John Kittmer is a former British diplomat, who served as Ambassador to Greece from January 2013 to to December 2016. A passionate philhellene, John marked the end of his term of office with a series of tweets celebrating thirty great things about Greece, and he has kindly given me permission to reproduce them here. (Please note that it may take a minute or two for the images to load.)
Read John’s blog and follow John on Twitter.
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.30 Democracy. Despite economic crisis & deep-rooted issues, it abides. The best Athenian political idea. pic.twitter.com/W6cNpYehYG
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 10, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.29 #SteliosParliaros Master chocolatier and patissier. Wizard of #SweetAlchemy Γλυκές Αλχημείες. pic.twitter.com/Wk2jaMjqdb
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 11, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.28 #Corallia Hats off to everyone starting businesses in difficult times #cluster #innohub @Corallia_Greece pic.twitter.com/DulXN4aaXK
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 12, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.27 Theatre: ancient & modern. A dynamic scene. Εθνικό. Βράχων. Επίδαυρος. Badminton. And many more. pic.twitter.com/FDWbgWZRuA
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 13, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.26 #ELEPAP. Wonderful charity supporting kids with motor disabilities & development needs @ElepapAthens pic.twitter.com/SnjMA6sQv4
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 14, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.25. Barber Shop En Athenais 1928. Great style and service from Vasilis and the guys https://t.co/kinx8a1Cqo pic.twitter.com/iElk95ShZX
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 15, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.24 Dance. Love watching it. #pentozalis #tsamikos #kalamatianos #syrtos and so on https://t.co/ODpELyxWGq pic.twitter.com/zP0FF3TOJT
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 15, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.23 The kiosks of Athens. The pulse of the city's street life. #περίπτερα pic.twitter.com/UJLnlmAbYE
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 17, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.22 The crime novels of #PetrosMarkaris. #Haritos, the lexical detective. Each novel a little hymn to Athens pic.twitter.com/yZfTwBgEs4
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 18, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.21 #AegeanBlue. Above the temple of #Aphaia #Aegina, March ’16. Peerless, inspiring. pic.twitter.com/nMwvZydBM9
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 19, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.20 Musical traditions. Artists old and new. #Vamvakaris #Theodorakis #Protopsalti #Dorbarakis & many more. pic.twitter.com/BDv8roy6kz
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 20, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.19 Intoxicating aromas. #grillingoctopus #pineforest #incense #wildherbs and much more pic.twitter.com/gF2H0kN5lb
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 21, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.18 #Ianos bookstores #Thessaloniki #Athens. Oases of quiet. Time to browse. Thinking space. Books, books. pic.twitter.com/5xVn8GCzqR
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 22, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.17 Pride #Athens #Thessaloniki #LGBT #ΛΟΑΤ solidarity, friendship, human rights pic.twitter.com/Tt7Gzwnc30
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 23, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.16 #BritishSchoolAtAthens Greek #archaeology #history #science #culture for 130 years #Knossos @BSAthens pic.twitter.com/TMTnFacCGn
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 24, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.15 Seafood restaurants and fish tavernas. My favourites: #Varoulko, Mikrolimano; #Miltos, Perdika. Special! pic.twitter.com/GNbwss6cGR
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 24, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.14. An ice-cold #ouzo with #mezedakia at the start of a warm summer's evening. #Mytilini #Plomari #Chios pic.twitter.com/mCAMCgoL7S
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 26, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.13 Mountain-tops and valley-floors. #Olympos #Taygetos #Athos #Vikos #Tymphe. Sublime, supreme nature. pic.twitter.com/RWRPAUsYqR
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 27, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.12 My gym, #Athlesis. Great place to get fit in central Athens. Panos, Nikos & team https://t.co/6Yhhqucy4O pic.twitter.com/s0l9ZcDywH
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 28, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.11 Wine producers, Greek varietals. #asyrtiko #agiorgitiko #malagouzia #vradiano etc. Quality, innovation. pic.twitter.com/9uJgnwIvsH
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 29, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.10 The #Philhellenes, known & unknown. Their love & example. #Byron #Hastings #LeighFermor #Thompson et al. pic.twitter.com/itHTDko9DJ
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) November 29, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.9 #Thessaloniki #Salonica Great northern city. Culture, archaeology, design. Historic centre of Judaism. pic.twitter.com/Ft9uulZv8G
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) December 1, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.8 #DivineLiturgy at #Iviron Monastery, Holy Mountain. Spirituality, beauty, musicality, heaven on earth. pic.twitter.com/oYVzIXinZz
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) December 2, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.7 Small islands. Jewels afloat on aquamarine & turquoise seas. #Astypalaia #Ithaca Aegean & Ionian wonders. pic.twitter.com/0YlKHMLyOz
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) December 3, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.6 #BenakiMuseum. A treasure-house. A centre of creativity. A place of learning. A great joy. @MouseioBenaki pic.twitter.com/0B1Bzl7Uae
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) December 4, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.5 #Crete. The Great Island. A distillation, an intensification of Greece. Cuisine, beauty, culture, people. pic.twitter.com/0JTAs9jtaG
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) December 5, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No4 #Kerameikos. And every archaeological site that roots Greeks in their earth & binds Europe to her origins. pic.twitter.com/FV8zPKtrPB
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) December 5, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.3 Poetry. The inexpressible expressed. #Ritsos #Seferis #Dimoula #Sikelianos #Elytis #Mastoraki and more… pic.twitter.com/w3i9TTqABD
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) December 6, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.2 #TheGreekLanguage. From the Myceneans to modern δημοτική. Continuity, development. Inexhaustible riches. pic.twitter.com/DobgSCNiJ4
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) December 8, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.1 #TheGreekPeople. Warm, wonderful, passionate, talkative, creative, welcoming, unforgettable. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/MdF6afya9x
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) December 8, 2016
#ThirtyGreatThingsAboutGreece No.1 Εσείς οι Έλληνες. Σας ευχαριστώ από καρδιάς για τεσσάρα αξέχαστα χρόνια φιλίας και αγάπης. Στο επανιδείν! pic.twitter.com/QKi9fOMzMx
— John Kittmer (@JohnKittmer) December 8, 2016