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Home , Acropolis Museum, Elliniko, Nea Makri, Syntagma Square, Voula

Infopack for Interns

Euphoria Youth Lab Leoforos Alexandras 31A, ,

Telephone Number +302121068629

www.euphoriayoutlab.eu [email protected]

Dear Interns,

Euphoria is delighted to host you in Athens for the duration of your internship. We took the liberty to write this Info-pack in order to inform you about the basic things you need to know before arriving to our country. In the following pages you will be able to find information regarding our living in Athens, transportation in Athens, the facilities of our apartment, safety, some basic vocabulary, emergency contact numbers and more.

We hope you enjoy your time in our country and make the most of it. We are very delighted to host you and work together to achieve our goals and aims, giving the youth more opportunities and transforming the world to a better place.

Athens

Athens

Athens (Αθήνα) is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence started somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC.

The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented by ancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of all being the , considered a key landmark of early Western civilization. The city also retains Roman and Byzantine monuments, as well as a smaller number of Ottoman monuments, while its historical urban core features elements of continuity through its millennia of history. Athens is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the and the medieval . Landmarks of the modern era, dating back to the establishment of Athens as the capital of the independent Greek state in 1834, include the and the so-called "architectural trilogy of Athens", consisting of the National Library of Greece, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Academy of Athens. Athens is also home to several museums and cultural institutions, such as the National Archeological Museum, featuring the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities, the , the Museum of Cycladic Art, the and the Byzantine and Christian Museum. Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics, making it one of the few cities to have hosted the Olympics more than once.

Living in Athens

Living in Athens is way different than any other place in Greece. Nothing close in the living style of the countryside and the islands. Athens is a big and randomly expanded city of almost 5 million people.

Athens is sited inside a big geographical basin, called Attica basin. The city is surrounded by sea on the south side and mountains on the north side. The

southern suburbs are where most people hang out during the summer months while downtown is where most hang out during the winter.

Winters tend to be mild and wet with usually zero snowfall with a lot of hours of sun during day and temperatures of 10–15 degrees on average. Weather during the summer can be very dry and hot in Athens, because of the cement and asphalt, with average temperatures of 30–35 degrees peaking usually from around 38–42 degrees to 42–45 degrees (although more rarely).

Athens offers a variety of nightlife options, from luxurious expensive clubs, to sitting in a square and drinking beer. It depends on your taste. People go out a lot, even if they do not have money. People go out on weekdays, not just weekends. In Greece, our local cuisine is called Mediterranean. Mediterranean food is known to be tasty. And it is true. But you need to know where to eat, because there are a lot of touristic places that have crappy food and high prices. Ask Greeks and they will tell you where to eat. Athens is not expensive so do not be fooled by those touristy places that come with big price tags. Athens is the only European capital where the price of rent increases in the suburbs, making the center the most affordable place to live. For example, a one-bedroom apartment in the center costs usually 300 euros/month.

Ancient history is a big deal for us here in Athens and it is mostly what draws tourists in our city. If you take a walk in the city center, you will see a great number of ruins all over the place. Even if you are not interested in history, it is still amusing to see how ruins blend with everything else in the city.

Acropolis Hill

Public Transportation

Athens is served by a multitude of public transport services, including the , Buses, Trolleybuses the Suburban Railway and the Tram.

Starting at the airport, connections to the city center are available by Metro (the Blue Line or Line 3) every half hour.

There are 4 buses connecting the airport with multiple points of the city center. Those Buses are:

X95: Athens Airport - X96: Athens Airport - X97: Athens Airport - Elliniko Metro Station X93: Athens Airport - Kifisos Intercity Bus Station (where buses to other cities of Greece leave from)

The Suburban Railway connects the airport with the central train station of Athens (Stathmos Larissis or Station), the Port of Piraeus and the city of Corinth.

Last buses, trolleys and metro are usually around midnight. After this time there are some night buses and round the clock routes which can serve you. More info on those routes can be found by pressing HERE (in English).

Please keep in mind that Google Maps is fully working in Athens, and by pressing the directions button you’ll be able to view up to date info on public transport no matter where you are at the moment. We’d also like to let you know that an itinerary involving the metro will always be faster even if at first glance it doesn’t seem so, because it’s typical for Athens to experience traffic jams, which are always very time consuming.

The price for a ticket that lasts 1,5 hours, is 1,40 euros, and for students, disabled, and old people it is just 0,60 euros. The monthly card is 30 and 15 euros respectively. Unemployed people move around for free. The ticket to and from the airport costs 10 Euros for the Metro and Suburban Railway and 6 Euros for the Buses. Half-price tickets are offered for the aforementioned social groups.

Tips for reaching our office easily, from the airport:

• Coming to our office from the airport, we would suggest taking the Metro and getting off at Ampelokipi (Αμπελόκηποι) Station. Exit the Metro Station to your right. The exit is marked as (Alexandras Ave./Panormou). Then, just outside the station, you’ll find a bus stop. From there you can take any bus or trolleybus that comes first except for 230. You should exit at “Sonia” stop and the office will be 30 seconds away from you, on your right. • Another route would be to take bus X95 to Athens and exit at “Karanika” stop. Wait at this stop till bus B5 arrives. Get on it and exit 7 stop later at “Sonia” stop. • By following THIS LINK, you’ll find an up to date itinerary in Google Maps, with real time information on how to reach our office from the airport.

Below you can find a map of the Metro Network in Athens. Please keep in mind that 3 more metro stations are due to open for use in July 2020. They will be located after Aghia Marina in the western suburbs of Athens.

Safety

Athens is a very safe city within the European Standards. There are no indications of terrorist attacks happening in the near future, nor is Greece used to violent crime. That however does not mean that you shouldn’t care about petty crime.

During your stay in Athens, you should follow common sense and be aware of your surroundings. Never follow anyone you don’t know, mind your personal belongings during your time in public transport and always lock your door at night. Pickpocketing is common in buses and the metro especially in areas like Omonoia, Metaxourgio, Attiki Square and wherever flocks of tourist gather, like and .

Athens, as the capital city and the residence of most people living in Greece and a very touristy city, has developed a multicultural character and has no history of violent crime towards minorities of any kind (be it foreigners, immigrants and refugees, LGBT+ people and others).

Always remember that in case you need help you could stop a passerby and talk to them. Chances are that they can speak English and help you in any way that they can.

View from a rooftop cafe bar, in Monastiraki Square

Facilities Offered Inside the Apartment - Things You Should Know

Our apartment is used as the office and the home of our interns. Inside the apartment you can find a fully-fledged bedroom with two single beds, a big wardrobe, a well-equipped kitchen with cooking stove and oven, fridge and coffeemaker, a living room with a couch, a bathroom equipped with a fully sized bathtub (hot water is of course available). The kitchen and the bathroom are shared with the staff during the working hours. Free Wi-Fi is provided. The apartment has also 3 rooms which we use them as an office. There is no washing machine in the apartment but there are self-service washing machine places nearby the closest one being at Victoria Square. You can view locations by pressing HERE. Rent and Deposit: The rent is 200 euros per person/per month. You can pay either in cash or with your credit card on your arrival. Before your arrival you should pay a deposit in advance, which is the same amount as the rent (200 euros) by bank transfer. The deposit is reimbursed after your departure by bank transfer. Before your departure you have to clean your room, the kitchen, the bathroom and to give us back the keys. The deposit is NOT reimbursed in case you leave earlier than the date you should officially finish your internship or in case there are damages in the spaces that you use.

You should also keep in mind that you cannot cook or take a bath during the opening hours of the office (9.00-16.00).

Important! Laptops and PCs are not provided! You need to bring your own laptop in order to work/do your internship/use it for your free time.

Inside the apartment you will be able to use a recycling system that we use by separating the trash in different trash bins.

1. Used for battery recycling. 2. Used for Paper Recycling 3. Used for Plastic Recycling (plastic containers too after being rinsed) 4. Used for Organic Waste

The living room

Bedroom: Wardrobe

Bedroom: The 2 single beds

The kitchen

The Bathroom

Basic Vocabulary

Even though Greece is seeing record numbers of tourists, few people consider trying to learn Greek as part of their travels. The culprit is likely the Greek alphabet. If you are unfamiliar, think of the angular shapes used by college fraternities and sororities everywhere. Unlike the Latin alphabet of romance languages, Greek letters are indecipherable for English speakers, making the language more difficult to learn than Romance languages such as Spanish, Italian, and French. Since you’ll be staying for quite some time, we thought of adding some basic words and phrases to this info pack. Don’t be afraid if you can’t learn them though, most Greeks speak English as a foreign language while some are able to communicate in a second or even third language (mostly French and German, Italian and Spanish are quite popular with younger Greeks too).

Hello: Γειά σου (YAH-soo) The less formal way to say “Hi” would just be “Γεια” (Yah). If addressing a group, say “YAH-sas”.

Nice to meet you: Χάρηκα πολύ (HA-ree-ka po-LEE)

How are you? Tι κάνεις (tee-KAH-nis)?

Good morning: Καλημέρα (kah-lee-MER-ah) You would say this greeting up until noon, and then for the rest of the day you can use “Γεια” (yah) as the standard greeting.

Good afternoon/evening: Καλησπέρα (kah-lee-SPER-ah) Beginning around late afternoon/dusk and into the evening, you can use this greeting.

Goodnight: Καληνύχτα (kah-lee-NEEKH-tah) Say this when going to bed.

Thank you: Ευχαριστώ (eff-kha-ri-STOE)

Please / You’re welcome: Παρακαλώ (para-kah-LOE) In Greek, the word for “please” and “you’re welcome” is the same, making it all the easier to learn. It can even be used to mean “I beg your pardon?” or “Huh?” when you have misunderstood or want someone to repeat something.

My name is...: Με λένε (may LEH-neh) ...

What is your name? πως σε λένε? (pos-oh LEH-neh)

Goodbye: Γειά σου (YAH-soo) The more informal way of saying bye would just be “Yah.” Recall that this is the same as saying hello (similar to “ciao” in Italian or “aloha” in Hawaiian). If addressing a group, say “YAH-sas.”

See/Talk to you later: Τα λέμε (tah-LEH-meh) You may hear people ending their conversations with this phrase as well.

Yes: Ναί (neh); No: όχι (OH-hee) Be careful not to confuse yes and no — it's easy to mistakenly associate "neh" with "no" in English, and "oh-hee" with "okay" when in fact it's just the opposite!

Excuse me / Sorry: Συγνώμη (See-GHNO-mee) Say this to get someone's attention, ask to pass by someone, or apologize if you've bumped into someone.

Going to the beach

From where you will be staying, you have two options for going to the beach. Option A would be going to the southern suburbs of Athens (the so-called ), namely areas , Glifada, Voula, while Option B would be going to the north of Attica which is not considered part of Athens but it’s decently close and easy to reach.

Up-to-Date Directions to reach: Alimos, Glifada, Voula, Vouliagmeni via public Transport.

Direct Suburban Buses are available from Pedio Areos (5 mins on foot from where you will be staying) to the North of Attica and the Beaches there, namely Mati, Nea Makri, Schinias, Oropos. Check the timetables and available destinations by clicking HERE.

Top 10 Landmarks in Athens

Here’s our suggestions for 10 things you should definitely see during your time here: 1. The Acropolis Complex and the Parthenon 2. The Acropolis Museum 3. The Temple of Olympian Zeus 4. The National Archaeological Museum 5. Syntagma Square and the Parliament 6. The National Garden 7. Plaka, Monastiraki and Thisseio Neighbourhoods 8. The Ancient Greek Forum 9. The 10. The Roman Forum

Emergency Contacts

European Emergency Number: 112

Police: 100

Fire Service: 199

Health Emergency Service (Ambulances): 166

Tourist Police: 171