When people ask you “μιλάτε ελληνικά;” (do you speak Greek) ,what do you say?
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You can ask, of course, “do you speak English?” and, most of the times, get “yes” for an answer.
HOWEVER : why not learn one of the most ancient languages of the world, and discover the roots of many words, used in many other languages?
We know how to do that!
We’ve been doing it for 20 years now. We teach companies, embassies, individuals, from beginner to high level.
We have experienced staff and adapt our material to your specific needs, whether they are professional or everyday.
We plan conversation groups, we do literature classes, visits to markets, and all sorts of activities that will help you improve your Greek and, when asked ” do you speak Greek?”,
answer happily “yes!”
Book your lessons now, that we are planning new classes !
Saying goodbye leaves a bitter taste in your mouth !
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We always use the hashtag #thebestjobintheworld (the best job in the world) to express how happy we are with our job!
What we don’t say is how difficult it is to part with people with whom you share so much!
You meet them at the LOOK AND SEE, before they make up their minds to move here, you see them loosen up and relax, as they get into the greek way of life, you spend time and holidays and tours and meals and loooooong discussions…..and so much more with them….
And then, one day you part with them! And they leave holes in your life.
We always hope that they will come back – and a lot of them do!
Some French students of mine told me their motto, which they borrowed from a Greek writer, they couldn’t remember his name:
Μένω στο Παρίσι, αλλά ζω στην Ελλάδα ! ( I stay in Paris, but I live in Greece)
One of our #sharingtheathenswelove Tours during the holidays was a huge challenge: we had to combine the interests of the grandparents, parents and children… three generations at the same time ! Our son Giannis was in charge of the children and we don’t know who enjoyed it more, the kids or himself. We have to say it was a big success and an even bigger satisfaction. Here are some highlights of the tour:
“Sharing the Athens we Love Tour”: Every time different, one step ahead
Heading to Cape Sounion, our first stop is Lavrion Photo: diakonima.gr On such a hot day, we had to take a swim before we carried on to the Temple of Poseidon. the Temple of Poseidon the view The sunset … After driving along the coast line, we ended up at Vouliagmani Lake for an ice cream and beer Stay tuned by following us on Pinterest:
The most important wine appointment of Greece for consumers and professionals,
Greeks and foreigners.
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Welcome to Oenorama, the world’s leading Greek wine exhibition. Oenorama was created in 1994 and over the years has adapted to changes in the wine market remaining pertinent, beneficial and accessible to both the consumer and the wine trade. The one thing that hasn’t changed at Oenorama is the show’s protagonist: Wine.
Twenty-three years down the line, Oenorama has evolved from a traditional wine fair into a multi-level communication platform that caters to the needs of a diverse public, including growers, the trade (both foreign and domestic) and wine-loving consumers. It seeks to effectively promote the wines, the wineries and the people behind the wines, both inside the exhibition and online, due to its dynamic presence on social media, which will be expanded even further this year.
Once again, this year’s Oenorama is being held in the city centre, at the Zappeion Megaron Exhibition Hall and Conference Centre, adjacent to the National Gardens; this historic venue (where Greece signed its accession to the European Common Market in 1981), has proven an ideal location for Oenorama in both size and style. The beautiful high-ceilinged halls have plenty of natural light and it is easily accessible with all forms of transportation; numerous hotels and restaurants are within walking distance, making Zappeion convenient to both exhibitors and visitors. For the foreign visitor, it is a mere 40’ train ride from the airport.
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Οινικές Απκαλύψεις Athens Wine Week
Over the past two years we introduced several innovations to Oenorama, including the “Athens Wine Week” (tastings and events around the city, March 13-19), a dedicated hall to “top obscure wines” called “Wine Revelations”, a new self-pour tasting gallery called “Discover Greek Wines”, a stand representing “Olive Oils by Greek Winemakers” and the “Greek Wine Resto” initiative whose aim is to create a worldwide network of restaurants with Greek wine lists. Ελλοινικό Εστιατόριο Ελλοινικό Εστιατόριο This year we are adding a new, dedicated space for lectures and tasting seminars and digital signage throughout the fair with live feeds from social media and other useful information for our visitors and exhibitors.
This year, thanks to Enterprise Greece, Oenorama is also expecting a group of wine buyers and journalists from Korea and Japan, as well as wine experts Robert Joseph and Jamie Goode from the United Kingdom, who will be giving a lecture on global wine trends.
Οινοτεχνία
Visitors can also expect to find some of the most important suppliers of the Greek wine industry in a dedicated area called Oenotechnica, approximately at the midsection of the exhibition.
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Discover Greek Wines Oenorama is hosting up to 250 wineries this year, with more than 1,500 wines to taste. If, as a foreign visitor, you feel lost with all these wines and wineries, a good place to start your visit, is the Oenorama Tasting Gallery “Discover Greek Wines”. You will find about 250 of the show’s best wines, selected by the growers themselves as the most representative of their regions and a huge map of the Greek vineyards. Wines are organized by colour, region and grape variety (especially useful for comparisons) and are presented with a tasting sheet with all the basic information you need. You pour your own and don’t have to worry about sharing your impressions with anyone. Entry to the tasting gallery is free of charge for trade and open to the general public for an extra 5€ on the entry price (coupons are for sale at the show entrance and are valid for one visit only).
The exhibition presents sketches, paintings and photographs of the French visual artist Pascaline Bossuwho lives and works in Athens since 2000. Pascaline Bossu speaks of double identity and the ability to meld in a culture that is different from one’s own.
The artist uses her art to meld with a new culture. Dealing with double identity, she also uses complementary techniques: the hand painted photograph and painting inspired by photographs, resulting in a back and forth movement, a mirror effect between Greece and France, between painting and photography, between the lack of identity of carnival masks and the sublime face found in a costume.
The exhibition begins with a series of landscapes, a first visual impression, a sensory experience during which the artist immerses herself in the natural Greek environment. Pascaline Bossu observes and makes the Greek landscape her own, as a decoration resembling the background found in the photographs taken in studios of the 19th century. Also inspired by the landscapes in sanguine of the Renaissance, her works are imbued with Greek nature so as to better express the link between humans and their environment.
Furthermore,Pascaline Bossu researches the various regions, their traditions, dances and costumes: By painting the principal members of her French family in traditional Greek costumes, the artist gives a new personality to each relative to Greek culture, but also gives a nod to the French artists who fervently defended the Greek cause during the war of independence
Click here for:
Pascaline Bossu SKETCHES-PAINTINGS-PHOTOGRAPHS Impressions of Greece
GUIDED TOURS BY THE ARTIST
Every Saturday & Sunday, 16:00-17:30 Admission: 6 € Information-Reservations: Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-18:00, T: 211.0126486/E: annex@herakleidon-art.gr
PROUDLY MEDIA SPONSORED by “LIVIN’ and LOVIN’ IT IN GREECE”
Following our exceptional visit to Nemea in October, where Pr. Miller, except for the tour he gave us, spoke to us in depth about his dream concerning the revival of the Nemean Games, we would like to inform you that if you want to be part of history and participate in the Nemean Games 2016, here is what you have to do:
CLICK ON: nemean games for the Nemean Games Trailer
June 11-12, 2016
If you would like to participate in the next (6th) Nemean Games, and in a revival of the Olympic Spirit, you must register before May 1, 2016. There are no registration fees.
ATTENTION! The 7.5 kilometers race “In the Footsteps of Herakles” will take palce ONLY on Saturday, June 11, 2016. Please, whether you register directly electronically or send your registration form to us, do not omit to fill in every space. Please also write your name and surname with lower case letters (e.g. John Green, not JOHN GREEN) and if you write in Greek characters, don’t forget to use accent marks.
Sixth Nemead, June 10-12, 2016 (tentative schedule)
Friday, June 10, 6:30 p.m.
at Temple of Nemean Zeus:
Greetings
Sacred Truce (Ekecheria) Crowns Nemea
Jelena Jovanovic Bakopoulou sings “Ode to Nemea”
Torch is lighted at the Altar of Zeus, and Truce and Nemea carry the torch in procession toward the stadium
Armed ancient troops “Leonidas” lay down weapons as the torch passes
at the Ancient Stadium:
The torch enters
Nemea Municipal Philharmonic and the New Choir of Nemea perform “You the Flame” and selections from “Ode to Nemea”
The stadium altar is lighted by Nemea with the torch
The start of the Sixth Nemead is inaugurated by H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos
National Anthem
8:30 p.m. at the Main Square in front of the City Hall of Nemea:
Performance of “Greece! The Musical” by students from the Primary School “Olga Milosevic” of Smederevska Palanka, Serbia
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Saturday, June 11, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Footraces in the stadium in groups of twelve organized by age and gender
4:30 p.m. to Ancient Kleonai: the 7.5 km “Footsteps of Herakles” race
7: 30 p.m. In the stadium: Closing ceremonies
Concert by local choral groups
Entrance of Priestesses and Judges (Ambassadors)
Award of the official Sixth Nemead pin to all participants
Entrance of victors and award of crowns of wild celery
Speeches
Prayer to Earth
Extinguishing the Flame
Trumpet Farewell
9:30 p.m. reception for the participants
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Sunday, June 12
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10:30 a.m. in the stadium: exhibition of the ancient Pankration
1 p.m. in the city hall of Nemea: presentation of two new Nemean books
7 p.m. in the stadium: performance of the “Nemeada” poem and music of Nemean myth and history
About the rivival of the Nemean Games:
“It is our belief that the modern Olympic Games, despite their obvious success in many respects, have become increasingly removed from the average person. Our goal is the participation, on the sacred ancient earth of Greece, of anyone and everyone, in games that will revive the spirit of the Olympics. We will achieve this by reliving authentic ancient athletic customs in the ancient stadium of Nemea.”
Statement of the Purpose of the Society, December 30, 1994
The Society for the Revival of the Nemean Games is a movement born from nearly 40 years of excavation by the University of California at Berkeley in the panhellenic Sanctuary of Zeus at Nemea, Greece, and from the enthusiasm and dedication of local residents of Nemea who feel that they could make an important contribution to today’s world because of their personal ties to Nemea.
It was at Nemea that the ancient Greeks celebrated athletic and religious festivals that were part of the cycle of games at Delphi, Isthmia, and (best known today) Olympia. It was at one of these four sites that, for a brief period each year, wars and hostilities were suspended by a sacred truce, and all Greeks gathered in recognition of their common humanity. This impulse toward peace – albeit limited to a few days each year – was the first in the history of mankind on an organized, regular, and international scale. Thus, the festivals at Nemea, Olympia, Delphi, and Isthmia are the direct ancestors of today’s United Nations and Olympic movement. The ancient stadium discovered at Nemea is, therefore, an important monument in the history of such institutions.
The Olympic movement has become an ever more important and complex international event, and a symbol of the nobler aspirations of our human race. But it has also become increasingly removed from those who are not extraordinarily athletically gifted. The average person, inspired by the ancient lessons of peace and hopeful of participation in the movement finds even the role of spectator difficult to fulfill at the modern Olympics.
The Society for the Revival of the Nemean Games believes that there is scope for the average person to participate in such an international athletic festival where no records will be kept and no medals awarded. Races will be organized by gender and age, and participants will be rewarded only by bare feet sore from contact with the same stones and the same soil where ancient feet ran more than 2,000 years ago.
The Sixth Nemead will take place on June 11, 2016. For more details about the organization and significance of the games, see ANCIENT BASIS; for a living image of the games, see STEP INTO HISTORY; to participate, see RUN.
“LIVIN’ AND LOVIN’ IT IN GREECE” STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE REVIVAL OF THE NEMEAN GAMES
Wine lovers and bon viveurs will have the chance to indulge on May 28-29, when wineries and vineyards across Greece open their doors to the public for an intoxicating wine and dine experience.
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article source: gtp.gr, all photos by “LIVIN’ and LOVIN’ IT in GREECE” were taken when we visited several wineries to prepare our wine tour
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The two-day series titled “Open Doors”, an initiative of the European Network of Wine Cities (RECEVIN), includes vineyard, production area and wine cellar tours, wine tasting sessions and many surprises.
The Wine Producers Association of the Vineyard of Central Greece (ENOAKE) is participating in the event and invites all lovers of the vine to come along and meet the producers, taste their wines and stroll selected routes that traverse the country’s most picturesque viticultural zones.
While there, visitors will have the chance to select from a wide variety of wines at attractive prices.
Meanwhile, the Wines of Crete network will also be participating with a series of food and wine tasting events featuring local delicacies and wine varieties.
“Open Doors” at wineries across Greece run between 11am and 7pm. Admission is free.
Some of the wine routes included are: the Olympus Gods, Epirus, Limnon, Naoussa, Pella-Goumenissa, Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Dionysus and Crete.
Since the wineries that participate in the “Open Doors” event are many, we could not possibly include each and every one of them. All wineries that participate in “dromoi krasiou” (roads of wines), of Attica, Peloponnese, Crete, and Northern Greece will be open from 11:00 to 19:00.
If you are interested, please check wineevents.gr where you can find a large number of participating wineries (in Greek)
“LIVIN’ and LOVIN’ IT IN GREECE” Strongly Supports these Initiatives
Today we are going to tell you about the Greek tradition of VASILOPITA, the cake we cut and share on New Year’s Eve or Day. The vasilopita is usually a cake with a coin inside it. As we cut and share it, we cut the first pieces for Jesus, Saint Basil, the poor, the house, and then the members of the family and the friends. The “head” of the family — grand father or father — does the cutting and sharing, the rest of us search to find the coin, as whoever gets it will be the luckiest one throughout the year.
Now the history behind this tradition is:
In the 14th century Cappadokia, a Byzantine province in Asia Minor, suffered from famine but this fact did not stop the heartless eparch of the town from demanding to get the taxes, threatening the town with destruction. St.Vasilios, the Bishop in Caesareia, urged the people to offer their valuables in order to rescue their town. The people obeyed and Saint Vasilios collected a pile of offerings to give the eparch, but the last minute he managed to smooth his heart and change his mind. Now Saint Vasilios had a problem: he was left with a pile of valuables to give back to the people, without knowing who they belonged to! So,he got a brilliant idea: he asked the baker to bake one small cake for each family and he put one piece of jewellery inside. And the miracle happened: each family got what they had given!!!
Ever since that time we celebrate this event by sharing the cake with the coin – only one coin, no more…
