LIFE & CULTURE

XpatAthens
A Gift That Is Not For Everyone
This past week we’ve had extreme weather conditions including way too much snow in Athens. “What a gift this was,” said a friend of mine. “We were given a 3-day gift.” This got me thinking. We couldn’t drive anywhere, had to stay inside, schools were closed, kids had a blast playing with the snow – something they rarely see in Athens. Yes, it was definitely a wonderful, fun gift for some. For those of us who were healthy and didn’t need to get to the doctor or worse yet to the hospital. For those of us who had a roof over our heads and didn’t need to look for shelter. For those of us who had heat, electricity, and water. For those of us who had food on our plates. For those of us who had our loved ones nearby. Yes, for all of us it was an amazing gift!
But how about the others? How about the people whose houses were left without electricity or heat for long hours even days? How about the elderly or sick who live alone and had no help? How about those motorists who were stranded in the snow for more than 8 hours on the Athens’ ring road? I bet these people will not have fond memories of the extreme weather conditions. And I bet it’ll be hard for them to consider snow as a gift. Quite the opposite.
So while enjoying our gifts, whatever they may be for each one of us, let’s keep a few things in mind:
First and foremost, let’s remember to be grateful for what we have.
Let’s not forget that nothing is a given.
And let’s recognize that there are always two sides to a coin.
Originally published on: itsmylife.gr
Saturday In The Museum With 20+1 Masterpieces
Experience a different Saturday morning! Visit the Acropolis Museum and discover with the archaeologists the hidden stories of 20+1 masterpieces, which themselves chose for you.
Myths and fables, folklores and traditions, historical milestones and human stories transform into art and weave a vivid experience during an outstanding walk in the Museum’s Galleries.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
English: Every Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
Greek: every Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Duration: 90 minutes
Registration: Refer to the Information Desk on the day of the tour. Limited to 30 visitors. First-in first-served.
Health protection measures: It is necessary to wear a protective mask (not provided by the Museum) and to use the whisper guide system headsets (provided by the Museum).
Traditional Greek Winter Dishes
Greek cuisine is humble and simple, with a focus on fresh, healthy, and tasty ingredients, including vegetables and herbs, and that applies both to light and heartier dishes.
Since it is rather cold outside, here is a small list of traditional Greek winter staple dishes you should definitely try!
Fasolada
@toxwrioudaki
Fasolada is a traditional Greek bean soup – a very easy-to-make vegetarian recipe. This thick soup is traditionally made with white beans cooked with olive oil, onions, carrots, tomatoes, and celery. An all-time classic Greek winter staple, perfect for warming the body!
Meatball Soup - Giouvarlakia
@aikaterineapostolake
Another Greek comfort food, giouvarlakia is the ideal dish to keep you warm. It's a tasty meatball soup finished off with the infamous egg-lemon sauce (avgolemono) and complemented with vegetables of your liking. If you want to experiment a little bit, you can also try out the alternative version with tomato sauce.
Spetsofai
@agnomarket_meat
Yet another wintertime favorite, Spetsofai is a traditional dish originating from Pelion, the scenic mountain village of Thessaly. Made with country sausages and peppers cooked in a thick tomato sauce, this delicious dish is perfectly paired with feta cheese and a slice of bread to dip in the sauce. Eggplants are used in the original recipe, and in some areas, hot paprika and red hot chili peppers are used instead of ordinary peppers. It's a must-try, regardless of which version you make.
Chicken Soup - Kotosoupa
@olivemagazine_gr
Kotosoupa avgolemono (chicken soup with egg-lemon sauce), another Greek winter classic, is commonly served on cold days. It's very easy to cook; it's just chicken soup with rice and a lot of egg-lemon sauce. Not to mention that it is also used as a remedy to treat the common cold!
Greece Announces ‘Green Taxi’ Electric Vehicle Incentive
Transport Minister Costas Karamanlis presented the “Green Taxi” program during the 5th E-mobility Conference held in Athens this week. The decision is part of the government’s ongoing effort to accelerate the country’s transition to green practices beginning with the replacement of older, polluting vehicles, including private cars, taxis, and public transport, with newer, electric vehicles.
The “Green Taxi” program is funded by the EU’s RFF recovery tool and subsidizes the replacement of older taxis with fully electric vehicles. Karamanlis said funding could reach as much as 20,000 euros. At the same time, he said the government was moving forward with plans to install charging infrastructure at taxi stops.
Currently, there are 1,200 public charging stations available after the ministry entered a deal with the managing companies of the country’s highways, he said. The goal now is by 2025, to have developed a comprehensive network of 12,000 charging points to reach 25,000 across Greece by 2030.
Karamanlis said the government had already announced incentives for the purchase or lease of electric cars and motorcycles. Indicatively, he said, in 2021 a total of 6,967 electric cars were registered compared to 480 in 2019 with the market share going from 0.4 percent in 2019 to almost 7 percent last year.
“Today, according to official EU data, Greece is the EU country with the largest rate of change in the electric vehicle market,” he said.
To read this article in full, please visit: news.gtp.gr
Amazing Pictures Of Athens & The Greek Islands Covered In Snow
The heavy snowfall has caused many problems both in Athens and the islands, as Greece, a sunny country, isn't used to coping with such extreme weather events. For this reason, the government announced that Tuesday, January 25th, is to be considered a holiday for all workers in both the private and public sectors.
All the problems aside, however, many enjoyed the weather and were eager to capture the magical, snowy moments! Here are some of our favorite pictures of Athens and the Greek islands blanketed in snow, looking like they are straight out of a fairytale!
Acropolis - Athens

@andreas_megos

@athensvibe

@spathumpa

@tom_tsou

@markisia.photography

@milona_katerina
Neimporio - Andros Island

@georgekolidas

@visit.syros
📸 Main image: @amaliakovaiou
Odontotos: Greece’s Amazing Cog Railway Of The Peloponnese
People in many mountainous countries in Europe and beyond are used to cog, or “rack,” railways, trains which have been technically altered by the addition of cogs, or teeth, to be able to safely climb mountains.
Although Greece’s railway network is not massive, as it only connects its largest cities, the local train service between the towns of Diakopto and Kalavryta in Achaea, Peloponnese has its own, unique history and beauty.
Traditionally known in Greece as ”Odontotos,” which means ”the one with the teeth,” it once served as the main means of transportation for those who lived in the mountainous villages of the northwestern Peloponnese.
Now, the Odontotos serves as a popular tourist attraction, and tens of thousands of people every year go there to enjoy the beautiful landscape while they sit in comfort on this historic train.
The modern route runs for a total of 22 kilometers (14 miles) from the town of Diakopto through the famous gorge of Vouraikos and the old monastery of Mega Spilaeon, all the way up to the historic town of Kalavryta.
To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com
What Makes Feta The Healthiest Cheese In The World
According to dieticians and doctors around the globe, Feta is the healthiest cheese option in the world and now there is clear evidence to prove it.
The Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA) announced that a group of researchers has decoded the “DNA” of authentic feta cheese produced in Greece, unlocking its secrets at a molecular level, it was announced on Wednesday.
Dr. George Tsangaris and Dr. Athanasios Anagnostopoulos analyzed several varieties of feta cheese from all over Greece bearing the indication “Protected Designation of Origin” (PDO), identifying their nutritional properties and value.
It was discovered that all varieties of PDO Feta contain 489 different types of protein known, among others, for their antimicrobial activity and for strengthening the immune system. The research also identified many proteins related to vitamins and other oligo-elements known, among others, to benefit the nervous system, to maintain good kidney function, to help regulate arterial pressure and reduce cholesterol. According to researchers, these 489 proteins make up the “identity” of original Greek Feta cheese, which thus emerges as one of the protein-rich cheeses in the world.
Researchers used a ground-breaking method recently developed and exclusively implemented by the BRRFAA Proteomics Facility, called trophometry, foodometry, or nutriometry. Using a high-resolution mass spectrometer, scientists are able to qualitatively and quantitatively determine all the molecules contained in both solid and liquid foods, as well as in food supplements. The grand sum of these elements forms the “trophometric trace” of each individual food product, which is unique for everything we eat or drink and can thus be compared to the human DNA profile.
In addition to proving Greek Feta’s high nutritional value, the new BRFAA method can help determine the quality of the milk used during production; shield the market against instances of food adulteration; and, finally, distinguish authentic PDO feta made in Greece from other varieties of white cheeses.
Since 2002, ‘Feta’ has been a protected designation of origin (PDO) product in the European Union and the term can only be used to describe brined cheese made exclusively of sheep’s or sheep’s and goat’s milk in specific regions of Greece. In other countries, the term can also be used to describe white cheeses that are sometimes made with cow’s milk.
Originally published on:greekcitytimes.com
Pet Shop Boys Live In Athens
From the day they signed to Parlophone Records, Pet Shop Boys started writing pop music history. The numbers are staggering: 42 Top-30 singles, 22 Top-10 hits, 4 no 1s, 14 Top-10 albums (including the excellent "Hotspot" released in early 2020) in the UK and equivalent, if not even greater, success throughout the whole world.
It's A Sin, West End Girls, Heart, Go West, Always On My Mind, Love Comes Quickly, Domino Dancing, What Do I Want To Deserve This, Suburbia, Being Boring, Can You Forgive Her, Left To My Own Devices, Se A Vida E (That Is The Way Life Is), are just some of the wonderful songs that have given us over the last 30 years.
More acts for this day to be announced soon!
Greece To Ban Development In Mountain Areas To Protect Habitats
Making the transition to green energy a key priority, the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has promised to shut down nearly all its lignite-fired plants by 2025 and protect areas with native plants and animals.
Following devastating wildfires fuelled by a protracted heatwave last summer, the government has also promised to build better climate change defenses to protect its forests, which have a key role in reducing greenhouse emissions and attracting visitors.
“We have witnessed extreme weather phenomena and disasters in recent years which pose a great risk for nature and mankind,” Skrekas told an online news conference.
For that reason, Greece will not allow any new roads or any other kind of human construction in six mountains on the islands of Crete and Samothrace, on the Peloponnese peninsula, and in central Greece – which have a huge environmental value and are an integral part of our tourism, he said.
Mitsotakis has pledged to transform Greece’s economy through better use of its natural resources but has been forced to strike a balance between expanding wind parks in mountain areas with the need to protect forest habitats.
Environmental groups and locals have long opposed plans by private companies to build roads and allow the installation of wind turbines in mountain forests, arguing they would scar some of the country’s last remaining virgin areas.
Any permits of different stages for wind turbines that have been issued for wind projects in those mountains will be canceled, Skrekas said.
Originally published on: greece-is.com
"Elpida" Weather System Brings Snow & Low Temperatures
The country is currently being affected by a so-called Polar Jet Stream, fast-flowing, narrow, meandering air currents in the atmosphere coming from the North-West.
The weather system “Elpida” is expected to bring heavy snow and abnormally low temperatures that will remain at least until the middle of next week.
According to the director of the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, the first “wave” hits on Wednesday, January 19th, without significant effects. However, the second “wave” is expected to hit on Saturday with thunderstorms, snow, and a noticeable drop in temperature.
“Elpida” weather system will bring “polar” temperatures, with the country entering a phase of prolonged cold weather. The intensity and extent of these weather phenomena, however, are still unknown and entirely dependent on the exact location and course of the system.
According to the most recent forecast data, however, very heavy snowfalls are likely to occur on most of the Aegean islands.
To avoid frost damage on hydrometers and water pipes, precautionary measures should be put into action, such as covering/insulating hydrometers or emptying the water pipes overnight.
If you live in one of Greece’s mountainous areas, prepare yourself for an emergency by creating and storing a supply of water that will meet your family’s needs.
At a glance
- Weather deterioration during the weekend with heavy snowfall, not only in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas but even in lowland areas of central and northern Greece.
- The temperature will drop significantly by 8 to 10 degrees Celsius.
- The winds will blow 5 to 6 and 7 Beaufort in the Aegean and up to 8 and 9 Beaufort during the weekend.