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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. …
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My favorite books and films about traveling
Globetrotters and travel enthusiasts like myself have recently found solace in reading books or binge-watching TV series and (feature or documentary) films. Although these activities are by no means substitutes for traveling, they can still take us to all those places we wish to visit but can’t (or may not yet want to) physically travel to. For instance, unable to travel to Greece this summer, I recently published the post ‘Traveling to Greece through film & music’. Then, a few weeks later, my friend Deborah sent me a link to the article ’10 of the best novels set in Greece – that will take you there’ recently published in the…
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A classical music journey to Austria
Happy 4th of July! Today is a national holiday in America, commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States, on 4 July 1776. As a non-American living in London during the lockdown, I have no plans to celebrate the Independence Day (well, I might listen to some country music). Nonetheless, I have a very good reason to celebrate today. Around the world, most of the music festivals scheduled to take place this summer have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is not however the case with the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival (Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus) which is taking place from 2 to 11 July. Since I am not able…
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A literary trip to Norway with Alex
Although lockdown measures are being eased around the world, it will probably take some time for international travel to fully bounce back. In the meantime, a good book can take us to all those places we can’t (or may not yet want to) physically travel to. A few weeks ago, my friend Deborah sent me a link to the article ’10 of the best novels set in Greece – that will take you there’ recently published in the Guardian. This gave me the inspiration for this literary trip to Norway, one of my favorite travel destinations. A literary trip to Norway with Jo Nesbø and Harry Hole Jo Nesbø is…
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The Traveling Psychiatrist turns 2
Two years ago, long before COVID-19 interrupted our daily lives and travels, I met my friends in Oslo and had a wonderful holiday in Norway, one of my favorite travel destinations. Upon my return to London, I launched the Traveling Psychiatrist, with the very first (introductory) post published on 16 June 2018. Since then, I have been publishing a new post every single week, a total of 112 posts to date, including the one you’re currently reading (on a few special occasions, I published two posts a week, in case you’re wondering why the number doesn’t quite add up). Today, I’d like to reflect on the Traveling Psychiatrist ‘s journey…
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12 Norwegian TV series to watch
Since the beginning of the lockdown, many of us have found solace in binge-watching TV series on Netflix. Being a Scandiphile, I watched all Norwegian TV series I could find on the American network and some other TV and streaming services available in the UK. This was not the first time I watched Scandinavian TV series. In fact, I had been well acquainted with the Danish ‘landmarks’ ‘The Bridge’ (‘Bron/Broen’) (actually a Danish-Swedish co-production), ‘The Killing’ (‘Forbrydelsen’), and ‘Borgen’. Then, a few years ago, I came across more Nordic Noir drama on Channel Four, including two Norwegian TV series that I absolutely loved: ‘Acquitted’ (‘Frikjent’) and Eyewitness (Øyevitne). Almost three months into…
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Healthy cakes & bakes inspired by my travels
Aside from traveling, I also love cooking and baking, and I draw inspiration from my travels. Unable to travel during the lockdown, I have found solace in baking. In fact, over the last couple of months, I have baked dozens of healthy cakes, cupcakes and muffins, cookies and biscuits, and other bakes. As a Psychiatrist, I am a passionate advocate of work-life balance and wellbeing (which includes healthy eating, yoga and meditation), and I try to lead by example. In 2018, I decided to combine these passions of mine into something that I could share with my family and friends across the world. So, I launched the Traveling Psychiatrist, a…