Did you know that when you sit down to a hearty meal of Greek food that you are often eating exactly the same dishes their ancestors did in ancient times? The first cookbook was written by a Greek, Archestrolus, in 350 BC suggesting that food was always an important part of Greek life. Some of […]
Ghosts, Legends and a Glimpse of Atlantis in Santorini
On Santorini, the village folk tell stories of ghosts. Old men sipping ouzo in the tavernas say they’ve heard the music of Pan’s pipes and the clicking of little hooves in the branches of the plane trees. There is a feeling that something mysterious lingered behind after the great explosion that destroyed Santorini during the […]
Greece: The Mystical Oak Shrine of Dodoni, Epirus
Most people who visit Greece have made a pilgrimage to Delphi, the most important oracle of the ancient world on Mt. Parnassos. However, not many people know about Dodoni, the country’s second most important oracle, tucked away in the mountains of Epirus, in north-east Greece. I’ve visited Dodoni on several occasions. The best way to reach […]
Anafiotika: The Hidden Village under the Acropolis
The great city of Athens, Greece is made up of numerous small villages that have melded together over the years. Plaka is the most ancient, original part of the city where most of the archaeological sites are located. Just up on the hill above Plaka, under the flank of the Acropolis (“the high city”) there […]
A Greek Senior Bus Tour in Evvia, Greece
“Would you like to go on an expedition with a group of Greek seniors?” my friend asked. I was visiting Athens for a few weeks last summer and the word “expedition” piqued my interested. “Why is it called an expedition?” I wondered. My friend Carol is an English woman who lives in Greece. “The reason […]
Walking in the Footsteps of the Philosophers in Athens
If you are wandering the ancient agora in Athens, at the junction of the SW corner near the Boundary Stone that marked the sacred precinct of the square, you will find a row of dwellings or shops. A cache of hobnails and a black glazed cup bearing the name “Simon” was discovered here and the […]
Immerse Yourself in the Fairytale Opulence of Cardiff Castle
Right in the middle of the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Cardiff, Wales, stands the massive 2000 year old Cardiff Castle. Each time I’ve passed through this city I’ve been drawn to walk by, admiring the long walls where various stone animals lounge; lions and jackals and bears, that peer down at me as I […]
Celebrating Dylan Thomas in Swansea, Wales
In 2014 Swansea, Wales is celebrating the centenary of the birth of one of the English languages most distinctive voices. The year-long celebration will honour the works and legacy of Dylan Thomas. My father was Welsh, and I have traveled frequently to Wales. I’ve been a fan of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas for years, […]
The Jewish Museum of Athens: Recalling the Past
In a small, privately owned building just at the edge of Athen’s old Plaka district, all that is left of Greece’s Jewish heritage is displayed with artifacts that have been collected and restored since the 1970’s by tireless museum curators and volunteers. It is because of their dedication that the Jewish Museum of Greece now […]
Uncovering the Past in Athens’ Metro Stations
Along the rail track near Monastiraki train station in Athens, a team of young archaeology students are digging for treasures. I was told they had discovered a ‘painted stoa’, a popular meeting place during the time of Plato and Socrates. I stand by the fence and watch in fascination as they dust, scrape, and carefully […]