If Vogue is writing about it, then it must be cool, right?

From roaming the streets of Plaka to admiring the exhibitions at the Benaki Museum, Athens doesn’t dissapoint with brilliant things to do. Sometimes however, especially during the summer months, Athens becomes crowded with tourists. It may be hard to find a quiet space to enjoy the city if you don’t know what you’re looking for. In this article, Vogue explores Koukaki and Makriyianni and establishes these two neighborhoods as ‘inviting and lingering, remaining remarkably hushed.’

Click HERE to read Vogue’s suggestions for what to do, where to eat, where to shop, and even where to stay, all within Koukaki and Makriyianni!

ZARO’S natural mineral bottled water won the Golden Prize Award in the ‘Bottled Water’ category in the framework of the 27th Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, a competition which brought together more than 600 bottled waters from around the world.

ZARO’S water, which is bottled from water sources located at the foot of the mountain Psiloritis in Crete, was evaluated by 12 judges — among them internationally famous water conoisseurs — who examined criteria such as smell, view, taste and texture.

It is the second successive distinction for ZARO’S water, after it won the ‘iTQi’ Superior Taste Award in 2016.

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

While Athens has been bearing the brunt of the Greek crisis, it has also undergone an evident revival as a tourism destination. Downtown Syntagma has become a hub of exciting restaurants, sophisticated wine bars and award-winning mixologists, alternative art spaces and design studios, but also a few brand-new hotels, with the most talked-about arrival in 2016 being that of the Metropolis Electra. The inauguration of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, the honor of hosting the international art forum Documenta 14 and the anticipated unveiling of the new opera house at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center also point to a renaissance in the arts and constitute excellent reasons to extend your stay beyond a visit to the Acropolis and its museum.

Tinos spent decades in the shadow of the Cycladic island cluster’s most popular destination – Mykonos – and was known mainly as a pilgrimage site for the Church of the Panaghia, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Its reputation has undergone a massive turnaround in the past few years, however, and today it’s becoming the place to be, thanks to its many beautiful traditional villages, its local winemakers producing fine organic like Volacus, and cultural events such as Tinos Food Paths and the Tinos World Music Festival.

Just a stone’s throw from the popular Cyclades holiday destination of Paros, this small island that was a punk-rocker haven in 1970s, has acquired a new sophistication after its discovery by Hollywood star Tom Hanks. Laidback campers now rub shoulders with jet-setters sailing into the island on luxury yachts, staying at rented villas and eating at fancy restaurants. The islet of Despotiko, an archaeological site, is a must-see. To reach Antiparos, fly or take a ferry to Paros and take a boat either from Parikia port or from Pounta.

All the beauty of the Peloponnese can be found encapsulated on this island off the peninsula’s southeastern tip. It has great beaches like Kaladi and Halkos, pretty cobbled alleys in the main town of Hora, traditional cafés and seafood restaurants where you can dine on fresh lobster, and, of course, located above the village of Milopotamos, the famous Neraida Waterfall, named after the fabled fairies some believe still frolic among the age-old plane trees.

And many more!

To read this article in full, please visit: Greece Is

Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis and Lesvos Mayor Spiros Galinos are among the 10 most outstanding mayors in the world, according to the results of the biennial World Mayor competition announced recently by the organizer of the City Mayors Foundation.

Mayors Kaminis and Galinos stood out for welcoming refugees and offering them safety, shelter and support in their cities.

According to the World Mayor website, Athens, Lesvos and Lampedusa (Italy) are the three Mediterranean communities in the World Mayor Honours List that must receive special recognition for the welcome they offered to tens of thousands of men, women and children who were fleeing the fighting in the Middle East or poverty in Africa.

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

Athens International Airport, Eleftherios Venizelos, was recently certified by the independent carbon management program Airport Carbon Accreditation as being certified carbon neutral. This makes the airport the 25th certified carbon neutral airport in Europe.

Proud of Athens’ accomplishment is Dr Yiannis Paraschis, the CEO of Athens International Airport. He says, ‘By achieving carbon neutrality, Athens International Airport continues to tangibly demonstrate its commitment to the fight against climate change.’

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

Read more about Kathara Deftera or ‘Clean Monday,’ learn how to make a Cretan-style fish for lent, sign up for the Cyclades Trail Cup, and celebrate 40 years of living in Greece with Greeker than the Greeks writer as she shares 40 things she learned!

 

Read more about the tradition of Tsiknopempti and why the National Museum of Contemporary Art is listed as one of the top museum openings for 2017. You can also meet a fellow expat and learn a few secrets of the Acropolis!

 

Find out why Athens is THE city to visit in 2017, why there’s always a church around the corner in Greece, and explore Nafpaktos with the top things to do!

 

Please click HERE to view this issue of our newsletter!

Remember to stay connected with us through our weekly newsletter, Facebook, and Twitter!

Navigate the expat life with learning how to find home in a foreign country and getting to know fellow expats!

 

The 1st international golf tournament, Messinia Pro-Am took place at The Dunes Course and The Bay Course from February 21-24 2017. The golf tournament attracted 27 Teams consisting of 27 top professionals and 81 amateur golfers from 14 countries, including the Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, the UK and the United States.

The 1st Messinia Pro-Am was played over 54 holes (three rounds) with each team consisted of one professional and three amateurs. The high level of the golfers, offered a strong and competitive tournament where the daily results balanced until the end of each round.

The Messinia Pro-Am closed with the Gala dinner and Prize Award Ceremony, which was presented by Nadia Boule and Christos Chatziioannou. Mr. Achilles V. Constantakopoulos, Chairman & CEO, of TEMES S.A., developers of Costa Navarino opened the Gala dinner with his speech. He highlighted the long-standing dream of his father and founder of Costa Navarino, Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos to make Greece a premier golf destination.

The first award of the night was a special ‘Hole in One’ award given to German journalist from Golf Spielen, Petra Himmel. She is one of only 6 golfers to have managed this rare feat in competition at The Bay Course. Petra Himmel also received the awards for the “Longest Drive” and “Closest To The Pin” for women. David Arendt received the “Longest Drive” men’s category. Haris Papadopoulos received the Men’s “Closest To The Pin” award.

The 1st place Team was the professional Stuart Boyle and amateurs Haris Papadopoulos, Georgios Kyvernitis and Daniele Bovio.

2nd place went to the professional Steve Dooley and amateurs Gerhard Komarek, Andreas Hainz and Gerhard Marischka. Professional Panos Karantzias and his team of amateurs Igor Graskin, Christian Werner and Bettina Schroeder won 3rd place.

The evening concluded with the awards for the winning Professionals!

Federico Elli (PGA Italy) was the 1st Messinia Pro-Am champion. “Costa Navarino is always a top place to be…a wonderful hotel, wonderful golf course and all the staff are brilliant. I think this is one of the best spots for a golfing holiday…we will come back for sure next year.” said Mr. Elli. His interview can be watched here.

Ralph Miller (PGA Holland) was 2nd and Lorenzo Gagli (PGA Italy) 3rd. Hugo Santos and Emanuele Canonica were 4th and 5th respectively. Finally, Paul Nilbrink the winner of the 4th Aegean Airlines Pro Am (2009) came 6th. In addition to these top professionals, celebrities also participated in the tournament, such as top American basketball player Joe Arlauckas and German TV presenter, Annica Hansen.

The surprises did not stop there! In a special contest sponsored by Intersys SA, three lucky people won 3 unique TomTom Sports Runner 2 watches.

The 1st Messinia Pro-Am was a success because of the great support of many sponsors such as our official airline partner of the tournament, AEGEAN, member of the global airline STAR ALLIANCE, the official sponsor Loux, the largest soft drink and juice company in Greece, and the official sponsors Vodafone, Athens International Airport (AIA), Poseidonia, MyTransfer and CU BOX.

The company J.VOURAKIS SONS EE, an official supporter of the tournament designed the awards for the Prize Giving Ceremony. Other official supporters of the tournament were METAXA, the well-known companies Kyvernitis Travel, Heineken, Ford Motor Hellas and ΤοmTom Sports.

Messinia Pro-Am was also supported by a number of helpers: Kalamata Papadimitriou, the liquor and beverage brands of Stolichnaya and Fever-Tree, Predaris company with Cu Wrap, Dimiourgies company and the natural mineral water company Hyas.

The 1st Messinia Pro-Am was organized under the auspices of the PGAs of Europe, the PGA of Greece, the Hellenic Golf Federation and the Hellenic Olympic Academy.

Watch the best moments from the 2017 Messinia Pro-Am tournament!



For more information, please visit: Messinia Pro-Am