No man is an island

Lower wages, higher cost of living, unemployment, property taxes, taxes on the poor, pensions being cut, austerity measures: these are the subjects that monopolize conversations among friends today. Surprisingly, everyone agrees!

These past years something has started to change in the way we perceive things, in the way we think and in the way we react. The financial crisis, besides all the sufferings, seems to have triggered something positive in our society, something that we all needed: simplicity and solidarity.

There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we had forgotten in our thirst for intricate solutions.

Yes, I am sure that this financial crisis is changing our personal behavior and this change may very well change our whole society. In these difficult times, full of uncertainties, disillusionment and worries, we have the opportunity to come closer to one another , to show solidarity – a word long forgotten – to empower “us” as opposed to “I” and to say NO to social isolation – nobody alone any more, nobody helpless anymore!

We have started investing in our relationships with our family and our fellow human beings, proving that the uncertainty, the fear and our common agony for the future during these confusing times can be faced with a smile, a helping hand, a warm dish of food to those in need.

We build deep and loving relationships by doing simple things together, like family dinners, home evenings and by just having fun together. In all relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time. We talk with, rather than about, each other. We learn from each other, and we appreciate our differences as well as our commonalities.

And from these manifestations of human solidarity, let’s try and win back our emotional wealth which was absent from our lives these past years : emotionally wealthy societies always remain rich regardless of the difficulties and never ever go bankrupt!

No man is an island entire of itself. Each is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. (John Donne)

As you set out for Ithaki...

Odysseus, the legendary king of Ithaki took 10 years to return home after the fall of Troy.

He helped to win a war, he encountered many mythical creatures, he fought against terrifying monsters, he talked to the mighty gods and he became one of the greatest heroes ever. But all he ever wanted - was to go home.

This is a story of the course of man towards his roots and his own existence in this perpetual adventure of life and the immense struggle for survival.

Nearly 3000 years later, the remains of his home have been found, proving that Homer’s epic, this fabulous tale of persistence, courage and bravery is rooted in truth!

A team of archaeologists from the University of Ioannina found the remains of an extensive three storey building, with steps carved out of rock, fragments of pottery and a well from the 8^th century BC, the period Odysseus is believed to have been king of Ithaki.

So many unanswered questions: was Homer, the blind poet of Chios, a real person? Was Odysseus, the brave king of Ithaki, a real person? There is a lot of debate on both subjects, scholars disagree, but since there is no reliable biographical information, all theories stand. Let’s not forget that Troy was thought to be a fictional place but it came to be recognized as a real place through Schliemann's archaeological endeavors.

Both the Iliad and the Odyssey are two of my favorites to read and re-read, so I like to think that Homer was a real poet and that Odysseus was a real person.

Maybe the future will do justice to my beliefs….

More ink done!

I’m now certain there is nothing more satisfying for me than getting a tattoo. The sad part is that it took me 50 years to discover this. Last year I had my first tattoo and I was forever transformed. I crossed the threshold into a new phase of life—pre-tattoo to post-tattoo. And I’m never looking back. And I definitely plan on getting more ink done!

It’s been years and years that I was considering getting a tattoo, but now I know that I just wasn’t ready because when I was ready, I didn’t “consider” it, I just got it!

I don’t feel like I base my identity around having tattoos. I have no profound literature to explain why I got my tats, or their deeper meaning. There is nothing “rebellious” about them, they’re just decoration, like permanent jewelry – they’re pretty, they’re fun. You just gotta take things lightly in life!

And about the “problem” of what they are going to look like in a few years on my aging, droopy skin – as opposed to what? To the glory of an un-tattooed aging, droopy skin? Who is going to care anyway when I’m eighty?

For me, tattoos are like a time machine. With them, I send messages to my older self. With them, I will never forget the day I got them, the things I want more in my life - love, passion, wealth, joy, belly laughs, high vibrations, creativity, security, closeness…

Harvest the sun!

The eternal bright light of Attica!

It is almost a century ago that 24-year-old Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, the future Le Corbusier, visited Athens for the first time. Three weeks in Athens under the unmatchable Attica sun left a lasting impression on the father of modernism. For Le Corbusier, the essentials were space, order and light: the three things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep. For him, the light in Attica differs from the light in any other place in the entire world. The daylight in Athens really differs from light in London, Berlin, Paris or New York…

Here, more than any in other place in the world, the light emphasizes the beauty and pureness of everything! Lines become more graceful, colors are clean and mellow, the Attica light brings out the harmonious diversity of shapes and figures.

It is no wonder that every year, many tourists visiting the Acropolis, or sitting at the temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion, respectfully observe the alterations of the colors and the shades during daytime and even more during sundown.

An ordinary and indifferent neighborhood in Athens with all the TV antennas, the impersonal and boring apartment buildings, all the concrete around, becomes fascinating thanks to the unique Attica light.

I guess that all this led Bernanrd Tschumi to decide to expose the findings of the Acropolis under the natural Attica light streaming through the museum’s walls of glass.

Pita gyro ap'ola

Souvlaki “pita, gyro, ap’ola”: the quintessential Greek dish!

The power of the souvlaki is strong!

I’m really picky when it comes to souvlaki.

I never eat it at home, when we order, because by the time the delivery boy knocks on our door, this delicious meaty and crunchy treat has become all soft, soggy and squelchy. I prefer enjoying it on the spot right next to the scent of the sizzling meat. I know that my clothes and my hair, all of me smells like I actually was smoked, so I just make sure I have nothing planned for after dinner, or else I’d show up with this revolting smell like I had been sitting in a smokehouse all day. This being said, trust me, it’s really worth it.

Picture this : The large fatty gyro spatter turning in front of the fire, the whole is jumbled like a spool of kite string after it’s been wrapped by a six-year old. Juicy and greasy slices of gyro are shaved off as it becomes done directly onto the grilled pita… Of course, the pita has been brushed with olive oil before it is thrown on the grill. On top come the ruby, succulent mouth-watering tomatoes, slices of strong hot onions, a spoonful or two of creamy spicy tzatziki, all this sprinkled with lots of sweet paprika.

It all comes wrapped in wax paper which keeps it all together and you eat it like you are peeling a banana. Then just take a big meaty and juicy bite! It can be messy, but who cares?

Sometimes chicken is used instead of gyros, a heretic variation to make the  souvlaki healthier. When health consciousness and dietary restrictions hit the Greek menu, there can only be trouble… Souvlaki is pork, period. It’s not chicken. What’s next? Turkey? Others put the oddest things in the pita: French fries. What is that? The effect is totally ruined by throwing in hot oily fried potatoes. Not only does the souvlaki suffer, but think about the French fries themselves in the steamy envelope of the pita, all together becoming an ugly and soggy ensemble…

Lets stay true to the good old greasy, crunchy, meaty original version and then spend the rest of the evening with garlic breath!

I know it’s not exactly diet food, but who cares?

A colorful obsession!

Macarons can inspire an obsession that cannot easily be shaken. Obviously I am hooked! Parisian macarons… I love these airy meringue sandwiches with a smooth domed top and bottom and a light filling, mildly moist, that easily melt in the mouth. They’re crunchy on the outside with chewiness on the inside. Cute as can be, they capture the elegance of Paris.

They’re stylish, they’re fun – a combination of textures and flavors that has no equal – the selection is mind blowing! A gazilion of dazzling colors and flavors of perfection! They’re ethereal, indulgent and highly addictive.

I adore Parisian macarons because they explode with flavor (jasmine, vanilla, cassis, lemon, chocolate, green tea…). Each and every one has different characteristics, sweet and floral, bittersweet, salty, sweet and sour.

But what I love the most are the colors. The color palette is endless – all colors you could wish for, bright, pastel, delicate colors, from passionate red to tender pink, from quiet beige to cheery yellow, confident blue, royal purple, graceful lavender…. Each colorful little gem explodes with flavor.

My absolute favorite is lavender & mint – love the taste, adore the color!!!

The Aegean sculpture

About a month ago, I was for a few days in Mykonos, where one night, while walking around the Chora, I saw under the weak moonlight the most beautiful Aegean sculpture, Panagia Paraportiani! The little white church looked like something much more than a religious building, so I called it a sculpture, a work of art. Next morning, I went back to see the sculpture bathing in the morning sunlight.

The little church is adapted with wisdom to the residents’ daily needs and is included in a spectacular way in the simple beauty of the Cycladic landscape. The wisdom of the economy of materials limited in minimal internal space, ingenuity that was necessary for surviving under hard conditions, the exploitation of favorable orientation for the protection from the Aegean winds and the cold, match up architecture with its natural possessing landscape and thus make it part of nature itself.

The unique flowing curves of the whitewashed cubes, their smooth and asymmetrical shapes, this cleanliness of forms, under the blinding Aegean light, in dimensions near the scale of a person compose a fascinating movie set. Their smooth-edged corners give out a sense of space and freedom, as the air is delicately carving them year after year.

Unique and charming, every sculpture-church in the Cyclades seems to be designed by the hand of the same artist – works of art bound together in perfect harmony, with stunning simplicity but with a daring style!