Pay homage to Athen’s most impressive legacy- the Acropolis, haggled with

the merchants in the old Turkish bazaar around Monastiraki Square and Explored the 19th-century quarter of Plaka…all before noon. Now you are ready to drink like Dionysus.

Where to crash

 Athens ‘ first “hip hotel,” the Semiramis, is located in Kifissia, a wealthy suburb about 10 miles north of the  city   center .

Styled by trendy designer Karim Rashid, the hotel has such features as a glowing-pink cube in the entrance, a rotating collection of contemporary art in the rooms, and digitally

programmed door signs.

NightLife

What’s a Flagrant without checking out the nightlife?

Bars are the staple of Greek nightlife, with new establishments opening every week. In summer, many of the most popular spots, especially dance clubs, move to temporary venues along the coast (check with your hotel concierge on seasonal whereabouts of clubs).

Frequented by the under-30 crowd, these clubs are usually huge, lively, and packed.

Getting to them can be a nightmare, especially on weekends, when the coastal road, Poseidonos, becomes a kilometers-long traffic jam.

Most bars stay open at least until 3 AM. Drinks are rather steep (around EUR6) but generous, and often there is a surcharge on weekend nights at the most popular clubs. Foreigners usually get in automatically; large groups of single men may have some trouble on a busy night. Most clubs and bars do not take credit cards for drinks.

From September to May, Athen’s beautiful people make an appearance at Central to see and be seen in the cool, creamy interior while enjoying cocktails and sushi.

From May to September, Central is closed in town; it reopens on the coast as Island, which is dreamily decked out in gauzy linens and directly overlooks the Aegean.

with notes from Fodors and USA Today

Although there seems to be much greater awareness now about the importance of checking our credit reports periodically, many people still aren’t sure about exactly how to monitor their credit. In this article, I will identify three different ways in which consumers can monitor their credit, and I will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of these three ways.

The first credit-monitoring strategy would be to request all three of your credit reports at the same time. As you are probably aware, you can get a free copy of your credit report each year from each of the three major credit bureaus. (You can claim your free reports by logging on to annualcreditreport.com, which is the official web site supported by the credit bureaus.) The key advantage of getting your three credit reports all at the same time is that you can directly compare them for inaccuracies and inconsistencies. Another advantage of this approach is that you can monitor your credit for free. Also, this approach involves a minimum amount of time, as you would be requesting and then reviewing your reports only once each year. The main disadvantage of this approach, however, is that you will not be eligible for another free credit report for 12 months. Thus, it would be a full year before your next opportunity to identify any inaccuracies or suspicious activity on your report. If you wanted to check your credit a second time during that year (which you most definitely should do), you would have to pay for your three reports. Another disadvantage of this approach is that the free credit reports do not typically include your credit (or FICO) score. The three major credit bureaus will be happy to sell you that piece of information, of course, as will any number of other web sites.

The second strategy would be to order one of your free credit reports every four months. The key advantage of this strategy is that it would allow you to monitor your credit report throughout the entire year, and again, you can do so for free. Additionally, you would have the opportunity to identify any changes or new information on your credit report at four-month intervals, rather than only once a year as in the first strategy. The main disadvantage of this strategy is that you would not be able to immediately compare all three reports at the same time. This means that it might be four or eight months before you recognize any discrepancy between the reports from the different bureaus. A second disadvantage is that this strategy would require you to remember to request your credit reports at three different times each year.

The third strategy is to have your credit report monitored for you by subscribing to one of the many credit-monitoring services. The primary advantage of this strategy is that these services will monitor your credit for you at all three credit bureaus. This is ideal for individuals who do not have the time or the inclination to do so themselves. Another advantage is that these services monitor your credit on a daily basis and alert you about any inaccuracies or unauthorized activity. In this regard they offer superior protection against identity theft, as you could be notified almost immediately of fraudulent activity. The key disadvantage of this strategy is that you will have to pay anywhere from $60 to $180 per year for this service. A second disadvantage is that different companies provide different levels and quality of service. Therefore, it is advisable to shop around and compare various services that are available before signing up for any of them.

Clearly, each of these three methods of monitoring your credit has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. Each consumer must decide for him- or herself which of the three methods is most agreeable to him or her. What is most important, though, is that you do monitor your credit regularly.

These days, people don’t buy anything without reading reviews first. Amazon.com is the world’s favorite shopping mall. Visitors look for an item that is both heavily reviewed and has a mostly positive rating. There is suspicion of items that have no reviews, as that means to most folks that the business is probably new and the item they’re looking at is of questionable quality. Positive customer reviews weigh in big time within the consumer psyche and the convenience at which reviews can be posted means that every interaction with a customer is a potential opportunity to make or break many future sales. These ideas began with the retail industry, and they’ve spread like wildfire to restaurants.

So, should you ask for reviews or not? Let’s review the pros and cons:

PROS

Incentivizing is a great motivator for everything in the world. If you want reviews from your customers, offer them something of value. Asking for reviews isn’t bad as long as you’re not flat-out paying for them. Put something fun together: drop review submitters’ names into a monthly raffle for a free lunch, pick a top reviewer and send them to an exotic themed vacation (think Olive Garden sending families to Italy), have your top chef prepare dinner for a certain special patron. There are tons of ideas that involve a thematic approach to incentivized rewards versus just handing out cash. Get your patrons involved and excited and reap the benefits of a truly passionate reviewer!

If you choose to nudge patrons in the right direction, make it easy for them. Offering them a comment card is one way to go, and you can put that review up on your website, but how can you get the word out on UrbanSpoon or Yelp, two of the most popular restaurant review sites? You’ve got to tell customers where to submit their feedback. “Search for us on UrbanSpoon!” is a quick, easy and non-pushy way to let people know you’re active on that site. Make sure to develop a way to track your review-submitting patrons so that you can reward them. You’ll generally receive an email notification when a review is submitted to either one of those sites.

Posting restaurant reviews can be fun! Think about the power of mobile Smartphone applications: a patron can take a picture of your menu (or their meal plate) on their phone and post it online instantly, even while they’re still eating their Southwest Quesadilla Special. They can then immediately “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” your business based on their experience. This is incredibly helpful to other customers. PRO TIP: Consider taking clear pictures of your menu and your location and uploading them to review sites before someone else does. Doing so helps potential new customers decide if they want to eat at your establishment by taking the guesswork out of what you’ve got to offer. The more information that’s readily available about your business, the better.

CONS

The first question you need to ask yourself honestly is this: “Is my restaurant ready to be reviewed?” Many restaurant owners get antsy and jump the gun, so to speak, in taking steps to force reviews. They may have had a slow grand opening and think that getting “good press” on sites like UrbanSpoon and Yelp is the only way to stay operative. These sites are dynamite for influencing potential customers, but hard selling reviews is not the way to go. If your restaurant isn’t 100% where you want it to be at, incentivizing reviews could also mean reminding people that they can post negative reviews, too. As many small business owners have learned, one negative review that’s boosted to the front page of Google can spell doom for their business. Just like a positive review can encourage new folks to try an unfamiliar restaurant, a negative review can drive just as many away. Lesson: don’t force reviews if you’re not ready for them.

Positive reviews from non-incentivized customers will almost always feel more “real.” So although it may take longer to get a review, it may be worth your wait.

Have you ever read a restaurant review and just known that it was the owner writing it, or one of the company’s employees? How did that make you feel? Most consumers who feel like they’ve experienced a fake review will immediately go elsewhere, with a permanent sense of distrust in that business.

Some review databases (like Yelp) frown on incentivized/paid reviews. They’ll go as far to delete over-zealous, fake sounding reviews in order to keep their site “honest.” In this case, it may not be worth the investment to reward a reviewer.

If your restaurant is outstanding on both service and menu fronts, you may not have to encourage review submittal at all. A new patron should be so floored after having left your establishment that they want to share their experience with the world. Have you ever been to a restaurant where the server was “on it,” the food was excellent, the wait was nonexistent, and the atmosphere was just fun? I bet you wanted to tell people about it. This same theory applies to restaurant reviews: provide an entirely excellent experience at every point of contact and expect to be rewarded for your hard work.

The answer is up to you. If you can solicit reviews in a fun, creative way, that plan might work out well for your business. Beware of over-incentivizing; remember you want honest reviews, not a bunch of fluff. No doubt, reviews are a superb way to generate new business. You might even say they’ve become essential in today’s world of infinite information. Keep in mind that consistently great service will be rewarded with words of praise, so keep your bar set high, your plates clean, drinks full, food hot, and staff friendly. You’ll eventually get to the point where you don’t need to solicit reviews anymore, they’ll just come naturally.

Have you ever had that time you just needed a way to get through a day or just get given the piece of information you need that fits with you? We have all been in a place where we just want to be uplifted and move on from our present state, we do not want to be that negative, down unhappy person. We are trying hard to make everyday a day for us. Another wonderful day fill of opportunity.

We are all so different it is no wonder then that our answers are all different. Deep inside ourselves we find a way to get in touch and get motivated.

For one person motivation could be that perfect song that cheers you up on your off day, for another it could be holding a new born baby. It could be listening to your favorite audio or sitting reading a great book. The list of motivators goes on and on, no way is wrong nor in the same breath right.

When you are seeking the motivation you need in your life, evaluate what lifts your mood already what gives you a cheerful day. Look upon your greatest day and feel it. Feel what it was that helped you get there.

What is for one, is not perhaps the next persons motivation no one is to judge what is going to help another.

It is a bit like saying we all will bring up our children exactly the same way, it just does not go that way as we are all from different backgrounds, cultures, religions, ways of life and we all are so different yet unique & beautiful in our own ways.

To find your motivator is to think of your perspective which would be different for each individual. It could be a day that went well, what happened in that day? Think of what you have done differently perhaps to start that day? Think of what it was that made you smile What was it that made you laugh? What was that feel good moment? Special occasion? Achievement, success, reaching a goal.

Now that you have found your Motivator, tune into what you need to be motivated. Did you need a day that was organized? Did you need a good nights sleep? Was it that you had no issues crop up or is it you just felt them differently.

Now that you have analyzed what you did, what you needed, go and rinse and repeat and fill your days with more of what gets you tuned into what makes you feel good. If you can take away any of the parts that got you down or perhaps think of them differently you are in charge of your motivation.

It could apply to a business day, a mothers day at home, a retired person enjoying their retirement or just a young person doing a normal school day.

You are in charge of your motivation, fill your life with what you need, only you know what is your motivator only you have the answer.

Let us now visit the church of Kapnikarea. The simplest way to get there, is to return to Plateia Syntagmatos (Constitution Square) and then turn right into Odos Ermou. A few minutes’ walk along this street will bring us to this famous church.

Actually, Kapnikarea consists of two churches: the original structure, dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin, a mid-eleventh century cruciform building with a dome supported by four columns with Roman capitals, and a nave with a smaller dome, dedicated to St. Barbara, which was later added on the north. In the twelfth century the two churches were joined into one and an exonarthex with series of gabled roofs and four large bays separated by columns was added on the west. The charming little porch on the south also dates from the twelfth century. The mosaic of the Madonna and Child over the portal is, however, of modern workmanship.

The name “Kapnikarea” is of doubtful origin. Though it is generally believed that this name is derived from the occupation of its putative founder, a collector of the hearth-tax (hearth equals smoke) others contend that the name is a corruption of Kamoucharea, by which the church was also known, probably from its proximity to a weaver of Kamouchas, a Byzantine term for cloth woven with golden threads.

Let us now turn back into Odos Ermou, walking in the direction of Plateia Syntagmatos (Constitution Square), and take the first turn on the right; this will bring us to Plateia Mitropoleos.

2010 was a great year for music in Britain with some amazing album releases. Album reviews were flying off the shelves for breakthrough brands, but it was the old guard that ruled the roost at the top of the album charts. The top 5 best selling albums in Britain is filled with established acts and while there aren’t any that I can pick out as favourites of mine, you can’t always ignore the numbers. When there is that many people buying an album there’s got to be something about it that has grabbed the attention of the masses.

5. Plan B, The Defamation of Strickland Banks

The only breakthrough album release of 2010 fell to London wide boy, Plan B, or Benjamin Balance-Drew as he’s know to his mum. The release of The Defamation of Strickland Banks, his second studio album, in April 2010, led to an instant number 1 in the UK album charts. It sold over sixty eight thousand copies in its first week and went on to sell a whopping eight hundred and twenty six thousand copies throughout the course of the year. Album reviews were fairly positive overall with ratings ranging from six out of ten to four out of five, but his move away from his rapping routes prompted one album review from the Telegraph to describe it as being “populist” although the overall tone of the review was generally favourable

4. Rihanna, Loud

The ups and downs of Rihanna’s personal life has been well documented by the media, but when it comes to her albums it always seems to be on the up and up. It including high grossing hits Only Girl in the World, What’s my Name and S&M. Released in November 2010 the album the album went in at number 2, selling in the region of 91,000 copies, but later climbed to the number 1 spot. Though it was released late in the year, it still managed to sell 839,000 copies in total. Rihanna’s Loud received average to favourable album reviews from the mainstream press.

3. Lady GaGa, The Fame / The Fame Monster

When Lady GaGa first appeared on the music scene it was as though she appeared out of nowhere and was suddenly everywhere. Now it feels like she’s always been there. The illusion of her meteoric rise to musical prominence has been fuelled by the trash media and paparazzi that she seems to target so much in her music. The love hate relationship continues in The Fame / The Fame Monster and while it was originally released in November 2009 as an EP as a re-release of The Fame, it still went on to be the third best selling album of 2010 in the Britain.

2. Michael Buble, Crazy Love

Who’d of thought it. Michael Buble had the second highest grossing album of 2010, epitomising the fact that you can never underestimate the buying power of easy listening loving ladies everywhere. The smooth singing Canadian has turned into a power house of selling album selling prowess and in 2010 he really hit the mark with Crazy Love. Michael Buble’s fourth studio album, Crazy Love is another crooner loving record and went straight in at number 1 in October 2009, but maintained sales all the way through 2010 to guarantee it a place in the top 5 best selling albums in Britain in 2010. Selling more than 1, 227,000 copies, but to be fair, it doesn’t really matter how many albums he sells, he’s never going to get into the Rat Pack.

1. Take That, Progress

Back during the 90s Take That were the bees knees with the girls at my school. They wore Take That emblems around there necks and probably cried like crazy people at the news that they were breaking up. It is these same girls, now women, that have secured Take That’s resurgence to musical hegemony of a certain persuasion, making their album, Progress, the biggest selling album of 2010 in Britain. Released on 15th November 2010 and returning Robbie Williams to the Take That fold after his long dark days alone in the California sun, it inevitable charted straight in at number 1. Despite the release being so late in the day in 2010, it still managed to sell in excess of 1.8 million records. Album reviews were very positive, giving it an average of around 8 out of 10 in both popular and industry media, but more than anything, it gave Robbie something more than just aliens to believe in.