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!

Under the stars

One of my favorite summer evening activities is going to an open air cinema! An evening at the outdoor cinema isn’t merely about what’s showing on the screen. For us Greeks, going to the outdoor movies in summer is something of a cultural tradition – it’s a typical Greek phenomenon and it’s an integral part of our identity.

We, Greeks, really adore to spend the hot summer evenings in open air cinemas. We love the huge screen and the dark sky above.  We love to see occasionally a falling star and make a wish.

Some say that open air cinemas are a direct extension of the tradition of ancient Greek drama which was always staged in open air theaters…

Ritual elements like the floral decor of bougainvillea and jasmine, the gravel underfoot, the director's chairs, and the cold beer and potato chips are inextricably linked to the experience of the outdoor cinema and, besides that, there’s no denying that a moonlit summer night with a star-filled sky forming a second screen in the sky, is definitely an enchanting experience loved by everyone.

Open air cinemas are the trademark of Greek summer and we are all waiting for them to open with eagerness. The beginning of summer projections is the signal for us to leave our houses and fill the terraces and backyards enjoying a cool drink and a snack.

Nothing compares to a night out with friends to an open air cinema and under the stars, cooled by the summer breeze.

The plastic or director’s chairs, the little table in the middle, a refreshing drink, classic popcorns or nachos, and enjoy!

Summertime in Greece wouldn't be the same without the open air cinemas and there’s no better way to kick off a summer evening!

And for us, cigarette-loving Greeks, it's fine to smoke away during the movie…

To smile like a god!

To smile: To express amusement, pleasure, moderate joy, or love and kindness, by the features of the face; to laugh silently.

A mysterious smile: the archaic smile! The significance of this mysterious, thin lipped smile is not known. It is a smile which suggested a feeling of happiness, perhaps echoing the prosperity and relative peace of the time. Artists felt it represented that they were blessed by the gods in their actions.

The ancient Greek approach to life, where everything had a human measure and the passions of the gods did not differ from those of the mortals gave art a new dimension. For the first time in ancient Greek art the world of the gods is not different from that of the mortals, gods and mortals are presented in exactly the same way. Gods are approachable, almost friendly. The Greek ideal of beauty involved Gods looking like humans and humans looking like Gods!

The archaic smile could not have existed without this kind of ideological background.

The archaic smile, the main characteristic of the archaic art expresses the joy and exultation of man before the miracle of life.

The ancient Greek artist invented his own self and became the creator of god and man alike in a universe of perfect formal proportions, idealized aesthetic values and a newly found sense of freedom. This was a freedom from barbarism and tyranny and a transition towards self-determination. The sculptures of Greece, more than any other art form, are the pure expression of freedom, self-consciousness, and self-determination.

The journey of sculpture in ancient Greece begins with the kouroi (the majestic naked young men who represent eternal youth, beauty and power) and the korai (the clothed young maidens, obedient and immobile, representing feminine grace and humility). On their faces a mysterious smile bestowing a sense of abundant vivacity, both expressing the trust to the human power.

Archaic art is a silent witness to the extraordinary development western society was about to undertake. The Kouros and Kori statues stand before a cultural revolution, all muscles tense, like a spring about to burst with energy into an extraordinary wave of classical thought. They stand with meaningful smiles, as if they knew what was about to occur: the classical era and the Golden Age of Greek thought.

How far away are we from this approach?

A shock to democracy

Sunday, May 6^th : election day, a tribute to democracy! What a day! What a disappointing day…

Supposedly the most important elections in Greece, supposedly the Greek people voted responsibly in accordance to each one’s knowledge, education and perception. And here is what we got as a result of our democracy, here’s our truth, here’s our own reflection.

I believed that these elections were super important for my country, but I guess that it was not the case for 40% of my countrymen. Yes, 40% of Greeks were completely indifferent – as for four out of ten Greeks, these elections were not in their priorities list.

And then, hundreds of thousands Greeks, 8,4%,  freely choose to vote for the neo-nazis. Neo-nazis gathered enough votes to win 21 seats in the Greek parliament and parliamentary immunity.

This is a true shock to democracy. The general results of May 6^th elections have shocked our political scene, but the biggest shock comes from this result.

It is very disappointing that in a country like Greece, the cradle of democracy, where so many were killed fighting the Nazis during WWII that a neo-nazi party is now in parliament.

Even before the elections, members of Chrysi Avgi have been carrying out acts of violence and hate crimes against illegal immigrants, political opponents and ethnic minorities.

Some years ago, unknown suspects vandalized the Monastirioton synagogue, a memorial for Holocaust victims and Jewish cemeteries in Thessaloniki and Athens. There were claims that Chrysi Avgi's symbols, a swastika-like logo, were present at all four sites.

The Chrysi Avgi bookshop sells Hitler's Mein Kampf and other neo-nazi propaganda.

During the elections, young party supporters with shaved heads and wearing black shirts with the Chrysi Avgi symbol set up vigilante groups to protect Greeks from immigrants. They have been blamed for several attacks on foreigners. Is this the way to make our country safe?

It’s true that Chrysi Avgi’s anti-immigrant campaign has put the spotlight on an issue long ignored by the political mainstream :the large inflow of immigrants, now representing 10 percent of the population. But is this the best way my country can deal with the issue?

The party’s election platform includes plans to landmine Greece’s borders, immediately arrest and expel illegal immigrants, and set up special labor camps for legal immigrants.

Right after the initial results of the election, the leader of Chrysi Avgi held a press conference. During the conference and before he entered the room, his party’s officials demanded that everybody should rise as an ovation to the leader. Should a journalist refuse to stand, they must leave the room (voluntarily or by force).

What if they show similar improper behavior in the Greek parliament?

Are we about to witness the return of stiff-armed salutes and fascist flags?

Are we entering an era of xenophobia, fanaticism, intimidation, social unrest and racism?

The New Acropolis Museum : A valuable moment for any architect

How can I even star to describe what I felt during my first visit and what I feel every single time that I return?
On Dionysiou Areopagitou, southeast of the Parthenon, a location carefully selected to enable a dialogue between the Museum’s exhibition spaces and the Acropolis, it provides a safe and beautiful home for the masterpieces of the Acropolis ensuring that they are given the prominence that they deserve and reminds people of the need to bring back the Parthenon marbles gruesomely carved out by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century.

Bernard Tschumi and Michalis Fotiadis, the architects, created this modernist building whose simple and precise design invokes the mathematical and conceptual clarity of ancient Greek architecture.

Natural light smoothly entering the building from all sides gives it an almost ethereal feel, besides its huge volume, and you probably won’t get the usual “museum fatigue” feel that you may associate with other large museums.

Nothing had prepared me for the beauty of the museum until I entered the gallery of the slopes with the inclined glass floor that alludes to the ascent to the Acropolis itself. This inclined floor is a dramatic design point as, in antiquity, the slopes of the Sacred Rock of the Acropolis constituted the transition zone between the city and its most famous sanctuary. And behind me, monitoring my every move, the Cariatides overlooking the gallery of the Acropolis slopes. You ascend until you reach the main gallery on the next level.

The contrast from the ground floor to the Archaic Gallery is spectacular. The space suddenly opens up and the sunlight flooding into this gallery completely changes the atmosphere of the museum. This immense area is filled with the great light of Attica streaming through the gallery’s wall of glass. The experience of walking around the beautiful statues and marbles, not just in front of them, is unique and created a sense of intimacy between the me and the exhibits, a unique feeling of peace and serenity.

The raison d’être of the museum, however, is its third floor, the Parthenon Gallery, a rectangular, glass-enclosed, sky-lit space that is rotated 23 degrees from the rest of the building so as to align with the Parthenon. The direct visual contact with the Parthenon, the actual marbles, though fragmented and disembodied (friezes, metopes and pediments) took my breath away.

Honestly, a priceless visit!

A joyful annoucement

Greece is one of the few countries in the world where the folk dances are as alive today as they were in ancient times. Dance has always played an important role in the life of a Greek. It is an expression of human feelings and everyday life.
The Greeks danced at religious festivals, ceremonies; they danced to ensure fertility; they danced to prepare for war and to celebrate victories; they danced at weddings; they danced to overcome depression and to cure physical illness.
Almost every dance has a story to tell.
The islands offer joyous dances, graceful, flirtatious with a “watery” flow to them.
The rugged mountainous and steep gorges impose heavy garments and boots, so the dances tend to be slow, heavy and danced with immense dignity. In the fertile plains of Thessalia, dances are slow and controlled and a strong physique is necessary. In Northern Greece, dances become thrilling, boisterous, lively and very sharp.
My friend Ageliki (the very first one dancing!) with her dancing group are dancing the “Kageli”, from Greece’s mainland. “Kageli” in the local dialect means joyful announcement and people used to dance it during celebrations that gathered the whole village together. It starts with a slow and controlled tempo and becomes more lively.
Happy birthday Agelikoula! Enjoy!

Manos Hatzidakis meets jazz

Manos Hatzidakis, the greatest musical genius of Greece! His name has been written with golden letters in the music history of Greece since 1960. Hatzidakis created a personal style which no one can forget. He focused on the economy of expression, the deep traditional roots and the genuineness of emotion.

Gifted, melancholic, sensitive, wonderful... Manos Hatzidakis has marked Greek music with his work, leaving a huge legacy behind him. He was one of the most important Greek composers, the most romantic and soul-touching according to many people who still fall in love and daydream with his music.

A few months ago, I had the honor of enjoying the Athens Camerate orchestra performing along with some of the most distinguished Greek Jazz musicians, some of the best known melodies of Manos Hatzidakis, adapted in the language of jazz.

A vivid musical meeting arising spontaneously from free thinking and improvisation, in full harmony with Manos Hatzidakis’ work and his cosmopolitan way of thinking.

Enjoy!

Stepping forward : A hero's Journey

Dr Joseph Riggio describes himself: “First of all I would say I'm a transformational change artist, often working in the capacity of an applied mythologist, helping my clients to discover the myths they are organized around and that drive the perceptions, decisions and actions that produce the results they are getting (or sometimes the ones they aren't getting yet)”.
He is renown for the capacity of his insight to what motivates people to action, both personally and professionally, and his ability to organize the means to articulate the specific messages that will move these individuals to actually taking action.
I had the enormous luck to watch his inspirational speech during TEDx Academy “Step Forward” in Athens, in October.
And now, my friend Pantelis has sent me this amazing video!
In this video, Dr. Joseph Riggio explores the topic of how our stories shape the worlds we live in, as individual and collectively. He speaks to the way our education influences our ability to shape the stories we are living, what's missing from our schools - and how we can add back in what most essential to reshape the future we're creating. “If you don’t take control of the stories that you’re living, then you’ll be living someone else’s story…”

We'll work it out...

For two years, we Greeks have been wondering what happened to us. How did our country go from being the richest and strongest in the Balkans to a desperate loan junkie, dependent on increasingly impatient partners and creditors?
Just a few years earlier, in 2004, Athens had hosted an excellent Olympic Games. We managed to get organized in time to present the world with a successful combination of aesthetic perfection and technical achievement that was a faint, but true, echo of the classical era which, since its flash in the 5th century BC, has been the standard by which every Greek has been judged…

If the financial crisis has taught us anything, it is that we save too little, spend too much, and borrow excessively living beyond our means. Of course, it’s our government and our banks that first normalized such practices. Debt has been with us since the beginning of time! Greece had become like a casino where the gambler hoped to win money through greed. Our government and our banks encouraged us to lie about our assets and plunge into greater and greater debt. Liars and cheaters were the first to be rewarded. And now public trust, this precious gift, has completely disappeared.

We Greeks used to live a relaxed life – not any more. We used to spend our time deeply engrossed in our politics, our easy life and our football – not any more. We used to have an endless tolerance for our nation’s political incompetence and bureaucratic delays – not any more.

This crisis has reminded us of one great thing : the eternal wisdom of "know thyself", the cornerstone of ancient Greek thinking. We must find the courage to become honest and true to ourselves because then we can be true and honest to others. We must become more rigorous with our politicians. In a very real sense, the politicians we elect are our employees and must be committed to do what is best for us. Liars and cheaters should not be rewarded with big bonuses, but should be banished. We must teach our children to distinguish right from wrong and good from bad. It is time to set our moral compass so that our decisions are not governed by mere personal gain.

Because despite the crisis, we still love our country, our togetherness, our opportunities to celebrate, never missing a moment to spend with friends or family. We love our history, our customs and our superstitions. We love our summers for the watermelons they bring and our winters for the cold sunny days. We love being different, confusing and unique. Though this country has never had wealth, it has always had talented people. We will think of ways to work our way out of this mess…

Giorgio, the gift guru!!!

At last, after SOOO MUCH hesitation and stress, he did it! We MAG is real!

We Market / Advise / Give : and that’s exactly what he does. He provides assistance in any way possible and helps with ideas for promotional gifts, teasers, giveaways…Whether our needs are for promotional stuff, or branded clothes, or conference items, or menu stands, or bags, or wines, or food, or scarves, or tiny brown boxes with blue ribbons, or….. Giorgio’s got it! He helps in every way possible, from artwork and design to customization; he offers solutions for all business needs.
He’s got the experience, but, most important (especially during these difficult times…), he’s reliable, honest, smart, committed, true, resourceful, with a very refined sense of good taste.
I’m sure that his entrepreneurial venture will be a huge success because he believes in it and so do I! (I’m the godmother, after all!!!)

The epic Koulouri!

Why I love to walk the streets of Athens…
When I walk down Ermou street, or when I wait at the traffic lights at Voukourestiou and Panepistimiou, I crave for a koulouri!
The koulouri, this delicious sesame seed-coated ring of bread, crunchy outside and soft inside, with a hint of sweetness is the reason I pass from these streets!
Koulouria are bagel shaped, or maybe bagels are koulouri shaped, but unlike bagels, they yield more for a crunch than for a chew. They have a slightly sweet taste without being buttery or salty like pretzels.
I simply love this casual and handy snack; it’s great to be able to do all my eating “en route”!
You can find Koulouria stands on every corner around the center, you may even come across a vender carrying them around on a stick or piled high on a tray atop his head.
In the morning Athenians stop to buy them and by noon they used to be sold out, but in recent years I’ve noticed those sellers will be around all day (and yet, their koulouria are always hot and fresh). Though they’re soft and fresh first thing in the morning, they are actually a good crunchy snack later in the day.
I just love this bread with a hint of sweetness. The sesame seeds add a nice nuttiness and, of course, everything is more fun to eat when it's ring-shaped!!!
Always deliciously fresh, the Greek koulouri is as epic as the baguette of France.

Art in windows

The once busy streets of Athens’ shopping area have been replaced with “to let” signs, as more shops close down due to the economic situation in Greece. Young artists have tried to give a temporary solution by creatively using these vacant shop windows to display their work. The “literature” behind this action is rich varying between the desire of the municipality to inject some life to these desolate streets, to give the area a good feel, to give the young artists a platform to show their works, to help the feel of the town to stay something of quality and vibrant, to get the feeling of this years’ Christmas spirit with a low (or non) budget project… The truth, however, is not as romantic as the media has advertized…
Yes, young artists have been asked to take action in bringing a sign of life to these derelict shop windows. The young artists had to cope with the bureaucratic barriers of the municipality and all institutions involved, the reluctant shop owners, the negative indignant Athenians who didn’t want shiny Christmas balls and reindeer to conceal the present economic chaos, the delayed deadlines. It took a great deal of energy to make everybody concerned understand their ideas.
And it finally came to life! 15 empty shop windows in Athens center showcase art.
The pieces can be seen on the classic shopping route leading from the city center all the way up to Kolonaki, along Stadiou, Acadimias, Voukourestiou, Amerikis, Skoufa, Solonos and Patriarchou Ioakeim streets.
Christmas and New Year are holidays, which always bear the hope for better and more successful days, but there is no way to ignore the facts of reality. These young artists offer us their unique perspective. It’s truly amazing how creative they can become in the middle of such crisis.
Their work has captured and expresses the general mood that is prevailing in Greece and in the world as a whole: unemployment, recession, poverty, confusion, abandonment, insecurity, chaos…
The project will be on display until January 7th 2012 and everyone can spend some time between work, walks or holiday shopping to understand the perception of our young Greek artists.