At the beginning of time, when gods and monsters roamed the earth, the Titans fought the Olympians for control of the Universe. During the ten-year battle, the Titans gained strength by drinking from the Acheron River. Enraged, Zeus cursed the river which, according to Greek mythology, was the gateway to the underworld.

This is only one of the origin stories of the river. In fact, the 52 km-long Acheron River in Epirus, northwest Greece, is far more than the fame it had in mythology.

Teeming with life, the river enchants the visitors with a complex ecosystem of gorges, lakes, and waterfalls. In riverside villages, nature lovers discover wildlife, learn about the local history, and adrenaline junkies can engage in a range of adventure sports.

Many villages have access to the river, but most travelers head to Ammoudia, Mesopotamo, and Gliki. Located 5 kilometers east of Ammoudia, the settlement is the home of the old Acherousia lake, which ancients believed was the entrance to Hades.

Today’s visitors can combine a stop at the nearby ruins with a visit to Ammoudia, where boat trips explore the wetlands along the river, lined with water lilies and trees. About 20 kilometers up from Ammoudia, Gliki is known for its adventure sports and hiking trails. It also combines swimming with rock climbing.

In addition to the many outdoor activities, Acheron supports a habitat that hosts rare and endangered animals and plants, endemic to the area. In the Straits of Glyki, there are endangered birds such as golden eagles, vultures, and Egyptian vultures. In total, the 11,440 acres surrounding the Acheron Straits and wetlands zone are part of the European Commission’s NATURA 2000 network of protected areas.

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The Greek Maritime Golf Event, the best golf tournament in Greece according to the Sports Marketing Awards, is just around the corner for its 8th year and is once more expected to gather distinguished executives of the Greek and global maritime industry, on September 8-11, 2022, at Costa Navarino, Messinia.

 

This year’s event will be held with a new competition format as participants will compete for the top positions in a two-day shotgun scramble. The first round will take place on Friday, September 9, at 10:00am at The Hills Course, and the final results will derive after the second round, which is going to be held on Saturday, September 10, at 10:00am at the International Olympic Academy Golf Course.

More than 100 leading executives from the maritime industry will play in the two new 18-hole signature golf courses designed by two-time Masters champion and Ryder Cup legend José Marίa Olazábal at Navarino Hills. Players will compete in an idyllic landscape full of centuries-old olive trees with stunning views of the Ionian Sea, the historic Bay of Navarino and the picturesque port of Pylos, in order to claim the top three positions in the overall standings, whereas special awards will be given to individual players who will achieve the best scores in the “Longest Drive” and “Closest to the Pin” categories.

Non-golfers will be able to attend a golf clinic on Saturday, September 10, at 12:00pm and participate in the putting competition that will be held at The Dunes Course.

 

On Friday, September 9, the event will welcome all participants to the Cocktail by Marine Tours at 19:00pm.

The Greek Maritime Golf Event will support the Non-Profit Company HOPEgenesis through its actions. On Saturday, September 10, during this year’s award ceremony, participants will have the opportunity to directly contribute with their desired amount at the designated area. The total amount to be collected will be given to the Non-Profit Company HOPEgenesis, operating in the health and social welfare sector, which aspires to reverse the trend of declining birth rates in Greece with the aim of providing complete medical care to women, from the moment they become pregnant until the day of their birth. For more information about HOPEgenesis: www.hopegenesis.org 

 

Aspiring to make all athletes better through passion, design, and the constant need for innovation, Under Armour offers a wide range of technological apparel and footwear products for the everyday & professional athlete. From its foundation to today, Under Armour has been a pioneer in the field of performance technological products with gear specifically designed to keep athletes cool, dry and light during training. The company firmly and dynamically declares its presence in sports events, embracing every form of sport.

 

Greek Maritime Golf Event is attended by some of the leading shipping companies from Greece and Cyprus, as well as various other important companies that support the event.

 

IRI/The Marshall Islands Registry is the event’s Platinum Sponsor.

Mainline Shipping Company, Jotun Hellas and Onego Shipping Company are Golden Sponsors. 

DNV, Arrow Hellas and Marine Tours are the Silver Sponsors. 

Optima Shipbroking is the Official Sponsor. 

Standard Club, Bacardi and Poseidonia Restaurant are the event’s Official Supporters.

 

Greek Maritime Golf Event is organized by Birdie Events, through an initiative of the recognized Greek PGA golfer, Mr. Thanos Karantzias. The award-winning sports marketing agency of ActiveMedia Group has undertaken the event’s Golf Production. The tournament is addressed exclusively to distinguished executives of the Greek shipping community. 

  

Messinian Spa is the event’s Official Beauty Partner. 

Minoa Water is the event’s Official Water.

Karalis Beach Hotel, Hellenic Grocery, Spitiko, Kayak and Athi Rodi are the event’s Partners. 

Boo Productions is the Audio Visual Partner.

 

The event will be held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and the Hellenic Golf Federation.

Hashtags: #greekmaritimegolfevent #costavarino #navarinohills

Photo Credit: Mike Tsolis

The huge port city of Marseille in southern France was founded by Greeks back in 600 BC when the first immigrants arrived in the area and established a trading colony.

The Greeks are well known for their ancient tales of glory and tragedy, as well as their civilization’s innumerable contributions to the very foundations of our modern world.

However, what is lesser-known is that throughout the centuries, they founded scores of cities across the Mediterranean which not only exist today but thrive and play a crucial role in their region’s affairs.

One of these cities is the huge port city of Marseille, the second-largest city in France and definitely among the oldest in Europe.

This was at a time when many Phocaeans left their homeland in today’s Turkey (then Greek-speaking Asia Minor) and reached the northern shores of the Western Mediter-ranean.

They found a locale which could easily accommodate a large port and in a few years’ time, a new Greek colony had been established. Its name was ”ΜΑΣΣΑΛΙΑ” (”Massalia”).

The Greek myth of Marseille

The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, informs us about the myth concerning the foundation of Massalia.

According to this tale, Protis, the son of Euxenous from Phocaea, married Gyptis, the daughter of a King of a Celt tribe named Segobriges or Segusiavi, who lived in Gaul, ancient France. This marriage was the beginning of the story of Marseille.

When the Greek man married this rich and beautiful Celtic woman, the local King gave him the right to obtain a piece of land and build his town. This small settlement was the foundation of what was to become the well-known city of Massalia.

The greater Mediterranean region, ca. 800-550 BC

However, this well-known legend may have been disproven since, according to archaeological evidence, the Phocaeans were not the first Greeks to arrive on the northern shores of the western Mediterranean Sea.

The entire coastal region comprised of the modern regions of Catalonia, Spain, and France had seen the arrival of many Ionian Greeks before that time during their expeditions to the West to find new places to live and people with whom to trade.

Nonetheless, the city of Massalia itself was indeed established by Phocaeans, as they were the first to permanently settle there.

Other neighboring Greek colonies

The “Massaliotes,” as the Greeks of Marseille were known, first established good relations with other neighboring Greek colonies in the region beginning in the early stages of their colonization.

These colonies included the cities of Agde (Agathe Tyche, meaning ”Good Fortune”) in France; Antibes; Emporiae (the modern city of Empuries in Catalonia); Rhoda (the modern Roses in Catalonia); and, of course, the well-known cities of Nice (Nikaia) and Monaco, the modern-day cosmopolitan principality.

Originally published on: greekreporter.com

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Saturday April 18th is International Day On Monuments & Sites in celebration of ICOMOS' 50th Anniversary. In Greece, all museums and archaeological sites will have free entrance for the entire day!

International Day On Monuments & Sites is a global day established by UNESCO and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

 

To learn more and see how this day is celebrated around the world, please visit: http://www.icomos.org/en/.

If you’ve ever been to the Greek island of Crete, or if you have ancestors that are from the island, chances are pretty good that you’ve had a spirit called Raki. In other parts of Greece, it’s known as Tsikoudia or Tsipouro. In Italy it’s called Grappa, in Spain it’s referred to as Oruja, and in the country of Georgia it’s called Chacha. To Americans, it’s often considered a form of moonshine, especially when they learn how it’s made.

Though it isn’t readily available in the United States, Greeks are eager to send travelers home with their homemade Raki. They usually put it in clear water bottles so that it can be easily transported. So, what is Raki exactly and why are Cretans so proud of it?

Raki comes from grapes

Simply put, Raki comes from byproducts created from the wine making process. After the grapes are pressed and the juice is stored so that it can begin fermenting, there’s a lot of leftover plant material. Greeks are resourceful people and they don’t let anything go to waste!

The resulting skins, twigs, and mash, which is referred to as pomace, is stored for around six weeks before it’s distilled into Raki. In fact, as long as the plant material is edible, it can eventually be distilled into Raki. Pictured here is an old fashioned distiller that is still used today to make this alcoholic beverage in many parts of Greece.

To read more, please visit: Greek Boston

 

The national May Day Holiday (or Protomagia in Greek) celebrated on May 1st 2016 will be moved to Tuesday May 3rd 2016 due to it coinciding with Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday.

This was a decision authorized and signed by Labour Minister George Katrougalos.

What the law says about working on this day:*
Business operation and employing employees is prohibited, except those who are legal to operate on Sundays and public holidays, such as companies in the health sector, tourism, transportation, food & beverage, factories with continuous hours, etc.

Employees who are paid by a wage, but who will not work on the May Day public holiday are entitled to receive their paid wages without any deduction. For employees paid by wage who will work on May 1, they are entitled to receive their wage with an increase of 75% which will be calculated at the statutory hourly rate for any hours worked.

If you are paid a monthly salary, and the company typically does operate on Sundays and public holidays then you are entitled to receive an increase of 75% calculated at the statutory hourly rate for any hours worked on this day. If you are employed with a company that typically does not work on Sundays and public holidays then you are entitled to receive an increase of 75% calculated at the statutory hourly rate for any hours worked on this day.

Source: Paidorama

* Please note, the information outlined is based on a report that has been translated from Greek and should be confirmed with your employer and local employment offices.