We have experienced two evenings of Greek inspiration. Or rather, Peter has experienced two evenings of Greek inspiration. And now we're keen to put together a trip!
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Two Greek evenings in the same week
At the end of last week we were invited to no less than two (!) Greek evenings, arranged by the Greek Tourism Organisation in Scandinavia. We were of course invited together, but I (Helena) was a bit tired, with a headache and other things, so Peter had to go on his own.
Evening 1: Inspiration, dinner and party
The first evening featured inspiring presentations on Greece, followed by a delicious dinner in true Greek style.
When Greeks organise a dinner, the atmosphere is happy, the music is loud and it's late at night.
And Peter seemed to be infected by the happy atmosphere, if you can guess from his mobile phone photos ...
Evening 2: Concert and dinner
The next day it was time again, and this time the focus was on music. The tourism organisation had invited famous Greek musicians, and they would play at Lilla Circus. But first, another inspiring presentation about Greece!
When it was time for music, Peter took a seat in the audience with two other writers: Susanne from First Class Magazine and Markus from mittgrekland.se.
The head of the Greek Tourism Organisation, Pavlos Mourmas, presented the concert, which was a tribute to Greek composer Thanos Mikroutsikos, who passed away in 2019.
It was obvious that this music is unbelievable popular in Greece, because the (mostly Greek-speaking) audience was euphoric and sang along excitedly with the songs.
The singers, Manolis Mitsias, Rita Antonopoulou and Kostas Thomaides, had flown in from Greece.
You could say that it was an evening that was full of Greek emotions.
After the concert we were offered refreshments. Eating dinner in the middle of the night is rather un-Swedish, but it must be considered a bit Greek as well (even if the food itself was very Swedish).
Before dessert could arrive, someone shouted that the last bus was leaving Djurgården, and it was time for Peter to say goodbye to Pavlos and the others. The picture is hints blurry, but that's probably just because the party was perhaps a little foggy at the time ...
Inspiration and plans for a trip to Greece
What do we take away from this? Well, first of all, that we repeatedly experience the Greek culture as so incredibly happy, warm and hospitable. And that we have seen far too little of Greece.
During these two days, it was mainly the Greek region of Macedonia that was promoted. This part of the country borders Bulgaria and Turkey and has a long beautiful coastline and islands such as Thassos, as well as historical sites and beautiful nature. And yes, we have some plans to come here in the coming years!
Have you been to Greece?
Have you been to Greece? Maybe you have even visited the region of Macedonia? What are your experiences? Do you have any tips?
Amanda (Swedish Passport) says:
But oh how wonderful this all sounded! I've been to a couple of Greek islands, but I'm eager to explore the mainland as well. The region of Macedonia sounded very nice 🙂
21 December 2022 - 19:07
Helena says:
Great that you visited some Greek islands. We have seen far too little of Greece, and now we feel it's almost time to explore more! 🙂
21 December 2022 - 21:00
BP says:
There seems to be almost only advantages to having a travel blog. So much you get to experience, not only in the form of press trips but also here at home in the form of various events. Oh Greece seems to have gone all in. Unbelievable that they fly in singers for a performance at the Little Circus. Oh Greeks can party, you know that;-)
Considering the work you put into social media, such invitations are a well-deserved bonus:-)
21 December 2022 - 20:15
Helena says:
Yes, I agree, there are many benefits! Of course it takes a lot of work, but it gives a lot back. Many wonderful and rewarding experiences that we would never have had otherwise!!!
21 December 2022 - 21:02
Yossu says:
Greece is a country I will probably never get enough of. There seems to be so much to see, both on the mainland and on the islands.
My absolute Greek favourite so far is undoubtedly the monastery complex of Meteora. An amazing place both for its history and for the views.
After some googling, I realised that I had been in Macedonia when a friend and I drove down to Lebanon. We stopped in Thessaloniki and my main memory is of all the smashed windows and leaving the city because we saw police officers starting to gather and that there was probably a demonstration going on.
But I'm sure you'll have better memories than I did, and a wonderful trip.
Wishing you a great Christmas.
22 December 2022 - 19:33
Lena - good for the soul says:
We have talked about possibly going to Greece this summer. Keeping on surfing around a bit. Let's see how it turns out. I was on a solo trip to Samos, the village of Kokkari, in 2018. I liked that destination very much.
Hug Lena
06 January 2023 - 9:36