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.