Friday, October 10, 2014

Samburu County Assembly from Kenya visits HCMR




October 2014 Hellenic Center for Marine Research Anavissos Attika

The Consulate of Kenya provided us with a visiting group of Kenyan dignitaries from Samburu County Assembly who met with researchers at HCMR headquarters in Anavissos. During their brief morning visit to our premises they were informed of our work as an education component to their tour of Greece.

The group visited HCMR library and were briefed by librarian Mrs. Popi Panagiotoglou. I later accompanied the group to a nearby beach close to our premises, Agios Nikolaos. At Agios Nikolaos, we visited the old Byzantine church at the Tombolo headland, a WWII bunker, the views to the south across the cliffs and the lagoon wetland...now a legally protected area (and a great attraction for visiting distinguished guests!).  

All our new-found friends loved the meeting at our premises, the views and the Aegean Sea! I was impressed to learn that our Attika landscape is somewhat similar in form to the beautiful hill country at Samburu County Kenya!! Anyway, this time of year the Attika coastline has lovely gentle shine and tranquil peace. 

It was so wonderful to meet members of the Samburu Assembly and exchange ideas - including interest in collaboration. The tour was conducted with great care to detail by Mr. Njeru Bernard Gitonga (the tour leader from Kenya) and my friend Smaragda Adamantiadou who works at the Consulate. I thank the honorary consul Mrs.Vicky Pantazopoulou from the Consulate of Kenya in Athens for her initiatives to bring Greece and Africa closer together.

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For more about Samburu County Assemblay:
http://samburucountyassembly.or.ke/office-of-the-speaker/