Greece has managed to attract up to nine million more tourists (not counting cruise ship arrivals) over the past five years, bringing the country to 14th place on the World Tourism Organization’s list for 2016.

In absolute terms, 15.5 million tourism arrivals were recorded in 2012, which by 2016 reached 24.8 million, the biggest percentage rise of any country in the specific time period.

Mexico followed in second place, with an increase of 49.5% in tourist arrivals between 2012 and 2016, and Thailand in third (45.5%).

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Maddie is a terrier and goes on all sorts of adventures around the world. In this book, Maddie visits Athens and helps a girl find her teddy in the Acropolis. ‘Maddie Goes To Athens’ is a great book for early readers and young travellers learning fun facts about important cities around the world.

 

For more information on Maddie, visit www.maddiebooks.com or follow their Instagram @themaddiebookshop

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After the devastating wildfires that hit the Attica region recently, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is encouraging travelers to stick with their plans and visit the country. The UNWTO stated to tourists, "Tourism means much needed income and creates new opportunities. Go there!"

The Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili, expressed his condolences during this challenging time for Greece. He said, "In this difficult moment allow me to convey, on my personal behalf and that of UNWTO, our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and reiterate our full support to the people and the Government of Greece."

He added, "The people of Greece have proven their resilience many times before and I truly believe this time will be no different."

Are you ready to become your most authentically confident, clear, emotionally and mentally strong you? Well then, you are just 12-weeks away from your best year, yet! 

XpatAthens contributor, Eleni Meraki of Guts & Tales, has been cooking up another inspiring platform called Be Your Own Muse that is a 12-week online coaching program designed for women.

Eleni tells us that BYOM is the biggest professional accomplishment of her life so far. She's never felt more proud, strong, committed and excited about anything else before. For Eleni personally, the last 3 years have been quite a ride, from her own career and life change, including her emigration to Greece, it’s been a journey of many changes, many fears, and innumerable obstacles to overcome – continuous falling and getting up again.

We’d like to invite you to join women from all around the planet, to take part in a 12-week program that will truly impact your life. The program will take you through 12 themes that step-by-step will get you to exactly where you need to take you, to being your own muse.

The themes you’ll explore are carefully curated to tackle the issues and questions that many women are faced with today, including:

• Being authentic.
• Managing your thoughts.
• Believing in yourself, no matter what.
• Navigating your feelings and emotions.
• Living a balanced life.
• Maintaining a positive mindset.
• Be present and patient.

The program is very clearly structured and easy-to-follow. You’ll receive one email a day with something to read, watch, listen or do. Each day of the entire program can be done while drinking your morning coffee or on your morning commute - it will take just 5 to 20 minutes of you time per day. The content is a perfect mix of practical tools, theory, inspiration and motivation with a touch of practical coaching, psychology, (neuro) science and philosophy.

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About the creator of the Be Your Own Muse program:

 

Eleni Meraki is a life coach, trainer, hypnotherapist, writer and founder of the storytelling platform Guts & Tales. Learn more about the BYOM team here.

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

The study carried out by the Crowther Lab at Swiss university ETH Zurich has calculated that reforesting degraded forests all over the world could capture about 205 billion tons of carbon. It is worth mentioning that global carbon emissions are currently around 10 billion tons per year.

The Crowther Lab at ETH Zurich investigates nature-based solutions to reduce climate change and a tool on their website enables users to inspect an point on the globe to find out how many trees could grow there and how much carbon they can store.

According to Professor Thomas Crowther, founder of the Crowther Lab at ETH Zurich: "We all knew that restoring forests could play a part in tackling climate change, but we didn't really know how big the impact would be. Our study shows clearly that forest restoration is the best climate change solution available today. But we must act quickly, as new forests will take decades to mature and achieve their full potential as a source of natural carbon storage."


To read this article in full please visit: ETH Zurich

What does Christmas in Athens normally feel like? To spark some festive nostalgia this much altered Yuletide, this interview speaks with creative Athenians and shares their most cherished memories of the season.

 

It’s hard to get into the spirit of Christmas this year when everything feels so different and so many of us will be facing the “season to be jolly” separated from our loved ones (not to mention all our usual festive fun). To keep alive the flame of a more normal Athens Christmas – and give us all hope of brighter Yuletides to come - This is Athens spoke with some colourful Athenians to share those seasonal milestones they are missing the most this challenging year – as well as all those beloved hangouts that they can’t wait to get back to in easier Christmases to come.

 

 

It’s not Christmas in Athens until I’ve…


Gone for a cocktail at: Noel Bar. A cosy concept bar on Kolokotroni Street where it's Christmas all year. The music is jazzy and the permanent holiday decor is a tad over-the-top. Just how you want it for Christmas.


Had a festive meal at: GB Roof Garden, with a quick stop by the Christmas tree at the entrance to enjoy the festive piano music. For my family, it's the place to mark the beginning of the holidays. As the season comes to an end, I like to visit a Mikrolimano fish restaurant for a glimpse of the winter sea.


Shopped for gifts at: Living Green in Kifissia. This little gem stocks very original eco gifts. Christmas can be so wasteful and this is the place to go to buy a gift for someone to plant in their garden or a toy that's made from recycled or biodegradable materials.


Enjoyed a performance at: Onassis Stegi. They put on such original and innovative work - you’re guaranteed to leave with lots to think and talk about over the holidays.


Soaked up the atmosphere of: Stunning Stavros Niarchos Park, where there's always something wondrous happening. 


Gone for a walk around: The centre of Athens -starting from Syntagma Square to Monastiraki - to admire the lights and music. There's nothing more “Christmas” than a late afternoon walk in the cold December air, with a Christmas Stars tea from Tea Route in my hands.


Listened to: Athens Big Band (a popular swing band) in an open-air Christmas event in downtown Athens. You can't beat the joy of stumbling across fantastic live music as you're walking down the street.

It's not Christmas in Athens until I've ...


Gone for a cocktail at: One of the groovy bars in the neighbourhood of Psirri. It gets very Christmassy there and always has a fantastic vibe, especially in December.


Had a festive meal at: Every year, I bake melomakarona (traditional Greek Christmas biscuits) at my house made with pure ingredients and spices that I buy from the wonderful food shops of Evripidou Street.


Soaked up the atmosphere of: The decorated city centre of Athens, especially the classic Christmas feel of Voukourestiou Street in Kolonaki.


Gone for a walk around: My favourite festive walk has to be down Dionysiou Areopagitou to see the seasonal lights and along the ancient alleys of Plaka with the lit-up Parthenon glowing above, adding to the magic of it all.


Listened to: The Christmas carols that resound from the children of Athens in every neighbourhood of the city as they do the rounds singing the kalanta (Greek Christmas jingles)


What I love most about Christmas: Baking Christmas cakes to give as presents and share with my friends in Athens.

It’s not Christmas in Athens until I’ve…


Gone for a cocktail at: Athénée Athens (formerly Zonars). Since it opened right in the centre of town in the 1930s, this elegant icon has hosted everyone from Melina Mercouri and Sophia Loren to Anthony Quinn and can always be counted on when you’re in the mood for some serious retro glamour.


Had a festive meal at: Brunch or lunch at Brunello restaurant in Kolonaki is another Christmas classic. It has a cool crowd, an amazing food and wine list and such a great atmosphere & music, especially over the party season.


Shopped for gifts at: Cartier and Hermès on Voukourestiou Street in Kolonaki. I love going to this stylish street and visiting all the high-end fashion boutiques and going a little “extra” on Christmas gifts! Only the best for my loved ones.


Enjoyed a performance or concert at: Pallas Theatre, just around the corner from Athénée. It’s such a grand Athenian landmark and always has uplifting productions in the lead up to Christmas.


Soaked up the atmosphere of: Hotel Grande Bretagne at one of their famous high tea sittings in the Winter Garden City Lounge. You can’t beat it for luxury festive ambiance and their tree is always the best dressed in town!


Listened to: Classical music on Christmas morning is the best way to start this special day.


What I love most about Christmas: Being with family and loved ones, opening our gifts and spending quality time together! Those moments are so precious and irreplaceable.

For more great experiences from Athenians about Christmas in Athens visit: thisisathens.org
Photo by: Nikos Karanikolas

“All cities are complex but Athens has an especially tangled character—it’s both spectacularly ancient and undeniably modern.” Says author and former anthropologist Sofka Zinovieff.

As the city reopens to tourism again, this new 8-part podcast series from This Is Athens is designed to decode Greece's captivating capital, with the help of acclaimed author and Athens-based anthropologist Sofka Zinovieff. Athens Unpacked follows last year’s popular podcast debut, We’ll Always Have Athens, in which high-profile Athenophiles from Stephen Fry to Mary Katrantzou shared their tales of Athens. 

Listeners are invited to embark on a fascinating journey of discovering Athens, as Zinovieff delves deep beneath the surface of the city (literally at times!), in a quest to uncover the true essence of her adopted home of Athens, in all its guises, layers and mysteries. The more you understand a place, the more deeply you engage with it and that's exactly the aim of the podcasts; for people to fall in love with Athens and all those things that make it such an enchanting place! 

In each episode, Zinovieff enlists a rich pantheon of city experts and insiders - from celebrated singers and graffiti artists to high profile journalists and street food chefs - to dig beyond the Acropolis into themes that the guidebooks rarely cover. 

This is not just another podcast series. It's more of a documentary where you’ll visit a lesser-known aqueduct built by a Roman emperor, meet the capital’s most exposed skeleton, encounter the alternative culture behind Rembetika (Greece’s answer to the blues), climb a historic off-grid hill with a former archaeologist, experience a refugee neighborhood, browse a bustling farmer’s market with a local foodie, and explore the omnipresent legacy of the ancient philosophers and politicians. What a brilliant way to connect with the heart and soul of Athens! 

To embark on this audio odyssey of Athens, please visit: thisisathens.org or subscribe here on Spotify, Apple Music, Pocket Casts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
 

1. Up Above & Down Below - FIND THE EPISODE HERE 

In this debut episode, you'll get acquainted with the geography of the Athenian basin and Zinovieff's theory of the 3 hills (Acropolis, Lycabettus & Tourkovounia), all while exploring the Syntagma Metro skeleton and Hadrian's aqueduct.

2. From Dreams To Demolition - FIND THE EPISODE HERE 

In this episode, follow Zinovieff as she explores the surprisingly diverse fabric of Athens and explains how the city went from being a European neoclassical capital in the 1830s to a concrete oasis brimming with apartment blocks in the 1950s.

Panagia Kapnikarea is an 11th-century church, dedicated to Panagia (the virgin Mary) and is situated in the middle of the busy Ermou shopping strip, between Syntagma and Monastiraki Square.

Thousands upon thousands of people walk by the church each day, which was built on the ruins of an ancient temple, and according to historians, it was connected either to the goddess Athena or to Demeter.

The church is dedicated to Panagia and has a unique name “Kapnikarea” which may refer to the Byzantine tax “kapnikon” or some say it derives from the word “kapnismeni” which in Greek means “smoked”, due to the marks of fire that are seen on the building.

The architectural design of Kapnikarea is also special; it is a multifaceted edifice, that is constituted by three different parts; the main church at the southern part, which is dedicated to Panagia and may have been the catholicon of a monastery; the chapel dedicated to Agia Varvara at the northern part; and the exonarthex at the western side.

Most of the icons inside the church are painted by the artist Fotis Kontoglou and his pupils, a school of hagiography strongly influenced by Byzantine tradition. In 1942 Kontoglou painted Theotokos Platytera at the arch of the church, which was his first monumental work. The decoration was completed in 1955 with the help of his students.

The paintings on the walls of the vaulted narthex and the exo-narthex, which show western influences, are the work of an unknown artist and date from approximately 1900 and the stunning mosaic outside the church of Panagia holding Jesus was created by Elli Voila in 1936.

The church is filled with a rich history and during the Greek Independence War, it was damaged, like most other monuments in Athens. In 1834, the year of the construction of Ermou Street, authorities had planned to demolish the church. This was during the reign of King Otto, as it was not included in the urban designs of his architect, Leo von Klenze but it was saved after the intervention of the King of Bavaria, Ludwig.

Today, the church belongs to the University of Athens and continues to stand out as a unique part of the city’s history, attracting thousands of locals and tourists who walk inside each day to light a candle, say a prayer and look around this sacred site. 

Originally published on: greekcitytimes.com