I mentioned this tour recently on social media. This is the tour you take when you want more than the tourist sites that 99% of travellers will visit and wait around with large crowds. George speaks fluent English having grown up in Australia and you can expect a friendly, relaxed conversation sharing his vast knowledge of the city he loves.
Discover hidden trails, dramatic summits, and breathtaking views with George, your tour leader with 17 years of experience showing travellers the Athens beyond the Acropolis.
If you are planning a trip to Athens George can be contacted via his website below. You won’t regret it.
Greece captain Jordan Meads returns to the side for the match against England at Bramall Lane on Saturday while Billy Magoulias has flown back to Australia to be with his partner during the birth of his first child.
Coach Steve Georgallis has named four Greek domestic players with Ioannis Rousoglou (Aris Eagles), Ioannis (Johny) Nake and Konstantinos Katsidonis making their World Cup debuts.
“I flagged before the tournament how important our domestic players are and the role they played in getting us here through the qualification process,” Georgallis said.
“Losing Billy is a blow but we have Jordan back and the players have responded well to every challenge they have been set.
“We understand the enormity of the task against England however we won’t be shying away from our jobs or taking a backward step.”
Greece will play England at Bramall Lane on Saturday 29 October at 2:30pm.
With Greece halfback and captain Jordan Meads withdrawing from the match against Samoa due to influenza, coach Steve Georgallis has named Billy Magoulias in the halves to partner Lachlan Ilias.
“I am confident Billy can do the job for us, Georgallis said.
“He has the skills to play in the halves. In many ways he is a number 7 playing in a forward’s body.”
With back rower Mitchell Zampetides also ruled out due to injury, Greek domestic player Stefanos Bastas returns to the side, Sebastian Sell drops back to lock forward and 25th man Adam Vrahnos comes onto the bench after Grigorios Koutsimpogiorgos was ruled out of the tournament due to concussion.
Experienced centre Terry Constantinou will captain the Greek side in the absence of Jordan Meads.
Despite losing to England in their first match Georgallis is expecting Samoa to bounce back on Sunday at Doncaster.
“We are expecting another tough match against Samoa this weekend and we will need to be at our best for the full 80 minutes,” the coach said.
This article first appeared in Rugby League Review Magazine in June 2020
(Panathenaic Stadium Athens)
It’s 9am on 11 July 2016 in the northern suburbs of Athens, the temperature has already hit 30 degrees and it’s climbing.
The family labradoodle has just arrived from Australia and I am taking her for what would become a familiar stroll to the local shops. We had settled into a routine of sitting at the local ‘kafenaio’ for an iced coffee and a couple of Greek biscuits. I will smile and say ‘yia sas’ to the owner and maybe mention the weather before staring at my phone to pass the time. It’s as much as we can do with my non-existent Greek and his willing but broken English.
The same stilted, abrupt conversations are repeated as I go around to the butcher, fruit and veg shop and mini-supermarkets. People smile and want to make me feel welcome. At the same time I suspect they were wondering why this strange guy is walking around with his dog every day deep in the ‘burbs’ of Greece’s capital city.
(Scamper our dog on the rooftop garden in Athens)
Athens, at first glance is a concrete jungle, surrounded by chaos, and a furnace in the summer months of June to August. It has an undeserved reputation for being a ‘one night stand’ before jumping on to an island ferry destined for the bars and beaches.
( Alleyway in Monastiraki Athens)
Taxi drivers ask “when are you leaving for the islands” once the “where are you from?” conversation is out of the way.
I never thought I would miss that morning coffee with the guys in my former job at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra so much. Those gentle jibes that come with familiarity and friendship and the understated humour that is part of the Aussie fabric. Talking about footy and weekends is something that you take for granted until it’s gone. I learned a little bit about what it is like when people emigrate.
The fact that my thoughts veered towards heading back ‘home’ surprised and disappointed me all at once. I knew I had been gifted an exciting and extremely privileged opportunity. I kept telling myself I should be grateful and show some resilience because things would turn for the better.
My wife was posted to the Australian Embassy in Athens. We had been excited about our three year ‘new life’ and immersing ourselves in one of the greatest, most important cultures in history.
While my partner’s job required a solid commitment in terms of hours and focus, I had a free reign to wander when and wherever I liked. My days were filled with sightseeing, coffee and very good food. What more could anyone want?
(Sensational food)(Excellent coffee)
More than anything it was a chat and a laugh that I missed. Some days I would wander into an expat/ tourist pub in the hope of striking up a conversation in English that went beyond polite greetings.
My youngest daughter was struggling with being away from her sister and her friends. It was hard seeing her unhappy every day. Returning to Australia after a while turned out to be a better option for her.
Without the required Greek language skills, work options consisted of lowly paid call centre shifts. Not exactly what I had envisaged before leaving Australia.
It was a message I received on social media that day after returning from my morning walk that became the catalyst for my change of outlook. So much so that a few years on I was very sad to leave a country I had learned to love and embrace. ‘
As fate would have it George Stilianos, the President of the Greek Rugby League Association, sent me the message after noticing I had liked the Greek Rugby League Association Facebook page. “I noticed you liked our page and look like you might be in Greece? If you are free do you want to come and watch the third State of Origin series decider at a pub in the centre of Athens?”
Did I ever George! My plan up until then was to watch it in the apartment on my own. It turned out to be my entry into the local community and the beginning of my passion for Greek rugby league.
On that day I saw NSW win the Origin series but more significantly (hard to imagine I know) the door into the rugby league community in Athens had been opened and left ajar. I met Greek Aussies who helped initiate and develop the sport in Greece and locals who have adopted rugby league as their lifestyle and are now representing their country.
I felt an immediate rapport and a small sense of belonging even at this stage.
(Watching the NRL Grand Final Athens style)
Sport has played a major role in my life from the day I could walk and again it proved to a path to fulfilment in Greece.
Writing began to fill my days in the apartment. Telling stories about sports, food, wine, people and places gave me a sense of purpose and a bit of pocket money to enjoy the food and coffee that enriches the Athens lifestyle.
Beginning with throwing out a few freebies to launch my freelance writing career, it soon transformed into regular paid columns for sporting websites, magazines and a Greek Australian newspaper. My first story for the paper was about local rugby league player Johny Nake who was returning from serious injury for the Attica Rhinos.
(A story I wrote for Greek Australian newspaper Neos Kosmos on Greek wine proved popular)
Along the way I met sports people, actors, photographers, celebrity chefs, historians and writers. A myriad of famous or not so famous people all with fascinating stories.
Keeping in touch with George, I maintained a keen interest in Greek rugby league, watching any games that I could and accepting an invitation to attend an ‘Eights’ tournament on the island of Rhodes featuring all the Greek clubs, a group of Greek Australian players and a team from Turkey. At that tournament I spent some time with Greek coaches Steve Georgallis and Jim Pizanias as well as the driving force behind Greek international rugby League Terry Liberopoulos. The Greece team played a ‘friendly’ match with Turkey that weekend. I experienced the passion and intensity of European international rugby league on the field and in the dressing room. I was hooked.
(With Greek Rugby League President George Stilianos and National Men’s Coach Steve Georgallis.)
Continuing to attend club matches in Athens, I was faced with a conundrum one night. As is often the case, there weren’t enough match officials and George asked if I would consider being a touch judge. The guys that run the line were always my pet hate as a player and now I was joining them! It was the only time I crossed over to the dark side and I enjoyed it to be honest. It felt like I was helping out in a tangible way. I went back to writing articles and profiles around Greek rugby league whenever I could without pushing it too far with editors.
(My one and only time as a touch judge. National player and the subject of my first Greek RL article Johny Nake is next to me)
My love affair with coaching began after being approached by Aris Eagles club leader, Aris Dardamanis, to help before their first ever match in the Balkan Super League against Partizan in Belgrade. It was a tough match and a great experience for both me and the players to work out where we need to focus and improve.
Coaching led to some fantastic trips and further opportunities with the Combined Athens side and the first Greece women’s national team.
The joy of taking young men and women from little knowledge of a sport to accomplished players is one of the most satisfying things I have ever done. The honour of coaching the first ever Greek women’s rugby league team in an international match against Turkey is a life memory that fills me with happiness.
The long bus journey from Athens to Edirne, the joyous faces of our players when they received their first Greek jersey and then the emotion in the dressing room after realising we had played our first women’s international match are priceless memories. Working as a coaching group with my assistants Jim Minadakis and Christos Mouzakitis was a learning experience in utilising the traits of others for the benefit of the team.
Being appointed head coach of the first women’s national team was beyond my wildest dreams. It is hard to explain the honour and pride I felt coaching my adopted temporary homeland. The way the players and other coaches welcomed me into the fold and embraced my philosophy and instructions ensured it was a special time in my life.
(Standing arm in arm for the anthem before the first ever Greek women’ s international sent shivers down my spine.)
Sport provides a sense of purpose and identity for Greeks in an economic environment where youth unemployment is around 45 per cent and players are out of work, underemployed or under pressure to achieve exceptional results at university.
Coaching teams granted me a place in a small but strong community. I could at the very least pass on the knowledge I have gained in Australia playing and watching over many years.
The social connection that sport provides was clearly evident before my first coaching assignment. After traveling from Athens to Larissa for a tournament we stepped off the bus and into a lively conversation with the organisers. We had taken a couple of misguided turns on our journey and arrived late so I assumed that the animated discussion was about getting the draw sorted and commencing the competition as soon as possible. During a slight pause in the conversation I enquired as to what the story was and whether we needed to get changed into our uniforms straight away? “Just sorting the souvlaki and salads afterwards,”our captain replied without a hint of a smile.
(‘Kostas’ for the best souvlaki in Athens)
Training sessions are just the beginning of the night time itinerary for the players in Athens. When we finished training around 10pm, I was ready to go home to bed while the night was still young for a nation of people that seem to survive on minimal sleep.
Communication with the team was interesting at times. Regrettably my Greek language skills are at a low level. My advice and instructions were often conveyed to the team by the captain acting as an interpreter.
The respect and inclusion offered to me as coach and someone who was older by the young players was remarkable. The insistence that I take the front passenger seat on car trips and the invitations to join them at nightclubs, bars and parties were humbling and refreshing.
Before I left Australia to come to Greece I knew that I wanted to be a part of the community and be involved with something worthwhile and sport/rugby league is the perfect vehicle.
(Our group of women’s players at Aris Eagles after the first training session)(Lunch time during a development day for Aris Eagles)
From coaching the Aris Eagles men’s team, the Athens representative teams and finally as head coach of the first Greek women’s national rugby league side I have seen nothing but enthusiasm, passion and a willingness to play the game in the right spirit for all the best reasons.
The family style community that exists in Greece should be bottled and sent around the world.
I feel I left so much unfinished business with the Aris Eagles and the Greek women’s national side but I am secure in the knowledge that the teams are in good hands.
The coaching trips to Belgrade, Sofia and Edirne will remain sweet memories for life.
Aside from the rugby league, I developed into a travel addict, embracing any opportunity that came my way to explore the islands and mainland Greece. The country is beautiful and people are welcoming. My location meant I could visit multiple European destinations cheaply and easily. Trips to Belgrade and a London to watch Greece play were just some of the many highlights.
(Cold beer in Warsaw on a freezing night)(Dublin and beer)
Watching the Greece team play for the first time with all domestic players against Serbia in Belgrade in 2017 was a stand out moment. In the dressing room afterwards despite a loss, coach Steve Georgallis went around shook each players hand and said “welcome to international rugby league.” You could see the boys chests swell visibly after previously being deflated by the loss.
We moved to an apartment closer to the centre of Athens within six months of living there. The chaotic and sometimes crazy city captured my heart. Lift the lid and immerse yourself and you will find a metropolis that comes alive at night, where locals live each day to the max. Greeks prioritise their social circles above all else. If you are brought into the ‘family’ you will find yourself immersed in a community characterised by kindness and generosity.
There are way too many people to thank for their help, support and friendship during my time in Greece but they know who they are. We have maintained regular contact from a distance. I have gained friends for life both in Greece and the Greek/Aussie community back here.
When the world returns to some sort of order, and international travel is an option again, I would love to return to the place that gave me so many good memories. I look forward to having a beer again with men and women that made my time in Greece so enjoyable.
While I am Australian, Greece has become my ‘other team’ and I feel like the ‘family’ has welcomed me with open arms. I look forward to being with the boys when they participate in their first World Cup in 2021 in my role as team media manager. I have started coaching a new Greek Australian women’s squad reaching the final of the Sydney 9s earlier this year. We have big ambitions to take the team to the World Cup in 2025.
(Greek womens team Australian squad at the Sydney 9s in February 2021)(Training session for the Greek womens team in Athens)
The Facebook message was a turning point that day. I am just glad I stuck it out in the end.
Well what can I say. I am used to writing words to describe sporting experiences but this is hard. It is personal and it’s emotional.
Before I left Australia to come to Greece I knew that I wanted to be a part of the community and be involved with something worthwhile and I have always believed that sport is the perfect vehicle for that.
From the moment I was invited into the rugby communities in Greece I knew that there was something special going on and I wanted in.
From helping out with the Panathinaikos women’s rugby team to coaching the Aris Eagles men’s team, the Athens representative teams and finally as head coach of the first Greek women’s national rugby league side I have seen nothing but enthusiasm, passion and a willingness to play the game in the right spirit for all the best reasons.
The family style community that exists should be bottled and sent around the world.
I have so much unfinished business with the Aris Eagles and the Greek women’s national side but I feel secure in the knowledge that the teams are in good hands.
The coaching trips to Belgrade, Sofia and Edirne will remain sweet memories for life.
I don’t have words to describe the honour and pleasure I received from our coaching group taking a Greek national women’s team from almost zero knowledge and experience to be competitive in an international match. This is the start of big things for women’s rugby league in Greece.
Women’s sport has always been special for me from the time my two daughters started participating, working with the Australian Institute of Sport, and then coaching here in Greece.
I can only hope I have left a tiny legacy for the future.
I really do believe both sports can prosper and be successful in a harmonious environment.
My one note of caution is that sport should always be about the players first and foremost along with the coaches, administrators and volunteers.
Ego, power struggles and greed have no place in our codes and will only serve to bring them down.
The overwhelming majority of people have the interest of the sport at heart and want to see a successful environment where players can enjoy matches and the wonderful experiences they offer.
There are way too many people to thank for their help, support and friendship during my time in Greece but you all know who you are.
Sometimes in sport it is useful to change things up in a different environment to achieve the outcomes you want.
It was with this in mind that I decided to take the rugby league club I coach, the Aris Eagles, to the Athenians Sports club in Vari for a day of fitness, skill drills, talk and reflection.
We have grown rapidly as a club this season with many new players joining our men’s side and in a an exciting recent development, adding a women’s team.
It was these factors along with a very important game looming for the men’s team that meant the timing was right for us to team up with Vasilis Katsakos and Lina Norman from the Athenians Sports club for a development day.
I knew the Athenians team from a previous short stint coaching at an Athens rugby union club and I was involved with their media launch.
I also knew they would provide solid all round sessions for our squad based on their experiences as rugby players and coaches. Our conversations confirmed we share similar philosophies when it comes to sport.
First up was a tough hour long fitness session involving lost of running, sprints, boxing and tackle bags. The session was deliberately tough. Not because it would suddenly transform the players, more to set the scene and allow self assessment of current fitness levels and what is required to reach an acceptable level.
After a recovery break complete with water and fruit, Lina who has previously competed in a rugby union World Cup, shared her experiences with the ladies squad while former Greek national rugby coach Vasilis spoke to the men’s team about focussing prior to games.
The men’s and women’s squads split up for skills sessions requiring communication, quick thinking and decision making.
I found it useful to watch other coaches approach a particular problem in a different way to achieve improvements in player habits. It’s as much a learning experience for coaches as it is the players.
After a varied skills workout and refuelling on pasta and salad the talkfest began.
We heard how and why the Athenians Sports club began followed by my summary of the key objectives of the day and how they linked to the club building blocks of fitness, skill development, communication, knowing your role and team culture.
T-shirt’s were given by Athenians to a male and female that made big efforts to learn and develop on the day.
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It was a valuable day for the club that will set us up better to face the many challenges that come our way this season. Captain Aris Dardamanis and fellow coach Jim Minadakis remarked on how useful the sessions had been.
I would recommend the Athenians to any club looking to bring the squad together, find an edge, or just enjoy a break from their usual routine and coaching voices.
Dean and I have hit the beautiful and bustling city of Palermo. We are with Marco our guide from Streaty Food Tours http://www.streaty.com/ the morning after our arrival.
Marco mentions the spleen sandwich in his preamble so we know we have come to the right place and the time has almost arrived.
(Photo taken on the tour by Dean)
As we wind through the streets of the historic Vucciria market, Marco is cracking jokes with both the locals and tour group. It is obvious he is on familiar ground and enjoys his work with a passion.
Starting with the Arancine (ends with an e in Palermo and o in Catania and the subject of passionate feuds between the cities), the warm up acts to the spleen sarnie prove to be interesting and tasty.
To give us all the courage to taste without hesitation we enjoyed a drink at the famous old pub ‘The Azzura’ before the main event. A boisterous bar full of regulars high on life and other libations during the day it becomes the place for students to gather at night.
But on to the star of the show and we are warmly greeted by Basili who has been selling spleen on bread for the last 65 years.
Calf’s spleen boiled and then cooked in lard, the ‘Pane ca meusa’ is tasty and chewy with the flavour and texture of mushroomy beef.
The famous Palermo snack proves a winner with Dean and me. We both could have easily devoured more.
We finish the tour with a gelato on brioche, satisfied we had conquered the spleen and been treated to a tasty introduction to the offerings of Palermo.
In my last post I wrote about my charmed life in Greece.
Well the privileged existence continues in Sicily via a nine day trip with a long time friend from Australia.
Our first stop is Catania, a city with a long and volatile history, a mountain volcano and impressive baroque architecture.
It has been put to me that my photographs while living in Europe mainly depict me eating or drinking.
For me the food of a city is what traveling is all about. Italy never disappoints.
On the second day in Catania we enjoyed a walking street food tour, sampling the gastronomic delights while soaking up the city’s past.
Our guide was Vasilis, a Romanian born in the Soviet Union who developed a passion for the place after living there for 25 years with his Sicilian wife.
Starting with tasty Pecorino cheese after a stroll through the boisterous fish markets we were primed for a tasty feast over the next few hours.
(Sardines at the markets)
I had read about the spleen sandwich being a Sicilian delicacy which had me intrigued and slightly nervous about giving it a try.
Arancini was up next, this one with a meaty sauce ragu in the middle, nice!
The food that followed included cipollina (pastry stuffed with onion cheese and ham), granita and drinks of seltz (a curious mixture of salt and lemon drink).
(Seltz)
Halfway through the tour I asked about the famous spleen sandwich only to be told that it is a Palermo delicacy. Vasilis displayed his parochial Catanian side by describing it as “ok but not to my taste.”
So while the sandwich will have to wait until the Palermo we did manage to try a plate of horse, accurately described by mate Dean as salty but sweet.
(Plate of horse)
Aside from the food tour we managed to enjoy Catania’s iconic ‘Pasta alla Norma’ named in honour of composer Vincenzo Bellini, maccheroncini, fried eggplant, tomato sauce and ricotta.
(Pasta alla Norma)
So we move on with the aforementioned organ sanger in our sights.
My next vent will be after Palermo hopefully with spleen conquered.
There was always someone that triggered life envy.
They had the perfect job, were permanently happy and went on the best holidays.
Sitting in ‘Little Venice” in Mykonos overlooking the Aegean under a clear blue sky drinking a morning coffee it hit me that the ‘someone’ is now me. It’s my turn.
Circumstances arose 12 months ago that lead me to temporarily giving up the daily work grind.
We made the jump over to the beautiful country of Greece and I now work sporadically.
In short doing what I love doing in temporary bursts.
Greece is a beautiful country full of spirited people and wonderful food. Despite the finanacial crisis there are plenty of good times to go with the difficult.
Talking of financial crisis, on the surface an economic slowdown is not evident here on the island of Mykonos.
Even in May, very much the start of the tourist season here, the place is buzzing with activity. I can only imagine how busy it gets by July/August.
I anticipated an island full of bars and nightclubs, (a situation that I would have enjoyed back in the day), but have been more impressed by the charm and sparkling whitle/blue architecture.
Sure there are spruikers everywhere preying on the naive tourist.
On the other hand there is pleasure in wandering the narrow alleyways of the old town in anticipation of what might be around the corner.
While certain restaurants in Mykonos appear unaffordable, it is possible, if you pick the right taverna, to sit on the waterfront eating fresh well cooked seafood accompanied by a glass or two of assyrtiko at a modest price.
I can’t think of a better foodie experience than indulging at sunset.
There have been slight pangs of guilt about my current situation.
I tell myself it has been a long time coming and in two years I will be back in the grind.
My second visit to the Benaki Museum Annexe was for another photography exhibition, ‘Athena Thea’ or Athens Views.
The gallery in the arty precinct of Kerameikos is a really good space with a cafe that serves food and coffee that is worth a visit in its own right.
Athena Thea is a project by Ianna Andreais who invited inhabitants of central Athens to photograph the view from their window with at least part of the window in the shot.
The invitations and submissions were managed via Facebook.
The views are many and varied, (submissions from 500 people are on display) and portray a different city to the general tourist, couple of days in the capital before hopping over to an island, impression.
This is a gritty Athens that throbs with life while enticing you with her charms and daring you off the beaten track to explore.
The exhibition is at the Benaki Annexe 138 Pireos St and runs until 29 January 2017.
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Athens Bites 