Lesvos is hot

Weeks before strong earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria, I had sleepless nights because here too the earth shook. However not as badly as on the other side. Some houses on Lesvos were damaged, although, as far as I know, no building entirely collapsed. Continue reading ->

A pinch of salt

 

Most tourists pass the salt mountain of Kalloni when they are going to Molyvos. With a bit of luck, it’s still looking like a snowy Swiss alp, shining brightly under a clear blue sky; fewer tourists will know the white mountains of Skala Polichnitos, also on the Gulf of Kalloni. Continue reading ->

Hypeorea

Finally winter has arrived on the island. Boreas, the North wind, merrily roars over the island, lowering temperatures along his way and he also brought his daughter Chione, goddess of the snow. She has deposited a thin layer of ice-cold fuzz over a large part of the island.  Continue reading ->

112-terror

 

Yesterday when I was having a coffee with a friend, in the early afternoon, suddenly a shrill dark sound blared through the room. We nearly fell off our chairs ­— so scary it was. We looked at each other: ‘what is this’?! It absolutely didn’t sound like an earthquake. Continue reading ->

Culinary curiosities

 

Lots of ingredients for Greek dishes have been imported in earlier times. From their far away travels and campaigns, explorers and military men like Alexander the Great, brought home exotic fruits and vegetables. This is how tomatoes, aubergines and cucumbers were slowly integrated into Greek cuisine. Continue reading ->

Festivity Calendar

 

In ancient times Greeks were not playing cards during New Year in order to ensure luck for the coming year. They didn’t throw pomegranates on New Year’s Day; nor did they carry water, in silence, from a holy source to their homes; nor was a cake presented with a hidden coin (causing many teeth to be broken). Continue reading ->

Jingle Bells

 

The autumn was unusually warm and the serious rains only came to us very late. Due to the long drought only a few mushrooms have dared to lift their heads from the earth. My house carried on as an ideal hunting grounds for mosquitos. Continue reading ->