Help Fill Maria’s Pantry on Samos
While we were celebrating the holidays with our families and friends, Maria Makroyianni was feeding refugees on the island of Samos. For almost two years now, she’s been opening her restaurant to the dozens of refugees who are arriving on the island from neighboring Turkey. I chatted with Maria about her work. I asked her […]
You’ve Never Seen a Weather Report Like This Before: Greek Weather Girl Eleni Tsolaki Rings in the New Year
Nothing’s more beautiful than some good, old fashioned optimism on the first day of the New Year in a place like Greece, where so much of the news has been negative lately. Weather girl Eleni Tsolaki has offered Greek television viewers exactly that with her fun weather outlook, which includes a wonderful cultural tour throughout […]
All the Way From Afrodite’s Kitchen in Cyprus: A Perfect Vasilopita Recipe
Numerous recipes and styles abound for the traditional New Year’s bread or cake called Vasilopita, named after St. Basil who was known to bake coins inside breads and pass them out to underprivileged people when he lived. All the way in Cyprus, we tracked down a wonderful recipe from Afrodite’s Kitchen, a popular food blogger […]
Despite Snow and Sleet, The Changing of the Guard in Athens Continues
Ever since December 12, 1868 members of the Greek Presidential Guard have been protecting and serving the people of Greece, standing guard at important sites— most recently in Greece’s history the House of Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Evzones are also responsible for raising the flag every day at the Acropolis, as […]
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Angers Palestinians with Israeli Religious Freedom Praise
Theophilos, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and guardian of the Orthodox Christian population in Israel, the Palestinian territory and Jordan has entered the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with praise he made of Israel during a meeting with that country’s president. Speaking on behalf of Christian leaders in Israel during a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, […]
Leave it to a Greek: Demetrios Hrysikos Sets Up Go Fund Me Campaign to Protect Fellow Greek Betty White from 2016
With so many celebrity passings this year, the mere thought of losing Betty White as well, was too much for Demetrios Hrysikos to handle. He set up a Go Fund Me account to protect his beloved White from the Grim Reaper. Of course, it all started as a joke— but the post has since gone […]
To Adele, Mariah Carey and His Adoring Twitter Fans, George Michael was “The Singing Greek”
Unlike dozens of famous performers and politicians who have public relations and communications managers handling their social media platforms, George Michael was an avid user of Twitter, all by himself. He used the platform to communicate with fans and to send his fellow entertainers birthday greetings. On Twitter, on numerous occasions, George signed his Tweets […]
The Wheel that Never Turned: Athens Christmas Ferris Wheel Fiasco
Syntagma Square was to be turned into a beautiful Christmas village this year with flickering lights, vendors selling treats and tastes of the holidays and a giant ferris wheel, towering over every building in the area. The Athens Eye, as it was called, was installed in the central square on December 21 and was to […]
George Michael’s Philanthropy Benefitted Fellow Greek Cypriots, In Significant Ways
Since the untimely passing of pop legend George Michael, numerous tributes have come out sharing the singer’s secret philanthropic ways and caring and compassion towards underprivileged people— especially kids and those with illnesses. He championed numerous causes, volunteered at homeless shelters and fed the poor and donated— according to some estimates— tens of millions of […]
(Video) The Hania Santa Run: See What Happens When 10,000 Santas March in a Beautiful Greek City
What do you get when 10,000 wonderful people dress up as Santa Claus and march through the streets of a beautiful Greek city? The 6th Hania Santa Run took place the day after Christmas in the western Cretan town. Marchers donned their gay apparel and took to the streets, each donating money to a fund […]
