XpatAthens

XpatAthens

Most of us already know Nikos Vatopoulos as a journalist and as the Chief Editor of Culture at Kathimerini newspaper and not as a book author. Born and bred in Athens, Vatopoulos' path to adulthood was inevitably intertwined with the city's constant development. It is his exploration and experiences of Athens that unravel in his newest book, Walking in Athens.

Published by Metaixmio, Walking in Athens is a collection of articles accompanied by stunning photos through which we will get to know Athens and its fascinating synthesis of urban elements. 

It speaks about an ever-developing society, an evolving civilization, and the history of the city's communities. Walking in Athens discloses hidden urban myths and reveals the fascinating history of an entire century, right before our eyes.

 


To learn more about this award-winning book, please click here.


 

Tuesday, 26 July 2022 12:43

FOUGARO ARTCENTER

Named after the greek word for smokestack, this former tomato cannery is now a vibrant culture center celebrating art and creativity and offering multiple spaces to enjoy life in the shade of plane and mulberry trees. In the summer months, the main plaza fills with families and kids playing ping-pong, table football or chess, while enjoying drinks & dining outdoors. Seasonal Greek fare such as keftedakia with yoghurt and mint sauce, grilled talagani cheese, mousse of feta and local provio ice-cream, is served by the CAFÉBISTROT under the trees and on the deck by the stream.

FOUGARO hosts live music events every Saturday night, dj sets on Fridays, and an annual Jazz Festival every September. Contemporary art exhibits run through the year, and sculptures of the FKPCOLLECTION adorn all gardens and patios. Workshops for young and old include ceramics, drawing, and painting, and an annual exhibition of its students’s works is presented every summer in all its workshop spaces.

Water features, fragrant gardens, two multilingual libraries and a towering smokestack, all combine to create a welcoming oasis of culture and aesthetics, making FOUGARO ARTCENTER the ideal place to relax, savour and enjoy life!
Thursday, 19 January 2023 08:05

Dentist-Pass For Children To Be Launched

For the first time, Greece’s Health Ministry is taking care of the dental care and is proceeding with the implementation of a free preventive dental care program, through the so-called Dentist-Pass voucher for children aged 6-12.

Goal of the Health Ministry is that starting from March 2023 parents will be able to book an appointment with a dentist of their choice simply using the new Dentist Pass voucher.

Dentists who wish to participate in this new service network will be able to participate, provided they have a registered POS.

The program Dentist-Pass includes a visit to the dentist and thus for the following services:
  • Control of the child’s oral hygiene
  • Dental fluoridation
  • Cleaning Oral hygiene information and instructions for children and parents 
Regarding the process of granting the “Dentist Pass” voucher, parents should take the following steps:

One of the two parents submits an application for the issuance of the financing card through gov.gr or through the KEPs on the Program’s Electronic Platform.

The card will then be stored in the digital wallet of the beneficiary parent’s mobile phone and can be used at the POS of all dental offices.

Each voucher that will be activated will be valid for six months.

The Dentist Pass voucher is reportedly set to cover 600,000 children aged 6 to 12.

Originally published on: keeptalkinggreece.com
Wednesday, 18 February 2015 11:58

Greece’s Health & Wellness Spas

Well-being does not concern physical health only. It is a general feeling, an internal ray of health, force and beauty. It is an on-going process. The successful endeavor by anyone for a better life, the coverage of internal desires, his particularities, the freedom to choose comprise his personal recipe for well-being. I feel good, I’m having a good time, means that I am feeling mentally well-balanced and I feel healthy.

Because if health –in accordance with the definition prescribed in the constitution of the World Health Organization (1946) – is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not just the absence of an illness or a disability”, a person can easily understand that the meaning of health is not given only by medicine, but also by other factors such as environment, economy, work, etc, and is based solely on a feeling of well-being.

Apart from the rare landscapes and special natural beauties, nature also endowed Greece with springs with important therapeutic properties. Spas are part of the country’s national wealth, while their therapeutic properties were already known in ancient times.

Natural therapeutic springs are found in many different places in Greece, and the water from specific springs differs from ordinary water owing either to its high temperature, or to the presence of rare active components.

Greece is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural spas. Thermal and mineral springs appear at 850 different geographical locations.

In addition to revitalising the spirit, the large number of mineral springs in Greece offers visitors an opportunity to receive treatment for chronic conditions in a natural way (hydrotherapy). Ailments like arthritis and rheumatic disorders are traditionally associated with the elderly, and therefore everyone believes that spas are for the “therapeutic” treatment of mainly senior citizens. However, the beneficial properties are much broader as they also benefit people of all ages. They start by improving appearance (concerns mainly the condition of the skin) and arrive at the more generalized feeling of relaxation and well-being.

The development of health and spa tourism in Greece has been rapid and there is to observe a significant growth of supply and service differentiation. The forms of hydrotherapy treatment applied in Greece are spa or mud therapy, drinking or inhalation therapy.

Fourteen hydro-therapeutic centres (owned by G.N.T.O.) annually treat around 100,000 persons, with 1,400,000 therapeutic treatments, while dozens of other spas operated by local authorities offer modern high-quality services to visitors. In addition, spa centers with state of the art facilities and specialized staff can be found in the majority of the five-star hotels, while other spas can usually be found in Athens or Thessaloniki.

Moreover, thalassotherapy is used as a combination of relaxation, revitalisation, recreation and healing that is achieved in the ideal climatic conditions of Greece and with the use of its excellent seawater. Natural resources are still in use but a holistic provision of body and soul is being introduced including wide spectrum of fitness and wellness products and services.

With one of the best climates in the world, with a unique variety of nature, as well as one of the healthiest diets in the world, Greece is the ideal proposal for psychological and physical health and the search for well-being!

Source:Visitgreece.gr

The public sector trade union ADEDY has announced a walk and demonstration for Wednesday, demanding that dismissed employees be reinstated in the posts, that the suspension legislation be abolished and that the public institutions and services that were abolished as a result are allowed to operate again.

As such, ADEDY has called for public sector employees to participate en masse in the panattic walk out, which come into effect at noon and last until the end of the day. A demonstration will also take place at 1pm at Klafthmonos Square, followed by a march to Parliament and the Ministry of Administrative Reform.

University employees join walk out

The administrative employees of the universities have also announced that they will join ADEDY’s protest, in opposition to the suspension measure which has had a profound effect on their sector.

To read more, please visit tovima.gr/en

They are a poignant symbol of Europe’s refugee crisis: Mountains of life vests strewn on the beaches of Lesvos, and piled high at dumps on the Greek island that doesn’t know what to do with them.

Now some of those refugees are working on a solution.

A group of volunteers at a refugee shelter on the island has launched a project to make handbags, totes, and messenger bags out of the brightly colored vests, hoping to raise money for charity efforts on the island.

At a tiny makeshift workshop, Afghan tailor Yasin Samadi works with a sewing machine to make a small orange dispatch bag, as children and other curious onlookers wander in and out, drawn by the bursts of noise from the machine.

"If there’s work here, I will stay here," says the 27-year-old from Kabul, who’s been living with his family at the shelter, known as the PIKPA camp, for 18 months. "If not, we'll need to leave."

Lesvos has been at the center of the refugee crisis that escalated dramatically last year. More than 500,000 refugees and other migrants arrived to the island in 2015, nearly half the total number of people who traveled to Europe.

To read more, please visit: ekathimerini
The Athens Ring is back in service from Monday, September 30, 2019, to Friday, July 17, 2020. The Athens Ring or 'Daktylios' in Greek is a specified area in central Athens controlled by an odd/even traffic system to curb traffic congestion and pollution in the center of the city
 
Essentially, private vehicles and trucks are alternately allowed in the center of Athens depending on the current date and the last digit of their registration plate. For example, cars whose registration plates end in an odd number will be allowed in the center of the city on the odd days of the month and vice versa.
 
The measure is implemented from Monday to Thursday from 07:00 am to 8:00 pm and on Fridays from 07:00 am to 3:00 pm.
 
The Athens Ring is indicated with a ‘Δ’ street sign and is bordered by the following streets: L. Alexandras, Zaharof, L. Mesogeion, Fidippidou, Michalakopoulou, Spyrou Merkouri, Vryaxidos, Ymittou, Ilia Iliou, Amvrosiou Frantzi, L. Syggrou, Hamosternas, Peiraios, Iera Odos, L. Konstantinoupoleos, Achilleos, Plateia Karaiskaki, Karolou, Marni, 28 Oktovriou (Patission), L. Alexandras.


Click Here To Read More About The Athens Ring 
Tuesday, 30 January 2018 07:00

A Mythological Family Road Trip In Greece

A family road trip has never been easier in Greece, especially with the help of Kids Love Greece and their mythological road trip itinerary! There are so many places to see and do and the time it takes to drive is never too far. This road trip begins and ends in Athens and covers the major archaeological sites, significant places of interest, and even some UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The road trip begins in Athens, and our pro-tip here, is to leave as early as you can in the morning, preferably on a Saturday or Sunday in order to avoid the traffic. The first stop on the agenda is the mountain town of Arachova. This is a lovely place to spend some time, with great views and an intimate feel. You might even choose to spend the night here, or even two nights if you use this as your base to explore Delphi.

The next stop is the archaeological site of Delphi. If your kids read the Percy Jackson books, then they can probably tell you all about it! Delphi was considered to be the center of the ancient Greek world, and was home to the famous oracle. It is worth spending at least a couple of hours at the site, and there is also a museum to be visited.

To read this article in full, please visit: Kids Love Greece
Thursday, 26 April 2018 07:00

New In Athens - NAMI Sushi Bar

Located in Glyfáda, NAMI Sushi is fairly new on the Athens scene, opening in April 2017, but there's already buzz surrounding this Japanese Sushi Bar. NAMI has gotten rave reviews about the amazing flavors they offer, the freshness of their sushi, and the spectacularly clean and friendly environment. While they are regularly open for dinner at 19:00, they also host events with live jazz and a lively atmosphere.

The menu is large with appetizers, salads, and many kinds of sushi, including Temaki, Hosomaki, Urumaki, Gunkan, Nigiri, etc. For non-sushi lovers, there's a choice of egg, buckwheat, or ramen noodles, as well as main dishes like Salmon teriyaki and shrimp and vegetable tempura. For the adult beverages, Nami has the basics covered with wines (white, red, and rose), a selection of spirits, and of course, Sake. Where they really stand out is with their collection of speciality cocktails with names like Jazzmine, a bombay gin infused green tea with jasmine flowers or the Hattori Hanzo, another bombay gin with fresh kumquat and quarto. So whether you like sushi or not, NAMI Sushi has something for everyone.

Website
Address: Kyprou 65, Glyfáda
Telephone: 210 898 5555
Hours: 19:00-00:30

Photo Credit: NAMI Sushi
Monday, 16 July 2018 07:00

The Most Beautiful Places Of Greece

As if we needed any more excuses to visit (or live in) Greece! From CNN Travel, here are their picks of the most beautiful places of Greece.

Naxos

The largest island of the Cyclades, Naxos, combines Caribbean-looking sugar-sand beaches for sun-worshippers and a 3,000-foot mountain for hikers.

Karpathos

This island's wild landscapes are only matched by its unique ethnic culture. The village of Olympos is so cut off from the rest of the island that women still wear traditional embroidered dresses.

Andros

Andros is a green, lush island close to Athens and the birthplace of 20 ship-owning families who have endowed it with museums and art collections. Today in Andros, it's easier to navigate around the island by boat than car.

The palace of Knossos, Crete

Knossos, according to tradition was the capital of the Minoan civilization, the first in Europe, and was inhabited from the Neolithic period (7000 BC) until Roman times. One of the few archeological sites in Greece to be partially restored, its big draws are the Throne Room and the remarkable frescoes still adorning the walls.

Mycenae

Mycenae, setting of the Homeric epics, became one of the first excavated sites in Greece when archeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered several grave mounds in the 1870s.

To read this article in full, please visit: CNN Travel
Page 239 of 437