Tag: Mainland Greece

Athens may now be a capital of millions of inhabitants but things were not exactly the same about a century ago. In fact, it was more like a province. A small growing town. Athens in the 1900s a was very different city from the one that it is now. Athens and its economy At that period commerce blossomed in Athens, as well as various crafts, there was also great construction activity which created jobs for several of the many available labouring hands. Of course there was a great deal of ...

Athens is a top destination for visitors from abroad, especially during the summer season. This can also be seen from the consecutive record in visitor arrivals at the country's airports. Apart from this, however, it is also a favorite destination for the inhabitants of other regions of the country. People, more or less, choose Athens for their holidays, jobs or for a short breakout that combines both. But what do those who live in Greece and come to Athens just for a visit, choose to do? What are the most ...

A verdant area, 49 acres large, that is definitely an oasis in the bustling city of Athens. And surely, Goudi Park is shaped into becoming exactly that. An organized recreation center and a sports area, where the Athenians find a way out, traversing only a few kilometers. Entering from the main entrance, you have the opportunity to choose which path or pedestrian route you would like to follow. Each one will to take you to a different part of the park. If you choose the main route, you will come ...

Walking through the streets of Athens, you may definitely have noticed buildings that are different from all others. They stand out among the apartment blocks and the modern buildings of Athens. They present a differtent archotectural style to the city. We are talking about the formidable neo-Gothic towers of the Greek capital. Their style and aesthetics are reminiscent of historic palaces of the Central Europe. You will see arched gates, sharp bows and Frankish ornamentations. It is the ultimate implementation of the Gothic architectural style in the heart of the ...

It is one of the largest public groves in Athens, around which there is also the homonymous district to which it has given its name. The Pedion tou Areos is perhaps the most familiar place of recreation for the Athenians. It is usually called simply as, the Park. The Field of Areos extends parallel to Alexandras Avenue and has given its name to the district that surrounds it. With an area of more than 250 acres, it is one of the most important green lungs for the most densely populated ...

Having over 130 years of history, Varvakeios Agora is the meeting point of the Athenians especially on the festive days of the year. The central market of Athens aggregates pictures, colours and smells from the old Athens and takes you to the past in just one visit. On the Eve of the holidays, Varvakeios Agora looks from afar like a big human carpet that sells and buys goods. The Varvakeios Agora and its history The central market of Athens is named after the national benefactor and outlawed by the Ottomans, ...

In the story she was widely known as the "Duchess of Placentia", her real name, however, was Sophie de Marbois Lebren. She became known as a Duchess after her marriage to the Duke of the homonymous Italian city. The Tower of Placentia has its own unique history and of course myths that go along with it. The life of the Duchess of Placentia Sophie de Marbois Lebren was the American-French daughter of a French diplomat and wife of the Duke of Placentia. She was distinguished for her philhellenic action and ...

As you place your foot at their entrance, you will think that you have been transferred back in time. Cookhouses with authentic recipes and a nostalgic environment that offer you an experience that is straight out of the Old Athens. The authentic cookhouses in the city centre are valuable sites worth visiting. The retro environment and the traditional Greek cuisine comprise an irresistible combination. Martinis Kitchen, in Athens Photo Source: martiniskouzina.gr Housed in a building dating back to 1888, the Martinis Kitchen,offers to its visitors about 40 different recipes each ...

The Metropolis Church of Athens is known by all. Next to it, however, there is another small gem, the so-called "little Metropolis Church" of Athens. It is a small church dedicated to Panagia Gorgoepikoos (Virgin Mary who hears us and answers promptly) and to Agios Eleftherios. The history of the temple and the special material of the construction The small Metropolis Church was built at the end of the 12th century. It's characteristic that for its construction stones or bricks were not used as a building material . Its architect, ...

Today the digital age and the intense competition may have made the 7th Art lose its romantic color, but in some corners of Athens, the heart of the old cinema is still beating. Historical cinemas which played their first screenings decades ago are still here. And they offer a unique experience to the cinephile... 1. Aavora, 180 Hippocrates street - Exarchia District Photo Source: AAVORA Aavora cinema first operated in 1965. It changed owner once in 1983 and of particular interest is the history of its name. Its first owner ...

The tram of Athens has in its current form since 2004. However, it went through various phases up to this current form it now has. Years of glory and decline have passed over it. The tram was launched in Athens in 1882 and evolved over the years through various phases. Its first appearance in Athens The first year that trams appeared on the streets of Athens was 1882. The horses did the most important job at that time. It was the horse-riding trams that were moving on the city's dirt ...

If there is a classic and favourite place for a walk in the centre of Athens on a Sunday, it is none other than that of Monastiraki district. It is in the "must-see" of every tourist who comes to Athens but also a standard for those who live in the capital of Greece. Monastiraki or "Outdoors Auction House" as it is its name today, starts from the south side of Ermou Street, at the height of Metropolis Church Square, and goes all way down to Thision Square. It is a ...

If you often walk around the centre of Athens, it's more than likely that you may have noticed this special monument. It is located at the northern feet of the Acropolis, on the site of the Roman Agora in Plaka. The Aerides,as it is called, stand there for more than 2,500 years, being an important part of the country's history. The Sundial of Kyrristos as its official name is, or else the Tower of the Winds is also considered the oldest meteorological station in the world. There were no reports ...

If you have walked through Ermou Street even once in your life, you have surely seen the beautiful Kapnikara church up close. It is a small Byzantine church dating back to the 11th century. Coming down Ermou, you can't pass by without noticing it. Where did its get her name from? There are the two prevailing versions of the story as to how the church Panagia Kapnikarea got its name. The first is as follows: The name Kapnikarea is considered to be associated with the founder of the temple who ...

If there are any features that make Athens stand out, surely one of them is its beautiful neoclassical buildings. However, what is being rescued today is much less in accordance with what existed in the past. Towards the end of the 19th century, neoclassicism in Athen's buildings met its day of glory. But that didn't last long. After the end of the Second World War, trends in the city planning of Athens began to change radically. The place of the neoclassical buildings was occupied by apartment blocks. Thus, some legendary ...

If you were a kid in Athens in the '80s then you'd probably have a picture of Santa Claus in Minion. The department store that the Athenians fondly remember to this day. The store that was closing its doors for security reasons. Because there was no more room for people. The name of the businessman behind the inglorious Minion was Ioannis Georgakas. It all started when at the age of 13, Georgakas arrived alone in Athens from the prefecture of Olympia (an area in Peloponnese where the infamous Olympic Games ...

If you have spent your childhood in Athens in the past decades, then you certainly have some characteristic memories. One of them would be traffic wardens in their canopies. There, under their "barrels" in Kifissia and in Syntagma Square one could see a multitude of gifts on Christmas days. A special custom, very characteristic of the Old Athens. Identified with the Christmas and New Year holidays. The offer of gifts is maintained to this day. The most well-known traffic warden was definitely that of Kifissia Square. The traffic wardens in ...

In the 1980s, many families who decided to go down to Athens for a walk had the following route: destination Unknown Soldier. We feed the pigeons and then to the... National Garden. There, the ride had an exotic character. Among the trees, the rotunda, the duck pond and back to Syntagma Square for a cup of coffee or a dessert. In the National Garden, which for many years was called the Royal Garden, and even to this day, many people call it like that, you can go from sunrise to ...