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Monday, 26 February 2024 07:00

5 Untranslatable Greek Words & Their Meaning

Language is a window into the culture and soul of a nation, and Greek, with its ancient roots and rich heritage, is no exception. Within the Greek lexicon lie words that defy easy translation, encapsulating nuanced concepts and emotions that resonate deeply within the Greek psyche.

Join us as we explore 5 untranslatable Greek words, each offering a glimpse into the unique spirit of Greece.

1. Philotimo

At the heart of Greek culture lies the concept of philotimo, a word that embodies a complex blend of virtues, including honor, integrity, and a sense of duty towards others. It encompasses a deep-seated respect for oneself and others, as well as a commitment to living with honor and dignity. Philotimo is not easily defined in English, as it encompasses a unique set of values that are deeply ingrained in the Greek way of life.

2. Meraki

Meraki is a word that speaks to the soul of creativity and passion. It conveys the essence of putting one's heart and soul into everything one does, whether it be a work of art, a meal prepared with love, or a heartfelt conversation. It is the spark that ignites the creative process and infuses life with meaning and purpose.

3. Arete

Similar to philotimo but distinct in its own right, arete embodies the concepts of excellence and virtue. It is the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of life, from personal conduct to professional endeavors. Arete is a driving force that inspires individuals to strive for greatness and to fulfill their potential.

4. Kefi

Kefi is a word that captures the joy of living in the moment and embracing the simple pleasures of life. It is the feeling of euphoria and exhilaration that arises from music, dance, and communal celebration. Kefi is a reminder to savor life's fleeting moments and find joy in the present.

5. Eudaimonia

Eudaimonia encapsulates the concept of human flourishing and fulfillment. It goes beyond mere happiness and encompasses a deeper sense of well-being and contentment derived from living a virtuous and meaningful life. Eudaimonia emphasizes the pursuit of excellence, personal growth, and the cultivation of moral and intellectual virtues. It is a state of flourishing where individuals experience a profound sense of purpose, satisfaction, and harmony with themselves and the world around them.

 

Thursday, 05 February 2015 15:28

The Holy Goat Of Petralona

Petralona is a popular city-centre neighbourhood that has enjoyed a soft resurgence in recent months, with new bar and restaurant openings and a 'breath of fresh air' feeling on its well-trodden streets. Located in the city-centre, between Thiseio and Kalithea, Petralona is young and hip, but also manages to remain a real neighbourhood, where locals knows each other and people still say 'kalimera!' on the street.

Petralona has an abundance of well-known, lesser-known and always easy-to-like places for food and fun. From French cuisine at Chez Lucien (Troon 32), to Thai at Andaman (Peiraios 187 & Alopis 65), to drinks at the industrial-chic Lola (Kiriadon 11), Petralona does not disappoint.

On Saturday night I went for dinner to 'The Holy Goat' (Το Θείο Τραγί). I had heard of this place, both through a friend and through a couple of different online reviews. The feedback was so great that I had to see for myself. I can happily add my confirmation that this self-styled 'punk bistro' is a truly refreshing addition to the Athens food scene. 

We arrived at 9:00pm, without a reservation, to a packed house - so we took a seat at one of the bar tables.  There was a great vibe, friendly banter, eclectic music (alt/rock, but really not too loud). The space is divided into a dining room and a bar area. For space in the dining room, book ahead. The design is modern, wooden and warm, and the vibe is casual and energized. It's a feel-good place. 

But the food. Easily some of the most interesting gourmet creations I've had in Athens. Seriously. Carefully crafted dishes that bring out a 'wow.' at every bite. Add to that a great wine list with interesting Greek selections, and super cocktail inventions - the entire menu feels 'curated' for a discerning, eclectic palate.

The price point is also a nice surprise, given the high-minded nature of the menu. Starters around €6-7, mains around €12-14.  Various wines on the list - with a single glass at €3. Imagine: orzo with sea urchin eggs, bacon, seaweed. I dare you not to like it.

Granted, you will not go here after a 3-day fast to gorge on kebabs. This is no taverna; this is decidedly gourmet. You will go here when your palate is demanding something more refined, more under-stated, more civilized. Living in Athens, those three things have become quite important to me. And as high-minded as the food is, the place itself is so very Athenian - zero attitude, relaxed and fun.

So yes, you are still in Athens. Smoking is allowed at the bar, and if you stay well past 1:00am as we did, you will enjoy an eclectic variety of second-hand smoke... So be warned.  And they do not accept credit cards. But on every other count, this could easily be a cool night out in San Francisco or Toronto.

Will definitely go back.

The Holy Goat / To Theio Tragi
Kidantidon 36, Athens (Ano Petralona)
(+30) 210 341 0296
www.facebook.com/totheiotragi.gr

 

Until next week,

Jack

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…

 

Wednesday, 18 February 2015 11:37

The Lost World of Olymbos

The village of Olymbos looks precarious at best, perched high on a mountaintop above the plunging rocky shoreline of the Aegean Sea. However, this tiny hamlet on the island of Karpathos is the bastion of a distinct culture, protected for centuries from the outside world by its isolation and strategic location. Situated on the western fringe of Greece’s Dodecanese islands, Karpathos itself feels rather remote.

Olymbos, in the mountainous, inaccessible north, feels worlds away from anywhere. The village’s first residents were refugees from the island’s seaside towns who fled into the mountains in the 6th century to escape marauding Arab and Syrian pirates.

While their prospects for life on top of a desolate mountain might not have seemed all that promising, they found plenty of fresh spring water; steep, lush valleys for terraced farming; and a superb vantage point that allowed them to see approaching enemies.

Years passed and although the pirates faded into history, a steady stream of subsequent invaders to the island made Olymbos a continued safe haven. There was no road to Olymbos – the rest of the island remained a long, steep hike down to the shore and a boat ride away. Yet, clinging to the side of Mount Profitis Elias, the community not only thrived as an agricultural centre but at times supported the entire island. The residents herded goats, farmed wheat, barley, olives and grapes and built more than 75 windmills. At its height, the population reached nearly 1500.

Not surprisingly, Olymbos’ seclusion from the rest of the world has engendered a unique culture, and in recent times it’s been labelled a living museum. Ethnographers are entranced by a distinct dialect that continues to contain words from ancient Dorian Greek. Foodies are intrigued by the local cuisine – the bread, cheese and sweets found only here. Anthropologists are fascinated by the women’s traditional dress, with its bright embroidering and goatskin boots, and by the one-room homes that line the winding streets. And musicians come to hear the age-old songs with fifteen-syllable lines and themes of migration and survival.


To read more, please visit lonelyplanet.com

By Korina Miller

 

Thursday, 19 February 2015 12:59

GreekTV Launches New Website

GreekTV launches new website and encourages a progressive and open exchange of news and community building for Greeks worldwide. Here are the human stories.

The global media landscape changes with the debut of a website and community that offers a fresh, progressive perspective of Hellenism today. GreekTV creates a platform where Greeks and Philhellenes from around the world can present progressive viewpoints, positive efforts, and interesting subjects often ignored by traditional media. This active window into contemporary Greek reality and the world of Greek diaspora is without stereotypes and exclusions, offering the world a more nuanced perspective of modern Greek social, economic, political and cultural life.

The origins of the GreekTV project date to a radio show produced in San Francisco by Louis Vitalis in 1940. From those beginnings, GreekTV was born and went on to become one of the longest running ethnic television shows in the Unites States.

Now, GreekTV.com serves the world online. Here viewers will find the best regularly updated original and curated content by, for, and about Greeks—from Athens to Australia, from Santorini to Silicon Valley, and everywhere in between. Through regularly updated original videos, mini docs, interviews, profiles and presentations, GreekTV shares human stories, unique images and contemporary portraits.

In addition to the team of resident journalists and video producers based in cities like Athens and New York, GreekTV welcomes contributors from around the world to share their own stories and ideas with the global community, making the site a truly communal space and fostering an open exchange of information and viewpoints.

GreekTV will launch for public viewing and interaction on Tuesday, February 3 2015. For access to GreekTV content and global contributions plus more information about the project, visit www.GreekTV.com. You can watch the GreekTV teaser video here: vimeo.com/105680548.

www.facebook.com/GlobalGreekTV - twitter.com/GrTV_World - www.GreekTV.com

Monday, 23 May 2016 07:00

Athens - A Time Lapse Video

The great city of Athens is captured in this spectacular time lapse video by artist Stian Rekdal. Rekdal is a landscape and travel photographer based in Norway and also specializes in UHD stock and time lapse photography. He creates high resolution time lapse videos by compiling still photographs.

Rekdal's work has been used by popular brands and media outlets such as BBC, National Geographic, NBC, Sony, Rolls Royce, and Icelandair. 

'Athens' was made in 2015 on behalf of VisitGreece and the Greek National Tourism Organisation.

To view more of Stian Rekdal's videos, please visit: 
Vimeo

A dilapidated, abandoned building in the dreary streets on the corner of 52 Konstantinou Paleologou, and Samou St. in Athens, Attica presented the perfect canvas for a street artist to express his creativity. The graffiti, inspired by Jimmy Hendrix’s “Knowledge Speaks-Wisdom Listens”, was created by famous street artist ‘WD’ in the framework of the Athens Municipality’s Petit Paris d’ Athènes festival and has drawn the admiration of the internet community and Reddit.

The owl symbolizes wisdom and the goddess Athena. The artist said on his Facebook page, ‘Knowledge speaks – Wisdom listens.’

To read this article in full, please visit: Tornos News
Alexandros Maragos, an Athens-based filmmaker and photographer captures stunning photos of nature around Greece and this month he is showcasing landscape photography of the natural light in Greece under the sun!

Alexandros tends to take photos for landscape photography in the 'Golden Hour' and with certain weather conditions to use the powerful impact of the sun’s golden tones to create dramatic and contrasting light.

This latest collection is of spectacular dramatic sunsets with the shadows of clouds creating images from the sunlight over the skies of Greece!

To view this article in full, please visit: Greek Reporter

Please click HERE to see more photos from Alexandros Maragos’ collection.
Greece is an excellent family destination and has all kinds of activities for all ages! There's plenty of sandy beaches, water sports, island wildlife to explore, and and lots of history and culture. From the Telegraph, these are some of the best destinations in Greece for family holidays.

Rhodes

"If you’re after a bit of R&R, Rhodes’s east coast has a 30-mile stretch of well-maintained golden-sand beaches with warm, shallow water down its eastern coast. One of this coast’s big modern hotels, with their all-inclusive packages, should be just the ticket: everything is on your doorstep – kids’ clubs, water sports facilities, babysitting, wellness, restaurants and cafes, so you can switch off and truly relax."

Crete

"Europe’s oldest civilization built palaces decorated with magnificent frescos and enjoyed the curious sport of bull leaping on Crete from 3000BC to 1400BC. The Minoans’ capital, Knossos, was partially (and controversially) reconstructed by early archaeologists, making it unusually accessible to children."

Corfu

"Head to Corfu for a spot of swimming and sunbathing on one of its varied beaches: sandy Glyfada, on the wild west coast; nearby Paleokastritsa, with its sheltered pebble coves; or Sidari on the north coast, with its peculiar rock formations and warm shallow sea. There’s also Aqualand water park in the island’s lush green interior."

To read this article in full, please visit: The Telegraph
The YES to Shipping Forum had a successful last day at the international maritime exhibition, which took place on June 8, 2018. 
 
A call for the younger generation of Greeks to make their own journey, just like Odysseus, to set sail and claim the best for their lives, was delivered by the maritime community during the second edition of Yes Forum. Significant figures of the Greek shipowning community were present, including Mrs Athina (Nounou) Martinou, the Great Lady of Greek Shipping. Also present was Mrs Danae Bezantakou, founder of the YES Forum & CEO of Navigator Shipping Consultants, who highlighted that YES Forum is an important open platform in the Greek Shipping and Sea Tourism Industry, especially between principals, executives, university students, and recent graduates.
 
This unique initiative aims to create the next generation of a shipping community by passing down shipping knowledge, experience and culture. To bridge the generation gap, open-dialogue days & daily internships have taken place at shipping companies and in Posidonia since 2016.
 
The YES Forum's goal is to enable the young generation to become acquainted with the full spectrum of shipping and to remain in Greece for studies and take advantage of the high quality undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Mrs Bezantakou stated, "We must attract both Greeks and foreign students because if you cannot study shipping in Greece, then where could it be possible?” 
 
She stressed that Greeks who choose to go abroad to study or stay there for work should know that Greece is the first maritime nation with power and a glorious history. In an effort to keep the maritime industry in Greece thriving, she stated that they should start from the bottom of the educational pyramid, specifically from primary and secondary education, and include specific maritime and tourism courses in schools. That way, students from an early age can become familiar with the characteristics of the two disciplines and their history. The YES Forum aims to organize YES activities in schools in 2019.
 
The opening remarks of the event were given by the President of the Union of Greek Shipowners, Mr. Theodoros Veniamis. He stated, "The bulk shipping and the wider maritime community help create prospects and enhancing the value of the economy while at the same time significantly reducing unemployment. The aim of Greek shipowning is to maintain its leadership in the global shipping industry, while maximizing the benefits; economic, social and strategic for our country."
 
He also pointed out that, "universities today must aim at linking the studies to the real needs of the industry, to which today's students, who will be tomorrow's professional executives, will be called upon to offer their services. Particularly in the shipping industry, which is advancing in technological development and vessel performance, all areas in education and training are opportunities for innovation."
 
Mr. Veniamis concluded with a positive and dynamic message: "Today, more than ever, the  sea and especially Greek shipping is an outlet for unemployment, the financial crisis, and also for young Greek scientists who remain and achieve professional recognition in their homeland. The extroversion of our shipping awaits you all. It is a choice that offers prospects because the Greek shipping stands with a future in its hands."
 
During the event, appearances were made by Mr. Anastasios Papagianopoulos, President of BIMCO, and Mr. George Prokopiou, Head of Dynacom Group. Mr. Anastasios Papagianopoulos urged the crowd of over 1,000 young people to get outside their comfort zone and travel, to make their own Odyssey, to dare and win a better future. Mr. Prokopiou revealed that he has already brought to Greece a training sailboat, which is located in Glyfada, that will be available to the next generation in order to get in touch and learn life at sea. He stated, "In an essence, it will be an educational ship that will reinforce the efforts made and to maintain the maritime tradition of our country."
 
During the Forum, the Minister of Shipping and Insular Policy, Mr. Panagiotis Kouroumplis, expressed the long-standing and historical ties of Greek people with the sea, emphasizing that the country's advantages such as shipping, must be unambiguously developed.
 
Concluding this very successful second edition of the YES Forum, Mrs Danae Bezantakou invited everyone who contributed and supported YES to Shipping Forum to continue this successful dialogue and to prepare for the third edition of YES to Shipping, Forum 2020, which will be held on the 5th of June 2020.
Wednesday, 14 October 2020 12:34

Fun Things To Do In Athens With Teenagers

As any parent of teenagers knows, you’re only ever as happy as your least happy teen. That goes double for family holidays. We come to the rescue with a curated guide to some of the best teen-pleaser experiences in Athens, no matter what mood you’re up against.

Olympic Games Workout

How to make your teen zone out? Take them on a traditional sight-seeing tour where they get talked at for hours on end. Do you prefer to see them engaged and enjoying themselves? Sign them up for a 2-hour Olympic Games Workout that combines history with the right amount of physical challenges to teach you about the Olympic Games, both ancient and modern. The kids will love the end game: running on the epic Panathenaic track at the world’s only all-marble stadium, the birthplace of the modern Olympics.

Malakasa Adventure Park

It’s hard to be all moany and shruggy when you’re flying from tree to tree fifteen metres above the ground. If city fatigue has set in, this adventure park is one of the most enjoyable family days out in Athens. The park is an addictive network of Tarzan swings and zip slides laid out over 50 acres of forest, about 40 minutes north of the city-centre, divided into age-appropriate skill levels. It’s lovely and cool in the summer and in the wintertime, you’ll appreciate the alpine atmosphere. You can buy coffee and drinks, but there are no food facilities, so bring along some snacks. Picnic among the pines on wooden benches, or stop off at one of the traditional tavernas in Malakasa town, a few minutes away.

Water Sports on the Athens Riviera

Does your teen believe they can walk on water? From May to early October, put them to the test with a stand-up paddleboard session at Yasurfaki water sports club. Located inside Varkiza resort, one of the biggest—and cleanest—organised sandy beaches on the Athens Riviera, Yasurfaki has been a massive hit with local families and is. Yasurfaki offers all kinds of watersports, such as windsurfing, wakeboarding, and banana boats. Out of the water, there’s plenty to amuse your brood while you get your vitamin sea: beach volleyball, outdoor gyms, teen-cuisine like pizzas, burgers and souvlaki, and beach bars with summery DJ sets. You’ll pay an entrance fee of about €5-7 to access Varkiza Resort; extra for the watersports.

Museum of Illusions

Disappear down the rabbit hole at this small but fascinating novelty museum where nothing is what it seems. Perfectly-pitched for the Insta-generation, your teens will love putting their own filters and spin on some of the most popular illusions such as the Upside Down Room and the Head on a Plate. They’ll also pick up a lesson or two on vision, perception and the science of the human brain. Even though there’s probably only enough here to spend an hour or so, but the museum is located in a lively part of Athens that’s worth exploring afterwards. A little shop by the exit sells brain teasers and puzzles.

The Mind Trap

Tick tock, you’re on the clock. You have just 60 minutes to puzzle it out and escape from whatever deadly mission you’ve signed up for. Teens love the adrenaline rush of escape rooms, where they must work in small teams to crack clues and riddles during a dramatic scenario inspired by anything from Breaking Bad to Game of Thrones. Downtown Athens has several venues hosting daily escape room sessions in English. At The Mind Trap, which has branches in Monastiraki and Kolonaki, rebellious teens will get a kick out of playing “anti-hero” in the Ebola room: the goal is to release the killer virus before getting arrested.

Athens Street Art Tour

Teens are naturally drawn to the subversive energy of graffiti, and Athens has one of the hottest street art scenes in Europe. Find out the difference between “tagging” and “bombing” while you encounter some of the capital’s coolest neighbourhoods. Your guide Nikos is the real deal: a local painter, graphic designer and street artist himself. On this excellent 3-hour tour, he’ll reveal the political and social meanings, and hidden messages behind Athens street art—including ‘All Dogs go to Heaven’, a mural tribute to Loukaniko, the stray dog who loved to tag along on political demonstrations.

Latraac Skate Park

Impress your kids with your local street cred by taking them to this happening skate park in the Keramikos neighbourhood. Latraac—an experimental social space built by Greek skater and architect Zachos Varfis—has become ground zero for the Athens skate scene. Hidden from the street behind metal gates, it has the thrill of an insider secret. Even if you don’t have access to a skateboard, Latraac makes for brilliant street theatre: watch bowl contests or hard-core skaters perfect their moves on the laser-cut plywood bowl. Or soak up the creative buzz of the many artists and musicians who hang out here. Setting Latraac apart from other skate parks in the city is a hip bar and café where you can settle in and enjoy the show. They do a great weekend brunch, including pancakes, toasties and scrambled eggs.

To read more, please visit This is Athens

Whether you've just arrived in town – or have been here for years – Athens always has new secrets to share! This is Athens is the official guide to this captivating city of ancient energies and booming urban culture. Compiled by a team of specialist local writers, This is Athens brings you an authentic and intimate portrait of a living Athens beyond the guidebooks – along with daily curated listings of all the best events and great weekend inspiration all-year round. From must-know neighbourhoods and emerging art hubs, to gourmet hotspots, cool shopping and the buzziest bars, This is Athens will help you to get the most out of living in Athens!

Thank you This is Athens for your contribution as an XpatAthens Partner.


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