The Greek government announced a gradual easing of its lockdown measures, to be reviewed daily for public safety. The magic date is May 4, but the relaxation of measures comes with constant urging to remain vigilant and to follow safety guidelines - compulsory masks, use of gloves, use of antiseptic gel and mandatory 2-metre distancing. ...
Read moreCrime novelist Jeff Siger – whose 'trouble in paradise' murder mysteries get under the seamy underbellies of whitewashed Greek isles, presents his 10th book in the Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis series, Island of Secrets, set in his beloved Mykonos. Congratulations! “The Mykonos Mob”—now available in paperback as “Island of Secr...
Read moreJohn Carr baits you into his virus-obsessed world with an ode to the invisible crown-shaped bug. 'Tis four weeks now this lockdown weighs So heavily upon our days, As we all huddle as in hiding Awaiting that oh-so-glad tiding That Covid 19 has at last Been sent the way of viri past. But let's not soak in gloom and doom...
Read moreGreece has been a powerful muse for countless scribes throughout the ages. Athens Insider rounds up 8 must-read contemporary tales that will help you get under Greece’s skin. Dinner with Persephone, Patricia Storace Dinner with Persephone is the product of Patricia Storace’s year spent living in Greece and provides a great ...
Read moreOlympia Panagiotopoulos’ poignant story will resonate with anyone who has left home on an immigrant’s journey, «a life caught between a memory and a dream». In Beneath the Fig Leaves, «the comforting sizzle of onion and garlic in hot oil, the fresh, clean scent of a newly picked lemon, the strong earthiness of thyme» infuses the cultural ...
Read moreWith the Olympics postponed, Wimbledon cancelled and every other sporting encounter put on hold, there’s nothing like a good sports movie that transcends the drama and excitement inherent in sports to get your juices flowing. When done right, sports movies offer more depth than the average game, illuminating not just the sport depicted, b...
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 moreFew writers evoke the intense emotion and vivid imagery of Easter in Greece as Sofka Zinovieff in her memoir, Eurydice Street, A Place in Athens. An extract from her book that so poignantly captures the glorious paradoxes and rich traditions of Greek Easter. Few would dispute that Easter celebrations are the most intensely bea...
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 moreSherri Moshman-Paganos traces the history of the deadly plague that almost decimated Athens in the Peloponnesian War. Thucydides, who so clearly etched the horrors of the Black Death in the ‘History of the Peloponnesian War’ stated that ‘the perceived impact of the Athenian plague was such that people ceased fearing the law since they fel...
Read more
