I just searched my blog for gyros and souvlaki and was surprised that I have not written more about what I consider the greatest food value in the world--as far as I have experienced anyway.

In 2007 the price was €1.80 most places and €2.00 sometimes. For this you get a toasted pita bread spread with tzatziki and filled with meat, onions tomatoes and fried potatoes. The meat is either shaved pork from a special vertical cooker--gyros, or cubes of pork or chicken grilled on a stick--souvlaki. I usually order souvlaki because it is slightly less fatty but often receive gyros because that is the standard. It helps to specify "stick".

Two things about the value: 1) If you order a Coke with it the price goes up by 1.50 to 1.80. No comparison in value in my mind. 2) If you order a gyros or souvlaki portion on a plate, you get slightly increased portions for 3 times the price. Again, not good value.

Also try different locations. Like anything else except Coke-a-Cola the quality can vary from place to place.

The reason this subject came up is that I just discovered a great web site all about frappe'. Frappe' is that tall glass of coffee-coloured foam that you see all the Greeks nursing through an afternoon. Check out this fun Squidoo site: http://www.squidoo.com/frappe

So, there are at least two Greek traditions every visitor should try: gyros pita and frappe'.
While you are on Squidoo check out some of my sites there and vote for your favourite Greek island at http://www.squidoo.com/Best_Greek_Island

Cheers

The weather here is delightful. Since the day after our snow storm it has been spring like. Highs around 60F, 16C and lows 54F, 12C. Last night we barbequed pork kababs in a perfect evening of clear air and no wind. The only problem is the sun set before the meat was cooked so we could not see when it was done.

Another sign of spring is that the birds that nest above our patio light are very busy and noisy as they chase each other around and around while re-building their nests.

One of the better Greek travel sites, Greeka.com, has created a new section for YouTube videos. They have found some good ones for Paros, including the one below.

More at: http://www.greeka.com/cyclades/paros/paros-videos-0.htm

Karin took this photo on the day after the snow storm shown in the previous post.

Our Piso Aliki villa is at the bottom of the black line. You can make out the much photographed church just to the left.

By the way this photo was taken from Eddy and Louise's house where Eddy holds his Greek Cooking sensory experiences.

Paros has two Art Schools in addition to numerous Art workshops. They are both quite popular and have seen substantial growth. This seems to be part of a major trend. A report released in January by trade group NAFSA: Association of International Educators cites a 150 percent increase in the number of students who received credit abroad over the last decade, and projects even faster growth in the future.

In the USA the New York State Attorney General recently subpoenaed 15 colleges and universities regarding the study abroad programs endorsed by those schools. Apparently some programs are giving under the table kick-backs to administrators who point students in their direction.

I am sure that is not necessary to attract students to Paros. I quite often hear comments from the young people that their experiences here were life-changing and they want to come back every chance they get. How about to our Filmmaking and Cooking workshops--sorry no university credits, however!

Well my life has been busy, but nothing to write in this blog about. So I apologize to regular readers; winter is supposed to be a slow time isn't it!

Yesterday we did have to bail out several inches of water from our basement storage room; February is a stormy month.

Coming back from the USA through Athens we missed an appearance by Bill Gates at a Microsoft Centre opening. It was interesting that the news of the Prime Minister meeting with Gates rated higher than foreign government dignitaries that were also meeting with the Prime Minister.

We were in town the same day as the funeral of Archbishop Christodoulos the head of the Greek Orthodox Church who died after a long battle with cancer. I followed the election of his successor to compare it with all the hoopla surrounding a Pope's election--no comparison. There has been, however, various news articles about various prelates jockeying for position. Last Thursday, one week after the funeral, the election was held, officiated by the government's Minister of Education and Religious Affairs. It is required to be an uninterrupted single session with a maximum of three votes. The first two votes require an absolute majority; the third a simple majority and in case of a tie the Archbishop is chosen by a draw. All the Metropolitans (Bishops) assemble for the vote; there were 74 of them and 45 voted for Metropolitan Ieronymos of Thebes and Livadia on the second vote. He was a scholar and teacher before becoming a priest.

There was no smoke from a chimney but they did light a lamp outside the cathedral and joyously rang all the bells.

P.S. There has been something wrong with my blog format since the last post. Sadly, no one reported it to me. When I figure it out I will correct it.