XpatAthens

XpatAthens

Through personalized mentorship, practical resources, and a supportive network, Innerbloom helps women design a path to professional fulfillment that harmonizes with their life’s purpose and well-being. Our mission is to offer a balance between strategic guidance and mindful, compassionate support.

Whether you’re launching a new business, scaling an existing one, or redefining your purpose for doing business, Innerbloom is about facilitating your journey, every step of the way.

We create a nurturing, open and transformative space where we empower women to grow their dreams into thriving, sustainable ventures. We believe in combining business acumen with a heart-centered approach, recognizing the individually unique talents, aspirations, and challenges of each woman.
 
We don’t just help you build your business, we work with you to refine and elevate it, assuring it reflects your vision and your highest potential. Through targeted strategies that enhance growth, refine impact, and ensure sustainability, we want you to blossom at your own pace, surrounded by like-minded women on similar journeys.

Learn more and get in touch on our website: https://www.innerbloom.gr/
Wednesday, 18 February 2015 12:00

Kissavos and a Week in the Mountains!

Mount Kissavos, also known as Ossa, lies on the east side of Thessaly facing Mount Olympus. These two mountains are divided by Tempi Vale. Today a large part of Kissavos has been declared as “Ossa Aesthetic Forest” and classified as a special protection area by the Pan-European network Natura 2000. It is truly an area of exceptional natural beauty.

The west part of Kissavos faces the great plain of Larissa whereas to the east its slopes reach the sea, forming several little creeks and wonderful beaches. To the north is Tempi Vale and Mount Olympus, and to the south is Agia Valley and Mount Mavrovouni.

The northwest side of Kissavos is rocky and arid, while the south and east sides are verdurous, grown with planes, beeches, chestnuts and firs. One more exceptional feature of the mountain is its numerous canyons, run by cascading torrents. Additionally, various kinds of animals live on the mountain, such as hares, wild boars, deer, pheasants and partridges.

The peak of Kissavos is “Profitis Ilias” rising to 1,978 meters high. A little lower on the site of Kanalos (1,604 metres), there is a large and high quality mountain refuge owned by the Larissa Alpine Club.

Source: Inthessaly.gr

Thursday, 19 February 2015 13:10

Behind The Scenes Of The Greek Presidential

A total of 160 positive and 135 negative votes managed to attract the nomination of Stavros Dimas in the first open vote for the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic held at 7:30 pm in the Greek Parliament. According to article 32 of the Greek Constitution, during the first and second ballots of the Presidential Election, a total of 200 votes are needed in order to successfully elect a new President.

Apart from the parliamentary groups of coalition government partners New Democracy and PASOK that count 155 MPs, five more MPs voted in favor of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ nominee, Dimas. The five are Spyros Lykoudis, Grigoris Psarianos, Giorgos Ntavris, Christos Aidonis and Katerina Markou.

Amongst those who voted negative, apart from the opposition parties’ parliamentary groups (SYRIZA, ANEL, KKE, DIMAR and Golden Dawn) were independent MPs Byron Polidoras, Vassilis Kapernaros, Petros Tatsopoulos, Mimis Androulakis, Niki Founta, Vassilis Oikonomou, Chrysoula Giatagana, Panagiotis Melas, Rachel Makri, Theodoros Parastratidis, Markos Bolaris, Theodora Tzakri and Giannis Kourakos, some of whom were expected to vote in favor of Dimas. Emerging from the Parliament after the procedure’s completion, Melas underlined that on the remaining two ballots, he might change his vote and vote “Yes.”

Absent on the first ballot was ANEL’s Kostas Giovanopoulos, whose absence is considered meaningful, as it might leave the possibility open to vote in favor of Dimas in the following ballots. Also absent were the two former Golden Dawn MPs, Stathis Boukouras and Chrysovalantis Alexopoulos, who were expected to vote “Yes,” independent MP Giorgos Kasapidis, who earlier today lost his father and was also expected to vote in favor of the new President, and SYRIZA MP Anna Chatzisofia.

To read more, please visit greekreporter.com

By Aggelos Skordas

Saturday, 18 April 2015 09:12

International Day On Monuments & Sites

Saturday April 18th is International Day On Monuments & Sites in celebration of ICOMOS' 50th Anniversary. In Greece, all museums and archaeological sites will have free entrance for the entire day!

International Day On Monuments & Sites is a global day established by UNESCO and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

 
To learn more and see how this day is celebrated around the world, please visit: http://www.icomos.org/en/.


If you’ve ever been to the Greek island of Crete, or if you have ancestors that are from the island, chances are pretty good that you’ve had a spirit called Raki. In other parts of Greece, it’s known as Tsikoudia or Tsipouro. In Italy it’s called Grappa, in Spain it’s referred to as Oruja, and in the country of Georgia it’s called Chacha. To Americans, it’s often considered a form of moonshine, especially when they learn how it’s made.

Though it isn’t readily available in the United States, Greeks are eager to send travelers home with their homemade Raki. They usually put it in clear water bottles so that it can be easily transported. So, what is Raki exactly and why are Cretans so proud of it?

Raki comes from grapes

Simply put, Raki comes from byproducts created from the wine making process. After the grapes are pressed and the juice is stored so that it can begin fermenting, there’s a lot of leftover plant material. Greeks are resourceful people and they don’t let anything go to waste!

The resulting skins, twigs, and mash, which is referred to as pomace, is stored for around six weeks before it’s distilled into Raki. In fact, as long as the plant material is edible, it can eventually be distilled into Raki. Pictured here is an old fashioned distiller that is still used today to make this alcoholic beverage in many parts of Greece.

To read more, please visit: Greek Boston

 
Monday, 02 May 2016 07:00

May 1 Holiday Has Been Moved To May 3

The national May Day Holiday (or Protomagia in Greek) celebrated on May 1st 2016 will be moved to Tuesday May 3rd 2016 due to it coinciding with Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday.

This was a decision authorized and signed by Labour Minister George Katrougalos.

What the law says about working on this day:*
Business operation and employing employees is prohibited, except those who are legal to operate on Sundays and public holidays, such as companies in the health sector, tourism, transportation, food & beverage, factories with continuous hours, etc.

Employees who are paid by a wage, but who will not work on the May Day public holiday are entitled to receive their paid wages without any deduction. For employees paid by wage who will work on May 1, they are entitled to receive their wage with an increase of 75% which will be calculated at the statutory hourly rate for any hours worked.

If you are paid a monthly salary, and the company typically does operate on Sundays and public holidays then you are entitled to receive an increase of 75% calculated at the statutory hourly rate for any hours worked on this day. If you are employed with a company that typically does not work on Sundays and public holidays then you are entitled to receive an increase of 75% calculated at the statutory hourly rate for any hours worked on this day.

Source: Paidorama

* Please note, the information outlined is based on a report that has been translated from Greek and should be confirmed with your employer and local employment offices.
What archaeologists found at the ancient Cemetery of Phaleron in Athens were at least 80 skeletons with their wrists clamped together in iron shackles.
 
Archaeologists have speculated and suggested that the skeletons appear to be the victims of a mass execution, but their crime still remains to be unknown.

What archaeologists are now saying with a new theory is that the skeletons came from the ‘Cylonian Affair’ from 632 BC, the earliest reliably dated event in Athenian history.

The event refers to a failed coup attempt led by aristocratic Cylon, who once plotted to overthrow the Athenian elites with the help of his tyrannical father-in-law. This was during a time of civil unrest in the ancient society.

The grave site of the Phaleron Delta necropolis is thought to date back between 8th and 5th centuries BC and is from a time of great social turmoil.

To test this theory, Dr. Stella Chryssoulaki who is head of excavations, said that more research is needed to confirm if the skeletons are the remnants of Cylon’s failed coup attempt. DNA tests could confirm this theory.

Over 1,500 bodies were buried in the Phaleron Cemetery, but unlike the renowned occupants of the Kerameikos cemetery where many elite Greeks were buried, the Phaleron Delta necropolis appears to be the final resting place of Athens’ everyday inhabitants from ordinary backgrounds.

Article Source: Euro News
Monday, 27 November 2017 07:00

12 Things To Do In Athens Over Christmas

Writer and blogger Marissa Tejada from Travel Greece Travel Europe discusses the perks of being in Athens for Christmas! In recent years, Athens has been coined as an emerging European city break destination. That holds true for the curious Christmas traveler. Traveling during the winter season here is great. Why? Less crowds, for one. You’ll experience Greece outside of its summer skin and see the way Greeks celebrate one of their favorite holidays.

Feel the Holiday Vibe in Syntagma Square

The heart of the city is Syntagma Square and it’s where the city’s Christmas tree is lit. The square’s trees are strung with blue and white lights (the holiday colors of Greece) or with decorations such as karavakia (small Christmas ships). The municipality also schedules a series of free concerts during the month of December.

Walk to the Scenic Spots of Athens

With a mild Mediterranean winter you can enjoy a scenic and sunny walk to some of the best panoramic spots of the city. Here are some photos from last winter when I took a Christmas day walk around Lycabettus Hill in Kolonaki.

While not as fancy or glamorous as other European Christmas markets, Athens has a few markets known as bazaars. Local artisans sell everything from handmade soaps, traditional Greek products to jewelry. Some bazaars are located in the metro stations (including Syntagma).

Explore Ancient Greece

Without any crowds to push through or lines to wait on, Christmas holidays in Athens are a great time to explore. Visit the best museums in Greece including the National Archaeological Museum of Athens or the Acropolis Museum.

Indulge in Greek Holiday Desserts

During Christmas holidays in Athens, head into any bakery and be tempted by traditional treats like kourabiedes (sugar cookies) and melomakarona (honey cookies). You’ll find both types of cookies displayed side by side.

To read this article in full, please visit: Travel Greece Travel Europe

Athens once more is preparing to host the Athens Pride Festival, which will take place at central Syntagma Square this year. The 2017 festival will take place on June 10 under the motto “It’s Education”, aiming to raise awareness on the issues that concern the LGBTQI community in Greece, mainly the legal recognition of gender identity.

The first Athens Pride took place in June 2005 and marked the first Pride Parade through the city center and past the Hellenic Parliament during daylight hours. Since then, the Athens Pride festival has grown and in June 2014 included 20,000 people of all ages.

By delivering the message, “It’s Education”, the organizers wish to focus on the Greek word “Παιδεία” (education) and its broad meaning, which encompasses the concepts of schooling, upbringing, learning and culture cultivation.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages
Doing research on how economic inequality threatens democracy and if America was really at risk of becoming an oligarchy, a journalist for The Guardian opened a book about Classical Greek Oligarchy. While reading, he learns about the ancient Greek world, the division of oligarchs, and the development of institutions.

“One of the primary threats to oligarchy was that the oligarchs would become divided, and that one from their number would defect, take leadership of the people, and overthrow the oligarchy.”

“To prevent this occurrence, ancient Greek elites developed institutions and practices to keep themselves united. Among other things, they passed sumptuary laws, preventing extravagant displays of their wealth that might spark jealousy, and they used the secret ballot and consensus building practices to ensure that decisions didn’t lead to greater conflict within their cadre."

To read this article in full, please visit: The Guardian
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