There is an app for every appetite, every obsession and every moment of the day. And just when you think you've seen them all, you hear about some new amazing piece of software that can work magic on the mundane.

Greece is slowly becoming a veritable wellspring of app development - from tourism to taxis and table reservations - with new innovations popping up all the time.

The other day I came across an app that, although not created in Greece, serves up a truly fascinating experience that fits the description of that thing 'you never knew you needed so much...'

How many times have you been wandering around the city, looking up at buildings that seem to be unimaginative (ugly?) blocks of concrete, the leftovers of a hastily-erected city in the mid-20th century? On a good day I've often thought 'How did that happen?' - on a bad day I've thought far worse...

Well, all your Athens architectural ponderings can now be answered, thanks to the Athens Typology City Guide app.

The app, developed by the Design Studio Emanuel Christ and Christoph Gantenbein, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, helps you to find places and buildings that other guides will never take you to.

Following five years of academic research in eight cities, the team unveiled a series of original city apps that present a compilation of 20th century urban architecture. The buildings (for the most part ones you have probably never noticed) were chosen in order to provide a glimpse at metropolitan design in the 20th century, comparing the patterns and differences in building styles found around the world. In total,360 buildings from Hong Kong, Rome, New York, Buenos Aires, Paris, Delhi, São Paulo and Athens have been carefully analyzed and are presented in a separate app for each city.

The Athens app showcases 54 buildings, most of them of the 'what were they thinking' variety - with accompanying background information that helps you to understand precisely what they were thinking. With this little app in your pocket, the previously hideous buildings of the city centre take on a new life, as you begin to understand that each building has a 'past' and an entire set of reasons that it is the way it is... Much like people ;)

Check it out on the AppStore and Google Play, and see Athens in an entirely new light. And just like people, you may not end up loving these buildings any more than you did before - but you will at least understand their stories a bit better...

Until next week,

Jack

In his native Syria, Ibrahim Al-Hussein often swam in the Euphrates River. He would climb to the top of the Deir ez-Zor suspension bridge, jump and dive into the water.

In 2011, the civil war in Syria started. Al-Hussein’s neighborhood was shelled and the bridge was destroyed. Al-Hussein lost part of his right leg.

This week on 26 April, the 27-year-old athlete carried the Olympic Flame in Athens as part of the torch relay during the Olympia Torch Lighting Ceremony for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Al-Hussein ran with the flame through the Eleonas refugee camp in Athens, home to around 1,500 displaced people. The act aimed to build empathy for refugees at a time when nearly 60 million people worldwide have been forced to leave their homes, the highest number since World War II.

Al-Hussein’s run with the Olympic Flame is part of a number of initiatives surrounding the Olympics intended to bring attention to refugees. Between five and 10 registered refugees are expected to participate in the Olympics later this year as part of team “Refugee Olympic Athletes.”

“After 20 years, I have achieved what I dreamed of,” Al-Hussein told UNHCR, the United Nations' refugee agency. “I used to dream to be a participant in the Olympics. Now, I have achieved more than that. I have achieved carrying the flame.”

To read this article in full, please visit: ABC News

With a soft, fluffy, and buttery-brown crust, this is the most flavorful tsoureki recipe you will ever try! Greek Easter bread owes its rich flavor to mastic, mahleb, and orange zest that are used in most traditional tsoureki recipes. Tsoureki is traditionally served on Easter Sunday, but is also very popular throughout the year as a delicious midday snack, for breakfast, or with tea or coffee.

 

 

Here is one of our favorite tsoureki recipes:

• 135g dairy butter
• 135g milk, at room temperature 
• 200g sugar
• 4 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 870g bread flour
• 21g dry yeast
• 100g lukewarm water 
• the zest from 1 orange
• 3g ground mastic
• 4g ground mahleb
• 1 egg and 1 tbsp water, for glazing
• almond slivers for garnishing

For the syrup

• 150g sugar (3.5 oz.)
• 150g water (3.5 oz.)

Cooking Method

 

Add the lukewarm water, a pinch of salt, and the yeast in a bowl and stir. Cover with cling film and set aside for 6-7 minutes until the yeast is activated and starts bubbling.

Use a pestle and mortar or blender to grind the mastic and mahleb with a little bit of sugar.

Add the butter, sugar, and milk to a saucepan and stir over very low heat until the butter has melted and the sugar is dissolved. The melted butter should be at the same temperature as your finger; if it feels too warm, leave it to cool for a few minutes and then check again.

To learn how to make this traditional Greek Easter bread, please visit: MyGreekDish

Athenian churches lose nothing in comparison with those of the Greek countryside; the majority can boast a rich heritage and great architectural beauty! Here are a few of the most beautiful churches to experience Easter in Athens!

Just a few metres away from Evangelismos metro station is the picturesque chapel of Agios Georgios. The ascent on the paved street is all part of the ritual, as for a few moments the anonymity of the metropolis disappears and every single person in the procession, candle in hand, becomes united in one sacred purpose: to pass on the message of the resurrection. Whitewashed, as if from an Aegean island, Agios Georgios offers a spectacular experience with dozens of fireworks painting the sky red and a view of the whole city.

Situated in one of the most beautiful and picturesque districts of the city center, a visit to this church will combine worship and sightseeing! The church itself is on Erehtheos Street and the Holy Light actually arrives there first before it makes its way to the Diocesan Church. If you are not a fan of fireworks, perhaps this is the best place for you as the Easter celebration here is a little less pyrotechnic.

This church, the only one of its kind in the city, is on Bohali Street and offers an original spectacle on Easter Sunday. To enter the Ethiopian Coptic temple, you must take off your shoes. Also according to custom, Copts are dressed in white, so do not hesitate to wear something in keeping with the occasion. After the Easter bells ring, there is a celebration accompanied by the sound of drums and various other percussion instruments, while the choir recall moments from the life of Christ with a great sense of drama and reverence.

Kapnikarea is a landmark on Ermou Street and a meeting point for Athenians. The low wall around the churchyard makes an ideal place to rest for shoppers traipsing up and down the longest commercial street of the city. Though small, it is one of the prime choices for celebrating the Resurrection in Athens. It dates back to the 11th century and if you do visit during the holidays, do not forget to look at the impressive murals painted by Fotis Kondoglou, which enhance the feeling of reverence that these solemn days bring.

To read more about the most beautiful churches in Athens, please visit: Discover Greece

Santorini ranked as the best island in Europe and second best in the world in the TripAdvisor 2016 Travelers’ Choice awards for Islands, announced recently this year.

“Even if you’ve never been to this Cyclades island in the Aegean Sea, you’d still recognize it immediately – candy-colored houses carved into cliffs, sapphire waters, gleaming white buildings topped with half-spheres the color of a stormy sky”, TripAdvisor says about Santorini, while giving special mention to Imerovigli village and adding that Oia is world famous for its sunsets.

1. Santorini, Cyclades

2. Majorca, Balearic Islands

3. Madeira, Madeira Islands

4. Crete, Greece

5. Tenerife, Canary Islands

6. Rhodes, Dodecanese

7. Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

8. Corsica, France

9. Jersey, Channel Islands

10. Island of Capri, Province of Naples

1. Santorini, Cyclades

2. Crete, Greece

3. Rhodes, Dodecaneses

4. Mykonos, Cyclades

5. Zakynthos, Ionian Islands

6. Corfu, Ionian Islands

7. Kefallonia, Ionian Islands

8. Naxos, Cyclades

9. Skiathos, Sporades

10. Milos, Cyclades

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

Image Credit: Santorini Walking Tours

The Reuters team, Yannis Behrakis, Alkis Konstantinides & Alexandros Avramides, won a 2016 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news and photography of the European refugee crisis.

 

The Reuters photo coverage of Middle Eastern migrants arriving in Europe was led by Yannis Behrakis, chief photographer for Greece and Cyprus and the Guardian newspaper's 2015 Agency Photographer of the Year.

The team captured a series of images of migrants crowded on flimsy sea craft and their first moments upon reaching Europe.

"We showed the world what was going on, and the world cared. It showed that humanity is still alive," Behrakis said. "We made for these unfortunate people’s voice to be heard. Now with a Pulitzer, we feel that our work has been professionally recognized."

Some images showed families rushing ashore, flailing away in the water or collapsing on the beach. Others juxtaposed the rafters at sea with a cruise ship or a leaping dolphin or the setting sun.

The Reuters photo staff was named as co-winner for breaking news photography along with Mauricio Lima, Sergey Ponomarev, Tyler Hicks and Daniel Etter of The New York Times, also for their images of the migrant crisis.

It was the third Pulitzer for Reuters, a unit of Thomson Reuters, having won for international reporting in 2014 and for breaking news photography in 2008.

To read this article in full, please visit: Reuters

Chrissy from TravelPassionate put together a guide to her favorite places for dessert. Athens has a delicious food scene and these are just a few places to satisfy your sweet tooth.

 

Nancy’s sweet home is an all day café that serves handmade desserts made by Nancy herself. Specialties include the “Love dessert” which is a juicy chocolate cake with praline and chocolate sauce and “Kiounefe” with traditional Kaimaki ice-cream on top. You can find it at Pl. Iroon 1 in Psyrri.

Krinos is a traditional sweet shop that serves the best loukoumades in town since 1923. Loukoumades are little yeast risen puffs that are deep-fried until golden brown and then drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon. You can find it at Aiolou 87.

If you have traveled to Istanbul you will probably have heard about this shop selling the best baklava in town. Now you can find it in the centre of Athens serving many kinds of delicious baklava totally worth trying. You can find it at Nikis 10 near Syntagma.

Here you will taste one of the most delicious gelato in the city made from fresh ingredients and without the use of any preservatives. They serve a lot of ice cream flavors and every week there is a new flavor to try. They also have delicious coffee and cake to try. You can find it at Kosta Varnali 19, Nea Erithrea.

To read this article in full, please visit: Travel Passionate.

The Hellenic Initiative (TΗΙ) announces a grant of $50,000 for the support of The Library Project at the Gennadius and Blegen libraries of The American School of Classical Studies (ASCS) in Athens. Through this grant, part of THI’s programs supporting youth education in Greece, two young librarians will have the opportunity to receive training in collections care and management in preparation for a career in library science for a one-year period, contributing at the same time in the strategic plan of modernization and digitalization of the Libraries’ catalogues and archives.

The American School of Classical Studies is a private research center located in the heart of Athens, committed to education, archaeological exploration and scholarly research since 1881. Moreover, the two ASCSA Libraries provide one of the best research facilities to scholars working in Greece. The Gennadius Library is among the most renown in the world for the study of Byzantine, Medieval, and modern Greece, and the Blegen Library is devoted to the study of Greece and Rome. “The Library Project” is a long-term plan to combine and streamline the Blegen and Gennadius Libraries, re-organizing their holdings in order to provide readers with greater access to the collections.

Michael Printzos, THI Director of Programming, stated: “THI support for this project is about the preservation of the past and prepartaiton for the future. The consolidation and modernization of the Libraries and Archives of ASCSA, improving and making more accessible significant chapters of our history from antiquity to the present is an ongoing vital mission. At the same time, we are pleased to give the opportunity to two young professionals to work for one of the most prestigious institutions gaining significant experience for their professional development”.

Dr. Maria Georgopoulou, Gennadius Library Director, added: “The support of The Hellenic Initiative is very important for us, since it enables us to offer work opportunity to two new graduates, who acquire valuable experience in a healthy work environment operating under US standards. We are thankful for THI’s support and hope that it will continue its efforts towards the support of Greek youth.”

For more information, please visit: The Hellenic Initiative and One Greece
For more information about ASCSA, please visit: The ASCSA

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The Hellenic Initiative and their Mission: Investing in the future of Greece through direct philanthropy and economic revitalization. We empower people to provide crisis relief, encourage entrepreneurs, and create jobs. We are The Hellenic Initiative (THI) - a global movement of the Greek Diaspora.

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens: The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) strives to maintain and enhance its position as the preeminent center for the study of the Greek world from antiquity to the present day. It advances knowledge of Greece in all periods, as well as other areas of the classical world, by training young scholars, sponsoring and promoting archaeological fieldwork, providing resources for scholarly work, and disseminating research. The ASCSA is also charged by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism with primary responsibility for all American archaeological research, and seeks to support the investigation, preservation, and presentation of Greece’s cultural heritage.

It's common to hear about men from Classical Greece who had an impact on society, but rarely do we hear about bold and fascinating women from this time who changed history in her own way. Here are just a few women known for her their boldness and impact on Greece's history.

Agnodice of Athens (4th century BC)
No woman’s life and work was considered more scandalous and shocking at the time Agnodice, who was the first female doctor in ancient Athens and whose challenge to the male-dominated profession changed the laws regarding women practicing medicine.

Women had always been allowed to perform the services of midwife and could even attend patients, until it was alleged that they were helping their female patients procure abortions. After that, women were not allowed to practice medicine, and the penalty for doing so was death. Agnodice cut her hair and disguised herself as a man in order to study medicine and even traveled to Egypt, where women were held in higher regard and could be doctors, in order to learn her craft. Still in her guise as a man, she returned to Athens and began to treat people.

She became so popular among female patients (who knew she was a woman) that she was accused by a group of men (who thought she was a man) of seducing them. She was put on trial in the Areopagus and, in defending herself against the charge, revealed she was a woman. The men then threatened to execute her for breaking the law by practicing medicine while pretending to be a man. She was saved by her female patients who shamed the court into acquitting her. It seems as though they pointed out how Agnodice had been successfully practicing medicine for some time now and that the male doctors were simply jealous. After her trial, the laws were changed so that women could practice medicine equally with men.

 

Of the poets listed with Anyte in Antipater’s list of earthly muses is Telesilla of Argos who, though famous for her poetry, became more so for defending her home city against the invading Spartans in 494/493 BC.

After Cleomenes I of Sparta decimated the Argive forces, he marched to the city of Argos. Telesilla took down the ornamental arms from temples in the city, raided the armory for whatever was left, and equipped a force of the city’s women with arms and armor. Her organized women defense team inflicted heavy losses on the Spartans and ultimately defeated them, as Sparta withdrew its army, and Argos was saved.

Hydna of Scione was trained to swim by her father, Scyllis, a diving instructor and expert swimmer who taught the art of swimming for a living. He instructed his daughter from a young age, and she became well known for her ability to dive deeply and swim long distances.

During the Persian invasion at Salamis, Hydna and her father swam more than 16 km to dive under the Persian ships and cut the moorings loose, causing the ships to drift and damage other vessels. The Persian navy wanted to destroy what was left of the Greek force, but thanks to Hydna and her father, Greece defeated the Persians at Salamis and Greece was saved.

To read more about these fascinating women and others, please visit: The Pappas Post

Image credit: Acropolis Museum.

Four Greek companies were selected recently, among the top 110 European companies, as the finalists and “Ruban d ‘Honneur” 2015/2016 recipients of the prestigious European Business Awards (EBAs). The businesses advanced to the next and final phase of the competition where the winners will be announced in each of the 11 categories at the Awards Gala Final on 17 June in Milan.

The four Greek companies that qualified for the final are Coffee Island, Megas Yeeros, Pharma-Data, and Vikos.

The EBA’s National Champions and “Ruban d ‘Honneur” finalists are selected by an esteemed panel of around 150 independent judges made-up of European business and political leaders, academics, and entrepreneurs. The “Ruban d ‘Honneur” title is given to the top ten companies from all over Europe for each of the 11 categories of the awards, including Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Award for Customer Focus, Employer of the Year Award, etc.

36 Greek companies were initially distinguished as National Champions, which put Greece in 6th place of total distinctions by country, among a pool of 678 additional National Champions from 33 countries across Europe.

In an online video public vote running alongside the independent judging part of the competition, the Greek company, Loux, was named as the National Public Champion for Greece in the 1st phase of public voting between January and February after almost 160,000 people voted online. There are now 32 National Public Champions competing for a second public vote that runs until 26 April. The company from across Europe with the most votes at the end of this period will be announced as the ultimate European Public Champion also at the EBA’s Gala Final in June.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek News Agenda.