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Bringing Greece home: 10 traditional keepsakes with a century of soul. Credit: Greek Reporter
Greece is a goldmine for souvenirs because the best things to bring home are deeply rooted in centuries of culinary, agricultural, and artistic traditions. Skipping the generic plastic keychains, here are the top 10 authentic souvenirs to bring back.
Greece consumes more olive oil per capita than any other country, and its liquid gold is world-renowned. Look for oils from Crete, Kalamata, or Mani. For easier travel packing, skip the glass bottles and buy the tightly sealed tin canisters found in local supermarkets or specialty shops.
2. Greek Thyme Honey
Image of Greek honey. Credit: Greek Reporter
Because Greek bees feed on wild herbs under intense sunshine, the honey here is thick, rich, and distinctly aromatic. Thyme honey (particularly from Crete or the Aegean islands) is considered the gold standard.
3. The Mati (Evil Eye) Amulet
Mati. Credit: Greek Reporter
The distinctive blue-and-white eye charm is designed to ward off bad energy or jealousy (to mati). You can find it on beautifully crafted silver jewelry, ceramic wall hangings, or simple glass beads. It’s light, cheap, and undeniably Greek.
4. Ouzo, Tsipouro, or Mastiha
Mastic from Chios. Credit: Anastasios Papapostolou/Greek Reporter
Bring the taste of a Greek summer back home:
Ouzo: The famous anise-flavored, clear spirit that turns milky white when you add water or ice
Tsipouro: A strong, unaged grape distillate (similar to grappa)
Mastiha: A sweet, incredibly refreshing liqueur flavored with resin harvested exclusively on the island of Chios
5. Dried Greek Oregano & Mountain Tea
Greek oregano (rigani) grows wild on rocky hillsides, giving it a much more intense, peppery flavor than supermarket varieties back home. Pair it with a bunch of Greek Mountain Tea (tsai tou vounou), a dried herb brewed for centuries to boost the immune system and soothe digestion.
6. Olive Wood Kitchenware
From salad bowls and cutting boards to honey dippers, items made from Greek olive wood are gorgeous and incredibly durable. The tight grain of the wood means it doesn’t absorb odors or bacteria easily, and each piece features entirely unique natural patterns.
7. Handmade Leather Sandals
Handmade leather sandals of Greece. Credit: Efi
If you pass through Athens (especially the Monastiraki neighborhood) or certain islands such as Crete and Rhodes, you can buy genuine, handmade leather sandals. They are styled according to Ancient Greek designs, crafted to last for years, and mold comfortably to your feet over time.
8. Greek Ceramics & Pottery
From museum-quality replicas of ancient black-and-figure vases to modern, minimalist, blue-and-white tableware handmade on islands such as Sifnos, Greek pottery is a beautiful addition to any home.
9. Natural Sea Sponges
Kalymnos sponges. Credit: Nabokov, CC3/Wikipedia
Harvested for generations by traditional divers (most famously on the island of Kalymnos), genuine Greek sea sponges are entirely natural, hypoallergenic, and far softer and longer-lasting than synthetic alternatives. They are fantastic for skincare and bathing.
10. Spoon Sweets (Glyka tou Koutaliou)
These are traditional fruit preserves served on a small spoon alongside Greek coffee or dolloped over Greek yogurt. They are made by boiling wild fruits (like sour cherries, figs, or bitter oranges) in sugar syrup, preserving the firm texture and vibrant flavor of the fruit.
10+1. The Komboloi
Greek worry beads. Credit: Greek Reporter
The Komboloi, or worry beads, may be one of the most typical symbols of Greece’s easy-going mentality that has been widely established in Greece since the middle of the 20th century. Whether on the street, on an airplane, or in a busy kafeneion downtown, you will find people playing with their worry beads in various manners, even doing flips and tricks with them, letting go of their stress and worries as one bead moves deliberately towards the other. The repetitive action and clicking of the beads turn this pastime into an easy motion reported to help ease tension.
Packer’s Tip: If you’re traveling with carry-on luggage only, you won’t be able to take liquid souvenirs such as honey, olive oil, or alcohol past airport security. Buy these items at the airport duty-free shops after security—the quality is still highly authentic, and the prices are surprisingly fair!
The man was brought by boat to shore, but paramedics weren’t able to revive him.
On May 24, 39-year-old Michael Jensz was killed after suffering head injuries while spearfishing along the Great Barrier Reef off the country’s northeast coast.
A bull shark is suspected in his death.
On May 16, 38-year-old Steve Mattabonni was killed by a white shark at Rottnest Island, a popular resort in Western Australia. He was also spearfishing.
Australia usually averages around three shark deaths per year.
"We do see an increase in larger sharks this time of the year, particularly chasing the sardine and the salmon along the coast, which is quite normal," commercial fisherman Gregory Sharp told the Australian Broadcasting Company Saturday.
He added that sharks also tend to attack in areas "where there's a lot of seals, and the island area in King George Sound is renowned for seals."
Michaelmas Island is located in King George Sound.
Western Australia Premier Roger Cook said in a Facebook post Saturday that he was deeply saddened to hear of this morning's fatal shark attack in Albany.
This is a tragedy and my thoughts are with the victim's family and friends, as well as the first responders."
A Sherpa guide whose family had already begun funeral rituals after he vanished on Mount Everest was found alive and crawling toward base camp nearly a week later, surviving alone on the world's highest peak without food, water or supplemental oxygen in what rescuers called "nothing short of a miracle."
Dawa Sherpa, 52, disappeared around May 29 while descending Everest after turning back short of the summit with a Polish climber he was guiding. The client made it safely to base camp, but Dawa had not, triggering fears that he had died on the mountain.
A cleanup crew from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee found him Thursday morning crawling through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall, one of the most dangerous sections of Everest, just above base camp, Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions told The Associated Press.
Rescuers carried him to safety, gave him food and water, and flew him by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu, where his wife and daughter were waiting.
His teenage daughter, Mendo Lhamu Sherpa, told the outlet that relatives were in the middle of funeral rites when news of the rescue broke.
"When we first heard about it (the rescue), we could not be sure if that person was indeed our father," she said. "So to be certain we asked for photos to be sent and then only we were sure and very happy."
His wife, Damu Sherpa, added that the family learned he was alive through local news reports and phone calls from friends.
"We first heard that he was still alive on the local news and from a person we know who called with the news that ... he is being brought down," she said.
Dawa was still wearing his climbing jacket when rescuers found him. His family said he is being treated for frostbite and other complications but is conscious and able to speak.
"He recognized me … is good and speaks," his daughter told Reuters. "We are happy."
The Nepal Mount Everest hiking company called his survival extraordinary.
"Dawa survived alone for nearly a week without food, water, or supplemental oxygen navigating the treacherous Khumbu Icefall (even after the fixed ladders were removed for the season)," the company said in a social media post. "This is nothing short of a miracle."
It was unclear how Dawa became separated from his client during the descent or why there was a delay in launching a search team when he went missing last week. Helicopters were eventually dispatched but failed to locate him.
His rescue came at the end of a record-breaking Everest climbing season. More than 1,000 climbers and guides reached the summit this year after Nepal issued a record 494 permits.
The actual eco-friendliness of ecotourism varies considerably. One research station in the Peruvian Amazon is out to prove it can bring visitors to the area without disrupting the environment.
As the conflict in Iran disrupts the world’s oil supply, airlines are looking for jet fuel alternatives. The answer: energy from used cooking oil and french fry grease.
From San Francisco to Stockholm, a new generation of electric ferries is entering passenger service, marking a tipping point for green maritime technology.
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