Posts Tagged ‘Athens’
Greeks Count Cost Of Wildfire ‘Tragedy’ Near Athens
In the municipality of Palaia Fokaia, an hour’s drive south of Athens, a typical bucolic Greek landscape of olive groves and hamlets was transformed by a raging Friday wildfire into a dystopia of blackened land and incinerated homes. A howling wind ripped through the settlement on Saturday, spread dust and the bitter smell of ash…
Read MoreTourism Boom Sparks Backlash In Historic Heart Of Athens
Surrounded by a hubbub of blaring music, restaurant terraces and rumbling suitcase wheels slaloming between overflowing litter bins, Giorgos Zafeiriou believes surging tourism has made his historic Athens neighbourhood unrecognisable. The Greek capital’s Plaka district “is threatened by overtourism”, said Zafeiriou, who has lived there for more than three decades and leads its residents’ association.…
Read MoreNew Wildfire Near Athens, Crete Blaze ‘Retreating’: Firefighters
A wildfire on the island of Crete that forced the evacuation of 5,000 tourists and locals is “retreating”, Greek firefighters told AFP on Friday, but a new blaze fanned by strong winds is spreading east of the capital, Athens. Hot dry weather in Greece — not unusual for this time of year — has heightened…
Read MoreBlaze-hit Athens Suburb Trains To Tackle New Fire Season
On a trail bordering the last green vestiges of Penteli, the mountain above Athens ravaged by fires last year, cyclists and runners enjoyed the closing days of spring before the summer heat. Suddenly, a plume of smoke rose from the pine forest — a flare held aloft by a firefighter. Within moments, sirens broke the…
Read MoreThousands March Through Athens To Mark Student Uprising
Around 25,000 people marched through Athens on Sunday in closely watched demonstrations to mark the 51st anniversary of the pro-democracy uprising that helped topple military rule in Greece, police said. The protests are held every year to commemorate the 1973 Athens Polytechnic protests that killed 24 people, when the ruling junta sent troops to break…
Read MoreBuried Nazi Past Haunts Athens On Liberation Anniversary
A brass sculpture of a naked man being garrotted, a monument evoking prison bars and a sign are the only hints this sleepy central Athens street once housed the Gestapo’s headquarters. As Athens marks 80 years since its liberation from Nazi Germany in World War II this weekend, historians lament that this modest memorial is…
Read MoreThe Azur Selection Reaches Milestone With Seven Premium Hotels In Greece’s Most Coveted Locations
The Azur Selection, a premier Greek investment company specializing in luxury hotels and entertainment facilities, is proud to highlight its growing portfolio of seven hotels located in some of the most sought-after destinations in Greece. With properties across Meganisi Island, Athens, and Mykonos, Azur continues to attract investors by combining real estate expertise with hospitality…
Read MoreAthens Blaze Reignites Questions Over ‘Fire Every Year’
Climate change may have played a part in the latest massive wildfire just outside Athens, but some critics blame inadequate equipment and lack of planning for what has become an annual crisis. The wildfire, which started on Sunday in Varnavas, 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the capital, had by Tuesday killed one woman, caused widespread…
Read MoreAthens Suburbs Burn As Greece Calls On EU For Help
A massive wildfire in Athens’ northeastern suburbs on Monday forced thousands of residents to flee their homes and sparked a Greek government appeal for international help. In unprecedented scenes in the Greek capital, residents wearing masks against the choking smoke were desperately dousing their homes with water hoses in the leafy suburbs of Nea and…
Read MoreAthens Acropolis Introduces Private Visits For 5,000 Euros
The Acropolis in Athens, one of the world’s most visited ancient monuments, has begun offering private visits for 5,000 euros ($5,400), setting off protests from the site’s guards. According to the official website of the culture ministry unit that manages the hilltop site, these group visits will be held outside of normal opening hours and…
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