Anastasia

The Cyprus Muflon

Photo Credit

The muflon (agrino in Greek) is a kind of wild sheep, similar to the American bighorn , which lives on the islands of Sardinia, Corsica, Rhodes and Cyprus. In Italy, it has been recently cloned (2001) but it only survived 7 months. In Cyprus, a rare subspecies of the muflon (ovis gmelini aphion) is to be found exclusively at Stavros Tis Psokas in Paphos Forest and at Platania (Troodos Mountains) and nowhere else in the world. It is, therefore, an endangered species as only 1200 muflons live in Cyprus in their natural habitat and are listed as protected species. Hunting the Cyprus muflon is illegal and punished with imprisonment.

Photo Credit

It's not always easy to see them as they live in groups in the forest and are guided by a male -their leader - followed by the female and their lambs. I've only seen them once at Stavros Tis Psokas at the crack of dawn as they were heading for food and water. I was told that they eat wild vegetation they can find in the forest.

The Cyprus Muflon is also the logo of Cyprus Airways - our national carrier.

Serres-Alexandroupolis: Summer 2010

Wednesday, July 14th 2010

I had been looking forward to this day since May 25th - that was the day when Alkis and I finally confirmed our summer holiday. We got up at 4:00 am as we had an early flight to catch and by 5:00 am we were at the airport.( I was too sleepy to take any photos of the fabulous new Larnaca Airport which became operational on November 10, 2009). 

Photo Credit

Cyprus Airways took off on time and two hours later we landed at Macedonia Airport, Thessaloniki.. Thanasis, Alkis's youngest brother,  picked us up from the airport and drove us to Serres - Alkis's hometown, located in Central Macedonia at about 80 km from Thessaloniki. We stayed at Philippos Xenia Hotel which we really loved. Most importantly, we truly enjoyed getting together with family that we haven't seen in a long time. Needless to say that I ate the best bougatsa ever! We also made time for the two of us, so on our third day in Alkis's hometown, he surprised me! We had lunch at Ais Yiannis - one of the most attractive areas in Serres.

The Waterfalls in Ai Yiannis, Serres

The view from the taverna where we had lunch

After a long time, Alkis in his homeland Serres, Macedonia, Greece

Saturday, 17th July 2010

Alkis and I are early risers, so we truly enjoyed a short walk from the hotel to the town centre, right after breakfast. We did some shopping - I could hardly resist the really low prices in Serres! - and then we sat at a café in the central park and talked away the hours. Alkis would tell me stories of his youth and show me the high school he gratuated from. Time flew by and at 1:00 pm we were having lunch at the taverna next to the train station. We took the intercity train to Alexandroupoulis. The train left with a 50-minute delay. I loved the journey through the evergreen villages of River Nestor - such as Paranesti. It was 6:32  pm when the train entered  Alexandroupolis.

Alexandroupolis is a charismatic town. It is located in the centre of a unique natural landscape consisting of the Delta of River Evros home to a wide variety of rare seabirds and the National Park of Dadia where you can see 36 out of 38  prey birds protected in Europe today.

 

The Forest of Dadia , Alexandroupolis

Dadia, Alexandroupolis

Alexandroupolis is to me the most beautiful town in Greece. I have been to many Greek islands and other places in Greece but never before have I seen such unspoilt beauty, such quiet beaches, such clear waters as in Alexandroupolis. When Alkis and I first visited Alexandroupolis in August 2007, we made a promise: that we'd come back one day. I'm so glad we did!

It was a sheer pleasure swimming in amazingly clear waters on a quiet, non-touristy beach,  a few steps away from our hotel's pool area. With such a beach right next to us, we never swam in the pool!

In the evenings, we loved to go for a walk along the seafront or along the beach, enjoying the sunset - a unique sunset that can put Santorini to shame!!!

Being a bookworm, I certainly couldn't miss the Book Exhibition.

On Friday,we celebrated our 34th anniversary since the day we met. It was on a Friday, July 23rd 1976.

  

And we did appreciate greatly the gifts offered by the management team at Grand Hotel Egnatia

Saturday, 24th July 2010

Time to say goodbye to Alexandroupolis and promise that we'll be back again soon.

Relaxing at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport in Athens, a few minutes before taking the flight back home. I may be home right now but my mind keeps drifting back to Serres and Alexandroupolis.

 

Live from Alexandroupolis, Greece

Photo Credit:

stg_gr1 from Abelonas, Greece

 

Here I am for a short post from the beautiful town of Alexandroupolis, situated in Thrace / Northern Greece. Alkis and I are having a great time here and we're enjoying every minute of this holiday. It's just that time seems to have flown by so fast... I only wish we could stay longer. We're flying back to Cyprus on Saturday carrying with us lots of photos and memories of unforgettable moments spent in probably the most amazing town in Greece. Ah well, all the good things eventually come to an end....

Coffee Break

You Are a Traditionalist

You aren't impressed by anything that's too modern. You go for whatever is classic. Some may call you a bit old school, but you know that old school eventually becomes new school! You are sophisticated and classy. You don't try to grab attention, but you always get plenty of it anyway. You are rich in personality, spirit, and probably even wealthy. You never flaunt your advantages.

The Coffee Shop Test

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

The Turkish Invasion of Cyprus

via www.youtube.com

I don't wish anyone on this planet to experience war. I did when I was only 16. And I will not forget. I may be lying on a beach right now enjoying a well-deserved holiday but my heart goes out to the 200,000 Greek Cypriots who lost their property and many of them their loved ones from one day to another. Turkey did not declare the war. We just woke up to an air-raid wondering what on earth was happening. To my mind, this is an act of extreme cowardice!

Fun stuff with Google Street View

via www.youtube.com

Cartoon of the Day

via www.cartoonstock.com

What's in my Suitcase

It's that time of year again when I switch off almost everything: my mobile phone, the telly, my computer, and generally all electric appliances - the only exceptions being my i-pod and, of course, my digital camera. When on holiday, I love listening to my favourite music while lying on the beach and taking hundreds of photos or recording videos. This time, I was very tempted to take the laptop as well as there is free direct internet connection in our hotel room, but I eventually decided not to. I don't think I'll have time to spend on the Internet in the next ten days. However, I have scheduled some fun stuff and some not ...so fun while I'm away. Hope you enjoy it.

The day I was most looking forward to has almost arrived. Early tomorrow morning, Alkis and I are off on holiday for ten days. So today is packing day - another favourite occupation. I spent all morning packing and I only have to pack some last-minute items later tonight. It took me time and....sound argumentation to talk Alkis into taking two suitcases - not just the small red bag we use for weekend getaways! I was shocked when he suggested that!. We need one big suitcase for me and a smaller one for Alkis. As I firmly believe in the equality of the two sexes, here are my arguments:

1. Women need to have options both in clothing and shoes / accessories for those beautiful plans made on the spur of the moment. Shall we go for a gourmet restaurant or a small local taverna? A quiet café or a club? Exploring the area or lazing around?

2. I save money even if I have to pay for some extra luggage weight. Hotel laundries cost a fortune and surely I won't wash clothes by hand in a hotel bathroom!!! First of all because coffee, chocolate and red wine stains won't come out and secondly because no one likes to spend even a minute of a holiday looking for the cheapest laundry or dry cleaner's in town! Personally, I'd rather spend time looking for the best museums!

3. I don't usually shop when on holiday - except some souvenir gifts for friends and family. So packing some more clothes than the ones you think you'll need is an effective way to face unpleasant and unexpected situations.

4. Men are happier with just a pair or two of shorts and a couple of T-shirts. And most men don't need make-up!

In my suitcase I packed:

• make-up and cosmetics
• 3 pairs of shorts and many T-shirts
• 8 bikinis
• 5 sharongs
• 4 sun dresses
• a couple of smart outfits
• all sorts of underwear
• sandals
• 2 extra handbags
• books
• hats and caps
• beach towels

So what's in your holiday suitcase ?

Five Eggs and an Explosion !

 I first published the post below on June 15 2005 in one of my Diary Entries and came across it as I was reading through my paper-minded, paper-oriented electronic diary that TypePad has saved for me all these years. Well, I thought I'd share it with you again but from a different perspective and considering all the changes that have occurred since June 2005:

(a) Unfortunately, Zeus  refused to promote me to the highly divine status of goddess. So, let it be! I'm still a semi-goddess!!

(b) Since June 2005,  my cooking skills have been improving nicely, so now I know how to boil five eggs at the same time without causing an explosion! 

Dear Diary,

Considering that I am a semi-goddess sent to Earth by Zeus to study the humans - I might just as well be promoted to the highly divine status of goddess...remains to be seen ...(end of digression!)...... I have a sneaking suspicion that Era, feeling terribly jealous of my semi-divinity, has placed a curse on me !

The curse being ....something connected with fire or ...burning ! Not long ago, my ethernet card was burnt out ... I can still recall the weird smell. The following day, while I was driving to work, I saw a car on fire !! Thank God, it wasn't mine ! Today, I had come home from work when I came back home from work, I thought I'd boil some eggs to use them in my new invention : Anastasia's Olympian Salad (I'll give you the recipe one of these days).

While waiting for the eggs to boil , I called my best friend in Athens and started chatting away the hours when ...all of a sudden ... I heard a terrible explosion ! Undoubtedly, something was cooking in the kitchen !!! I dropped my mobile phone on the floor and went to the kitchen to ....check on things !! I could not believe what I saw! It was a scary sight ! All five eggs would pop up and burst in all directions! I was so terrified that I forgot to switch off the cooker ! As a result, the pan was burnt , too! And there was practically no water in it!

And because of Era's divine curse ....just at that very moment ... hubby came back from work !! I ran away and went to hide under the bed amidst the shoe boxes ! ...while the eggs would still busrst in all directions...and the pan would keep burning...

I heard hubby saying  .....yelling out"What on earth is happening here ?????"...and judging by the tone of his voice ..I thought it was much wiser to remain in my hiding place....

When I finally got out ....he made me clean the mess....told me off saying that I could have easily set the flat on fire ! I was even more terrified....and started crying...It always works with hubby !!! Thank God I was able to cry ! Because , after having cleaned up, he took me in his arms to console me ! And gave me his present ! Three pink roses!

The aftermath: we had spaghetti with tomato sauce for dinner ( hubby cooked it ! ). As for the eggs ...and considering my semi-divine nature, they were a burnt offering to the altar of love !

Going for a Swim

 

However much I enjoy gym and land-based workout in general including jogging and body pump, I'm not really very keen on sports. The only two sports I've practised regularly for years are swimming and horse riding. Due to the load of work , though, I gave up horse riding a few years ago. So, in fact, there's only one sport that I really enjoy and I don't think I'll ever give it up. Apart from a favourite hobby, swimming is an invigorating exercise and a lifetime sport which boosts your energy level and makes you feel good. Swimming is a way for me to cool off and exercise with hardly any effort and without ...sweating buckets!

Swimming regularly builds endurance, muscle strength and cardio-vascular fitness but it doesn't really help you to lose weight as calorie burning stops when you are out of the water, unlike land-based workout. Yet, it's a great way to keep fit as you exercise practically all parts of your body - heart, lungs, muscles - with very little joint strain. But most importantly, it helps you relax. When I swim, I let my mind wander and concentrate only on my stroke - whether this is breaststroke, backstroke or crawl.

My friend Stefania tried to talk me into joining her winter swimming club and I did give it a try. All she asked me to do was go on swimming till the end of October which is fine as the sea is not too cold in October. Then on a cold and rainy November Sunday, we went to the beach. I was wearing my swimming costume under  my jeans and jumper and was carrying an ..umbrella! I was feeling miserable. When we arrived at the beach, it was pouring! The slate-grey sky matched the colour of the sea but as I like trying new things, I was determined to go ahead. All I managed to do was take off my clothes. I felt silly as I was still holding my umbrella while in my swimming costume. And then I summoned up the courage and tried to take a dip. I didn't because my feet froze as soon as I walked into the water. That was when I decided that I love swimming best in the summer.I enjoy swimming most in the summer and in the open sea. I don't like pools very much and hardly ever use them! Not when the sea is only a few miles away from home. 

How about you? Do you like swimming?  In what ways has swimming been good for you?