XpatAthens

XpatAthens

After taking millions of TripAdvisor reviews into account over a 12-month period, the Acropolis Museum has been ranked as the #1 museum in Greece, 5th best in Europe, and 9th best in the world!

Designed by US-based architect Bernard Tschumi, the modernist building at the foot of the Acropolis’ southern slope showcases surviving treasures from the Archaic and Roman periods, with particular emphasis on the Acropolis of the 5th century BC. The museum opened in 2009.

Travelers’ Choice awards honor top travel spots worldwide based on the millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travelers.

The 2016 list ranks the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as the best in the world.

Sources: Greek Travel Pages & Ekathimerini
According to Stride Travel, Greece is among the top destinations for adventure travel in 2017!

From incredible ancient sites like The Acropolis and Epidaurus to the stunning blue waters off Santorini, an adventure tour to Greece will ensure you don’t miss any of the classics. There’s no place like Greece for sailing - head out to sea and enjoy a view of the famous Greek islands from the water.

Some outfitters even encourage you to help skipper the boat. Back on dry land, check out local tavernas where you can taste delicacies such as moussaka and grilled octopus.

Greece is also a relatively inexpensive destination compared to other European countries, which keeps it popular with budget travelers and value-seekers alike.

To read this article in full, please visit: Tornos News
Despoina Bebedeli, a renowned actress, starred in Hecuba, a Refugee, which was the first play performed in an ancient theatre on the uninhabited Greek island of Delos in over than 2,100 years.

The play, which is based on two monologues written by Athenian tragedian Euripides, tells the tale of Hecuba, the queen of fallen Troy who as a captive mourns the loss of her husband and children during the Trojan War.

Over the centuries, this tragic heroine of Greek mythology has become an anti-war icon whose suffering lays bare all the horrors caused by conflict.

‘Our goal was to highlight the grave problem that affects all of us here in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the plight of war and being a refugee,’ Dimitris Athanasoulis told Al Jazeera. Athanasoulis is the director of the department of antiquities of the Cyclades who co-produced the play.

Organisers said they chose Delos, situated in the heart of the Aegean, to raise awareness about the drama of refugees risking everything to reach Europe's shores.

Millions of people fleeing poverty, war and repression in the Middle East, Asia and Africa have tried crossing the Aegean in recent years. Thousands have died undertaking the perilous journey.

Known as "the most sacred of all islands", Delos is the birthplace of Apollo, the son of daylight, and his twin sister, Artemis, the goddess of moonlight, according to Greek mythology.

This small rugged island was first settled in the third millennium BC, and by the third century BC it had become a prosperous and cosmopolitan centre of cultural, commercial and political life in the region.

Its imposing ancient theatre, regarded as one of the most important artistic creations of its time, was built entirely from marble in the third century BC. With a 6,500-strong capacity, it hosted major theatrical productions, dances and other cultural events.

To read this article in full, please visit: Al Jazeera
Thursday, 13 October 2016 07:00

Greek Olive Oils Used For Medical Research

Greece has over a thousand extra virgin olive oils tested by NMR that meet and exceed the EU criteria for health-promoting phenolic compounds. On the rising tide of astonishing research into the health benefits of olive oil in the daily diet, Greek EVOOs are riding this wave of change in the olive oil industry.

In these three studies reviewed, they look to Greek High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, proving the ancient wisdom of food as medicine.

In 2012 the EU approved a health claim labelling regulation which created the new category of High Phenolic EVOO. It stated that olive oils containing a specified amount of polyphenols (phenolic compounds) could put a health claim on the label as it was well researched and documented that High Phenolic olive oil has a beneficial effect on the blood lipid level. In simple terms it is good for the heart.

In the same year, Dr. Prokopios Magiatis at the University of Athens discovered an accurate way to identify and measure the polyphenols in olive oil using sophisticated Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). His interest was primarily in oleocanthal, the phenolic compound found only in olive oil. Oleocanthal was pulling out front in research for its broad reaching affect on chronic disease like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, heart attack and stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, Type II diabetes and even cancer. Its effectiveness was proving itself in the prevention, treatment and sometimes reversal of symptoms. Tests on over two and a half thousand olive oils has revealed best harvest and production practices for optimum concentration of phenolic compounds.

In the four short years since 2012, testing of olive oils from countries around the globe have revealed that early harvest green olives do indeed yield the highest levels of phenolic compounds and that olive oils high in healthful phenolic compounds stay fresh and vital longer.

The movement amongst olive growers throughout Greece is nothing short of a revival of the ancient Hellenic standard of excellence in olive oil. The wave is surging into the other olive oil producing countries as testing and research exemplifies the health-protective benefits of High Phenolic EVOO and practices and methods of production are refined.

Three companies – a distributor, a family business and an importer are being the change they want to see. Greece is once again reaching out into the world. These three companies not only provide excellent products, are invested in sustainable technology and innovation, but they are each involved in research and consumer awareness for this new category of tested and certified health-promoting High Phenolic EVOO.

To read this article in full, please visit: Huffington Post
86-year-old Emilia Kamvysi is not a politician, activist or lawyer. Her days are simple and slow. Like other Greek retirees on the island of Lesbos off the Turkish coast, she cooks for her children and grandchildren, watches the evening news and sits on the bench with her neighbors gazing at the sea. Kamvysi is not your typical Nobel Peace Prize candidate.

Then her life changed. Along with two neighbors, aged 89 and 85, Kamvysi was sitting on a bench in February, helping out a Syrian refugee mother by feeding her child with a bottle. The photo went viral, and she and the two other grannies in the photo became symbols of Greek generosity toward the migrants who have fled to Europe in recent years.

“I wish that Greece wins this prize, not just me,” Kamvysi said, pledging if she wins to give her share of the $1.2 million prize to the decaying Greek healthcare system.

For the journalists and photographers who have stepped into her home recently, she brews a Greek coffee and brings out a jar of candy. Still, the media attention has often been tiring for the three grannies. They complained they had to dress up every day to greet journalists from as far as Bolivia and Bangladesh, as well as politicians.

In the small island of Lesbos, meanwhile, the three grandmas have become celebrities.

“It’s good for the island and good for the grandmas,” said Roula Kyparisi, a bed and breakfast owner on Lesbos. “We’re all hoping they will win it. It’s so strange that your neighbor is a candidate for a Nobel Prize.”

To read this article in full, please visit: USA Today
Greek craft workers may have helped inspire the most famous Chinese sculptures ever made – the 8,000 warriors of the Terracotta Army who have been watching over the tomb of the first emperor of China for more than 2,000 years.

Archaeologists and historians working on the warriors say they now believe that the figures’ startlingly lifelike appearance could have been influenced by the arrival in China of ancient Greek sculptures, and even that Greek sculptors made their way there to teach their designs.

Li Xiuzhen, a senior archaeologist at the site says, “We now have evidence that close contact existed between the first emperor’s China and the west before the formal opening of the Silk Road. This is far earlier than we formerly thought,” she said. “We now think the Terracotta Army, the acrobats and the bronze sculptures found on site, have been inspired by ancient Greek sculptures and art.”

To read this article in full, please visit: The Guardian
Tuesday, 01 November 2016 07:00

Greece Among Europe's Most Charming Villages

A popular travel website, AFAR, recently named the 13 most charming villages in Europe and Greece made the list! Ano Mera is a quiet and colorful Cycladic village in Mykonos and is actually one of the oldest villages of the island. Visitors often explore the Panagia Tourliani church and the Paleokastro Monastery, which are centuries old. In addition, there are graves of the ancient Geometric era of Greece in Ano Mera.

To name a few, AFAR's list also included Les Bateliers in France, Glen Country House in Cork, and Vernazza on the stunning Amalfi Coast. Mykonos came in at number 4.

To read this article in full, please visit: AFAR
Tuesday, 08 November 2016 07:00

Two Greeks Shortlisted For World Mayor Award

Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis and his counterpart from Lesvos, Spiros Galinos, are in the running for the biennial World Mayor Award to be selected through online voting at World Mayor.

The mayors of Athens and Lesvos have both made it into the Top 15 and have been singled out for their ongoing efforts during the refugee crisis.

The World Mayor Project aims to raise the profile of mayors worldwide and honour those who have served their communities well and who have made contributions to the well-being of cities nationally and internationally.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages
Tuesday, 15 November 2016 07:00

Facebook Adds Ancient Greek As Language Choice

Among the many languages offered on Facebook, Ancient Greek is now a choice.
 
When you save Ancient Greek as a language, from then on messages will be ‘Aγγέλματα’, Facebook will be asking you ‘Tί δοκείς;’, friend search will be ‘Φίλους ευρίσκειν’, the main page will be called ‘οίκος’, while under each post you will see the indication ‘Σχόλιον γράφειν.’

To change your language settings to Ancient Greek, go to Settings - Language - Select Your Language - Ancient Greek - Save Changes.

In an effort to help refugee children who are currently stuck living in migrant reception centers in Greece, the non-profit, The Smile of the Child, has been overwhelmed trying to help these children who are most vulnerable.

The Smile of the Child’s plight in helping refugee children is not in a solitary cause as Canada’s former Ambassador to Greece, Robert Peck visited the Greek island of Lesvos last summer and after seeing the refugee hotspot firsthand. Now, The House of Canada and the Americas (HOCATA) will become part of The Smile of the Child network of homes in Greece, helping refugee children on the island of Lesvos.

HOCATA will be located in a former mansion donated to the NGO on the outskirts of the capital of the Greek island of Lesvos, Mytilini. Once renovated, The Smile of the Child expects to house upwards of 25 children in a safe, secure and loving environment.

HOCATA will target children vulnerable to exploitation, especially unaccompanied refugee minors, who are living behind barbed wire or in make shift shelters on the island. These children are innocent victims of the refugee crisis who find themselves in very dire circumstances, often lacking adequate shelter, food and health care.



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