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Freshwater fish in Kastoria, a lunch under Meteora and natural beauty in Grevena

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Freshwater fish extravaganza!

All species seemed to be represented in the numerous tanks of the Aquarium of Kastoria, the biggest aquarium in the Balcans for this type of fish.

Among the exhibits I was pleasantly surprised to also find lobsters and even newts.

In a previous post, I shared a little about my trip to the Prespes lakes and a particularly delicious meal of trout I had on the shore of the Big Prespa. The other fish option on the menu, also fished locally, was ‘grivadi’ – a word I hadn’t heard before. I asked the waitress what it tastes like.

She said it has a very acquired taste, and thus, advised me to have the trout instead. So, I took her advice, and really enjoyed my meal. But the word ‘grivadi’ stuck in my head, and I promised myself to look it up or even attempt to find it in a store back home so I can try it some other time.

I didn’t have to wait long to find out what it is!

Among the exhibits in the Aquarium of Kastoria, during the same journey, I saw ‘grivadi’ fish swimming in a large tank! The sign told me so, and the English name mentioned on it was ‘cyprinus’. I did recognise this word, and from what I can remember, I’ve never actually eaten this fish.

My curiosity satiated, I moved on to the next tanks, and then, I found out that the Koi fish is a type of ‘grivadi’ (Cyprinus) too!

Needless to say, I was appalled.

KOI? I almost ate KOI?

I am still laughing thinking about it. For some reason, it shocked me to think people eat at the Prespes Lakes a type of fish that dwells as mere decoration in garden fountains in other parts of the world.

My mind swiftly concocted the image of a lady in a posh mansion somewhere sending her maid to the fountain in the garden with a net to go catch lunch for her and the lord.

Ha ha.

As I said, I found the notion hilarious and considered myself lucky. So glad I had the trout, folks. So glad 🙂

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Beautiful Greece…

Pleased to share today some more pictures from the coach trip of last Easter – from 2 stop overs where we enjoyed some marvelous vistas. We made the first stop for lunch at the city of Kalabaka that is crowned by the majestic Meteora.

Sadly, we had no time to visit a monastery that day and when we returned to the area on our way to Athens it was Easter Monday and the monasteries were closed to visitors.

I visited two of the most renowned monasteries of Meteora in the far past–an unforgettable experience–so I wasn’t too sad about this. Plus, I know I am bound to return another time to visit them again 🙂

I couldn’t have enough admiring (and taking pictures of) the iconic rock formations from the coach window and especially during our stop over at the restaurant Theoxenia, just out of Kalabaka. It was a great restaurant, by the way, with a wonderful buffet, where we got to enjoy gigantes and briam. Yummy.

We made another short stop that day on the way to our hotel in Kastoria. It was in the middle of nowhere in the area of Grevena where we caught people diving in for a swim in a serene river. The rock formations there were smooth and just as stunning, so reminiscent of Meteora. I had no idea Grevena is so beautiful… I was so pleasantly surprised.

Truly, Greece is gorgeous wherever you go! So much fuss is made over the islands, and rightfully so, but the mainland holds tremendous treasures that only savvy tourists know about. I’ve been travelling around Greece all my life, and I am still amazed by how diverse it is.

It offers so many different kinds of landscapes, and many are just not what the average tourist expects to find in Greece. I don’t care how biased this seems – I will say it: What an amazing country this is! The more I travel in it, the more I realize the surprises it has in store are simply inexhaustible.

Check out my travel report from the city of Kastoria and its alluring lake views!

 

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Frantically waving to the world… 10 years later

I am feeling moved today, and a little overwhelmed. Yesterday, November 1st, marked 10 years since I sent out my very first blog post.

This month also marks 10 years since I published my first novel on Amazon (The Necklace of Goddess Athena), and consequently entering the indie publishing universe for one bumpy yet enthralling ride thus far. This is the picture I posted in that very first blog post 10 years ago… I titled it ‘Frantically Waving Across the Distance’ to introduce myself and ask the world out there to connect with me. Reading the short post now fills me with nostalgia, but also with amazement at how little I have changed since then in the way that I think and express myself.

The only things that make me cringe as I read it are the repetitive mentions to the tax office haha. But hey, in my defense, I wrote this at the heart of the Greek credit crunch and everything was about the lack of money back then. Oh, how little did we know back then about what really matters! But anyway, here is an excerpt, if you’d like to take a peek:

“Would you come with me for a quiet ride along the sparkling lagoon waters that lie ahead? You will find a lot of poetry here, not just in verse, but also in the way of my thinking. By the way, I’m not much of a talker. This quirkiness of mine, in a world full of loud and busy voices, has allowed me to learn more this way through my eager ears and my silence. Furthermore, I’ve always preferred the written word to speaking in order to express myself.

“Although I write novels these days, I started with writing poetry. I have been scribbling verses ever since I was as young as ten and often relished my solitude even then, armed with a notepad and a pen, writing about an anthill in my gran’s garden or about the moon on a clear, starry night. Join me as I experience the world, not through the tired eyes of the forty-something who has just been handed a tax note too many by the postman, but through the clear, full of wonderment eyes of the perpetual child inside me.

“Welcome here on my desert island and hop on that boat with me oh friend; let’s transcend magically the geographical distance between us as we cheer together as one: “Happy travels!” ”

I would like to end this post by offering thanks. To all of you who stuck with me these last 10 years. Authors who mentored me, like Jackie Weger and Carmen DeSousa, authors who helped me tremendously along the way, like Nicholas Rossis and MM Jaye, and even more authors who trusted me by associating with me numerous times, like Amy Vansant,  SR Mallery and Chris Kallias.

Last, but not least, I thank the readers of my blog who have been sharing my posts, like Dr Glen Hepker, Annette Rochelle Aben, and Marina Costa, and, of course, the loyal readers of my novels, like Jean Symonds, Louise Mullarkey, Cheryl Worrall, and many many others. I could not possibly list everyone here but I will hold you all forever in my heart with sheer gratitude.

GO HERE TO READ THAT FIRST POST

 

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Lamb on the stove and a Greek Eurovision song from the 70s

Hello! Thought I’d share with you today my family recipe for lamb prepared on the stove with carrots and spices.

The sauce of this meal tastes divine, thanks to the aromatic spices. The tang of the fresh lemon juice added at the very end is all the money! Some of the spices in the recipe are optional, but I do recommend you use turmeric. I include it in most of the meals that I make. It enhances the taste and offers a wealth of health benefits.

You can enjoy this lamb dish with rice or fries. Personally, I prefer it with rice. Any rice suitable for risotto will do, but I’ve also tried it with Basmati or Jasmine or American long-grain rice mixed with wild rice (see picture above).

For the lamb, any part will do, but make sure to have some pieces with bones in them (shoulder or leg are great) as this adds extra nutrients and taste to the sauce.

GO HERE TO GET THE RECIPE

 

Earlier this month, my husband and I visited the annual local produce festival in Megara that took place at a beautiful park. A chef was making mussel risotto for everyone, and the adorable Bessy Argyraki gave a concert at the open theatre in the park.

I was delighted to see she’d brought along Tolis Papadimitriou, one of my favourite stars in the Greek TV comedy, “Mourmoura”. I jumped at the chance to ask him to pose with me for a selfie after his appearance. You should have seen me, smiling to my ears like a teeny bopper LOL!

Well, actually, if you check out the photos I took that night, you will see one of the selfies I took with him.

By the way, if you’re Greek and you can get Alpha channel’s Mourmoura, don’t hesitate to try it. The episodes have been gems ever since series 1. I don’t think I’ve missed a single one and I’ve watched 10 series so far, LOL!

Are you a Eurovision fan? Then, you may remember Greece’s first big hit in this music contest back in 1977 when Bessie Argyraki, alongside three other Greek youths at the time (Marianna Toli, Paschalis and Robert Williams), sang the beautiful, uplifting song, Mathema Solfege. The rest is history, as they say, seeing that all four youngsters developed in time into quite popular music stars in Greece for decades on end.

Mrs Argyraki continues to entertain the Greek audience today. I enjoyed the concert so much, especially as some of her old songs brought back fond memories from my childhood. As a little girl, I was forever borrowing my mother’s big hairbrush from the dresser to sing Mathema Solfege with my friends, LOL!

If you follow Greek music, I invite you to watch this short video from the concert and get a small taste of the dynamite lady, the perpetual young girl at heart that is Bessy Argyraki. Her passion for singing makes her so. Tireless for two hours, amazing, hilarious with her jokes, adorable. She charmed everyone, even the small kids!

Go here to see pictures from the concert and from the park, too.

 

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A post about my father, may he R.I.P.

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It is with great sadness that I am announcing today that my father passed away earlier this month, at the age of 81.

In the end, there was nothing I could do, no matter how hard I tried at home to make my father strong again with the help of two highly experienced and attentive nurses. His three long stays at the hospital since June while taking endless courses of strong antibiotics to fight the many infections caused irreversible damage to his organs.

He tried so hard and he was so brave, and now he is finally rested… I am comforted to think of him in heaven now, reunited with my dear mother. The fact he didn’t feel the slightest twinge of pain in his last days is also a great comfort for me, and a good indication that your collective prayers did a miracle to make his passing as easy as possible. And, for that, I will always be grateful to you all.

My father had a great affinity for horses, having been raised on the island of Limnos with various farm animals, including horses, thanks to his father’s job–he was a merchant of livestock. In the army, my father was put in charge of the horses, and he loved that. He was a bit of a horse whisperer too, in the sense that he could tame even the most wild ones – at one time surprising even his father with this skill when he was still very young.

Dad has always been super strong, despite being thin, thanks to his Greco-Roman wrestling training that he did as a youngster. In the army, he used to lift his friends up into the air while posing for photographs. I am sharing these pictures today with you all, as I find them very comforting.

I prefer to think of my father like this, rather than the way he looked on those dreadful last days, trapped in a skeletal, broken body. He is clothed in the glory of God right now, anyway, surely looking in heaven exactly as he does in these pictures: Forever young and able-bodied, eyes sparkling, face beaming.

To all those of you who have lost a loved one, I hope you are joining me in remembering that our separation from them is only temporary. Death is only for the body, after all, as the soul is eternal. Also, let us be comforted with the fact that the sadness is only for us, who are left behind, and never for those who leave us. The kind souls who move on beyond the veil have only bliss and only joy to look forward to. Love and blessings to all, till next time.

 

 

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A clean romantic suspense short read with an unreliable narrator that’ll keep you guessing! Vera is losing her mind over famous actor Yannnis Ksenos, except, she isn’t just a fan… Now, she plucks up the courage to ring his doorbell… Visit Amazon

 

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How to grow sprouts in a jar. Delicious and packed with nutrients!

Hi All!

Today, I am sharing a bunch of free books in my newsletter, including a very special book from a man who is saving cancer patients in India, just by talking to them! Interested to hear more? Scroll all the way down for my newsletter link!

And now, to tell you about this exciting new discovery I made…

I recently watched a video by nutrition expert Mike Adams about how to grow sprouts in glass jars and got so excited I immediately set out to find jars with suitable lids. I just had to grow sprouts in a jar! It looked so easy to do. Growing alfalfa seeds in particular seems to offer a wealth of health benefits.

Finding sprouting seeds online was easy, but the jar was a totally different story. It proved impossible to find glass jars with mesh (plastic or metal) on the lid. Once again, hubbie saved the day. He cut up the metal lid you can see here and added a sheet of plastic mesh. That did the trick to grow the sprouts twice, then the lid began to rust, which wasn’t good. So he made a ring out of plastic to use as a lid. Using brass nails he then attached some plastic mesh to the lid. This did the trick just fine.

Basically, I put a spoonful of organic alfalfa seeds in the glass jar, fill it with filtered water and leave it standing upright covered with a towel away from sunlight for 10 hours (the seeds should not be left to soak much longer).

I always start soaking the seeds in the morning. Then, in the evening (10-12 hours later max), I drain the water and put the jar upside down in a narrow container, a little tilted, in indirect sunlight. I use a strainer to sit it on, with a breakfast bowl underneath, and I rest it against a wall to be safe. Anywhere in a sunny room will do, as long as the sunlight doesn’t directly shine on the jar.

After that, twice a day, morning and evening (about 10-12 hours apart), I fill the jar with water and drain it immediately. I repeat 2-3 times to rinse the sprouts well, then leave the jar in its makeshift cradle upside down. That’s it.

You can start eating the sprouts after 4-5 days of doing this twice a day. I leave them for about 5-6 days in the jar in the way I explained, then I drain well and put them in a container in the fridge to enjoy in salads or sandwiches. They are delicious!

If I start eating from the jar, I cannot stop haha. They are so crunchy, a wonderful texture. Last time, I threw in a few broccoli seeds too (they have a slight kick) so I enjoyed a mix with the alfalfa seeds. It was very nice. Radish seeds are supposed to have a kick too, but I haven’t tried those yet. Always use organic, no matter what sprouts you go for.

You can watch Mike Adams’s short video HERE

I hope it will inspire you the way it inspired me.

 

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A clean romantic suspense short read with an unreliable narrator that’ll keep you guessing! Vera is losing her mind over famous actor Yannnis Ksenos, except, she isn’t just a fan… Now, she plucks up the courage to ring his doorbell… Visit Amazon

 

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Fun in Athens at Christmas: Monastiraki and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNFCC)

Two wonderful days in Athens… 

(See the photos on my Facebook page)

Between Christmas and the New Year, my husband and I headed over to Athens for two days, and we were determined to visit new places as much as we could. The first novelty we experienced was the accommodation itself – as it turned out to be a totally unmanned property! The front door of the old neoclassical building at Monastiraki was locked and when we phoned the contact number to request admission a nice lady on the phone directed us how to open the keypad on the door to extract a key!

To be honest, we felt a little worried about sleeping in an old building without any staff on site – while trusting that the other guests would be as careful as we were to lock the door each time they went in and out. Luckily, all went well, and the place itself was clean and beautiful, with the typical high ceilings and the old, tall wooden windows and floors that one would expect.

Monastiraki itself felt safe to walk around in, even late into the night, and the streets were packed, especially in Psyrri where we went to admire the Christmas lights outside Little Kook. During that first day, we did quite well in our quest to try new experiences! We went to A for Athens for coffee – a cafĂ© that’s part of the hotel of the same name. It’s on a terrace and overlooks Monastiraki square with the Acropolis on the opposite hill. As you can see from the first two pictures above, the view was as spectacular as we had imagined it to be!

After visiting a few shops, we wound up at our favourite haunt – the Irish ‘James Joyce Pub’ at the heart of Monastiraki, but committed to make it a new experience, we both ordered new things on the menu. Andy had sausage with onions and I utterly enjoyed a meal I had come to miss from my days living in the UK. It was a huge dish of steak and Guinness pie and it was absolutely delicious.

The evening found us  having  dinner in Athinas street,  near  the  Athens market.  We  walked  a lot  around  Monastiraki,  Plaka  and  Psirri  afterwards, enjoying  the  lights  and  taking  in  the  city  vibe.

Even though by bedtime we thought we’d had an absolutely perfect day, little did we know that the next day would impress and please us even more! For a while now we both wanted to visit the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) but never seemed to get the chance. It is situated south of Athens by the sea, on the grounds where the old Hippodrome (race horse track) used to be. The free shuttle picked us up from Syntagma square early in the morning. We were at our destination in just 10 minutes.

To say that our mouths were gaping open, on and off, as we discovered the place would be an understatement. It wasn’t just because of the grandeur of the National Opera and the National Library that are housed in the SNFCC. It wasn’t even the beautiful canal with the musical fountains that operate to the sound of music. It was the sheer GENIUS of the whole undertaking and the design of the place. I chose the specific picture above, just to show you the one thing that impressed me more than anything else:

In the picture, I am standing on top of an edifice called Faros (Lighthouse) at the SNFCC. From there, one has a generous view of Athens and the Acropolis. On the other side, one can admire the sea view. It stands at the highest ground of the Foundation. Behind me, you can see the edifice of the National Opera and the canal. Do you see what’s on top of the Opera? Grounds! Gardens! I could not believe, as Andy and I were making our way downhill after seeing that, now realizing that we were basically stepping along the top of the opera building. It was just too mind-blowing to wrap my head around it.

The gardens were beautiful, to say the least. There are pine trees, an olive grove, planted herbs and vegetables of many kinds, and a large clearing in the midst of it all that is perfect for family picnics and open-air cinema viewings throughout the summer. Amidst the greenery, one finds surprises as they walk around. Delightful features and fun things for the kids to do, and some also for the adults. ‘The Maze’ impressed me the most, but as the ground was soggy from an earlier rain we gave it a miss. Perhaps next time!

People can cycle in the park or jog or just sit and enjoy nature or the beautiful canal that uses sea water, being in direct connection with the sea. Events take place in the summer period in many parts of the Foundation outdoors. It’s just a fun place to be, and I’m certainly going back – probably in the spring, when I hear it’s beautiful with the flowers in bloom.

I’d also love to combine my visit next time with one at the Eugenides Foundation with its state-of-the-art planetarium – it’s literally across Syggrou avenue from the SNFCC via an underground passage (under said avenue). The educational shows there about astronomy and nature are said to be spectacular.

If you’re planning a trip to Athens, I highly recommend you visit the SNFCC. In case you intend to use the free shuttle service, please note it does not depart from Syntagma, but only comes and stops briefly at the corner bus stop, just in front of ‘Public’ superstore. Timetables for the shuttle and all sorts of information you will find at the SNFCC website.

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NEW! Clean Christmas romance. Single mother Cathy Roussos gave up on love long ago, and veterinarian Alex Rallis doesn’t believe in it, but one magical Christmas on a Santorini farm might just change everything…
Check it out on Amazon     Read a FREE sample!

 

A clean romantic suspense short read with an unreliable narrator that’ll keep you guessing! Vera is losing her mind over famous actor Yannnis Ksenos, except, she isn’t just a fan… Now, she plucks up the courage to ring his doorbell… Visit Amazon

 

For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!