Greek Blogs listed

If you're looking for a greek blog listing, here's one that's quite unusual. Try Greek Blogs

Technorati Tags: blog, blog list, blogging, Greece, greek, greek blog

Scuba Diving in Kalymnos

Kalymnos (or Kalimnos), is a Greek Island in the southeast of the Aegean Sea. Since the Antiquity, the island is renown for its Sponge production and the Kalymnians as between the best divers in the World.

About the end of the 19th century, the Island literally was transplanted in Florida, where the Kalymnians worked in the rich waters of the Mexican Gulf. Settled in various places, sometimes they occupied whole villages. Still in our days, some towns in Florida are mostly populated by second and third generation Greeks, with the most known among them Tarpon Springs.

The Sponge Industry not being profitable any more, many Kalymnians returned to their Island of origin and started giving it a second life, this time in the Tourism Industry. And what did they know best? Diving!

Organized Underwater Excursions accompanied by experienced divers if you're ready to jump in. Diving Schools if you're not. You can start in the pool, then you go for the Deep Blue. Or... don't forget, you're in the Syrtaki Country!




So, if you want to experience yourself the Legend of the Sponge Divers and admire by your own eyes the beautiful underwater landscapes of the Aegean, pick a plane ticket and fly straight to the Sponge Island.

Don't forget to visit Emma & Michael's Excellent Adventures' photostream. They have a vast collection of their own Sponge Diving Experience in Kalymnos!

Kalymnos on Google Maps - Search Google for Kalymnos Scuba Diving. Ther's even a Kalymnos Diving Festival!

As usually, I have to remind you that this post is illustrated by selected Photos of Greece, published recently on flickr.com
All photos I mention here, are © of their authors. I, just give a link to these photos.
Should you think, this is an offensive use, please let me know by a comment in the post page and I'll remove the photo and the links!

Technorati Tags: Aegean, Greece, Greek Islands, Kalymnos, phivos, scuba diving

Free Wi-Fi in Athens' center

Well, it is not that strong a signal, so we could get connected from everywhere in the city but, the fact that in the center of Athens, at Syntagma square, it has been installed by the government, a free wireless (801b/g) internet access, is quite a thing to talk about.

Imagine, just after your visit to the Guard, you sit on a bank, open your laptop and upload your photos to your blog. And all this for free!

Visiting Athens this summer, Athenswifi is the network to search.

I'm waiting to see your photos!

Technorati Tags: Athens, athenswifi, Greece, phivos, wi-fi

The Life Athenian

That's very interesting. See what has to say about Athens, some non-greek guy, living there.





I just discovered Joel's blog. Joel is an American immigrant, living and working in Athens. That make him a valuable source of information, since living there, he has to undergo all things a native has, but at the same time he must be exempt from this (natural) emotional charge a Greek has, when talking about his country.


Visit The Life Athenian and tell me what do you think!

Technorati Tags: Athens, blog, Greece, immigrant, phivos, Φοίβος

L'été grec (the Greek Summer)

As I was telling you some days ago, about the Best place for Bike Tourism, when I found on flickr some french bikers that took the round of Peloponnese. Their photos and description brought up in my mind the ever classic book of Jacques Lacarrière, "L'été grec". It is one of the most beautiful descriptions of that part of Greece, I've read! And, although his trip was some 50 years ago, there is still this same kind of people you can find there, the same style of living, the same preoccupations and the same huge hospitality.

So, I found it for you at Amazon. Click on the photo to go there. It's in french (I don't know if it has been translated). Memorable book!

If you want, there is even on the french Amazon site:

Technorati Tags: Peloponnese, phivos

Best place for Bike Tourism

I found them on flickr, the day before yesterday. A group of french guys biking around the Peloponnese. At this very moment.

Every morning, they upload the photos of the last day's trip. And some commentaries. This is one of these:




I have discussed many times with traveling bikers I meet in Greece, about how they find bike trip in Greece. All agree to say, it's really the best place to bike.

There is an infinite variation of landscape, in a quite restricted area, easy to visit in a short period of time. There's everything a biker needs, climbing mountains, endless coastline roads, sun on every time of the year, along with rain in the higher spots. Trips, not hard to accomplish, easy to find in place accommodation, good food, hospitality and this unique approach of life, greeks have!

All this bring me in mind the famous "Eté Grec", the most captivating narration of tripping Greece, by Jacques Lacarrière. A book I'll never cease rereading. I'll write about it tomorrow.

For the moment, visit Feuillu's Greece photostream and give them some encouragement!

Peloponnese on Google Maps

As usually, I have to remind you that this post is illustrated by selected Photos of Greece, published recently on flickr.com
All photos I mention here, are © of their authors. I, just give a link to these photos.
Publishing this photo has been approved by its author, whom I thank!

Technorati Tags: Arcadia, bike, flickr, Google Maps, Greece, Peloponnese, phivos, sports, tourism

The Greek diaspora Web List

Greeks all over the World is not the Big News. Being one of the planet's most traveling nations, it's normal you find a greek under every stone you lift!


Some of them hold blogs and sites. Find them at "The Greek diaspora Web List"

Technorati Tags: blog, diaspora, Greece, greek blog, Internet, origin, phivos, omogeneia, web

Bulgari - Another Greek Adventure

It's being some years now, I discovered this "Eau de Cologne", a toilet water quite close to my personal taste, that somehow, reminded to me, scents and images of my childhood.

Surprisingly, it is one rare fragrance that is not male neither female. Most perfumes on the shelves are whether too masculine, they make you smell like a beast, or the opposite, too feminine, no way to wear! This one fits me perfectly!

As one surprise never comes alone, I recently had a clue on, why I was at once attracted by this Bulgari Cologne. I believe, there must be some relation with this: I found in the official Bulgari website, this sentence: "The Bulgaris descend from an ancient family of Greek silversmiths whose activity began in the small village of Epirus, where Sotirio, the founder of the family, made precious objects in silver." Go see for yourself, about the glorious history of this greek family!

Would you like to try this beautiful Bulgari Thé Vert Eau de Cologne? Just click on the image, on the left.

Technorati Tags: family, Greece, name, name origin, origin, phivos

Nickname

Did you know where the word "nickname" comes from? Here's the real story:

In the old days of immigration, Greeks came as everybody else, to America. In those days of the melting-pot, the long and difficult to pronounce greek names (try to say Theofrastos or Panteleïmon) made people start labeling Greeks with more comfortable names.

The easiest of all was Nick. So Nick, the Greek, was born. Hundreds, thousands maybe of Nick the Greek guys were and still are found, all around the States. With the most famous, Nick the Greek, the nurse in the 60s "Ben Casey" TV-Series (played by Nick "the Greek" Dennis).

Well, from the greek name Nick comes Nick the Greek and then nickname and... there you go!

Technorati Tags: fake, Greece, greek, immigration, nickname, origin, phivos

My Big Fat Greek Mac!

If you got a Macintosh computer and you need some help installing greek language on it, or any other Mac oriented problem, you may find some help at this blog. My Big Fat Greek Mac, is addressed to the novice Mac User. In greek. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: blog, Computer, Greece, Mac, Mac OS X, Macintosh, phivos, greek language, ελληνικά, Μάκιντος

Apokria in Athens

If you happen to be in Athens for the next ten days, you surely won't like to miss this period of the Apokria.

Sort of Carnival, as it's latin equivalent, the Apokria, means the abstaining from meat and is associated to a feast which ends up to a fast!

The Apokria is held for three weeks ending at the Kathari Deftera, and then starts a 40 days fast before Easter. But the carnivalesque part of the Apokria starts in the middle of the second week with the Tsiknopempti.

The festivities are mostly animated by masqueraded dancers, jokes from everybody towards everybody, singing and fun. The ancient dionysian roots of this fiesta are clearly visible, especially by the provocative character of the wordplay.

This year, Athens celebrates the Apokria from february 23 to mars 6. The municipality organizes most of the street shows as well as the feast, at many spots in the city.

See more details about, at the Athens website, here.

Technorati Tags: ancient, Athens, Greece, phivos, Apokria, tradition

Tsiknopempti

You talk about greek customs, there are hundreds, thousands of them. On every occasion, there will be something to say, to do or, most of all, to celebrate! Customs are of a strong local character and it is not rare to find customs at the one side of the country that are completely unknown to the residents of the other end. Here's one coming from Athens.

The Carnival, anyway some form of it, is being celebrated in Athens since the very first ages, much before the present era. One of the customs related to the Carnival is, what survived up to our days as the "Tsiknopempti". Mainly an Athenian custom, it is known all around the country. In the beginning, as many other customs, it was a Pagan celebration. It ended up to be Christianized.

Getting ready for the fasting before the Easter, one day is dedicated to "cleaning up" the meat, that rests in the house. So, the barbecue is set and all meat passes on!

Nowadays, this custom consists in spending some time in the city taverns with friends, eating grilled lamb chops. Of course, greek salad (choriatiki) goes with, as well as feta cheese, fried potatoes and a lot of Retsina (white resined wine). The smoke coming out of the barbecue, charged with the pleasant smell of grilled meat and fat, is called the "tsikna". The day "Pempti" (Thursday) fo the "tsikna" is the "Tsiknopempti" (there you go!).

In the late years, the altered composition of the population of Athens has somehow lessened the importance of this custom, but still it remains popular among the Athenians who are very fond of this day, and celebrate it vastly.

And that's what we are going to do the day after tomorrow: celebrate this festive day as it deserves. If you're passing by our street, don't be surprised by the tsikna! Come on inside and have a glass of wine with us!

P.S. A nice blog for the Athenians and their customs and habits you can find in "Αθηναίοι του Πλανήτη". In greek language.

Technorati Tags: Athens, Greece, greek food, phivos, tradition