The Athens Metro keeps getting better and better with age; not only new routes and new stations but also new exhibitions of archaeology and art.
We seldom go to Athens without visiting the Monastiraki area. Now we can also tour an ancient river bed in the Metro station. Many writers in Athen's golden age referred to the Eridanos River but the Roman Emperor Hadrian had it covered over as a public improvement in the 2nd century A.D.. Now an excavated portion of the stream bed and banks may be observed in the station and supposedly if it is quiet enough you can still hear the running water.
Many of the other stations also display what was excavated during their construction, including the main Syntagma Square station. Don't miss it.
George W. features in so many blogs lately that I have decided to join the bandwagon. But always a contrarian I am going to mention him as the President of the United States. Last week he issued the following proclamation which I think is very well done and stated. All the big-shots of Congress and the administration that happen to be Greek-American are being feted in Washington D.C. over the weekend.
"The United States and Greece share a long friendship built on common
values and an abiding love for freedom. On Greek Independence Day, we
underscore the warm ties between our countries, recognize the Greek
Americans who enrich our society, and commemorate the anniversary of
modern Greece.
"The ancient Greeks entrusted their citizens with the right to govern,
and they believed in the power of freedom to protect human dignity and
basic human rights. Many of America's Founding Fathers studied Greek
history and took inspiration from these democratic ideals as they
framed our Constitution. The founders of modern Greece had the strong
support of our own young democracy when they declared their
independence in 1821, and our nations have stood as allies in the major
conflicts of the 20th century. Today, we continue to defend freedom
together in the global war on terror, as Greek and American Armed
Forces work to lay the foundation of peace for generations to come.
"On Greek Independence Day, and throughout the year, we celebrate the
universality of freedom and the enduring bonds between Greece and the
United States.
"NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 25, 2007, as
Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and
American Democracy. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with
appropriate ceremonies and activities.
"IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day
of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
thirty-first."
March 25, 1821 is when a Bishop in the Orthodox Church flew the flag for freedom. It is a National Holiday here in Greece as well as a religious feast to celebrate Annunciation Day when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to inform her that she was pregnant.
The celebrations here are rather low key, though we did notice the men were dressed up more than a normal Sunday. All the school children march in a parade in the main town of Parikia, but we missed it this year. We went on a pleasant ride to the far end of Antiparos. After an hour or so on the beach we wanted to go to one of the local tavernas for an ouzo. We were thwarted however by three large rooms full of dining Greeks. Not one free table.
The first photo is Karin with some of the villas of Ag. Georgio in the background.
The second is one of the two tavernas. Edit out : the island of Despotiko in the background. It is more to the right. (Ha, I don't know how to edit mistakes because I don't make many.)
With the beautiful, nearly cloud free day we are now having it is hard to believe that the last few days and nights we have had some torrential downpours including the dreaded mud bath.
Sahara sand sounds like a decorator color but for us it is a combination of high South winds and rain. Read more and photo from last year's douse.
There are still a few showers in the forecast but then nothing but fine weather.
The news papers have been full of warnings about summer drought due to the unusually dry winter. The politicians have announced that 167 million Euro has been "set aside" for the Aegean islands for the likes of construction of mobile desalination units, the leasing of vessels and tanker trucks for the transportation of water, water boring and construction of water reservoirs.
On Paros there are two main concerns; brush fires and water to flush the hotel toilets. Since, in my opinion, the spring downpours have made up for the winter dryness we have nothing to worry about. Touch wood.
Read more about life on Paros on our full service Paros web site.
Last night was the first in the 2007 International Paros Art Circle round table discussions on art appreciation--see last year's post for background.
I went intending to take notes so that I could write an intelligent blog. Alas, I got so wrapped up in listening to the speaker I did not take any notes.
Peter Seibt, President of IPAC, is obviously a professional presenter. He had us all hooked with the notice on the door. "Beauty shall save the world" by Fyodor Dostoevsky. After amplifying on the importance of beauty to mankind as a people and as individuals, he compared beauty to kitsch as well as made other fascinating statements that, as I said, I was totally negligent in recording. Something about the biology of the perfect female shape having a waist that is 75% the size of her hips. Also some recent studies showing that the majority of cultures find pleasantly plump women more attractive than thin women--or is that feminist propaganda, I'm not sure.
After Peter's presentation there was a lively discussion of whether beauty needs a definition and how does the artist create it. Everyone skirted around the idea but no one used the most common quote of all: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" which originated in ancient Greece, of course.
Further topics in the series include Vienna porcelain, the Power of Poetry, Art and Medicine and the Perception of Art. If you are on Paros on a Wednesday evening this spring, come join us.
In case you are wondering, the plastic pink flamingo was my contribution to the discussion.
deTraci over at Greece for Visitors has given us an update on easyCruise. It seems they are expanding their season and lowering prices even further. Read More Here
I am looking forward to interviewing some of the passengers this summer.
I would like to say that Greece is advancing into modern times in leaps and bounds but actually it is crawling and dragging in many ways. Of course everyone knows that Greece abounds with ancient sites and museums full of antiquities. Yet all too often the visitor has a difficult time knowing what they are seeing or it's significance to western civilization.
Well, based on a recent government announcement this situation will be greatly improved in another two years--they say 14 months, but nothing is ever on time. The Culture Ministry is spending 10 million Euro for wireless audio guides and automated ticket systems. This admittedly long delayed program will be on a trail basis for the following sites: Mycenae, Lindos on Rhodes, Delphi, and the Archaeological Museums at Athens and Thessalonica.
You can bet it will be even longer getting to the Acropolis where a great many people are employed as guides and ticket sellers/takers. Despite low unemployment and plentiful labor from immigrants Greece still has a strong culture of job protection. So progress comes slowly for those looking at statues and wondering who they represent.
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When I first came to Paros I read that eating sea urchins was a delicacy. Only the reddish brown ones were eatable though not the black ones. Over the years I have seen a zillion black ones and only one or two brown ones. Today on the uncovered rocks there were a great many small brown ones. Does than mean a gourmet dish on my horizon? I am not sure.
In other words, its an acquired taste.
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Both Karin and I have recently read an enjoyable story about a Brit expatriate rebuilding an old farm house in Greece. While the time setting is 30 years ago it was published in 2004 so the author has the benefit of hindsight to characterize Greek culture and the Greek personality.
We thought the author did an excellent job of preserving a picture of the rural Greece that is fast disappearing—on Paros anyway. The book is set on the large island of Evia not far from Athens but we recognized many of our neighbors and associates in his characterizations of the local inhabitants. We dare not paraphrase here at the risk of insulting someone. The reader needs the benefit of the whole story to fully appreciate the Greek way of doing things.
We recommend this book to anyone considering living in Greece.
Read more about our life here on our full service Paros web site.
Yesterday we noticed our landlady gathering something in the field next door. Today she brought over some delicious wild asparagus. Not the epicurean delight of white asparagus but a better bargain price-wise.
Then later in the day I ran across an article in Escape Artist Travel Magazine about Slow Cooking on Crete which is very similar to what our friend Eddy does in his cooking workshop on Paros.
The article included a recipe for a jazzed up version of horta or wild greens. It looks quite good; I will have to try it next time I go walking through the fields gathering greens.
Click the link for a previous post on horta and for more on our Paros Cooking Workshops.
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When in Greece be careful where you dig a hole! In just the last few days as a new construction season starts the following finds have been reported. Each one is major; the total is mind-boggling.
This was a chance discovery unearthed during excavations of a rampart in the city centre, where it had been used as building material in early Christian times. The headless statue is seated on a throne. It is carved in the same position, form and style as a statue of Zeus, also headless, that was found four years earlier in the bed of the Vafyros River nearby. This is the first such pair of statutes to be found in Greece although others are described in ancient literature.
2) Ancient building complex near Voula resort (outskirts of Athens)
The complex dating back to the Classical era (5th-4th Century B.C.) has a square profile and a 25-metre side and was built around a compound. The large quantity of ceramics and coins found lead archaeologists to believe that it was a public facility with extensive business and religious activities.
3) Ottoman town and Roman city in the northern city of Thessaloniki
The construction of the city's Metro has brought to
light the primarily unknown city that had existed during the Ottoman
era and elements of the metropolis from the Roman era, almost 20
Centuries ago.
4) Ancient Theatre of Acharnae (now a suburb of Athens)
Excavations for an apartment house were suspended when part of an ancient Greek temple started coming into view. The Archaeological Agency immediately stepped in and unearthed 15 levels of limestone-built auditorium belonging to a fourth-century BC theatre.
The village of Acharnae was the largest of a string of rural settlements outside Athens. Ancient writers mention a theatre at Acharnae, but no traces of it had been found until now. The well known comic poet Aristophanes is believed to have presented his celebrated comedy The Acharnians there.
Compiled from reports by ANA, ERT and AP.
We think that winter is finished but the local farmers say No, there is more to come. We shall see who knows more--or is that tempting fate?
We tried to stay up Saturday night to watch the lunar eclipse but it was a little cloudy so we gave up. Then waking in the middle of the night we crawled out of bed to take a peek. We saw the effect but nothing photogenic so here is a picture of Sunday's Sunset, over a church appropriately enough.
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The cookbook Oinomageiremata by Niki Mitareas has been selected to compete in the world cookbook competition “Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2006”. It is already judged one of the three best in the world in the category “Best Book on Cooking with Wine”. In addition, it was also awarded by the same selection committee as the best Greek book in its category.
The annual “Gourmand World Cookbook Awards” ceremony is considered to be the Oscars in the world of food and wine.
Oinomageiremeta, Mitareas' first book, includes photos by Konstantinos Kafiris, and presents 80 recipes with wine playing the starring role, as well as much information on serving food and wine.
Report from Voice of Greece dot gr
Read more about Greek cooking and the taste of island wine on our full service Paros site.
