The Athens Festival, so central to the vibrancy of our city, promises to create a joyful, ambitious and celebratory cultural programme to at least get us dreaming of an action-packed summer ahead. Katerina Evangelatos, the new Artistic Director of the Athens Festival hopes that this year’s Festival will be realised towards the end of May,...
Read moreWhat do we cherish most about Easter in Greece? Its glorious paradoxes! The joyful arrival of Spring with its jasmine-scented air, the incense-infused solemnity of Holy Week rituals, the smell of lamb whirling on the spit. This year, Easter will be poignantly different - no candle-lit processions or fireworks. But the wildflowers will be ...
Read moreBeyond the ringing endorsement for our little nation’s brave response to the pandemic, Yuval Noah Harari believes that ‘decisions being taken by governments today will shape countries for years to come, not just for a few weeks.’ In a shape-shifting tourism landcape, it is the same nimble response to ‘flattening the curve’, that will se...
Read moreWalk into any Four Seasons in the world and one of the first things that strikes you is the floral magnificence on display, combining a rare hybrid of skills that include botanical artistry, floral set dressing and intricate engineering. At Four Seasons Astir, Studio 7 have converted the lobbies and public spaces into a laboratory for ima...
Read moreKassiani Hymn, a little offering by jazz musician Dimitri Vassilakis and New York based visual artist Lydia Venieri. Inspired by a solemn hymn for the Greek Orthodox holy week service. Kassiani Hymn Dimitri Vassilakis/Lydia Venieri https://youtu.be/AkjmoiMLCLQ
Read moreWith most restaurants closed, celebrated Greek gastronomy chefs are taking to the kitchen to prepare meals for frontline medical workers. Elena Panayides reports on how these gourmet meals, served with a generous side portion of TLC (tender loving care) are reminders of our connectivity, even in isolation. [gallery link="file...
Read moreOn this the most important of Greek religious holidays, Elena Panayides shares her ideas for recreating the sights, sounds and smells of Easter at home. Have your friends bake Tsoureko-banana bread and then score one another’s creations on a zoom digital bake-off. The winners and losers all get to put on 2kg. Look at your...
Read moreArianna Huffington, Founder and CEO at Thrive Global advocates imagining a post-corona future where we seek transformation and renewal. "I wish it need not have happened in my time,” says Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. “So do I,” says Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we...
Read moreYou can take the girl out of Greece but not the feisty Greek spirit out of her! Greek dynamo Rita Wilson and honorary Greek Tom Hanks share their post-Corona solidarity through their charity MusicCares Covid-19 Relief Fund. Our fave Hollywood couple have not only conquered the virus but our hearts too... Rita Wilson appeared ...
Read moreWhile we refashion traditions this socially-distanced Easter, having festive meals with laptops instead of family, watching services on screens instead of thronging to light candles, there are still lessons of hope to be had. And stark lessons in gratitude - from history, from nature in full bloom, from civic society, and even, street art...
Read moreA timely promotional tool for Greece, The Trip To Greece promises plenty of mouth-watering Mediterranean meals – with a side helping of ancient ruins and stunning seascapes. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon reunite to follow in Odysseus’ footsteps in director Michael Winterbottom’s culinary and comedic travelogue series, The Trip to Greece. ...
Read moreYou want the trappings of Easter minus the long hours slaving over a barbecue? Athens Insider has the answer to your Easter prayers for a festive Paschal meal, delivered to your doorstep. Lots of wine, an orgy of succulent spit-roast lamb and kokoretsi, an egg-cracking competition and much merriment – a lot of reasons why we l...
Read more
