Efi Greece Guided Tours

06/06/2026

The earliest written inscription in the Greek alphabet found so far appears on the clay pot known as the "Dipylon oinochoe", a vessel used for serving wine.
Exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum, it dates back to 740 BCE, and was found in the ancient Athens cemetery of Kerameikos.
It was first read in 1880, from right to left, this way, slightly confusing 😆:
ΗΟΣΝΥΝΟΡΧΕΣΤΟΝΠΑΝΤΟΝΑΤΑΛΟΤΑΤΑΠΑΙΖΕΙΤΟΤΟΔΕΚΛΜΙΝ - ὃς νῦν | ὀρχη|στῶν πάν|των ἀτα|λώτατα | παίζει τῶ τόδε ...)
«Όποιος από όλους τους χορευτές λικνίζεται τώρα πιο ανάλαφρα, ας πάρει αυτό (το αγγείο ως βραβείο)».
"The one who dances best of all, will receive this (the pot as a prize)...".
This means that the clay wine vessel was a prize in a dance competition!
The third image shows a 1996 Greek Post stamp, featuring the Dipylon oinochoe as one of the rarest finds from antiquity in Greece.

05/06/2026

One of the awarded restaurants in my city, called Clochard, exists since 1978.
It recently moved to one of the most amazing buildings of the 1920s, known as the "Roosevelt Building", just renovated, so I had to check it out.
Impressive interior design, with public or private dinning spaces and a rich wine cava, it looks promising.
For the history: The building is an architectural masterpiece. The plot number 410/10 was bought - after the 1917 Great Fire that destroyed Thessaloniki's centre - by theee investors: Solomon Arditti, Sam Saltiel & Alberto Sam Benrubi to be commercially used with luxury shops downstairs and offices upstairs. It was designed by the Italian architect Leonardo Gennari, constructed by the Greek engineer Andreas Lefteriotis and was completed in 1929, having mosaic floors, stain glass windows, columns & pediment on an impressive propylon entrance.
During the German occupation of my city, the building became the Ortskommandatur headquarters of the N**i army and police forces, where all the Jews of the city were registered before the Holocaust.
Later it was used by the Ionian Bank, then Alpha Bank, then remained abandoned till its very recent renovation.
The building is popularly called "Roosevelt", because Ionos Dragoumi Street — one of the three streets flanking the building — was historically named after the WWII as Franklin Roosevelt Street.
Liberty Square where it stands became in the inter-war period after the Great Fire, the "Wall Street" of northern Greece, with banks, department stores, luxury hotels and office buildings next to the seaport.

31/05/2026

Proud to be part of the FEG Tourist Guides HECTOR Project Team, funded by the EU for the protection of public, touristic and cultural places

New on the FEG Blog ✨

Tourism and security are increasingly connected across Europe.
In our latest blog post, we explore FEG’s participation in the HECTOR Project, an EU-funded initiative focused on protecting touristic sites and public spaces while strengthening cooperation between tourism professionals, authorities, and security experts.

The article highlights the importance of safety awareness, training, and professional responsibility within the guiding profession, as well as FEG’s commitment to lifelong learning for certified tourist guides.

📖 Read the full article on our blog and discover how FEG is contributing to a safer future for tourism in Europe. https://feg-touristguides.com/blog.php

28/05/2026

💙🩵 The Island 🩵💙
Spinalonga

24/05/2026

Back to the Wine Roads of Crete ♥️🍷🥂

14/05/2026

This is how ancient Greek marble statues and grave steles or bronze statues looked like before their bright colours were lost in time.
Completely different than today's plain white or oxidised green bronze!
The same applies to the Greek temples that all had painted friezes, metopes and various other ornamented parts.

10/05/2026

Springtime in ancient Philippi is always a delight with the wild poppies growing ♥️🙂
Travelling in the Steps of St. Paul

29/04/2026

The rare endemic plant called Micromeria Acropolitana exists only on the Acropolis of Athens rock!
It was first collected in 1906 from the Acropolis, and it was considered extinct until its rediscovery in 2006.
The truth was that it has survived in its original habitat, the natural rock all these decades, after it was first discovered in the summer of 1906 by two French botanists, Rene C.J.E. Maire and Marcel G.C. Petitmengin.
It had been included in the Greek state’s official catalogue of protected plants, by order of a Presidential Decree, in 1981.
The location where the plants thrive has remained secret so as not to disrupt the sensitive flora. While the plant can be found across the Acropolis, this hidden and secluded spot is where the threatened Micromeria acropolitana flourishes undisturbed.

26/04/2026

It was a delight to first read his bestselling book, and last night to watch the theatre play "Tuesdays with Morrie" written by my dear friend, author & philanthropist Mitch Albom.
I guided Mitch in Thessaloniki when he was researching for his novel "The little liar" about my city's WWII history, people and locations.
During our city walks, we went together with Mitch to a book store, he bought two of his best-known books for me and they were the best gift I could ever get!
A great performance with great Greek actors, Grigoris Valtinos & Yannis Sarakatsanis, in a life-changing scenario, directed by Grigoris Valtinos.
"The truth is, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”
Morrie Schwartz

Thanks, Mitch! ♥️🙂