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Last updated on March 19, 2018 By Dave Briggs 12 Comments

China Meets Greece | England Meets Crete

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It is fair to say, that this last week has seen me experience both ends of the cultural spectrum. Four days in Crete with a beer or two in hand, was then followed by the opening of an artwork exhibition back in Athens entitled “China Meets Greece”. Story and photos below.

China Meets Greece

China Meets Greece

If there is one thing that I love about travel, it is meeting new people. Working from home really limits this, and so I wanted to find a way I could meet people, and still get that travel vibe. After discovering that there was a travel bloggers group in Athens (Travel Bloggers Greece), I joined up, and soon found myself invited to the opening day of an art exhibition.

china meets greece

Entitled China Meets Greece, it features the work of artist Qinghua (Ioanna) Lin. It is based in the Pallas Athena Grecotel in Athens, and runs from the 16th of May through to the 3rd of July. This was the first day of the exhibition, and we were invited to its launch.

Ioanna now lives in Athens , and her paintings were in two styles. One, is a Shuimo technique, and the other is a more western water colour style. This resulted in a mix of paintings which included traditional Chinese motifs of birds, flowers, and women, and another series of paintings influenced by places in Greece. I don't pretend to be an art expert, but it all looked pretty good to me!

China meets Greece art Qinghua Ioanna Lin

Qinghua Ioanna Lin

As did the food! The Grecotel put on an elaborate buffet, which mixed Greek and Chinese dishes together. All of this contrasted massively with the food I had been eating a few days before in Crete. But more of that in a minute!

Grecotel buffet Pallas Athena

The event was well put together, and it was a really big deal for the artist, who was clearly taken aback by the entire affair. I've put a short video of the event together, which you can check out below.

All in all it was a good afternoon, and it was great to meet up with some of the other travel bloggers from Travel Bloggers Greece. Hopefully there will be plenty of other events to attend in the near future!

England Meets Crete

This could be described as the less cultural part of my week! A few days before going to the China Meets Greece exhibition, I spent 4 days in Crete with my brother and some friends. Now, as we all know, Crete is a wonderful island full of charm, culture, tradition, and ancient history. Did we see any of that? Nah!! Do I care?? Nah!!

england meets crete

It was a hazy few days, and a perfect way to catch up with people, have a couple of beers, and let off some steam! I'm looking forward to next year, lads!

 

Filed Under: Athens, Greece

Comments

  1. Valerie says

    May 25, 2015 at 7:35 pm

    The art pieces are gorgeous! I don’t know much about art, other than an art appreciation class in college…so I do know how to appreciate it! I love fusions of different countries, may it be art or food or whatever else there is.

    Reply
  2. The Educational Tourist says

    May 25, 2015 at 3:38 pm

    What an interesting combination! I never would have imagined the combinations! So cool!
    Natalie, The Educational Tourist
    http://www.theeducationaltourist.com

    Reply
  3. Brianna says

    May 24, 2015 at 9:33 pm

    Looks like you had quite thee globetrotting weekend all without leaving Greece.

    Reply
  4. Tanj from A Travelogue says

    May 24, 2015 at 12:30 am

    Really cool artwork!

    Reply
  5. Elaine J. Masters says

    May 24, 2015 at 12:27 am

    I visited Crete many years ago and was constantly surprised over the weeks I spent wandering there. These two events fit right in with that. What a vibrant and fun country.

    Reply
  6. Mags says

    May 24, 2015 at 3:04 am

    Travel bloggers and art? Sounds like a great event!

    Reply
  7. Amanda Zeisset says

    May 23, 2015 at 11:56 pm

    Great exhibition! Looks like a fun way to connect with other people as well.

    Reply
  8. Jennifer @ Made all the Difference Travel Blog says

    May 23, 2015 at 10:02 pm

    I enjoy getting to see the perspective of other cultures from a different cultures perspective. The China exhibit looks interesting.

    Reply
  9. lindsay nieminen says

    May 23, 2015 at 9:44 pm

    what beautiful artwork!

    Reply
  10. Karina Noriega says

    May 23, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    I love attending art exhibits as well. You always end up learning about culture in a very interesting way. Thank you for sharing your story. I enjoyed the film as well.

    Reply
  11. Laura Lynch says

    May 23, 2015 at 6:39 pm

    I work from home as well and can definitely relate to the need to find a social outlet. The event sounds like it was a lot of fun and that food table is incredible!

    Reply
    • Dave Briggs says

      May 24, 2015 at 8:49 pm

      It tasted as good as it looked!

      Reply

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