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My 7 favourite restaurants in Skyros
When people ask me which Greek island is my favourite, or which one to visit (a frequently asked but rather difficult question to answer), Skyros is always the first to come to mind. I have to admit that I am somewhat biased, as this is my late grandfather’s home island; not only do I have precious memories of spending my early childhood summers there, I also have beloved relatives still living on the island. For this reason, I’ve visited Skyros more times than any other island, which is why I am convinced it really is the best Greek island to visit. Having recently shared the list of my 7 favourite…
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My 7 favourite bars in Skyros
Happy New Year!!! Over the last few days, I’ve had time to relax a little, re-connect with my family, and reflect on the year just gone. On the last day of the last year, I shared my top 9 photos of 2021. Not surprisingly, most of those were from Skyros, where I spent a total of 6 weeks during the summer. Today is the last day of my Christmas holiday and I’m mentally re-visiting my home island. But, before I share the list of my 7 favourite bars in Skyros, let’s have a look at my top 9 photos of 2021. My top 9 photos of 2021 1. Top left:…
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3 days on the island of Kea (Tzia)
2022 is around the corner. As difficult as this year has been, 2021 has had some great moments, for which I am so grateful. One of those moments was in early July, when I returned to my home country, Greece, and started my summer holidays. Kea, also called Tzia, was the first island I visited, together with one of my closest friends, Elsa. Of all the Cyclades, Kea is the closest to Attica and Athens. Thanks to its close proximity to the Greek capital, Kea is an ideal weekend resort for the Athenians; for the rest of us, this beautiful island is a great summer destination. Commonly referred to as…
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From ‘No Time to Die’ to 5 films about grief
It’s been two months since ‘No Time to Die’, the twenty-fifth in the James Bond series, was released. Filming locations included some of my favourite places in the world, such as Italy (Matera), the Caribbean (Jamaica), Norway, the Faroe Islands and London. As much as I enjoyed following the fictional British MI6 agent around the world (SPOILER ALERT FOLLOWS), I was shocked by the ending, where Bond dies. A few weeks later, I attended the Leeds International Film Festival, which took place from 3 to 18 November. Interestingly, five of the six films I watched (chosen either by myself or my friend Jini) were films about grief. Drive My Car…
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Where to eat & drink in Oxford
Hello! It’s the 1st of November and it’s been 4 months since my last post ‘The Traveling Psychiatrist is ready to travel again’ (published on 26 June). So, what have I been up to in these last 4 months? First, I flew to my home country, Greece, where I stayed until the beginning of October, combining holidays with work (it’s so great that I can work from anywhere in the world as long as I have a computer and internet access). Whilst in Greece, I did a bit of island-hopping (keep an eye on my blog for tips for all these beautiful Greek islands I visited), but I also spent…
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The Traveling Psychiatrist is ready to travel again
Earlier this month, on the 16th of June, the Traveling Psychiatrist (the blog, not the blogger) turned 3 years old. This anniversary prompted me to reflect on my blogging journey so far, and re-visit the last 54 posts (published over the last 52 weeks). At the same time, fully vaccinated and on the verge of a burn-out, I have decided to take a break (from my work and from blogging) and travel again. I am not going to reveal my travel plans as yet, but I promise I will soon come back with tips about places I’ve never visited before. But before I go, I will re-visit the posts published…
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Kardemummakaka: Swedish cardamom cake
In Sweden (as well as in the rest of Scandinavia), Midsummer’s Eve is one of the most important days of the year. The celebrations involve a lot of dancing and of course eating and drinking. In 2021, it will be celebrated on Saturday 26 June, a few days after the summer solstice and the longest day of the year (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). To mark the occasion, I’ve decided to bake a moist and aromatic cardamom cake (known as kardemummakaka in Swedish). Cardamom is a widely used spice in Swedish recipes. In fact, cardamom buns (kardemummabullar) are an essential part of fika, the renowned Swedish coffee break. Fika is an essential part of…
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7 places in the Cotswolds and Gloucestershire
I recently went on a road trip to Cornwall and visited some of the places where the G7 Summit is currently taking place. I combined this road trip with a visit to the Cotswolds and Gloucestershire. Gloucestershire is a county located in South West England. The county town and the only city in Gloucestershire is Gloucester, whereas Cheltenham is the second-largest town of the county. Both have a population of just over 100,000 (each). The Cotswolds is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that lies across the boundaries of several English counties: mainly Gloucestershire, but also Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. The beautiful landscape is not the only…
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The G7 summit and 7 places in Cornwall
The G7 Summit will take place on 11-13 June 2021; it will be held in Carbis Bay, a seaside resort and village located in west Cornwall. Other parts of the region will also play a key role in the Summit, including Falmouth and neighbouring St Ives. Carbis Bay lies one mile southeast of St Ives, on the western coast of St Ives Bay, on the Atlantic coast. Having recently visited Cornwall myself and in light of the current international travel restrictions, I’d like to share my tips for a road trip to the westernmost part of the South West Peninsula of the island of Great Britain. I would recommend following…
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Marillenkuchen: Austrian Apricot Cake
Last weekend, Italy won the Eurovision Song Contest with the rock song ‘Zitti e buoni’, performed by Måneskin. This was Italy’s third victory in the contest, following their wins in 1964 and 1990. Neighbouring Austria, however, did not do as well, even failing to qualify to the final. Nonetheless, when I received an invitation to attend a Eurovision party hosted by a friend of mine, I decided to bake an Austrian dessert called marillenkuchen (apricot cake, in German). Not only because apricots are currently in season, but also because my friend had loved another apricot cake I’d previously baked. I am not sure why, but apricots are rather prominent in…