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Traveling around Skyros with a local
Hello! I am back from Skyros, my favorite Greek island. During my 10-day stay, I reconnected with my family, swam in the crystalline waters of the Aegean, relaxed by the sea reading novels and poetry, savored Skyrian delicacies (see below), and sipped cocktails. This was the fourth time I visited Skyros as an adult, and it certainly won’t be the last. In fact, I’m already making plans to visit again next summer. There are quite a few reasons why Skyros is the island I have visited the most; I have highlighted those in my post ‘Skyros: the island of wellness and wellbeing’, published in January 2019. Today, I would like…
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A musical journey to the Greek islands (Part 2)
Hello! I’m currently in Skyros, my late grandfather’s home island, a great place to unwind, relax and enjoy some peace and quiet. One may argue that most Greek islands are such places. True. However, there is a very good reason why Skyros tops that list. The island is home to Skyros Center, Europe’s first course-based holiday center. Located in the middle of the Aegean, Skyros is the largest and southernmost of the Sporades islands (the other three of the group are Skiathos, Skopelos, and Alonissos). I’ve been here for a few days now, having driven all the way from Thessaloniki (a six-hour drive to the east coast of Evia, followed…
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Fanouropita: a Rhodes-inspired recipe
Saint Fanourios, the patron saint of Rhodes, is commemorated tomorrow, 27 August. Fanourios means the one who reveals (fanerono means reveal in Greek), and according to the tradition, Saint Fanourios helps people find their lost belongings or even missing persons. In Rhodes and other places in Greece and Cyprus, believers bake a cake called fanouropita on 26 August; then, the following day, they take it to the church where it is blessed and then offered to more believers. Despite its name, fanouropita is not a pie (pita means pie in Greek), but a fasting cake made with 7, 9, or 11 ingredients (always an odd number). Alex’s fanouropita To make it healthier,…
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A musical journey to the Greek islands (Part 1)
Hello! It’s been 10 days since I arrived in Greece. So far, I have stayed in my hometown, Thessaloniki, but I will soon visit Skyros, my late grandfather’s home island. Although Skyros is a short flight from Thessaloniki (25-30 minutes), I’m going to take the long way round: drive to the east coast of Evia (6 hours), then take the ferry to Skyros (an hour and a half). Once upon a time, I would have made several mixtapes for the road. Instead, I have compiled a 3-hour playlist, a musical journey to the Greek islands. Today, I’m sharing the first half of my playlist, 22 songs in total. A musical…
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6 delicious Greek summer recipes
Hello! I’m finally back in Greece. As much as I enjoy living in London, I sometimes get quite homesick. There are actually two things from my home country that I have missed the most: the delicious food and the summer, hot, sunny and care-free. 2020 has been a very challenging year for most of us. International travel restrictions have taken a toll on many people, including serial travelers like myself. Mindful of the fact that many readers of this blog may not have traveled this year, I would like to give you a taste of the Greek summer and share some of my favorite Greek summer recipes. Greek summer recipes…
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10 Icelandic films and TV series to watch
Last year, I embarked on ‘a musical journey to Iceland‘, a country that I am yet to visit in person. Then, I went on ‘a cinematic journey to the Nordic countries‘, whereas earlier this year, I embarked on a wellbeing journey inspired and accompanied by the Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson. Since then, I happened to have watched several beautiful Icelandic films and TV series. So, today, I’m embarking on another virtual journey to the Land of Fire and Ice to re-visit those Icelandic films and TV series I’ve watched. Icelandic Films The County ‘The County’ (‘Héraðið’) was one of the first films I watched at the cinema, once cinemas were…
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There’s more to Greek cheeses than feta
My home country, Greece, has about six thousand islands of which 227 are inhabited (according to visitgreece.gr). Yet, most people would not be able to name more than a dozen, and perhaps would visit even fewer during their lifetimes. Crete, Santorini and Mykonos are amongst the first ones to come to mind, and were the most visited islands in 2019. I’ve always believed that popularity is not a proxy for worth (whether we refer to a travel destination, a cultural product, or a politician), which kind of goes against my democratic values, but let’s save this debate for another time. Back to Greece… There’s so much more to the Greek…
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Sweet v Savory Tomato & Feta Cheesecake
Hello & happy Cheesecake Day! Since July 30 is the National Cheesecake Day in the US, I thought it’d be a great opportunity for an extra mid-week post to share a couple of cheesecake recipes. I’d always thought of cheesecake as an American dessert. It was only recently that I learned that cheesecake (albeit not quite as we know it) may have been a popular dish in ancient Greece. In fact, Aegimus, a fellow Greek physician, wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes – the earliest mention of cheesecake in (written) history. The earliest cheesecake recipes are found in ‘De Agri Cultura’, a book by the Roman historian Cato the Elder. Nowadays, Greeks…
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From the Travelin’ Soldier to gaslighting
I have been a Dixie Chicks fan since the early noughties, when I realized that there was more to country music than the country-pop crossover hits by Shania Twain, Faith Hill and LeAnn Rimes. Back then, the American band, composed of Natalie Maines, Emily Robison (now called Strayer) and Martie Maguire, was on the top of the US country music charts, and their albums were selling millions of copies. Then, in 2003, the US invaded Iraq, and the Chicks (as they’re currently called) embarked on their Top of the World Tour, came to London, and the rest is history. Fast forward 17 years later, the trio has just released ‘Gaslighter’,…
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Island-hopping in the Cyclades
The Cyclades. A group of islands in the Aegean Sea, so close to each other (island-hopping, anyone?) and yet so different. Like a group of old friends, each of them has her own distinct personality, her own unique character, her own charm. Syros is the quiet leader, Mykonos her loud, party-loving, gay-friendly neighbor. With equal parts of hedonism and glamour, she is comfortably nestled between religious Tinos and chaste, pure Delos. Santorini is the popular one, classic pageant material, the queen of Instagram (#Santorini: 6,122,817 posts). Then, there’s Folegandros. Stepping out of her sister’s shadow, she’s trendy and vibrant; some may call her hipster. Star-quality Amorgos is as enchanting as adventurous. …