Second Athens Biennale

Sunday evening I went to a couple of free concerts held within the bounds of the second Athens Biennale. They where held along the Athens coastline of Palaio Faliro. It's an interesting part of Athens. You have the sea - and even a couple of sandy beaches where people swim -, you have pedestrian paths and cafeterias and playgrounds and marinas and you also have the tramway separating you from the littoral main road. I didn't take my bulky camera so I ended up taking photos and videos with my mobile. The turned out suitably crappy, but I'll show you them anyway.

First we saw Larry Gus, who set himself up in a children's playground in Batis and played weird electronic noise to a setting of barking dogs and young children climbing over him or stealing his toys.




Afterwards we went a little further, where St Peter gave us wings so we could go into the enclosure and see The Tree of Wisdom and The Holy Ghost (a dove) - otherwise known as My Wet Calvin. At the end of the live the enclosure was torn down and we made our way with our wings to Floisvos.
                       




At Floisvos we saw the Lumiere Brother play hunched over his keyboard, under the sparse light of a single streetlight.




The finale were The Flakes, a classic indie group with two guitars and a girl singer.

Athens Gay Pride

So on Saturday I went to the Athens Gay Pride. I have so many gay friends that it only made sense to go. When I was in Paris for two years I went to both Prides and I remember how much fun they were. A crazy multicoloured street-party. Unfortunately in Greece everything is more sedate. Comparatively it was rather boring. Very few people came - most greek gays are deep in the closet and live in fear of their parents finding out. Things however are changing. The teenagers of today are nothing like we were. In some things they are much more courageous - it certainly helps that their parents are also nothing like ours...

A lot of straight friends and aquaintances showed up that I thought wouldn't. I even saw a guy from university I alway thought was cute kissing his boyfriend. I never knew he was gay. It stands to reason that all the cute ones are.

Monday was a bank holiday

Monday was a bank holiday and the weather is hot. So I did what all reasonable Athenians do under the circumstances. I escaped – briefly – from the sweltering hell-hole that is our metropolis.

I went camping! Under the pine trees in Agkistri. It’s a sweet island, very convenient for short getaways. Only two hours from Piraeus by boat and the pine forest that is used as a free camping site is an easy walk from the port.

Unfortunately everybody always has the same idea. The place was crawling with people and campers. The seas were full of sailing boats and speed-boats.

It had been three years since I last visited the island. As usual development is an unstoppable evil. The place was amazingly more built up that I remember it. Even all the old tavernas has renovated into new chic places. It’s not that they weren’t nicely done, it’s that everyplace has ended up the same. Restaurants and cafeterias are the same whether you’re in Athens or an island. Greece or another country.

And I mustn’t forget the scourge of our islands: the permanent installation of deckchairs and umbrellas. While quite a few people like umbrellas and deck chairs on the beaches, and don’t mind paying for them, the truth remains that it’s illegal and that a large number of us do not appreciate the blatant hijacking of our public spaces. (By law in Greece all beaches are public property.) All too often we are pushed of the sandy beaches by the deck chairs of the littoral cafeterias and forced to take refuge on the rocks to lay our towels. Actually it’s better to avoid beaches with easy car access all together. If the only way to get to a beach is by a long walk and a steep climb down a cliff, chances are that it’ll be free of deck chairs and annoying dance music.

I shouldn’t complain. I needed the escape. Walking through pine forests instead of taking crowded rush hour buses. Swimming in blue seas and burning myself on hot beaches instead of counting down hours in the office.

As usual I arrived back in Athens exhausted – it’s near impossible sleeping in a camping site, one of your neighbours will invariably hold an all-night party and by nine in the morning the tent has always become a furnace, forcing you out. I also got back full of giant splotches all over my legs. Why oh why do insects insist on biting me? One of the beaches we went to was infested with horse flies and they decided to make a meal of me.

Back in Athens it’s hot hot hot. And I’m bored bored bored at my job. On the upside I have a dance class this afternoon (one of the few things I truly enjoy during my week). And the weekend is approaching again!

Last week end part 2

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)

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.

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)

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.