Latest Posts
History
Doing the Right Thing with the Parthenon Marbles
The UK newspapers have all been buzzing this week with the suggestion that the British Museum may be ready to discuss the return of the Parthenon Sculptures with Greece. This all arose after the new chairman of the BM Trustees, George Osborne, said that there is a “deal to be done” over sharing these ancient treasures with the country of their origin. This comment was followed by an interview for…
Read More >History
The Parthenon Marbles: An Ever Poignant Question
I was deeply moved during a recent visit to the Acropolis Museum in Athens. The usual marvelous sensory and cultural feelings that always occur while viewing the marbles of this splendid museum, designed by the Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi, were heightened, on the occasion, by seeing the fragment of marble which arrived earlier this year from the Salinas Museum in Palermo. This is known as the Fagan fragment. This fragment,…
Read More >History
Musing on the Greek Legacy in the Shadow of the Acropolis
How the ancient Greek virtues of wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice continue to inspire us in these challenging and uncertain times.
Read More >History
Autumn in Pylos: An Expat’s View of the Battle of Navarino Re-Enacted
On a balmy Saturday night in late October, I sat comfortably on the small yacht of a family friend, staring from the Ionian into the Bay of Navarino waiting intently for one of the ships in the bay to burst into flames. But, that’s not what happened – at least, not initially. Two vessels first positioned themselves strategically and then circled one another like boxers in a ring. As the shadowy…
Read More >Destinations
Homecoming, Greek-Style
The feast day of the church of a Greek village is not just the main event in the year’s social calendar; it’s a time to revive memories, to celebrate family and traditional culture, and to preserve this heritage for generations to come. In Greece, people celebrate their name days – the feast day of the saint for whom they are named. Towns and cities do the same, marking the celebration…
Read More >Activities
35 Reasons to Visit Greece at Least Once in your Life
Want to visit Greece? Good choice! It’s a fantastic country that offers everything from beaches and islands to culture and history as well as delicious food and friendly locals. If you haven’t yet been to Greece, here are 35 reasons why I think everyone should visit Greece at least once in their life!
Read More >History
So, It’s True. Aristotle Did Exist…
Last Thursday, the server hosting Kathimerini English Edition’s website (ekathimerini.com) crashed under the weight of visitors from across the world. The reason for the unprecedented interest was an announcement by a Greek archaeologist that a monumental grave excavated in 1996 at Stageira, the birthplace of Aristotle
Read More >Activities
Naxos: Embracing the Power of Observation
A weekend at Naxos From my schoolbooks I remembered that Naxos is the biggest island of the Cyclades and also that this is where Theseus abandoned Ariadne after she helped him slay the Minotaur in Crete. What I saw is a self-sufficient island, one of those places where you forget that Greece is in crisis.
Read More >