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First tourists arrive in Greece as Athens and Thessaloniki airports open

Andriana Simos
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First tourists arrive in Greece as Athens and Thessaloniki airports open

Greece reopened its main airports to more international flights on Monday, hoping to kick-start its vital tourism sector after three months in lockdown.

The first flight to the Alexander the Great airport in Thessaloniki on Monday, arrived to great fanfare after departing from Munich, Germany.

First flight carrying tourists for Summer 2020 arrives to fanfare at Thessaloniki’s Alexander the Great Airport on Monday. Source: AMNA.

The passengers were welcomed by political officials from Thessaloniki and Greece’s Deputy Minister of Civil Protection Nikos Chardalias, and the flight was also celebrated with a water arch.

“I’m happy to be back in Greece to see my loved ones,” Elias Tsigas, one of the passengers among the flight’s 164 travelers, told local website thestival.gr.

US tourist, Chris Saye, added: “Well it’s great, it’s like freedom,” as he landed at Athens’ main airport after arriving from Paris with his wife.

Tourists arriving at Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Athens. Source: Reuters.

Passengers arriving from airports deemed high-risk by the European Union’s aviation safety agency, including airports in the Paris region, are tested for the coronavirus on arrival and quarantined for up to 14 days, depending on the result.

Arrivals from other airports are randomly tested. People are still barred from flying in from Britain and Turkey.

READ MORE: Greek PM: My message to you is very simple. Come to Greece.

Kilometer-long queues at Greek-Bulgarian border crossing:

According to local media, visitors to Greece weren’t just arriving by air.

Long queues of cars and lorries formed at Makaza and Kulata checkpoints at Bulgaria’s border with Greece on Monday, as visitors hoped to cross.

Kilometer-long queues formed at the Greek-Bulgarian border crossing. Source: BNT News.

The queues at the checkpoints at the Bulgarian border began forming in the early morning, with travellers not knowing that the Greek border opening was scheduled for 12am. The border opening was brought forward to 11am.

Data from the traffic police shows that between 12 and 15,000 people crossed the border through Kulata checkpoint.

Melbourne real estate agent Kristiana Karakostas avoids jail over cocaine trafficking on Craigslist

Andriana Simos
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Melbourne real estate agent Kristiana Karakostas avoids jail over cocaine trafficking on Craigslist

Melbourne real estate agent Kristiana Karakostas, who organised drug deals online, has been spared jail because of her efforts to turn her life around.

Karakostas, 27, used coded messages to advertise drugs on Craigslist and then organised deals to sell cocaine and N-Ethylpentylone in February and March 2017, and one day sold $350 of cocaine to an undercover police officer.

She pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and one of dealing with the proceeds of crime, and was on Friday put on a three-year community correction order.

Kristiana Karakostas had her real estate membership stripped by Real Estate Institute of Victoria.

She must complete 150 hours of unpaid work as part of the community order.

County Court judge Irene Lawson said Karakostas’ crimes would normally warrant a jail term, but her “extraordinary” effort at overcoming a cocaine addiction through drug treatment meant a stint in prison would be counter productive.

“You are a person who has made major life changes, you have re-assessed your values and you’re now committed to a more law-abiding lifestyle,” she said.

Judge Lawson did, however, grant police permission to seize Karakostas’ $20,000 BMW, as prosecutors argued the car was tainted property because it was connected to the drug trafficking.

Karakostas’ employer, Woodards, is standing by her but the Real Estate Institute of Victoria has stripped her membership and will take from her an award she won last year for novice auctioneers.

Karakostas can still work as an agent despite having her REIV membership cancelled.

READ MORE: Kristiana Karakostas dumped by Real Estate Institute after pleading guilty to peddling cocaine on Craigslist.

The National Archaeological Museum celebrates the Greek War of Independence bicentennial

Andriana Simos
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The National Archaeological Museum celebrates the Greek War of Independence bicentennial

After three months of COVID-19 lockdown, museums in Greece are scheduled to reopen to the public on June 15, 2020.

One of the shows worth (re)visiting is the temporary exhibition of the National Archaeological Museum (NAM) in Athens titled “For these we fought for… Antiquities and the Greek War of Independence,” which was opened as part of the Museum’s celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence.

The exhibition aims to elucidate the various aspects of the multidimensional relationship of the Greek people with antiquities, and is inspired by a phrase attributed to a legendary figure of the Greek Revolution, General Yiannis Makrygiannis, who advised Greek fighters not to sell or give away any of Greece’s antiquities.

Twenty-six selected antiquities (22 marble sculptures and reliefs, 2 clay vases, 2 bronze figurines) from the collections of the National Archaeological Museum are being showcased in an eclectic dialogue with twenty-six recent works of the 18th and 19th century, most of them by European artists: 8 paintings (oil and water color ones), 11 austere engravings, 4 illustrated editions and 3 artifacts of decorative art.

It is worth noting that the exhibition reaches its completion with the winged goddess Nike (the personification of victory) as an emblematic symbol of the Greek people’s successful struggle.

The special focus placed on the divine figure of Nike is also no coincidence as it is the connecting link with the Museum’s upcoming exhibition that shall be inaugurated on September 29 to mark the 2,500 years since the Battle of Thermopylae and Salamis.

As the Museum’s director, Maria Lagogianni, explains: “The concept of Nike will function as the connecting link between the different narratives of the exhibitions. The winged goddess of the Greeks will bridge the anniversary exhibitions, offering timeless symbols of those things that move and inspire people.”

READ MORE: The Battle of Thermopylae 2500 Year Anniversary Competition.

The exhibition “For these we fought for… Antiquities and the Greek War of Independence” has been scheduled to run until July 5, 2020. After it closes, it will be presented throughout 2021 as a digital exhibition on the Museum’s website.

Tsitsipas crushes Paire to close out day one of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown

Andriana Simos
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Tsitsipas crushes Paire to close out day one of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown

Greek world no.6 Stefanos Tsitsipas won his first match at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS), beating French opponent Benoit Paire three sets to one.

Nicknamed “The Greek God” by the tournament, Tsitsipas skillfully used his selected UTS cards, ‘-1 serve’ and ‘Steal serve,’ to gain the upper hand during the match and claim victory over an increasingly frustrated Paire.

Tsitsipas took out the first and second sets 24-4 and 21-6 respectively, but Paire got his first break of the match in the third set with a win of 13-14. However, Tsitsipas ultimately took out the fourth and final set 15-9.

When asked about his thoughts on the match, Paire said: “It was good until the fourth set. I think he’s (Tsitsipas) ready to win the US Open already and not me.”

Tsitsipas is now preparing to play against Frenchman Gasquet in the second round of the UTS.

Organised by Greek-French tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou, the UTS brings real competitive matches between ten of the world’s best tennis professionals straight to people’s homes through live streams.

Vandals destroy marble columns at ancient Greek city in Albania

Andriana Simos
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Vandals destroy marble columns at ancient Greek city in Albania

Unknown vandals in Albania have caused “irreparable” damage to a monument in ancient Apollonia near the town of Fieri, Albanian authorities announced over the weekend.

The director of the archaeological site was quoted as saying that “the damage is irreparable,” as ancient marble columns at the nymphaion of the site were broken. The nymphaion, in ancient Greece, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs.

The President of Albania, Ilir Meta, has condemned the act and called it barbaric.

According to Albanian authorities, the act of vandalism must have occurred during the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic but it was only recently discovered.

The theatre at the ancient city of Apollonia.

Approval has been given by the Albanian Ministry of Culture to try and restore the Ancient Greek monument.

Apollonia was founded in 588 BC by Greek colonists from Corfu and Corinth on a site where native Illyrian tribes lived and was perhaps the most important of the several classical towns known as Apollonia.

It was a self-governing and independent city for many centuries until it was first incorporated into the Kingdom of Epirus and later, the Kingdom of Macedonia. It was a very well-governed city and flourished because of its rich agricultural hinterland and its role in the slave trade.

Apollonia flourished in the Roman period and was home to a renowned school of philosophy, but began to decline in the 3rd century AD when its harbor started silting up as a result of an earthquake. It was abandoned by the end of Late Antiquity.

Greek PM: My message to you is very simple. Come to Greece.

The Greek Herald
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Greek PM: My message to you is very simple. Come to Greece.

The safety of tourists is a top priority for Greece as it opens its airports to foreign visitors, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Saturday on a visit to the popular holiday island of Santorini.

International flights to and from the country’s main airports will resume on June 15, after a nearly three-month lockdown. Accounting for about 20 percent of Greece’s economic output, tourism is vital for the Mediterranean nation, which emerged from a decade-long debt crisis in 2018.

“It is a great pleasure to be here in Santorini… to send a message: Greece is ready to welcome tourists this summer by putting their safety and their health as a number one priority,” Mitsotakis said.

Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, touring the archaeological site of Akrotiri in Santorini. Source: Reuters.

Famous for its sunsets and black sandy beaches, the volcanic island draws millions of tourists each year.

Greece has boosted numbers of medical staff on its popular islands. Mitsotakis, wearing a surgical mask, also visited health facilities and doctors on Santorini.

READ MORE: Greece to accept tourists from Australia and 28 other countries as of June 15.

The country will conduct coronavirus tests on all visitors arriving from airports deemed high-risk by the European Union’s aviation safety agency EASA from Monday. Visitors will be quarantined up to 14 days, depending on the test result.

Passengers arriving from all other airports will be randomly tested. 

About 33 million tourists visited Greece last year, generating revenues of 19 billion euros.

Restrictions on movement imposed in March helped Greece contain the spread of COVID-19 infections to just above 3,000 cases, a relatively low number compared with elsewhere in the European Union. But it brought its business and tourism sector to a virtual standstill and the country now expects its economy to shrink by up to 13 percent this year.

Source: Reuters.

Theo Maras replaces Nick Begakis as Adelaide Central Market Authority chairman

The Greek Herald
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Theo Maras replaces Nick Begakis as Adelaide Central Market Authority chairman

Prominent developer Theo Maras has taken over management of the Adelaide Central Market, with a vision to transform it into one of the biggest and best markets in the world, The Advertiser reports.

Mr Maras, who transformed the East End of Adelaide in the 1980s and 1990s, has been appointed as chairman of the Adelaide Central Market Authority, replacing businessman Nick Begakis.

He will help the Adelaide City Council choose board members for vacant positions on the authority, which will oversee a multimillion-dollar upgrade of the arcade beside the historic market.

Mr Maras said he was excited by the “once in a lifetime” opportunity to transform the precinct into a “world-class” tourism and retail destination.

Read More: Tsitsipas faces off against Frenchman Gasquet in epic tennis return

Read More: Greek Orthodox Community relations blossom following Holy Spirit feast day ceremony

“I’ve been going to the Central Market since I was a child – I was taken to the Central Market every Saturday by my grandfather and my father so I’ve got a long-term history and passion for it – I love it,” he said.

“At the end of the day the market belongs to the people of Adelaide and I’m keen to deliver to Adelaide one of the biggest and best markets in the world.

“This will shape the market for the next fifty years.”

Under plans revealed by the council last December, a 35-storey residential, commercial and retail building will be built next to the market as part of a $400 million redevelopment.

Mr Maras, who oversaw the recent $30 million overhaul of Rundle Mall, said securing the right tenant mix and minimising disruption to existing tenants was key to making the project a success.

Shoppers at the Adelaide Central Market. Picture: Brenton Edwards
Shoppers at the Adelaide Central Market. Photo: Brenton Edwards/The Advertiser

“Of course it was the expansion that excited me – I understand develoment, I understand retail and I understand what it is to have social interaction,” he said.

“What I want to be part of is ensuring we have the right curation of tenant mix that will serve the needs of the public and will be a world-class market and meeting place.”

Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor said Mr Maras had been chosen from “a truly impressive field of candidates” to help oversee the project.

Mr Maras has an extensive background in development, retail and hospitality, including being chairman of the Rundle Mall Management Authority.

“Theo Maras was successful due to his highly-regarded business acumen, depth of experience and ability to lead,” she said.

Ms Verschoor and authority general manager Jodie Kannane thanked Mr Begakis, a professional company director, for his “strong leadership” during his term as the authority’s chairman.

“Nick has played an instrumental role in steering the Adelaide Central Market towards becoming the world’s best fresh produce market and maintaining its iconic status as a thriving food and cultural precinct for the broader community to experience and enjoy,” said Ms Kannane.

Greek wax museum celebrates reopening with new Tom Hanks sculpture

The Greek Herald
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Greek wax museum celebrates reopening with new Tom Hanks sculpture

With museums across the country reopening on June 15, a wax museum in the northern Greek city of Kavala has decided to celebrate with the unveiling of a wax sculpture of Hollywood star and honorary Greek Tom Hanks.

The Wax Museum Theodoros Kokkinidis will welcome their 31st wax model to friends and visitors, who from today took his place in the main living room of the museum.

“This confinement at home worked rather creatively for me, during this time I designed and created the wax model of a philhellene and award-winning actor, who came even closer to Greece after his marriage to Greek-born actress Rita Wilson,” Kokkinidis told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).

“So this year, Tom Hanks will not only be in Antiparos for his summer vacation, but also in Kavala! “

Kokkinidis said that he chose to depict Hanks in a “mature phase” of his life rather than as the young comedian who won over Greeks audiences in the late 1980s and 1990s, because it “better encapsulates the personality of a great artist who has given so much to world cinema.”

Because art is inspired not only by faces, but by historical events, Kokkinidis is preparing for a special exhibition in his museum to mark the 200th anniversary of the Greek revolution. 

“In the coming weeks I will begin preparations for the design and craftsmanship of the wax figures of two important protagonists of 1821, who contributed decisively to the Greek revolution,” he says to ANA-MPA.

World Blood Donor Day: Nikos explains why he rolls up his sleeves and donates the gift of life

Argyro Vourdoumpa
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World Blood Donor Day: Nikos explains why he rolls up his sleeves and donates the gift of life

People who donate blood are superheroes: in under an hour they can save three lives.

Every year, on 14 June, Australia and countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day. The event serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood.

“Every week across Australia, 29,000 donations are needed to support cancer patients, trauma victims, pregnant women and so many others who rely on donated blood and plasma,” an Australian Red Cross Lifeblood spokesperson told The Greek Herald.

Nikos, has been a blood donor for over 20 years and so far, he has made more than one hundred donations in blood and blood products both in Greece and in Australia.

“I made my first donation in 1999. My father used to be a blood donor for as long as he was in good health, so it was natural for me to become one as well,” said Nikos who kept donating during the coronavirus pandemic.

“During crises and disaster situations, the need for blood increases and the number in donations drops.

“If someone is healthy there is no excuse to not donate. By sparing half an hour of your life, three or four times every year you are able to save 12 people’s lives,” Nikos said.

Photo: Supplied by Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

Coronavirus did not prevent Australians from donating blood

Despite the initial fears that blood supply could face critical shortages as more people were staying home to stop the spread of COVID-19, Australian blood and plasma donors responded overwhelmingly to calls for donations since the emergence of the pandemic.

In April, every state across the country had either their largest or second highest plasma collection day on record and appointments continue to be well filled.

“We are extremely grateful to these Australians who have rolled up their sleeves to ensure patients across the country have access to the blood and blood products they require.

“This year we’d also like to make special mention of donors who’ve recovered from COVID-19 and donated plasma. It’s hoped their plasma may boost immunity in patients still battling the disease,” said the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood spokesperson.

Australia currently has around 500,000 blood donors, but millions of others may be eligible to donate.

“Blood donation is very easy, straightforward and rewarding. Especially in Australia, where people can visit a donor centre and a nurse can answer their questions and walk them through the procedure,” Nikos explains, stressing that Greece needs to follow Australia’s example in order to encourage and motivate more people to become blood donors.

Donations in Greece are insufficient

In Greece, at least 600,000 units of blood are required annually, of which only 40 percent are covered by volunteer blood donors, according to the Greek National Center’s for Blood Donation official data.

“The blood donation system in Greece is decentralized and consists of more than 90 hospital blood banks under the supervision of the Ministry of Health. Each bank is an integrated part of a public hospital and has the responsibility for recruiting blood donors, for collecting and testing blood and for processing it into its products to supply the hospital clinics.

“We need a centralized system and people need to be better informed about donating blood,” Nikos suggests.

For more information visit lifeblood.com.au or call 13 14 95

Greek Orthodox Community relations blossom following Holy Spirit feast day ceremony

The Greek Herald
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Greek Orthodox Community relations blossom following Holy Spirit feast day ceremony

The Greek Orthodox Community of New South Wales celebrated on Monday, in the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, the feast-day of the Holy Spirit at the Parish of The Holy Trinity in Surry Hills, Sydney.

A feast day of particular importance in the Greek Orthodox Church, His Eminence become the first Archbishop, after almost half a century, to cross the threshold of Australia’s oldest church in the southern hemisphere.

“This is a development with special importance, but also substance, as it signals the opening of a new page in the relations between the Holy Archdiocese of Australia and the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, to which the church belongs,” The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia wrote in a Facebook post.

This year’s feast-day of the Holy Spirit was historic for the Greeks of Australia because, for this great feast of the…

Posted by Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia on Monday, 8 June 2020

The Archdiocese also recognised the event as historic occasion as it, “signals the opening of a new page in the relations between the Holy Archdiocese of Australia and the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, to which the church belongs.”

The President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, Mr Harry Danalis, applauded His Eminence’s spirit of solidarity and unity.

“I would like to thank you because, from the day of your arrival, you have shown genuine love and an outlook of unity for our society and love for our Community, and we know that this will continue,” Danalis said.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a limited number of people were permitted to attend the ceremony, with invitations sent out only to the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, Greek Diplomatic Authorities and to select Greek community representatives.

Expatriates who did attend, most of whom were present during the Divine Liturgy, mainly resided outside the Temple.

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