The Irish Embassy, in collaboration with Athens Insider, announces its first-ever Bloomsday creative writing competition in English, open to writers of all ages and nationalities. Bloomsday is marked around the world as a celebration of James Joyce, of course, but also as a celebration of Irish literature, modernist writing and creativity...
Read moreIn his sequel fantasy series, John Kittmer, not unlike Jason or Odysseus, takes us through archipelagos and roll-calls of island names. These names have a magic all of their own. The poet Odysseas Elytis knew this well; ‘Each word a swallow to bring you spring in the midst of summer’. In this magical six-day tour, I am finally...
Read moreThe Acropolis of Athens is a fair test of our commitment to humankind’s higher cultural aspirations. In ordinary times, Athenians have ten thousand good excuses to postpone the Acropolis until next month or next lifetime. These are not ordinary times. For an able-bodied resident of Athens not to take advantage of this opportunity is to fa...
Read moreWhen the bars finally open doors after a two-month drought on May 25, which of our fave five bars will you be headed to? Baba au Rum If you like rum-based drinks, this is your natural habitat. Baba Au Rum, placed among the 50 best bars in the world, is the go-to place for daiquiris and rum-based negronis blended with hand-selec...
Read moreA whopping 26,500 budding artists participated in The Cycladic Museum's annual painting contest which presciently asked children to portray their reflections in an ancient bronze Cypriot mirror. The drawings by promising, young, talented contestants will be on display online until the end of the summer. The Museum of Cycladic...
Read moreA terrific accessory to mask your personality or reflect it in all its glory? With masks recommended for the foreseeable future, it is time you defined your masked persona. From sophisticated in silk, to drab and utilitarian or downright silly – masks are defining our post-corona personalities in more ways than you think. Do you colour-co...
Read moreIn his delightful way, Stephen Fry dips back into the ancient world with stories of tests, quests and feats of old as he celebrates his love for Athens in the thisisathens podcast series. Greek heroes and the Gods who meddle in their fates get retold in Fry’s distinctive voice as he undoubtedly adds something lively, humorous and intimate...
Read moreWhat do you get when a former diplomat reinvents himself as a bicycle-riding Indiana Jones and shares his contagious curiosity for Greece's ancient landscape? Brady Kiesling's restless years of scouring Greece's hillsides and ancient manuscripts is now a friendly app for the curious at heart. By arming visitors with ToposText, he hopes to...
Read morePeter Poulos, Executive Director at The Hellenic Initiative harnesses his solitude in lockdown to raise funds for those hardest hit by the Covid pandemic. Over a month ago on March 23rd Athens went into a lockdown/quarantine which required each of us to notify the government with an SMS message when we needed to leave our home...
Read moreNothing like a bit of retro magic to set us in the mood for summer. Social distancing might be a downer, but not if it brings back childhood memories of drive-in cinemas. Athens' new drive-in theatre is slated to launch on June 1 along with open-air cinemas. The corona pandemic has changed the face and fate of many a business ...
Read moreWHAT: With the theme "Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion", International Museum Day 2020 focus on the potential of museums to create meaningful experiences for peoples of all origins and backgrounds is central to their social value. Following lockdowns, International Museum Day 2020 is going digital! The Benaki Museum takes part with ...
Read moreIt is one of Athens’ most prominent squares and perhaps its most blighted. Its radically controversial and often unappealing design changes have pock-marked its 175 years of existence. So there was justifiable cause for celebration as Omonoia finally got the makeover it deserved when its 20-metre high water fountains soared into the night...
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