Why you should visit Greece, now more than ever

by Heinrich Hall 

If you have not seen it yet, you should: the Parthenon Athens

Is it a good idea to visit Greece in 2012? My answer is a resounding yes – let me tell you why.
Recently, I have been asked to respond to a question from Nick Easen, a columnist at BBC Travel, in regard to the realties of travelling to Greece in the present situation. This is my reply.
Of course, Greece has been in the news all too much recently, and for unpleasant reasons. The country is undergoing a severe economic crisis, many of its inhabitants are experiencing what one might euphemistically call “difficult times”, and things are unlikely to improve very quickly. Thus, it is hardly a surprise to find various discussions, on the internet and elsewhere, about the  question whether this is a good time to visit the country. The British Foreign Office and the US embassy in Athens have issued some (very moderate) warnings, adding to such worries.
As I live in Greece and am involved in tourism, I have lately been approached from various quarters asking what my views on travel in Greece in 2012 are, as well as – more broadly – what challenges the country faces in regard to tourism, a key sector of its economy, and what opportunities there might be for the visitor at this time. It was in reply to one such request, as mentioned above, that I initially wrote the following paragraphs.
I should probably introduce myself before continuing: I am one of Peter Sommer Travels’ permanent staff, working as an organiser and tour expert on various tours in Greece and Turkey. I am an active archaeologist, have been based in Athens for about ten years, and have travelled very widely in Greece, mainland and islands, for over 30 years. I am also co-editor of the most recent Blue Guide to the Greek Islands.

My own take on the topic is a fairly complex one, and not just concerned with the practicalities of travelling in the present situation. But let me begin by addressing that issue specifically.
Travel in Greece in 2012

As beautiful as ever – Astypalea in spring

At this time of need, travellers should be encouraged to come to Greece if they are so inclined – the fact that the country’s economic crisis may deter visitors is downright tragic, as their business is needed and heartily welcome, and as the on-going problems are not likely to substantially affect most visitors’ experience, which many potential travellers appear to realise already. It should be noted that:
A) the most undesirable aspect of the situation, namely the riots, which have an unfortunate tendency to dominate reports in the imagery-driven international media, are the exception and not the norm. The vast majority of demonstrations remains perfectly peaceful. In any case, even the demonstrations are limited mostly to Athens  and the other major cities, and usually to specific parts thereof. These events would not necessarily impede a visit even to Athens; and of course, most rural areas, smaller towns and islands are essentially unaffected. London saw heavy riots in 2011, and cities like Berlin or Paris experience such events regularly – should that deter us from visiting them, or cause us to avoid other parts of Britain, Germany or France?

No riots, but a lot of cats – a village lane on Chios

B) the quality of the available product and travel experience remains unchanged, as does the legendary hospitality of the Greeks – if anything, you can expect to be made even more welcome than usually.
C) A change of currency, were it to really occur (I personally do not hope so), would probably be to the foreign visitor’s direct advantage.
D) The main aspect that could impinge on most travellers this year is the potential of strikes, leading to delays, temporary suspension of certain services and occasional closures of sites or attractions. Such actions, however, usually avoid the main travel season. In any case, these problems are quite unlikely to affect package travel, while the more independent voyager can normally avoid them by maintaining a degree of flexibility that is part and parcel of independent travel.
Outlook
So much for the current situation. Let us have a look at the broader outlook, how might or should tourism in Greece develop, and what should the traveller expect and look for?
It is true that tourism has a key role in Greece’s economy (constituting just under 20% of GDP) and will likewise occupy a key role in its future development. There can also be little doubt that Greece will remain a major destination (it currently receives nearly 20 million visitors per year) . The current discussion, however, is somewhat flawed, as it concentrates entirely on basic pricing competitiveness, and therefore by implication on cheap mass tourism options, especially in summer. This reduces the consideration to straightforward price comparisons with Turkey, Bulgaria or Tunisia (and so on), which are only of partial relevance.
While that segment is obviously one that will stay an important part of the Greek market, it is not the whole story. In reality, the Greek travel product has a lot more to offer in all relevant regards, including quality, range of destinations, range of seasons, style of travel, unique experiences and so on. It may be mostly a problem of Greek marketing, in conjunction with the cliché-ridden expectations abroad, that this variety and some of the most rewarding aspects of Greece as a travel destination have not received the attention and achieved the reputation they deserve. In this regard, Greece is still a connoisseur’s playground.
An immense range of unique experiences

On tiny Anafi, you can climb some of the highest cliffs on the shores of the Mediterranean

This is what Greece needs to further develop and create awareness for – a highly varied and customisable experience of top quality that should be attractive to the type of traveller who books more upmarket organised products (such as the land tours and gulet cruises I conduct with Peter Sommer Travels), as well as to the independent or semi-independent one, ranging from the traditional cultural/archaeological activities, via walking, hiking, sailing (even skiing) etc., to more specific offers, such as culinary travel, bird-watching, dancing holidays, religious holidays and so on. The wide range of things to do and see, along with the fact that Greeks are generally very child-friendly, also makes the country an ideal destination for family holidays with youngsters of any age.
The discerning traveller should be highly attracted by the key aspects of a true Greek experience. The first and most significant of those is the immense and often spectacular natural beauty of most of the country, from its wooded mainland north to its picturesque islands, from snow-capped peaks to idyllic beaches, from fertile plains and hills to primeval wilderness. Likewise, Greece’s long experience in accommodating all kinds of travellers in all kinds of settings, styles and seasons, should be highlighted. Other key features include the continuing existence of authentic traditions, and – most importantly – the immense wealth of highly memorable and significant sites (ranging from prehistoric monuments, the remains of Classical antiquity everywhere – including a host of newly renovated state-of-the-art museums – to Byzantine monasteries, medieval castles, traditional villages and so on, but also including less well-known attractions, e.g. fine Ottoman buildings, Art Deco architecture in some of the cities, mementos of Greece’s turbulent 20th century history etc). This rich mixture of widely varied attractions is the real essence of Greece and has too long been neglected in favour of “simpler” options.
Greek delights

Local specialities on Santorini

The country’s cuisine is much underestimated, not least due to the mediocre fare available at some of the tourist hotspots. In reality, it is highly varied and incorporates strands from Anatolia and beyond, the Balkans, the West, and even the ancient tradition, relying on the use of fresh and often very local ingredients . A well-informed approach to travel in Greece should make this one of the central avenues to experience the country and its regions. The massive improvement in the quality of Greek wines over the last generation, often based on rare local grape varieties, adds another point of fascination, as does a multitude of other traditional local quality products beyond the well-known olive oil and feta range, from Koan wine-soaked cheese, via the west’s caviar-like Avgotaracho to the sweet soumada or almond-milk of Crete…  (Interested? Have a look at the list of products recommended by the inimitable Elias Mamalakis).
Hidden in plain sight

The villages of Pelion are made up of remarkable centuries-old mansions – and you can stay in them!

Known virtually only to Greek travellers in their own country, the last decade has seen the sensitive renovation and restoration of countless local townhouses, farmhouses, village cottages and so on across all of Greece. These establishments offer not 5-star luxury, but authentic local style and very personal service, often linked with good access to and information on the given region’s cultural or natural resources – the royal road to a truly intensive and rare experience. In recent years, the domestic market has sufficed to sustain these developments, but the time has now come to let others in on those secrets – and for us to discover them!
This depth of cultural and physical experience is, in its own way, unique to Greece and should be a core aspect of its strategies for further development. While Greece will probably also have to aim to responsibly develop its mass tourism segment (although it should avoid aiming for the cheapest varieties thereof), and while the heavy-duty luxury sector is able to look after itself,  the focus and incentive should strongly favour such a quality approach.
Challenges and opportunities

It takes some time to get there, but the little island of Chalki makes for an unforgettable visit

The challenge for Greece, not attainable rapidly, but gradually by working with the country’s true and abundant assets, is to develop awareness of this type of “real” Greek experience, among the target audiences in Europe, North America and beyond. Greece should promote a manner of travelling that does not content itself with skimming the surface but takes the visitor on a true voyage of discovery. The potential is immense and full of promise – not least in remote areas  where few other economic opportunities exist, but where the modern traveller can find a sense of tranquillity and beauty, of history and tradition, of authenticity and hospitality, of nature and of culture, like nowhere else in the western world.
The opportunity for the prospective traveller is by no means limited to getting a bargain deal near some beach. The real boon lies in discovering and enjoying a richly rewarding and highly memorable experience (at prices that compare well with those in countries where similarly “deep” experiences are available) – and moreover, an experience that is truly unique and can only be had in Greece, or more specifically its individual regions.
There are many famous starting points to discovering that real Greece. The timeless monuments of Athens, an ancient supercity and one of the spiritual homes of western civilisation are an obvious one, as are the grandiose Roman and Byzantine structures of Thessaloniki, the magnificent vista of Santorini’s volcanic caldera, the beautiful medieval city of Rhodes, the Bronze Age citadel at Mycenae, the mountain villages of Crete or the countless pristine beaches along the country’s 14000km (8700mi.) coastline.

The famous palm beach at Preveli, Crete

But that’s only where you might start – imagine where it might take you next! Maybe you’ll find yourself tasting freshly fished lobster on the tiny Fourni islands, wandering the winding streets of lake-girt Kastoria in search of its many painted churches, sipping coffee in the Venetian squares of Nafplio or Chania, enjoying a view of half the Aegean from the window of an 18th century mansion on the Pelion peninsula or spending a romantic night in the enchanted medieval town of Monemvasia, trying the succulent roast goat of Crete, exploring the mysterious dragon-houses on the rugged peaks of Euboea, admiring the treasures of Alexander the Great’s family at Vergina, gazing over the Ionian islands from the perfectly preserved ancient city of Kassope, paying a visit to the 2600-year old sleeping giants of Naxos, sampling that island’s spicy cheeses or the vibrant red wines of Naoussa, or getting lost in the labyrinthine villages of Chios…
So, where would it take you? There’s only one way to find out: Come to Greece! Tour the country, embarking on your own voyage of exploration and discovery – at your own pace, in your own style and following your own impulses or interests!
By the way, two wonderful ways to begin your personal exploration of this beautiful and ancient land are Peter Sommer Travels’ escorted Greece tours: our land tour In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great: From Boy to King, perhaps one of the most comprehensive experiences of mainland Greece, and our new Greek Islands Cruise, an epic voyage from the Dodecanese to the Cyclades.
This has been a long post and we thank you for reading it. If you want more, here’s a little gallery of what you might find in Greece – have a look and enjoy, and if you decide to explore for yourself, feel free to show us what you found.

National Geographic: Thessaloniki Among World’s Top Destinations for 2013

According to National Geographic magazine, the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki is among the top international destinations that travellers should visit in 2013.

The famous travel magazine, which has over eight million readers worldwide, is about to release its annual travel guide for the year 2013, including Thessaloniki in the ‘Do Not Miss’ destinations.
The official announcement will not be made until October 2012 but on July 9, Mayor of Thessaloniki Yiannis Boutaris informed the city council about this pleasant development.

Over the past months, city council along with various organizations have made significant efforts to promote Thessaloniki abroad. The northern Greek city is also a candidate for the European Youth Capital 2014.
 ast year, the annual publication of Louis Vuitton City Guide: European Cities included Thessaloniki in its list of cities that are less known but offer great travel experiences. Moreover, the New York 

Times as well the Australian Sun Herald suggested their readers to visit Thessaloniki as well in the same year.

πηγή : GREEKGREECE REPORTER 

YANNIS BUTARIS MAYOR OF THESSALONIKI SINCE  2010

Mayor of the Month for October 2012
Yiannis Boutaris
Mayor of Thessaloniki, Greece
By Brian Baker, Senior Correspondent

1 October 2012: If all Greek politicians were like the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Greece would not be in the economic and financial mess it is in today, German newspapers commented after Yiannis Boutaris visited Berlin in February 2012. Only half-joking, the mayor told reporters that his country’s economic crisis helped him to change attitudes in his city. “Since there is no money to buy votes, politicians actually have to produce results.”

Some sections of the Greek media have criticised Mayor Boutaris for wanting to learn from German cities but he remains unrepentant. On visits to Berlin and Cologne he said: “We need to learn from you how to deal with waste disposal, public relations, infringements of municipal regulations and other areas of local government.” European Commission officials based in Athens described Thessaloniki as a ‘beacon of hope’.

Yiannis Boutaris was elected as mayor of Thessaloniki in Greece in November 2010. After a successful business career Boutaris went in to politics to achieve radical change in the city. His reforms and initiatives have drawn praise from officials in the EU and other institutions involved with the intervention measures to support the economy, notably in his efforts to control staff costs and to make public services work better.

The mayor was elected in November 2010 after a very close contest. His narrow victory over the centre-right New Democracy party candidate Konstantinos Gioulekas was by only half a percentage point of the vote.

Although he was backed by centre-left PASOK in 2010, Yiannis Boutaris has never been a member of the party and secured their backing as he was seen as the only politician who could break the Conservative stranglehold on city hall. New Democracy had ruled Thessaloniki for decades and their popularity remained strong despite criminal investigations into missing funds of up to 30 million euros. The previous mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos is amongst those who have now been charged with offences.

The close contest despite the widespread problems in the city, which included piled up refuse, reflects the extent to which nationalistic and conservative opinions have held sway in Thessaloniki since the 1950s.

Mayor Boutaris was born in Thessaloniki in 1942. His father was winemaker Stelios Boutaris and young Yiannis went in to the family business after securing degrees in Chemistry from the University of Thessaloniki and in Oenology.

He made an unsuccessful bid for mayor in the 2006 election. He has been a member of the City Council since 2002.

 Although he was 68 when he won the mayoralty he made a point of appointing deputies in their 40s with professional backgrounds and without political affiliations.

One of these is Vassilas Kappas, who told interviewers in 2011 that they had 5,000 employees but only needed 3,000. He says some of the staff employed because of cronyism had never been trained how to work. He developed a plan which has reduced the number of directorates from 32 to 20.

The mayor has said in interviews that his approach has been to choose deputies in their forties and then to give them a real range of responsibilities and a relatively real rein. “I do not try to control everything. I support the efforts of each individual deputy and push them towards the goals we have decided.” One of the deputies is Hasdai Kapan who is the first Jewish official to be in such a senior position in the city since the 1930s.

More difficult is changing the mentality of the managers. The mayor re-shuffled the administrative structure and insisted that rivalries between officials must cease. They are required now to work together.

The population within the boundaries of the municipality of Thessaloniki is 322,000 though nearly 800,000 live in the urban area and in much of the mayors’ strategic and international work he is, in effect, acting on behalf of all of them.

The 2012 budget was 409 million euros but there is no spare cash for initiatives and Mayor Boutaris must focus on making improvements to the economy and daily life, which do not need major investment from municipal funds.

After 25 years of New Democracy rule which left the city in a parlous state, Boutaris brought in an auditor as his first major action after taking office. He wanted everyone to know clearly how bad things were. The city had debts of around 100 million euros when he took office.

He was cautious about how quickly the culture can change in a January 2012 interview with the Greek magazine Ekathimerini. “I doubt whether the complete restructuring of the municipality can be achieved within my four year term. I sometimes wonder if l am too romantic hoping that something like this can be achieved in Greece but then l tell myself that if l succeed l will have done something very important. It seems to be working so far. It is not enough to get me re-elected of course because it is the sort of thing that doesn’t really show even though services should get significantly better.”

The legal situation in Greece does not help him. Mayor Boutaris has been slowed in his reform efforts by rules which make it very difficult to dismiss employees. But, despite strikes and protests, he has made progress. In 2011 the budget deficit, which has doubled every year, dropped by 7.5 per cent. Expenditure was down by 30 per cent.

Mayor Boutaris has a particular problem with the refuse collection scheme in the city. Rubbish is regularly piled up in the streets and the vehicles are so badly maintained that the majority are off the road at any one time. The Mayor is looking at private contractor solutions and has been to learn lessons from other European cities including Cologne, Nice and Vienna. His approach is to see how their systems work and then try to implement them in Thessaloniki. Initially, the plan was to let a small part of the city to a private contractor for a six months experimental period. He admits he failed to keep his election promise to get the streets clean in his first year.

During a February 2012 visit to Berlin to study their approach he told a Der Spiegel reporter “We need your help. Your city is clean while Thessaloniki is dirty. What works in your city does not work in ours. We need to change. Our system, be it port management or refuse collection, is broken. It has to be discarded and replaced by something else.”

The mayors’ interest in learning from Germany in this difficult period for relations between the two Euro-zone members has brought him condemnation from some parts of the Greek media and public but Boutaris is unrepentant and has been happy to work with Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, the Minister appointed by Chancellor Merkel to oversee the distribution of EU bail-out funds in the country.

“Fuchtel was appointed by Merkel to coordinate such collaborations between cities. When we went to Cologne to see how they deal with waste disposal we also examined how they work in areas such as public relations, infringements of municipal regulations and the other areas of public administration in which Cologne is highly evolved.”

During the long economic crisis in Greece Mayor Boutaris has become a magnet for international journalists covering the euro-zone story and has been cited by EU officials as an example of the kind of leader the country desperately needs. In the period of tension in Greece before the first of the two elections in the spring of 2012 Athens based European Commission officials spoke of Thessaloniki as a “beacon of hope.”

City Council meetings are now televised.  The most startling reform implemented in the first year, at least to those used to Northern European methods, has been to produce a job description for every employee.

Yiannis Boutaris considers Barcelona to be a model for the re-invention and management of port cities in the modern era. He wants the port facilities to be better used by cruise ships and has met with operators from several countries. In mid 2012 he visited Hamburg, a major success story in bringing in huge boats.

In his election campaign in autumn 2010 he praised the potential of public private partnerships as a mechanism for getting things done citing it as a model which could help solve the city’s transport congestion by getting a metro system built and help the city move more quickly towards renewable energy.

Despite some financial problems line one of the metro is going forward and the details of a second line have been announced. His campaigning emphasised his very successful business career and attacked red tape. He rails against what he calls the demonization of business by both the state and the general population.

Mayor Boutaris hopes to build a crematorium, a mosque and a memorium to the Jews murdered in the holocaust. He has renamed a street in honour of Kemal Ataturk

Following the success of the neo-nazi party Golden Dawn in two general elections elections in the summer of 2012, Yiannis Boutaris has not held back in public criticism of them. In a television interview in July 2012 he said at least half of the Golden Dawn leaders should be in prison.

No stranger to controversy in 2007 he travelled to Bulgaria to have his wife cremated instead of a burial in Greece.  During the election campaign the Archbishop of Thessaloniki refused to allow him to kiss the cross which backfired on the religious leader as citizens thought he had interfered too far.

Yiannis Boutaris was the owner of a controlling stake in the family wine makers Boutaris for over 30 years. It is the leading wine brand in the country. In 1997 after a family disagreement the Boutaris wine making company was broken up.

Yiannis took two of their sites in the north of the country near Thessaloniki at Naoussa and Amandeon and pursued his idea of establishing a super premium wine estate in Greece. He named his new venture Kiri-Yiannis and it has been very successful. Managed since 2003 by his son Stellios it has won plaudits from viniculture experts and trade media from across the world and is widely seen as a key element in the country joining the world wine league.

Stellios credits his father with re-inventing Greek wine. He says that after starting the Kir-Yianni estates in 1997 Yiannis brought French concepts of oenology in to use in large scale production in the country for the first time. They have concentrated on the Xinomavro grape. Their vineyards in Naoussa are on slopes 300 metres above sea level. The estate uses traditional grapes and modern techniques says Stellios.

Father and son see parallels between their efforts to lift the quality of the country’s viniculture with the wider issues addressed in city leadership.

“The new Greece is growing in the villages near Kir-yianni and in the streets of Thessaloniki and it is being nurtured by those Greeks who no longer expect anything from the state,” says Stellios.

“Greeks should focus on the things they know well and produce them at excellent quality,” says the mayor.”We don’t sell ourselves and our products well enough. In this situation in which we have to do things which do not cost a lot of money tourism is one area we can promote,” he says.

He has sought to make the city more attractive to visitors from countries, which are a part of Thessaloniki’s controversial past. For years, the New Democracy Conservatives encouraged Hellenization and Yiannis Boutaris is trying to reverse that thinking and re-establish the city as a centre for the whole of the multi-cultural region.

At one time the city had a majority Jewish population. By the beginning of World War II this had fallen as a proportion but was over 50,000. By the end of the Nazi occupation only four per cent of those people were alive.  The mayor is trying to re-connect with the successful past and made Israel his first cross-border visit as mayor in early 2011.

During that visit he said “We cannot look into the future without knowing the past. Not for nothing was Thessaloniki known as the Jerusalem of the Balkans and it could be that again.”

Yiannis Boutaris told the press in Tel Aviv that his first lover was a Jewish girl who went to school with him and he had many other Jewish friends.

Turkish Airlines have re-introduced scheduled services to the city following meetings with him and Israeli cruise operators have begun to call at the port city more often. He is reaching out for both trade and tourism reasons to neighbouring Balkan countries including Bulgaria, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania. He has also met with the powerful Moscow based tour operators.

The two nations, which include territory in traditional Macedonia, have not always enjoyed good relations but Mayor Boutaris has been pro-active in overwhelming this. In May 2012 he signed a declaration of co-operation and joint promotion with Vladimir Taleski, mayor of Bitola in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. At the initial meeting, held in Thessaloniki, new technologies, culture, education and tourism were the main themes.

Boutaris told the FYR Macedonia media that “despite the fact that the two countries have some political differences we share a lot of ties that need to be developed.” Both mayors described the border issues as absurd and that their cultural industries project would go on to be an introduction into a wider and bigger cooperation.

Yiannis Boutaris thinks that Thessaloniki is well placed to become a regional centre of education especially for English speaking courses and is working for that in his initiatives with other cities and countries.

He is aware that as the birthplace of Mustafa Kemel, the father of modern Turkey, the city has the opportunity to attract a large number of tourists from the largest country in the region.

Like many of the best mayors, Mayor Boutaris always travels with local business leaders when he visits other countries to drum up interest. He says the objective is to bring money to the city. 

Mayor Boutaris also has a track record in conservation. He founded and led Arcturos which is an NGO which provides a sanctuary for wild bears within an area of protected forest and he was instrumental in preventing demolition of landmark buildings in the city in the years before his election as mayor.

The mayor is a kind of anti-politician, a business owner who believes in quality not quantity, a custodian of the best of the past and an internationalist and anti-racist.

Mayor Boutaris also brings refreshing honesty and accessibility to city leadership. He regularly meets and chats as an equal with voters in the squares and cafes, rides his bicycle around the city, rejects the pomp of entourage and big cars and makes no secret of his own life.

He stopped drinking and faced up to his alcoholism several years ago. He and his wife parted then came back together. He has tattoos including one of a unicorn in remembrance of his wife’s spirit and one of a lizard to remind him that change is in the nature of things.      
He is cautious about his prospects of a second term aware of how nationalist and conservative his city had become and how the political class and institutions are seen as failures and corrupt in Greece. But at 70 he remains optimistic and energetic.

“Small is beautiful,” he says. “Greeks should focus on the little things that they know well and then produce these at excellent quality. We don’t sell ourselves and our products well enough.” He says they can learn much from Italians in that regard.

He just might point Thessaloniki along a better sustainable path with improved relations with its neighbours and set an example, which the country should follow.

SOURCE :

http://www.citymayors.com/

THE LOUVRE travel to Thessaloniki in      October 2012

Five Thessaloniki museums to host Louvre exhibits, artworks

In response to the successful exhibition entitled “In the kingdom of Alexander the Great – Ancient Macedonia” in France this year, the Louvre Museum will co-organize parallel exhibitions with 5 different museums in the town of Thessaloniki. The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki will host sculptures from the French Museum including three artworks of Enlightment Age sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon (portraits of Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Denis Diderot) and one of Jacques-Nicolas Roettiers de la Tour (bronze medal of Louis XV). The above mentioned sculptures will be supplemented with sculptures of Macedonian philosophers, bearing reference to the extent to which the Age of Reason was molded by Greek philosophers, and how the French movement of the 18th century inspired the Modern Greek state in return.
The Museum of Byzantine Culture will present the Reliquary of the True Cross, which was given as a present to Charlemagne. Exhibits from the collection of the Byzantine Museum of Thessaloniki will also be presented in a thematic exhibition examining the Cross as a symbol of faith.
A large collection of 100 drawings created from 1600 to 1800 A.D., depicting different Greek myths, will be hosted at the Telloglion Arts Foundation. This collection belongs to the Graphic Arts department of the Louvre.
The Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art will present an Auguste Benson painting from 1827 entitled “After the Samothraki massacre”, sized 2.74m x 3.42m.
Last but not least, the National Museum of Modern Art will host Auguste Leloir’s “Apotheosis of Homer” from 1841, 1.47m x 1.95m.

SOURCE : STELLA TSOLAKIDOU

Origami White Tower in Thessaloniki eyes Guinness record

Origami White Tower in Thessaloniki eyes Guinness record

Πηγή: Express.gr  24/05/12-09:47

AMNA / A replica of Thessaloniki'Αs trademark, the White Tower monument located on the city'Αs waterfront, will be created on Aristotelous Square using the origami technique, the traditional Japanese art of paper folding.  The White Tower origami mosaic, aiming for a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, will be created on May 31 from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. It will cover an area of 400 square meters and will be made of 40,000 paper lotus flowers. amna The largest origami mosaic is 320.87 square meters (3,453 square feet) and was created in Hong Kong on July 26, 2008.www.amna.gr