#National Observatory of Athens

[epestrefe]

Εθνικό Αστεροσκοπείο Αθηνών

Το πρώτο ερευνητικό κέντρο της νεότερης Ελλάδας, λειτουργεί αδιάλειπτα από το 1842 προσφέροντας τις υπηρεσίες του στην επιστήμη και την κοινωνία. Ο δημόσιος χαρακτήρας του υφίσταται ήδη από το 1846, έτος πρώτης λειτουργίας του στο Λόφο των Νυμφών στο Θησείο, ενώ η πορεία του είναι συνυφασμένη με την ίδια την ιστορία της νεότερης Ελλάδας. Η πορεία του Κέντρου σηματοδοτείται από φωτισμένους και καταξιωμένους επιστήμονες που μεταλαμπάδευσαν στην Ελλάδα την επιστημονική μεθοδολογία και άνοιξαν τον δρόμο προς τη γνώση.

[angelkarafilli]

The Hill of the Nymphs and the National Observatory of Athens from the Pnyx on July 10, 2019.Greece

Opening:28 June 1842

Photo by George E. Koronaios

Athens Observatory,26 June 1917

(Artlllery during the short period of French occupation of Peireus and Athens,World War I)

Source:Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine

[elladastinkardiamou]

This week's newsletter from AthensLive is out: Climate change, migrants, science: The scapegoats

* “It’s total black everywhere.”

* Who believes in science?

* Conspiracies are convenient

Greece officially holds a negative record as the wildfire in the Evros region was the largest ever recorded in the EU. In the Attica region, 33% of its forests vanished in the last few years.

Government officials attacked science to shake off responsibility for the wildfires. They directly doubted the EU Copernicus system, blamed the Athens National Observatory for propaganda, and accused it of “being political.”

After having vanished for weeks, the Greek PM reappeared to claim the economy would counterbalance environmental catastrophe and to blame the wildfires on migrants. At the same time, in Evros, local self-proclaimed ‘sheriffs’ are still ‘head-hunting.’   

It cannot be recommended strongly enough to read and share this week's updates on the events and developments in Greece here: https://steadyhq.com/en/athenslivegr/posts/81d32452-4b30-4e47-8357-89e00178ce9f

For anyone with a wish or need to follow and to gain an insight into recent events in Greece and to read and support independent and investigative journalism in English, the weekly newsletter from AthensLive should be a core element in the reading flow.

If you want the best overview of the events and developments in Greece right now, this is the place to go. Not the mainstream Greek news, but independent journalism with sharp analysis and links to interesting and important topics from a variety of sources.

Become a member and get the newsletter in your inbox every week here: https://steadyhq.com/en/athenslivegr/newsletter/sign_up

[gemsofgreece]

hi! is there any attraction/place in Athens that you would highly recommend visiting? Maybe, hidden gems, or underrated places that are awesome? :') i apologize if this is a popular question that you get haha

Hello @dandelionesa ! You would be surprised at how little I know about Athens. I have been few times in my life there, despite being a native Greek living in the country all my life. I mean, I have lived there for a month once but I didn't explore at all beyond the neighborhood. So, I can tell you all the significant places not to miss but I lack the personal insight in little known gems.

Another thing about the blog is that if you visit from the browser, I have an option called "The Regions" which is essentially a travel guide about all main locations in Greece. It is not complete yet but the Athens one is. You can find it in: The Regions > Sterea Hellas > Attica for feature references. But, here, I am gonna screenshot the sightseeing recs mentioned there.

These are about Attica, the region that encompasses Athens. Most attractions are naturally inside Athens but there are some important ones like the Vouliagmeni Lake and the Temple of Poseidon that include driving / travelling outside the city.

The list is concise so I don't explain what each of these places is but they are worth visiting if you have the time. Of course, to do a proper journey of Athens, where Athens is going to be your focus, that takes time. It is a large place. Most people stay in Athens for two days before going to the main part of their vacation, usually some islands. You can't say you did Athens in two days though. Whoever says that to you, don't believe them. You can do Acropolis and like two-three museums at most in this time.

Apart from the ones above I also found some recs from other websites about hidden gems:

Philopappos Hill (that's not a hidden gem, I just forgot it in my own list lol)

Hellenic Motor Museum

Pnyx

Museum of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation

Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments

Ilias Lalaounis Jewellery Museum

Benakis Museum of Islamic Art (NOTE: this is a different museum than the main Benakis one which I mention in the list above, if you can do both great, but if you can only do one, then the main must absolutely not be missed)

First Cemetery of Athens (yep, it's a valid rec)

National Observatory of Athens

Watch open air cinema in Thiseion. Or in the rooftop of Cine Paris.

The Greek National Opera (Ethnikí Lyrikí Skiní)

The Nautical Museum on the cruiser Averof

The Benakis (another Benakis) Toy Museum

I don't know what's wrong with me and I forgot to mention above:

Kapnikarea Church

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens

The UNESCO Monastery of Daphne

The New National Library (Stavros Niarchos Foundation). The one I mention in the first list is the Old National Library. Both are worth a visit for different reasons.

Go to Glyfada and along the Vouliagmeni coast for swimming (Vouliagmeni is a lake right next to the sea beach)

The Orthodox Church of Saint Dionysius of Areopagus

The Catholic Church of Saint Dionysius of Areopagus!

I was sleeping on the fact that there were two churches of those!

As you see I also added some recs for experiences i.e cinemas, theatres and so on. These are if you take your time in Athens, explore or stay for a while. Note that some might be less available in the summer, for example in summer the National Opera operates in open air performances like in the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus. If you stay and explore, check for concerts in theatres and stadiums. Concerts in Greece are real nice and vibey.

In retrospect, thanks for sending this ask because I realised I have a shitload of editing to do in my original list.

EDIT!!! The Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens!!!! Srsly what's wrong with me lol

EDIT 2!!! Kotsaná Museum of Ancient Greek Technology!!! :@@@

[wolfman-al]

I had an little vacation in Athens last week.

The national observatory on The Pnyx hill, in the foreground the Agia Marina church.

[head-post]

Greek wildfire subsides near Athens

Greece’s worst wildfire of the year weakened due to weak winds on the outskirts of the capital Athens after killing a person, Euractiv reported.

Hundreds of firefighters backed by 10 waterbombing aircraft have been battling the blaze since Sunday when it spread from the forest into Athens’ northern suburbs, burning homes and causing panic. A fire brigade spokesman said:

The situation has improved, but there are random blazes. At the time being we don’t have any new fronts, only some rekindlings, but we remain on high alert.

The government announced measures to compensate and help victims of the fire, which Greece’s National Observatory said damaged about 10,000 hectares of land. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was expected to chair a ministerial meeting on the fire on Tuesday.

Firefighting aircraft arrived from France and Italy as part of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, a government spokesperson reported. The Czech Republic has sent 75 firefighters and 25 vehicles to assist ground teams.

The fire reached the suburb of Vrilissia, about 14 km from the centre of Athens, on Monday, where a 64-year-old woman was found dead inside a local enterprise, eyewitnesses said. The cause of the forest fire has yet to be determined.

With strong winds expected to resume, Greece will remain on high fire alert until Thursday, with temperatures forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Climate change has led to hotter weather and less rain, increasing the risk of wildfires.

Nikos Lavranos, head of the Greek federation of fire service employees, said:

The wildfire had all the characteristics that we, as firefighters, don’t want a forest fire to have. A combination of hot, dry and windy (conditions). It was extremely aggressive, difficult to manage and unpredictable.

More than 30 neighbourhoods have been evacuated, as well as at least three hospitals, and power has been cut in some parts of Athens. Measures announced Tuesday by the climate crisis and civil defence ministry include rental subsidies, a three-year property tax exemption, and financial aid.

However, opposition parties accused the government of not doing enough to avert disaster.

Read more HERE

[goexploregreece]

Come explore the breathtaking National Observatory of Athens, the oldest observatory in Greece.

Located on the hill of Nymphs, it offers a spectacular view of the city and its surrounding hills. From the observatory, you can see the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus, and the Ancient Agora.

[mariacallous]

The Prosecutor of the Greek Supreme Court, Georgia Adeilini, has ordered a probe into the wildfires in Alexandroupolis, Evros and also into suspected racist violence against 25 migrants from Syria and Pakistan who were illegally detained in a car trailer.

For the fifth day, the operations of the Fire Department continue in Evros on two fronts, in Alexandroupolis and the forest of Dadia, where on Tuesday, 18 people were found dead and burned. Fires are also ongoing in other areas of the country, in Aspropyrgos, Rodopi, Fthiotida, Boeotia, as well as in the Parnitha forest mountain range north of Athens.

The 18 dead bodies were found charred near the village of Avantas, in the forest of Dadia. Among them were two children. The coroner of Alexandroupolis, Pavlos Pavlidis, who examined the bodies, told Athens-Macedonia News Agency that the police had told him that the area is a known passageway for illegal migrants. Meanwhile, no local residents were reported missing, reinforcing authorities suspicion that the dead bodies belong to migrants.

“It causes unspeakable sadness that many people were found charred in the forest of Dadia, probably, according to electronic press reports, migrants, usually victims of illegal traffickers,” said Adeilini, who called for a probe into a possible racist violent incident.

A video released Tuesday on Greek social networks meanwhile showed a man opening his car trailer and showing people locked inside there. He disparagingly calls them “pieces”, accuses them of starting the fires in Evros, and calls for a pogrom.

Greek police announced that they had arrested a foreign national and his two Greek associates. They noted that during August, on average, on the Evros, they prevented around 900 illegal entries into Greece per day and arrested hundreds of traffickers, stressing that “Greece is a state of law, with a strong democratic acquis and humanitarian tradition. Self-righteousness is not tolerated in any form”.

The Supreme Court’s investigation into the fire in Alexadroupoli concerns a series of serious offenses, such as the possible formation, membership, and management of a criminal organization, violence and exposure to danger.

The wildfires in Greece from August 19-21 have already burned over 400,000 acres, reported media outlet Kathimerini. Analysis of satellite data of the National Observatory of Athens shows that 380,000 acres in Evros, 30,000 acres in Rhodope, 12,000 acres in Boeotia, 8,000 acres in Kythnos island, and 5,000 acres in Psachna, Evoia island were burned.

[dougrobyngoold]

Last Day in Greece - Athens, Greece

Originally, the plan for today was to check out the flea market, then climb the Hill of Muses, and go to Takis Bakery to buy bread for dinner. We successfully completed all of those tasks, but the things we came across unexpectedly along the way were wonderful little gems. What a great last day in Athens!

After checking out a couple of shops, we decided we needed a little bite to eat. We found a little street cafe, hoping for a little lunch - unfortunately, they weren’t serving lunch, yet. So we had an iced cappuccino and a chocolate “pie” (looked like cake to us) - both were amazing and we had enough fuel on board to continue with our mission for the day!

One of the streets near the flea market.

Think we found the flea market!

We wandered the streets near the Stoa of Attalos, there was a museum inside, but we decided to just walk outside.

We could see the National Observatory and a beautiful church in the distance while we were walking.

Once we left the flea market area, we found ourselves on a huge pedestrian walkway to the west of the Acropolis. We followed it around, lots of vendors and restaurants, but nothing that really appealed to us. We came across this interesting wooden bike on one of the sidewalks:

As we were walking along, we looked up one of the side streets and saw the church that we had seen from the stoa. We decided to head up the street and check it out.

We couldn’t read the name of the church, it was in Greek. However, we enjoyed walking around the beautiful building.

Jacaranda tree in the plaza next to the church.

Behind the church, we found this walkway/road, we took it up to the entrance of the National Observatory. The Observatory was closed, so we couldn’t go in.

National Observatory.

From the observatory, we followed a set of stairs up the hill. We found ourselves on a pathway that led to ruins - cool surprise!

The Pnyx Monument, built between the late 6th century BC to the late 4th century BC. It served as a meeting place, holding around 10,000 people in the open-air chamber.

Speaker’s platform - Aristides, Pericles, Demosthenes, and Themistocles all delivered speeches here.

Niche in the wall where there was a statue of Zeus Hypsistos, the smaller cuts in the rocks held candles.

Spectacular view of the Acropolis from the Pnyx Monument.

Lycabettus Hill in the distance.

As we continued along the path, hoping to eventually find the path up to the Hill of the Muses, we came across this beautiful church. Church of Ayios Demetrios Loubardiaris.

A few people were ringing these bells, while we walked around the church.

The patterns in the walls were amazing - I am sure that they were indicative of something, but we didn’t see information about that.

This emblem was carved into the side of the roof of the church.

One of many carvings on the side of the church.

Great story about the church.

Sign at the bottom of the path heading up the Hill of Muses.

Philopappos Monument located at the top of the Hill of Muses (also known as Philopappos Hill).

Info about the Hill of Muses.

On our way back to our place, we stopped at Takis Bakery for a loaf of bread. It was very crowded and very tiny - I forgot to take pictures due to the tight quarters. We also found a great little deli, where we stopped and bought cheese and salami to go with our bread.

Doug, trying to decide what kind of salami he wanted for dinner.

We dropped off our purchases at our apartment and then walked a couple of blocks to a sidewalk cafe for lunch. I had a great Greek salad, Doug had a slice of pizza and some of my salad - we were entertained by the crazy, chaotic streets of Athens as we ate our lunch on the sidewalk.

I wanted to get a couple of pictures that would demonstrate the amazing parking skills of the people of Athens - it is really quite remarkable where and how people find places to put their cars and scooters:

The street to our apartment in Athens.

After lunch, we walked over to a bar close to our apartment and had a couple of adult beverages. We enjoyed visiting with the bartender - he is headed to New Hampshire in December to visit a friend. We shared with him how cold it was going to be during his visit, I don’t think he believed us! It was fun having a chance to learn a little about Athens from him, he was very disappointed that we did not get to visit any of the Greek islands. Maybe next time!

We took a little siesta after lunch, taking the time to just hang out at our apartment and catch up on some blogging and other business we needed to handle. We had a dinner of bread, cheese, salami, and fruit on our patio. As the sun was setting, we wandered out again to find a place to spend our last evening in Greece.

While wandering the Plaka neighborhood, we found this little fixer-upper for sale.

Beautiful streets of Plaka.

While wandering the streets, I noticed a sign over a doorway that indicated a rooftop bar. We walked into the lobby of the building and climbed several flights of stairs, before we found a little doorway that opened to a little restaurant and bar area. We decided to walk through the small indoor space to the patio at the back of the building. We found ourselves to be the only people that wanted to sit outside. We walked outside and found ourselves staring at this scene:

Jaw-dropping view of the Acropolis from the rooftop of this hotel.

We ordered ouzo, since we hadn’t had any during our visit to Athens.

Oh, we also had a glass of wine, too!

Our view only improved as the city lights came on.

Great little find - Hotel Byron Roof Garden.

On our way back to our apartment, we noticed this little wine bar - just a block from our apartment. We had to check it out!

Doug, talking wine-openers with one of the owners of the wine bar.

Jamas, from Wine Pointe in Athens! 

[mihaelalimberea]

The National Observatory of Athens (Εθνικό Αστεροσκοπείο Αθηνών), seen from the ancient Agora, Athens, Greece.

[christosloizos]

#observatory #observatoryofathens #thiseio #αστεροσκοπείο #αστεροσκοπείο_αθήνων #θησείο #lovelyview #wendsday #τετάρτη #lyceum (at National Observatory of Athens) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqXWUs3taZy/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[infonewsmania]

North America Freezes, Europe is Breaking Records

North America Freezes, Europe is Breaking Records

North America freezes, Europe is breaking very high temperature records Many high temperature records were broken in Europe At the same time, North America is subject to very low temperature, and on Friday Europe experienced another atmosphere: at least 150 years of warm days at the end of December. More specifically, according to Matyo of the National Observatory of Athens, the French…

[ophelia-b-belle]

[nicolenikolaou]

Athens, Sep 17

[elladastinkardiamou]

If there was one thing I particularly enjoyed on my big walk up and down Athens’ historic hills, it was the sense of the landscape within the city, a sense which captivated me.

It was a sensation so unique, revitalizing and unexpected that I was filled with thoughts of what lies around us and what we allow ourselves to experience.

If you allow yourself to wander around Filopappou Hill, the Pnyx and the National Observatory of Athens, and trundle down to Thiseio and lose yourself in the surrounding alleyways, you may get to experience the greatness of Athens.

It is a greatness that exists within an inconceivable humility. A genteel humility, like a pure metal, an ancient ore.