Street Photography Greece – January 2014

Street Photography Greece – January 2014

Athens, Greece.

 

“You should never look at someone who is sleeping. It is like opening a letter that isn’t addressed to you.”   - Sacha Guitry (French actor & director)

More images at:

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

Street Photography at Flickr  


© 2014 Jordan Kevrekidis

 

Grigoris

 

Eretria, Greece.

Mr. Grigoris was born in 1920 at Constantinople (modern Istanbul). Two years later in 1922, his family fled to Greece after the Greco-Turkish War. In 1940 at the start of World War II, the 20 year old Grigoris fought with the Greek Army in Albania in the Greco-Italian War. In 1941-45 fought against the Nazi Germans as a soldier and later joined the Greek Resistance. In the 1950’s & 60’s worked as a bus and truck driver and later as a fisherman. Grigoris lived a life of hardship and war but managed to survive. He is now retired in his hometown Eretria, with his children and grandchildren.  

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography 

© 2013 Jordan Kevrekidis

Street Photography Greece - November 2013

Street Photography Greece - November 2013

The Silence of the Sirens 
Borrowed the title from the short story by Franz Kafka. 

Humphrey 
This gentleman claimed to be a close relative of Humphrey Bogart!

Alpha
Athens, Greece.

Asphalt and Flesh 

Urban Jungle 

Partitura 
Street musicians playing “The Girl from Ipanema”.  

More images at:  Kevrekidis Photography


© 2013 Jordan Kevrekidis

Street Photography Greece - July 2013

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography 

© 2013 Jordan Kevrekidis

Ελευθερία Αρβανιτάκη

20 July 2013
Singer Elefhteria Arvanitaki at Eretria, Greece.

20 Ιουλίου 2013
Η Ελευθερία Αρβανιτάκη στην Ερέτρια.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

© 2013 Jordan Kevrekidis 

Tower House

Κάμπος, Δυτική Μάνη, Μεσσηνία. 

Πυργοκατοικία Αλέξανδρου Κουμουνδούρου.

Kampos, West Mani, Messenia – Greece.

Tower-house of Alexandros Koumoundouros.

The towers of Mani are military hallmarks of a glorious era. The first fortification towers appear in the 13th century and they are an expression of the fighting spirit of the region. The main reason for the imperative need of fortifying with a tower was the segregation of Mani society into clans or families. The building of the family tower was the great dream and final goal of the men of Mani and the common obligation of all the male members of the clan. The tower was the bastion of freedom but also the fort of the warring parties in the terrible Mani feuds.

The Mani region has a unique set of characteristics. It is a place that combines the beauty of the landscape with the simplicity and warmth of the people who inhabit it. Despite the dominance of the stone buildings it is a place that fascinates visitors. Until recent years Mani was a difficult place to reach and was characterised by the tower houses that the people built for refuge in times of trouble. The main feature that strikes first time visitors is the simple but rigid architecture of the buildings built mainly of stone. The imposing castles, fortified chateaus and mansions and cobbled streets make the Mani virtually an "open museum".

The tower house of Koumoundourou, in the village of Kampos, was built in the 1830’s. It has two floors and a semicircular protrusion and its reputation is due mainly to the fact that Alexander Koumoundouros (1815 - 1883) was for many years Prime Minister of Greece during the post Greek revolution era.

More images from the region of Mani at my gallery: KevrekidisPhotography 

[ FujiFilm FinePix HS10 ]

© 2013 Jordan Kevrekidis

MADWALK Fashion Music Project 2013

MADWALK Fashion Music Project 2013. 

Athens, Greece.

 

Greek pop singer Eleni Foureira performing Britney Spears’ “Toxic” at MADWALK Fashion Music Project 2013.

 Ελένη Φουρέιρα 

Greek model Doukissa Nomikou at MADWALK Fashion Music Project 2013. 


Δούκισσα Νομικού

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography 

© 2013 Jordan Kevrekidis 

Paola Foka at MADWALK 2013

Paola Foka at MADWALK Fashion Music Project 2013.

Η Πάολα Φωκά στο MADWALK Fashion Music Project 2013. 

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography 

© 2013 Jordan Kevrekidis

 

Immigrants in Greece

Athens, Greece. 

In today's globalized world, there are an estimated 214 million immigrants worldwide. Greece in particular has more immigrants than any other Southern European country in proportion to its population. About 11% of the registered Greek labor force are foreigners.

Albanian migrants constitute some 60% or more of the immigrant population. More recent immigrant groups consist of Asian nationalities, especially from Pakistan and Bangladesh.  Political asylum seekers, refugees and illegal immigrants flow through Turkey, mostly from Afghanistan, Iraq, Kurdistan, Iran, Somalia and other countries. Since the 1990s, increases in such flows have led to the emergence of immigration as an increasingly important political issue in Greece.

Immigrants in Greece

Greece’s European Union membership, coupled with its geographical location between East and West, also contributes to its role as a transit nation in trafficking routes. As a gateway to Western Europe, illegal immigrants are often trafficked through Greece in order to reach other EU countries.  

Being an immigrant, illegal or not, has become a risky way of life in Athens. In the economically ravaged Greece, nationalism is on the rise. Members of the neo-Nazi party “Golden Dawn” (Χρυσή Αυγή) have been beating up immigrants in the streets.

© 2013 Jordan Kevrekidis

 

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography 

Umbrellas

Umbrellas 

Athens, Greece.

[ Fujifilm FinePix HS10 ] 

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

© 2013 Jordan Kevrekidis

 

Shoeshiner

Athens, Greece.

Shoeshiner or boot polisher is a profession in which a person polishes shoes with shoe polish. They are often known as shoeshine boys. The profession is common in many countries around the world, with the wage earned by the shoeshiner being a significant proportion of a family income. Some shoeshiners offer extra services, such as shoe repairs and general tailoring.

Many famous people started their working life as shoeshiners, including singers, actors and even presidents.
James Brown "The Godfather of Soul", used to shine shoes and sing and dance on 9th Street in Augusta, Georgia. Also, Malcolm X worked as a shoeshine boy at a Lindy Hop nightclub in New York City.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography  

© 2013 Jordan Kevrekidis

Athens Protest

Athens, Greece.
Sunday, 10 March 2013.

With the motto "Poverty, unemployment, suicides. Enough is enough!" hundreds of protesters gathered at Syntagma Square in central Athens. Riot police lined up in front of the Parliament and tried to repel the crowd with the use of shields and chemicals.

Sunday’s rally came as the Greek government negotiates with the so-called "troika" of inspectors from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The troika returned to Athens last week to discuss the next steps in a painful austerity and reform program aiming to pull Greece out of the economic crisis.

The Greeks followed the Portuguese who held massive demonstrations across Portugal against austerity policies, last Saturday. The Athens protest ended in minor scuffles between demonstrators and police.

The Greek middle class is suffering from austerity measures and from rising unemployment. This is the main reason why strikes and demonstrations are often taking place in Athens and other cities of the country.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography 

© 2013 Jordan Kevrekidis

Ελεωνόρα Ζουγανέλη - “Rewind στο Μέλλον”

Αθήνα, 21 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012. 
“Rewind στο Μέλλον” 
Η Ελεωνόρα Ζουγανέλη στον Κήπο του Μεγάρου Μουσικής σε τραγούδια του Σταύρου Ξαρχάκου.
 
Athens, Greece.
Popular Greek singer Eleonora Zouganeli, Live in concert.

More images at:  Kevrekidis Photography 

[ FujiFilm FinePix HS10 ]

 © 2012 Jordan Kevrekidis

Trahila - Τραχήλα

Τραχήλα, Δυτική Μάνη – Μεσσηνία.

Trahila, West Mani, Messenia – Greece.

Trahila is a small fishing village at the Messenian Gulf.
Mani is one of the foremost traditional regions in Greece and possesses a profuse historical and cultural heritage. Mani lies to the southern part of Peloponnesus, within the administrative authority of Laconia and Messenia. It is a land of stone towers and beautiful beaches.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

© 2012 Jordan Kevrekidis

Messenian Beach

H παραλία του όρμου της Βοϊδοκοιλιάς.
Λιμνοθάλασσα της Γιάλοβας, Μεσσηνία.

Voidokilia Bay beach.
Lagoon of Gialova, Messenia – Greece.

1821

Παλαιά Καρδαμύλη, Δυτική Μάνη.
Old Kardamyli, West Mani – Greece.















A Maniot warrior at Mourtzinos Tower in Old Kardamyli.

Mani is one of the foremost traditional regions in Greece and possesses a profuse historical and cultural heritage. Mani lies to the southern part of Peloponnesus, within the administrative authority of Laconia and Messenia. It is a land of stone towers and beautiful beaches. Mani is home of the Maniots (Maniátes in Greek). The Maniots hold themselves to be the direct descendants of the Spartans and through the Spartans the Dorians.

Maniots, known for their martial qualities, were the first to join the Greek liberation movement. On March 17, 1821, the Maniat clan leaders gathered in Areopolis and declared war against the Ottoman Empire. Their flag was white with a blue cross in the center. Atop the flag was the motto "Victory or death". The Maniots were responsible for writing "Victory" and not "Freedom" on their banner, since Mani was always free. At the bottom of the flag was an ancient Spartan inscription, “With the shield or on the shield” (used by King Leonidas I of Sparta). On March 21, an army of 2,000 Maniots under the command of Petros Mavromichalis, Theodoros Kolokotronis, and Papaflessas marched from Areopolis to Kardamyli and on to Kalamata. The Greek War of Independence had begun. By the end of March, the Peloponnese was in open revolt against the Turks and by October 1821 the Greeks had captured Tripolis (Tripolitsa). The Peloponnesian revolt was quickly followed by revolts in Crete, Macedonia and Central Greece.

The Greeks drove the Turks out of the Peloponnese and proceeded to the captured part of Central Greece by 1828. Greece was finally recognized as an independent nation in May 1832. The Revolution is celebrated by the modern Greek state on the 25th of March as the Independence Day.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

[ FujiFilm FinePix HS10 ]

© 2012 Jordan Kevrekidis

Breaking News

January 5, 2012
Breaking News - a few minutes ago near Athens, Greece.







A car caught fire in a parking lot. Fortunately, the Fire Department arrived before the fire spread in other cars and a nearby field.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

[ FujiFilm FinePix HS10 ]

© 2012 Jordan Kevrekidis

Kevrekidis Photography slideshow

Kevrekidis Photography slideshow at deviantART.

Kardamyli

Καρδαμύλη, Δυτική Μάνη, Μεσσηνία.
Kardamyli, West Mani, Messenia – Greece.

Kardamyli (or Kardamili) is a seaside village located in the Mani, a stunning region in the southern Peloponnese. In the Iliad (Book 9), Homer cites Kardamyli as one of the seven cities offered by Agamemnon to Achilles as a condition to rejoin the fight during the Trojan War. The village preserves its ancient name. The older town includes a medieval castle and the imposing church of Saint Spyridon.




The skyline of Kardamyli, like many other Maniot towns and villages, is dominated by the distinctive regional architectural of the various towers built by scions of the Nikliani clans, the medieval aristocracy of the Mani. Kardamyli is the departure point of many mountain trails, some of which lead to the peak of Mount Taygetus. Nearby is the Viros Gorge, with a total length of 20 km.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

[ FujiFilm FinePix HS10 ]

© 2011 Jordan Kevrekidis

Special Olympics Athens 2011

Special Olympics World Summer Games
June 25 – July 4, 2011
Athens, Greece.














Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries. This year, 7,500 Special Olympics Athletes from 185 nations competed in 22 Olympic-type sports in Athens, Greece.



























Eretria, Evia – Greece.
June 10, 2011.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR), is run by Police Officers and other law enforcement professionals from around the world. Currently, close to 90,000 police professionals in over 35 countries participate in this worldwide effort to raise money and awareness for Special Olympics.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

[ FujiFilm FinePix HS10 ]

© 2011 Jordan Kevrekidis