Now that the hot weather has arrived, things are happening. If you keep your eyes and ears open, you can find plenty of (free) ways to amuse yourself in this city.
Last week the alternative political newspaper Babylonia had it's festival. Unfortunately I wasn't up too it, so all I did was go to Friday's concert - which was very good.
On Sunday the group What Street Party organised a - yes, that's right - Street Party. It was a movable one. Starting from four in the evening it moved all around Athens, going to fixed check points at fixed times so you could find them. We met them up at nine o'clock at night when they were in the paved street beside the Law School. After walking, and riding our bikes, through the streets dancing and following the dj's on their home-made float, we ended up high up on Lycabyttos Hill. It was quite an experience. Dancing under the street lights, high up above Athens with all the lights of the city below us! I had to leave early (about one o'clock) because I was working next day. I hopped on my bike and whizzed down the hill, In less than twenty minutes I was home!
What Street Party #5 - 1st video
(obviously the video isn't mine)
Friday, 5 June 2009
Last week end
It's friday already, and I never got round to taking about last week-end! I've been too busy sleeping and watching Dr Who (I'm on season 3 and there are some brilliant episodes on it!)
This weekend I'm hoping to go camping. But that's to come...
Last weekend I did all manner of stuff.
I went shopping by bike. And got loads of stuff. A new hat, spices, soap flakes, essential oils, organic fertiliser and that's all I remember.
I played around with my plants. I re-potted my long suffering basil that's has turned into a freak because I don't know how to prune. I planted some potatoes that just grew shoots yesterday. I planted some basil cuttings too, I'm growing my own army of basil plants!
I made myself some all-purpose green soap base from olive oil soap flakes, olive oil and water. I plan on using the base to make shampoo, cleaning liquid, dish-washing detergent. Also I made myself some homemade hair-conditioner. Lets see how it all works!
Also I cooked. Well, I always cook, but this time I took photos:
Want the recipe?
Papoutsakia (Stuffed Aubergines)
1 kgr round aubergines (that should be about 3 or 4 aubergines)
½ kgr mincemeat (preferably beef or lamb)
½ kgr tomatoes skinned and chopped (or a can if you’re lazy)
2 onions finely chopped
fresh parsley finely chopped
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 egg lightly beaten
parmesan or greek graviera grated
sugar
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp of butter
lots of olive oil
1. Wash the aubergines and cut in half. Sprinkle cut side with salt and leave to sit for 30 minutes.
2. Afterwards wash the aubergines and place, cut side down, in an oven dish with 1 cup of warm water. Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until soft.
3. Leave to cool down a bit and then using a spoon push down the flesh to hollow out. (It’s best to throw out water and keep them in your oven dish.)
4. The mincemeat filling is similar to a Bolognese sauce: Saute onions in oil until softened and then add mincemeat. When mincemeat has browned add tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. (If you want you can add red wine and cinnamon too.) Cook for 30 minutes.
5. When mincemeat mixture is ready, remove from the heat and add parsley, ½ cup of breadcrumbs and the egg.
6. Fill hollowed out aubergines with mincemeat mixture.
7. Mix ½ breadcrumbs with the butter and the cheese and sprinkle liberally over aubergines.
8. Poor a nice amount of oil in your dish full of aubergines and place in the oven. Cook in a medium oven for 40 to 60 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 30 to 60 minutes before eating.
This dish tastes even better the next day, so don’t be afraid to cook plenty!
Note: many people prefer their papoutsakia with a light béchamel topping. In that case don’t add the egg or the breadcrumbs to the mincemeat, but make a light béchamel with lots of cheese to pour over the top of the aubergines before baking in the oven.
This weekend I'm hoping to go camping. But that's to come...
Last weekend I did all manner of stuff.
I went shopping by bike. And got loads of stuff. A new hat, spices, soap flakes, essential oils, organic fertiliser and that's all I remember.
I played around with my plants. I re-potted my long suffering basil that's has turned into a freak because I don't know how to prune. I planted some potatoes that just grew shoots yesterday. I planted some basil cuttings too, I'm growing my own army of basil plants!
I made myself some all-purpose green soap base from olive oil soap flakes, olive oil and water. I plan on using the base to make shampoo, cleaning liquid, dish-washing detergent. Also I made myself some homemade hair-conditioner. Lets see how it all works!
Also I cooked. Well, I always cook, but this time I took photos:
Want the recipe?
Papoutsakia (Stuffed Aubergines)
1 kgr round aubergines (that should be about 3 or 4 aubergines)
½ kgr mincemeat (preferably beef or lamb)
½ kgr tomatoes skinned and chopped (or a can if you’re lazy)
2 onions finely chopped
fresh parsley finely chopped
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 egg lightly beaten
parmesan or greek graviera grated
sugar
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp of butter
lots of olive oil
1. Wash the aubergines and cut in half. Sprinkle cut side with salt and leave to sit for 30 minutes.
2. Afterwards wash the aubergines and place, cut side down, in an oven dish with 1 cup of warm water. Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until soft.
3. Leave to cool down a bit and then using a spoon push down the flesh to hollow out. (It’s best to throw out water and keep them in your oven dish.)
4. The mincemeat filling is similar to a Bolognese sauce: Saute onions in oil until softened and then add mincemeat. When mincemeat has browned add tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. (If you want you can add red wine and cinnamon too.) Cook for 30 minutes.
5. When mincemeat mixture is ready, remove from the heat and add parsley, ½ cup of breadcrumbs and the egg.
6. Fill hollowed out aubergines with mincemeat mixture.
7. Mix ½ breadcrumbs with the butter and the cheese and sprinkle liberally over aubergines.
8. Poor a nice amount of oil in your dish full of aubergines and place in the oven. Cook in a medium oven for 40 to 60 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 30 to 60 minutes before eating.
This dish tastes even better the next day, so don’t be afraid to cook plenty!
Note: many people prefer their papoutsakia with a light béchamel topping. In that case don’t add the egg or the breadcrumbs to the mincemeat, but make a light béchamel with lots of cheese to pour over the top of the aubergines before baking in the oven.
Sunday, 24 May 2009
Just another weekend
It's so hot! And all the flowers are out, and haven't died yet. So I'm suffering twice as much. I'm in a state because of my hay-fever and I'm forced to work in this weather, which will just get worse and worse and worse. August is so far away!
The weather and my hay-fever have done such a number on me that I'm skipping half my dance classes. And when I do go, I get dizzy half the way through.
But I've got plans! Big plans! (If the heat lets me go through with them and I don't end up spending all my time flat on my back trying to catch the breeze.) I've bought ingredients - and I've others yet to buy - to make my own cosmetics and cleaning liquids. I'll keep you posted!
Also I've got plans for my little balcony-cum-garden.
I'm taking cuttings from my giant mishapen basil (I'm new at this and don't know how to properly prune plants yet.) and plan on filling the place with baby basils. On the down side, my spearmint is full of bugs and has infected everything in sight - which is making me very angry - but I plan on prevailing. I have a number of little aloe style plants I've saved from the rubbish in pots and am waiting to see how many will survive. I also plan on planting some old potatoes that sprouted to see what will happen. So all that keeps me rather busy.
In keeping with the whole domestic image I've got going on I cooked a traditional greek dish earlier today.
Do you want the recipe?
IMAM BAILDI
Serves 4
2 long aubergines, cut lengthwise
4-5 red onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
2-3 tomatoes(preferably soft and mature), diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
fresh parsley, chopped
olive oil (good quality and lots of it, don't scrimp)
salt and pepper
dry bread crumbs
grated hard cheese like parmesan or greek graviera
Cover bottom of large frying pan with olive oil. When heated (medium heat) add aubergines (score the fleshy part with a knife) fleshy part down. Turn the aubergines over a couple of times and remove from pan when they are soft and fully saturated in oil. (Don't be afraid to add oil to the pan when needed.)
Put the aubergines in a shallow square oven dish and let them cool down a bit.
In the meantime add the onions and garlic to the frying pan (with more oil if needed). Add salt and pepper. When the onions are soft add the parsley and tomatoes. Lightly fry for a couple of more minutes and remove from heat.
Using a spoon, push down the soft fleshy insides of the aubergines creating space inside them. Pour the onion mixture into them. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and cheese on the top to create a nice crispy topping. Liberally sprinkle more olive oil over the lot and put in the oven. Cook for about 40 minutes - until soft and mushy - under a medium heat.
Once ready, take them out and let them sit for 30-60 minutes before eating. (All greek "ladera" - oily dishes - taste better when cool.)
This dish is much heavier than it looks, so one half aubergine is plenty for one person. Accompany with a salad (lettuce or boiled leafy greens go nicely), greek feta cheese and oven potatoes.
By the way did you know that there's a greek music group called Imam Baildi? (http://www.myspace.com/imambaildi)
The weather and my hay-fever have done such a number on me that I'm skipping half my dance classes. And when I do go, I get dizzy half the way through.
But I've got plans! Big plans! (If the heat lets me go through with them and I don't end up spending all my time flat on my back trying to catch the breeze.) I've bought ingredients - and I've others yet to buy - to make my own cosmetics and cleaning liquids. I'll keep you posted!
Also I've got plans for my little balcony-cum-garden.
I'm taking cuttings from my giant mishapen basil (I'm new at this and don't know how to properly prune plants yet.) and plan on filling the place with baby basils. On the down side, my spearmint is full of bugs and has infected everything in sight - which is making me very angry - but I plan on prevailing. I have a number of little aloe style plants I've saved from the rubbish in pots and am waiting to see how many will survive. I also plan on planting some old potatoes that sprouted to see what will happen. So all that keeps me rather busy.
In keeping with the whole domestic image I've got going on I cooked a traditional greek dish earlier today.
Do you want the recipe?
IMAM BAILDI
Serves 4
2 long aubergines, cut lengthwise
4-5 red onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
2-3 tomatoes(preferably soft and mature), diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
fresh parsley, chopped
olive oil (good quality and lots of it, don't scrimp)
salt and pepper
dry bread crumbs
grated hard cheese like parmesan or greek graviera
Cover bottom of large frying pan with olive oil. When heated (medium heat) add aubergines (score the fleshy part with a knife) fleshy part down. Turn the aubergines over a couple of times and remove from pan when they are soft and fully saturated in oil. (Don't be afraid to add oil to the pan when needed.)
Put the aubergines in a shallow square oven dish and let them cool down a bit.
In the meantime add the onions and garlic to the frying pan (with more oil if needed). Add salt and pepper. When the onions are soft add the parsley and tomatoes. Lightly fry for a couple of more minutes and remove from heat.
Using a spoon, push down the soft fleshy insides of the aubergines creating space inside them. Pour the onion mixture into them. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and cheese on the top to create a nice crispy topping. Liberally sprinkle more olive oil over the lot and put in the oven. Cook for about 40 minutes - until soft and mushy - under a medium heat.
Once ready, take them out and let them sit for 30-60 minutes before eating. (All greek "ladera" - oily dishes - taste better when cool.)
This dish is much heavier than it looks, so one half aubergine is plenty for one person. Accompany with a salad (lettuce or boiled leafy greens go nicely), greek feta cheese and oven potatoes.
By the way did you know that there's a greek music group called Imam Baildi? (http://www.myspace.com/imambaildi)
Thursday, 14 May 2009
Filling the centre of Athens with Bicycles
Unfortunately I forgot to put a hat on and it was hot and sunny. I think I got heatstroke or sunstroke. I'm still feeling it a bit.
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Cycling for treasure
Want to know what I did the Sunday that past? I went on a cycling treasure hunt! It was a lot of fun!
We were divided into groups and each given a list of 17 riddles. The answer to each riddle was a location in the center of Athens that we then had to find and photograph. The starting point of the treasure hunt was the park at the corner of Patission str and Kuprou str in Kupseli and the finish point was the park at the corner of Zoodohou Pigis str and Nauarinou str in Exarcheia. Both are parks that are being planted and sustained by the inhabitants of the neighbourhoods despite the mayor wanting to turn them into parking lots.
I spent about three and a half hours cycling backwards and forwards all over Athens, learning about places I'd never been and constantly bumping into the other groups that were also searching for the locations. It made Athens feel so small and so interesting.
Of course afterwards I felt accomplished and very very tired!
For those of you who know greek here are the riddles. How many can you answer? With a little cheating we got 16 out of 17. We didn't go too bad. Here are the results. We were the Fantastic Four.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Money well spent
Another thing I did over Easter was use my easter present money from work to buy myself a d-slr camera. Now I am no longer camera-less! I splashed out and got the Olympus E-410 with two zoom lenses (it was on offer). It's a super-cute super-small d-slr! unfortunately it's also rather complicated (I haven't finished reading the manual yet), and I am having a bit of trouble with the manual focus too.
But anyway, I'm happy about it!
I checked it out over the holidays and took a bunch of mediocre test photos. Want to see a couple?
The Resurrection
The only time a year Monastiraki Flea market is closed
The Ancient Agora
The Acropolis' "good side"
An old house in my neighbourhood
But anyway, I'm happy about it!
I checked it out over the holidays and took a bunch of mediocre test photos. Want to see a couple?
The Resurrection
The only time a year Monastiraki Flea market is closed
The Ancient Agora
The Acropolis' "good side"
An old house in my neighbourhood
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Easter came and went
So Easter came and went. Far too fast for my liking. Five days aren't nearly enough! Especially when Easter day is spent unconstructively with the family eating.
Besides eating lamb and red eggs, I did a couple of other eastery things, like going to church. I've been in Koukaki since the summer and I had never got round to checking out our neighbourhood church (Saint Nicholas). We went for the Epitafios (the Good Friday Epitaph) and the Anastasi (the Resurrection) - the only days most people bother going to church. And for good reason, they are the two single most theatrical and convivial services of the year! My impressions of my neighbourhood church? The priest is nervy and irritable, and on Friday he gave us a heartfelt advertisment of the Saturday morning service. He almost persuaded me to go - until I remembered it was at eight in the morning! The crowd was big and varied and multi-national. Besides greeks of all ages , there were also plenty of eastern european orthodox christians and a couple of pakistanis who were videoing the whole thing (!). Unfortunately the psaltes (choristes) were rather off-key. You can't have everything!
One other thing I did remember over my five days of freedom, was how much I am missing by wasting 10 hours a day at work (I count the two hours of transit as work hours).
Over Easter, I woke up nice and late and took advantage of the beautiful sunny days to go walking, cycling, shopping etc. How I had missed the sun and being outside midday with no hurry to get everything done on time!
I have often thought that a forty hour week is overdoing it. Who needs/wants to work forty hours? Except workaholics and doctors? I could very well my work done in twenty or less hours a week. I spend at least half my working day killing time. It makes you feel like a factory worker - clocking and clocking out. There's nothing that spells enforced labour more that being expected to arrive at nine on the dot and leave at five the earliest. I would like nothing more than to be a freelancer. To be payed by the project and to be able to make my own schedule. I always worked better with deadlines better than this enforced nine-to-five business that makes me feel like a damn secretary (being expected to answer the phone and occasionally make coffee doesn't help either). I didn't spend more years than I care to share studying architecture and then getting a post-graduate in urbanism to end up as a glorified designer/secretary!
So now I'm back to the old grind-mill, busy counting time till this annoying crisis/recession finally ends so I can find a better job. Sometimes I feel like I'm mentally marking down days on my figurative cell wall till it's time for my parole.
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