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The Thessaloniki-based group Argo will represent Greece at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm, Sweden from 10 to 14 May.

The song ‘Utopian Land’ includes Greek and English lyrics, incorporates the traditional Pontian lyra with contemporary rhythms and refers to the refugee crisis combining hip hop and folk music. ERT president Dionysis Tsaknis said that they wanted Greece to be represented by a song that will send a message to Europe about what the Greek people are facing now.

Source: Protothema


For the sixth year in a row, Aegean Airlines has taken home the ‘Best Regional Airline in Europe’ award from the 2016 Skytrax World Airline Awards. The Skytrax World Airline Awards are highly regarded as the passengers choice, as they collect passenger satisfaction surveys from over 280 airlines and 104 different nationalities.

This year’s awards took into account the customer surveys that were conducted over a period of August 2015 until May 2016, which measured the quality standards across 41 performance indicators of quality product and service.

The CEO of Skytrax, Edward Plaisted, said that “Aegean remains a favorite amongst passengers in Southern Europe and continues to perform well in the awards surveys on both regional and a global basis.”

“All of us at AEGEAN are delighted to receive this important award for the 6th year in a row. This award motivates us to do more for our customers’ needs. We remain focused on the enhancement of our services and we are proud that our effort has been recognized by the passengers”, Dimitris Gerogiannis, CEO of AEGEAN, said.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages
Extreme weather conditions have forced Greek emergency services on high alert as a severe cold front sweeps through the country bringing snow and ice and making travel very dangerous. State services have been advising citizens to stay home and only travel when necessary due to the dangers posed by icy roads.

The Greek islands are the hardest hit from the extreme weather with a state of emergency declared on Skopelos due to heavy snowfall on the island with others expected to follow.

Authorities in other areas of Greece are struggling to keep major roadways open but snow chains are necessary in several areas and some roads have been closed due to icy conditions, especially on higher ground.

Many other areas, including Thessaloniki, were left without water for a second consecutive day as water pipes froze and burst and meters seized due to the low temperatures.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek City Times
Tuesday, 02 May 2017 07:00

Living Postcards From Greece

Living Postcards from Greece is a series of short videos that give life to traditional postcards, depicting the country’s mountains, urban landscapes, ancient monuments and sea. Led by photographer Emmanouil Papadopoulos, the project reveals and shares the beauty of Greece, signaling the transition of traditional tourism campaigns to a digital age.

Below are Living Postcards from Karydi Beach in Halkidiki and the White Tower in Thessaloniki!






To view more Living Postcards, please visit: The Greek Foundation

Photo Credit: The Greek Foundation
Thursday, 11 January 2018 09:35

12 Healthy Places To Eat In Athens

If your New Year's resolution is to start eating better, then look no further than these places Greece Is recommends for healthy eating. Whether you're a vegetarian, vegan, or you simply want to add more nutrition to your meals, these restaurants in Athens will have you covered.

Fontana Living Well

Jars filled with spices, herbs, superfruits, oats and seeds line the walls in this health store, which doubles as a juice bar.

Address: Ermou & 17 Aiolou
Hours: Mon-Sat 8:00-23:00, Sun 9:30-23:00

Holy Greens

Holy Greens, located in an office building in the northeastern suburb of Marousi, follows a Swedish concept of healthy but filling salads to give you energy throughout the day; perfect for a quick bite in between meetings.

Address: 3A Fragoklisias, Marousi
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00-19.00, Sat 10:00-16:00

Froots

Juices you could live on as well as raw soups and smoothies made with homemade almond milk.

Address: 6 Athanasiou Diakou & Porinou
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00-20:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00

To read this article in full, please visit: Greece Is
Monday, 11 March 2019 00:20

Carnival Celebrations Across Greece

Sunday, the last day before Lent, according to the Christian Orthodox calendar, saw the conclusion of Carnival celebrations in Greece. Helped by the sunny weather, many thousands took part in the parades and other Carnival celebrations all around Greece.
 
The best-known Carnival in Greece takes place in Patras, the country’s 3rd largest city. This year the Patras Carvival attracted some 40,000 visitors and included a Chinese troupe, “Flying Dragons and Dancing Lions - Team of Cuigezhuang Township”.
 
The Patras Carnival is most likely the most flamboyant and crowded, while places such as Naoussa in northern Greece and the island of Corfu base their celebrations on old traditions and retain a more authentic character.


To read this article in full, please visit: ekathimerini
Photo: Facebook
Monday, 05 April 2021 19:31

Run Messinia 2021: Run For Freedom

Run For Freedom: 10 Marathons In 10 days!

The Greek rebellion against the Ottoman Empire, 200 years ago, marked the end of slavery, reclaiming the most valuable asset for Greeks, their freedom. Historical battles of the national liberation efforts took place in the Messinian land and decisive naval battles effectively sealed the end of the Revolution and led to the freedom of Greece, resulting in the national rebirth and the establishment of the modern Greek state.

Run Messinia is an ultramarathon race of a total distance of approximately 421 kilometers, a tribute to the important events and unforgettable battles of the heroes of 1821. On June 5-14, 2021, during the “Run for Freedom” edition, 10 athletes per route will attempt to run 10 marathons in total, in 10 consecutive days, crossing historical places and monuments of Messinia, Laconia and Arcadia, which are related to the Greek revolution.

Run Messinia is committed to never forgetting all those sacrificed during the Revolution of 1821 and promises to spread the stories of heroes who honored and defended the right of all people to live with dignity in a fair and peaceful world.

The 10 Historical Routes of Run for Freedom
The Messinian land constitutes a special and historic place for the Greek Revolution of 1821. For this reason, the event aims to highlight the history of all the areas associated with the Greek Revolution in Messinia both culturally and touristically.

- Run for Freedom will start its 1st route from Areopoli of the East Mani Municipality, pass through Stoupa of the West Mani Municipality and end in Kardamyli.
- The 2nd route, starting from Kardamyli, will pass through Verga of the Kalamata Municipality and end in the city of Kalamata.
- In the 3rd route, the athletes starting from Kalamata will cross Nedousa and finish in Alagonia.
- During the 4 th route of Run Messinia, the runners starting from Alagonia will pass through Dyrachio and Neochori of the Megalopoli Municipality and complete their effort in Poliani of the Kalamata Municipality.
- From Poliani, during the 5th route, participants will cross Skala and end up in Paloukorahi of the Oichalia Municipality.
- The 6th route will highlight historical places of the Oichalia Municipality, as the athletes starting from Paloukorahi will cross Katsarou, Solaki, Meropi, Loutro, Diavolitsi, Ano Psari, Dorio and end up at the statue of Kolokotronis in Ramovouni.
- In the 7th route starting from Ramovouni, the runners will pass through Zerbisia of the Messini Municipality, Kalogeresi, Saint Nikitas Sellas and Tripyla of the Trifylia Municipality, in order to reach Maniaki of the Pylos-Nestor Municipality.
- In the 8th route the participants will start from Maniaki, pass through Agios Andreas of the Messini Municipality and Kato Minagia and finish in Koroni.
- The 9th route will move exclusively within the Pylos-Nestor Municipality from Koroni, to Methoni and then to 2 Pylos.
- The 10th and final route of Run for Freedom starting from Pylos, will provide runners with the opportunity of passing through Neokastro, observing Sphacteria and Paleokastro, while crossing Kremmidia and Schinolakka.

Safety First
The event is planned and will be implemented based on the strict health and safety protocol and the approval of the Health Scientific Committee of the General Secretariat of Sports, with respect to the Covid-19 pandemic conditions. In order to avoid any excess interactions and overcrowding, up to 10 runners will compete in each route, while a Covid-19 test being mandatory for all. In case the epidemiological data improve, an increase in the number of participating runners will be considered. In case of a deteriorating health environment, the event will be transferred to the end of June.

The valuable support of the Municipalities
The partnered Municipalities supporting Run Messinia and contributing to the event’s smooth implementation are the following, in Greek alphabetical order: East Mani Municipality, West Mani Municipality, Kalamata Municipality, Megalopoli Municipality, Messini Municipality, Oichalia Municipality, Pylos-Nestor Municipality, Trifylia Municipality.

Run Messinia will leave a legacy for the future of the place, as it has already started highlighting and promoting through its social media, the historical places, the battles and all the monuments, which are located in the three regions and through which runners will pass.

The event will be held under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization. The difficult task of the event’s planning and implementation has been 3 undertaken by the award-winning ActiveMedia Group through its Sports Production department.

More information on the schedule, routes, and details of Run Messinia will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

XpatAthens is proud to be a Media Sponsor of Run Messinia 2021

Greece's vital summer tourism season has officially begun. With the country expecting high numbers of visitors this year, the decision to lift COVID-19 restrictions throughout the summer tourism period was made and authorities will consider reinstating them in September.



Click here to learn more about how to protect yourself, symptoms, and where to seek medical treatment. 
Click here to read about how to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in Greece.


New Measures
  • As of May 1, 2022, the public will no longer need to present coronavirus vaccination or illness certificates to enter indoor or open spaces such as restaurants.
  • Students will no longer be required to regularly present negative self-tests starting May 1, 2022.
  • Unvaccinated employees will have to present 1 negative Rapid Antigen Test per week to access their workspace as of May 1, 2022
  • From May 1 until August 31, 2022, all venues will be able to operate at full capacity (100 percent).
  • Wearing masks indoors will no longer be mandatory as of June 1, 2022 with some exceptions that will be announced shortly
Important Notice from XpatAthens
 
It is important to remind our readers that XpatAthens is not in any way a media source. While we do our best to keep our readers informed, we advise you to consult Greek media outlets such as ekathimerini.comamna.grnaftemporiki.gr, and protothema.gr and/or international news sites for up-to-the-hour updates on the coronavirus. Be wise and stay safe.

Article sources used above: gtp.gr and naftemporiki.gr. 
Thursday, 03 February 2022 13:29

The World Class Wines Of Attica

Attica, the peninsula surrounded by the Aegean Sea where Athens stands, is a region of many surprises. Look around if you’re landing at Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport and you’ll notice some of the 29,000 acres of vineyards, where 32 wineries produce world-class labels.

Fascinatingly enough, the culture of winemaking in Greece has existed in the region for around three and a half thousand years and in mythology, the God Dionysus traveled across Attica offering wine. Wine has always been an important gastronomic and cultural staple of the Greek diet and lifestyle, as proven by archaeological finds of amphorae and kylixes (cups) that wine was transported and consumed in.

The dry, warm climate and abundant sunshine in Attica through most of the year certainly help – both in the production of wine and in providing the perfect opportunity to visit wineries to taste and shop local varieties in 30 to 60 minutes of travel from the centre of town. Attica also produces honey, pistachio nuts, and prized black figs in season.

The areas of Kapandriti, Koropi, Pikermi, Spata, Pallini, and Stamata are where you’ll find the wineries of Attica, where the famous Savvatiano and Roditis, as well as Retsina, made from Savvatiano wine with added pine resins. “Savatiano is like drinking the Greek summer,” said global wine expert Tara Thomas to Wine & Spirit magazine, “fruity, complete in taste, easy to drink, with the scents of citrus and green apple popping out of the glass; a world-class grape.”

More modern varieties include Malagouzia, Assyrtiko, Fileri, Cabernet Sauvignon, Agiorgitiko, Athiri, Vilana, Merlot, Robola, White Muscat, Muscat of Hamburg and Muscat of Alexandria. GCT spoke with leading oenologist Nico Manessis to get some top tips on the most highly recommended Attica wineries to visit. Manessis is a leading expert on the wines of his native Greece. He authored the pioneering ‘The Greek Wine Guide’ and the’ Illustrated Greek Wine book. His travels on the wine routes continue chronicling developments which are published in his excellent and informative website Greek Wine World.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekcitytimes.com
A unique event with a piano player floating in the air over the Tempi Valley to promote the natural heritage in the area of Central Greece.

Sunday afternoon, hikers and other visitors were stunned, when a woman appeared in the air with her piano that was floating in the air with the help of big balloons, creating an unreal scenery.

This unique event and promotion video was an idea of director Paschalis Mantis and the pianist of the Acropolis museum Elena Xydia who followed a call by the mayor of Tempi Municipality, Giorgos Manolis, in order to create a special video promoting the natural heritage of the area.

A volunteer team worked for some time planning the venture, which is unique as no one has attempted it before in a natural landscape, at such a great height.

With impeccable technical planning by Vassilis Badavis, all safety measures were foreseen, in this venture which was completely safe both in the preparation phase and in the final implementation phase.

It should be noted that the help offered by the Larissa Fire Brigade, the Police, and the Larissa Chamber of Commerce was very important and essential, the organizers said.

Originally published on: keeptalkinggreece.com


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