I have written many times about the benefits of eating locally produced food and the generosity of our Greek neighbors in sharing their excess. Now in the spirit of the difficult times in Greece and Paros many farmers are increasing their plantings and herds and making their home grown products more widely available.
This is from Paros Web: (There are more photos there.)
“Matheo & Maria are local Parian farmers cultivating on their own grounds at the seaside area of Piso Aliki. They produce various vegetables & fruits, some of which are available for sale according to the season. Matheo & Maria run their own farm for their family's needs, and they don't use any kind of chemicals on any of their products.
At Matheo & Maria's farm you can buy pure Greek Olive Oil pesticide-free all year round – now offered at reduced price. Also available for sale – Fresh Potatoes (available most of the year, according to the season.)”
The first photo is some of their tomatoes and peppers photographed by Karin on our veranda. The second photo, also by Karin, could be taken every spring as we watch the lambs play and grow until most of them disappear just before Easter.
If you would like to rent a bucolic villa in Aliki that includes olive oil and other products from the surrounding fields, please email me with your preferred month and number of people in your party.
deTraci Regula just published a report on a trial program on Crete in which travelers will spend three days with a Knossos curator learning about the ongoing activities there. It includes access to many areas not seen by the ordinary visitor including Villa Ariadne where Sir Arthur Evans lived while excavating Knossos. See the detailed schedule and low cost in her post.
Of course this gives me the idea of doing something similar on Paros. Along with the ongoing work at Despotiko which produces new discoveries every year there are several other active excavations on Paros that would produce more finds if they had more funding. So, if you might be interested in spending one or more days up close and personal with an archeological dig on Paros, let me know. If there is enough interest I will contact the various authorities to make it happen.
Painting of Blue Ladies at Knossos is by Victoria Papale who is conducting a workshop on Paros this year.
Most of us, I am sure,do not think of choral singers as being professional. They may be very talented but how would they earn a living in that musical genre’?
Well, Oregon Music News has provided us with an insight to the life of one such person, Stephanie Kramer. She is a member of a great many groups including Cappella Romana which performed to great acclaim here on Paros this last September. Stephanie is second from right in the photo.
Here is one quote from the article:
“And of course it’s always frustrating when you have to stop in the middle of a great take because of a motorcycle going by or a rooster crowing.
A rooster crowing?
Kramer: That happened on the Greece tour. We were recording in a lovely little country church on the island of Paros, and a rooster crowed during one of our takes. We all burst out laughing.”
Read the complete interview at Stephanie Kramer tells about life as a professional choral singer
By the way she states she has recorded in over 60 CD’s!
From deTraci Regula of About Greece Travel:
“While financial support for Christmas cheer is nearly absent at the national level, the municipalities are stepping up to fill in the gaps. Athens has a rich slate of Christmas activities, many of them staffed by volunteers. Many decorations will be provided by schoolchildren and art students; empty shop windows near Syntagma Square will be filled with Christmas displays. It should be a bright holiday season in Greece. If you've been deriding the "commercialism" of Christmas elsewhere, maybe a visit to Athens this year will be just the antidote.”
And even more so on Paros! Yes, I am confident the Greek people and especially the islanders will overcome the difficulties and economic depression to still celebrate Christmas in style as they do all other holidays.
Great minds think alike. In June 2010 we hosted a Study Abroad program from Lake Erie College in Ohio, USA. For 2012 the University of Arizona has announced a program on Paros that appears to have many of the same elements.
After all Paros is perfect for combining study, reflection and fun. The Arizona description includes “exploring the connectivity between periods, cultures and disciplines” when specifically listing the university departments of anthropology, architecture, art, classics, communication, economics, engineering, geology and history.
The Arizona in the Aegean program is led by Dr. Eleni Hasaki, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Associate Professor of Classical Archaeology.
Here is a video of the Lake Erie Students on Paros
Paros Hospitality continues to offer hosting and logistics to colleges and universities for whatever academic program they design. More at Paros Learning, Reflection and Fun
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