In terms of greeness, Athens doesn't even come close to other European capitals with their verdant parks and blossoming gardens. The truth is, modern urban development has not been particularly gentle with this city.  Numerous concrete buildings, along with poor road designs, hem in inhabitants and visitors with featureless views.  Thankfully, there are some oases in the cement desert that offer the hungry local or tourist a lush respite in which to enjoy a meal or drink.

Just behind Parliament lies the Ethnikos Kipos, or National Gardens, the indisputable green heart of the city.  Back in 1836, Queen Amalia had envisaged the Royal Gardens to follow the European models of the era, and so agronomist Frederick Schmidt, director of the gardens for almost 30 years, planted native flora from Cape Sounion and the island of Euboea, as well as many species from abroad that were suited to the Attica climate. Today, the gardens are home to more than 50,000 trees and shrubs and are open to visitors from morning to dusk.  The gardens' cafe sits at the Irodou Attikou entrance, with retro green tables arraying symmetrically in the relaxing shade of the alleyway.  After a morning walk, why not enjoy a cup of Greek coffee?  The menu offers dishes such as tzatziki, octopus stewed in vinegar sauce marinated anchovies and meatballs with potatoes.  It's pretty pricey though - be warned.

A few steps from Syntagma metro, a heavy iron gate stands guard over the former residence of the German archeologist Heinrich Schliemann.  Desinged by none other than the eminent Ernst Ziller, the architect of many of Athens' royal and municipal buildings, the Renaissance-inspired structure was named Iliou Melathron, or Trojan Mansion, in tribute to the owner's passion for the mythical city of Troy (also known as Ilion).  Iliou Melathron is now home to the Numismatic Museum, and the beautiful garden, where Schliemann spent hours planting and tending his trees, still includes many species of of Greek flora, with reproductions of ancient Greek statues peeking through the folige.

To read more, please visit: Culinary Backstreets 

In the heart of buzzing Athens there are a lot of open markets selling anything from food and spices to vintage clothing, antiques and souvenirs. Even if you don’t want to shop a walk into the flea market is a great way to get the real vibe of Athens.

Here is a list of the top flea markets in the centre of Athens:

Monastiraki flea market starts next to Monastiraki metro station.  It's not an actual flea market, but a collection of small shops.  Here you can buy almost anything, form clothing, jewellery, cheap souvenirs like t-shirts, toy exzone soldiers, marble Greek statues, postcards and quality souvenirs like backgammon sets, Byzantine icons, traditional Greek products, musical instruments and leather goods.  In Monastiraki flea market you will find almost everything.  Near the flea market there ar ea lot of cafes where you can stop for a refreshment and watch the people passing by.  Early in the morning and late at night when the shops are closed, all the shop fronts are covered with street art, which is totally worth checking out.

Every Sunday at Avissynias Square, just off Ifaistou Street, the central street of Monastiraki flea market, there is a bazaar.  There are vendors selling antiques from furniture to old books and recornds to anything you can imagine.  Some have no value at all, but you can also find a lot of bargins.  There are some cozy cafes at the square and Avissynias restaurant with live Greek music and traditional food where you can have a bite and watch all the action of the square.

To read more, please visit: Travel Passionate

Metsovo is a picturesque town situated in the slopes of Mount Pindos in Epirus.  The small town stands at an altitude of 1156 metres and is surrounded by beautiful nature and lush vegetation.  Metsovo is a very popular destination in Greece as it's a place that has kept its character over the years with traditional stone and wood houses.  It offers visitors a variety of activities all year.  Here, Travel Passionate offers her suggestions in things to see and do in Metsovo.

The museum houses a vast collection from the works of famous Greek painters and sculptors from the 19th and 20th century.

The museum is housed in the restored Tositsa Manor. On your visit you will be able to see how a traditional house of Metsovo was organized. It has an invaluable collection of old objects.

Explore the village on foot, walk in the stone alleyways and admire the traditional architecture of the houses and the views of mount Pindos. Make sure you stop at Metsovorama cafe and bar for a coffee and admire the incredible view of the surrounding mountains. There are a couple of churches worth visiting like the church of Agia Paraskevi at the central square of the village and the church of Agios Nikolaos with rare byzantine icons.

To read more, please visit: Travel Passionate

Enter Borsalino Bar, an intriguing addition to Kolokotroni street serving fine spirits and cocktails with soul and jazz on the speakers. Inspired by the 1930s-set French gangster film of the same name, Borsalino's atmosphere and decor harken back to an era where men wore hats non-ironically. As a result, the cocktails you'll find here are smooth and sophisticated. Try the Borsalino Blues — the seductive libation of bourbon, port, banana, camomile and buttermilk will have you hooked. At Borsalino, just when you think you're out, you get pulled back in.

 

Address: Kolokotroni 59, Plaka, Athens

Hours: Daily, 9 a.m.-3 a.m.

Telephone: 210 323 2222
Facebook Page

To read this article in full, please visit: Savoteur

The Dalliance House Restaurant in Kifisia is in a neoclassical building of 1890 and was originally used as a bourgeois house. The all-day bar restaurant that is now in operation, has iron constructions and plasterboards largely covering the treasure of memories which were trapped underneath and that had to be totally dismantled. Today, three generations later, The Dalliance House in Kifissia, houses the space created by Lefteris Bakopoulos and his colleagues, so we can enjoy it by morning, noon, or evening.

In the main entrance, guests have a general view of the site as it evolves 180 degrees, revealing from left to right, the bar, the corridor leading to the second floor of the building and the petrol blue room. On the left side of the main entrance lies the space of the bar. The playful lights of the bar have lots of personality!

The elements that characterize The Dalliance House are intimate, comfort, and a tendency to create a space where privacy and sociability are combined. It plays on the dichotomy that takes place between the space and its world.

Address: Kiriazi 19, Kifisia
Telephone: 210 62 30 775

 

To read this article in full, please visit: Living Postcards

 

Photo Credit: The Dalliance House Facebook

New regulations easing capital controls and raising the maximum monthly cash withdrawal limit to 1800 euros came into effect on September 1st, 2017. The measure was announced and passed as an act of legislative content in early August.

In addition, sums transferred to a bank account from abroad after September 1, 2017 can be taken out of the country once again in full, though only half can be withdrawn as cash.

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

It may sound like a joke, but a Vietnamese chef, a French architect and a Greek musician have joined forces to create the funkiest Vietnamese restaurant in Athens. And if you're looking for a more relaxing way to enjoy your coffee, we have put together a list with some fabulous Bookstore cafes in the city!

In case you happen to be in Greece on January 5th and 6th, then here is what you can expect or experience:  In the morning of January 5th, Greek children sing–once again–from door to door. The song they sing is not that known as the Christmas’ or the New Years’ carols, but also beautiful.

Young men will dive or jump in the water and try to catch the holy cross. The person that will catch it, will have a lot of luck this year. Take a look at this video, to get a better idea.

The Epiphany tradition goes back to ancient Greece, and particularly to a feast which was called “Plintiria” (=washing machines). During this feast, the Athenians carried the statue of Athena to the coast of Faliro (close to Piraeus) to wash it in the sea, to make sure it would keep its magic powers.

Don't forget that on January 6th, a lot of people have their Name Day as well: Fotis, Foteini, Theofanis, Theofania, Fani, Ourania, Iordanis. You can wish them: Xronia Polla! Χρόνια Πολλά!

If you want to learn other Greek wishes you can use for Name Days, National Holidays or Social Occasions, you are welcome to download the “Greek Wishes For Social Occasions” FREE eBOOK, including Audio for the correct pronunciation.

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis launched on Friday, November 5, the GR-eco project on the island of Halki, scheduled to turn the island green.

The project, which will include other islands in the future, aims at providing residents with lower electricity bills, reducing environmental pollution, and upgrading energy and telecommunications infrastructure.

Halki is a little island in the Dodecanese archipelago, located just 6 km west of Rhodes. Still untouched by mass tourism, Halki is the perfect destination either for relaxing vacations away from the bright lights or for a quick getaway from Rhodes island.

The benefit of the project for Halki is estimated to be a total of 180,000-250,000 euros per year, while the “green” energy from the solar energy power plants replaces the electricity production from oil resources from the Rhodes units, resulting in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 1,800 tons per year, the Greek government says.

Halki and the Dodecanese Islands will become sites of dynamic investments in green and cyclical economies, Mitsotakis said, which means cheap electricity and new jobs for the residents.

Residents will work with municipalities to produce the energy they consume, practically nulling the cost of the energy, he explained. “This model of energy democracy can and must become an example for every island, reducing costs on residential bills,” ushering in the era of prosumers, or producers/consumers who take advantage of natural energy sources without additional expense, Mitsotakis noted.

The crisis can become an opportunity under these circumstances, while Greece’s strategic location makes it a hub of energy transfer. “This is the meaning of the recent agreement with Egypt – such agreements turn into shields defending our borders as well,” the premier underlined, urging additional islands and their councils to join the GR-eco islands model.

Earlier in the week, during a speech at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP26, he noted that “our pioneering strategy, GR-eco, will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 10 million tons, gradually turning our islands into 100% green and sustainable, autonomous destinations.”

To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com

The Acropolis of Athens naturally sends eyes skyward to take in the glories of the Parthenon and other buildings atop it, but its best-kept secret is a chamber inside the sacred rock.

The secret chamber of the Acropolis is actually a Byzantine church. Restored in 2017, the Acropolis, once a place of worship, burrows deep into the base of Athens’ most renowned mountain. Above the Dionysus Theater, is the church called Panagia Spilotissa, or the Virgin Mary of the Cave, which was converted from an archaic temple.

Ironically, the church originated as a temple to celebrate the ancient Greek god of festivity and religious madness. Dating back to 320 BC, the cave was a temple dedicated to Dionysus, built by Thrasyllos. Two Ionian pillars still stand on top of the entryway, easily spotted from the pedestrian walkway, the Dionysios Areopagitis, that borders the Acropolis.

Acropolis’ Secret: First an Archaic Monument, Then an Alternative Church

The monument was erected to celebrate Thrasyllos’ victory as the benefactor of a chorus that performed in the annual dramatic festival that honored Dionysus. After the victory, Thrasyllos had the monument constructed. It was again modified in 297 BC, following his son, Thrasyklis, victory to include inscriptions.

The cave was most likely considered sacred long before the construction of the monument. It may have been dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. The rock face was cut back to form a flat vertical surface, and the mouth of the cave was enlarged into a rectangular opening. Two broad stone steps led up to the entry.

A Doric marble portico was set at the front of the cave, in imitation of the Propylaea, on the southwest wing of the Acropolis. The structure would have been surmounted with three bronze tripods that served as the actual prizes in the annual competition that involved drama, comedy, and musical performances. The tripods were eventually replaced with a statue of Dionysus.

Best-Preserved Examples of post-Byzantine Hagiography

“The fresco decoration of Panagia Spiliotissa comprises the best-preserved examples of post-Byzantine hagiography in the area of the Acropolis and its slopes,” according to Dr. Konstantinos Boletis. Boletis serves as a restoration architect for the Department/Ephorate of Antiquities of the City of Athens.

The church was one of the “alternative” places to worship that began to emerge in Athens during the sixth century following the decrees sent down by the Byzantine emperors.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com