Latest news with #Hellenic
Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
Lonely Planet founder reveals the Greek island tourists haven't destroyed yet
When married couple Tony and Maureen Wheeler left London for Australia in 1973, they were effectively taking a 'gap year' before the term was even coined. After travellers they met along the way started to ask them for their advice, they wrote their first book, Across Asia On The Cheap. And when that shifted 1,500 copies in its first week, travel guide publisher Lonely Planet was born. Fast forward 52 years, Tony is still sharing his wisdom with the masses – and during a recent visit to Greece, he found an island that's not been decimated by overtourism. The northernmost island in the Cyclades group, Kea, isn't as well-known as the likes of Mykonos – but that's part of its appeal. Despite having a permanent population of just 20,000 residents, with its white houses and sparkling blue waters, Santorini attracts as many as 3,400,000 visitors each year, a situation that's led politicians to introduce a €20 (£17.33) daily tourist tax for those arriving via cruise ship between June and September. By comparison, Kea is mainly still visited by Athenians looking for a break from the city, which has given Tony 'reassurance' that overtourism hasn't taken over the entire world. Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here. There are glimmers of hope that remain, if you know where to find them. Forget Red Beach or Kamari: if you want to emulate the magic of Santorini's famous waterfronts, you needn't look any further than Xyla. It might be coated in pebbles and golden sand rather than red or black, but it's certainly got that quintessential peaceful feel – and the Aegean Sea still sparkles. There are also plenty of sun lounger spots available at Pisses, while Spathi is another quiet nook. If you're into Greek history, then Kea is peppered with archaeological sites. One of the most famous is the Agia Marina Tower, which, at 20 metres high, is made exclusively from local slate and marble. These days, some of its original materials can be spotted on neighbouring buildings, as after it was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 1858, it was used to rebuild those that had suffered a worse fate. Meanwhile, the Lion of Ioulida sits on top of the island's hilltop capital – and, constructed in 6BC, it's another notable example of well-preserved Hellenic history. There's also the Kea Folklore Museum, which, originally built in 1845 to house travellers passing through the island, now documents local history. Mainly displaying agricultural tools and traditional costumes from the locality, there's also a theatre outside that hosts events throughout the summer, including the Fairy Tales Festival with its folk legends. Given that it's not yet been overrun by tourists, it'll come as little surprise that there isn't an airport on Kea Island. So, if you're wanting to escape for a little bit of Greek sunshine, you'll need to fly to Athens International and catch a ferry. There are direct London connections from Luton, Stansted and Gatwick, all of which take in the region of four hours. The best bit? The boat from the port of Lavrio only takes an hour, and tickets cost a very reasonable €14 (£12.13). By comparison, Mykonos can take between two and two-and-a-half hours from the Greek capital. Naturally, there's no shortage of sunshine on Kea Island – and the summer is the hottest time of the year. More Trending Temperatures throughout August tend to average out at around 33C, so if you can't handle the heat, you might want to bookmark your trip around October, when things chill out to approximately 24C. Likewise, if you're looking to top up your dopamine levels during the winter, the mercury levels out at around 15C in February, while March dips up slightly to 17C. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: Airline founded by UK millionaire 'parks' only plane — after two return flights MORE: 'First-of-its-kind' Eurostar-style train to directly connect UK with Berlin and two more cities MORE: Our Travel Editors' picks of underrated destinations in the easyJet summer 2026 sale
Emirates Woman
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Emirates Woman
7 Greek restaurants in Dubai that transport you straight to the Aegean
Dubai's culinary landscape offers globetrotting foodies an impressive array of international flavors—no passport required. For those craving the sun-drenched simplicity of Greek cuisine, where olive oil flows freely and feta is treated as a way of life, the city boasts an impressive selection of tavernas, high-end eateries, and lively spots where plate-smashing is practically mandatory. From creamy tzatziki to smoky grilled octopus, these seven restaurants bring the authentic taste of Greece to your table with remarkable authenticity. GAIA View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gaia Dubai (@gaia__dxb) A crown jewel in Dubai's dining scene, GAIA by acclaimed chef Izu Ani elevates Greek-Mediterranean fare to an art form. The sophisticated, neutral-toned space—accented with tasteful pops of color—sets the stage for a menu that changes with the seasons. This summer's offerings sing with Mediterranean brightness: think tomato salad drizzled with Cycladic olive oil, marinated peppers with roasted garlic, and a sea bream carpaccio that's as photogenic as it is delicious. The modern take on moussaka is a revelation, while the hidden NYX Bar (a celebrity favorite) offers an exclusive nightcap spot. Perfect for: Special occasions when only elevated Greek will do. OPA View this post on Instagram A post shared by OPA Dubai (@opadubai) If your ideal Greek experience involves dancing on tables and shouting 'Opa!' at the top of your lungs, this is your spot. More than just a restaurant, OPA is a full-blown celebration of Hellenic hospitality, complete with Zorba dancing, napkin-twirling, and the occasional plate smashed in jubilation. The vibrant, foliage-filled space sets the scene for a feast of shareable classics—creamy tzatziki, slow-cooked lamb, grilled halloumi—best enjoyed with a group of friends and a bottle of ouzo. Perfect for: Late-night revelry and unforgettable group dinners. Avli by tashas View this post on Instagram A post shared by Avli by tashas (@avlibytashas) From renowned restaurateur Natasha Sideris, Avli brings a touch of Grecian elegance to DIFC. This chic spot is ideal for everything from power lunches to romantic dinners, with a menu that balances tradition and modernity. Start with an array of dips (the taramasalata is a must), then move on to grilled octopus or tender chicken souvlaki. The adjoining Galaxy Bar makes it easy to transition from dinner to cocktails in style. Perfect for: Impressing clients or dates with refined Greek flavors. Mythos Kouzina & Grill View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mythos (@mythosdubai) Despite the influx of new Greek spots, Mythos remains the gold standard for no-frills, authentic Hellenic cuisine. The original JLT location (now joined by a City Walk sibling) feels like a cozy taverna straight out of Mykonos, complete with a charming terrace for cooler evenings. The menu is a greatest-hits compilation of Greek comfort food: gemista (stuffed tomatoes), moussaka layered with velvety béchamel, and a mixed grill platter featuring succulent lamb chops. The baked feta, drizzled with honey and sesame, is legendary. Perfect for: A comforting, home-style Greek feast that won't break the bank. Taverna Greek Kitchen Tucked into the picturesque waterways of Souk Madinat Jumeirah, this relaxed spot offers a taste of Greece with a side of Dubai's signature waterfront charm. The menu sticks to the classics—crispy calamari, slow-roasted lamb shoulder, flaky cheese pies—with ingredients imported directly from Greece. The laid-back atmosphere makes it ideal for a leisurely lunch or a casual dinner after exploring the souk. Perfect for: A low-key Greek meal in one of Dubai's most scenic settings. AMMOS With its whitewashed walls, airy interiors, and marina views, AMMOS channels the breezy elegance of a seaside Greek taverna. The kitchen sources most ingredients directly from Greece, ensuring an authentic experience—standouts include the orzo seafood and perfectly grilled Greek sea bass. The weekly Greek Night brings an extra dose of authenticity (and plate-smashing) to the mix. Perfect for: A relaxed yet sophisticated taste of the Aegean. OIA Greek Restaurant Named after Santorini's most famous village, OIA brings a slice of the Cyclades to Dubai with its blue-and-white terrace, olive trees, and views of Ain Dubai. The menu is packed with Aegean flavors—grilled meats, fresh seafood, and mezze—all at surprisingly reasonable prices (even the ribeye stays under AED 200). The bright pink bougainvillea adds a pop of color, making this one of the city's most Instagrammable Greek spots. Perfect for: Affordable Greek with vacation-worthy vibes. Whether you're craving a refined seafood supper or just a simple plate of moussaka that tastes like a Greek grandmother made it, Dubai's Greek restaurants deliver it. – For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram Images: Supplied & Feature Image: Pinterest
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Yahoo
43-year-old UC Berkeley professor killed in Greece, family says
Przemyslaw Jeziorski, an associate professor of marketing at the University of California, Berkeley, was killed in Greece on July 4, his family said. Jeziorski, 43, was headed to visit his two children when he was killed on a street near where his children live, his brother Lukasz Jeziorski said in a statement on Facebook. UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business on July 14 confirmed Jeziorski's death, which it said occurred in the outskirts of Athens. The school said Greek and international authorities are investigating Jeziorski's death as a homicide. USA TODAY has reached out to the Hellenic Police. Lukasz Jeziorski said on a fundraising page that investigations into his brother's death are ongoing. "He was the victim of a terrible crime, and the perpetrator is still at large," Lukasz Jeziorski said on the page. "Our family is heartbroken, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that justice is served." Przemyslaw Jeziorski "was a loving father to two young children and a beloved professor," his brother wrote. "He was a leading scholar in marketing science, industrial organization and data analytics," Lukasz Jeziorski said. "He loved teaching and sharing his passion for the intricacies of marketing analytics and marketing science with his students." Przemyslaw Jeziorski was born on April 24, 1982, and raised in Gdynia, Poland, UC Berkeley said. To colleagues and students, he went by Przemek or PJ. Growing up, Jeziorski loved metal music, sci-fi movies and playing guitar, his brother told UC Berkeley. Jeziorski earned bachelor's and master's degrees in quantitative methods and information systems from the Warsaw School of Economics in Poland, according to UC Berkeley. He then moved to the U.S. to complete two more master's degrees − one in economics and one in mathematics − from the University of Arizona. After, he completed a doctoral program in economics at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Jenny Chatman, dean of UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, said in a statement that she is "heartbroken" by the news of Jeziorski's death. 'While authorities are investigating what happened, our focus is on supporting our community during this difficult period," Chatman said. "My heart goes out to Przemek's family and loved ones. We will miss him.' In tributes shared by UC Berkeley, Jeziorski was remembered by colleagues, students and friends. "He was an amazing person, friend, and colleague. He was a loving father of two young children and always there if someone needed help,' said Zsolt Katona, another marketing professor at UC Berkeley. Olga Adamkiewicz, a high school classmate of Jeziorski's, told UC Berkeley that he was "an exceptionally gifted and hard-working person." 'Beneath his sharp intellect, he was a kind and compassionate soul," Adamkiewicz said. "He was a dreamer at heart, filled with hopes and ambitions, with an innate curiosity about the world.' Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UC Berkeley professor Przemyslaw Jeziorski killed in Grece: Family
USA Today
15-07-2025
- USA Today
43-year-old UC Berkeley professor killed in Greece, family says
'Our family is heartbroken, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that justice is served,' Jeziorski's brother said. Przemyslaw Jeziorski, an associate professor of marketing at the University of California, Berkeley, was killed in Greece on July 4, his family said. Jeziorski, 43, was headed to visit his two children when he was killed on a street near where his children live, his brother Lukasz Jeziorski said in a statement on Facebook. UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business on July 14 confirmed Jeziorski's death, which it said occurred in the outskirts of Athens. The school said Greek and international authorities are investigating Jeziorski's death as a homicide. USA TODAY has reached out to the Hellenic Police. Perpetrator in UC Berkeley professor's killing still at large, family says Lukasz Jeziorski said on a fundraising page that investigations into his brother's death are ongoing. "He was the victim of a terrible crime, and the perpetrator is still at large," Lukasz Jeziorski said on the page. "Our family is heartbroken, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that justice is served." Przemyslaw Jeziorski "was a loving father to two young children and a beloved professor," his brother wrote. "He was a leading scholar in marketing science, industrial organization and data analytics," Lukasz Jeziorski said. "He loved teaching and sharing his passion for the intricacies of marketing analytics and marketing science with his students." Slain UC Berkeley professor was Poland native, earned degrees in US Przemyslaw Jeziorski was born on April 24, 1982, and raised in Gdynia, Poland, UC Berkeley said. To colleagues and students, he went by Przemek or PJ. Growing up, Jeziorski loved metal music, sci-fi movies and playing guitar, his brother told UC Berkeley. Jeziorski earned bachelor's and master's degrees in quantitative methods and information systems from the Warsaw School of Economics in Poland, according to UC Berkeley. He then moved to the U.S. to complete two more master's degrees − one in economics and one in mathematics − from the University of Arizona. After, he completed a doctoral program in economics at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Tributes pour in for 'kind and compassionate' UC Berkeley professor Jenny Chatman, dean of UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, said in a statement that she is "heartbroken" by the news of Jeziorski's death. 'While authorities are investigating what happened, our focus is on supporting our community during this difficult period," Chatman said. "My heart goes out to Przemek's family and loved ones. We will miss him.' In tributes shared by UC Berkeley, Jeziorski was remembered by colleagues, students and friends. "He was an amazing person, friend, and colleague. He was a loving father of two young children and always there if someone needed help,' said Zsolt Katona, another marketing professor at UC Berkeley. Olga Adamkiewicz, a high school classmate of Jeziorski's, told UC Berkeley that he was "an exceptionally gifted and hard-working person." 'Beneath his sharp intellect, he was a kind and compassionate soul," Adamkiewicz said. "He was a dreamer at heart, filled with hopes and ambitions, with an innate curiosity about the world.' Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at
Euronews
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Socrates would question AI's role in democracy, says former Greek PM
In Plato's cave, humans watch silhouettes flicker on the wall, unaware that fires just behind them are distorting reality into a shadow world – not unlike the world we find ourselves in today, aided by social media and artificial intelligence (AI), argues the former Greek prime minister George Papandreou. According to Plato's scenario, if someone escaped the cave, their eyes would be overwhelmed by the sunlight, but once adjusted, they would see the world for what it truly is. However, the escapee would not be able to rescue the others, because they would be unable to convince them to leave the cave. Though Plato wrote his cave allegory around 380 BC, he may as well have been writing today about the future of democracy and AI, according to Papandreou, who served as Greece's prime minister from 2009 to 2011 and is a current MP of the Hellenic Parliament. 'Plato is saying we can get very much stuck into these worlds and think it's a reality, and [become] very, very reactive to any kind of change that may happen,' Papandreou told Euronews Next at the United Nations' AI For Good Summit in Geneva. Despite the tech industry's push to position AI as the foundation of all human knowledge, Papandreou thinks Plato would see AI not as the sunlight outside the cave but as the shadows inside: intriguing and persuasive – but misleading, and far from the truth. That doesn't mean AI won't continue to have a major impact on the real world, though, according to Papandreou. 'AI is impacting our culture,' he said. 'It's the way we think about the world, the way that we communicate, and our culture is also, I would add, our political culture in a democracy'. Socrates' possible take on AI Plato's mentor Socrates, a staunch defender of knowledge and wisdom, called out the flaws of democracy and was ultimately killed for it. In one discussion between Socrates and the orator Giorgias – who trained young people how to debate and win arguments in order to gain power – Socrates argued that people should debate respectfully with the goal of understanding each other, rather than bully others to win arguments. There's a close parallel with today's debates on the impact AI will have on social media platforms, Papandreou said. He questioned whether social media platforms 'help for real debate or do they push polarisation? Or with our likes, our thumbs up, our thumbs down – is it trying to dominate? Is it bullying? Is it polarising?' Papandreou believes that in today's world, Socrates would interrogate AI's role in society, including its purpose, whether it will help create a just society or put power into the hands of only a few people, and whether it promotes the truth and furthers our understanding of the world. Socrates's answer, Papandreou believes, would be that today there are many paradoxes and threats to democracy – including AI. 'On the one hand we say [the] internet, and of course AI, [are] democratising, on the other hand we have it highly centralised, so who controls the algorithms, and who owns AI?' 'One of the ideas that democracy was invented was to make sure that power is not concentrated,' he added. Applying lessons of the Ancient Greeks Papandreou believes governments today should take a leaf out of Ancient Greece's book, where citizens met to debate and vote on proposals in one of the earliest examples of the democratic process. Today, that could look like a government platform for every citizen to debate issues such as AI. This would give everyone a voice, including women and migrants, to let them have a say in policy and no decision by the government would be decided without this deliberative process. In ancient Athens, there were admittedly fewer citizens, who could sit across the Acropolis and be heard. However, with today's population this becomes trickier. Given today's world population outpaces ancient Athens' by a wide margin, Papandreou said a modern version could be an online platform that allows citizens to debate issues such as AI and sends feedback to governments, giving everyone a voice in policymaking. Such tools would need to be thoroughly vetted, he said, and should be used to empower citizens – not for surveillance. But in an age of information overload and claims that AI knows everything, it's not just governments that can learn from the Greek philosophers' approach. Studies show that AI may be eroding people's critical thinking skills – which Socrates and Plato certainly would not have gotten behind, Papandreou argues. 'I think that's where we need to be, not be a brain to store information, but to be a brain that thinks about the information we're getting and understand what might be valid or may not be,' he said. Humility may be another key to using these tools effectively. In one story from Plato's Apology text, Socrates decides to investigate his reputation as the wisest person in Ancient Greece. He questions politicians and artists – only to discover that those who claim to have knowledge actually know less than they think. Plato instructs us that if we acknowledge how little we know, we have more space for questions, dialogue, and true understanding. Perhaps in the AI era, Socrates' best-known quote may be more relevant than ever: 'The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing'.
