If you’re in the neighborhood of Kolonaki, you may want to try Philippou, a restaurant known for its delicious home cooked meals. Culinary Backstreets takes us on a tour and offers great suggestions on the food and drinks to try!

Founded in 1923 by Kostas Philippou, it began as a humble taverna with earthen floors and big barrels filled with home-made wine. In 1968 the building where the taverna stood was converted, like thousands of others in the 60s, into a modern block of flats, and the taverna reopened on the ground floor in the same spot it occupies today, a few steps below street level.

Still run by the same family, Kostas Philippou, the grandson of the original owner, and his Greek-Australian wife, Patricia, are now in charge. They are chic and soft-spoken, with the big friendly smiles of good hosts, and soon we understand why: most of their clientele are regulars, who either eat here or have their food to go every day.

'We try to keep things light and easy on the stomach, so we don’t use many spices or a lot of oil in our cooking,' Kostas Philippou said.

To read this article in full, please visit: Culinary Backstreets

This documentary short film, ‘4.1 Miles’ by Daphne Matziaraki, was nominated for a 2017 Academy Award! The film is about a coast guard captain on a small Greek island who is suddenly charged with saving thousands of refugees from drowning at sea.

 

‘When I returned home to Greece last fall to make a film about the refugee crisis, I discovered a situation I had never imagined possible. The turquoise sea that surrounds the beautiful Greek island of Lesbos, just 4.1 miles from the Turkish coast, is these days a deadly gantlet, choked with terrified adults and small children on flimsy, dangerous boats. I had never seen people escaping war before, and neither had the island’s residents. I couldn’t believe there was no support for these families to safely escape whatever conflict had caused them to flee. The scene was haunting.’

To read this article in full, please visit: The New York Times

Attorney Effie Spilioti was born and raised in Chicago. Her parents were first generation Greek immigrants who arrived in Chicago in search of a better future for their family. Like most immigrants, they left Greece with almost no resources, but with hope for the future and with a dream of returning to Greece someday.

“I followed my family to Greece after they decided to relocate there, for their retirement. When I arrived in Greece, I initially studied at the American College of Greece, but I had my mind set on studying law. After studying intensively for a year, I took the exams and was admitted to the Law School of the University of Athens.”

“I always believed that my upbringing in an immigrant family, watching them succeed through hardships and limited resources, has guided me and even assists me today in adapting to the insecurity of the current situation in Greece. If there is one thing that I learned from my parents as immigrants, that is importance of perseverance, hard work and “ethos” in all aspects of life. These are the traditional values that are common in all Greek immigrants, whether they are in the United States, Australia or other countries.”

Being exposed to two cultures has not been easy. When you are exposed to two cultures it is inevitable that you compare them to each other. As a woman living in Greece, I cannot say that I faced discrimination based on my gender in the workplace. It should be noted that Greece has laws that significantly protect the rights of mothers in the workplace.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek TV

Castle Cover, insurance specialists for people who are over fifty, researched retirement prospects in 23 countries to determine the Top 10 places to retire! Factors taken into account included house prices, health care costs, average temperature, rainfall and hours of sunshine – as well as grocery bills, crime rates and taxation.

 

According to Castle Cover, ‘While the economic crisis remains dire, this country continues to offer a relaxed lifestyle for many who have already made their pile. As the birthplace of democracy, Greece has evolved into a visually spectacular nation that offers great weather, readily available health care and – believe it or not – a low crime rate. Just make sure the locals don't mistake you for a German.’

Other countries also included on the list of Best Places To Retire are Spain, Portugal, Australia, the US, and Morocco.

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

The Acropolis of Athens is one of the most famous and influential landmarks in history. The naturally fortified site houses the greatest architectural influence of modern civilisation and symbolises the birthplace of democracy. While there is evidence that the Acropolis was inhabited as far back as 3,500 BC, it was Pericles, the democratic leader of Athens in the 4th century BC, who oversaw an ambitious construction program of the buildings and monuments that exist on the Acropolis today. And now, Why Athens shares the secrets of the Acropolis you may not have known until now!

The Temple of Athena Nike overlooks the entrance to the Acropolis and was constructed during Pericles’ building program in 426BC. The temple was a replacement for a 6th century BC dedication to Athena Nike which was constructed of wood but destroyed by the Persians. It survived virtually intact for 2,000 years, until 1686 when the Ottomans demolished the temple to use the marble as a fortification wall on the Propylaea. The wall was removed and the temple reconstructed to its former glory in 1834 after the Greeks regained their independence.

When the ancients first saw the rocky land mass which we know as the Acropolis, they must have been amazed by the perfection of its oval top. Measuring 350 metres long and 150 metres wide (52,500 square metres), it must be visited and walked to understand the true scale and uniqueness of the ancient site. Each year over 2 million people climb the Acropolis.

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

Jessica from Athens Coast explores Glyfada and shares a favorite new bar in the area called Brewklyn. It was ‘just what Glyfada needed!’

Brewklyn has the feel of a neighborhood hang-out. It’s very easy to visit this place once and declare it ‘my new spot’.

Outside seating on the busy Giannitsopoulou Street is perfect for people watching, especially in the summer months when twilight extends past 9pm.

Once the sun goes down, the inside has an inviting, cosy feeling with dim lighting and simple decor.

They offer over 80 varieties of beer at Brewklyn. The beer lovers behind the bar are constantly bringing in new beers to try and keep things up-to-date. They pay special attention to new and up-and-coming Greek breweries and are always rooting for the ‘home team’. Brewklyn also offers a delicious selection of pizza.

Address: Giannitsopoulou 3

Telephone: 210 894 3400

Hours: Daily from 18:00 to 02:00.

Facebook Page

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

Marketing Greece’s digital platform Blogtrotters, whose concept this year is ‘Travel in Balance’, has dedicated 2017 to the promotion of sustainable tourism development, with the aim of highlighting real-life examples.

This year, the Blogtrotters will tell stories of successful sustainable tourism practices in Greece, in support of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) designation of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

The digital influencers will communicate their stories through blog posts, vlogs and social media posts across the web. The impact of the influencers’ content on their followers will be measured via a unique digital Sustainability Footprint that comprises the storytelling, resultant coverage and sharing of the content among the general public.

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

A pedestrian walkway across Zea Marina in Piraeus is set to offer archaeology lovers a seaside stroll through time as it aims to connect wall fortifications, towers and ancient harbor finds.

The Culture Ministry has tabled a plan which has already received the approval of the Central Archaeological Council to establish a historic route that will highlight the port city’s ancient history and landmarks.

The walkway, which will include the Hellenic Maritime Museum, will bring all the main sites, findings, buildings, cisterns and parts of the famous Kononeio Wall together through wooden ramps, bridges and constructions aiming to offer visitors insight into the port city’s vast history.

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

'Little Island’ is a documentary about the story of a man who left everything behind to live on a small Greek island south of Crete for the past 40 years.

Despite the fact the first years were difficult, the man finally blended with the environment and managed to make a life worth living.

‘Little Island’ by Angeles Psomopoulos and Alex Vilaras was nominated in the 2016 Los Angeles Short Film Festival and mesmerizes its audiences with its simple beauty.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Reporter

In recent years, microbreweries throughout Greece have been producing beers that come with their own Greek stamp of authenticity. From Argos, Messinia, Patras, Evia, Serres and Komotini to Crete, Santorini, Tinos, Chios, Corfu, Kefalonia, Rhodes and Piraeus, microbreweries are on the rise, creating distinctive, unpasteurized, unfiltered, aromatic beers, expanding production, raising new capital and trying to satisfy international demand as local interest in their beers also grows.

The competitive advantage of Greek microbreweries is the high quality of the tasty beers from unique recipes, achieved on account of the production of small quantities so as to enhance the flavour, the aromas and the nutritional value of the beer. They also produce organic beers using local honey and grains, just as they did thousands of years ago. Microbreweries apply environmentally-friendly processes which minimize the ecological impact and support the community through local employment practices, as well as the local economy by sourcing materials and services.

Greek brewers – once professors, pharmacists, chemists, enologists – decided to devote themselves to experimenting with beer. Their allies: the mild Greek climate, the natural fresh water springs, hops and grains, together with other ingredients used to make their beer taste good, such as pure aromatic Greek honey, citrus, spices and flowers. The first Greek microbrewery began in 1997, and today at least 20 more are operating in some of the most beautiful destinations in Greece.

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