I love Greece and there's such great stuff to see, but it has to be one of the most car-brained places in the EU.
The Heptapyrgion is on the top of the hill in Thessaloniki, in the old walled city, up some very narrow ancient streets and yet there's a huge car park 🤦
Yesterday the Palace of the Despots at Mystras in Greece was reopened after restoration.
The palace was the residence of the rulers of the Despotate of the Morea, the last province of the Eastern Roman Empire in the Peloponnese. Constantine XI ruled here before becoming emperor.
A news reporter asked Michael Jordan if he thought the ’90s Bulls could beat LeBron’s Lakers.
MJ: Yes.
Reporter: By how much?
MJ: Two or three points.
Reporter: Why so close?
MJ: Most of us are almost 60 now.
the Greek taverna is one of the most civilised social inventions in human history
hear me out 😩
you arrive, usually with people and the table is in the street or near the sea
the waiter doesn't rush you
he brings water and bread and olives without being asked
you order in the general direction of what you want - more plates arrive than you ordered because the kitchen decided something else was also good today
you eat across two hours
the conversation moves through subjects, nobody checks their phone
at some point - maybe hour 3 - the owner brings 3 small glass of something on the house
not because you asked but because you've been there long enough to be a real customer now
that the Greek taverna figured out - probably 2,000 years ago - is that the purpose of a meal is the experience of being human in a specific place with specific people
the food enables that
it doesn't replace it
modern restaurant culture forgot this
the Greek taverna never did
A third of Greece’s railway network has been sacrificed to austerity in recent years. The Peloponnese, for example, now has only 68km of track in use, compared to 706km in 2000 and 435km in 2009.
(March in the archive.)
https://t.co/jTiWSq4O5R
Katharine Hepburn only drank water throughout the filming of "The African Queen" (1951), as a protest against the alcoholism.
However local water caused dysentery including Hepburn herself
Bogart and Huston were lucky ones because they only drank whiskey
On this day, 70 years ago, Michael Cacoyannis' "A Girl in Black" (1956) was released in Greece.
Michael Cacoyannis on the inspiration for "A Girl in Black" (1956):
"This film is clearly influenced by the personal tragedy of Elli Lambetti. Her family drama is put on the canvas of a small community. But the idea of a family dealing with someone’s death was influenced by Lambetti’s personal experience, with whom I have worked many times in the theatre and were great personal friends. That’s where it started –from my personal experience with Elli Lambetti. I admired her and loved her very much.”
("“We laughed a lot”: Interview with Michael Cacoyannis", Alex Leith, 2011)
Hellenic Air Force CL-145 firefighting aircraft landing at Mikra Air Base in Greece pulls off an insanely steep tactical approach—talk about pushing the limits—then absolutely butters the landing.
Absolutely incredible skills by the Pilots!
The Ancient Greeks came to master philosophy by careful and critical study of their own language. The analysis of grammar and syntax revealed the logos – the fundamental logical principles by which we can make sense of our world. As Dr Conlon argues, languages sharpen the mind.
Activist: "You're killing innocent animals."
Farmer: "I am."
Activist: "That's cruel."
Farmer: "Is it? They live outside, eat fresh grass, never know a predator, receive veterinary care, and die instantly without seeing it coming."
Activist: "But you kill them."
Farmer: "Once. After 18 months of comfortable life."
Activist: "They deserve to live."
Farmer: "They do live. Better than their wild ancestors who died of starvation, disease, or being eaten alive by wolves."
Activist: "At least that's natural."
Farmer: "Natural death is being disemboweled while conscious. My cattle get a bolt gun they never see. Which would you choose?"
Activist: "That's not the point."
Farmer: "That's entirely the point. You're romanticizing brutal deaths while condemning quick ones."
The year is 2074.
Novak Djokovic has just reached his 62nd Australian Open final.
Fans are convinced that this will be his final year of being a top player.
💯 from Jeremy Clarkson about the decline in rural services and the loss of so many village pubs. This is causing loneliness and a loss of community spirit.
Raw milk can infect you with bacteria like Listeria which can cause miscarriage and make you pretty damn sick, as well as numerous others such as E coli and Campylobacter
Fortunately, human beings figured out a way to make milk safe by pasteurisation, some 170 years ago.
The poet George Seferis once said: "There is no parthenogenesis in Art." i.e. "originality" This 1932 photo of Henri Matisse sketching a Greek Kouros (6th c. BC) illustrates the continuity of Western art seeking the re-presentation of the human form from naturalistic to abstract.