greek writer lifestyle

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

SEE THE PHOTOS HERE

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 strange event in my sleepy little town and an old Greek movie

The derelict old factory in my seaside little town of Nea Peramos (just 36 kms west of Athens) came to life last month… but only for two nights. The old factory used to produce linen and distribute them all over Greece – the brand name was Peiraiki-Patraiki, and later it was taken over by the paper company, Softex, around the 80s-90s. Then, in the 00s, it was abandoned and left to its fate, to weather away through the decades that followed. The factory, and especially its beautiful facade, became famous all over Greece in the 60s as it became the set of the legendary Greek movie, ‘I Kori mou i Sosialistria’ (My Socialist Daughter) starring the most popular Greek movie stars at the time – Aliki Vougiouklaki and Dimitris Papamichael.

Today, the factory is derelict and it’s always quiet over there, since it’s flanked on both sides by open fields for quite a distance. This is why, as I drove past one evening last month, I found it very peculiar to see cars parked back-to-back along the road, for hundreds of meters before and after the factory building.

What’s more, from a nearby field, I saw youngsters emerging in large numbers onto the road. They were walking along the field on a dirt path that was situated on one side of the building. So, if they were visiting the old factory, why were they coming out via a field and not out the main gate, which remained locked like always?

It was all very peculiar, and my first guess was that perhaps something illegal was going on. A rave party? (if these are, indeed, still happening? I wouldn’t know as I am too old, obviously haha!) Some kind of happening for sure!

The people were just too many, most of them looking barely out of puberty too. Arriving home, I checked for new posts in a local Facebook group where the people of Nea Peramos discuss events, and share advice and information among them.

Sure enough, someone had already expressed their intrigue about the parked cars and the many people sighted near the derelict factory.

‘Not to worry!’ someone commented under the post. ‘It’s just a painting exhibition. It’s happening just this weekend!’

‘Oh, now it makes sense!’ another quipped. ‘I spotted a black Jeep parked outside the building the other day. Some guys were standing at the gate and talking’.

The rest of the comments were complaints, as one might expect. ‘An art exhibition? In our town? But, how come we are not aware of this?’

‘Yes, how come?’ another frustrated local would add. ‘Why didn’t they advertise it anywhere so we can go? Who are these people going there and how did they find out then?’

My own reasonings were similar. If, indeed, this was a legit ‘painting exhibition’ then why didn’t it get advertised properly and openly? Why all the secrecy? The factory gates weren’t even opened. And how was it that the only visitors I saw at the site were youngsters? Surely, middle-aged and even elderly visitors would jump at the chance to visit an ‘art exhibition’!?

To cut a long story short, this same oddity was repeated the next evening, and after that, the factory reverted to its usual ghostly state. And that’s when we got to hear the rest of the story…

As it turned out, this was a street art exhibition, after all, and it had been prepared and opened to the public secretly, on purpose. Whoever planned this, wanted to experiment, apparently, to see if such an event could be advertised secretly and still be a success among the young.

For two years, 20 street artists visited the building under wraps to work on a total of 70 murals!

The team that organised the whole thing gave the project the code name ‘Project Peramo’ (from our town’s name, Nea Peramos). The code name had been whispered from person to person these past two years, making its way online only via private Direct Messages – never posted properly on social media. And it still became a success on the weekend of the opening.

Two years of work resulted to this event, a spotlight of just a few hours. No one knows what will happen to the murals post-event. The only thing I have found that I perceive as good news is that the old factory has recently been acquired by a construction company called Dimand and that another company – Royale Sugar – is planning to operate in the building.

The locals, including yours truly, have grown upset over the past decades to see this old gem left to its fate so this is going to excite everyone – to see it in operation again after twenty odd years.

It seems to be frozen in time, judging from the pictures I saw in a blog post online (in Greek) that reported on the street art event.

In one of the photos, you can see a chart where work shifts were being recorded back in the day. And on another, the sign of the staff canteen sports the old font anyone will recognise from the 70s and 80s…

Go here to see plenty of photographs from the street art event!

UPDATE: In 2024, works in the old factory began under new management and are still ongoing as I write this. I look forward to seeing it operational again!

 

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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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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 café 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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St George’s Easter egg? A Greek tradition, but not for every year!

“St George wants a red egg!”

That’s what my Corfiot grandmother used to say whenever I asked her why St George’s Day is late in any given year. As you may know, St George’s Day is celebrated on April 23rd, but in Greece this is not always the case. The reason for that is because in the Orthodox faith, the hymn used to honour Him in church, mentions Christ’s Ressurection. Therefore, it is not possible to honour the saint unless Greek Easter has come and gone. So, if Easter is later than April 23rd, St George is celebrated on Easter Monday.

I took this photo on Easter Monday (2022) in the main street of my little town of Nea Peramos (west Attica). After the mass, a procession took place to honour St George. The icon was accompanied by a brass band, the priest and town officials, boy and girl scouts, and other youngsters dressed in traditional Minor Asia costumes.

The town of Nea Peramos (‘New’ Peramos) was founded by refugees from Peramos in Asia Minor, who had brought with them an ancient icon of St George – their patron saint. The icon you see in these photos is not it; this is a contemporary one used to worship Him in the town’s church (St George’s church, naturally). The old icon is kept safe in the church as it’s so precious.

St George has always cast his protective gaze over Nea Peramos and its people. The locals speak of sounds of His horse clip-clopping all around town at night. They say the saint was patrolling around town on his horse every night all through WWII, and they believe this is why not one of the people of Nea Peramos lost their life during the war.

As you may know, St George was from Cappadocia, an area now in Turkey that used to be Greek. Legend has it that there was a dragon in Libya that guarded a water spring. Every now and then, people had to pick one of the locals in random to offer for sacrifice so that they could get water from the spring.

When the princess of the land was picked to be sacrificed next, St George, a young officer of the Roman army, arrived on his horse, saved the princess and slayed the dragon with his spear.

Legend or fact? Either way, I am sure you will agree that it makes for a very charming story!

 

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Check out more of my posts on Greek culture here: https://effrosyniwrites.com/category/greek-culture/

3 FREE books for you! Sign up below to receive them instantly!

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!

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My springtime processes involve flowers, books, and marvellous sea views

Hello, All! Today, I am sharing about the processes I follow every spring! Interested? Curious,even? Read on, I hope it will give you some ideas to follow 😉

Springtime, for me, is a time for renewal. It’s the time to shake away the chill of the winter, and not just from my bones – from my heart and soul too, as I find winter depressing and dreary. Not my favourite time of year at all, so the spring has always been for me a time when I take conscious action to renew myself and to ‘come alive’.

At the first signs of spring, I get to work, opening windows wide and letting the sun soak every nook and every cranny of my home, while I go through it with a fine comb, so to speak, to renew it from the inside out.

Starting from the inside, other than the much-needed spring cleaning, I always make sure to go through my wardrobe, giving away what is not needed. Next, I go through the books in my heaving bookcases. Thank goodness for the local library and the eager friends, who take the unwanted ones from my hands!

I believe in the Universal Law of Recycling, which says that if you create a vacuum in any physical space, the Universe will rush to fill it with something new. More often than not, people come with offerings shorty after I’ve given things away. Always makes me chuckle!

Other than cleaning the house and giving away what I don’t need, I also tidy up all living spaces from the clutter that tends to accumulate in the winter months. I find this helps to calm and clarify my overloaded mind, which tends to get worse when I see disarray and overstuffed corners, especially when it comes to paperwork in my study.

Tidying up and getting rid of unnecessary old papers do wonders for my sense of well-being and mental clarity.

All the above are indispensable procedures I follow religiously every spring.

But that’s not the fun part. The fun starts when I venture out to my balcony and garden… where my two fur babies daily offer me laughter and affection in abundance.


Meet Loulou (left) and her daughter, Sissi. They are both gentle souls, and the only cats I’ve ever had who’ve never clawed at me. I feel so lucky to have them, as they bring me untold joy, though I may occasionally feel otherwise – that is, whenever they bring up to the balcony birds of all kinds and sizes, mice, roaches, or lizards. I tend to like them a little less, just for a little while, as I clear up the carnage LOL.

Loulou and Sissi take great interest in my activities on the balcony and around the garden – when I replant pots or pick weeds or vegetables, for example. They tend to follow me around when I water too, making me laugh with their excited manner and meows.

Every spring, especially, there is lots of that, because I tend to plant colourful flowers to place on the balcony. By miracle, Sissi, who is quite naughty, has never destroyed a single one of them, even though she tends to attack everything else!


Working from home, especially in the spring, has wonderful benefits. One of them is that I will occasionally take a small foldable table outside to sit with my laptop and work in the fresh air, sweet birdsong in my ears. Having beautiful blooms around certainly brightens my day even further.


I live in a small seaside town near Athens, which means I get to enjoy wonderful sea views during my walks along the seafront. There are beaches and a large marina with a string of cafes and eateries, and it’s all pretty idyllic.

This is one of my favorite spots for sitting to look out to sea (and the island of Salamina that’s opposite at a very short distance). Sitting on this bench, I love to empty my mind, and other times to plot my stories, or even to pray or meditate when I feel stuck mentally or emotionally. Sitting on this bench has often proved a lifesaver, my mind clearing and my heart lifting within a few minutes as if I’d been touched by a magic hand. In the spring, of course, this idle pastime serves to plan my summer vacations, too, or simply to dream endlessly about them!

Living near the sea is a huge blessing that adds fun and beauty to my days all year round. Enjoying swims daily is easy throughout the summer since the beach is only a five-minute drive away from home. My husband and I love to sit under a pine tree and enjoy a packed lunch (or a bought souvlaki!) sometimes after our swims with the cricket song in our ears. During the spring, picnics on the beach are just as precious and help to bring the summer a little closer. Personally, I start daydreaming about the summer at the first sign of spring, and it tends to offer new inspiration for new stories to write too. Blessings all around!

 

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Springtime processes from a Greek author #spring #springtime #Greece Share on X

 

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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!