one of us!"

 

When my self-esteem is high, I know that I have both positive and negative traits in my character. It means that I can level with my negatives traits and personal limitations, accept them, and face them without rolling my eyes. It means I make an effort to improve myself. Then yes, I believe I'm a valuable human being and can appreciate simple things like a good book, a pleasant walk in nature, friendship, or helping someone in need.

 

People need this "special gift" that every one of us possesses. Have you found what yours is?

 

 

On Friday, May 14th, Greece lifted most restrictions on movement and launched its tourist season. With the country now open to travelers, the Greek version of the “green certificate” regarding travel to the islands came into force. 

Greece is among the first countries that will participate in the trials for issuing “green” digital certificates confirming that travelers have been vaccinated against Covid-19.

According to a senior European Union official, countries were divided into three groups based on how technically ready they are to issue certificates. Apart from Greece, countries belonging to the first group include Spain, Italy, Malta, Bulgaria, Estonia, and Luxembourg. Cyprus is in the second group and will carry out tests a little later.

The green digital certificate will be technically ready on June 1 and will operate fully on June 30.

Originally published on ekathimerini.com.

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To learn more about Digital Green Certificates, please click here. 

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Kalamata olives are only found on the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece and have played a part in the human diet for thousands of years. Growing under the amazing Greek sun, the olive trees here have much larger leaves than other types of olive trees around the nation and the world and absorb more sunshine.

This dark cherry-sized fruit — yes, the olive is a fruit — that has been used by Greeks for thousands of years not only tastes great, but it also serves up a host of nutritional benefits.

It’s no secret that doctors and dieticians call it one of the healthiest foods on earth and that’s because they are high in sodium, rich in healthy fats, and contain a natural antioxidant.

Kalamata olives contain a range of health-promoting vitamins and minerals and are particularly high in iron and vitamin A. It is said that regular consumption may help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and various cancers.

History of Kalamata olives

The earliest cultivation of olive trees was probably over five thousand years ago, since Ancient Greek times. Despite being known as ‘Greek black olives,’ they are in fact deep purple in color and compared to green and black olives, they are bigger in size and have plumper, oblong shape.

Growers pick these Kalamata olives by hand to avoid bruising the fruit. Following the harvesting of the olives, workers either process them into olive oil or prepare them to be table olives.

Kalamata olives contain a stone in the middle, and generally, they are not pitted before being sold. However, when fresh the olives are incredibly bitter, and so they enter a process of ‘debittering.’

General Nutrition of Kalamata Olives

Kalamata olives are a good source of fiber, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin K. They also provide some magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium per serving as well as B vitamins.

While Kalamata olives are high in fat considering their serving size, the majority of their fat is monounsaturated, also known as a “healthy” fat. It is said a 4-tablespoon serving of Kalamata olives has 2.7 grams of monounsaturated fats and 0.3 grams of polyunsaturated fats.

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

If you have decided to explore unknown Greece and venture past the famous tourist areas, the Peloponnese offers quite a few options.

Perhaps the most unique and wild is the Mani peninsula, which is home to the southernmost point in Greece, Cape Tainaron.

Within the Mani Region, you will find quite a few towns and villages, some more famous than others.

You may have heard of Stoupa and Kardamyli, where Patrick Leigh Fermor’s house recently opened to visitors. You may also have heard of Gythion, Areopolis, and the impressive Diros Caves.

Few people, however, have heard of places like Limeni, Gerolimenas, and Porto Kagio, which is all the way to the south of the Mani. A tiny village with just four small hotels, it is a very special place to visit, and perhaps spend a couple of nights.

Things to do in Porto Kagio

Mani Porto Kagio is a tiny village, and there is very little to do, which is why it’s ideal if you want to relax. The pebbly beach is quite small, and there is not a lot of space to sit on. However the water is clear and refreshing, and the area is great for snorkeling. The bay is fairly protected, even on windy days.

On the way to Porto Kagio, you will pass by Vathia, the stone village. Allow some time to wander around the pebbled streets, and observe the stone towers, silent remnants of an era long gone.

Porto Kagio is a great base if you want to explore Cape Tainaron, the Gateway to Hades. You can get there by a short hike, which is suitable for pretty much everyone. Standing at the edge of the world is really cool!

Make sure you get to the amazing Marmari beach, a long stretch of sand to the west of the Mani peninsula.

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

Main image: @daphne_kavoura