Despite my best intentions I have not been able to post regularly to this blog. But I frequently see other articles and photos that I think will be interesting to my readers. Here they are:
I thought this was a great story with photos of a place to visit on Santorini.
http://www.freundevonfreunden.com/features/author-craig-walzer-runs-the-worlds-most-beautiful-bookshop-on-a-small-greek-island-in-the-middle-of-the-aegean-sea/
Just ran across the video for the second time. and felt compelled to share. Enjoy!
Kolimbithres Beach is one of my favourite places to relax and it has been a consistent hit with the art groups that we take there. There are two good tavernas and one not so good. We have had excellent fish at H Vigla but for a casual beach lunch we usually go to Anemos. I have found the people at the Fish-Taverna Kolimbithres seem to not like non-Greeks.
At Anemos you frequently see a bright macaw parrot perched in the trees. I thought it belonged to the owners until I met it and its owner at the water ski facility. I went there after hours because I had earlier misplaced my eye glasses and hoped someone had turned them in. The man there, his dog and his parrot all turned out to help me look again along the beach. I was ready to quit before he was and when I got in the car an idea hit me. I called home and sure enough I had put my glasses inside my shoes that I had not put back on. I apologised to the man for wasting his time and praised his lifestyle.
Now that I see this video I envy his life even more. http://upi.com/6271850t
Sorry, I can't embed the video but here is a clip from it
Until I became an expat or global nomad, whatever I am, I had no idea that a simple and ordinary matter such as getting your haircut would vary so much from culture to culture.
For instance in Prague where I am currently living there are no local barbershops; the Czechs either have it done at home or go to a beauty salon. In recent times there are high end salons that cater to men only. I find that the only way to get an economical and decent haircut is to find an older woman at a local salon, younger women just do not have enough experience with men . . . cutting their hair that is.
Sorry Greeks, but the best hair cut and barber experience I ever had was in Istanbul. There it is common to recognize the barbershops by the towels hanging outside to dry. In this case the shop near where we were staying looked clean and neat. I got a perfect cut, a beard trim with hot towels and my ear hairs singed for something like $10. The barber didn't speak English but a fellow customer did so we had a great time.
Among the worst haircuts was during the process of finding a barber on Paros. In Naoussa there was an old Greek who looked like a German and insisted on cutting my hair the way he wanted not they way I wanted. In Parikia the guy on Market street obviously did not want to serve me, saying the shop was full when no one else was there. Finally a friend directed me to a little shop on a back alley with no sign and often as not a locked door. To get a haircut you knocked at the barber's house door across the street and if his wife was there to hear you he came out and opened the shop. You see, he was deaf and mute. It only took two cuts for him to learn how I liked it.
Which brings us to the impetus to write this post. On Facebook I discovered a bunch of old photos of Paros that included one of my barber. The photo may be old but he and the shop look the same as when I was there.
Hi there!
I hope you don’t mind me contacting you. My name is Diana Posner and I'm casting an international travel show about expats moving abroad. We'd love to film in Greece and wanted to know if you could help us find expats who have moved there within the last 15 months or have been there for 3-4 years, but recently moved into a new home. The show documents their move to a new country and will place the country in fabulous light. The expats on the show would also receive monetary compensation if they are filmed. They must also speak English fluently and can be buyers or renters for their homes. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks!
For a few years now we have been using FilmOn to catch our favourite shows. They have over 200 live TV channels from around the world--for free at standard definition. You can pay for high definition or video on demand and other special events. We have only been disappointed a couple times; the first being the World Cup--that was not available for free. But that was alright because it is more fun to watch at a taverna anyway.
Recently FilmOn started an affiliate program that I signed up for. So if you would like to help support our global nomad lifestyle, check them out
Links to previous posts about Greek island TV:
Greek TV and other Entertainment
Greek television
Expat life: Eurovision
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| Golden Beach in September |
If you are not the spontaneous type now is also a good time to plan for 2015. Most accommodation providers had a good year in 2014 and are now taking bookings for next year. So popular places and dates will go early. See our private villa collection for one, two, three, or four bedroom villas
The big event in my personal Paros life is our painting workshop in June 2015. Any and all painters are welcome for a first class experience with instructor Crystal Beshara
Finally, yoga workshops on Greek islands are becoming more and more popular. Now is the time to talk to your yoga instructor about escorting a group to Greece. We make all the arrangements; they do all the yoga.
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Please comment or send photo of what you have enjoyed in Pireaus.
This family run museum is a "must see" for Paros. Perfect for a half-day break from the beach. More at Folkloric Museum of the Cyclades It is located in the delightful village of Aliki
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| Kolimbithres in April |
Unless you are already on Paros or on the way there it is too late to enjoy the authentic Greek experiences of Easter for this year. So I would like to whet your appetite for next year. Easter in Greece is like no other country. It is the major holiday of the year. While based on the religious calendar it is centered around food and drink. Read my 2014 article on Opinions Post.
If you want more, here is our account from 2006. Or search this blog for several other posts on the holiday and the season. If you would like a personalized package of accommodation, event guide and lamb barbecue with a local Greek family, contact me.
P.S. I have often preached that it is a crime against humanity to visit Greece without seeing the Parthenon. For those who have not yet made the trip here is unique interactive helicopter tour: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2013/11/18/the-parthenon-like-you-ve-never-seen-it-before/
For those who would like to know more about all the major antiquity sites of ancient Greece tour my web site www.Visit-Ancient-Greece.com
Cheers
Paros has long been a popular place for weddings. This May Day will see that popularity multiply fifty fold. The island is hosting a group wedding for 50 couples from China. The ceremony will be followed by traditional Greek food, music and dance. I wonder which Chinese traditions will be observed.
More about Paros Weddings:
Parosporos Beach Wedding -- A British couple make it casual: photos and video
Aliki Wedding Venue -- Photos of a large wedding in a small village
Another Greek Wedding
Greek Island Weddings and Films -- Good for business!
Photo Credit: gtp
Another year, another January: Now is the time to plan your summer vacation/holiday while the best choices are available.
Cheers.
These flights are on the Norwegian Airlines site. I saw Gatwick to Santorini in June for £78 and in July £88, included taxes and fees. I searched three other of the big discount web sites and did not find Norwegian listed. Check out your city and destinations. Paros is an easy ferry trip from Athens, Mykonos and Santorini and not too bad from Crete.
Oh Yes, browse our economical villas for a full choice of dates.
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| Busy week day in September, Ag. Georgios, Antiparos |
That said, the evidence seems to be that the Brits and the Irish visitors were down this year. Americans are so few they don't register on the meter but are certainly appreciated by the islanders. I am encouraged by anything that shows Greece and the Greek islands in a good light to my fellow English speakers. So was pleased to hear about a concert tour that is designed to show the positive side of Greek culture.
More than a music show it will highlight poetry, video and paintings and feature some of the top names in contemporary music from Greece. Titled "The Other Side of Greece" it is one night only in London on 30 October. The performance is subsidized by the Greek National Tourism Organisation so tickets are only £10 for standing and £15 for seating. So if you are near London (or know anyone who will be) consider turning out for a night of celebrating the infectious Greek spirit.
More details on their Facebook page
As I wrote earlier we hosted the Paros Yoga Retreat in mid-September. I judge it successful because we frequently heard the comment, "It doesn't get any better than this!" Stella at Margarita Studios quickly became everyone's favorite "mom" because she took such great care of us. Every meal time was full of fake moaning and groaning about the quantity and quality of the choices available. As usual on Paros, we could taste the freshness of the locally grown ingredients.
The morning yoga sessions led by Bram Levinson were the start of days full of activities and serious beach time. After a sampling of several beaches, each person chose their favorite for frequent visits. The highlight of the tours and activities, if not the whole retreat, was the Antiparos boat trip with Captain Ben. That boat rocked!
For me it was a real pleasure to be surrounded by consistently happy, positive people. Everyone was able to put aside their pressures from back home and focus on enjoying the pleasure of a Greek isle.
For the yoga viewpoint I will refer you to Bram's blog.
"This retreat has been a really special one, in much different ways than previous ones. This group was the first to want to be together almost all the time. This group was the first to express the desire to have the classes brought to an intermediate level. And this group was the first that saw three people stay for the first week, and three more come for the last 4-5 days. Regardless of all of that, this group wasn't completely unique to past ones, as once again, a fantastic group of like-minded souls came together from different spots around the globe to bask in the soul-stirring energy that is only found in Greece."Read more from Bram
Attention Yoga Instructors: Together we can custom design your Greek island yoga retreat.
Attention Yoga Students: Investigate our personalized packages for your yoga journey.
When I think of old photos of Greece I am thinking of the period before tourism developed in the 1960's and 70's. Well how about 1903 to 1913! Check out this fabulous collection of "unspoiled" Greece.
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| The Acropolis in 1903 |
At my age those "Now I have seen everything!" moments usually apply to weird and wacky videos and photos on the internet. This week, however, I actually learned something new about ancient Greece.
Thanks to Greek Food by Sam(He used to write a good blog but now just Twitters occasionally: @greekfood) I discovered the Pythagorean Cup. Also known as a Tantalus cup it forces the user to drink in moderation only. If filled, it automatically siphons the entire contents out the bottom. Thus it can be used for practical jokes as well.
You might think this some modern gimmick using the ancient Greek theme but here is a photo of an apparently old cup. The photo is from Wikipedia where you also can learn more about how the cup works. Also shown are modern ones that you can find on Crete and Samos.
So this September we will team with certified yoga instructor Bram Levinson from Montreal, Canada to host a 10 day yoga workshop on Paros. Bram tells about it from the yoga perspective on his blog with more facts on his web site.
From my perspective the emphasis will be on the food, drink and resort accommodations at Margarita Studios in Ambelas with side trips to other island culinary hot spots such as Magaya and the Aliki sea front. September is the absolutely best month to enjoy Paros. Join us, won't you?
