The Greek Adventure

Greek Blogs listed

2007-01-10T23:26:00.000+01:00

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

2006-07-20T16:53:00.000+02:00

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

2006-06-20T23:40:00.000+02:00

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

2006-06-18T12:05:00.000+02:00

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)

2006-05-19T22:48:00.000+02:00

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

2006-05-17T11:49:00.000+02:00

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

2006-04-20T18:19:00.000+02:00

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

2006-04-03T12:35:00.000+02:00

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

2006-04-01T15:24:00.000+02:00

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!

2006-03-02T08:39:00.000+01:00

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

2006-02-25T00:13:00.000+01:00

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

2006-02-21T21:56:00.000+01:00

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

Vodaphone customers' new answering quote

2006-02-06T00:10:00.000+01:00

Do you follow me? - Yes! - Well, you better stop following me, or I'll have you arrested.

(Groucho Marx in A Night at the Opera)

Technorati Tags: Athens, Greece, phivos, Ελλάδα

They missed the Scandal!

2006-02-03T19:48:00.000+01:00

So they said, there was a scandal in Greece, about telephone-tapping members of the government, the prime minister among them.

What I saw being the scandal, in this affair, is the fact that the members of the government don't use the state-owned phone provider Cosmote, but the private Vodaphone! Lack of trust to the public services?

Don't forget that for the first flu, our beloved elite gets the plane to London!

Opa!

Technorati Tags: Athens, Greece, phivos, scandal, Αθήνα, Ελλάδα

The Greek Government imprisons the future of the country!

2006-02-02T20:45:00.000+01:00

At the moment that more and more governmental organizations, especially in Europe, try to get rid of the Microsoft hegemony in the software arena, passing their administrations to Linux oriented free and Open Source Software, at the moment that the European Comity threatens Microsoft in various domains, trying to break its monopoly, the Greek government signs a huge contract, granting the giant company the right to occupy the whole administrative domain, including the Education field!

During the "Microsoft Government Leaders Forum Europe 2006" held yesterday in Lisbon, the Economy and Finance Minister of Greece, George Alogoskoufis, signed an agreement offering preferential financial terms for the purchase of software licenses by the Greek state, free software use rights for Greek civil servants (including home use) and training by Microsoft on the use of new technologies.

Microsoft will set up an innovation centre in Greece with the aim to support the local academic community as well as Greek software companies.

Microsoft will also set up at least 10 computer training centers throughout the country.

The Greek minister stated that the agreement offers significant opportunities to a new generation of Greek students, researchers and businesspeople.

Knowing Microsoft and their strategy of building monopolistic conditions, wherever possible, knowing the quality of Microsoft software, knowing the permanent refuse of the company to let things go ahead in the IT domain, it is very hard to understand, what benefit will greek people take out of this agreement!

At the same time, does Minister Alogoskoufis, who has raised much controversy off his economy politics, really believe that such an engagement, could be beneficial for the country?

The Open Source Software community, very active in Greece, will let this pass without protesting?

Notice that, in this gathering called "The Microsoft Government Leaders Forum Europe 2006", it is Microsoft, the company, that invites the State Leaders, to show up what has to sell and not them to ask the company to come with their trading suitcases! Here's one that is already bigger than countries! Hurray for the pride of Europe!

Notice also that, on the site of Microsoft, the press releases about the Lisbon event, didn't even mention the Greek agreement. It's so... breadcrumb business for Microsoft!

Technorati Tags: Computer, Greece, IT, phivos, Linux, Operating System, software

Internet access for the masses!

2006-02-01T11:00:00.000+01:00

I remember the actual government of Greece claiming that the Internet should be on every home, that all students should have the same opportunities over this, that it is very important to develop the IT landscape for the future and other such empty of content fat words, govs use to spread - it's their job, isn't it?

I read this morning in this MacUser Uk post, that Greece is the most expensive country in Europe, when it comes to the Internet access offer.

The survey passes over a sample of 1Mbps access, throughout several countries. Maybe the example of Lithuania is not that relevant, surely there is some hic behind this price. However, countries like the UK or France, show up prices around 29€, the average European price should be in the 37€ neighborhood. While Greece, the most expensive of all countries, flies up to 58€ a month!

My comments:

1. I don't think the average connection speed, by this moment all around Europe, is 1Mbps. There is so much difference in the infrastructure between the countries, that it is almost impossible to establish a common reference for all countries and compare access speeds. The 1Mbps for Greece is still a rocket speed but in France is considered already a thing of the past!

2. As usual, compare just numbers in the prices, is almost meaningless. What one should compare is relatively comparable units, like say hours of work. In this case (nimble calculations of mine) French will work about 4 hours for the 1Mbps while Greeks have to work 14 hours for the same thing!

3. I don't know where the survey took the data from, but as much as I know for France (OK, OK, I'm living there), the 1Mbps is almost not anymore in the offers. The most common is in the 5 to 10 Mbps area and this is for an average of 15€ a month.

4. As I'm concerned, I have a 24Mbps access for 29.90€ a month. That's 24 times faster than the one in this MacUser's post. I got an ISP named Free - see for yourself. The theoretical limit is some 24Mbs. Considering the loss by the distance, the age of the cables in my apartment, the spread of the signal to a multi-socketed installation, having an average of ~14Mbps, is quite satisfactory. See my speed test bellow. The 1Mbps is the third, my connection is at the bottom, in red.

Included in this price is a real telephone line with free and unlimited communications to many countries, like the US or Australia, the 100+ channel television, (alright, there's much crap in this but that's television in the beginning), not to mention some minor pluses, such as a router, a WiFi network, unlimited number of machines on the line (well, almost unlimited), a media center, the ability to watch and record TV on a computer screen, a huge file transfer service, unlimited number of mail accounts, unlimited number of 1Gb web hosting facilities etc…

If you want to measure your connection the way I did, look at this french, Mac Authority site: Macbidouille.

5. In my opinion, the only way to force prices to go down is put the ISPs in competition. And this is obtainable only by one means: boycott! What has happened in France for years is that people didn't step ahead to the broadband access. The media didn't stop to cry about "le retard de la France" in this domain. The ISPs didn't sell. Then one day, forced to follow or shut down their shops, they started proposing the cheap, the cheaper and the cheapest broadband access. Because it WAS possible to chew in their profit margins and lower prices. Then started the real price and offer war. At that point, people found, it was reasonable enough to buy. And we ended up with 2005 being the year of the broadband explosion.

Well, I believe in Greece - or any other suffering country - the real weapon against arrogant ISP policies, is boycott! Since you keep buying, whatever the price, thei're not fool to kill the goose that lays the golden egg! Stop buying, threaten this way the survival of their businesses and you'll se how fast prices will go to the basement! The law of offer and demand is a two way game!

Technorati Tags: Athens, broadband, Computer, download, Greece, Internet, ISP, phivos, web

I promissed you the snow, you're served!

2006-01-24T16:05:00.000+01:00

Χιόνι, σήμερα,
originally uploaded by metamorphosis211.

A few days ago, I posted about waiting snow in Athens, giving a map of skiing resorts. Well, now it's here! You have no more excuse. In your boots and get the plane! It won't last forever!

Thanks Caterina for the photos.

Technorati Tags: Athens, Greece, phivos, ski, snow

Periptero in Kolonaki

2006-01-24T11:21:00.000+01:00

The famous greek kiosk. Its name is "periptero" and is one of the smallest "Super Markets" you can find. It is seen mostly in the big cities, like Athens, but also all around Greece.

Primarily, its destination was selling newspapers - officially is still a newsstand. However, little by little, any kind of imaginable merchandise found a place in it. Nowadays, anything from candy to cigarettes, from cheap women's tights to bills of exchange, not to mention the obvious, colas and beers, anything you need, you know where to find it. The strongest marketing argument for the periptero: there is one everywhere, it is open almost all the time! Some of them are even working around the clock!

See one in carrib's nice collection of photos of Athens.

Newspaper stand at Kolonaki Square

(greece, athens, newspapers, magazines, reading, streetlife, streets, kolonaki, kolonakidistrict, greek, stores, magasin, rue, griekenland, athene, grèce, athènes, griechenland, athen, Ελλάδα, Αθήνα, lagrecia, atene, atenas, Греция, grecia, lagrèce, athensgreece)

"Kolonaki District" by caribb

Technorati Tags: Athens, city, flickr, Greece, kiosk, periptero, phivos, tradition

Snow is expected in Athens on Tuesday

2006-01-21T12:15:00.000+01:00

You thought Greece is only Sun and Sea and Hot Summer? Check this!

Not only Greece is a mostly mountainy country, not only snow is a permanent phenomenon in many places - the Olympus mountain is a good example - there are many ski resorts as well! You can be living in Athens, and ski in some of them in a two-hours' time!

Follow this map, to discover more about. You can even have a webcam view of most of these resorts!

Technorati Tags: Athens, Greece, mountain, Olympus, phivos, ski, sea, snow, sports, sun, webcam

Greek and Turkish Music!

2006-01-20T20:30:00.000+01:00

Greece and Turkey. Athens and Instanbul. From the one coast of the Aegean to the other, the same melodies carry joys and sorrows. Two very different people lived together for centuries. Different languages, different religions, one preoccupation. Survival. Now, they discover they are much the same, they have tons of a culture in common. And music is their bridge-language. Music charged with thousands of years of History. And rich as the Ages!

If you are visiting Paris, these days, here's a good plan:

Tuesday, January 24 at 9 P.M.
Bar-Restaurant LE KIBELE
12, rue de l'Échiquier
75010 PARIS
Metro Bonne-Nouvelle [Lines 8 and 9] or Metro Strasbourg-Saint-Denis [Lines 4, 8 and 9]

Friday, January 27 at 8:30 P.M.
ELELE
20, rue de la Pierre-Levée
75011 PARIS
Metro Parmentier [Line 3]

Technorati Tags: Aegean, Greece, mediterranean, music, Paris, phivos, Instanbul, tradition, Turkey, Ελλάδα

Just a Family Name

2006-01-19T10:23:00.000+01:00

With the spread of the internet, research has known new horizons. Never before was possible to find so much information, gathered in one place. Thanks to the contribution of all the users, the web is a source, one simply cannot neglect.

One of the most popular research domains over the net is Family Trees. People like to know their origins. People love to know about their ancestors. And all that info, at the time hidden in hundreds of old, yellowish registers, down in dark cellars of cold community buildings, comes out to the light and becomes searchable knowledge.

Search engines, specialized software, hours of trying to find the good piece of the puzzle. Thousands of people looking for… Is this the new Gold Fever?

Palamidis. Just another family name, just another group of persons seeking for their common origins. A family originating from the part of Greece, known as Arcadia and Argolis in the Peloponnese. Now, they have a place in the web - palamidis.net - to get together, discuss and discover each other. If you are related, drop by!

Technorati Tags: Arcadia, family, family name, Greece, name, name origin, origin, Palamidis, Peloponnese, phivos, όνομα, Ελλάς, Ελλάδα, Ελληνες, ελληνικά ονόματα, ελληνικό όνομα, επώνυμο, οικογένεια, Παλαμήδης, Παλαμίδης, Πελοπόννησος

My daughter with a Xeno?

2006-01-16T19:54:00.000+01:00

You visited Greece and you liked the place. The Sun, the Sea, the monuments, you had your traditional sunburn, you payed your taxi three times as much as the natives! You tasted the famous Mousaka, Souvlaki, Tzatziki, you dove your papara into the Choriatiki pool and all the stuff! You went to Bouzoukia, you danced Syrtaki, you got stoned with Ouzo! The total thing!

So, you think now, Greece has no more secrets for you! What a goof!

If you haven't seen this, you know nothing about Greece! And Greeks!

Throw an eye, then reconsider your version of things! Voilà!

P.S. Greeks you see all around the Globe. But, the ones living in Chicago and Astoria, New York City, are the top! If you pass by, drop them a visit! And tell them 'yassou', from me!

P.S.2: if you missed it, you can still get your "I Love Greece" T-Shirt, here.

Technorati Tags: Greece, greek food, island, mediterranean, Ouzo, phivos, sea, sun, T-Shirt, tradition

The Greek Store On Blogger is online!

2006-01-15T19:17:00.000+01:00

The Greek Store
is a CaféPress powered online store, about Greece. Find here the ideal gifts, for you and your friends, with unique graphics on them. T-shirts, mugs, posters, calendars, all items take you back to Greece!

Technorati Tags: CaféPress, Greece, phivos, poster, T-Shirt

Greek blue

2006-01-13T18:36:00.000+01:00

Greek blue,
originally uploaded by baddogsticks.

What I didn't tell you yet about Bryan is that, beyond his sparkling sense of humor, he is an excellent photographer too.
Dont miss the 100+ illustration quality photos of Greece, he's put on line! A real delight!

P.S. the official Greek Blue - the one you find even on the flag - is the 286 Pantone ;-)
Sorry but, whatever the reference, it's never the real thing!
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 authors feel this is an offensive use,
please notify me this and I'll withdraw thumbs and links!

Technorati Tags: flickr, Greece, island, mediterranean, phivos, photo, photography

Hats Off! For the caption!

2006-01-13T12:03:00.000+01:00

My belly still hurts of laughing!

"Where d'ya tink I been all night? eh? ... all this fish catch itself did it?"

(greece, greek, islands, fish, fishing, argument, domestic, crayfish, boxes)
"a quayside domestic" by baddogsticks
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 authors feel this is an offensive use,
please notify me this and I'll withdraw thumbs and links!

Technorati Tags: Aegean, flickr, Greece, island, mediterranean, phivos, photo, sea, tradition