Anastasia

Cyprus Independence Day

 

On October 1st, a bank holiday in Cyprus,  we celebrate our Independence Day with festivals at schools and communities and a big military parade in capital city Nicosia.  

According to the Zurich-London Treaty, Cyprus becomes an independent republic on 16th August 1960 with the charismatic Archbishop Makarios III as the first president who had already been elected on March 1st, 1959.  Cyprus also becomes a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth, and the Non-Aligned Movement. According to the above treaty, Britain retains two Soverign Bases (158.5 sq.km) on the island. The Greek Cypriots alternating support for independence and union with Greece, and the efforts of the Turkish Cypriots towards partition of the island, in combination with the military and strategic aims of the Great powers at various times lead to a friction between both sides escalating into violence in 1963.

Archbishop Makarios III - First President of the Republic of Cyprus

Photo Credit

Between 1963 and 1974, talks between the two communities were held in an effort to find a mutually acceptable formula. However, the situation was dramatically altered in July 1974 when the military junta that was then ruling Greece staged a coup d'etat against Makarios announcing that Makarios was dead. The President had escaped to Paphos and from there he addressed the people of Cyprus through a local radio station.  This triggered a  huge wave of enthusiasm amongst the Greek Cypriots who were relieved to know that their beloved leader was alive. 

Turkey, on the other hand, taking advantage of the situation and purporting to act under the Treaty of Guarantee attacked Cyprus on July 20, 1974. The Turkish Aggression  caused heavy loss of life both in the battle field and during attacks on civilians including children and old people. In addition to this bloody invasion, illegal immigrants from Turkey were brought to inhabit the northern occupied part of the island. To this day, the island remains divided in two parts: the Republic of Cyprus which has been an official member of the European Union since 2004 and the illegally occupied area in the north.

Adana Concentration Camps - Turkey - July 1974

Photo Credit

All six presidents of the Republic of Cyprus

 

 

Sweet October

Despite the drop in temperature, we are still having warm sunny days and wondering whether Autumn will eventually come our way.  While our beaches are still packed with tourists enjoying summer in October, I wish I could feel the crisp autumnal air and hear the crunch and rustle of leaves with every step I make. But as I was having breakfast outside, I could only feel the cool sea breeze urging me to go for a swim. And so I did. I guess this will be the last swim of the year.

 

Just like every year, my husband and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary on October 8. We enjoyed a romantic dinner at our favourite Italian restaurant bringing back happy memories of a blessed marriage.

September 11

No, we won't forget. How can we forget one of the most horrible terrorist attacks the world has ever known? I know the video is a bit lengthy but please take a moment from your precious time to watch it and remember... Remember the innocent victims and place a virtual rose at their resting place. Remember that this tragedy could have happened in your part of the world.

May they all rest in peace. God bless them. 

Meine ersten Komposition auf Deutsch

Meine Wohnung

 

Ich lebe in einer großen Wohnung. In meiner Wohnung gibt es sieben Zimmer: das Wohnzimmer, die Küche, zwei Schlafzimmer, das Büro, das Bad und das Klo.

 

 

In meinem Wohnzimmer, habe ich ein großes Sofa und ein kleines Sofa, einen kleines Tisch, einen großen Fernseher und einen Teppich. In der Küche, habe ich einen Esstisch, vier Stüle, einen Wasserkocher, ein Herd, einen Ofen, eine Espressomachine, den Geschirrspüler, die Waschmachine, einen kleinen Kühlschrank und einen großen Külschrank. Es gibt auch ein Waschbecken und  fünf Schränke.

 

In meinem Schlafzimmer, habe ich ein großes Bett, einen Teppich, zwei Nachttische mit zwei Lampen. Es gibt auch zwei Kleiderschränke mit Spiegel. In meinem Büro, gibt es einen Schreibtisch, einen Computer, und noch einen Fernseher. In dem Bad, gibt es eine Dusche, eine Badewanne, einen Schrank, ein Waschbecken und das Klo.

 

Jetz gehen wir raus. Das ist meine Terrasse. Es gibt einen großen Tisch, vier Stüle, einen Wäscherständer und ein paar Pflanzen.

 

Meine Wohnung ist sehr schöne!

Mousaka Light

Ingredients

For the vegetables

4 aubergines sliced into 1cm thick lengthways slices

4 zucchini sliced into 1cm thick lengthways slices

3 tbsp olive oil + some extra for brushing baking pan

2 tsp oregano

Salt and pepper

For the meat

750 g minced chicken breast/ fillet

1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

4 tbsp olive oil + extra for brushing

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato purée

2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

100 ml white wine

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

For the béchamel

4 cups semi-skimmed milk

4 cups all-purpose flour

6 tbs olive oil

1 egg (optional)

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Pinch of ground pepper

1/2  cup  grated parmesan + some extra

Directions

1. Heat oven to 200 C/fan and drizzle the vegetables with 2 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle some oregano and add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Brush 2 large baking sheets with the remaining olive oil and lay the vegetables. Bake for 20-25 minutes until soft, then set aside.

3. In a large pan heat 6tbsp olive oil, add the onion and garlic and stir them round until soft and translucent but not browning.

4. Mix in the cinnamon and the nutmeg.

5. Add the ground chicken breast/fillet. Cook and stir over a high heat until the meat is no longer pink. Pour in the wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates.

6. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes and then stir in the sugar and the tomato purée dissolved in a cup of hot water.

7. Cook with the lid on over a low heat until all the liquids have evaporated. Season to taste, stir in the parsley and set aside. Drain the mixture and allow to cool for a few minutes.

8. Brush an ovenproof dish with some olive oil. 

9. Lay some of the aubergine and zucchini slices at the bottom of the dish and then spread a layer of the meat mixture.   

10. Add the remaining slices of the vegetables and spoon the rest of the meat on top.The meat should cover the vegetables.

11. Prepare the béchamel: Place a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. When the olive oil is warm enough but not too hot, stir in the flour and whisk. Add the milk slowly and in batches so that no lumps form in the mixture. Whisk continuously during this process until you get a smooth, creamy mixture. Add an egg, if you wish, and whisk to combine. Stir in the ground pepper,the ground nutmeg and the grated parmesan. Remove from heat.

12. Spread the béchamel over the meat and use a spatula to smooth the top. Sprinkle some grated parmesan. Lower the oven to 180C/fan and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden.

13. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes.

14. Cut in squares, serve with a traditional Greek salad and enjoy.

Greek Village Salad

4 tomatoes, chopped or sliced

4 cucumbers, sliced

6 – 8 Greek olives (Kalamata olives)

1 medium-sized onion, sliced in rings

100 g feta cheese

2 – 3 tbsp olive oil

Some vinegar

Mix all the vegetables, the olives and the feta cheese in a large bowl. Season to taste and stir in the olive oil and the vinegar. In Cyprus, we also add some lettuce and fresh coriander, coarsely chopped.

Learning Russian

Now that I've retired, I've got plenty of free time which I decided to use constructively by combining pleasure with learning.  While I'm brushing up my German, I'm also learning Russian! Why Russian? Well, it's a kind of challenge to me as this is a rather difficult language considering that Russians use the Cyrillic Alphabet. That was all I knew about the Russian language in addition to two words:да and нет - yes and no.  There are 33 letters in the Cyrillic Alphabet. Some of them are pretty much the same as in the Latin Alphabet. To my surprise,  a few are exactly the same as in the Greek Alphabet and pronounced almost the same. For example, в г п р ф х к . And there are the difficult letters which look like drawings to me. For example: Б Ж З И Й Ц Ч Ш Щ Э Ю Я .  But my wonderful Russian teacher Daria uses a board  so that I can follow her hand and write the difficult letters. She explains everything clearly and simply and she makes me feel I am in a real class. If I have questions, I put them in the comments and she always answers! And yes! I always do my homework!

In Cyprus, there are many Russian tourists, so many signposts are also written in Russian. Today, as I was driving home from the beach, I came across a Russian signpost at the red light. I was able to read it! This gave me such a wonderful sense of achievement! I'm in Lesson 4 right now and I have learnt about nouns and gender: masculine, feminine or neutral . In German and in French, this is a pain in the neck! You have to learn gender by heart. In Russian, it's a piece of cake! There are simple rules relating to the ending of a word. At the moment, I'm learning to read Russian. Daria says it's very important. I've also learnt some vocabulary such as greetings, family and food. Right now, I must do my homework!

Пока!  (Bye!)

Marinated Chicken Souvlaki (Skewers)

This is not really a traditional Greek recipe. It's a delicious blend of  Greek and Middle East cooking slightly adapted from Argiro Barbarigou's recipe. It's very easy to make, it's healthy and, most importantly, it's so tasty! We can find colour bell peppers all year round at the supermarket but summer is the season when these sweet peppers are the best.

Ingredients

For the marinade

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp paprica
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 2 tbsp mild mustard
• salt and pepper

For the Souvlaki

• 2 boneless chicken breasts approx. 500 gr / 18 ounces
• 3 colour bell peppers (green , yellow, red)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin oil.

Directions

1. Place the chicken breasts in a large bowl with all the marinade ingredients. Use your hands to mix really well, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least an hour.
2. Warm the olive oil in a pan and sweat the onions. Cook until translucent.
3. Add the colour bell peppers cut in strips.
4. Cut the chicken breasts in small pieces and add them to the onion and peppers.
5. Mix well, cover the pan and let cook over low heat for about 30 minutes
6. In a pre-heated oven warm the arabic pitta bread for 1 minute.
7. Place the chicken mixture in the centre of a pitta, add 1 tbsp of low-fat yoghurt, roll and enjoy.

Memories of a Magical Holiday in the Aegean - Part 3

DAY 5 - July 10 - Sifnos

Sifnos is yet another magical island in the Cyclades. It's just a 45-minute boat trip from Serifos, so we decided to spend the whole day on Sifnos. Sifnos is a mountainous island with hills and pretty valleys. It covers an area of 74 m² and a coastline covering a length of about 75 km. From the port at Kamares, we walked to Apollonia- the enchanting capital of Sifnos, which is built amphitheatrically on a hill. After strolling along the narrow streets of  Apollonia, we had lunch at the most idyllic backyard in Sifnos - a tavern called "Oraia Sifnos" It's a family run restaurant offering a great view  on Sifnos and great homemade food. We loved their papoutsakia and soutzoukakia. Delicious! 

DAY 6 - July 11 - Serifos

Visiting Hora, the capital city of Serifos, was a unique experience!  Hora stands at the top of a hill, gazing at the Aegean and the neighbouring islands - Sifnos, Kimolos and Milos! I loved its whitewashed architecture, its mills and beautiful alleys. The main town of Serifos is probably the most charming in the Cyclades. 

 

DAY 7 - July 12 - Serifos

We stayed at the hotel and spent the whole day on the beach. The beach is fantastic. These blue, crystal clear waters are quite shallow but they gradually get deeper, so keep an eye on your children. The beach is also well organised as you can find sunbeds and sunshades unless you wish to use one of the beautiful trees which generously offer their shade.

DAY 8 - July 13 - Serifos

 

 Yet another great day spent at  Livadakia Beach - only a few steps away from our bungalow.  We also enjoyed lunch at Thalami and dinner at Ydrolithos - the best restaurant we've been to on Serifos. 

 

DAY 9 - July 14 - Athens

 

All good things eventually come to an end. We had our last breakfast at Coralli Bungalows and our last swim in those divine blue waters of Livadakia. Last for 2018 as both my husband and I would like to go back to Serifos some day.  It was a magical holiday that we are not likely ever to forget. At 1:00 pm, we took the ferry back to Athens. We arrived in Piraeus early in the afternoon. By 5:00 pm we had already checked in at Titania Hotel and had late lunch at the cafeteria.  We spent our last evening gazing at the stars and the Acropolis from Olive Garden where we had wine and a platter of chesses and delicatessen. 

 

 

DAY 10, July 15 - Athens - Larnaca

 

I would like to thank the management and staff of Titania Hotel for their fabulous early breakfast served from 05:30  at Olive Garden for the guests who  have an early flight to catch. At 06:45 we were at the airport. We did some shopping, had espressos and then we boarded Aegean Airlines to fly back home. Our flight took off at 08:10 as scheduled and landed at Glafcos Clerides International Airport at 09:40. We went shopping at the supermarket and I cooked homemade burgers for lunch. Ah well...back to routine! 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Memories of a Magical Holiday in the Aegean - Part 2

DAY 2 - July 7 - Serifos

Our arrival on the island of Serifos was.... adventurous! Upon arrival at Piraeus Port, we were told that our boat was delayed. Finally we sailed off on a different boat with a two-hour delay. We arrived in Serifos at 8:30 pm. The hotel's mini bus which would drive us to Coralli Bungalows as we had agreed wasn't there! We called the hotel several times but there was no answer. So, we tried to find a taxi and walked to the taxi station about 1 km carrying our luggage. No taxis!!! Our last resort was to hire a car. While I was keeping an eye on our luggage, Alkis went to the car rental office, but he was told that there were no cars available at that time and that we could have one in the morning! I was beginning to believe that we'd spend our first night on the street when a man at the car rental office asked us where we were going and we told him that we had booked a week at Coralli Bungalows. "Well," he replied, " I am the owner of Coralli Bungalows." He called the mini bus driver who was there for us in 5 minutes. The driver said that Seaways Company hadn't informed them about the delay. He was there for us at 6:30 pm and seeing that there was no boat, he left!  By 10:00 pm, we were having a romantic dinner at Takis Restaurant - right on the beach! All's well that ends well.

DAY 3 - July 8 - Serifos

After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, we couldn't wait to swim in those crystal-clear waters just a few steps away from our bungalow. It was sheer bliss!  We spent the whole day at the beach, had a great lunch at the hotel's restaurant and, in the evening, we walked to Livadi where we enjoyed dinner at one of the many restaurants  of the area.

DAY 4 - July 9 - Serifos

Serifos has an area of 75 m² , 70 km of coastline. and a population of about 1200 inhabitants. It is a small, peaceful island that hasn't experienced yet the dizzying tourist development of many of the other islands of the Cyclades such as Mykonos, Naxos or Santorini. Serifos makes time stand still and offers a unique feeling of harmony and relaxation.  It was yet another great day at the beach.

Memories of a Magical Holiday in the Aegean - Part 1

The islands of the Cyclades lie leisurely in the middle of the Aegean Sea southeast of Athens. They consist of 2200 islands, islets, rocks but only 33 of them are inhabited. They belong to the prefecture of Syros with Ermoupolis as their capital city and look like music variations on the same theme offering the visitor a unique feeling of calm and relaxation. They are also known as the "white islands" because of  their traditional cycladic architecture and their milk-white colour against the bare land and the deep, blue sea. My husband and I have already been to Mykonos, Syros and Naxos and were so impressed by the breathtaking views and the cycladic harmony and beauty that we decided to spend our vacation in the Cyclades, this summer as well. This time, we spent three days in Athens and a week on Serifos. We also visited the nearby island of Sifnos. 

 

DAY 1 - Friday, July 6 - Athens

We took the early morning flight of Aegean Airlines to Athens, which left on time at 05:10. and landed at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos at 07:45. By 07:30, we checked in at Titania Hotel in the city centre. As our room wasn't ready yet, we left our luggage at the reception and set off to enjoy sight seeing in Athens and shopping at Monastiraki. Having visited Acropolis and the Parthenon many times, we preferred to explore the city centre which sits amongst the ruins of Ancient Greece. Our walk through Athens took us to Stadiou Street - one of the city's large avenues and from there we headed to Syntagma Square and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which stands in front of the Old Royal Palace and is guarded by the Evzones of the  Presidential Guard. We watched the change of guard for a while before visiting the ruins of Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus

As it was very hot that day, we continued our walk through Zapeion National Garden - an oasis of peace and quiet in the hustle and bustle of the city centre.  Time flew by so fast! We didn't even realise it was already 1:00 pm.  Only then did we realise that since breakfast at home at 03:30, we hadn't had anything to eat! It was such a bad idea to decline breakfast on Aegean Airlines! We dared the heat and walked back to Stadiou Street and from there to Aiolou Street where we had a glass of ouzo and appetizers called ouzomeze. Finally, we had lunch at Paradosiako - a traditional Greek restaurant. After lunch, we went back to the hotel and had a good siesta!

In the evening, we met our good old friends, Titos and his wife Mary who we hadn't seen in a long time. We had a drink at Olive Garden - the roof garden bar & restaurant at our hotel and then a great dinner at Kouvelos Tavern  in Koukaki.

DAY 2 - Saturday, July 7 - Athens

Our second day in Athens was entirely devoted to shopping. We shopped at Attica - one of Athens' most renown department stores. I got a boho style black dress for the beach, a total white outfit, sandals, a couple of T-shirts, a handbag and cosmetics. Alkis got linen trousers and shirts and a pair of beige sneakers. Soon after lunch, we took a taxi to Piraeus Port. Our boat to Serifos sailed off with a two-hour delay! That was the beginning of a quite eventful arrival on the island of Serifos!