Olympiacos Piraeus

[Festivus]

Well that's an original Christmas street decoration.

[Faliro]

Greeks have more of these than Christmas trees, I have no idea the significance.

[Godescalco]

Greeks have more of these than Christmas trees, I have no idea the significance.

The Christmas Boat (Karavaki- Little ship) is part of a very old Greek tradition. It comes from the Islands where each year children go door to door singing 'kalanda' (Christmas Carols) usually accompanied by instruments such as triangles, guitars, accordians and harmonicas. The children on the islands carry small wooden boats, either illuminated to light the way or with enough space to store treats given to them by the residents they sing for. Some claim that this custom's roots are linked with the December 6th Celebration of Agios Nikolas (Saint Nicholas) who is the Patron Saint of Sailors in Greece.

The tradition also dates back hundreds of years when many Greeks were working as seamen. During Christmas time, when many were returning home after a long time at sea, their wives would celebrate by decorating small wooden boats as a way of saying welcome home.

This tradition has gradually spread inland with people all over the country beginning to decorate model wood or paper boats with lights and ornaments at Christmas time. Traditionally the boats are placed near the door or fire with the bow pointing inwards, this symbolises the boats making their journey towards the mainland. Sometimes coins or gold objects are also placed in the boats to symbolise riches entering ones home.

Surprisingly the Christmas Boat tradition has only become popular in the mainland in and around the last 30 years and is comparativley new compared to the Christmas tree. The reason for this is that the Greeks are aware that the Christmas tree is not traditonally part of their culture and was actually imported by their first king, Otto of Bavaria. They wanted to begin their own tradition using the boat, and by the number of people that seem to have taken up this tradition it has been very sucessful.

[Faliro]

Impressionante ^^

[lost_paradise]

Speaking of boats, this are the ones Portugal created and used during the age of Discovery in XV and XVI centuries:

Square-rigged caravel ( caravela redonda)





Carrack ( κέρκουρος (kerkouros) in Portuguese - Nau, wich later evolved into the galleon (Galea) )





And finally, i`ve got an excuse to show the mesmerizing end of Terrence Malick The New World, which has a Carrack in it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGmvfowkQlc

[lost_paradise]

Faliro, do you have any idea where this scenes, from the movie Before Midnight by Richard Linklater, take place in Greece:






It`s refreshing to show parts of Greece, other than Athens or the crowded island beach resorts.

Unfortunately, I never went to Greece but some of this locations seem really my cup of tea and the ones I`m eager to visit.

[Faliro]

Greece usually denied permission for 90% of the films that wanted to be shot there. The reason is Greece is not willing to offer any tax discounts on shooting in Greece like every other nation on earth. As a consequence 100s of very famous films did not shoot in Greece and Greece is one of the least used locations in Europe for filming.

Most recently the new Bourne film decided to abandon Greece and shoot elsewhere. They were in talks with the Greek Government, but it is hard to negotiate with communists who don't wish anything associated with Hollywood/Capitalism in Greece. As a result the new Bourne film abandoned Greece and shot the major Athens scenes in Santa Cruz, Tenerife - costing millions transforming the famous Spanish city - to Athens. Santa Cruz becomes Athens:











As for your film, before midnight, I have not seen it. However research tells me it was all filmed in the Peloponnese, the most right-wing part of Greece. It is also where my grandfather was from. Very very beautiful place. The two shots you show are taken in Patrick Leigh Fermor's house - Kardamyli, Messinia, Greece and in the main village of Kardamyli. I went to that village as a boy once, very very pretty place.

[Festivus]

Where was Zorba the Greek shot?

[lost_paradise]

Greece usually denied permission for 90% of the films that wanted to be shot there. The reason is Greece is not willing to offer any tax discounts on shooting in Greece like every other nation on earth. As a consequence 100s of very famous films did not shoot in Greece and Greece is one of the least used locations in Europe for filming.

Most recently the new Bourne film decided to abandon Greece and shoot elsewhere. They were in talks with the Greek Government, but it is hard to negotiate with communists who don't wish anything associated with Hollywood/Capitalism in Greece. As a result the new Bourne film abandoned Greece and shot the major Athens scenes in Santa Cruz, Tenerife - costing millions transforming the famous Spanish city - to Athens. Santa Cruz becomes Athens:











As for your film, before midnight, I have not seen it. However research tells me it was all filmed in the Peloponnese, the most right-wing part of Greece. It is also where my grandfather was from. Very very beautiful place. The two shots you show are taken in Patrick Leigh Fermor's house - Kardamyli, Messinia, Greece and in the main village of Kardamyli. I went to that village as a boy once, very very pretty place.

So , I assume this is Kardamyli, particularly from midway of this scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOtSGPHAxKY

This movies it`s a third installment and makes more sense to be seen after the previous two (made my the same director and started by the same actors) because of character progression and background story. This one, is entirely taken place in Greece.

I love them, but usually don`t recommend them to others before knowing the type of films someone is fond of. They are very talky like theater mode and existencial, although very down to earth in their simplicity.

But at least, you can check the above scene for the full purpose of nostalgic reasons alone.

[Faliro]

Where was Zorba the Greek shot?

On location in Western Crete.

[Faliro]

Greece usually denied permission for 90% of the films that wanted to be shot there. The reason is Greece is not willing to offer any tax discounts on shooting in Greece like every other nation on earth. As a consequence 100s of very famous films did not shoot in Greece and Greece is one of the least used locations in Europe for filming.

Most recently the new Bourne film decided to abandon Greece and shoot elsewhere. They were in talks with the Greek Government, but it is hard to negotiate with communists who don't wish anything associated with Hollywood/Capitalism in Greece. As a result the new Bourne film abandoned Greece and shot the major Athens scenes in Santa Cruz, Tenerife - costing millions transforming the famous Spanish city - to Athens. Santa Cruz becomes Athens:











As for your film, before midnight, I have not seen it. However research tells me it was all filmed in the Peloponnese, the most right-wing part of Greece. It is also where my grandfather was from. Very very beautiful place. The two shots you show are taken in Patrick Leigh Fermor's house - Kardamyli, Messinia, Greece and in the main village of Kardamyli. I went to that village as a boy once, very very pretty place.

So , I assume this is Kardamyli, particularly from midway of this scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOtSGPHAxKY

This movies it`s a third installment and makes more sense to be seen after the previous two (made my the same director and started by the same actors) because of character progression and background story. This one, is entirely taken place in Greece.

I love them, but usually don`t recommend them to others before knowing the type of films someone is fond of. They are very talky like theater mode and existencial, although very down to earth in their simplicity.

But at least, you can check the above scene for the full purpose of nostalgic reasons alone.

It looks like it could be Kardamyli, the landscape and villages all look like that down there. All stone built with that distressed silver colour. There are quite a few very pretty towns all around there. It is not very populated. Lots of places look like this:

Gerolimnas:



Aeropoli:



Monemvasia:



Vathia:



The last bastions of the descendants of the Spartans..

the centre of the Peloponnese still has much of its prehistoric fir forests intact.. mostly in Arcadia and Lakonia.

[Godescalco]

Gorgeous pics, Faliro! Greece is indeed a breathtaking country in many ways.

Speaking of Greece:



Vasos Mavrovouniotis meaning "Vaso the Montenegrin" (born Vaso Brajević) was a Montenegrin Serb who played a significant and leading role in the Greek revolution as a captain of guerrilla forces made up of Serbs and Greeks. He eventually became a general in the Greek Army and a member of the Privy Council of the new King of Greece, Otto I. Both his son and his grandson also became generals in the Greek army.

[Faliro]

Didn't know about this guy. Thanks Gottschalk. 

[Festivus]

Remember our discussion about Alexander The great and Macedonia? How could I forget this great song by a great band?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oTEQf1d9Iw

[Godescalco]

Didn't know about this guy. Thanks Gottschalk. 

Παρακαλώ!