I’ve been living in Greece for about 5 years. I’ve had my ups and downs with the ‘system’ and know that it’s not up to par with a lot of other places in the world. Even though I now know what to expect, there are still some things that make my hair stand up. So here’s my story…

I’m a first time mom and my son is just about 8 months old. I gave birth at a public hospital (yes, it was just fine) and have since been taking advantage of my IKA insurance (pension & health insurance for private sector employees). You may remember some weeks back that pharmacies were not accepting prescriptions from IKA insurance holders. What does this mean? Well…

When I went to my doctor’s office to get a prescription for my son’s upcoming vaccine shot, I was told that it cannot be issued because pharmacies will not accept it. If this was something my brain couldn’t compute, then what she said next nearly nocked me off my chair: ‘Unless of course you ‘know someone’ with a pharmacy who will give you the vaccine shot without paying and then take them the prescription at a later date.’ Did I hear correctly, did my doctor just tell me that I need a ‘meson’ (an inside source) to get my son’s vaccine shot? Was she for real? Ah, but yes, she was very serious.

Because I didn’t ‘know someone’ with a pharmacy, I paid for the vaccine shot at my local pharmacy in hopes that once this disagreement between IKA and pharmacists was over, I could claim my 70 Euro!

Should I tell you about my experience when I tried to claim 70 Euro from IKA? Let me put it this way…3 floors (up and down the stairs because the elevator wasn’t working), 4 booths with very ‘happy to greet me’ employees, and some 5 different pieces of paper. Needless to say, I did eventually get my claim made.

Ah, and despite all these wonderful (and eventful) stories I still continue to want to be here. Go figure! There’s just something about this crazy place that makes it stick!

Cheers from First Time Mommy in Athens.

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

Now compare this image with the restaurants in Athens. There is mistrust everywhere. The restaurant owner has to convince his customers about the quality and freshness of his items. The decoration is faux and only the prices bring the sea in mind, since they are always salty. Therefore, conversations in such restaurants are often about nostalgic memories of another taverna, another restaurant, always by the sea.

Thalatta is preaching the desired connection with the sea. When entering you see the image that every fish/sea food restaurant ought to have. The Cycladic white and the blue of the sea and sky, mix in a symphony where the only one missing is the maestro, the sun. The room is comfortable and tidy, not too packed with nets, fishing rods, buckets and such supposedly convincing items.

There is plenty of various mezedes that seem to cover the range. Except for the fact that on the day we went some options were absent, like oysters and lobster-spaghetti (which is not always bad, since seafood supplies have to be made very carefully). Apart from that, the menu was rich. In the beginning, the maitre let us check out a dish with 3 raw fish of good size, that looked very fresh. One of them was chosen by the couple sitting at the table next to us. They seemed to be enjoying it.

Among appetizers, I picked out the wild greens (€7,50). Bitter and tasty, as they should be. The mushrooms with garlic, parsley and oliveoil (€6,50), had taste but weren’t unforgettable. The mussels (12pcs €14) smelled like sea, but a sea like the Saronic Gulf. The French fries (€4,50) were soft and “colourless”, while the grilled sardines (€10,00) were also not crunchy. The taramasalata (€6,00) was way over the usual but would run for the gold. The fava with caper and onion (€3,50), was trying to “say” something, but we didn’t hear what.

Besides food, I have to admit that service was exemplary. The truth is that “Thalatta” didn’t take me to island and summers. But its proposal for the Athenian standards is more than satisfying. Don’t forget that the fasting of Saracosti is up and “Thalatta” can take you at least to Easter.
Address: Vitonos 5, Gazi, Athens


Reservations : 210-3464204
Email: info@thalatta.gr
Website: www.thalatta.gr  
Open: 20:00-01:30

Do you have a recommendation or recipe to share? Send it to us at ideas@xpatathens.com!

To give an example, in Greece alone there are about 40 thousand “rooms to let” facilities. Most of them do not have an online booking option, as a result of managing their reservations on paper ledgers or raw excel files.

Discoveroom comes to change the scene and help this sector flourish. With a mobile app for reservations management that has been built from day one with small lodging owners in mind, it provides a solid basis to make lodgings’ operations efficient, for owners and guests alike.

The first version of the app for iOS and Android was released a couple of months ago, and is already being used by hundreds of lodgings, mostly in Greece, but also in geographies as disparate as South Africa, Malaysia and Alaska.

To read more, please visit greekreporter.com

The Greeks have singlehandedly shaped our modern society, and they have also -- and just as importantly -- shaped a way of eating that no country can rival.

Not only is their cuisine swimming in fruity olive oil, drowned in red wine and full of mezedes, but it's also a diet that nutritionists across the board tout as the way to eat healthy. While we all try to eat like this, and happily so, the Greeks do it best. It's just their way of living, which explains why they're so much better at life than the rest of us.

1. Two Words - Fried Cheese

All cheese, no bread necessary. In Greece, this grilled cheese is known as Saganaki. It's a yellow cheese -- usually Graviera -- that has a high melting point so it can stand up to being fried in a pan. It gets crispy on the outside and melty on the inside. It's basically everything cheese has ever wanted to be. But the Greeks don't stop there. They also eat Halloumi, a Cypriot cheese with a high melting point, that they grill and serve on top of salads or with watermelon. Trust us, you want all of this.

2. Starbucks has got nothing on the Greek frappe.

They did it first, and well, they do it best.

3. They've turned eating LOTS AND LOTS of olive oil into a healthy pastime.

We can never repay them for this.

4. NO ONE makes a better salad, so don't even try.

Greek salad has everything you need: feta, tomato, cucumber, oregano, olives and olive oil -- of course. So all you other salad makers can just go home.

5. Wine comes first, water second.

Wine is not relegated to celebrations or holidays. No, the Greeks know that wine is an important part of one's daily diet, along with olive oil. And it has been since ancient Greek cuisine.

6. Feta is their national garnish.

Who needs parsley sprigs when you have feta? The Greeks are smart enough to know that you can put it on just about everything.

7. Loukoumades is dessert.

Hello, Loukoumades! These are a Greek donut soaked with honey, and they're served for special occasions. Jelly donuts have got nothing on these guys. They're even better than you can fathom they might be. Seriously. In ancient Greece, these deep fried dough balls were served to the winners of the Greek Olympics. That's how special they are.

To read more, visit huffingtonpost.com