Current level of participants: Intermediate +

Course level: Upper Intermediate +

Course content: Everyday Greek language, grammar, vocabulary, speaking, listening, reading, writing

Class schedule: Every Wednesday from 14th January 2015 to 10th June 2015

Time: 19:30-22:00

Place:  'To Stekkie Mas',  Kallirois & L. Koromila 1, 117 45 Neos Kosmos

For more information and application forms, please contact us at
learn.greek.through.literature@gmail.com.

And very far from your typical female comedian.

Female comics do have a tendency to polarize audiences along gender lines. But after attending Vrana’s utterly brilliant sell-out show Feta with the Queen at Athens Art Links on Saturday night, I can attest that every male I talked to afterwards was just as won over as us ladies.

Since it debuted in 2013, Feta has been wildly successful – selling out in venues such as London, Athens (where Vrana has done a previous season), Melbourne and Edinburgh.

Happily, Vrana fans – and those who missed the Art Links performance - still have the opportunity to see the lady with the “crazy exploding volcano hair” again tonight for her final Art Links performance in Greek. Then again at Theatro 104 in Gazi, where she will shortly kick off a second Athens season of weekly performances of Feta with the Queen.

So what can you expect from Feta?

Cultural stereotypes. Lots of cultural stereotypes. The show is basically a one-hour “compare and contrast” of Vrana’s experiences as a Greek born-and-bred woman living in the UK: How much the Brits do love a good cuppa. How the quintessential English drizzle is the “Hugh Grant of rain”. Why attempting to queue-jump will never go down well in Old Blighty. And how unbelievably vexatious those bloody taps are to most foreigners. (Oh and her chronic case of the hots for Prince Harry.)

That kind of thing.

Initially, when I’d read about Feta, I’d been worried that such “been there, done that” cultural truisms might all come over a little tired.

But Hell no. Vrana is edgy, precociously intelligent and very “street”. She has a romping free-range talent for both mimicry and observational detail, and in her incredibly skilled hands, those classic stereotypes feel like born-again comedy virgins that you’re hearing for the ve-ry first time.

Naturally, the Greeks get their turn too: The typical encounter with “Smoking Guy” in a Greek tax office. What happens when you won’t let a Greek pay the bill. The size of your averagely “modest” Greek wedding. And of course, the “delicate” art of conflict resolution Greek-style. 

On the night we went, Vrana also widened her net to take on Canadians, Germans (of course), Los Angelenos, Australians and Indians (her impression of their toilets and accents provided one of the most howlingly funny moments of the show).

It’s easy to see why this comedian names Eddie Murphy as an early influencer. Just like Murphy, Vrana’s delivery is as fast and furious as a Browning semi-automatic and similarly peppered with expletives. While she veers away from political satire, clearly Vrana is also very politically astute. Evident too are her considerable acting skills. Her account of auditioning for the Hollywood blockbuster Troy and not making the grade because she wasn’t “Greek enough” will have you near tears.

But perhaps Vrana’s finest achievement is how she apparently manages to fling all these “bad to the bone” cultural observations around all night – without causing offence to anyone (my lovely Indian friend in the same row was laughing harder than most).

Besides, at their basic core, cultural stereotypes are hilarious (as Vrana herself reminds us frequently). They’re hilarious because they are so bloody true.

If I had one minor criticism, it would be about the mood shift of Vrana’s closing sketch playing teacher to a kindergarten filled with international representatives. It was conspicuously more political than the rest of the show and for me, hit a somewhat discordant note.

But as one good mate said (a mate who nearly deafened me guffawing so much on Saturday night):

“The fact that so many of her characters, stories and observations come to mind two days afterwards and that I'm still laughing about them is testament to her skill. She’s the best female comedian I've ever seen. And I hope she does marry Harry!”

Another good pal, who admits to now having a stonking great girl crush on Vrana, wants to invite the comedian along on our next big girls’ night out.

It’s true. Katerina Vrana is that smart, sassy and borderline reckless friend you really want to hang out with at Happy Hour.

Katerina, your crown is waiting! (and incidentally, her dad loved the show!)

By Amanda Dardanis

In Greek, Thursday is Pempti (Πέμπτη), meaning the fifth day of the week as Greeks count Sunday as the first day. The word tsikna (Τσίκνα) refers to the smell of cooked meat - however, "Smelly Thursday" has not caught on as a translation.

In English, Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" and so Tsiknopempti is sometimes also called "Fat Thursday" - which is logical as the cooking of all that meat results in vast quantities of fat dribbling down onto the coals.

Typical Tsiknopempti Menu

Meat is king, with the emphasis on grilled meats! Some restaurants and virtually every traditional taverna will put on special menus for Tsiknopempti. By far, the most common item will be some variation of souvlaki -  the Greek version of meat on a stick. These are available almost everywhere - walk carefully to avoid banging into an unexpected grill mostly obscured by smoke, sharing the already narrow streets and walkways!

Tsiknopempti Outside Of Greece

An equivalent of Tsiknopempti is also celebrated in Germany and Poland, but there they are adhering to the Western calendar for Easter, so the date differs. Most Eastern Orthodox and Greek Orthodox church calendars will be in alignment for Tsiknopempti and the rest of the Carnival, Lent, and Easter seasons, but there are some exceptions for faith groups adhering to a different variant of the old calendar.

OMILO Greek Language and Culture! New courses start from September 30th in Maroussi (North Athens) and intensive 1- and 2-week courses are possible in Athens, Syros, Nafplion, Syros, Lefkada and Andros. For more information, email info@omilo.com.

When I heard the Greek language for the first time, I could never imagine that I would ever master the language. I did already speak a few “ordinary” languages such as English, French and German. But then Greek!  I didn’t know where to start, I couldn’t hear where one word stopped and the next one began. The expression “it’s all Greek to me” started to make sense!  Was it my intension to find my way in this labyrinth of words ? Yes indeed, and in the end, it was a pleasant and educative experience!

Lesson 1: Saying “Yes” and “No”. That’s where it all started. Whereas  in most foreign languages the word “No” begins with an “n” and has one syllable ( think about no,nee, nein, njet) the Greeks decided to have an exception to the rule. The Greek for “No” is “Ochi” (όχι) and for Yes is “Ne”.(Ναι)
                                                                                                         
The Greek people have more different ways to say “No” which is  quit amusing!! Oral expressions are, for example, “a”, pretty much the same as the American “a”, or a very fierce”apapapa” ! If for ex. you ask the  the question “ Shall we go for a walk?” you might get a negative answer with the boring-sounding “Ba!” And then not to forget all the gestures which express a “No”: throwing the head back, possibly accompanied by raising the eyebrows. Mere raising of the eyebrows, accompanied by rattling of the tongue, the sound we make when we are slightly annoyed.

Lesson 2: Greeting somebody. In Greek, you can say “ya” (γειά or γειά σας)  when you greet somebody upon arrival or departure; it has got the same meaning as “Hello and Bye”. OK, I will add another free lesson: if you repeat the word “ya”, saying “yaya” (γιαγιά), that means ““grandma”. That is how I taught my nephew his first full sentence” Just repeat “ya” three times, and you are greeting grandma! “Ya ya ya” he shouted at me repeatedly during his stay with us  and every time he burst out in laughter ... And this was only the first lesson!

After a few weeks of intense listening I started to recognise words and tried very hard to remember them. Fortunately I had my husband, whom I could ask for advise and my mother in law “to practise”. However, Greek is not easy to learn without discipline and a real teacher!  A friend recommended the OMILO School, a school for foreigners to learn Greek. They have courses in Maroussi  (North Athens) for poeple like me and live all year in Athens, but they also have intensive courses on various islands in the holiday season.

Thanks to my extra lessons at the OMILO Greek Language School, I made rapid progress.  My Greek teachers were great and kept me motivated to keep speaking Greek  and using the grammar properly. Yes, grammar is important too, especially if you do not want to sound as a foreigner all your live!  We had a lot of fun in the class and learned from eachothers mistakes. And some mistakes you never forget!

The “stress–emphasis” is a very important aspect of the Greek language. In written Greek an accent is placed on every letter which is emphasised.Wrong use of the emphasis can create terrible (or funny) misunderstandings. A very good example is the word “malakά”, which means “soft”. If you put the emphasis in the wrong place than you would say “malάka”, which means as*****e ! Do I need to say more? Be careful…

Every now and then little mishaps can happen! One day one of my classmates bought feta cheese and said in her best Greek: “Miso kilo feta parakalo” (half a kilo feta cheese please). To the question of the salesperson “what type of feta would you like” (hard, soft,...) she answered convincingly: “Feta, malάka…!!! She got an enraged look at first … but, fortunately, she looks anything but Greek, and it was soon corrected with a smile...”Oxi koritsi mou, “malakί” feta theleis....” ( No, my dear, you want soft feta cheese...).

Why the “a” now changes into an “i” will be explained at the OMILO Greek Language school!

I am now at a very good level in Greek and feel so much better in this beautiful country. Only by speaking the language you also understand the Greek culture and mentality.I must say  I often felt irritated by words you would think they are more or less the same in all languages, as, for example “police”. If you thought  this was an international word, that definitely was before discovering the Greek language, as the Greek word for police is: “astynomia”!  Do you like fruit and especially kiwi’s ? Bad luck, cause in Greece nobody seems to know the word kiwi.... they call them “aktinidia”.  Learning the Greek vocabulary is a hard job!

Learning Greek is really fun and worth it. If you need help, do not hesitate to check the website of the OMILO Greek Language school.    The schoolyear just started...so as the Greeks so nicely say “Kali archi”! Good start!

Maaike Sel

OMILO Greek Language and Culture! New courses start from September 30th in Maroussi (North Athens) and intensive 1- and 2-week courses are possible in Athens, Syros, Nafplion, Syros, Lefkada and Andros.

www.omilo.com, info@omilo.com, www.facebook.com/omilohellas

Greek Holiday Baking
Baking is an important part of Greek cooking for Christmas. Bread is the most important of the Greek holiday foods. Historically, flour and yeast were scarce and expensive and thus saved for special meals. Traditional items, such as Christmas bread or stravropsomo, a fruit-filled loaf, decorated on top with the sign of the cross and Chistopsomto or “Christ’s Bread”, a leavened bread made of flour, sesame seeds, and spices, such as anise, orange, cloves, and cinnamon accompanied by dried figs, are eaten on Christmas Eve.

Other traditional Greek Christmas sweets include diples - fried dough strips dripped with honey, kourabiedes - holiday butter cookies, kataifi - phyllo-wrapped confections made from cinnamon and sugar and drizzled with honey, melomacrona - popular honey cakes, and the ever-popular sweet pastry, baklava.

Christ’s Bread
Greek Christmas celebrations begin on Christmas Eve with the breaking of Chistopsomto. The loaf is set on the table and surrounded with nuts, dried fruit, and other treats. The head of the household blesses the loaf and each person gets a  slice, drizzled with honey. Before anyone eats the bread, the group lifts the table slightly three times, signifying the Christian trinity. In some regions of Greece, an olive branch is inserted into the bread on end, like a tree, symbolizing peace. Other regions leave the first slice of the loaf outside the front door for the poor.

The Christmas Feast
The traditional Christmas Day feast is centered about either a turkey or goose, stuffed with a mixture of rice, pine nuts, chestnuts, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Roast pork with cabbage or cauliflower is another popular holiday choice, one that dates back to the early Christian era. Family is important in Greek culture and the Christmas meal is usually a large one, often featuring two or more main dishes. Side dishes, such as roast potatoes and grilled vegetables often accompany the meal.

Greek Holiday Food Symbols
Pomegranates, the bright red fruits indigenous to the Mediterranean, have been a symbol of prosperity since the days of the ancient Greeks. It is commonly used during the Christmas season, both as decoration and as food. Basil is also a Greek Christmas symbol. A sprig is traditionally wrapped around a cross and sprinkled with holy water each day during the season.

Regional Customs
Different regions throughout Greece have their own variations on holiday traditions. One such charming custom comes from the Greek region of Epirus; there, the Christmas bread is decorated with dough shapes representative of the family’s occupation, a shoe for a cobbler or a plow for a farmer. Additional small loaves, called kouloures, are made in celebration for the animals – donkeys, sheep, and goats – in this traditional rural area, and are broken up and given to the beasts as a symbol of good health for the coming year. Other figure eight shaped loaves, koliantines, are baked for the children, also as a symbol of health.

All in all, celebrating a Greek Christmas is about sharing the joy of the season with family and friends! Here are a some ideas on how to give your Christmas a Greek touch.

• Take the children to see Santa Claus (more commonly referred to in Greece as Saint Nicholas), who can often be found outside shopping areas giving treats to children.
  
  
• Expect neighborhood children to sing "kalanda" (Christmas carols) on Christmas Eve and offer their good wishes to you. Have dried figs, walnuts, almonds and - most important - coins on hand to offer the youngsters who come to your house.
  
  
• Prepare a holiday feast for Christmas Eve. Serve traditional foods and wine with baklava for dessert.
  
  
• Bake loaves of "Christopsomo" (Christ bread), a sweet bread formed into shapes of your choice. You can also decorate the loaves with symbols that reflect your family's trade. Serve the bread with dried figs.
  
  
• Display a wooden bowl with a piece of dangling wire holding a sprig of fresh basil wrapped around a wooden cross; this is the Greek symbol for Christmas. Keep fresh water in the bowl to keep the basil alive.
  
  
• Immerse the basil and cross in holy water once a day and sprinkle drops in every room of your house to keep the 'bad spirits' or 'killantzarin' away. These spirits are known to slide down the chimney between Christmas and Epiphany (January 6) and play mischievous pranks on your family.
  
  
• Remind your children to hang their socks over the fireplace, where small gifts will appear.
  
  
• Serve vasilopita, or Christmas cake, on December 31. Bake a florin (gold coin) into the cake. Whoever finds the coin in his or her piece of cake will have good luck in the coming year.
  
  
• Exchange gifts on January 1, which is St. Basil's Day. Also perform a renewal ceremony on this day by replacing all the water in your jugs with St. Basil holy water.

You can reach Greece from London either by train to Italy for the ferry to Patras, or by train all the way to Athens across eastern Europe via Vienna and Budapest. Here are the main options:

Option 1, by train to Italy then cruise ferry to Greece...
This is the quickest, cheapest and most comfortable way from London to Greece without flying. It's shown in red on the route map below. It's a wonderful trip and a great alternative to a flight, taking just 48 hours from St Pancras station to stepping ashore in Greece. Take Eurostar from London to Paris, the overnight sleeper from Paris to Bologna, then an air-conditioned train to Bari in southern Italy. Modern cruise ferries sail overnight from Bari to Patras in Greece, for the train to Athens. Why not stop off to see a little of Italy on the way?

Option 2, by train all the way to Athens...
The overland route from London to Greece takes you via Paris, Munich, Vienna, Budapest & Bucharest to Thessaloniki, Larissa & Athens. This route is shown in dark blue on the route map below. Alternatively, you can travel via Brussels & Cologne, and/or via Belgrade - these alternative routes are shown in light blue on the map below. The complete journey from London to Athens takes 3 nights, with safe & comfortable sleeping-cars available for each of the overnight sections. It's an exciting journey with some wonderful scenery on the way, via Transylvania and the mountains of Greece. Feel free to stop off if you like, too.

Option 3, by train to Venice then by cruise ferry...
This is a simpler but longer variation of option 1. You can take the train from London to Venice and a cruise ferry from Venice to Patras in Greece for the train to Athens. This shows you Venice on the way, and it's a simpler train journey as there's a direct sleeper train from Paris to Venice. Ships from Venice to Patras sail either daily or several times each week, depending on the season.

For further information and details please visit: Seat61.com

Here's a small list of some of the best campsites in Greece. 

1. Enjoy Lichnos Camping


@enjoy_lichnos_bay_village_

Parga is one of the most picturesque villages on the west coast. Its Venetian-influenced buildings huddle together on the hillside, with whitewashed alleyways and bougainvillea tumbling down to the bay. A few miles south, you’ll find Enjoy Lichnos Camping, a welcoming haven set within an olive grove. Pitches are close to the beach in an RV-free meadow. Hire a catamaran or kayak, explore the sea caves or just chill in the friendly alfresco bar. Just half an hour away are the creepy, mythic ruins of the 2,500-year-old Necromantion, the gateway to the underworld.

2. Poros Beach Camping 


@porosbeach

A snake of road wheels by shady groves, dozing horses, and somnolent villages on its way down to Poros’s fine-pebbled beach. You can relax in the shade of the site’s stylish restaurant, head to the charming little port of Vasiliki for water-side dining, or just flop on the beach, watching the blue horizon compete with the serenity of the turquoise sea.

3. Tartaruga Camping


@katemarshallevansartoutdoors

Tartaruga offers one of the most dramatic views of any campsite in Greece; stare down at the epiphany-inducing sea from the giddy heights of its alfresco restaurant, unblemished but for a deserted island and the occasional puttering of a fisherman’s boat. As if to confirm its pedigree, loggerhead turtles have chosen the turquoise waters beside the site as a safe place to mate.
Lounge in the shadow of pines or visit the beach. You’re in the middle of nowhere – but the sense of dramatic escape is much the better for it. 

4. Camping Areti 


@xeaionescu

Areti sits on acres of eucalyptus and exotic flora. Its tranquil taverna is delightful, as are the many amenities, including a playground and tennis courts. There are hidden recesses, for cheeky romance, and inviting lookout points, for watching the sun go down. You can camp near the sea beside one of two beaches, dramatically screened by gnarled olive trees. On a clear morning, you can see the distant peak of Mount Olympus. For lunch, head to one of the tavernas in Neo Marmaras, an unpretentious market town. 

5. Camping Antiparos


@vskrou

Antiparos is an intimate island just over the water from its larger sibling, Paros. Its harbor feels like a composite of everything Greek, with wrinkled fishermen, ripe fruit spilling from colorful crates, and an azure sky pure enough to melt the heart. No less enchanting is Camping Antiparos, on a rugged headland beside the sea. You can pitch under a tangled canopy of cedars or find a secret spot in the site’s bamboo field. The restaurant is a honey pot of homemade indulgence.

In an interview to newspaper “Izvestia,” Peskov highlighted that under the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Moscow is not entitled to completely exempt an EU member-state from sanctions against the bloc.

“There are quite straightforward rules at the World Trade Organization, and Russia, as a WTO member, cannot choose. We cannot impose sanctions against EU member-states and selectively lift sanctions on one of the countries,” the Kremlin representative said. However, as he added, the direct deliveries of agricultural products can be substituted by “imports of raw materials with an investment in Russian-based food processing facilities.”

It should be noted that earlier on February, the Russian President has declared that Moscow would be able to cooperate with Hungarian agriculture despite Western sanctions and Russian counter sanctions.

To read more, please visit greekreporter.com

By Aggelos Skordas
 

Infobank Hellastat has reported a significant growth in recent years in the domestic online market, mainly due to lower prices compared to conventional stores, and Greek consumers’ gradual familiarization with technology.  

An ELTRUN survey cited in Infobank Hellastat’s study, shows that in 2013 the sales in Greek and foreign e-shops by Greek consumers amounted to 3.2 billion euros, showing a 25% increase compared to the previous year while the market has grown even further in 2014, as the number of products bought by Greek consumers online increase by 10% throughout the year.

Moreover, the frequency of on-line purchases has also increased from one per month in 2013, to three per two months in 2014. On-line consumers amounted to about 2.2 million in 2013, while in 2012 their number stood at 1.9 million, representing 35% of Internet users, compared with 70% in Western Europe. Furthermore, 60%-65% of purchases are made on Greek websites while 90% of European consumers prefer national websites for their purchases.

To read more, please visit greekreporter.com

By Ioanna Zikakou

“Our aim is to promote Greek gastronomy as part of our tourist wealth, with the direct participation of journalists from specialized magazines, tourism agencies owners and managers and young bloggers, who promote our country via the Internet,” said Kyriaki Boulasidou, head of the Greek National Tourism Organization office in Italy.

To read more, please visit greekreporter.com

By Ioanna Zikakou