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Video visit: Apiranthos village on Naxos

September 19, 2013 / / 0 Comments
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 This Apiranthos travel video runs nearly two and a half minutes. It was posted online by YouTube member naxosislandtv.

 

Marble & museums: When we visited Naxos in 2006, we rented a car so we could do one of the much-recommended round-the-island drives and visit some of the scenic mountain villages — including Apiranthos — along the way. We wound up seeing far less than we expected, thanks to the weather.

When we picked up the car shortly after breakfast, it was already 29 degrees Celsius (84 F).  By the time we reached the mountain village of Filoti, the temperature was in the mid-30s, and we felt like we were going to melt after only a few minutes of walking around. We got back in the air conditioned comfort of the car and headed on, planning to stop at Apiranthos, but as we approached the village the dashboard thermometer showed it was a scorching 38 degrees outside. There was no way we could drag ourselves around the village in that heat, so we didn’t even bother getting out of the car and just kept on going. We eventually stopped at the Apollonas coastal resort area, where it was only marginally cooler at the seaside.

 

Marble architecture & four museums

It was a huge disappointment not to see Apiranthos, which we’d heard is one of the most beautiful villages on the island. Boasting marble buildings and marble-paved streets and squares, along with four museums (the Archaeological Museum, Folk Art Museum, Geological Museum and Museum of Natural History), the medieval village certainly sounded like a place we would enjoy. We thought we would get there during our next Naxos visit, in 2009, but we didn’t rent a car that trip and never made it to Apiranthos.  We didn’t have a car during our brief stop in Naxos in May of this year, either, so the village remains on our Naxos “must-see” list.

With luck, we might finally get to see it when we return to Naxos next month. If we do make it there, you’ll see our photos (and maybe some videos, too) here on the blog. In the meantime, check out the videoclip above for a quick peek at the scenic village.

 

New city discount card spotlights big savings at Athens shops, restaurants & cultural attractions

September 18, 2013 / / 0 Comments
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Athens Spotlighted discount city card

A promotional image for Athens Spotlighted, a city card discount project initiated by Athens International Airport and Athinorama, the Athens city guide magazine

 

 

Big savings: Next time you fly into Athens International Airport, there’s something you should be sure to pick up before leaving the terminal (besides your luggage!).

The airport, in partnership with the Athens city guide magazine Athinorama, has launched Athens Spotlighted, a new city discount card program that offers significant savings at participating Athens shops, restaurants, nightclubs, galleries, museums and other cultural attractions.

The discount cards are free, and can be obtained from the Central Information Counter on the arrivals level of the airport terminal.

 

Savings on food, shopping & entertainment

So far, 22 restaurants are participating in the program, offering either 20% discounts on meals or special menus at special prices. Vassilenas in Piraeus, Kuzina in the Thissio district, Orizontes on Lycabettus Hill, Hytra in the Psirri district, and Aleria in the Metaxourgio area, are among the noteworthy restaurants involved in Athens Spotlighted. Seven different delis and food stores, including the Mastiha Shop in Central Athens, also provide cardholder discounts.

Four major entertainment venues — the Greek National Opera, the Greek National Theatre, the Onassis Cultural Centre and the Pallas Theatre — offer discounts of 15 to 20% on tickets purchased at the box office for each venue.

Nearly 20 major galleries and museums, including the Benaki Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the National Gallery and the National Museum of Contemporary Art, also offer discounts on admission (from 10% to as much as 50%).

 

Deals for car rentals and city tours

More than 60 shops will provide discounts varying from 10 to 20%, depending upon the establishment, while over three dozen service providers — including car rental agencies, nail and hair salons and spas, and city tour companies — also offer cardholder savings, usually 20%. This includes Athens Walks, the independent local tour company that I personally recommend.

The Athens Spotlighted website contains full details about the program along with a list of participating businesses and attractions that you can download and print from your computer. (The listing includes information about any conditions or restrictions applicable to any product or service provided under the discount card program.)

I’ve made a note to pick up a card when I fly into Athens International Airport in a few weeks’ time. If I do get to use it (I’m not sure if I will be spending time in Athens yet), I’ll report back on my experience.

 

 

New Ionian Islands travel guide available

September 17, 2013 / / 1 Comment
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Ionian Islands travel guide

The cover of The Ionian Islands online travel guide, published by the Greek National Tourism Organisation, features a photo of a sailboat anchored near Navagio beach on Zakynthos (Zante) island

 

 

Free download: A new online travel guide for the Ionian Islands is now available from visitgreece.gr, the official website of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO).

The 88-page guide features maps, useful phone numbers, descriptions of must-see sights and must-do activities on each island, plus dozens of gorgeous full-colour photos. It’s organized into seven separate sections: Corfu, Diapontia Islands, Paxoi, Lefkada, Kefalonia, Ithaca and Zakynthos.

The guide is available in English, German, Italian, Spanish, French and Russian versions. To obtain a copy of the guide, click on this link to the GNTO downloads page, scroll down, and click on the flag that represents the language you prefer.

Don’t be surprised if you start dreaming of a holiday in the Ionians after seeing just the first few pages of the guide! Below are two of the images that appear in the publication. click on each photo to view a fulls-size version.

 

G. Augoustinators photograph of Antisamos on Kefalonia island in Greece

The Ionian Islands guide credits photographer G. Augoustinatos for this beautiful image of Antisamos on Kefalonia

 

 

Porto Katsiki beach on Lefkada

The gorgeous sky-blue sea off Porto Katsiki beach on Lefkada. The GNTO guide credits this photograph to the Lefkada Prefecture.

 

 

Flipping over Firostefani & cartwheeling above the caldera: Art of Motion event returns to Santorini

September 12, 2013 / / 2 Comments
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Red Bull Art of Motion Santorini 2013

The spectacular Santorini caldera scenery provides a breathtaking backdrop for amazing acrobatic maneuvers by freerunners Ryan Doyle and Bartje van der Linden. Extreme photographer Predrag Vuckovic captured the pair in midair action at Andronis Luxury Suites in Oia during a photo shoot to promote this Saturday’s Red Bull Art of Motion 2013 competition

 

 

Santorini somersaults: Whenever I book a trip to Greece, I practically bounce off walls with excitement. The thrill of returning to my favourite holiday destination is so strong, I almost have to restrain myself from jumping for joy, shouting from rooftops and turning cartwheels in the street.

Coincidentally, that’s exactly what 18 acrobatic athletes will actually be doing on Santorini this coming Saturday afternoon as they participate in the third annual Red Bull Art of Motion 2013 freerunning championship.

Cheered on by thousands of spectators, the young competitors will jump, flip, roll and hurl themselves over roofs, walls, streets and steps on the cliffside of Firostefani village while a panel of judges scores their tricks, stunts and style.

Freerunning is an artistic offshoot of the sport of parkour. Freerunners, also known as urban body artists, creatively express themselves by running, vaulting, tucking, twisting and rolling over objects in their path — which, in Firostefani, will include a series of whitewashed cliffside hotel buildings, steps, paths and walls.

The Art of Motion event was first held on Santorini in 2011, and a second championship took place last September.

This week, competitors were showing off their stunts and style at photoshoots, demonstration events and qualifying rounds held at various places on the island, including the Andronis Luxury Suites in Oia.

 

Red Bull Art of Motion 2013

This Red Bull promotional poster illustrates the freerunning course that the Art of Motion competitors will negotiate in Firostefani on Saturday afternoon

 

 

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