Greek Passport is the World’s Seventh Most Powerful

The Greek passport is the seventh most-powerful travel document in the world, according to the annual global ranking of the Henley Passport Index, released recently.

The Henley index measures the number of countries certain passport holders may visit without having to apply for a visa.
According to their passport index, Greek citizens may freely visit 184 countries without having to obtain a visa.

Greece shares the seventh place along with the nations of Canada, Belgium and Ireland.

Japan remained in the top spot worldwide for the second consecutive year in the list of the world’s most powerful passports. Japanese citizens may visit 190 out of a possible 218 countries in the world without obtaining a visa.

South Korea edged up from from the October, 2018 index rankings to join Singapore, as both nations offer unfettered access to 189 jurisdictions, thanks to a new visa-on-arrival agreement with India.

European countries also performed favorably, with European Union member states (along with Norway and the U.S.) filling in the spots below the top three nations. However, the U.K. continues to drop down the rankings, along with the U.S.

The least powerful passports in the world currently belong to the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq.
(Source:greekreporter)

Greece on List of Most Hospitable Places on the Planet

Seemingly everyone around the world dreams of taking a vacation in Greece, and apparently they are on to something. Greece has just been named one of the “Most Hospitable Places in the World” in a report released by Booking.com.

What is it about Greece that people find so welcoming? Let’s take a look.

Greece has beautiful natural sights, including islands and archaeological ruins, as well as great food. And Greeks are well-known for being excellent hosts when tourists visit their country. But this is not only because the country depends greatly on tourism.

Greece is the home of “filoxenia”, which loosely translated means “love of strangers”. They have historically been known to be inviting and warm to travelers from distant lands. This is party perhaps because Greeks love to tell stories about their family, their village, their “Ellada” (Greece). Greeks are so proud of their history and culture — of both ancient times and what they have achieved in modern society.

It should be no surprise that based on Booking.com’s 2018 Guest Review Awards, Greece received the honor of being included on the list of the most welcoming places on earth.

This is the seventh edition of the annual report, which evaluates of hundreds of thousands of properties across 219 countries and territories.

The final results, released by booking.com, show that the most welcoming countries are, in descending order, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, New Zealand, Taiwan, Romania, Hungary, Ireland, Serbia, and Greece.
(Source: Kerry Kolasa-Sikiaridi/greekreporter)

The Guardian: Greece’s ‘Rakomelo’ Among World’s Best Winter Drinks

Greece’s ‘rakomelo’, a strong distilled spirit produced from grape pomace, is included on The Guardian’s list of the 10 best warming winter drinks in the world.

 According to an article recently published in the online edition of the British newspaper, rakomelo is featured among the world’s best traditional and – in some cases – homemade alcoholic drinks, which are mostly consumed during winter and include the gløgg, Denmark’s traditional mulled wine; Chile’s quintessential Christmas and new year aperitif “cola de mono” and Japan’s “hirezake”.


“When winter arrives in Greece, locals turn to rakomelo, a mix of tsipouro (a pomace brandy that’s similar to grappa, but fruitier), spices and honey,” The Guardian says.
“To make it, the tsipouro is gently warmed with cloves and cinnamon – orange peel is often also added – and then mixed with a little honey. The resulting drink – its alcoholic kick mellowed by the sweetness – is served in small ceramic or glass pitchers and poured into miniature cups (a Mediterranean version of those used for sake) or shot glasses; it is meant to be sipped and enjoyed in good company.”

The Guardian’s list includes the following warming winter drinks:

• Chacha, Georgia
• Grzane piwo, Poland
• Gløgg, Denmark
• Mumma, Sweden
• Jägertee, Austria
• Rakomelo, Greece
• Cola de mono, Chile
• Hirezake, Japan
• Jólaglögg, Iceland
• Mulled cider, UK  

(source:gtp)