Summer Holidays in Sifnos

I haven't been around a lot lately as business trips around the world and work have been keeping me busy for the last 6 months. Wintin 2 weeks I flew from Athens to Frankfurt, from there to New York and  L.A California, from L.A I flew back to Europe. In London I had a flight to catch to the Scandinavian countries. Then  back to Germany and from there to Sydney and later to Tokyo.

Since Wednesday here I am , at last,  back to Athens. Home sweet home! I mostly missed gyros and souvlaki and that unique athenian ambiaance which can be both....irritating and exciting. Right now, I'm taking a short holiday on my favourite Greek island - Sifnos.  I can't imagine spending a summer holiday away from Greece although I know there are a lot of beautiful places to enjoy summer worldwide. In Sifnos, I have made some great friends over the years, I enjoy fishing early in the morning,  even though I don't catch anything! I usually do, though! Calamari, red snapper or, if I'm lucky enough, red mullet and lobster! 

 

Back from Sifnos

When you are on holiday, time flies. Ten days flew by in Sifnos without realising it. I went there alone but this did not prevent me from having a great time. I enjoy being my own company in the first place, doing whatever I want like swimming, fishing, sailing or  basking in the sun reading my favourite books. Secondly, I've made a few good friends there - all islanders - who won my heart from the very first day I set foot on Sifnos, 5 summers ago. Sifnos then was a very quiet island unlike most of the Cyclades. Only a few Athenians visited the island due to its proximity to Athens. Nowadays, Sifnos has become a very touristy island. Of course this is good for the islanders whose livelihood only depends on fishing and on tourism.
 



I spent most of the days fishing - I had a good catch! - then sailing to Sifnos' unspoilt beaches, meeting friends and, naturally, tasting for yet another summer the unique Sifnos traditional cooking.It is not accidental that Sifnos is the homeland of many great Greek chefs as for instance Nikos Tselemendes and Marcos. The traditional Sifnos cuisine cuisine is delicious and it includes dishes such as: chickpea croquettes, string beans with garlic paste, Sunday traditional chickpea soup, which is put in the oven on Saturday night and is cooked during the whole night with wood, caper-salad, meat cooked in the mastelo (traditional utensil made of potter’s clay). And fish, of course! Likecalamari, for instance.

Apart from giving birth to Dionysus, patron god of wine, Greece is the birthplace of the first VSOP wines in history. They were the wines of the islands of Chios and Thassos, renowned in the entire ancient world. Due to various historic and social reasons, as well as natural disasters, the art of wine-making was neglected from the middle of the nineteenth century until the early sixties. It was then that the ancient traditions of wine-making started being rediscovered and today, one can find many excellent Greek wines produced all over the country. When tasting Greek wine, bear in mind that it is a product of a distinctive environment and of grape varieties unknown to western wine lovers. Sifnos is no exception and produces some great wines,


My friend Manolis' reastaurant in Vathi is my favourite. The best clay oven food on the island. If you are lucky he may be roasting a lamb. Manolis has been the heart and soul of Vathi for decades. Though his son Stelios has taken over the runing of the restaurant, Manolis is always there acting as host and ambassador of kefi. A truly wonderful restaurant that should not be missed, particularly for a late and lingering lunch. Excellent wine from the barrel, baked foods from the oven, fried kalamari, whatever fish has been brought in, and the best Greek salads in all the Cyclades topped with arugula and mizithra, a Sifniot cheese less sharp then feta and the consistency of cottage cheese. When you are finished just jump right in the clean water of Vathi bay and then come back for a Greek coffee and baklava. If you decide that this is the life for you, then you can rent rooms right behind the restaurant, just like I did. (Manolis passed away in 2009 but his spirit lives on.)

So, how about you? Did you have a nice summer holiday? Where did you go? 

Summer Holidays

With the new recession in Greece  and a depression in Asian and European  markets yesterday (almost a black Tuesday), I shouldn't be taking a holiday at all! June and July were busier than ever before - hence all work and no play. It's not easy these days to be an economist and run your own business. Since June, people have been protesting all over Greece against the government's new austerity measures which are to me not only unreasonable but completely insane. The bottom line is that the average citizen will pay off our debt to Europe. No, this is not a joke!

Well, I was so tired and so exhausted that I promised myself to take a break. August 15, called Dekapentavgoustos in Greece, is like a second Easter to us. I can't imagine spending this important Greek holiday in any other place than Sifnos. This is an island I fell in love with many years ago, long before it started developping tourism.

Sifnos, lies in the middle of the Cyclades islands between Serifos, Kimolos and Antiparos and is about 80 nautical miles from Piraeus. It has an area of 74 sq. km. and a shoreline of 70 km, with a population of 2000. The island is reached on the ferries which run on the Piraeus- Kythnos- Serifos- Sifnos- Sifnos- Kimolos line, and there are also sailings to other islands in the Cyclades.

Sifnos was very wealthy in ancient times, thanks to its gold and silver mines. Proof of this, is the treasury which the Siphnians built at Delphi in the 6th century BC to house their offerings. However, it appears that something went wrong with the mines; either they were worked out or flooded by the sea -we do not know which- and their production ceased. In ancient times, Siphnos's wealth was measured by the gold and silver it produced, in the last two centuries it can be measured by its cultural output.

Flood Festival - Kataklysmos

A Greek Orthodox festival with strong pagan roots focusing primarily on water, Kataklysmos or Festival of the Flood marks the day of the Holy Spirit. Coastal cities make the most of the opportunity, staging concerts and games near the waterfront, but even inhabitants of inland towns and particularly children – their water guns a necessary accessory, enjoy a good ‘splash’. The feast of the Pentecost or Whitsun is marked 50 days after Greek Orthodox Easter. It is known also as the day of the Holy Spirit as it celebrates the descent of the Holy Ghost to the Apostles. In Cyprus, the celebrations also hark back to the Old Testament tale of Noah’s Ark, the Greek myth of Deukalion and ancient ceremonies in honour of Aphrodite and Adonis. Larnaka is particularly proud of the festivities it puts on for several days to celebrate Kataklysmos. The sea front promenade takes on the appearance of an open-air fair with scores of stalls selling toys and traditional food. Traditional culture takes pride of place with a competition for chatista or rhyming songs in the Cypriot dialect. Other performers include popular Greek and Cypriot singers and dance troupes. In line with the spirit of the celebrations, events include competitions in the water.

A Difficult Year

Sifnos

It's been a difficult year for me. Considering the recession and the hard times Greece has been through recently, I was too busy at work and most of the time travelling for business. I tried to spend my very limited free time with my children and I am very glad we spent together a great weekend in Sifnos - my favourite island. So there was practically no time left for my favourite hobbies, such as blogging, fishing and travelling for pleasure.

Sifnos

It's a long time I haven't been fishing. Even if I don't catch anything, fishing relaxes me just by contemplating the big blue sea. I mostly fish for calamari - not always easy - and I often end up catching some sort of seabream such as lavraki or tsipoura. Not bad! With so many things going on in my mind, with so many worries, I've hardly had time for me! I know I haven't been blogging much this year but at the end of the day, when I finally had some time to spend on Blogger, I'd often hit a ..blank screen! Have you ever experienced this terrible blank? Not knowing what to blog about?

http://tutor2u.net

 When I started this blog, I didn't really feel like having a niche. It's all about my thoughts - sometimes rambling, sometimes not - and often my life experiences. As a "blogger", I feel blessed to have a few good, faithful friends. Your opinion, your advice, your comments matter greatly. And I would like to thank you for being there, even though I wasn't always able to be there for you.

What's next? I'll be off to Skopelos for the next 2 weeks. I need some ME time. How about you? Have you planned a holiday this summer?

Skopelos

The Summer Effect: Happy July

I'm afraid I'm not much of a contributor as I was quite unable to cover for Constantinos these last two months. As per usual, May and June were quite hectic at the school as I had to organise final reviews, prepare final exam papers, mark them and issue end-of-year reports. But now it's the time to forget about work, at least for the next two months.

July is here with all the happy connotations of sun, sea, sand and , generally, a brighter mood. Since the end of June, I've been under the Summer effect doing things I haven't done in a long time such as water sports, spending time on the beach, tidying up my flat, my computer and my electronic home on TypePad or reading some unread books they had piled up.

July also marks the beginning of the sales which started earlier this year, probably because of the financial crisis. I haven't had time to go to the shops yet as the beach which is only 4km from home is much more alluring than a shopping spree. Yet, while lying on the beach the other day, I had time to look through the British issue of Harper's Bazaar. I love the new summer trends like the bright colours and patterns, the sophisticated swimwear or the long floral sun dresses.

July is probably the ideal time of year to spend a few days on a greek island where you can bask in the sun contemplating the infinite blue of the greek seas and feeling a world away from everything. Greece and the Greek Isles have always been my most favourite holiday destination and I have often fallen under their magic spell.

Have you ever been to the Greek islands? If not would you like to spend a holiday there? Which island would you choose and why? Can't wait to hear your views and - why not - your holiday experiences.

From Anastasia

Happy New Year!

The last two months of 2009 have been terribly busy at work and occasionally hectic, so I apologiize for taking me so long to post. On Christmas eve I worked till late at night and was too tired to party. But I did have time to relax over the Christmas weekend and enjoyed spending time with my children - especially my daughter who I don't see very often as she is at university in the UK. She flew back home a few days before Christmas and despite my loaded schedule at work I have tried to spend most of my free time with her. After church on Christmas Day, we all gathered together at my brother's for the Christmas lunch. It was nice and cosy as all the family was there including my aunt, uncle and cousins who live in the USA. It was great seeing them again after a very long time.

But time seems to fly and here we are only a few hours away from 2010. Looking back, I realise that there is a lot to keep and a lot to leave behind from 2009. I will certainly keep the good things which are now treasured memories, like the positive changes both in my personal life and consequently in my work. Throughout 2009, I have learned to be a positive thinker and lead a more spiritual and less material life. This helped a lot to improve my self-esteem but also my relationship with my family - especially my children. I will leave behind mistaken decisions which resulted in a lot of stress and unhappy moments, mostly in my personal life and I will try not to repeat the same mistakes in 2010. I wish everyone good health above all but also faith in God and wisdom to deal with hard times. May the new year materialize your expectations and make all your dreams come true.

Back from the Holidays

All good things eventually come to an end! Although my summer holiday was much shorter than last year, I made time to forget all about work and personal worries and..recharge the batteries. I spent most of my holiday time in Mykonos, which is very unlike me as I hate the husltle and bustle of the island and I hate ..clubbing as well. Apart from its worldwide reputation of an island that never sleeps, Mykonos has also got its unique beauties. I stayed at a quiet hotel, near Ftelia - the best beach for windsurfing which is one of my favourite sports. Mykonos is also called the Island of the Winds and is ideal for the sport. After swimming and windsurfing, I had lunch at "Akri" - one of the best tavernas in the area of Ftelia at about 9 km from the Hora - the centre of Mykonos. The truth is, I only went to the centre once only to have dinner at Chez Maria but spent most of the evenings in my hotel room reading or listening to my favourite music. I went to bed early, before 11 pm and got up early to go swimming or windsurfing. Mykonos can be a very quiet place. It depends on what you are looking for. Now how about you? Did you have a nice holiday?

Romantic Weekend

Here I am back from a very relaxing and very romantic weekend at Coral Bay in Paphos. As I needed to have both my flat and the school refurbished, I had to split my holidays in weekends rather than take 10 days in a row. So, after Protaras it was Paphos. We stayed at the Coral Beach Hotel in a beautiful suite with a private terrace furnished with umbrellas, sunbeds , a wooden coffee table and a small rattan outdoor lounge. Alkis and I had the time to relax and unwind while enjoying the sun and the sea. Before leaving, we also visited the Bird and Animal Park at the nearby village of Peyia where an albino wallaby kangaroo was born 8 weeks ago. This is the 4th wallaby in the world - the last one was born 30 years ago in the UK. Only the birds live in cages with the exception of two parrots whose home includes a huge umbrella to protect them from the sun and the rain. All other animals live in their natural habitat in spacious places and are well taken care of by the staff of the park.