Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2011_Dimos_Ithakis.png?uselang=en-gb

Sorry I've been lax in updating my blog of late.  If you go to my other blog you'll see I've been busy back at 'home' (UK).

Well, I'm back in hot, sunny Athens now and have moved house!  I will do a post about that in due course...but wanted to tell you all I'll be off to Ithaca for a bit, to attend this great Writer's Course, in the hopes I will FINALLY get my book finished and out there by the end of this year.  If Ithaca could inspire Bryon, why not Bex?

Not all hard work though: in between seminars and (harsh) critiques of my writing, I will be swimming, eating fine Greek food, etc! 

Well, I will blog about it further when I am back.  Hope everyone is having a good summer, wherever you are.

Source: http://postmentis.com/2010/03/spontaneity/

I've lived in Greece now for nearly 4 years.  Obviously it comes with its frustrations, but I love it overall (otherwise why would I choose to stay?).   Now then, one thing I love about this country is her spontaneity, and the fact that you can have an idea of what you want to do, but you can't really plan, because through experience, plans nearly always fall apart.
Being spontaneous is a GOOD thing - it allows us to TRULY live life to the full (Opa!).

A man called Matt Barrett runs a fantastic website about Greece and what to expect, tips, etc and is very helpful if you email him with questions (should you find being spontaneous a little difficult).  However, I think you will agree this email he received a few days ago takes non-spontaneity to the extreme:

" Dear Matt,

Thank you for your great website/travel guide.

Me and my husband are planning a trip to Athens and Santorini. We live in Jordan and it will be our first trip to Greece. I have been trying to gather as much information as possible in order to make informative decisions when planning for our trip. However there are a few points that I was wondering if you could help me with or maybe point out websites or other people who can give me reliable information. Any information regarding the queries below is appreciated.

Since this will be the first time for us to travel by boat (ferry). Would you be kind enough to explain the seating system on the Slow Ferry and on the Fast Boat ?
- Does economy class mean a seat like the one in the airplane or train?
- Can we walk on the deck during the trip?
- Are there seats with a table in front in the economy class [for extra space for the legs – as for the train tickets] if so can we specify this when making a reservation through a travel agent or online?
- is there a window seat with direct view of the sea? Or is the view to the deck only? Can we specify this when making a reservation through a travel agent or online?
- I would be grateful if you could provide a plan of the economy seats on the ferry and one for the economy seats on the fast boat to best understand the systems.
- is there a risk of sea sickness? Should we bring along sea sickness medication?
- is there any food provided during the trip as part of the reservation as in the case of plane tickets? Or is there a cafeteria on board as in the case of the train?
- at what time [in the morning] do we need to leave the Attalos hotel in Athens to get to the port on time if our boat leaves at 7:00 am? And what is the best way to get there? Is there public transportation available at that time? and how much time does it take?"


And this is just a small section of the email!  Yes ladies and gentlemen, there is more to come! 
Don't worry, I won't bore you with the rest of it, but it did get me thinking: when taking a holiday, just how spontaneous do you like to be?  I realise that if you have kids, it's a little difficult but surely the above snippet of email is taking it to the extreme??

BTW, I should add these people are Americans, living in Jordan (how do they cope THERE???!!)

So, how spontaneous are YOU when travelling or living abroad?  Comments please, I look forward to hearing from you.

Do any of you remember my post about the little old man who played his clarinet in his periptero in my neighbourhood?  Have a read of it, it's a lovely story.

Well, apparently this year marks the 101th anniversary of peripteros, the first one was set up in Panepistimiou Street in 1911.  They were integral in every day social life, selling newspapers, magazines and sweets.

To commemorate this, the City of Athens and the Union of Kiosk Owners (yes, I didn't realise even THEY had a Union!) organised a 1950's retro style kiosk to be shown in Syntagma Square on Thursday 5th July.  I braved the heat at 2pm and briefly popped along.  Here, in pictures, is what I found:

By comparison, a modern day periptero

The 1950's retro kiosk will tour Athens for the month of July in the following areas:

Deciding on a whim that I wanted to take myself off for a couple of days, I jumped on the ferry and headed to the island of Agistri, approximately 1.5 hrs from Athens by 'slow' ferry (10 Euros) via Aegina (Agistri's bigger sister) or 1 hr by Flying Dolphin (12 Euros). 
My good friends in Athens had recommended Rosy's Little Village to stay in and from the moment I stepped foot in the little oasis, I could see why.  I decided I wanted to discover more about the affable Rosy and a we sat down for a chat:

Me: So why Agistri?
Rosy: I met my husband, who was Greek, from Asia Minor, in 1967 in Romania.  We married in '69 and decided we wanted to do something together in the tourist industry.  A distant relative mentioned the rooms to rent on Agistri, an island not too far from the mainland, so we came over in '71.

Lovely simple rooms

Me: And what did you discover?
Rosy: Well, initially we rented 6 rooms behind this building which already had a market for German tourists.  I should point out that the island had no communication back then!  There was only one small boat a day, connecting the island of Aegina with Agistri and for light, we used petrol lamps!  A generator was turned on at night for refrigeration and we offered one dish for all every night.  It was a good time. 
We bought our own boat eventually to transfer goods between Aegina & Agistri, and a donkey hauled up the goods from the beach. Back then, everybody had donkeys.

More rooms

Me: And now?
Rosy: We bought a new plot of land in '74 and the new 'Rosy's' was finished in '77.  In '81 we sold it to one of our partners and left for 20 years, undertaking various other tourist ventures including buying our own motor yacht and sailing for 2 years, offering holidays on this. 

Me: But you bought Rosy's back?
Rosy: Yes, in 2001.  We spent 2 years upgrading it and the 'new' Rosy's was open in 2003.  The Athens 2004 Olympics really helped promote this place because Agistri is so near to Athens, many people came for weekend breaks.

Gorgeous views

Rosy has an incredibly international outlook.  Although German by birth, she left when she was 19 and admits to always being adventurous.  She says unfortunately many German tourists ask her if she misses 'home' and wants to go back, especially in this economic climate.
Her response?  What is home?  She IS home.  She and her husband have spent their married lives in Greece and making Rosy's what it is today.  All the hard work they have put in: at this point Rosy gazes off into the distance, remembering the times she had to hand wash all the bed linen back in the beginning.  

Rosy mirrors my attitude about Greece & the Greeks: they have received such a negative press in Europe and the Americas: lazy, rioting bunch of left wingers.  But she sees the other side, just like I do: the warmth and hospitality, people prepared to do ANYTHING for you.  And Rosy has been here longer than I have, and says this hasn't changed in the 34 years she's been here.

As you can see, "Rosy's Little Village" is a haven from the bustle of Athens and fantastic for a weekend or few days break.  Come and discover it for yourselves.

Have YOU been to Rosy's? Leave your comment here, I'd love to hear your views.