Walking the cobblestone pathway of Europe's largest archaeological park in Athens is a rewarding history lesson in the world's grandest open-air university.

There are no fees, no professors, no homework. You don't even have to attend everyday, just as and when there's an itch of intrigue.

Like Rome, Athens surrounds you with the ancient: the Acropolis, the Theatre of Dionysus, Herodes Atticus, Arch of Hadrian and the Athennian Trilogy.  It's the crumbling Meccano kit of empires built and empires destroyed.

No other country can boast such a hard-bastard dynasty of athletes, Titans and Gigantes.  And it's the Greek history and landscapes, even more than empirical brick-and-mortar that jointly built the modern Greece we know today.

Here is a country routed in our consciousness, whether we've visited it or not.  The names of ancient Gods and Goddesses are taught to us at an early age, and the epistemology of their philosophers still widely referenced in society today.

Those of you with a loathsome memory of school Maths will recall Pythagoras's Theorem, the Trigonometry thorn that created hatred ina ll exam-sitters for Greek mathematicians.  Then, there are the philosopheres and the poets - the scholars.  Greek mythology and Greek tragedies.  We think of the Olympics, we think of Greece.  Even their yoghurts are famous.

To read more, please visit: Daily Mail Online

by

David Constable

One of the things I learned from my upbringing was to never question when someone less-fortunate needed help.

“Help first, then ask questions,” my dad would tell me when I worked shifts at the Chateau Restaurant and Lounge on Pittsburgh’s North Side as a kid.

The restaurant was in a bit of a rough neighborhood and I was always perplexed at my dad’s willingness to offer free food— often to random people or groups. The Pittsburgh Steelers football players always got free lunches at my dad’s place. Their training facility was nearby and they often came for some good old diner food after a tough practice session.

And the police too.

“Celebrities and cops are always free,” my dad explained. The celebrities because they bring more people and the police because they protect us.

And then there were the homeless and the poor— from the surrounding neighborhood of Manchester, a run-down neighborhood that had seen its share of problems.

You always give first and ask questions later— if someone needs food, you help them.

I often questioned my dad’s business acumen as I grew older, asking him about cost of goods and food, the profit and loss margin on the free food we were giving and whether or not he could really afford to give away all this free food.

“Shame on you,” he responded, asking me if I’ve ever been deprived of anything at home. He reminded me that despite his regular giving, I always had clothes on my back, food on my table and everything I asked for, so obviously… the restaurant was doing well.

A Facebook post on my newsfeed reminded me of my long-departed dad today, because I think it’s what he would have done.

Liana Denezaki shared a few pictures that were shot by Odysseas Galanakis in central Victorias Square in Athens, showing a 92 year old woman unloading and distributing bags and bags of sandwiches and cakes that she, herself, prepared.

By
Gregory Pappas

To read more, please visit: Pappas Post

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

After archaeologists excavated parts of two of the three militarized harbors built in Piraeus, they found for the first time the 5th century BC Naval bases of Piraeus, including the ship-sheds, the slipways, and the harbor fortifications.

 

Bjørn Lovén, director of the Zea Harbor Project, led the excavations and says that the naval fortifications at one time housed about 400 fast and maneuverable ships called triremes. These vessels were tended to by 80,000 sailors and soldiers.

Lovén and his team most recently excavated the remains of six ship sheds. The sheds stored triremes to protect them from marine woodworms and to keep the hot Mediterranean sun from shrinking their timbers and causing leaks. The sheds were huge—spread between the three ports of Piraeus (Mounichia, Zea and Kantharos), they covered 110,000 square meters or more than 1 million square feet. That is about the size of 17 football fields.

Carbon-14 dating of pottery and wooden foundations placed the ship-sheds between 520 and 480 BC. Those dates are significant because it likely means they housed triremes that took part in the Battle of Salamis in 480, a key event in Greek history.

To read this article in full, please visit: Smithsonian

Throughout the centuries of Greece's turbulent history, Greek people have gone through economic hardships many a time; prompting thousands to immigrate in search of a better future. In search of a better future, many Greeks people immigrated to foreign countries such as Germany, Australia, Canada, and the United States. There have been several immigration waves toward North America the first of which occurred around 1822. According to historical records, about 328 Greeks were living in the United States by 1860.

 

 

Greek food is often considered among the most healthy cuisines in the world, as it is linked to the Mediterranean diet, which has been proven to have countless health benefits.

As a rule, the Mediterranean diet is mainly plant-based, as it is high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and unprocessed grains while low in meat and meat products. These ingredients are bound together by olive oil, an essential ingredient when it comes to defining the basics of healthy Greek food and the Mediterranean diet.

According to several studies, the Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced risk of several chronic diseases, including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Some have even linked it to preventing depression.

Here are some of the superstar foods in this delicious health-promoting diet!

Olive oil

Olive oil is the common denominator in the different dietary patterns of the Mediterranean diet across the region, with Italy, Spain, and Greece being the top three producers in the world. Extra-virgin olive oil is rich in carotenoids and polyphenols, offering antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It's the main source of fat in the diet, and it is also used for cooking and baking.

Wheat is the basic grain of the Mediterranean while another traditional grain is farro (or emmer), an ancient wheat with renewed popularity in recent years. Bread is often baked using unrefined wheat and barley flours. Mediterranean wheat is also used for couscous and pasta. Traditionally, wheat was ground with millstones, producing a fiber-rich whole-wheat flour with a lower glycemic index.

Alcohol is common in the traditional Mediterranean diet, dating back to ancient times. However, it is consumed in moderation and usually in the form of wine and, as a rule, during meals. Red wine, in particular, contains antioxidant polyphenols and flavonoids while helping increase HDL (good) cholesterol and decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

Chickpeas are a good source of fiber, folate, and manganese while also providing proteins, iron, and magnesium. Chickpeas are one the earliest known cultivated legumes, they are the key ingredient in many traditional Greek dishes.

This essential ingredient of all Mediterranean cuisines is often found in a variety of sauces and dishes. For instance, tzatziki, a staple in Greek food, is yogurt mixed with garlic, cucumbers, and olive oil, while aioli, an Italian sauce, is made mixing garlic with eggs and olive oil. The sulfur compounds in garlic produce both its pungent odor but are the key to its health benefits, which include anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects.

Traditional feta cheese and yogurt are fermented, which makes them rich in probiotics, also providing an extra portion of protein to a diet that’s mostly plant-based. Authentic Greek feta is made with goat’s milk or sheep’s milk while yogurt with honey is a common Greek breakfast.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com

Anyone considering visiting Greece for a holiday needs to think twice as once they’re in Greece, they may want to stay forever. That’s the central theme in a new campaign for Greek tourism, launched by the Greek National Tourism Organization on Monday, May 30. 

A video for the “Greece: You will want to say forever” campaign features an Austrian man, Otto, who tells his story of ending up in Greece to a backdrop of beautiful images from the Greek islands.

The Onassis Foundation supports the new summer tourism campaign and Ogilvy produced the promotional video.



Originally published on: ekathimerini.com

Acropolis in Athens, ranks as one of the world’s most beautiful cultural world heritage sites, according to a recent research published by Betway, an online gaming company.

To compile the list experts at Betway used a seedlist of the most popular world heritage sites while sites of more than one location and specific areas of cities were removed from the ranking in order to create a fair analysis. The 109 locations used in the analysis where then categorized as either city, natural or cultural sites.

According to the research, Acropolis ranked as the 7th most stunning cultural heritage site in the world with over 1.5 million Instagram hashtags dedicated to the monument.

The Taj Mahal in India topped the list with almost 2.4 million hashtags. Built in the 17th century, the iconic mausoleum is a popular location among travelers to Asia.

The Versailles in France followed Taj Mahal on the list, while the top 5 was rounded up with the Statue of Liberty (US), Machu Picchu (Peru) and Petra (Jordan).

To read this article in full, please visit news.gtp.gr

Greece, with its rich history and vibrant culture, has always been a land of playfulness and innovation. Over the centuries, Greeks have indulged in various games that brought joy and camaraderie to their communities. While many of these traditional games have faded away with time, they remain an intriguing part of Greece's cultural heritage. Here are five such games that once thrived in ancient Greek society but are no longer played.


1. Ephedrismos (Εφεδρισμός)

Ephedrismos was a popular game among Greek children that combined elements of balance and agility. The game involved one player bending over and touching the ground with their hands while the other players jumped over them. The goal was to perform the jump without falling or losing balance. This game not only provided entertainment but also helped in developing physical coordination and strength.

2. Ostrakinda (Οστρακίνδα)

Ostrakinda, also known as "The Game of the Shells," was a strategic game played with small potsherds or flat stones. Players would draw a line on the ground and take turns throwing their pieces to see who could get closest to the line. The game was reminiscent of modern-day marbles and required a keen eye and steady hand. This game was particularly popular during the ancient Greek festivals and gatherings.

3. Kottabos (Κότταβος)

Kottabos was a drinking game that originated in ancient Greece and was especially popular during symposia (drinking parties). Participants would sit around a table with their cups of wine and attempt to flick the last drops of their drink at a target, usually a small saucer or disc balanced on a stand. The objective was to knock the target off without spilling the wine. Kottabos required both precision and a bit of luck, making it an exciting and competitive game.

4. Pentelitha (Πεντελίθα)

Pentelitha was a simple yet engaging game played with five small stones. Similar to the modern game of jacks, players would throw one stone into the air and try to pick up the remaining stones before catching the tossed stone. The game progressed through various levels of difficulty, challenging the player's dexterity and concentration. Pentelitha was a favorite pastime for children, often played during leisurely afternoons.

Reviving the Legacy

While these traditional Greek games are no longer commonly played, they offer a fascinating glimpse into the past. They remind us of a time when simple pleasures and communal activities were central to daily life. Today, these games can serve as a source of inspiration for those interested in cultural heritage and traditional play.

In an era dominated by digital entertainment, revisiting these ancient games can provide a refreshing break and an opportunity to connect with the rich cultural tapestry of Greece. 

From sun‑kissed islands to mountain hideaways and everything in between, Greece is a playground for every kind of traveller. Every season, every mood, every personality finds its match here, whether you’re chasing adventure, craving pure relaxation, or dreaming of wandering through ancient ruins and legendary landscapes or secretly hoping for something a little… unconventional. And in the category of delightfully unconventional, today’s spotlight goes to the haunted village of Timboulis!

Are you a lover of eerie, quirky atmospheres? A compulsive collector with a soft spot for the bizarre? Then this wonderfully odd museum is calling your name!

Hidden in the Peloponnese, it can be rightfully considered one of the most surreal vilalges of Greece, and is the creation of Uli and Tibor, a couple who go by the whimsical nickname the Timboulis. They took an old café‑grocery store and transformed it into a fully functioning… dolls village.

These passionate collectors gathered and recycled everything they could, from valuable vintage treasures to objects destined for the trash, and used them to build an entire world for their plastic inhabitants. And the result is astonishing. The dolls look uncannily like real villagers: sitting under the pergola sipping coffee, spying on visitors from the balcony, going about their daily lives inside the house. A little creepy? Maybe. But also wildly creative and strangely inspiring. Giving a second life to discarded objects, mixing them into a chaotic yet meaningful universe, they’ve built a place that feels bizarre, charming, and unforgettable.

As you stroll through this curious open‑air museum, you’ll weave between old telephones, vintage televisions, cart wheels, faded photographs, even boats stacked in corners... Every inch of the place is packed with stories, so let your imagination run wild!

And just when you think you’ve seen it all… the dolls move. Haunted dolls? Not quite. But the scenes are regularly rearranged, giving the plastic villagers new lives, new poses, new stories. So no matter how many times you visit, you’ll never see the same scene twice (which is a chance because entrance is free!)!


@artem1s_ale

Main image credit: @_athinadal