CHRISTMAS IN ATHENS, GREECE

      Christmas is right around the corner and the season is in full swing in Greece, too!

      The City of Athens and other cities all over the country have dressed up with Christmas spirit. Holiday decorations are set up in streets and squares, musical and artistic events are scheduled and my city is turning into a a never-ending carousel of festivities.

      Even though Christmas in Athens in the past was a richly decorated affair, I'm afraid the financial crisis won't allow extravagant displays/celebrations this year.

      Nevertheless, the Municipality of Athens has some activities scheduled:

      On Tuesday, December 11 the holiday festivities will officially begin with the lighting up of Syntagma square downtown Athens that is usually accompanied by The City of Athens Philharmonic. 16 Christmas trees created by art students will be the main attraction this year combined with a huge ice skating ring that will be free for all citizens.

      Other well-know squares and streets will be filled with music and dancers entertaining passer-bys and spreading the Christmas spirit.

      There will also be "Christmas workshops" inviting youngsters to participate in toy making workshops or be entertained by pantomime.

There are also special events planned to welcome the New Year with a fantastic party featuring hundreds of fireworks and music performed by popular artists.

I will be posting more of this year's photos in upcoming posts. For now check out Athens from previous years:

There's also a post coming up with interesting Greek Christmas customs!
Stay tuned!!!






Photos are courtesy of Google image and glittergraphics.com

METEORA

Meteora

 



      In this post, I wanted to share with you an absolutely amazing and awe inspiring video with 'unearthy' landscapes of a place in Greece called Meteora which literally means “suspended in the air”.

                 

      Meteora is an area in Thessaly (Central Greece) and what makes it so special is the monasteries on the top of these enormous rock towers.

      Access to the monasteries was originally (and deliberately) difficult and until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these eyries was by means of long ladders lashed together, as well as baskets and ropes.

 

      The Meteora is a protected Unesco World Heritage Site.

OXI DAY!

This Sunday (October 28th) we celebrate OXI Day!

    

      OXI, (oh-hee) means NO!  It is a national Greek holiday that is celebrated every year throughout Greece, Cyprus and the Greek communities around the world, to commemorate the rejection by Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas of the ultimatum made by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on October 28, 1940. The ultimatum demanded that Greece allow enemy forces to enter Greek territory and occupy certain "strategic locations" or otherwise face war. It was answered with a single word: OXI!!! (NO!)

 

      This  marked the date in 1940 when Greece entered WWII. After the World War II it became a national holiday in Greece and Cyprus.

     

      The novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin (which became a movie in 2001 wth Nicolas Cage, Penélope Cruz and John Hurt) features a fictionalized account of the meeting between Metaxas and Grazzi, written from Grazzi's point of view.

      The anniversary of 28th October 1940 is for all Greeks, one of the most important and glorious moments of our modern history. It is commemorated every year in every city, town or village with an official service held at the church, the laying of wreaths at statues/monuments dedicated to the WW2 war heroes and with  student parades. On this anniversary, most public buildings and residences are decorated with Greek flags. 

      In Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, celebrations of Oxi Day culminate in a large, lavish military parade down the main boulevard, during which military airplanes fly over the city in proud formations.

 

 

 

All photos are courtesy of Google images.

 

CRETE

A video of the beautiful island of Crete. Enjoy!



Incredible Crete Spot (5min) from Incredible Crete on Vimeo.

I AM GREEK AND I WANT TO GO HOME - Official Slideshow Trailer

"I AM GREEK AND I WANT TO GO HOME"

 

Independent Movement for the repatriation of looted Greek antiquities

 

          

MASTICHA: A NATURAL MEDICINE AND COSMETIC

Masticha: the wonderful and legendary elixir!

                             

        In this post I am going to tell you about the Masticha (Μαστίχα in Greek) which has been known since antiquity. You may already know it and if you don't read on to learn about this pure and unprocessed product.

      Masticha  is a 100% Greek product that is not produced in any other part of the world except Greece. More specifically, it is produced only in the island of Chios and is protected by the European Union as an exclusively Greek product, being granted Protected Designation of Origin.

 

      Why only on Chios? Well, this has been the subject of much research. Even though people tried to take masticha to different countries in the past, amazingly enough masticha is impossible to grow in any other part of the world except Chios. (Maybe it's the soil, I wouldn't know!) 

It is a natural product that comes from mastic trees, which are small evergreen trees,  native to the island.  this “tear” becomes solid and gives the  fragrant mastiha Mastiha flows like a tear drop from the trunk of the tree afterit having been slit by the villagers with the use of a sharp tool.             Mastiha is harvested during the summer and it is hard work where patience is also required.  (Unfortunately, this past August the production of masticha was threatened by a huge forest fire that destroyed many masticha groves.)

 Masticha looks like off-white, semi-transparent droplets/tears

      What also makes the Masticha unique is that it has so many uses. 

       It is used in cooking (every Greek pantry has it) and baking. It is considered a spice and it can flavor everything and anything, from breads and pastries, to tomato sauces and soups.  Masticha is an important ingredient in  the New Year's traditional vasilopita (St. Basil's Pie) and the special Easter bread (tsoureki). (One of my favorites is masticha ice cream! Yum!) 

 

   Another favorite is the hypovrihio (which means submarine). It is in an almost solid thick creamy form mixed with honey or sugar and spooned into cold water. It sinks, hence submarine!  It's a refreshing drink/sweet treat that kids (and not only) absolutely love!

 
 
 

   Masticha is used extensively in the production of alcoholic beverages, the famous ouzo and other liqueurs.
The liqueur known as 'Masticha of Chios'  
is served accompanied by a dessert after each meal or alongside coffee. It is served at restaurants after meals as it is very digestive!
 
 
 
       The resin itself makes a fantastic chewing gum named Masticha, which not only lasts a long time without disintegrating, it also freshens breath and whitens teeth. It has been proven that it can reduce bacterial plaque in the mouth by 41.5% which makes it excellent for oral hygiene. Many toothpastes and mouthwashes have masticha as their main ingredient.
 
 
      Late studies have confirmed - what was already known since ancient times - that Masticha is good for your health. It has therapeutic qualities and therefore has medicinal and pharmaceutical applications.

      Masticha is a traditional remedy for stomach aches and heartburn, and has of late been proven as a treatment and cure for peptic ulcers.

 

      Regular consumption has been proven to absorb cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of heart attacks and easing high blood pressure. It also helps reduce triglycerides and total lipid levels.
 

lotion

     
 
      Masticha oil has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and is widely used for ointments for skin disorders and afflictions including eczema, burns and frostbite.

soap
 

      It is also good for your skin and hair which is why it is used in cosmetics and beauty products such as soaps, lotions for hair and skin and even perfumes! Check out Korres Natural Products  or Mastic Spa.
     
      You can also find masticha products at The Masticha Shop (there is one in New York).

Have you ever used masticha or any masticha product?

  



Photos are courtesy of Google images.

SUMMER VACATION 2012 (PART 4)

               

PHOTOS

                    (PART 4: Places we visited)



An oak tree with a story. Legend has it that when this tree dries up the village will disappear (meaning it will be completely deserted and become a ghost town).

       Okay, Part 4 and last! I know it almost became a TV series but I took soooo many photos and I wanted to share them with you. I really hope you enjoyed them and I didn't tire you!

 

       Well, here I have some photos from my mom's hometown. My mom spent her childhood on the high and rugged Pinthos mountains of Ipiros, in a village of the Souli area, called Agia Kiriaki. Back then, it was a very large and thriving village but as people started migrating to flat lands of lower altitude the village gradually became decayed and abandoned. Today, very few people (mostly of old age) remain in the village. 

 

Ruins of what once used to be a house

 

SUMMER VACATION 2012 (PART 3)

               

PHOTOS

 
                    (PART 3: Plants and Animals)

      The vacation saga continues with Part 3 (check out Part 1 and Part 2) - interesting plants and animals (we don't encounter in the city).





Every village in the Greek countryside has a "platano" tree (which is a kind of Sycamore Maple tree) in the middle of the village or town square. It offers plenty of shade and often tavernas set their tables right under its branches.



This next plant really astonished us with the pretty complexity of its flower bud...

SUMMER VACATION 2012 (PART 2)

                                                 PHOTOS 

(Part 2: Ocean and river)

       OK here's Part 2, the photos I promised of the ocean and the river. As I mentioned in Part 1, we stayed in a small village called Ammoudia, which is located on the banks of the river Acherontas AND by the ocean! 

      As the beach was only about 100m away from the hotel we...

                      ...were walking through the trees..

...across the hot sand...

SUMMER VACATION 2012 PART 1

                                                 PHOTOS 

     (Part 1: Destination 2012 = Ipiros)

      A very long way from Athens in the northwestern part of the country lies Ipiros (look at the map). It is 520 km (323 miles) away from Athens. It is my mother's hometown and that's where we went to this year for our vacation. Last time we had been there was 6 years ago and the kids were too young to remember much.
     Well, we had a blast! I took so many photos I had to categorise them for the blog and show them to you in parts. 

PHOTOS FROM GREECE - Part 2