Athens is one of the most beautiful central European cities. The Greece capital has an incredible past; being one of the oldest cities in the world Athens is the birthplace of the democracy. Visiting this city is an incredible experience. Just walking the streets is a unique experience because Athens architecture combines many styles from the earliest in the history to the newest.

The Acropolis of Athens including the Parthenon, the Erectheion, and the Temple of Athena Nike is certainly the cities landmark and it is definitely worth visiting. These are architectural masterpieces and the most important ancient Greek monuments. If you want to make a complete tour of the city, you should take the funicular railway. It starts in Kolonaki and covers the entire city including the port of Piraeus and the island of Aegina. Read the rest of this entry »

About three kilometres from the end of Mylopotas, after we have ascended about 200 metres, between the road and the sea, stands the beautiful little church of the Panayia tis Mersinias, which celebrates its festival on the 23rd of August.

A little way below the Panayia tis Mersinias is the beach of Sapounochoma, with its striking green rocks. But it can be reached only from the sea. About a kilometre beyond the point where the road passes the church of the Panayia tis Mersinias is a side road to the right that leads to the chapel of Ayia Ekaterini. We continue along the main road and, after about three kilometres, come to the church of Ayios Dimitrios on our left. The road soon veers left towards the interior of the island, after which it comes to the intersection for Kalamos, where we turn left. Shortly after the turn, there is a surprise in store. Read the rest of this entry »

The small island of Thirasia is located northwest of Thira. It has 245 inhabitants, most of whom are employed in fishing or farming. According to scientific research, the island was formed in the volcanic eruption of 1640 BC. However, the ancient historian Pliny claimed that Thirasia broke off from Thira in 237 BC in the same earthquake that sunk Thira and created Palaia Kameni, Nea Kameni and Aspronisi.

Tradition has it that the island got its name from the daughter of King Thiras, to whom the island was given and where a palace was built in her honor. In fact, traces of a building rumored to he sections of the “king’s palace” can he seen on the island today.

Thirasia has three villages. Manolas, which is also the capital, is built along the eastern and southern shores of the island. The second and most densely populated village is Potamos, which contains numerous “hyposkafa” houses (carved into the volcanic rock face) and the Churches of Aghios Dimitrios and the Panaghia i Yatrissa (“Virgin Healer”). Read the rest of this entry »

The downtown areas of Omonia, Votanikos, Gazi and Psyrri have received the most dramatic upgrades in recent years, with the 2004 Summer Olympics accelerating the completion of much-needed projects that seemed mired in perpetual construction. Omonia in particular saw the removal of the unsightly billboards that had infested the area and a thorough cleanup of its seedy underbelly. The public works have been a catalyst for a multicultural flourishing and new businesses lining Sofokleous promise to inspire further development in the area. With Athens having the lowest crime rate in Europe, these downtrodden districts were not off-putting to tourists in the past for their violent reputations, but rather because they had no real draw, a situation that is rapidly changing thanks to all of this new development.

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Cooking varies wildly in the Aegean (some areas, such as Mytilini, are marked by a distinctly Eastern palate), but Greek island food is generally simple, its flavours clean and pure. Sun-baked capers, fresh fish, sea sprayed herbs, a surprisingly large array of goat’s-milk cheeses and original cured meats are basic, and typical, ingredients.

Mytilini is famous for ouzo and good mezedes to accompany it, and king among them is the sardine known as papalina. About 100 tons of these fish are harvested annually from the Gulf of Kalloni – their wide, flat tins are stacked next to a pyramid of ouzo bottles in nearly every shop on the island. Read the rest of this entry »