Sani Magazine 2012 by Sani Resort

Your complimentary agenda to good life

Photograph: G & G Zarzonis

Thessaloniki 2.300 years old... and yet so young

Contents 11

DESTINATION

FASHION REPORT / SANI MARINA

Editorial

photoalbum

Sani Resort: The quintessential escape

Dive into style

(Photographs: Andreas Sfiridis, Sani Resort archive)

(Photographs: Vavdinoudis-Dimitriou / studio vd, Styling: Kyriaki Sidiropoulou, Make-up artist: Alexandra Kostantinidou)

FASHION REPORT / THESSALONIKI

Halkidiki: A four-season destination

108

Sani wetlands (Photographs: Personal archive of Fokion Zisiadis, Vice President Sani SA)

newsStand

16 Sani Green reports (Photographs: Andreas Sfiridis)

(Photographs: Sani Resort archive, Katerina Magounaki, Andreas Sfiridis, G & G Zarzonis)

Fabulous shopping

SAGA

The route

118

(Photographs: G & G Zarzonis)

ETHOS

(Photographs: Vavdinoudis-Dimitriou / studio vd)

Holidays (Photographs: Corbis / Apeiron)

BEAUTY

The Olympic Games: Citius, altius, fortius

134

(Photographs: Reuters / Apeiron)

CULTURE

78 The fabulous creatures of Greek mythology (Illustration: Beetroot Design Group)

82 Sani Festival: 20 years

Sparkling on the beach (Photographs: Sani Resort archive)

GOOD LIFE

123 Sani Gourmet: 7 and counting (Photographs: Sani Gourmet archive)

132 Hello happiness

(Photographs: Minos Alhanati)

136

6 benefits of sunshine

The prince of african blues

139 Star ways WRITERS' CORNER

HEALTH

126 Power on a plate (Photographs: Corbis / Apeiron)

SOUNDTRACK

Sani short stories 2012

144 The Stylistics: People make the world go round

SANI MAGAZINE Edition 2012 PUBLISHER: Sani S.A. 55 Nik. Plastira str. 54250 Thessaloniki Τel: +30 2310 317327 Fax: +30 2310 317881

Sani is a Registered Trademark in the European Community, owned and controlled by Sani S.A.

editor in chief: Georgia Dodou (georgia@saniresort.gr) EDITORIAL TEAM: Αrgyro Barata, Epikouros, Mihalis Goudis, Evangelos Hekimoglou, Dimitris Koparanis, Katerina Magounaki, Christos Paridis, Spyros Raptis, Giorgos Toulas. COPY EDITING: Anna Papadaki COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Georgia Dodou

TRANSLATIONS: Christopher Markham PHOTOGRAPHERS: Μinos Alhanati, Corbis / Apeiron - Reuters / Apeiron, Studio Paterakis, Andreas Sfiridis, Ιosifina Svania, Heinz Troll, Photo VavdinoudisDimitriou / studio vd, G & G Zarzonis. DESIGN: Red Creative IMAGE PROCESSING: Sotiris Giannakopoulos PRINTING: Skordopoulos

Editorial Dear guests,

Welcome to Sani Resort! In these very difficult financial circumstances that Greece finds itself in, Sani Resort continues its own course, achieving excellent results in terms of customer satisfaction. Over the years, the most prestigious international tourism organisations have granted Sani Resort a great number of awards which clearly testify your appreciation for the superior service you have been enjoying at Sani Resort. On behalf of all of us at Sani Resort, I would like to thank you for the trust you have shown to us! Sani Resort has been a family-run business. Established by our parents and now run by us with the same dedication, it aims to offer world-class service. While ensuring the quality and aesthetics of our facilities, we also cater to the protection and promotion of the natural environment that hosts Sani Resort. We are determined to continue with our efforts in the future, which have already shown positive results. You can follow all our initiatives and get a glimpse of the Sani resort life by leafing through Sani Magazine. More than a mere hotel publication, Sani Magazine includes themes, carefully chosen by a team of experts, that provide you a more direct experience of the place and people that are hosting you. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition of Sani Magazine also dedicates a large section to our beloved hometown, Thessaloniki. Only an hour away from Sani resort, in 2012, Thessaloniki celebrates 100 years since its liberation and integration in the Greek state. I would urge you to visit this vibrant and young city with a 2,300-year history. Actually, you can trace Thessalonikiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich history at every turn! Thank you for visiting Sani Resort! Our friendly, highly qualified staff is ready to provide you with top quality services, and offer you and your family relaxing, enjoyable times. We are ready to make sure your holiday here with us is an unforgettable experience!

President of Sani S.A.

photoa l b u m

Sani Wetlands

The natural setting of Sani ® Resort is rich and diverse, refreshing for both mind and body. A painting in muted tones: the green of the pines, the rich earth colours of the soil, and the blue of the sea – a paradise for man and a safe refuge for animals and birds is a landscape worth exploring. the jewel in its crown is the wetland – tranquil and serene, and yet full of life, with bird species living as they should, in the wild, but under sani's s.a. protection. welcome to the sani ® wetlands – a bird sanctuary. 14

newsS tand

Sani Green reports:

A veteran campaigner in environmental protection, Sani® Resort has won a number of awards for its Sani Green programme, including the Green Key award which it won for the third year running in 2011, the Travelife Gold Status award and, of course, the Blue Flags it has won for the quality of its beaches.

his year we will b e e xpanding our environmental activities, starting with a programme which gives guests the opportunity to watch birds in the wetlands around the resort, learn about specially planned study projects – like those which informed the publication of the guide to the Sani wetlands, available in all hotel suites. The visits to the wetlands are organized in association with the Action on Wildlife Team, a not-for-profit organization which protects and rehabilitates injured birds and proceeds from private trips will go towards their programmes. Another of our green projects will appeal to all guests who have ever dreamt of what life on a farm is like. It offers visitors the opportunity to join in activities at a local organic farm, which provides the Sani hotels with their fruits and vegetables. There guests will be initiated into the mysteries of the harvest, the making of preserves and olive oil, enjoying first hand contact with the earth and its produce.

Our tree planting programme – now in its fourth year and run in association with the Friends of Urban Green, a non-profit organization – has already seen thousands of young trees planted all over the region, in burnt down areas of Halkidiki. In the last two years, guests were charged one euro upon checkout that the company matched, with proceeds going to treeplanting, as well as the greening of a local schoolyard and in the last year, the preservation of the area of Lake Mavrobara, the largest lake in Halkidiki and a sanctuary for a rare sea turtle species threatened with extinction. The project at Lake Mavrobara is due to be completed in 2013. This year we will also be running ecofestivals, especially for children, which will combine special games and activities, holiday fun with education. Our younger guests will have the opportunity to learn about the biodiversity of the forest, as well as good environmental practices like composting or cooking with local products.

The Sani Wetlands photo album "A bird sanctuary" was published by Sani S.A. in 2011

Other green activities include our Animal Rescue Programme, run in association with the Halkidiki Animal Rescue charity. The programme is in its fourth year now, with the aim of vaccinating and recording stray animals in the region and helping them find a home. In conjuction with all the programmes we run, we are constantly striving to reduce our carbon footprint; solar energy is used to supply many of our rooms and facilities with hot water, and recycled water is used to water the grounds of the resort. As much of our waste is recycled as possible: paper, glass, cans, batteries and electrical appliances, while used cooking oil from the hotel kitchens and restaurants is converted into bio-fuel.

destination

sani resort

The

quintessential escape Always one step ahead, the Sani Resort offers the ultimate vacation experience: relaxation in a natural setting beside the sea; a sense of freedom; amenities and facilities designed to the highest specifications; and above all – a positive mindset.

n last year’s Sani Magazine we wrote about the new model for vacations, and the new generation resorts. We explained that Sani Resort is one of the first destinations anywhere in the world to embrace the new holiday philosophy, which involves providing a whole complex of activities and amenities which make the vacation not so much an annual break, more a complete life

experience. With its stylish architecture and facilities, its gourmet cuisine in restaurants of distinctive character, its new attitude to the natural environment and the relationship between tourism and nature – everything about Sani Resort is a new departure from the conventions that held sway in the tourist industry until just a few years ago.

A large private estate in one of the most gorgeous, unspoiled parts of Greece – Kassandra in Halkidiki – has been developed with sensitivity and taste as the location for four five-star hotels, a number of luxury villas and a state-of-the-art marina. All facilities have been constructed with total respect for the natural environment. The protection and showcasing of the wetlands surrounding the resort (including a scientific study funded entirely by Sani S.A., resulting in the publication of a superb photographic record of the biodiversity of the area) are a practical example of the company’s genuine interest in the natural world and the environment in which it operates. The establishment of two festivals that have grown into landmarks on the cultural map of the country is not only a considerable achievement for a private sector company, but also yet another factor in the evolution of the old-fashioned holiday into a more all-embracing experience. Even the classic ‘beach holiday’ is different at Sani Resort, with the comprehensive range of beach services, the opportunities for health and wellness, the exercise and personal care facilities – all of them designed to offer that little bit extra in quality and imagination.

In short, the Sani Resort is a microcosm, a world designed to make its guests happy, of course, but happy through a deeper sense of fulfilment: given the opportunity to rest and relax, to enjoy the stimulus of cultural events, to take part in environmental activities and creative projects for young and old alike. So, enjoy your stay in one of our colonial-style rooms; plunge into the turquoise waters of the Aegean or sunbathe on our Blue-Flag beaches; and savour the delicious traditional or innovative creations of eminent Greek and international chefs. Take part in some of the many daily activities available at the resort (the sports facilities, the open-air theatre, the cinemas) and enjoy evenings at the internationally renowned Sani Festival, this year celebrating its twentieth birthday. The programme features jazz, ethnic and classical music by top Greek and international performers. You can also enjoy a visit to one of the resort’s shops at the Sani Marina. For lovers of fine food, there is another significant event in the Sani calendar: Sani Gourmet, now in its seventh year. This year’s programme, featuring encounters and discussions with top chefs from Greece and abroad, will focus on New Greek Cuisine and the 100-mile-practice. Go green by taking part in the resort’s recycling programme, or following one of the nature trails around the wetlands which surround the resort. Observe the many species of wildlife, protected by a special, pioneering conservation programme. Or sign up for the trips we organize to local farms and vineyards, where you can taste the local wines or take cookery lessons.

Give yourself a new lease of life with a tailor-made treatment using state-of-the-art products from Anne Semonin or Apivita, at the resort’s three fully equipped spas: My Spa at the Sani Beach Hotel, The Spa Suite at Porto Sani Village (offering gyms equipped with Technogym aerobic machines, personal trainers, yoga and water aerobics) and the Touches of the World Club Spa at the Sani Beach Club, offering treatments from all over the world. Other options available are a mini-cruise, sailing the coast of Mt. Athos. This is the ideal opportunity for women to see the peninsula, on which no female is allowed to set foot. Or an off-road trip by jeep to see some of the wilder parts of the landscape. The Sea World Scuba Diving Centre offers PADI courses, supported by DAN (Dive Alert Network) Europe, with lessons leading up to the PADI and CMAS diplomas of the Greek Diving, Sport, Fishing and Swimming Association. The Centre offers stateof-the-art equipment, experienced, professional teachers and courses at all levels. The many diving excursions include a dive to a sunken wreck. There are also lots of excursions along trails through the cool mountain forests, with fabulous views down to the sea, and to the bird refuge. Guest Relations or reception can provide you with maps showing the trails. For more information, click on the relevant link on our website (www.saniresort.gr).

Child-friendly The Sani Resort is somewhere where parents can concentrate full-time on enjoying their vacations, without any danger of the children getting bored. With endless beaches, pools where they can play till they drop, a sports centre with six tennis courts and a tennis school with professional coaches, a 5-a-side football pitch, basketball and beach volley courts, a paintball park, and special children’s meals designed to combine nutritional value with delicious flavours – the children will never want to leave! And it goes without saying that their safety is a number-one priority at all times, so their parents can relax without anxiety. We have special services for babies and infants, too, with specially trained staff available 24-hours-a-day (babe-watch programme, mini club, breakfast babysitting, and so on).

Our news Just a few months ago, in November 2011, the Sani Resort was runnerup in the Best European Hotel Resort category at the Sunday Times Travel Awards. The resort has won similar distinctions many times in the past: the Sani Asterias Suites were named among the 100 best hotels in the world by the authoritative Condé Nast Traveller. The other three complexes at the Sani Resort – the Sani Beach Club, Porto Sani Village (Travellers Choice Award 2012 Trip Advisor) and Sani Beach Hotel – have all been fully renovated and remodelled by the architect Niki Andreadis and her Nimand practice. They now have a contemporary style and facilities of the sort demanded by the modern traveller – décor with attitude, electronic equipment, contemporary amenities.

things you must not miss!

1> Morning coffee at Bousoulas Beach, followed by a morning dip. 2 > Breakfast or dinner at the renovated Ammos at the Sani Beach Hotel. Also an excellent venue for a pre-dinner drink. 3> A reviving fruit juice made to order at Sea Breeze, or a healthy lunch at Lagoon, both in the Porto Sani Village. 4> A meal at Tomata, Ergon or Alexis’ – the best of New Greek Cuisine.

5> Cocktails at sunset on Bousoulas Beach, at Sea You in the Sani Marina or Dunes at the Sani Beach Club.

8> At least one concert in the Sani Festival programme on the Sani Hill.

6> A romantic dinner for two on Bousoulas Beach (by arrangement with reception at the Sani Beach Hotel) or at Sea You Up or at the private beach of Sani Asterias Suites.

9> A walk through the Sani Wetlands or along the forest paths near the Sani Beach Club.

7> Evening entertainment at Sea You. A useful tip: Try the beach lounging sessions on Saturday or Sunday lunchtime, at the bar or on the beach.

10> A relaxing treatment at one of the resort’s three spas. Must do: a session at the open-air spa on Bousoulas Beach – massage by the shores of the Aegean! Enjoy the Sani side of life.

destination

With its beautiful landscape and excellent infrastructure, Halkidiki offers holiday opportunities for all seasons of the year. By Katerina Magounaki.

Halkidiki

A four-season destination Mythology – History Most people know that Halkidiki is the birthplace of Aristotle, one of the greatest philosophers of the ancient world, who helped lay the foundations of what we now call western civilization. What is not so well known is that the region was home to some of the most important figures and events in Greek mythology, the Giants for example, who were born from the earth here, fertilized by the blood of Uranus when he was castrated by his son Cronus. During the battle of the Giants with the gods of Mt. Olympus, Athena hurled a huge rock at Enceladus, causing a powerful earthquake which created Kassandra, the ‘tomb’ of the Giant, who ever since has been trapped within the bowels of the earth, his struggles to escape causing the earth to tremble. Sithonia, the central peninsula, takes

alkidiki is truly an earthly paradise, where the pine forests descend to the edge of the Aegean along 500km of beautiful coastline. And there are all sorts of reasons why visitors should holiday here in other seasons of the year, not just the summer months. With its three peninsulas – Kassandra, Sithonia and Mt. Athos – the region offers an incredible mosaic of different landscapes: the high peaks and ridges of the Mt. Holomondas range, the fertile plains and the sea. This is a region which appeals to tourists of all kinds: nature lovers, cosmopolitan visitors, those who seek sports and other activities, as well as those who simply wish to laze in the sun, singles and couples, families and groups of friends – all of them will find the natural landscape and the facilities that they need for the holiday of their dreams. Halkidiki is a place that combines legend and history, tradition and the contemporary world, art and religion, peace and relaxation and a lively night life. And one of its great attractions is the huge variety of accommodation available, from luxury retreats to simple camping sites – there is something for every budget.

Human remains dating back three hundred thousand years have been found in Halkidiki, in the cave at Petralona. Geographers and historians of the ancient world make it clear that from the beginning this region was part of Greece. The Persian invader Xerxes paused here at Sarti, according to Herodotus. Akanthos is mentioned by Thucydides, while the geographer Skylax refers to Sani among other Greek settlements. In the age of Homer colonists came here from Chalcis, Corinth, Eretria and Andros, setting up city states whose remains can be seen today, in towns like Potidaia, a Corinthian colony which surrendered to Xerxes, or Stageira, colonized by the

its name from Sithon, son of Poseidon and Ossa, while the Athos peninsula was created when the Giant of the same name hurled a rock at the gods but fell into the sea, giving this part of the region his name. It is also said that Zeus was sometimes known by the appellation Athoan Zeus, because a huge statue of the god stood on the summit of Mt. Athos, while the ancient inhabitants of the region believed that the shadow of the mountain extended as far as the island of Limnos. There is evidence of the cult of the Olympian gods in the region in the form of the sanctuary of Poseidon on the headland of Poseidio, the oldest site known to have been dedicated to the god of the sea.

Andrians. The great orator Demosthenes described Olynthos as a bone of contention between the Athenians and the Macedonian king, because of its considerable political importance. The whole region enjoyed great prosperity in ancient times, subsequently undergoing radical changes in the years of the Byzantine Empire as successive waves of invaders and settlers passed through or settled here, including Huns, Goths, Catalans and Venetians. These changes led to the decline or even abandonment of many cities, until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 led to enslavement and subjugation to the Ottomans. The region gradually revived under Turkish

rule, with Arnaia, then known as Liarigovi, enjoying considerable prosperity, and the Mademohoria villages becoming important centres for the mining of silver and lead, with a mint for silver coins. But for 400 years all the resulting wealth went straight into the coffers of the occupying powers. Finally, in 1821, the banner of revolution was raised over Halkidiki, although the longed-for liberation did not finally come until the successful outcome of the Macedonian struggle, in the early years of the 20th century.

Activities Natural landscape The most imposing feature of the Halkidiki landscape is the Mt. Holomondas range, covered in thick forest of beech, chestnut, oak and fir trees, dotted with mountain streams and cool paths and trails for hiking. The slopes of Holomondas and Dragoudeli are home to all sorts of wildlife, with special protection areas for many species of flora and fauna. The wetlands of the region are a sanctuary for many kinds of aquatic bird, which nest and reproduce at Agios Mamas, Nea Fokaia and Sani. Numerous locations around the three peninsulas are protected under the rules of the Natura network, including Mt. Itamos, the Athos peninsula, Skamni, at the top of Mt. Stratonikos, the Elias peninsula, the Kastro headland, Ragoula. The headlands at Paliouri, Platanitsi and Sykia; Taxiarchis, the Nea Fokaia wetlands, much of the Sithonia peninsula, Mt. Holomondas itself and the lagoon at Agios Mamas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so many different places where the birds of the region enjoy special protection.

On lower ground, closer to the sea, there are great expanses of vineyards, and market gardens producing superb ingredients for the local and gourmet dishes that can be enjoyed in the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many restaurants. And then there are the beaches, with their emerald waters and fine, clean sand, the rocky stretches of coastline that are home to rare birds, and the deep sea waters with their dolphins and superb diving and fishing opportunities. Along the 500km of coastline there are superb beaches whose clear waters have earned them Blue Flag recognition: Elaionas, Nea Potidaia, Sani, Kryopigi, Lagomandra, Makria Langada, Elia, Armenistis, Platanitsi, Porto Karras, Kambos, Ierissos, Stratoni, Sarti, Sykia, Toroni, Porto Agio. The 32 Blue Flags of Halkidiki, along with the many others around the country, give Greece second place in the world rankings, certifying not just the cleanness of the water at the beaches, but other factors such as the availability of information, the measures taken to protect the environment, the tidiness of the beach, and so on.

With more than 20 hiking trails and 17 special routes for cyclists, spread across Sithonia, Kassandra, the Athos peninsula and the mountains of the Holomondas range, Halkidiki offers a landscape of unparalleled beauty and an appealing holiday destination at any time of year. There are excursions on horseback on the slopes of Holomondas, and by jeep through the hills of Sithonia and Kassandra. Organized diving activities are available at Sani, Pefkohori, Armenistis, Kalamitsi and Platanitsi. Water sports are offered at most of the organized beaches, and during the summer there are boat trips from Paliouri, Kallithea and Ouranoupolis. The most popular of these is of course the tour of the Athos peninsula, which gives women a chance to see the monasteries which they are not allowed to visit. Finally, we must not forget to mention the natural springs at Agia Paraskevi .The waters are recommended for problems with bones and joints, skin complaints, urological and gynaecological issues.

Tradition and culture Halkidiki has a rich cultural heritage and every summer the whole region goes into festival mode, but at other seasons of the year, too, there are local revivals of customs and traditions which keep the old ways alive. From Kallikrateia to Ouranoupolis, from Marathousa to Kassandreia, the local people organize events and revive the old feast days and holidays with the same enthusiasm as their forebears, passing on the traditions to the younger generation. The new year is welcomed in with special rituals, with carol singers touring the villages, while at Palaiokastro they celebrate the Epiphany by leading a replica of a camel through the streets and ringing bells. At Agios Prodromos the men of the village sing the carols, whistle and dance through the village. At some villages there are community dances, and the priests walk from house to house blessing the homes with holy water to bring good health and prosperity. The next main cycle of traditional events occurs at carnival time, with the best-known celebrations being at Polygyros, Simantra and Stratoni. Visitors come from far and wide to enjoy these folk traditions and to sample the delicious home-made sausages that are an integral part of the festivities! At the beginning of Lent, on what is known as Clean Monday, children fly kites and housewives whitewash their houses and tidy up their gardens as spring arrives. Then at Easter the bells of Mt. Athos ring out in celebration of Holy Week, while the hotels open their doors to visitors, offering a wide range of holiday options. This is the time of year when nature returns to life after the long winter; the landscape is dressed in dazzling green, the scents in the air intoxicate oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senses. At Yeroplatanos there is the special cherry festival, when the villagers hail the return of the sun. At Metangitsi there are three days of dancing and song, and a holy icon is carried in procession through the village. At Neohori you can enjoy the sounds of the traditional clarinet and drums, while at Nea Fokaia there are cultural events at the Byzantine Tower which carry on all through the summer till September, with exhibitions of painting, concerts and performances by theatre companies and dance troupes. The last week of July sees the swimming race across the Bay of Toroni, with swimmers from all over the world making the crossing from Kallithea in Kassandra to Nikiti in Sithonia. There are three major arts events each summer: the Sani Festival, on the Sani Hill, the Kassandra Festival in Siviri and the Festival of the Sea at Nea Moudania. The Sani Festival consists of a jazz, world, international and greek major performers.

At Siviri the festival features theatrical productions and concerts, with talented artists from around the world drawing visitors from Greece and abroad. At Nea Moudania the amphitheatre by the sea has seen theatrical productions by the National Theatre and the State Theatre of Northern Greece, as well as other companies from around the country, not to mention concerts by leading Greek vocal artists. But there are

exciting events in the surrounding villages, too. At magical Afytos you can enjoy street theatre, visual arts events and classical and contemporary music. Olynthos has its Olive Festival, and Nea Moudania the Festival of the Sardine! In Ormylia there is the Feast of the Holy Apostles, and at Olympiada the Festival of the Mussel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both occasions of great revelry. Later in the summer many of the local churches

Fine food

The Virgin's garden

The terrain and climate of Halkidiki mean that it produces exceptionally fine olive oils, tsipouro and wine, as well as superb honey of great nutritional value, many wonderful cheeses, high-quality meat reared on the rich grazing lands of the area, delicious, succulent fruits used in jams, preserves and cooling drinks, as well as herbs and medicinal plants from the slopes of Mt. Holomondas. And, of course, there are the many wonderful fish to be enjoyed from the waters of the Aegean. These are the raw ingredients which have made the local cuisine what it is, its superb produce used in recent years to great effect by the Greek and foreign chefs taking part in the Sani Gourmet every May â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a unique culinary event featuring food that meets the highest international standards.

The green slopes of Mt. Athos descend from its summit of 2,035 metres, down through dense forests to the rocky coastline, through ravines and over cliffs to the sea below. The views are incredible, and the visitor feels a thrill of privilege to enter this unique world, with its twenty monasteries and a thousand years of history, home to some of the most precious relics of the Christian faith. Mt. Athos is an independently administered part of the Greek state, subject in political matters to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but within the religious jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Set in a landscape redolent of the scent of thyme, believed to ward off all forms of evil, its monasteries are some of the most imposing in the world, and home to works of art that include hundreds of rare manuscripts, holy relics, miracle-working icons and remarkable frescoes. Many of the monks complement their spiritual devotions with all sorts of crafts, like icon-painting and sculpture, while others write or perform wonderful devotional music. The visitor really does feel that he has left the human world behind and moved closer to God. The community is administered from offices at the town of Karyes, where the boat calls in from Ouranoupolis bringing visitors to the monasteries. All these visitors will be men, of course, because for many centuries no woman has been allowed to set foot on Mt. Athos.

stage special services and festivals to mark the Assumption of the Virgin, on 15 August, and these events are followed by the Raki Festival at Vrastama, the Tsipouro Festival at Sana, and the Mushroom Festival at Taxiarchis! Through prayer, feasting, song and dance, Halkidiki leaves its own unique memories in the mind of every visitor.

T H E SS A LO N I K I C I T Y view

THESSALONIKI

A contemporary profile You discover the truth about a city from the simple, everyday things – like the faces of the people you pass in the street. Their expressions and the way they conduct themselves can tell you a lot about whether they are living in a vital, exciting environment – an environment like the city of Thessaloniki. by georgia dodou.

he history of our city is well known to all Greeks, especially this year – the centenary of its liberation from Ottoman rule. Thessaloniki is a city that all Greeks admire and wish to visit, as often as possible. But it also enjoys an excellent reputation with foreign visitors. So, what can we find to say about the city that has not been said before? The truth is, there is always a new way of seeing things. For example, the sheer beauty of Thessaloniki: whenever you go down to the waterfront of the city it feels as if you are seeing it for the first time, with the enormous, blue expanse of sea and sky stimulating the imagination and making one feel alive, carefree and full of hope. A view as old as the city itself –and yet it seems new every time one enjoys it. And a second question: to what extent does its long history weigh down on the city? Is there any sense of staleness or fatigue? And the answer: none at all! You would think the city had drunk an elixir of youth, so vibrant is the atmosphere, so full of youth, innovation, willingness to experiment, to welcome anything new and different in all spheres of activity. It is this energy and ceaseless activity which keep Thessaloniki always one step ahead of the rest of the country. This is a city where theory becomes practice, whether in the implementation of a project in business or construction, or in the development of a new idea – nothing is static, the visitor feels a constant, restless dynamism in the air, feels surrounded by people who are forever planning, debating, looking ahead, taking action. The fashion industry, for example, is a thriving part of the city’s life, and offers a way for each generation to express itself, a way of reading and deciphering with exceptional accuracy the trends and movements within society. It has always been a pioneering sector, showcasing the variety and diversity of the city’s multicultural population, the many influences at play in a place which welcomes people from so many different cultures and backgrounds. Cultures evolve over the passage of time, and its recent history gives Thessaloniki a great advantage: many of the most important trends in modern Greek culture were born here, and over the 20th century the music, literature and cinema of Greece have all tended to be shaped in this, her second city. Important institutions were first established here, promoting and protecting the cultural life of the city, including a first-class university, exceptional museums, galleries of modern art, the international film festival each November, and now the World Music Expo, to be held this year for the first time, from 17–21 October 2012. To conclude: the contemporary profile of Thessaloniki is – allowing for the passage of time – what we would expect from a city with such an important and varied history. Thessaloniki and her people are just waiting for the new dawn, to which we all look forward, the dawn of the next era in her exciting history.

Women's & Men's Spring/Summer 2012

Shopping Center MEDITERRANEAN COSMOS 11o klm Thessaloniki – Moudania Tel.: 2310 473 281-2, Parking: P2E

Sani Resort Ακτή Σάνης, Κασσάνδρα Χαλκιδικής

T H E SS A LO N I K I C I T Y view

THESSALONIKI

100 year celebration (1912-2012)

he 28th October is not just the day on which Greece said ‘No’ to an ultimatum from the forces of Italian fascism in 1940. It is an important date in the history of modern Greece for another reason, the day on which the Greek army, led by heir to the throne Prince Constantine, entered the city of Thessaloniki to liberate it from the Turks. Prime Minister Venizelos had realized the danger of the city falling into the hands of the Bulgarians and exerted pressure on Constantine to change tactics. He sent a telegram, stating very plainly: ‘I hold you responsible for the consequences of any delay’, prompting Constantine to lead his troops forward to the natural capital of Macedonia. The entry into the city was preceded by the Battle of Yiannitsa and negotiations between Pasha Hasan Taxin, in command of the city’s defences, and the envoys of Constantine. Details of the surrender were finally agreed and signed on 26 October 1912. This year is the hundredth anniversary of the liberation of Greece’s 2nd largest city, an event to be celebrated in these difficult times, as we face some of the most critical moments in our country’s history. We have decided to mark the anniversary with a feature on the history of Thessaloniki, written by Evangelos Hekimoglou, lecturer in economics at the Aristotle University, author, journalist, exhibition curator and broadcaster. A ‘renaissance man’, whose love of the city and the region of Macedonia has inspired a lifetime’s research and many important works of scholarship. By G. Dodou.

A Living History The city of Thessaloniki has had a long and eventful history, steeped in myth and romance, triumph and tragedy, as EVANGELOS Hekimoglou explains.

hessaloniki was originally the name of a princess, whose story can be told briefly as follows: the father of Alexander the Great, King Philip II of Macedonia, married seven princesses, one from each of the kingdoms he conquered. When he seized the city of Pheres in Thessaly, he took to wife Princess Nicesipolis, whose name means ‘city of victory’. She presented him with a baby daughter, but sadly died shortly after giving birth. The name of this daughter was Thessaloniki – ‘victory of the Thessalians’. The names of princesses in those days were chosen to reflect the glory of their city or dynasty. At the age of thirty Thessaloniki was given in marriage to Cassandros, son of Antipater, general and right-hand man of Alexander the Great, who had recently died. The marriage was just one part of the dynastic manoeuvrings to secure power and influence in the great empire that Alexander had bequeathed. Immediately after the wedding, Cassandros bestowed his wife’s name on a new city he founded, on a natural harbour site on the southern coast of Macedonia, between Halkidiki and Pieria. The city was to be built on the site of a group of small settlements, communities of farmers and craftsmen gathered around the homes of their local chieftains. The traditions and history of these small settlements are now lost in the mists of time, although there are brief references to the local rulers and their feats in Homer’s Iliad. So, all thes e small communities were now to be combined in one large city – to be known as Thessaloniki.

When the Roman army under Aemilius Paulus defeated the last Macedonian king, Perseus, in 168 BC, the people of Thessaloniki surrendered their city in exchange for their lives. The Macedonian kingdom was broken up into four self-administering provinces, the third of which – extending between the Axios and Strymon rivers – had Thessaloniki as its capital. The Via Egnatia (named after Gnaeus Egnatius, who oversaw its construction) connected Dyrrachium with Evros. Its proximity to the new road and its superb port made Thessaloniki an important station along the trade route from Rome to Asia Minor. The arts and crafts flourished alongside the new commercial activities. The people of Thessaloniki were able to enjoy the rhetoric of great orators, to admire the work of sages and poets. They worshipped the gods of Greece, Rome and the Orient, as well as the mysterious deities of the ancient Thracians. Thessaloniki was now of sufficient importance for the Apostle Paul, bringer of the Christian faith to Europe, to preach here for three weeks in the middle of the 1st century AD. Most of the local people were pagans, but there was a strong Jewish community and other monotheists, mainly the womenfolk of the more affluent families, who were receptive to the new faith. Paul’s enemies stirred up popular feeling against him, accusing him of proclaiming the existence of a king not subject to Roman rule, and of violating the prohibition on any mention of the Caesar’s death. However, the local authorities did not pursue the charges too vigorously and Paul was able to make his escape. Following his departure the local converts to Christianity withdrew from the business of the world, indulging in fruitless philosophical speculation about the date of the Second Coming. Paul wrote to them with strict admonitions, including the famous warning: 'Let him who will not work go hungry.'

The city acquired new fame and status in the late 3rd century as the headquarters of the Emperor Galerius, who erected the famous triumphal arch, known locally as the Kamara, to commemorate his victory over the Persians. He also built a palace complex, much of which can still be seen today, and the same period saw the construction of the famous circular Rotonda, still in a remarkable state of preservation. A few years later the Emperor Constantine carried out extensive work on the city’s port and strengthened its sea defences. The people of Thessaloniki retained their traditions of self-government and their independent spirit even when Christianity had become the dominant faith of the Roman Empire. Their love of freedom brought them into conflict with the Emperor Theodosius, who installed himself in the city and built many churches and bathhouses, but was also responsible for the infamous massacre of local people in the Hippodrome. Meanwhile power had passed from Rome to Constantinople. During the 5th and 6th centuries a number of great churches were constructed, such as the Panayia Aheiropoiitos, still standing today. Saint Demetrius was the acknowledged patron saint and protector of the city, defending it against the frequent raids by Arabs and Slavs in the 6th and 7th centuries. The end of the 7th century saw the construction of the great Church of Aghias Sophias (Church of Holy Wisdom), modelled on the church of the same name in Constantinople, with huge interior surfaces and a massive dome.

At this period the city was forging closer links with the Slav world, and it was from Thessaloniki that Cyrillus and Methodius set out on their mission of conversion to the Slav countries in the 9th century. The city was now a place of great affluence, and attracted the attention of Arab pirates, who attacked it in the 10th century, looting, plundering and slaughtering the population. In the years which followed the survivors had to fight off frequent raids from Bulgarian forces in the hinterland, the defences led by the Byzantine Emperor Basil II. In the 12th century the city had entered its heyday. The annual festivities in honour of Saint Demetrius attracted Greeks from all over the known world, as well as Slavs, travelling from as far as the Danube and southern Russia, Italians, travellers from Spain and Portugal, even Celts from across the Alps. This host of visitors would set up camp outside the walls of the city, trading in fabrics, yarn, livestock and all sorts of other commodities. The local ruling class paraded on fine Arab steeds, dressed in opulent silk robes. The feast day of the saint was celebrated in the great Church of Aghios Demetrius, with its two choirs, the male choir on the right, the female on the left. The bulk of the population were Christian, but there was still a large community of Jews, working mainly in the silk trade, and a significant number of Armenian officials and landowners. In 1185 Normans from Sicily besieged and occupied the city for several months, a time of great hardship and hunger for the population.

When the knights of the Fourth Crusade turned on their allies and occupied Byzantium, Thessaloniki became a Latin Kingdom, ruled for twenty years by Boniface of Montferrat. The two great churches, Aghia Sophia and Aghios Demetrius, were given over to the Latin rite, and a bishop was dispatched to the city by the Vatican. The remains of Saint Demetrius were removed to San Lorenzo in Italy. Eventually the Greeks returned, in the person of the Comneni, expelled the Catholics and attempted to fend off the threat from Bulgaria, either by dynastic marriage or on the battlefield. In the 13th century the Venetians and Genoans concluded contracts allowing them to maintain a consulate in the city and extending protection to their colonies here. In the beginning of the following century Catalan mercenaries in the pay of the Emperor mutinied and besieged the city, after first destroying many of the monasteries on Mt. Athos. Despite its many trials and tribulations the city continued to build fine churches, many of which still stand today, glorious examples of Byzantine architecture and fresco painting. They include the Taxiarches, Aghia Aikaterini, Aghioi Apostoloi, Aghios Nikolaos Orphanos and the chapel of the Vlatadon Monastery. The local traditions of self-government remained strong, the Orthodox Church was powerful and the local Metropolitan or archbishop of the city enjoyed broad administrative jurisdiction. Social polarization was a growing problem, however, and led to two phenomena of broader European significance, both occurring in the mid-14th century. First, an explosion of anger against the wealthy landowners, and a movement demanding they be properly taxed. This was perhaps the first example of an uprising by the middle classes anywhere in Europe. And second, quite different in nature, a tendency to mysticism and quietism in religion, rejecting ‘knowledge of material things’ in favour of a ‘perception of the immaterial light’. Both these developments tended to reinforce a sense of ethnic identity, with the governor of the city and subsequent Emperor, Manuel, proclaiming in the second half of the 14th century: ‘We are Romans, but also Greeks’. 42

However, one result of this mysticism in religious affairs was a tendency to fatalism, even defeatism. The Ottomans, who had been called on by the Byzantine rulers for many years to assist them in their various rivalries, now saw the opportunity to exploit the weaknesses of the Empire and invaded and occupied a large part of the Balkan region, often with the assistance of Christian rulers. By the end of the 14th century the Ottomans were exerting continual pressure on Thessaloniki, occupying the hinterland and laying siege to the city. The people of Thessaloniki finally laid down their arms in 1387, agreeing not to resist in exchange for a concession that they would retain their rights of self-government. They remained under Ottoman control until 1403, when Byzantine rule was restored. But the Ottoman pressure remained intense; not even the Venetian occupation of the city in 1423-1430 could bring relief. In 1430 Murat II besieged and captured the city, the inhabitants were put to the sword, in accordance with holy Islamic law, and their property bestowed on Ottoman officials. Thus began the five centuries of Ottoman rule. At first, the city population consisted of a few natives who had survived the massacres and subsequent captivity, and a larger group of newcomers – Orthodox Christians and converts to Islam who were brought here forcibly from other regions. Trade and industry had suffered greatly from recent events, but were revived in the late 15th century by the arrival of Jews expelled from Spain, followed by others from Italy, the south of France and then Germany. From this time until 1922 the Jews remained the largest community of Thessaloniki, making it unique among Mediterranean cities. Organized around thirty synagogues, the Jews had brought with them valuable expertise in the textile industry. Their language was a form of Spanish, with frequent borrowings from Turkish and Greek.

Over the course of the 16th century the cultural dominance of this new population group was consolidated, with the first books coming off Jewish presses in the city in 1512. In the middle of the century the Ottoman state commissioned the production of uniforms for the army from the Jewish community. This was not a privilege, but a form of forced labour. In the 17th century it was decided that the system of production was no longer efficient and the authorities gathered all the textile workers together in a camp in the centre of the city, where they could control the techniques used and the quality of the final product. It was around this time that a mass wave of conversions to Islam occurred among the Jewish population, inspired by the ‘false Messiah’ Sabbatai Tsevi, a popular figure who converted to Islam to save his life. These converted Jews, unlike the many thousands of Christians and Jews who went over to Islam from time to time, formed a discrete group which retained a keen awareness of its Jewish origins. They were known as the dönme, and their ranks provided many of the city’s businessmen and mayors, as well as leading figures in the Ottoman state. The Christian population of the city were distributed among twelve parishes, almost all of them occupying the site of dissolved monasteries. In the 18th century the earlier Christian residents had organized themselves into guilds, working in the fur and cloth trades. Newcomers were excluded from these guilds and forced to work in humbler occupations. The Christians spoke Greek, Vlach and, in some cases, Bulgarian, but were all members of the Orthodox congregation under the leadership of the city’s Metropolitan, who was assisted by special commissioners responsible for schools, hospitals and prisons. A small number of Christian merchants were in charge of the export trade in Macedonian agricultural produce (tobacco, grain, cotton), while the import trade was primarily in the hands of Jewish merchants with international links, mainly with Italy. Tax farming was a lucrative occupation for members of all three communities. One part of the city, the district known as the Frangomahalas,

or Frankish quarter, was inhabited almost exclusively by French, English and Italian businessmen and diplomats, bringing a western flavour to part of the city – a phenomenon mirrored in most large cities of the Orient. Thessaloniki in the early 19th century was an affluent city, but the suppression of the Greek uprising against the Turks in 1821 gave local officials a pretext for plundering the wealth of the prosperous merchants of the city and thereby doing much damage to trade. A recovery began in the middle of the century, coinciding with a decline in the rural communities of the interior as the Ottoman Empire as a whole entered its final chapter. The city’s population increased and a middle class began to emerge; the city now manufactured half of all textile products made anywhere in the Empire. There was foreign investment in transport and infrastructure, part of a process of westernization and modernization. New development spread out beyond the city walls, residential to the East, industrial to the West. These changes saw the rise of two great business dynasties, the Allatini and the Modiano families, who amassed vast fortunes. But the international economic crisis of 1906-1907 brought a tidal wave of bankruptcies, with many Jewish merchants forced to default on their debts. And then the war between Italy and Turkey in 1911 brought economic activity in the city almost to a standstill. Meanwhile the first Balkan War had begun, with the entry of Greek troops into Thessaloniki in October 1912 bringing an end to the Ottoman era. Greek authorities were installed, proclaiming tolerance of all faiths and equal treatment of non-Christian minorities. The First World War saw the arrival in the city of hundreds of thousands of foreign troops – from France, Britain, Italy, Serbia, Russia, even India and Africa and Vietnam. Based in camps around the outskirts of the city, they left their mark on every aspect of everyday life.

The fateful year of 1917 saw the Great Fire destroy two-thirds of the city’s businesses and leave half the population homeless. Most victims were from the Jewish middle class families, who saw themselves ruined overnight. The war with Turkey led to the exchange of populations, with an exodus of some 40,000 Muslims and the arrival of 150,000 Christians from Asia Minor and Thrace. Economic hardship and the Zionist movement encouraged tens of thousands of Jews to emigrate. The daily life of the city began to change, reflecting these demographic developments. Saturday was no longer the day of rest, new markets took the place of the old bazaars. Some forty new neighbourhoods sprang up around the Old City, where a new urban plan had been drawn up following the Great Fire. Greek political parties found new adherents among both native and refugee populations, and the old community leaders found themselves marginalized. Cheap labour led initially to economic growth, particularly in labour-intensive industries, but the international economic crisis soon brought mass unemployment and exacerbated social tensions. The city played a leading part in the struggle for workers’ rights, with a Federation of Workers established in 1909, culminating in the violent events of 1936. The shooting of demonstrating workers triggered political upheaval, with a dictatorship being declared by the provisional government. The war with Italy (1940-1941) affected the city severely, owing to its proximity to the front line. And then came the horrors of the German occupation, in which many lives were lost. Most important to Thessaloniki was the loss of 96% of its Jewish population, the backbone of the city for so many centuries. The Germans first stripped the Jews of their property, and then sent them to the death camps in Poland. Apart from their human victims, the Nazis also torched buildings and destroyed valuable cultural artefacts, including the archive of the Thessaloniki Jewish Community. One of their worst acts of cultural vandalism was the destruction of the Jewish Cemetery, which stood where the city’s university campus is now situated.

This campus was one of the central features of the city’s redevelopment in the post-war years, contributing to the growth of a vibrant, youthful urban environment, a leader in social struggles and in creative activities. Internal migration from rural areas and the return of exiled Greeks from abroad now swelled the population, and helped by foreign investment, growing trade and industry, the city could now bear comparison with major European conurbations like Oslo or Liverpool. The city’s expansion in recent years has, however, left unchanged its spatial organization, laid out like an amphitheatre looking down on the sea, once described memorably as ‘a swan reclining on the waters’. The port is an integral part of city life, now home to many cultural venues and activities. The following words, written seven hundred years ago, remain as true as ever: ‘Many ports are praised, but this is truly a model for all others to emulate. It is both port and city together… And what grief cannot be assuaged by the beauty of this city? What sickness can it not relieve? What stranger can it not seduce into forgetting his native land?’ The words of a native of Thessaloniki in the 14th century, and perhaps as relevant to future generations as to his contemporaries. When you walk along the seafront of Thessaloniki, especially when the crowds have dispersed and you are alone, the sense of time seems to dissolve. It is not so hard to imagine a Byzantine monk slipping past you in the mist, his robes just brushing against you as he passes. A city with twenty-three centuries of history… how can it not have its share of ghosts?

T H E SS A LO N I K I C I T Y view

the heart Ntinos Christianopoulos

of a poet One of the most important Greek living poets, Ntinos Christianopoulos (real name Konstantinos Dimitriadis) was born in Thessaloniki in 1931. A few months ago he publicly declined the Grand Prize for Letters, awarded him for his lifetimeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work. Having expressed his opposition, in 1979, to the whole process of prizes and awards, this refusal to accept an honour was entirely consistent with his values â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and a decision of great dignity in a country in crisis, seeking its own lost sense of right and wrong. Giorgos Toulas went to meet Christianopoulos, and they talked, among other things, of the issues of morality and decency.

ground-floor apartment on Skepastou St. in the Saranda Ekklisies district of Thessaloniki. Saturday morning. Christianopoulos is wearing a suit, covered in cat hairs, and his desk is flanked by two of the household’s three cats: the legendary Miramar enthroned on a chair, Maria curled up asleep on a cupboard. The third member of the family, Sotiroula, is somewhere inside the house. ••• - I have three cats. I love dogs too, I’ve written poems about them, but not in the way I love the cats. It’s a family tradition. When my mother came over from Constantinople in 1924 she brought her cats with her, not dogs. And since then there have always been cats in the family. ••• He glances at the mobile phone I am using to record the interview. ‘You’re recording me with that?’, he asks. ‘Yes’, I tell him. ‘These new phones can do anything’. ‘Never mind’, he comments, looking askance at the phone. ••• How do you see the way things are going in Greece, the crisis which now seems to be coming to a head? - I try not to get involved. In three ways: I don’t watch TV. I don’t listen to the radio. And I don’t read the papers. If there’s a paper in the house it’s because friends have brought me one. I would never buy a newspaper. This is how I manage to ignore what is going on. The less I know about the situation, the happier I feel. When I start hearing about what X has said and what Y has replied, and what the government has done or the prime minister – I get confused and upset. This way I preserve some sort of calm. It’s an old habit that has served me well. When I was about 18 I was always at the cinema, watching westerns. I had a real passion for films about the Wild West. But when I got home afterwards I couldn’t eat. This happened two or three times and I thought: ‘What’s going on here? I can’t eat because I get excited too easily and the films upset me? Well. This has to stop’. So I stopped going to the cinema. Just like that. And got my appetite back! What can I tell you? That’s the way I am. I’ve often made sacrifices like that, for my peace of mind. Recently I’ve been trying to get to bed earlier. Sleeping from half past nine to eight thirty in the morning. A nice long sleep. And I don’t regret it, I feel fine. Because when I used to go to bed later, at eleven, half past, I found I was getting over-excited. From reading and writing. But once I stopped, stopped writing in the evening, I felt much better. It’s what’s right for me. When people laugh at me, for going to bed at nine thirty like a little boy, I ask them ‘What harm am I doing?’ I would much rather not know what they are up to, the governments, the prime ministers… because it will only upset me. Discipline is good for me. I should have been more detached all through my life. For now, it’s enough. •••

His routine, the daily life he describes, seem remarkably, almost shockingly simple and austere by the standards of the modern world. He seems to abide by an almost military discipline. He has spoken about his whole past life, his childhood, his family, his unusual relationship with his mother, the church schools which played such an important part in forming his character, his passions, requited and unrequited, and their influence on his poetry, which he describes as a poetry of desire, and his two great loves: Cavafy and Tsitsanis. Portraits of the two men adorn the walls of his office, alongside hundreds of books. ••• Shouldn’t an intellectual have a position on the crisis the country is going through? - The truth is I’m just not in a position to have any opinion, and I am the first to admit it. People ask me what I think about the crisis, and I tell them I just ignore it, whether they like it or not! I don’t know, I hear news on the street of course, they told me Angelopoulos (the film director) had died. But, for example, I don’t even know the name of the prime minister. I could ask someone to tell me, but what’s the point? What difference does it make if he’s called Smith or Brown? But some sort of rudimentary information always gets through, whether I want it to or not.

Who are the figures who have inspired you? - I don’t know. That’s dif ficult to say, I only know intellectuals, writers… And they have their problems too. In the old days I had my disagreements, with Seferis and Elytis… but with the younger generation, it’s sad. Anagnostakis, for example, whom I still respect greatly, even though we are in different camps, so to speak. When he was sentenced to death, for being in the communist National Youth Organization, he was condemned because he refused to reveal to the military court that he had already been expelled from the Communist Party and was no longer a party member. If he had told them, he would have been acquitted immediately. But he wouldn’t speak up. They were left believing that he was still a member of the Communist Party and they sentenced him to death twice over. Fortunately the sentence was not carried out. But you don’t see many inspiring cases like that. Perhaps if I were more in touch with events, if I read the papers, I would find other things to inspire me. I can think of one thing I find very moving: some of the churches are setting up soup kitchens for the poor, with the help of the Metropolitan or the parishes. It’s not much, but it’s something. But there’s one church, Agion Panton, which is organizing a really effective kitchen, for the poor, gypsies, immigrants, blacks. They feed about 200 people a day, for free. It’s something quite new, and they don’t get money from the church authorities, but from the ordinary parishioners.

Ladies who give up their time to cook meals for the poor, when they could be sitting comfortably at home playing cards. There’s a whole team of them. And what’s more, whereas before the poor people used to line up in the cold, take a plate of food and leave, now the local people have raised money to set up a little shelter, so they won’t have to eat on the street. With ordinary people just contributing five or ten Euro each. I think that’s a real achievement, it’s not just a gesture, people must have made sacrifices to give that money. I find that very moving. But the newspapers don’t carry stories like that, of course. You only get in the papers if you’re showing your legs… ••• This winter the Athens Academy and the Ministry of Culture decided to present Christianopoulos with a lifetime achievement award. It wasn’t the first time they had tried to bestow such an award on the poet, but it was the first time they received such a resounding refusal. For those who know him or his work, it was no surprise. He had set out his position on such awards back in 1979, in the journal Diagonios (see box, p. 44). His consistency and his insistence on speaking his mind have cost him a great deal in the course of his life – a life that has featured much deprivation, and frequent feuds with figures in the intellectual community, whom he has not feared to criticise fiercely, including Elytis and Seferis and Giannis Ritsos. ••• Are you a severe critic of yourself, as well? - Very, especially of my work. It might seem strange to you, but to produce a handful of good poems you have to learn to throw many imperfect poems away. There are too many writers who don’t understand this; they publish everything they can cobble together. In this respect I am very severe, perhaps too much so, perhaps I discard too much work that might have been saved. But I think in most cases I make the right decision. In general terms I am strict with myself, in relation to the limits of my talent. It’s a terrible thing to be strict about your own talent. If you can appreciate this, you’ll realize how much good it has done me. Being strict is about caring. It’s like a rebuke to other people. Because there is so much love inside me, so much caring, you can’t imagine how much. ••• Christianopoulos is happy to pose for a photograph. The cats are now making themselves at home on his desk. ‘Thank heavens you didn’t ask me any frivolous questions’, he smiles, as he sees me out to the peaceful street. This year he will celebrate his eightieth birthday.

He studied literature at the Aristotle University, worked as a librarian in the city’s public library system from 1958 to 1965, and then as an editor for a publishing house. A poet, short-story writer, translator, student of folk culture and book critic, he also edited the journal Diagonios from 1958 to 1983. An admirer of Cavafy, he was profoundly influenced by the work of the Alexandrian poet. He also adored Rembetiko music and the work of the composer and singer Vasilis Tsitsanis. Unorthodox in his opinions, he was often outspoken in his views – but widely respected for his adherence to his principles and beliefs. His work has been translated into many languages.

T H E SS A LO N I K I C I T Y view

Thessaloniki offers a whole mosaic of experiences, from early morning to late at night. It is one of those cities which satisfy just about every kind of material and emotional need. Mihalis Goudis takes us on a brief tour, explaining what visitors should see.

A treat for all the senses: Thessaloniki is a city which should be experienced with all one’s senses alert, ready to take in the rich history, the renowned cuisine, the beauty of the monuments against which the people go about their business, and the throbbing rhythm of its nightlife. One day is not really enough to appreciate a city of such fascinating diversity; it is essential to make an early start, and fit in as many sights as possible.

Strolling around The day should begin with a traditional breakfast: the popular custard tart, known as "bougatsa", or perhaps a bread roll or some "tsoureki", a kind of brioche – and, of course, a coffee at one of the city’s innumerable cafés. Thessaloniki has more cafés per head of population than any other place in Greece – one of its many distinctions. The city centre is ideal for walking, or cycling for the more adventurous, who should bear in mind that the cycling lanes are not as safe or well constructed as they might be. With the right shoes, walking is the best way to appreciate the capital of Macedonia; take a good guide book, keep your eyes open, and see the city’s history unfold before you. 2012 is the centenary of the liberation from Turkish rule – what better time to study the long and varied history of the place? Among the features worth noting as you walk around the city are the many fine neoclassical buildings, some of them still proudly dominating their neighbourhoods, others barely surviving amidst the uncontrolled expansion of the contemporary city, the vistas along some of the main road axes, like Agiou Mina Street, the fine arcades stretching the length of Aristotle Square, the beautiful piazza in front of Agias Sofias church, the picturesque and tranquil quarters of the Old City, like Tsinari... all of them witnesses to the many different cultural influences Thessaloniki has been exposed to over the centuries. And for a full perspective on the city’s long and distinguished history, there are a number of museums well worth visiting: the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Byzantine Culture or the superb collections housed in the city’s emblematic White Tower. And to experience another defining feature of the place, take a bus or walk up to the Old City to stroll along the Byzantine walls, enjoying fabulous views of the city and the bay.

The capital of Greek cuisine Lunchtime has arrived – and the choice of venues is bewildering. With its traditional tavernas and historic restaurants, Thessaloniki has no rival in Greece when it comes to gastronomic variety, whether you are looking formeze food or a memorable gourmet experience. There are places to eat on every block, and few of them will disappoint you. For those wishing to sample the local fish, we recommend a visit to one of the many restaurants specializing in seafood in the Aretsou district – also giving you the chance to discover Kalamaria, a city within the city. If you’re interested in shopping for some of the local delicacies, try the traditional open-air markets, or one of the many delicatessens which have opened up in recent years and are all well stocked with the essentials of the famous Mediterranean diet. They may be past their heyday, but the Kapani and Modiano markets still offer vivid gastronomic experiences – flavours, sounds and images combined in a festival of the senses, in locations full of historical interest.

The contemporary city Afternoon is the best time to take the pulse of the city and appreciate its many different aspects. The theatre is still thriving, despite the economic crisis, with pleasant surprises awaiting the visitor in small theatres hosting dynamic companies which complement the more lavish productions of the National Theatre and the experimental art theatre. Every autumn the city hosts an International Film Festival, which has introduced many generations of young people to the art of film. The city’s cinemas, too, continue to offer rich fare, despite the crisis. You may not need to seek out the arts, however, as a number of lively companies regularly stage street theatre and other events around the city. Thessaloniki Allios, Why Not, Sfina and Street Panthers are just some representatives of this dynamic community, who come out onto the streets every so often to enliven the routine of city life. There are also dozens of other artistic venues, where artists are fighting against the prevailing sense of helplessness in the face of economic crisis. Project Space Dynamo, the Kalos and Klio Showroom and many other locations dotted around the city are excellent places to sample contemporary creativity. And before you leave, make sure you get your hands on an example of Thessaloniki’s excellent free press, including the historic Parallaxi, the film magazines Exostis and Film Noir, Glow, the more recent Pepper andthe historical newspapers Makedonia and Aggelioforos. All the city’s alternative publications are well written and full of fascinating articles.

Night steps Thessaloniki changes when night falls, and people gather in the Valaoritou district, in the bars along the main streets, in the little arcades which come alive when the stores bring down their shutters. The city has always been renowned for its exciting night life, with live music, bars to suit every taste and traditional Greek bouzouki entertainment. Despite the conventional wisdom that the crisis has ruined the social life of the city, the truth is that the city, designated European Youth Capital 2014, is as lively as ever, with thousands of young people, students from the Aristotle and Macedonia Universities and young businessmen, all determined to resist the temptation to move to Athens or even abroad, and continuing to make Thessaloniki the capital of the night.

Exploring the waterfront The sea is an integral part of the identity of Thessaloniki. The waterfront was once a scene of intense activity, with hundreds of vessels mooring to load and unload their cargos and the local people moving from one part of the city to another by boat. Nowadays the promenade is more popular with walkers and joggers. The best way to experience it is to start at the beautiful landscaped gardens of the Nea Paralia, the New Waterfront, and walk along past the central Aristotelous Square until you come to the port. Aristotelous Square reflects the vision of the city of the French architect and planner Ernest Hébrard, who drew up plans for reconstruction after the terrible fire of 1917, designing breathtaking vistas from the Old City down to the sea. The port is still a busy working harbour, but also now home to a number of museums – the Museums of Photography and Cinema, and the Contemporary Art Centre. Recently completed, this cultural area is a good place to stroll around and enjoy superb views of the city and the sea.

Even if a single day is not really long enough Enjoy some contemporary views and images of Thessaloniki through the lens of the photographers who work for the Stereosis studio. From time to time the little basement shop on Zefxidos St. produces some really amazing pictures of the life of the city, along with other remarkable images and the occasional fascinating event.

to fit in all the experiences we have outlined above, you will definitely leave with a wealth of positive memories. The truth is that most visitors to Thessaloniki are charmed by the place and very often return for a second visit.

T H E SS A LO N I K I C I T Y view

To visit: Museum of Byzantine Culture 2 Stratou Ave. | T. 2313 306.400 Archaeological Museum 6 Manoli Andronikou St. | T. 2310 830.538

Going out:

White Tower Museum White Tower | T. 2313 306.400

Coq au Zen 37 Valaoritou St. | T. 2310 520.119

Contemporary Art Centre Warehouse B1, Port of Thessaloniki T. 2310 546.683

.ES 2-4 Frangon St. | T. 2310 532.503

Museum of Photography Warehouse A, Port of Thessaloniki T. 2310 566.716 Film Museum Warehouse A, Port of Thessaloniki T. 2310 508.398

NOESIS Thessaloniki Science Center and Technology Museum

In the modern world of technology, knowledge of the sciences is essential – and the Thessaloniki Noesis Science Centre and Technology Museum is the perfect place to acquire it. Learn about developments in science and technology from the exhibits of ancient Greek technology, tour the Techno-park, with its interactive learning tools, and admire the collection of motor vehicles. Enjoy the magic of the cinema in the 300seat Cosmotheatre; experience the virtual reality of the 18-seat simulator or travel the universe in the 160-seat digital planetarium. You can also book a place on one of the educational programmes run by the Museum, or organize your own conference in the fully equipped amphitheatre, or an exhibition in the exhibition facility. The Museum also has a library with books on science, a computer station, a digital productions lab, a café, restaurant and shop selling books and souvenirs. Visit us – take part in an amazing journey! At the 6th kilometre on the road from Thessaloniki to Thermi. Telephone: 2310 483 000.

SeeSaw 20 Leontos Sofou St. | T. 2310 533.806 COCKTAIL BAR 17A Polytehniou St. | T. 2310 524.242 LA DOZE 1 Vilara St.

Eating out:

CANTINA TROPICANA 31 Egnatia St.

Oraia SmyrnI 24 Kountouriotou St., Kalamaria T. 2310 436.035

BorD dE L'EAU 45 Egnatia St. (in the arcade) T. 2310 520.911

Ouzeri Aristotelous 8 Aristotelous Square | T. 2310 230.762 Negreponte 24 Aigyptou & 21 Katouni St., Ladadika T. 2310 523.571 Zythos Doré 7 Tsiroyianni St., White Tower T. 2310 279.010 Nea Folia 4 Aristomenous St. | T. 2310 960.383

Greek deli spots: To Pantopolio tis Thessalonikis 12 Komninon St. | T. 2310 244.684 Ergon – GREEK GROCERY / MEZE RESTAURANT 5 Kouskoura St. | T. 2310 223.550 Harilaos DRIED NUTS 24 Vatikiotou St. | T. 2310 285.487 Terkenlis PASTRY & BAKERY SHOP / "TSOUREKI" SPECIALISTS 4 Aristotelous Square | T. 2310 271.148 BLÉ 19 Agias Sofias St. | T. 2310 231.200

Plays and films: Amalia Theatre Experimental Art Theatre 71 Amalia St. | T. 2310 821.483 Vasiliko Theatre White Tower | T. 2315 200.200 Makedonikon Cinema Filikis Etairias & D. Margariti St. T. 2310 261.727 Fargani Cinema 10 Ag. Panteleimonos St., Kamara T. 2310 960.063

Experimental arts venues: Dynamo Project Space 5 Typou St. | T. 2310 522.672 Kalos & Klio Showroom 96 Tsimiski St. | T. 2314 007.167 Container Arts Arena 8 Nikiforou Foka St. | T. 2310 269.187

T H E SS A LO N I K I C I T Y view

Never a dull moment Despina Polychronidou Why Not Volunteers

The insiders

Seven urban lovers and creative personalities share with us their perspective of an everyday routine and suggest the best Thessaloniki has to offer.

he best way to enjoy Thessaloniki is to walk. To walk wherever the fancy takes you. I find it’s the best way to clear my head, just to wander through streets that are unfamiliar to me, higher up in the city above Egnatia Str., in the old market, the second-hand bookshops, the antique and junk shops. To walk up to Olymbou or Philippou Streets, to Agiou Dimitriou, to the Tsinari district and the Old City, taking photographs wherever I see a good shot. There are some streets I’ve photographed dozens of times, at different times of year. I meet my friends at Pastaflora or Freideriko bars, or at Mon Frere cafe on Vas. Olgas Avenue. During the week our group gets together at Buritto to plan new activities. We think up new schemes, discuss them, reject some, approve others, go back to the drawing board. I love little theatre companies with their alternative projects. I also love to go out to Peraia, it has such a strange atmosphere, as if time had stopped in the 1970’s. And I love the Villa Luna in Panorama, which has the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen.

Streets, names and stories Prodromos Nikiforidis Bernard Kuomo Architects

Twenty minutes is all you need Your Hand in Mine

The sea and the city are always with us Isidoros Zourgos

Flânerie Petros Martinidis

Musical Ensemble

Writer (Winner of National Book Centre Readers Prize 2011)

Writer

ne of the amazing things about this city is that if you have twenty minutes to spare you can choose not to wait at the nearest bus stop, but to walk to the one which takes the most attractive route. With twenty minutes in hand you can wander up to the flea market, the Bit Bazar, and buy that wind-up gramophone you’ve had your eye on. At midday, you have time for a chicken soup at one of the little diners in the Nea Agora, or enjoy an espresso at Palermo among the antiques and Murano glass, before returning to your desk. In the evening, you can take twenty minutes to drive around Antigonidon Square, admiring the multi-coloured fountain, and then head down to Leontos Sofou Str. Two CDs later, after you’ve found somewhere to park, perhaps near the grocery stores on Kapani, you can finish your evening at Coo Bar sipping a brandy with friends and sampling a happening in the basement.

hessaloniki is a port city, and the sea is in its people’s blood, an intimate bond with the sea is handed down from generation to generation. A stroll along the paved seafront is an essential experience, however much the surroundings may resemble a provincial city. For the more adventurous, there is always the temptation to explore the distant reaches of the port, where the big cargo ships are loaded and unloaded – especially tempting for those who enjoy the challenge of climbing railings and circumventing locked gates. The shadows of the giant cranes unloading cargo under the orange lights, lurid in the brooding mists, satisfy the most craven taste for drama. Back in the waterfront cafés locals and visitors sip their daily dose of caffeine and breathe in the fumes of the passing traffic. As we walk along the promenade we salute with nostalgia the site where famous cafés and restaurants once stood, now demolished… The city behind us, the sea ahead... its rhythms always coursing through our veins.

t was possible to assume the pose of the flâneur, to walk the city streets in a state of reverie, until the middle of the 1960’s. Until this time Thessaloniki still lived in its own dream, looking forward to a cosmopolitan future to match its past, a time when country houses were real country houses, not part of a crowded development of second homes. Fifty years on, I no longer go out on the street except as part of an urban routine: my weekly, or more frequent, tour of the bookshops. From Protoporia, near the port, to Konstantinidis, at Syntrivani Square, or a shorter route from Ianos on Aristotelous Square to Gonia tou Vivliou on Lasani Str. Sometimes with a stop at Assos Plateia for a hot chocolate and a cigarette. It was nearby, between the Floka chocolate shop and the Austroellinikis tobacco warehouse, that I took my first steps in this city, and I very much fear that if the city’s mayor does not speed up his measures to improve the look of the area, by the time the city is fit for a flâneur again, I shall be too old to walk.

he city where we live and whose citizens we become begins right at our front door, at the point where the street symbolizes public life, John Brinckerhoff Jackson. Sachtouri, Sahini, Protagora, Tsamadou, Epameinonda, Ariadnis, Isminis, Alexandras Papadopoulou... just some of the evocative street names one sees on a walk through the Old City of Thessaloniki. Streets, paths and itineraries: streets we construct, paths we use, itineraries we prefer. Streets that we use to communicate, which determine our movements, the directions we take, the use we make of the public space. Economy of movement – increasing or reducing our pace, stopping to enjoy a view, to recognize something, to familiarize ourselves with the setting. Streets that change as day turns to night, as winter turns to spring. Colours, fragrances, sounds and materials – witnesses to the unique identity of every single street.

A view of the sea Anna Kapsali Fashion editor

f there is one thing I adore about Thessaloniki, it is the waterfront. I often walk along towards Kalamaria to enjoy the sunset, alone or with my young son, drinking coffee and enjoying the view of the sea from a little café, or taking a boat trip in the summer. In difficult times there is no greater luxury than being able to dream... and this is what the sea brings me, a peaceful melancholy, an escape into the sacred element of the sea... things that cost nothing, but the most precious experiences the city has to offer.

The only place left in the world Nopi Ranti Actress

here is only one place left in the world where on Saturday night the bars are still full of people smoking. Where you can listen to Mertens and Tom Waits at four in the morning, with the whole bar moving in time to the music. Where complete strangers buy you a drink, just because you are there. Where an old flame can appear from nowhere and whisper in your ear: ‘None of this is real. Viva!’ Only one place in the world where you can drink shots and find the music of Angelakas and Nick Cave playing on the sound system, by pure chance. Where you can head out onto the streets at dawn and run into a dozen friends and acquaintances. ‘Where have you been, princess! I haven’t seen you for ages! Let’s go to Iannis and I’ll treat you to a pastry’. There is only one place in the world where the evening ends in a pastry shop, and they are even busier than the bars! And there is only one place in the world where you head down to the waterfront at dawn to call out to the sea, and watch the sun rise from the White Tower. Only one place in the world where people call me princess...

T H E SS A LO N I K I C I T Y view

Now that you have had profound experiences in Greece’s North and South, what do you perceive to be the differences between these regions, and between Crete and Thessaloniki?

Famous writer Victoria Hislop gets inspired by Thessaloniki’s long history to write her new smashing novel. By Christos Paridis.

How much of the urban geographic imagination you create is a literary invention? - The main layout of Thessaloniki is factual, but the streets where the characters live (apart from Niki Avenue) are imaginary. I think there is another, real, Eirini Street somewhere in the upper town, but the one that I create (and destroy) in the book is entirely fictional. The map we have at the beginning of the book combines the real and the imaginary, but it was very important to me that the topography, (the position of the port, the White Tower, the relationship of everything with the sea and so on) are as they always have been and always will be. Was Thessaloniki your new personal revelation after Crete?

Was it Venizelos’ link with the liberation of Thessaloniki that aroused your interest and made you choose it as the setting of The Thread?

What made you shift your literary focus from Crete to Northern Greece and write a book about Thessaloniki? - An invitation to Thessaloniki by the British Council first took me to this amazing city. To be honest, on the cold wet day when I first went there I didn’t fall in love with it. I just saw wet streets and rain. But the next day I recognised that beneath those damp pavements there were layers and layers of history. Was it the city’s long history and multicultural background, or was it the energy of the modern city your actual stimuli? - I think a bit of both. Its multicultural background really fascinated me. I know many other cities have elements of the same, but the fact that there were, at one stage, equal numbers of Christians, Jews and Muslims made this a very individual city. From what I read, the period when several languages were heard on the streets and the three races freely practised their religions was a successful and harmonious one. Thessaloniki must have been, in many ways, an ideal city.

- No, it wasn’t. I have a very strong link to Crete (I have a house there now, as you probably know) but my interest in Greece is slightly broader than that. But it does fascinate me that some of the great figures of Greece, and many that are internationally known, have Cretan roots - as well as Venizelos - Kazantzakis, Elytis and El Greco, for example. This is a rather idiomatic way to put it - but I think Crete “punches above its weight”. Does that translate? It means, that for a relatively small place, Crete seems to have great significance. It seems that you have actually walked through every little street of Ano Poli and hidden part of Thessaloniki. Was it oral histories (spoken memories), or historical scholarship the sources that allowed you to bring to life old Thessaloniki ? - As my Greek improves, spoken memories might become a source for future stories, but during the writing of The Thread these were not part of my research. In any case, I would always be cautious about using “real” stories. I would much prefer to make up stories, as I am a novelist, rather than a historian. I read as many histories as I could find (starting of course with Mark Mazower’s “The City of Ghosts”, which is the great history of Thessaloniki, and beloved of both Greek and British readers). I spent nearly two years in libraries in London (The London Library and the British Library) reading about the history of the period. Very often, however, written histories do not supply much information on how life was for ordinary people - and are often more concerned with politics and war, than the day to day experiences of the individual. Photographs often fill in the gaps and give us the clues to how things were for the vast majority of people. In the end the most important resource was Thessaloniki itself. I spent many days wandering about in the city, especially in the upper town, and it was my imagination that did most of the work. So if there was one all-important “resource” it was my own imagination - but working with all the above things too.

- If you mean, was it a new place for me to fall in love with? The answer is definitely “yes”. If I woke up tomorrow and found myself living there, I would be very happy. A city on the sea, with views of Mount Olympus, a place steeped with history, alive with culture and life... Why not? What elements of this vastly diverse city’s 2300 year history are still visible to you today? - There are traces of history in the architecture, in some of the remains, and obviously in the Museums, but the largely day to day experience of being in Thessaloniki for most people - I think is a very 20th/21st century one. And as things become familiar, for example, the Arch of Galerius, you presumably just take them for granted and almost cease to “see” them if you pass them day to day. More specifically, what are the social-cultural traces of the past in Thessaloniki’s contemporary culture? - I am not sure that the “social-cultural traces” are particularly strong at the moment. I think it’s only if you read about the history of a place that you are aware of its past. With the exception of the obvious Roman remains, the Rotonda, the Galerius Arch, the old walls etc., you might just think of it as a 20th century place.

- To be truthful, I don’t like making generalizations. I don’t think they are helpful. But I think there are huge differences between all the different areas of Greece - both geographically and in their cuisine and people - and these differences make it a very rich and varied country. What do you think the impact of Westernization has been on Greek culture? Is a Westernized Greece ‘true’ to herself? - Whenever I am in Greece, I rejoice at the fact that Greece “feels” so different from other countries. It still “tastes, smells, feels, sounds, looks” like somewhere quintessentially Hellenic. Take your music for example, I don’t hear American or English pop songs anywhere - everything is Greek. Same with your food. It’s too good to be taken over by the cuisine of other countries. Greece has a stubbornly strong culture - and a language that keeps it quite separate and distinct, so I don’t get a great sense of “westernization” or “homogenization”. Is it appropriate to think of Greece as belonging to European, Middle Eastern, Balkan, or Mediterranean culture(s)? - I think it defies all such labeling or categorization. Greece is itself. Greece is Greece. It is unlike anywhere else. If we assume that history and politics play defining roles in our lives, and free will is contingent upon external events, what can an individual do to take charge of his or her fate? Moreover, is it fate or conscious choices of individuals that animate your books? - Let’s use an image from a game. “Tavli”. We roll the dice and chance dictates the outcome. Let’s say we have a five and a six in front of us. This is our fate. But then we have to choose how to play them - and in that moment we make our decisions, use our skills, our experience, our knowledge. So we ourselves determine the next small step - but within a framework that might have been handed to us. I think life is like this. We can’t blame everything onto something else. Though I do acknowledge that sometimes people seem to be handed a run of spectacularly “bad” or even “good” dice. So it is in my books. My characters roll their dice, but they then choose how to play them and decide what steps to take. Are the contemporary period and crisis the western world is experiencing sources of inspiration, or are you more interested in, and inspired by, historical settings? - I am interested in what lies behind the present day situation - what led up to it. With most situations in our lives, we are not suddenly presented with it. There is a slow leadup, a set of developing circumstances. And I think I am drawn towards an examination of those. At least that was the case with The Thread. Does your family share your interest in, and admiration of Greece? - Not really. They appreciate its beauty as much as I do. But they are not so sympathetic to its faults as me.

T H E SS A LO N I K I C I T Y view

...the stem cell of "meraki", was formed by trade and the affluence of the city’s middle class...

Thessaloniki

The precious genre of gastronomy People from Athens often refer to Thessaloniki as the

The Athenians obsession with the "city of love" may be

"city of love". I’ve never really understood why. Is it

explained, perhaps more cynically, by the fact that when

because of the damp cold air that gives the natives'

they visit Thessaloniki they are in a state of permanent

complexion a vigorous, youthful quality? Is it because

inebriation, drinking ouzo day and night at the "ouzadika"

of the subliminally erotic poetry of the city's poets,

of the Modiano Market, or revelling at the seedy tavernas

Christianopoulos and Pentzikis, or the narratives of the

of Antheon and the bouzouki places in the Ladadika

most sensual of Thessaloniki’s writers giorgos Ioannou?

district. In which case, when they wake up from their

Or is it because of the multicultural character of the place, celebrated by Kostis Moskov as 'love of one's

stupor, they feel a certain sense of erotic excitement. By Epikouros (food writer and restaurant critic).

fellow man', or love of 'the other'?

aving grown up in Thessaloniki, I would refer to it not so much as the city of love but as the city of "meraki", the term describing the good taste, the passion of the bon viveur inhabitants for the good things in life. "Meraki", however, refers not only to their penchant for good food but also to the eclectic architecture, the beautiful old houses that mark the city’s main boulevards, the shops with their European style and atmosphere, the little bars and cafés, the elegant dress sense of the people, even the lay-out of the streets. Thessaloniki exudes a sense of tasteful gemütlichkeit.

This "meraki" of Thessaloniki shows nowhere else as strongly as in the gastronomy of the city, especially in its everyday forms. From the smallest ouzo places to the humblest working class tavernas and grills, the food served in Thessaloniki reflects the natives’ appreciation of good ingredients and careful cooking. Nowhere else in Greece will you find "lakerda", cured bonito, served unadorned, accompanied only by a few slices of onions, and only in season; nowhere else are "tzigherosarmades" -dolmas filled with the sweetbreads of lamb and wrapped in "bolia", the caul from the lamb’s stomach lining-, so juicy and so delicious; nowhere else can you find the "simitika koulouria", the famous bagel-like bread rounds covered with sesame, the gastronomic motto of the city and the breakfast of the natives, so tenderly chewy yet so cruncy; or the mussels so fresh, fluffy and delicate, the sardines so meaty and sweet, the seafood so redolent of the sea, the "bougatses" -the cheese and cream pies- whose fyllo is so buttery, flaky and crumbly, the "samali" -small syrupy cakes- so addictively sweet, the "touloumbes" -the oblong egg fritters- so enticing (especially when served with "kaimaki", the thick cream of the water buffalos, which puts to shame crème fraîche and even clotted cream), the "soutzoukakia" -kebabs- so delectably meaty, and the "gyros", the perfect symbol of the "meraki" of Thessaloniki, especially the one made with lamb, so lovingly spiced, so beautifully prepared and so perfectly cut. Indeed, the food of Thessaloniki is full of “meraki”. But why do we long for the many culinary delights of Thessaloniki, the "tsoureki" -the famous brioche like sweet bread-, the "patsas" -the tripe soup, usually found around Egnatia avenue-, the mussel pilaf and so many others, while there is no one food -think of it!- in Athens worthy of our attention? How is it that this tradition of good food has survived in the one city and not in the other? My father was a simple, middle-class urbanite, coming from a family of merchants that went back to the Renaissance when Jews came to Thessaloniki. Every afternoon he would wake up from his siesta, drink a strong, sweet Turkish coffee (always made from freshly-ground beans), smoke one or two of his beloved, aromatic Assos cigarettes –always unfiltered– and then settle himself comfortably in his floral armchair in the living room of our house on Tsimiski Street. There he sat in the deepest meditation savouring his well-selected malt whisky to the accompaniment of a few paper-thin slices of the finest "avgotaracho" (botargo) from Messolongi. How did he know, this simple merchant from the Ladadika district near the port, that whisky with botargo is one of the most sublime combinations known to food lovers? The gastronomic gene of Thessaloniki, the stem cell of "meraki", was formed by trade and the affluence of the city’s middle class, not to mention the rich and varied influence of all the different peoples who settled here over the centuries, its multicultural character. It must therefore be stressed that Thessaloniki is much more than a hundred years old. And while this article was written to celebrate the city’s liberation from Ottoman rule, its intention is also to explain the distinctive gastronomic character of the place, which goes back way beyond 1912 when the city was liberated by the Greek army.

Throughout its long history, Thessaloniki has always been a genuine city, created as such by its founders, unlike the conglomeration of little villages that made up, for example, the Paris of the Middle Ages. And it was a complex multicultural city in which European modernity clashed with eastern tradition but it was essentially harmonious in that the three dominant ethnic populations, Greeks, Jews and Turks, lived peacefully together over the course of many years. 'Thessaloniki is a place of contrasts', wrote the traveller John Foster Fraser in 1907. ‘On the waterfront, with its big hotels and wide boulevards, where the people sit enjoying their drinks and watching the horse-drawn trams, there is a European atmosphere, whereas away from the sea the streets are narrow and enclosed by the overhanging upper stories of the houses, the markets are dark and malodorous, the more oriental in character the worse the odours... In one part of the city you can enjoy fine French cuisine, but if you jump on a tram then in just five minutes you find yourself in another country, a place where there are no chairs or tables, just straw mats on the floor, Turkish food and the dense, mind-numbing fog of smoke from the water pipes of the turbaned Muslims’.

Thessaloniki has always been a trading city, an urban centre that energised the surrounding regions while at the same time drew its livelihood from them, a historical crossroads for commerce in silk, tobacco, textiles, oil and a variety of foods and spices from all over the world. As Edgar Morin writes in his book Vidal and his family – from Salonica to Paris: 'The city has always been outward-looking, spread out, generous, lively and verbose'. It owes these qualities to the fact that it has always been a commercial and cultural hybrid. Most of the city’s merchants have been of course Jewish. As another traveller, John Frederick Cabot, wrote in 1990: ‘If the Jews are seen as the masters of trade in the city, the Greeks can rightly claim to be the main representatives of intellectual activity’. The woollen fabrics sold by the Jews of Thessaloniki were famous and highly valued for the :meraki: with which they were made, and in the 16th century the Sultan ordered wool from the city to make costumes for his Janissaries. In the industrial growth of the

19th century, too, Jewish families like the Allatini and the Modiano, played an important role. After the liberation of the city in 1912, it was only natural that the Greeks should feature more prominently in economic activity, counterbalancing the economic dominance of the Jews. In the Second World War most of the Jews lost their lives, with just a handful left behind to preserve the Sephardic traditions of the city. Wherever there is trade there will be an urban and metropolitan culture, and the most distinctive expression of the culture of the city has always been its food. It goes without saying that the three religions of the city determined what the faithful could or could not eat, and so the limits were set. But there was nothing to prevent the housewives of the city from drinking coffee together chatting and sharing their news, their recipes and their cooking techniques, nothing to prevent their husbands from enjoying their ouzo in the meze places of the city.

...it is precisely these diverse and sometimes contradictory, always colourful, contrasts in the life of the city that have fostered its rich and varied cuisine... Here is how a traveller describes the multicultural character of the city in 1916: 'Work and trade are carried on even on Sunday, which is not as it is with us, a peaceful day of inactivity, a day of tedium and fasting to the sound of church bells. This is because in Thessaloniki there are three separate Sabbaths each week, for the three different religions. Friday is the day of rest of the Muslims, Saturday of the Jews, while on Sunday the Christians –both Catholic and Orthodox- have the free time to take their leisurely strolls. One might say that this is a city where there are three Sundays every week', (Marcelle Tinayre, A summer in Thessaloniki). It is precisely these diverse and sometimes contradictory, always colourful, contrasts in the life of the city that have fostered its rich and varied cuisine, and formed the gastronomic gene of the city, its "meraki". It was the differences between the various communities that enriched and expanded the range of dishes they enjoyed, the cooking techniques and the food products used. The Jews and Muslims did not eat pork. The Muslims mixed meat and yoghurt, the Jews did not. The Christians celebrated Easter with "mageiritsa", a traditional egg-lemon soup made with lamb offal, or cooked pork with cabbage, whereas the Jews cooked lamb with peas and lettuce. The "syvrassi" of the Jews -what Italians call soffrito- made with chopped tomatoes, green bell peppers and olive oil, provided the basis for most cooked and stuffed dishes, whereas the Christians used chopped leeks or cabbage as a basis for their "lahanodolmas" (cabbage stuffed with meat and rice). At the end of the Ottoman period all these different peoples became citizens of the newly founded Greek state, and their individual styles of cooking blended into the general evolution of Greece’s cuisine.

No other Balkan city offered such a complex mix of aromas that emanated from the cooking pots of the different ethnic communities. A melting pot of the Balkans, in which for a long time a multicultural variety of customs, faiths, languages and diverse culinary traditions were slowly cooked, merged and blended, spiced by the hopes, longings and fears that history bestowed to the peoples of Thessaloniki. A true gastronomic palimpsest, in which the flavours and aromas of different ages and peoples are laid one upon another, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in delicious contrast: memories of opulent Roman feasts intertwine with the frugal flavours of the fasting dishes of the Byzantines; the fragrances of grilled spicy meats, rich buttery rice dishes and creamy "kazan dibi" (burnt cream made with semolina) of the Muslims waft into the air to meet the mouth-watering scent of "tsoureki" and "patsas" (tripe) of the Greeks from Constantinople, the nose tingling smell of cumin that the refugees brought from Smyrna, the musty aroma of meat pies and preserved vegetables of the Christians from Pontos in the Black Sea region. And of course, the bouquet so characteristic of all the Sephardic homes, of the beans baked with a lot of fried onions on the day before the Sabbath. This heady mix is well described by the native of Thessaloniki, Ilias Petropoulos, in his account of the city in the pre-war years, when the Sephardic element was still dominant: 'I was intoxicated by the distinctive aroma of the Jewish households of the city, a mix of rose water, fried onions and ripe melon... an aroma that fills me with nostalgia'. It is these aromas that form a bridge between the Thessaloniki of old and the modern city. In the words of Vassilis Kalidis (celebrity chef of the Athenian restaurant Aneton): ‘Growing up in Thessaloniki with two parents who loved good food, who had "meraki", the table was laid each day with delicacies like "kavourma" (a confit of meats), "pastourma" (a spicy pastrami-like cured meat), snails, mussels, offal and kaseri (or kaskaval, a yellow cheese made with goat’s milk). It was a city whose markets were full of exotic products and influences from all the corners of the earth and from an early age I have memories of tastes and aromas that you rarely encounter elsewhere in Greece'.

A greek wine of enduring appeal

This fabulous perfume, the absolute infusion of fragrances that conflated East and West, the trader and the farmer, the poet and the stevedore, the sea and the mountain, the psalms and "rebetika", Byzantium and Rome, Jerusalem and Constantinople, is the source from where "meraki" flows abundantly. To quote Morin again: ‘Thessaloniki has always mixed elements of East and West, producing a cultural hybrid of extraordinary richness’. How could such a promising combination of cultures and peoples fail to produce a distinctive cuisine, a people alert to the quality of their everyday food, a gastronomic gene that is responsible for the "meraki" of the city? Indeed, the centenary of the city’s liberation must be celebrated with the appropriate grandeur. But the celebratory banquets must be loaded with all the history of Thessaloniki. The full complexity of the multicultural identity of the city must be served, richly flavoured, aromatic and generous in quantity, cooked with passion and skill, with the freshest ingredients and the most fragrant of spices. The foods of the Sephardic Jews and the Turks, the fasting dishes of Byzantium and those brought to the city by the refugees from Smyrna and Pontos must be heartily eaten, accompanied by pure "tsipouro" (a raki or grappa-like drink – the purists drink it without aniseed) and red wine made from the famed Χinomavro of Northern Greece. The tables must creak under the weight of the gastronomic heritage of Thessaloniki. Only then will it be revealed in full glory the true wealth of the culinary identity of the city, its "meraki".

...Thessaloniki has always mixed elements of East and West, producing a cultural hybrid of extraordinary richness...

By Dimitris Koparanis food blogger

If there is one type of wine associated with an everyday meal at a Thessaloniki restaurant, it is retsina – particularly the Malamatina label. Cool and easily digested it is an integral part of the everyday Greek dining experience. Its roots can be traced back to ancient times, when the resin of the pine tree was used to seal the barrels and jars in which wine was stored. Nowadays, white wines from the Roditis and Savvatiano grape are flavoured with pine resin to create a drink which is robust enough to match the most powerful flavours in Greek cuisine. It makes a superb accompaniment to feta cheese, fried vegetables, egg-andlemon sauce and spicy stews. Try it served very cold with dishes like taramosalata, olives, fish and seafood, an omelette, or a selection of Greek cheeses. Whether an ordinary family lunch or a special meal out at a restaurant, when you’re in Greece retsina is the ideal choice.

W R I T E R S' CO R N E R

Panos Karnezis was born in Amaliada in 1967 and studied engineering in Greece and the UK. He worked in industry for a while, but was to gain fame for another of his interests: writing. His book Little Infamies – written in English – was published to widespread acclaim in 2002, and translated into eight languages (the author himself translated the work into English). Karnezis, who still lives in London, is now one of the bestknown names in his field.

Ersi SotiropouloS made an early entrance into the world of literature, publishing her first poems at the age of 10 in the Hydria magazine in Patra, where she was born and raised. She studied philosophy and cultural anthropology in Florence and worked as an educational advisor to the Greek embassy in Rome. She has also worked in the Press Office of the Greek Cinema Centre. She made her official appearance on the literary scene in 1980, with her collection of poems called Milo+Thanatos, and the prose work Diakopes Horis Ptoma [Holidays without a body], which she wrote in 1977 when someone made her a present of a typewriter. Since then she has written a number of other works, winning the National Novel Prize awarded by Diavazo magazine and earning a reputation as one of Greece’s leading modern writers.

What God hath joined together By panos karnezis

here was a stand on the veranda and on the stand stood three musicians dressed in white: a singer holding a heavy microphone accompanied by a guitar player and an accordionist. The sun was going down behind the hotel and the lights on the veranda had come on, but there was still a bright glow across a sky without clouds. It was a concrete hotel with blue awnings and wide balconies with glass partitions. Built on a cliff, its big veranda gave an uninterrupted view of the bay where the sea was calm and blue and rippled. Because of the view there were wedding receptions at the hotel every weekend in the summer months. The tables were arranged in rows across the veranda and were full with wedding guests. In front of the bandstand a large area had been left empty for dancing. The newlyweds were sitting in the middle of a long row of tables that was being laid with food and drinks on a paper tablecloth. The man in the dark suit, the bowtie and the gardenia pinned in his lapel was listening to the music. He was the groom. ‘Just three of them but they can pack a punch, eh?’ he asked. The woman nodded. ‘They’re very good.’ They were holding hands under the table. This was the happiest day of their lives. They had told each other many times already. And they had told their guests too. The woman still wore her wedding gown, a long dress made of ivory taffeta and tulle that was romantic but not sensible: it was a hot and humid evening. ‘I wish I’d changed,’ she said, patting her face with a paper napkin. The man tapped his fingers to the music. ‘There wasn’t any time,’ he said. The three musicians on the stand had a serious expression. They were professionals. Next weekend

they would be playing at another wedding reception, on the same veranda, dressed in the same clothes, standing on the same stand. ‘What are we listening?’ the woman asked. The man said a word she could not pronounce. Ever since they had met he had told her many words she had found impossible to repeat. But she did not mind; there was something endearing about foreign cultures. ‘An improvisational dance,’ he explained over the noise of the music. ‘In a nine-eight time.’ ‘A what time?’ The music was very loud. ‘It’s a male dance,’ the man said. ‘But only one man at a time may dance it. In the past it was a sign of disrespect if someone else joined in. There could be violence. Even today some men wait until the dancing man has finished or given them his place.’ ‘No women?’ The man shook his head. ‘Traditionally women weren’t allowed to dance it. Only prostitutes dared do it. Today some women dance it too.’ ‘Men, women and prostitutes,’ the woman said. ‘Right,’ the man confirmed. ‘You have to teach me.’ The man laughed. There was always a hint of scorn in his laughter, but he had beautiful white teeth and laughing made him look even more attractive. Guests queued up in front of the couple’s table. ‘Congratulations.’ ‘Thank you.’ Someone raised his glass and the couple did the same. ‘And many offspring.’ ‘Thank you.’ ‘Soon eh?’ ‘Certainly.’

And everyone within earshot laughed. ‘What did he say?’ the woman asked. The groom shook his head. ‘Nothing.’ ‘What?’ ‘Oh, some nonsense.’ The sun slowly disappeared behind the hotel but it was not any cooler. The woman looked at the hills across the bay where houses stood among the dense myrtle. It was a beautiful landscape but the houses she thought ugly. ‘Beautiful eh?’ the man said. ‘Nothing like where you come from.’ He had an opinion because at Christmas he had flown to be with her. On New Year’s Day she had insisted they drive to her parents. He had not liked them. ‘Oh, it’s not all that bad,’ she smiled. The man leaned towards her and cupped his hand behind his ear: the music was loud. ‘What?’ he asked. ‘Where I come from.’ The man shook his head. ‘A godforsaken place,’ he insisted. She did not hear well. ‘Godforsaken,’ she said. ‘That’s what I said.’ It was the noise but also his accent that threw her. He spoke good English but sometimes she did not understand him and others he did not understand her. Sometimes she had to speak slowly but tried not to overdo it. He thought it was patronising. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. The man thought about the place where the sky was leaden and low and cars drove with their lights on day and night; where people walked in the rain without umbrellas; where next-door neighbours communicated with letters. The man wondered

how people managed to survive in inhospitable climates. ‘What are you thinking?’ she asked. ‘About the Eskimos.’ She did not understand. She thought she heard Eskimos but it made no sense, and she did not want to annoy him by asking again. The band was now playing a medley of songs and the singer kept looking in the direction of the newlyweds for a sign they wanted to dance. None came. ‘What a strange music,’ the woman said. They were almost shouting at each other in order to be heard over the noise. ‘Don’t like it?’ ‘No, that’s not what I mean. It sounds very, very…’ ‘Mm?’ ‘Exotic.’ ‘Exotic? I see.’ ‘Maybe it’s the rhythm.’ ‘Well, if you don’t like it.’ Two yachts were anchored in the bay with their lights on. The hotel stood almost on the crest of the cliff and the air was clear and still and the music from the big loudspeakers must have been travelling far on either side of the bay. Those on board the yachts could definitely hear it. And the people in the little houses among the myrtles should be hearing it too, sitting on their verandas, eating dinner, humming along to the music. ‘Let’s dance,’ she said. ‘I don’t know.’ ‘Come on, darling. Sooner or later we have to. Everyone’s waiting for us.’ ‘In that dress?’ The woman shrugged. ‘The bride and groom ought to start the dance,’ she said. ‘Isn’t your tradition too?’ He nodded. ‘You should’ve changed,’ he shouted in her ear. As soon as they stood there was loud applause. The singer stopped and picked up a tambourine and the three musicians began a tango before the couple had the chance to take their place on the dance floor. The groom felt his heart beating fast. ‘Remember the steps?’ the woman asked. He did not reply. He was already counting in silence: one-two-three-four, one-two-three-four, one-twothree-four… ‘Good,’ the woman said. ‘Very good.’ One-two-three-four, one-two-three-four… The guests watched from their tables while the singercum-tambourine-man hit and the accordionist squeezed and the guitar player strummed. The guests were smiling and raising their glasses to toast the couple. But the groom could not hear them. All he could hear was his heart beating and his head counting: one-two-three-four, one-two-three-four… At their next turn, the woman looked at him and saw the sweat trickling down his temple. ‘Oh baby, this is the happiest day of my life,’ she said.

One-two-three-four, one-two— ‘Damn it!’ Someone laughed, and the groom blushed. Then he thought he saw a mischievous twinkle in his wife’s eye. ‘You’re doing fine, darling,’ she said. ‘Let’s try again. Yes, that’s it. Wait. Good.’ He concentrated and they danced for a while without further mistakes. Without realising it the man had stopped counting. He was feeling almost weightless. It was a pleasant sensation. He lifted his head a little and looked round. He looked at the tables and the band, then at the hotel, and when they did a turn, he looked at the bay where the hotel lights glimmered in the water. But it did not last long. Soon he was counting again: one-two-three-four, one-two-three-four … Was it his impression or they were really dancing faster? ‘Not so fast!’ he cried. A moment later he lost his step again, and the same voice from the tables laughed. ‘Oh, enough of this,’ he said. There was applause as they left the dance floor and it was now the turn of the guests. The man sat down and mopped his sweat with a fistful of napkins. He took off his jacket and on his shirt were big patches of sweat. His bowtie was a clip-on and he took that off too. Then he unbuttoned his collar. It was the first time he was wearing a bowtie and vowed to be the last. He also vowed he would not dance the tango again as long as he lived. ‘Did you like that, darling?’ the woman asked and squeezed his hand. His palm felt clammy. ‘You were very good.’ The man pulled his hand out of hers. His heart was still racing. ‘A very good fool,’ he said. ‘No, you weren’t.’ The waiters came and went between the veranda and the kitchen, putting more food and drink on the tables. Guests who left the dance floor stopped at the bride and groom’s table. ‘Congratulations.’ ‘Thank you.’ ‘Many many offspring.’ ‘Ha ha,’ the man said. The couple were alone again. After the tango, the heavy wedding gown was making the woman suffer. ‘I should’ve changed,’ she said. ‘Well, you haven’t.’ ‘Who’s fault is it?’ she said. ‘It’d only have taken a minute.’ ‘Female time is not the same as standard time. There’s a correspondence. Like dog years.’ The woman opened her mouth, but a guest interrupted them. ‘Congratulations.’ ‘Thank you,’ the groom said. ‘No babies yet?’ ‘You offering to help?’ the groom asked. When the guest was gone he picked up where he had left off:

‘Yes. Someone ought to build a special clock that shows female time. There should also be one at the Greenwich observatory.’ He pronounced it Green-which. This time she heard him clearly. It was a common mistake foreigners made. ‘It’s Gren-itch,’ she said. The man frowned. ‘Is it,’ he said. The woman looked at the end of their long row of tables where an old fair-skinned couple sat watching the people on the dance floor. She caught her mother’s attention and they smiled at each other. Then the bride picked up her fork and tasted the food. ‘What are we eating?’ she asked. There were several plates on their table, big and small. ‘Which one?’ the man asked. ‘The green one.’ ‘Stuffed vine leaves.’ ‘The yellow?’ ‘Garlic mashed potato.’ ‘You like potato and I like potahto,’ she said. The man gave her a blank stare. ‘It’s a song, dear. Don’t you know it?’ She sang: ‘You like tomato and I like tomahto…?’ He had never heard of it. ‘Maybe the band will know it,’ she said. ‘We could ask.’ ‘I’m not leaving this chair until the party’s over.’ ‘What if you have to go to the toilet?’ The man shook his head. ‘Fine. I’ll do it,’ she said. He watched her lift the train of her skirt and go. At the bandstand the singer smiled and bent down to hear what she was saying. The other two musicians continued to play. Then the singer began to shake his head from side to side. The bride was moving her hands and the singer was shaking his head over the loud music. At the table the groom chortled. When the song ended the singer called the other two musicians over and all three listened to the foreign woman trying to explain. They shook their heads and talked to each other and shook their heads some more. Finally the woman came back to the table. ‘They don’t know the song?’ the groom asked. She sat down. The music started again but this time it was not as loud. The woman did not have to shout in her husband’s ear. ‘They don’t speak English,’ she said. ‘It’s not important,’ the man said. ‘No, it’s not. You’re right. It’s a stupid little song really.’ ‘What’s important is that we’re here now,’ he said. He stroked her hair. At last a cool wind blew from the sea and the paper tablecloth rustled. ‘What’s important is that we’re together and we’ll be happy,’ he said. ‘Yes?’ She nodded. 71

Summer with Anna By Ersi SotiropouloS

o beautiful it hurt, she thought to herself as she walked along. Birds were twittering, clouds moving south. The spikes of wheat were gold in the distance, and the hills on the horizon curved in a lazy line against the blue sky. She noticed a particular cloud grazing the side of the hill, and its white shape unfolded like a woman reclining on a divan. That cloud pisses me off, she told herself. She coughed, and came to a halt. On the other side of the fence the grass was dry and the earth red and cracked. Three fig trees stood guard over the landscape, and behind them the ground fell abruptly away. Someone had tethered his donkey to a tree. It was a small, grey creature, standing absolutely still, its hooves rooted to the dry ground; only its tail swished almost imperceptibly from side to side. It had a white star on its forehead. Rhea gazed at its calm, brown eyes, and for a moment they seemed to stare at one another. She could climb over the fence, walk over to the donkey and stroke its coat, perhaps even release it. There was no one to stop her. Foolish ideas. What a fool she was… There was some scaffolding at the side of the road, and next to it a tumbledown house with a sunken roof. The scaffolding did not appear to be supporting anything. Two heaps of gravel and then a hole full of lime glinted in the sunshine. Shouting could be heard from inside the house. A woman emerged and emptied a bucket of water. She put the bucket down and stared at Rhea. ‘Good morning’, Rhea addressed her. The woman did not reply. Someone called out from inside the house and she made an irritable gesture with her hand, as if dismissing the voice. A boy appeared in the doorway. ‘Do you know if there is a café near here?’, she asked them. No reply. The boy kicked at the ground with his shoe. Soon it would be hot. It would take her a while to get down to the shore, to change and prepare for lunch. She turned to leave. ‘I’ll show you’, the boy called out, and ran to catch up with her. ‘This way’, he said. His eyes were green, with a yellow, liquid spot in them, and his skin very dark. He began to walk ahead of her. He had an unnaturally large head, inclined towards his left shoulder, and big ears. I ought to turn back, Rhea thought, but she continued to walk uphill behind the boy. I hate this heat, she thought. I hate the summer. They walked on. That summer her name was Anna. All day, of course, she was her familiar self, running around, complaining, arguing with people at the office, shopping,

calling her friends. But late in the afternoon, when the sun was still high in the sky, she turned into Anna. She made herself strong black tea, lit a cigarette and smiled. Smile, she told herself, keep smiling. Somewhere she had read about the power of a cheerful voice. From six-thirty onwards she began to move around the telephone, keeping her distance. At five to seven exactly she closed the shutters, drew the curtains, put on some music. Then she would approach the telephone, sit down next to it on the floor. Take a deep breath and reach out her hand. ‘Annoula’, he would say, as soon as he answered the call. There was something in his voice, a throb like a golden apple cracking, which made her insides turn over… ‘Annoula’, she would repeat to herself, when the call was over, but the special thrill of his voice was missing. She had told him she was a journalist, that she worked for a publishing house. She was in charge of public relations, a responsible post. You must know lots of people, he said. And she told him about the day’s meetings, about a book that had caught her attention. She prepared the stories she would tell him very carefully. They all had a beginning, a middle and an end. She was anxious to avoid anything that might worry him, an exaggerated expression or a far-fetched situation that might set off alarm bells. In fact, she was systematically engaged in deleting her own self from their relationship, in deleting Rhea and all the messy things that belonged to Rhea’s life, the legal practice to which she had returned when the little grocer’s shop failed, the punk band before the shop, a near-marriage and a near-divorce, and all the crazy ideas that went through her mind. All these things had to be deleted … because Anna was different, a calm and reasonable person, someone who had her life together. Their calls were quite long. Occasionally someone would come into his office and he would cover the mouthpiece of the phone and say: ‘I’m in a teleconference’, or ‘I’m talking to someone abroad’. ‘People are still working there?’, she would ask him when the intruder had left. ‘We never stop working’, he said complacently. It was so hot… The phone felt sticky with sweat against her ear. Her hand seemed glued to the receiver. There were papers spread out on the floor in front of her, because she often noted down beforehand what she would say, and sometimes her notes seemed to shrink and disappear, as if absorbed by the paper, as if the paper were swallowing up all the fine phrases, the beautiful thoughts of Anna. Outside the sun had set, the traffic was increasing, cars were sounding their horns.

‘Are we going to meet?’, she would ask finally. He murmured something, hurriedly, a vague promise that hovered in the air from one phone call to the next. They would arrange a call for the following day. She was madly in love with him. She had to earn his trust. He wasn’t the sort to risk his peace of mind for an acquaintance made over the phone. She had fallen for him as soon as she saw him. Then seen him twice more, waited outside his office and followed him. But she couldn’t go back there; there was a security man outside the company building, and the last time she had been there he had asked her who she was waiting for. She closed her eyes and tried to remember him. A silver-haired man in a suit, with a youthful face. He was content with his life, he had told her, and indeed he seemed satisfied. He was married with one child and a good position in the company. So why did his voice seem to tremble when he spoke her name? And why did he talk to her for hours? Something was missing from the seeming perfection of his life. She had to overcome his resistance. And so every afternoon Anna became more reasonable, more controlled, a person you could trust absolutely. And every day she grew more savagely dissatisfied, like a beast lowering its horns for combat. On one occasion he had told her he had eaten chickpea soup for lunch, and all she could think of was how she longed to lick the bowl he had eaten from, to cover it in kisses. This she did not share with him, of course. Anna was not a woman who would ever talk such nonsense. And that was my big mistake, she told herself later. I should have been myself. So beautiful, so many wasted words… She didn’t know if it was the landscape that was to blame, or the events which still tormented her. The love story that never was. She stared at the head of the boy walking a few paces before her, a freakish totem on a frail little body… In August things had threatened to get out of hand. She had found it almost impossible to head off for work in the morning, almost impossible to calmly play the part of Anna in the evening. Beneath the untroubled voice of the other woman. her own voice lurked. ‘I need to tell you something very serious’, he had said to her, a few days after the August 15th holiday. ‘Your name isn’t Anna. I know who you are’. And he had spoken her real name. It sounded hollow in her ears. ‘Can we meet?’, she asked him. Her voice trembled.

‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea’, he said. There was a long silence, and then: ‘Good night’, he said, and rang off. It was all over. All her friends knew the whole story, of course. They had followed the twists and turns from the very beginning: how she had seen him at a gallery and fallen for him at once; how she had found his telephone number at the office; how she had followed him, invented ‘Anna’ and turned herself into ‘Anna’ every evening to speak to him. And now, they were all asking her: ‘What’s going on? What happened?’. And that made it all even worse. At the end of the month she took her annual holiday. She tried to keep busy. She felt as if she were convalescing; she had to recover, to become the old Rhea again, the life and soul of the party. Every morning she set off for a walk in the fields, climbing the hill behind the hotel, striding quickly until she had to pause for breath. And during these pauses she looked around her, trying to retain the details of the landscape, analyzing it as if it were a painting – a view she had to memorize and then describe to someone from memory. But there was no someone. She was alone. The other guests in the hotel were mainly young couples, and a family from Canada. She saw them every day at the lunch buffet. In the afternoon she went down to the beach, anointed herself with sun oil and lay motionless on a striped towel. It was at this time of day that she felt the absence of Anna most strongly; her thirst for Anna tormented her. It was strange: it was not he whom she missed, but Anna – her voice, her calmness, the temperate way she handled situations, instead of pushing things to extremes. Fragments of those phone conversations came back to her: who had said what, what she should have replied, what he had meant when he used a particular phrase…. The time passed. Her eyes were closed, she could feel the heat of the sun on her eyelids. Sometimes she forgot her grief. ‘This is a real holiday’, she told herself. The soothing murmur of the surf at her feet…. ‘Just enjoy it’, she told herself. But then: ‘Who are you kidding?’. She was like an orphan… not ‘like’, she really was an orphan. The thing that had given meaning to her life, given it colour and rhythm… it had gone for ever! They had arrived at the café. Three tables set out on a veranda under a tatty old canopy. And an old olive tree, its thick, gnarled trunk rising up from a hole in the concrete floor. ‘We’re here’, the boy said.

She had forgotten all about him and turned to stare at him in surprise, his large head on his grubby neck. ‘Thanks’, she said, expecting him to leave. But he remained motionless. Rhea sat at one of the tables in the shade of the canopy. She ordered a coffee, reflecting that by the time she returned to the hotel lunch would be over and the buffet table cleared. Never mind. She wasn’t hungry anyway, and she hated sitting alone in that restaurant, echoing to the voices of the Canadians and the chatter of the young couples. She saw the boy, still standing in the same place by the olive tree, and beckoned him over. ‘Do you want something to drink?’ He looked at her with his liquid, green eyes. ‘An orangeade? A Coca-Cola?’ He nodded. The air was still and the dazzling sunlight slipping through the tears in the canopy shone in white patches on her bare legs. Before her the vast landscape lay bathed in abundant light. Hills, a few white clouds floating across the blue sky. In the distance the land sloping down into the sea. So beautiful… she thought again. Suddenly she felt a longing for the shade and cool of her office with its wooden desk, the dark carpet and the telephone on the floor. For a moment all she was aware of was the sound of the boy sucking his drink through a straw. She attempted to start a conversation. At first his replies were grunted monosyllables. His voice was hoarse and rusty, as if he were unused to speaking. All she was able to learn was that he had come to the tumbledown house that summer; that he had three brothers and sisters, and they were orphans. And the woman who had stood at the door of the house? First he seemed to be saying she was an aunt; then a grandmother; then a godmother. Perhaps all three… ‘Do you have any children, miss?’, he asked her. Rhea laughed and told him she didn’t. ‘Why?’ ‘Why what?’ ‘Why don’t you have any children?’ She shrugged. The heat was intolerable. The boy chewed his straw thoughtfully. ‘So your children are orphans too’, he said. ‘They’re not orphans, because they don’t exist’

‘They don’t exist’, he repeated in his hoarse voice. He laughed as if he found that very amusing. ‘What’s your name?’, she asked him finally. She couldn’t make out the reply. Stelios? Mohammed? Irsut? - Irsut? There was no such name. She smiled; her eyelids felt heavy. The heat was soporific. She felt her head sinking towards one shoulder. You are Anna’s orphan, she heard a voice say. In her dream, a telephone was ringing. Her room in the hotel was empty, the bed made, her make-up all arranged in the bathroom cabinet. She was not there, and the telephone rang and rang, louder and louder, like the sound of a giant insect. How did he find out where I am, she wondered. How did he get the number? She knew she had to hurry, she must not miss the call, it was very important: he had finally decided they should meet. She had to run, but she was on the beach, lying under the hot sun. Her limbs were so heavy, however hard she tried she couldn’t make herself rise from the sand. ‘Miss, miss!’, she heard the boy’s voice, felt him tugging at her hand. But when she woke, the boy had gone. The only trace of him was the empty Coca-Cola bottle with the yellow straw. She stood up and started the walk back. She was bathed in sweat and terribly tired. She stopped at the kiosk in front of the hotel to buy some cigarettes. But when she opened her handbag to find some money, her purse was missing. ‘Forget it’, she told the man, and handed back the pack of cigarettes. She looked back. It would take at least fifteen minutes to climb back up the hill, to get to the tumbledown house, to tell the woman about the boy and her purse. She stared for a while at the track up the hill, the stones, the fence at the cliff top. She turned away and headed back into the hotel. Her room was just the way she had seen it in her dream: the bed made, the make-up arranged neatly in the bathroom. She thought of the missing purse. Never mind, she told herself. There was hardly any money in it. For some reason she felt good. Inexplicably good. She lay on the bed, on the cool, fresh sheets. Outside the sun beat against the shutters. She remembered the boy, the purse, and then, deep in her mind, as though at the bottom of a pool, she seemed to see the man with Anna. They were speaking on the phone, connected by a thin trail of blood like an umbilical cord… Their faces rippled in the clear water, their lips opened and closed. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it was so good to see them talking, as if nothing had happened, nothing at all…

E THOS

The Olympic GAMES motto: Faster, higher, stronger… With the curtain about to rise on the London Olympic Games, we go in search of the true Olympic spirit.

Citius, altius, fortius I

t is no accident that the ancient Greek ideal of beauty has become universal in its appeal. There are the perfectly chiselled features of the statues of ancient athletes, and even more their amazing physiques, which seem to radiate vital energy through the white marble of which they are sculpted. The ancient Greeks loved the ‘good life’, but to them it meant something different – first and foremost a well-exercised body, not a body to be shown off, but a vehicle for health and well-being. Hence the importance they attached to exercise at the gymnasium and wrestling school. The ancient writer Pausanias remarks that the city of Panopeia in Fokida does not deserve the title of city – because it has no gymnasium! Exercise formed an essential part of the education of boys (and in Sparta, of girls too), and was believed to contribute to the formation of character. Yet the element of competition was not as pronounced as it is in the modern world. Even when games like the Olympics were first organized, to

But the Olympics, held in honour of Zeus at Olympia, were the best known of all. They date back, as we have said, to the 13th century BC, but a key landmark in their development came in the year 884 BC, when the rulers of the war-torn Peloponnese – Iphitos (king of Ilis), Cleisthenes (king of Pisa in Ileia) and Lykourgos (king of Sparta) signed a truce to last for the duration of the Games, which had previously been suspended owing to the hostilities between them. From that point on, 293 Games were held, with none cancelled owing to conflict. The Olympic Truce lasted for seven days before and after the Games, as well as during the events. The Games were held every four years, lasting one day originally, then two days from the 77th Games onwards, extended to five days in the 5th century BC. The interval between the Games was called an Olympiad, and allowed the athletes ample time to train and prepare. Only men could compete, and entry was forbidden, on pain of death, to women and slaves. The main event was the running race of 185.2m,

participate was regarded as a great honour: the reciprocal respect of one athlete for another was always more important than the idea of winning at all costs. The first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC, although some scholars believe that this was merely the first year in which a record of the Games was kept – they may in fact date back to the 13th century BC. They were not the only games in the ancient world; there were also the Pythian Games in Delphi, the Isthmian Games in Corinth and the Nemean Games at Nemea (held at Argos from the 3rd century onwards). But the sources also mention games held in Greece at a much earlier date: there were games held in Crete (known as the Tavrokathapsia) in the Minoan era (2800-1100 BC), featuring gymnastics, boxing and wrestling, while chariot racing was known in the Mycenean era (16th-11th centuries BC).

followed from the 14th Games by chariot racing, the pentathlon (wrestling, discus, javelin, running and the long jump), boxing and Greco-Roman wrestling. There were no medals, the winner was crowned with a wreath of olive leaves, and there were no prizes for second and third place. Even more important than the wreath was the reception accorded the winner on his return to his own city. Even to participate in the Games was considered an extraordinary honour, and the return of a victorious athlete was an event of major importance; some cities even knocked down walls to prepare a triumphal route for the returning athlete to follow, while sculptors prepared statues as a tribute to the winning athlete. Apart from the lifetime’s fame the victors enjoyed, they were also presented with material rewards, often in the form of olives and olive oil. But perhaps the most significant role performed by the Games was their contribution to the forging of a sense of identity among the Greeks, bringing together the many independent city states in a

reminder of their shared origins and culture, their profound religious spirit and heroic past, their belief in the cultivation of mind and body, their philosophical values and their shared ideal of freedom. The annexation of the Greek city states by the Romans left the Games intact; it is well known that the Romans were keen to preserve and assimilate the best aspects of Greek civilization. But they did introduce some of their own customs and attitudes, which led to a commercialization of the Games, and the rise of professional athletes. However, as time went by the ancient worship of the human body was threatened by the new religion of Christianity, which looked askance at the cult of health and beauty. In 393 AD the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius delivered the final blow to the ancient Games, outlawing the Olympic and Pythian Games as manifestations of idolatry. It would be fifteen long centuries before the Games were eventually revived, having lost none of their original power and appeal, soon to make up for the long years of oblivion..

The Olympic Games of today, the modern world’s most important international sporting event, owe their existence to the vision of a French educator and author, Pierre de Coubertin, and the Greek scholar Dimitrios Vikelas. The two men strove to revive the Games and the original Olympic spirit, with its values of pride and respect, peace and reconciliation. They believed in an Olympic spirit which would unite mind and body, which would transcend social and class differences, which would bridge the divide between different nations and peoples. One may question whether this vision is reflected to any great extent in contemporary society, but at least the effort has been made and every four years the Olympics remind us of that original dream, despite all the dazzling technology and the fierce competition among the world’s leading athletes. The first Olympics of the modern era were held in Athens in 1896, in a packed Panathenaic Stadium. The most gold medals were won by the USA, with 11 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze. The Greeks took 10 gold medals, 19 silver and 18 bronze. The athlete who became the bestremembered personality of the Games was Spiros Louis, winner of the marathon, the new race included as a tribute to the ancient Athenian Pheidippides, who in 490 BC ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory of the Greeks over the Persian invaders. The next Games were held in Paris, in 1900. Under their charter, the Olympics are held every four years, as in ancient times, and in the event of the Games not being held for some reason, the sequence of numbering is retained – so that the 6th, 12th and 13th Games, which were not held because of the World Wars in 1916, 1940 and 1944, have retained their place in the sequence. The flag with the five Olympic circles, representing the five continents united in the Olympic idea, was introduced at the Antwerp Games in 1920, while the Olympic Hymn sung at the first modern Olympics was written by Kostis Palamas and set to music by Spyros Samaras. The Games have their own motto, cited above: citius, altius, fortius – faster, higher, stronger. 2012 is an Olympic year, and London is engaged in last minute preparations. The Olympic torch will be lit at sunrise in ancient Olympia, and then carried around the world to the host city, a beacon of hope, remaining alight until the Games are over. From 27 July to 12 August the eyes of the world will be turned on the British capital, which is the first city ever to host three Games (the preceding two were in 1908 and 1948). At the opening ceremony of each Games, the Greek athletes enter the stadium first by right, as representatives of the country where the Olympics were born. The London Games will be held at one of the most difficult moments in the history of Greece, but the Greek athletes will enter the stadium with heads held high, proud of their legacy, of their ancestors who shook off the yoke of slavery, who fell heroically on the battlefield, confident that in the sporting events to come they will display the very best of the Greek character.

greek mytho logy

The Cyclops These are some of the best-known figures in Greek mythology, giants with one single eye in the centre of their foreheads. In Homer’s Odyssey they are said to live in Sicily and are described as savage creatures without a trace of civilization or social organization, slaughtering and devouring any traveller unlucky enough to call in at their island home. When Ulysses and his companions fell into the clutches of the most terrifying of the Cyclops, Polyphemus, they had to blind him in order to escape. But there is a different version of the myth in which the Cyclops originated in Lycia, in modern Turkey, and were gifted builders and metal workers, to whom many great prehistoric constructions were ascribed.

Pan

The

fabulous creatures of Greek mythology A fascinating new book, "The Misunderstood Monsters of Greek Mythology", by Anastasia Tentokalli, seeks to discover what led to the creation of these fabulous creatures of Greek legend. Argyro Barata takes a look at what these terrifying creations were really meant to symbolize.

reek mythology has always held the human imagination in thrall –sometimes through its stories of love and jealousy, sometimes through the terrifying acts of betrayal and revenge between gods, mythical creatures and ordinary mortals. The ruling class in ancient Greece interpreted the myths as allegories, designed to control public opinion and manipulate the behaviour of various social groups

and classes. The subconscious effect was so powerful that even today phrases inspired by mythology can still be heard in common use. An angry and frightening man can still be described as a Cerberus, for example. But were creatures like Cerberus really as savage as they were portrayed to be, or do they conceal a symbolism which backs up the claim of the book that the myths have been misunderstood?

The god of shepherds and protector of their flocks, Pan was said to originate from Arcadia, but was revered by all the Greeks, and other peoples too. He was usually portrayed with a shepherd’s crook and a set of pipes, wearing a garland of pine leaves. In the most common version of the myth his mother abandoned him, appalled at the sight of her newborn child, with his goat’s horns, pointed ears, beard and goat’s feet. He was rescued by Hermes, who took him up to Olympus where he was welcomed by the other gods. He then returned to earth and was raised by the nymphs of Arcadia, became a friend of Bacchus and grew up to be the protector of farmers and their produce, a friend of the vine and feasting. His strange appearance symbolized the world of nature, and his friendship with Bacchus the evolution of mankind from hunter gatherers to farmers and cultivators of the soil.

Cerberus

The Minotaur The Minotaur was a creature with a man’s body but the head and tail of a bull. He lived in the Labyrinth built by Daedalus on the instructions of Minos, King of Crete, and was finally slain by Theseus, King of Athens, who made his way through the Labyrinth with the help of the thread given him by Ariadne. Various theories have been put forward to interpret the myth, one of which suggests that it relates to the Phoenician myths of Baal and Moloch. The slaying of the Minotaur is intended to represent the ending of the barbaric custom of human sacrifice by the more advanced civilization of the Greeks. Another interpretation claims that it represents the liberation of Athens from the rule of Minoan Crete.

The Sphinx The Sphinx was a creature believed to bring misfortune and ruin. She was represented as a winged lion with a woman’s head, or as a woman with the paws and breasts of a lion, the tail of a reptile and the wings of a bird. Hera and Ares dispatched her to Thebes, where she sat at the entrance to the city and asked all who approached the following riddle: Who goes on all fours at dawn, on two feet at noon and on three feet at dusk? Anyone who failed to guess the answer was strangled by the creature. It was Oedipus who finally solved the riddle: man goes on all fours when he is an infant, walks on two feet at noon and relies on a third foot, his stick, in old age. As soon as the Sphinx heard the correct answer, she threw herself to her death from the rock on which she had perched. One interpretation is that the myth represents the transition from the primitive form of religion of the ancient Greeks to the cult of the Olympian gods.

The ferocious guardian of the gates to the underworld, Cerberus was a dog with three heads and a tail ending in a dragon’s head. His presence ensured that the dead remained in Hades and that no living soul could descend to visit them. It was customary to place a pie made with honey in the casket of the deceased as a gift to placate him – like ordinary guard dogs protecting their master’s land, Cerberus was greedy and could be appeased with gifts of food. He was thought to represent the awful trinity of the underworld: past, present and future. When the myth tells of Hercules overcoming Cerberus and bringing him out into the light of day, it is indicating that heroic acts will always prevail over the power of time and remain alive for ever in the memories of mankind.

The Lernean Hydra A creature with seven or nine heads, slain by Hercules in the second of his twelve labours. The Hydra was a supposedly immortal being which lived in the marshlands south of Argus, the location from which it took its name. According to the myth, when Hercules cut off one of its heads, two more would appear. Only by use of fire could Hercules destroy it. The last of its heads he cut off and buried in the earth to prevent it reproducing itself. The Hydra is thought to represent our own faults and weaknesses, the vices we all carry inside ourselves and which we must eliminate if we wish to evolve and improve. In short, the monster we all carry and nurture within our own selves.

The Centaurs Half horse and half man, the Centaurs inhabited the forests and mountains and fed on raw flesh. They were represented as primitive creatures, more animal than human. According to the myths they came from the region of Thessaly, and symbolized the unlimited and unpredictable powers of the natural world, of sunshine and storms. The exception to the rule was the centaur Heiron, revered by all for his knowledge and wisdom.

The Sirens These were sea creatures, said to produce divine music with the voice, harp and lyre. According to the myth they were nymphs and companions of Persephone. When the latter was abducted by Hades, her mother Demeter gave the Sirens the body of birds so they could range above the earth in search of her missing daughter. They eventually settled on an island where the irresistible beauty of their music lured many seamen to their destruction. We meet the Sirens for the first time in Homer’s Odyssey, where Ulysses has been warned by Circe of the dangerously alluring music they use to beguile unwary mariners into forgetting their destination. Ulysses orders his crew to block their ears with wax so as not to hear the music, and to bind him to the mast so that he can hear the divine sounds but not be seduced into following them. Before Ulysses only the Argonauts had heard the music of the Sirens and survived to tell the tale. Warned by Heiron the Centaur, Jason enlisted Orpheus in his crew and the divine musician sang so beautifully that his companions were able to resist the lure of the Sirens. Several possible locations have been suggested, but no one will ever be sure where the Sirens were supposed to live. As for the symbolism of the myth, we can assume that these fascinating creatures were intended to represent the power of flattery, which men must learn to resist if they are to discover the truth.

Scylla & Charybdis Scylla was a terrifying female creature which lived on the European shore of the Bosphorus. Her counterpart Charybdis (defined as a whirlpool in Liddell & Scott’s ancient Greek dictionary) resided on the Asian coast opposite. Scylla had six necks and throats and plucked mariners from passing ships, while Charybdis sucked up the water of the sea, devouring vessels and their crews. Both monsters feature in the tales of Ulysses and the Argonauts, who passed the straits with only minor losses, thanks to the assistance of Hera, who called on Poseidon to put the two monsters to sleep. The inspiration for the myth must have been a narrow strait with steep cliffs on either side. The modern expression ‘from Scylla to Charybdis’ is used to mean ‘from bad to worse’.

The Stymphalian Birds These were man-eating birds with bronze beaks, claws and wings, slain by Hercules in his sixth labour. Driven by wolves from their original home, a ravine close to Orchomenus in Arcadia, they took refuge at Lake Stymphalia in the mountains of Corinth, preying on men, their flocks and crops. At first Hercules was at a loss; how could he lure the birds out of their hiding places in the thick vegetation around the lake? Then Athena came to his aid, giving him bronze discs to strike together and raise a noise which would startle the birds; as they took flight in alarm, he was able to bring them down with his bow and arrows. At first the Stymphalian birds lived peacefully alongside the local people, but when their numbers multiplied they became a terrible burden and the farmers of the region had to call in Hercules to deal with them.

Medusa One of the three Gorgons of Greek mythology, Medusa was the best-known. In one version of the myth she was so beautiful that Poseidon wished to possess her, and finally did so by taking the form of a horse at the sacred sanctuary of Athena. The goddess, furious but unable to challenge Poseidon himself, vented her rage on Medusa, turning her into a monstrous creature with snakes instead of hair. So ugly was this creature that anyone who looked her in the face was turned to stone. Finally, she was slain by Perseus, assisted by Athena. The goddess took the head of Medusa from the hero and placed it on her shield, where it continued to turn all adversaries to stone. Medusa can be interpreted as a symbol of fear and despair, or the mistaken image we often have of ourselves, how others see us and how we see ourselves in the mirror, which so often returns a distorting image. The myth can also be seen as a story of female vanity, pride in external beauty, which often leads us in the vain quest for eternal youth – a quest which can bring about changes so terrible that the individual turns into an unrecognizable monster.

The Chimaera This was a fearsome fire-breathing monster, with the body of a goat, the head of a lion and a tail in the form of a snake. In some versions it had more than one head – usually three in fact, that of a lion, a goat and dragon. Analysis of the various references to the Chimaera indicates that it was meant to symbolize the volcanic terrain of what is now Turkey, the region where it lived. The modern language still preserves references to the creature; when we say a person is in the grip of a Chimaera we mean that he is the victim of his own fantasies, that he is losing touch with reality.

c u lt u re

The Sani Festival is the brainchild of the owners of Sani Resort, an expression of their passion for music and the arts. This year the Festival will be celebrating its 20th anniversary, with a rich and varied programme to reflect the organizers’ confidence

Sani

and optimism. Olga TabourisBabalis, Artistic Director of

Festival

'I was invited to take over the management of the Sani Festival in early autumn, 1996, and was naturally delighted to accept a position which offered so many opportunities. Over the next few years my team and I watched the festival grow, rewarding the commitment and passion we had put into it and acquiring equally enthusiastic audiences, who returned to Sani Hill each summer to enjoy performances by a whole host of musicians and other artists, some famous, some less well-known – but all of them making their own contribution to the evolution of the Festival into an international institution, a landmark date in the cultural calendar, played out each year under the stars of the summer sky.

the Festival for the last 16 years, explains its importance.

The Sani Festival is a work of love – it is not an event about which I can discuss in terms of marketing and management. I just can’t! That which initially seemed to be a fertile ground on which I could deposit my professional dreams, proved to mean much more to me. It was a “child”, an independent child, which could not be subjected -as a fertile field it has a life of its own, too independent and vital to be subjectto cultural preconceptions or narrow political or business objectives. This is what the audiences love about the Sani Festival – this and the originality and variety of the performers it is able to attract, thanks to the generous support of Sani S.A. Every winter we allow ourselves to dream… and every summer we see those dreams come to fruition, allowing our imagination free rein, untrammelled by rigid commitments or ulterior objectives. And this is the secret which keeps each year’s Festival new and fresh, which helps us avoid the trap of predictability and staleness to which some other festivals – even some better-known than ours – are susceptible.

So, this year the Sani Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary as part of the cultural landscape of Greece, as I complete my 16th year at the helm. We have grown up together, and this means our relationship is a very personal one. For me the Sani Festival is not a professional activity, it is a family affair, a work of love I return to each year to help it evolve, to take another step forward. Every year we strive to aim a little bit higher, to create something even better than before. I would only like to wish one thing: that, despite the tough times which our country is going through, the Sani Festival will continue to exist and breathe for many more years, and breathe with it all those who love to listen to good music within a charming environment.' For more information concerning this years' programme, click on: www.sanifestival.gr

c u lt u re

With the African soul vibrating in his music, Ismael Lo, one of the most famous artists of African blues, turns his talent into a passion which excites his international audience. His dream? An outdoor concert with thousands of fans communicating in harmony with him. Maybe now he will live this experience on the Sani hill on July 14 th for the twentieth birthday of the sani festival. Interview to Georgia Dodou.

In what way your roots have influenced your personal expression through music?

Do you find inspiration these days or you find it hard?

Tell me about your new work. What is your favorite piece of music?

- When I was a young boy my mom did not want me to become a singer; At that time I liked listening to rythms and blues but I think the biggest influence in my personal expression was the tradtionnel African music.I finally became the only musician in my entire family.

- In Africa you always have inspiration but you have to realised that when you start having more notoriety, it is difficult to release an album let say every six months because you have to make sure that what you putting out is real good not only for your own satisfaction but especially for your fans.

- Right now I am working on a new album which I hope will be release soon. I love them all like my children.

How important do you think is music to the education of both minds and hearts. In what way?

Do you believe that the world today has not vision (in arts, society, culture, etc) in comparison with the past?

- Good question I believe that you have to be very down to earth; It is also a lot of work, you cannot afford to stop working, you have to keep it up all the time.

- I believe that music is a vehicle for communication rather than for isolation. It is a real form of pedagogy and an exceptional therapy for the human being. I remember when I was younger I use to learn a song faster than a regular lesson and nowadays kids learn quicker watching cartoons. As an artist, do you believe that music is the basis of many other forms of music that are popular nowdays? - Africa is the cradle of civilisation and music is universal. Jazz has influenced all the other types of music and the origins of jazz is african. What composition of yours do you personally hold dearest and why? - My album "XALAT" which means "Nostalgic thoughts". I remenber on my first time going to Paris (France) It looked like the paradise to me but I quickly realised that was not the case; I was homesick afterwards and decided to go back to Senegal my hometown.

- Not at all, the world has became a global village. Because of the internet you can travel without leaving your living room. The internet as means of communication is vital nowadays. If you could make a prediction of the music tomorrow, what this would be? - I think music tomorrow will be awesome but computers will do most of the work, I hope we will not lose the soul. You are considered to be one of the greatest african blues artists in the world. How does that sound, personally and professionally?

What it takes for someone to be a composer, a musician, a man of music vision?

What is the best piece of advise you have ever received? - The advice was to never give up in life. Also to try to sing in different languages like English, German or Greek for example. Can you visualize the perfect concert? Setting, place, time of day and so on. - The perfect concert: a sold out one three months in advance; outdoor concert with thousand and thousand of fans communicating in harmony with me.

- First of all I have to thank God for giving me that chance. Personally I am very proud of it. Professionaly it is a lot of work and a career in music is very hard to maintain.

destination

The route The Egnatia motorway is like the backbone of northern Greece, a vital link between places and people across the region.

eople have always loved to travel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whether to satisfy their curiosity, to conquer new lands, to communicate, to secure material or spiritual benefits. From ancient times to the present day, man has always felt a need to escape from his familiar surroundings, although in the modern, global era of communications the remotest parts of the world can now be brought alive on the computer or TV screen without leaving oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home. Modern technology has also brought incredible advances in the means we use to travel: from road networks and infrastructures to trains, ships and planes. The modern traveller has more and more incentives to leave home, more and more opportunities to see the world, ever more varied forms of holiday to enjoy. Although far outstripping the opportunities to travel in the past, our modern means of transport in no way detract from the remarkable achievements of our ancestors, even if these

were not designed for the sake of travel as such, but rather to extend the control of the powerful over other lands and peoples. A good example of such an achievement is the Via Egnatia, an extraordinary feat of engineering by the ancient Romans, which linked the shores of the Adriatic with the eastern provinces of the Empire. Built between 148 and 120 BC, according to a passage in Polybius preserved by Strabo, the Via Egnatia was the continuation of the Appian Way, the great road from Rome to Brundisium (modern Brindisi), and ran from 800km from ancient Epidamnus (now Durres) to Kypsela in Evros. Most scholars believe that the Via Egnatia took its name from the proconsul Gnaeus Egnatius, who was most probably the driving force behind its construction. A milestone citing the name of Egnatius, one of the cylindrical columns which were placed at intervals of a mile along the road and gave the distance to the nearest town, was found near the Gallikos river and is in the collection of the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum. The Romans had refined their road building techniques to a high level of sophistication and the Via Egnatia was a state-of-the-art project in its time, with a reliable surface, bridges, signs, rest stations

and stables for travellers to change horses, formal gateways to the cities and towns along the way, even customs houses... During Roman times the road was very much a via militaris, a route taken by the imperial armies; in the heyday of the Byzantine Empire it developed into a great commercial route, contributing not only to economic prosperity but also to the dissemination of new ideas and faiths, the interaction of different peoples and cultures. Throughout these early years the road enjoyed the highest levels of maintenance, and survived into the Turkish era to play a key part in Ottoman expansion into the Balkans. Travellersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; inns, caravanserai and covered markets dotted along the line of the route gave it new life, and it was not until the 20th century and the two world wars that long sections of the road finally fell into neglect and disuse. Sections of the original road were still preserved and can be seen in Albania, FYROM and eastern Thrace, but along most of its length as it travels through Greece the old Via Egnatia has been gradually assimilated into the local network of modern roads.

But now the ancient highway has once again been brought to life, all along its ancient route through Greece. Work on the new Egnatia motorway began in 1994, and was completed in 2009. It is possibly the most important road construction project of recent years anywhere in Europe, following the line of the ancient Via Egnatia for much of its length, from the port of Igumenitsa to Kipoi in Evros, on the Turkish border. It covers a distance of 670km, passing through Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace, making a vital contribution to the national economy and forging closer links between Europe and Turkey. It has brought new life to northern Greece, allowing safe, direct communication between regions, facilitating trade and tourism by making it possible to cross the whole northern part of the country in just a few hours. And bringing a whole host of new destinations within reach of the traveller: towns, cities, historic sites, forests, lakes, mountains and beaches.

Setting out from Sani Resort you can use the Egnatia motorway for all sorts of short excursions to new places, to enjoy the beauty of Macedonia and study the region’s fascinating history.

Vergina

Mt. Olympus – Dion

Mt. Athos

A place you must visit is Vergina, just outside Thessaloniki, where the royal tombs of the Macedonian kings remind us of one of the greatest figures in history – Alexander the Great, whose conquests took in most of the known world of his time. The capital of his Empire was at Aiges, a city that stood on the site of the modern Vergina, where the discovery of the royal tombs by the Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos, in 1977, was one of the most extraordinary archaeological events of the 20th century. Now a world heritage site, Vergina offers all sorts of fascinating sights: the royal tombs of the great burial mound, including the miraculously preserved tomb of Philip II, father of Alexander; the remarkable Iron Age (11th-8th century BC) cemetery, the Palace and the Theatre, dating from the 4th century BC, and of course the Museum, with its collection of remarkable artefacts from the royal tombs, chief among them the gold reliquary containing the bones of Philip II. It is decorated with the Macedonian star, and the sides are adorned with plant motifs. You can also see the gold wreath of oak leaves worn by the dead king, regarded as the most valuable of such items to have survived from ancient Greece. It consists of 313 leaves and 68 acorns, and weighs 714 grams. Other items include the gold reliquary with the bones of Philip’s wife, and the gold-embroidered material in which she was buried, as well as two ivory couches, testimony to the opulence of the royal banquets. One of the couches bears a relief scene of a royal hunting party, featuring not only Philip himself but also his young son Alexander, surrounded by figures from the Macedonian court.

Home to the most democratic gods in human history, Olympus is a place of stunning beauty, a national park and a popular destination with nature lovers. On the slopes of Mt. Olympus we no longer expect to find centaurs and wood nymphs, but instead breath-taking mountain and forest paths and trails. Even if you are not keen on climbing or hiking, the excellent network of roads brings several of the peaks within easy reach. The highest point of the Olympus range is Mytikas, at 2,917 metres, with the three slightly lower summits of Stefani, Skala and Skolio ranged in a semi-circle around it. Down below are the foothills, with the icy valley of Megala Kazania, the Monastery of Aghios Dionysios, the famous gorge of the River Enipeas, ten kilometres in length – all sights of breathtaking beauty. The River Enipeas rises up at Prionia and is waters enliven the landscape with numerous pools set among the rocks of the mountain slopes. Further down the visitor comes to the ancient city of Dion, home to the cult of Olympian Zeus, which became the official religious centre of the Macedonians in the late 5th century BC. Here Alexander offered sacrifices to the gods before setting off on his Asian campaigns. Excavations have uncovered a remarkable city here, with a theatre, baths, a forum and palace. Many of the finds are exhibited in the local archaeological museum. Make sure you leave yourselves time to walk around and study the architectural details on the remains of the ancient buildings; this is a place where there is much to marvel at, much to learn.

You can’t come to Halkidiki and not see Mt. Athos. This unique location, also known as the Garden of the Virgin, is an independent monastic state, administered from the little town of Karyes. Only men are allowed to visit, and must secure a special permit two or three months in advance of their arrival date; only a small number of visitors are allowed on the peninsula at any time. A visit is a remarkable experience: life here moves at a different pace, and visitors are expected to adapt to the local customs. But the unspoiled landscape, the Byzantine architecture and remarkable icons and manuscripts preserved here will leave you stunned by this survival from mediaeval times. It is an initiation into a more spiritual way of life, and you should expect to return home charged with a new sense of inner peace and serenity.

For information on visits to Mt. Athos you can call 2310 252.575 (Greeks) or 2310 252.578 (foreigners). The office is open from 9:00 to 16:00 on weekdays, 9:00 to 14:00 on Saturdays. The fax number is 2310 222.424. Women cannot visit but can enjoy a distant view of the monasteries on one of the boat trips which start from Ouranoupolis.

fashion report / S A N I M A R I N A

into style Any luxury resort will have connotations of jetsetting and high fashion, and these concepts find their ultimate expression in style. This year the Sani Magazine has arranged its own fashion show, set against the background of the turquoise sea and the peaceful pine forests of SANI resort, showcasing creations from the many fashion outlets in the Sani Marina, a unique "style oasis".

Full length silk form UNITED COLORS OF BENETTON, coloured bracelets, straw hat and clutch COLORS. 96

Havaianas sandals – blue for men and yellow for women – AMAZONIA, striped fabric bag POSH. 98

Fulla Sugah Boutique dress COLORS, hand-made jewellery in star shapes PETRA COLLECTION // Long-sleeved blouse GANT, Armani jeans VIAMARE, Sebago leather shoes AESTHETIC, D&G sunglasses OPTOMANIA, DKNY watch with leather strap DENNY VILDIRIDIS // Christina: Maison Scotch denim dress SMART COLLECTION, Alessandra Paggioti platform shoes with flowers ALTAMIRA, Giorgio Armani sunglasses OPTOMANIA, gold earrings PETRA COLLECTION. Vangelis: Shirt and shorts TOMMY HILFIGER, shoes AESTHETIC, Ray-Ban sunglasses OPTOMANIA // One-piece Miss Bikini bathing costume AMAZONIA, gold bracelets KALFIDIS. 99

Knitted tunic ALTAMIRA, bikini Flavia Padova AMAZONIA, D&G straw bag with leather detailing POSH, ring OXETTE // Striped shirt CALVIN KLEIN, straw hat VIA MARE, Mont Blanc watch KALFIDIS // Tommy Hilfiger dress AESTHETIC, D&G leather sandals TWEETY // 20 & 22 long dress ALTAMIRA, gold bracelets KALFIDIS. 100

Christina: Phard flowered dress AESTHETIC, jacket ADIDAS, Clima Generation trainers ADIDAS, Mitani sunglasses OPTOMANIA. Vangelis: Shirt ARMANI JEANS, John Enzzo jeans EMPORIO ARMANI, RockPort shoes AESTHETIC, Dsquared sunglasses OPTOMANIA. Dorina: Cotton trousers DIESEL, Mayoral blouse TWEETY, Ray-Ban sunglasses, OPTOMANIA, sports sandals ADIDAS. 102

Christina: Chio di Stefania bikini POSH, Chio di Stefania caftan POSH, long fur coat DIFO. Vangelis: La Martina bathing costume ALTAMIRA, Scotch & Soda leather sandals SMART COLLECTION, magazines and books ON PAPER. Dorina: Mayoral flower dress,TWEETY, hand-made wooden boat NEFELI, pony bath toy HOBBYLAND. 104

Christina: S-twelve long dress SMART COLLECTION, wooden bracelet with amethyst DENNY VILDIRIDIS, necklace with delicate chains and semi-precious stones OXETTE. Vangelis: Scotch & Soda short-sleeved shirt and jeans SMART COLLECTION. Dorina: Dress DIESEL, LCKR knitted jacket TWEETY, sandals UNITED COLORS OF BENETTON, hair accessory COLORS, bath toy HOBBYLAND. 106

fashion report / T H E SS A LO N I K I

"Sophisticated, updated in all areas and enriched with expertised, fashionable and luxury twists." This is the definition of shopping in Thessaloniki and athens; a magnificent experience. pleasure and discovery together. in one Word: fashion-ish fullfillment.

1. ATTICA (11th km on Thessaloniki-Moudania

highway, 2311 813.000) : A new outlet for the famous Athenian store in the Mediterranean Cosmos mall, with a superb range from the international fashion houses. Furla, Burberry, DSquared, Max Mara, Persona & Marina Rinaldi are just some of the labels you will find in this opulent store. 2. CHANEL (6 Sekeri Str., Kolonaki, Athens 210 360.6125): Regular port of call for those who are known as the "connaisers du style", the Chanel boutique offers shopping with style. 3-4. NOTOS GALLERIES (Hirsch Arcade, 24 110

Tsimiski Str. & 31 Mitropoleos Str., 2310 366.600): An explosive mix of colours will improve your mood the moment you enter, flooding your mind with exciting ideas for new decor – more essential than ever in these gloomy times. You can also be initiated into the secrets of beauty and acquire your very own, unique perfume at the only Guerlain corner in Greece. 5. CARTIER BOUTIQUE (7 Voukourestiou Str., Athens, 210 331.3601): Now featuring the rock range "Juste un Clou", Cartier invites us to impress by playing with contrasts. And of course the display cases feature all

the classic masterpieces of this great jeweller, now attracting renewed attention thanks to the recent Madonna movie based on the affair between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, a fanatical Cartier fan. 6. MEDITERANNEAN COSMOS (11th km on Thessaloniki-Moudania highway, 2310 489.571) : A contemporary shopping mall with dozens of stores, where you’ll be tempted to shop till you drop. With superb cafés and restaurants, too.

7. GALLERY DIAMOND ( 40 Mitropoleos Sr., 2310

233.151): It may be a cliché, but it’s just as true as ever: Diamonds are a girl’s best friend! And the rarest and most brilliant stones are to be found here at Gallery Diamond. 8. STYLEFAX (19 Proxenou Koromila Str., 2310 240 898): For those in the know, Stylefax is the passport to fashion, the ultimate showcase for new trends and ideas. Mary Katrantzou, Versace, Preen, Gina shoes and a host of other fabulous labels to 112

enhance your image. 9-10. FENAFRESH (8 Pavlou Mela Str., Ilysia, 2310 257.447): The Fenafresh stores always offer a fresh approach to the summer, with fashion choices for every style. 11. SAMARAS FURS (6 Karolou Diel Str., 2310 273.956): Fur in summertime? Why not! say the managers of the Samaras boutique, which specializes in anticipating its customers’ every wish. Furs from the oldest and best-established firms in Greece. 12. BLOOM ( 71 Mitropoleos Str., 2310

269.146): All-day outfits and accessories from one of the most interesting of international fashion houses, Malene Birger, only to be found at the Bloom store. Uncompromising elegance. 13. G LIST (1 Agias Sofias Str., 2310 242.161): The shop every stylish woman loves both in Athens and Thessaloniki. The shop in the corner of Agias Sofias and Tsimiski offers some of the best clothes and accessories in the country. A must-go and buy.

14. THALIA EXARCOU ( 103 Mitropoleos Str. and

Chrysostomou Smyrnis Str., 2310 278.780): The art of jewellery at its most sublime. Exquisitely made creations for those special moments, all bearing the Thalia Exarchou hallmark of quality. One of the most stylish and impressive jewellery stores in Greece. 15. APARTÉ (32 Pavlou Mela Str., 2311 271.348): Beautifully designed jewellery from coral, mother of pearl, precious and semi-precious stones. Hand-made items for the discerning customer, created with imagination 114

and inspiration. At Aparte – where else? 16. AXEL ACCESSORIES (45 Mitropoleos Str., 2310 265.566): A veritable Aladdin’s Cave of designs and colours, with clothes and accessories that will make your eyes water. 17. XATZIIOANNOU FURS (13 Mitropolitou Iosif Str., 2310 225.900): If you’ve always had a guilty dream of owning a lush, soft fur – Hatziioannou Furs is the place for you. Surrender to temptation! 18. HIONIDIS (32 Pavlou Mela Str., 2310 268.534): Dior for men, Paul Smith, Balmain and generally high fashion for men

only. Whether you’re looking for a suit, a shirt or any other item of male attire, Hionidis is the last word in understated elegance. 19. FESSA (89 Mitropoleos Str., 2310 240.415, 2310 251.461): One of the most up to date stores in fine carpets and rugs, the Fessa store outlines the importance of having the ultimate shopping experience for dressing up your home. 20. KALOGIROU ( 75 Mitropoleos Str., 2310 250.500): Shoes direct from the international catwalk! Kalogirou stocks all the major international labels in footwear.

21. MAX MARA (54 Mitropoleos Str., 2310 284.123):

Apart from its famous coats, Max Mara is also renowned for its all time classic creations, lasting a lifetime but never out of fashion. The best investment in your wardrobe you will ever make. 22. PAROUSIASI (26 Tsimiski Str., 2310 220.933, Mediterranean Cosmos, 2310 028.610): Winter is the ideal time for a home makeover, and summer the perfect time to add those finishing decorative touches. If you are getting married, Parousiasi will be top of your list, with ideal wedding gifts for your guests to choose from. Or if you are just looking to freshen up your living space with some 116

new ideas, you’ve come to just the right place. 23. KATERINA IOANNIDIS (5 Mitropolitou Iosif Str., 2310 256.970): Word of mouth advertisement is always the best, and Katerina Ioannidis often receives orders from people who have admired what their friends have bought here. Jewellery created with ingenuity and stylish imagination – you’ll want to buy everything in the store! 24. HONDOS CENTER (84 Georgikis Scholis Ave., 2310 806.000): No recommendations necessary. The Hondos Center stores are a ‘journey into beauty’, with items from all the top names in cosmetics and perfumes, a huge variety of top-quality

goods at unbeatable prices. 25. XATZIIOANNOU LIGHT (123 Georgikis Sholis Av., 2310 473.601-621): Light fittings can be seen in every house, but finding the right ones for your home requires the expert taste and judgement of the Xatziioannou stores, whose staff will advise you on the best choice to make. 26. SIHLOUETTE (15 Palaion Patron Germanou Str., 2310 288.224): If you are looking for something different, you have probably already discovered Silhouette. Sur mesure creations for women with an intensely individual take on fashion.

saga

did you know that The holiday we all enjoy each summer was the invention of the British middle class in the second half of the 19th century? Spyros Raptis reports.

Holidays A hotel room with a view of the beach. At the window, a new guest is enjoying his first sight of the landscape in which he will be spending the next few days. Rows of beach huts, like soldiers on parade; elegant pavilions and kiosks; recliners and striped parasols; bathers and sun-worshippers baking in the sand… Cut to a grand drawing room: ladies in extravagant hats, silk dresses and opulent jewelry; gentlemen in evening dress; well-behaved children in sailor suits – all exchanging greetings and small talk, observing the other guests lounging in their deep armchairs…. Similar scenes are played out in the dining room and on the verandahs of the hotel, images so lush and exotic it is hard to convey their magic on the page. The cinematic masterpiece of Lucino Visconti, Death in Venice (1971) must be seen to be believed – a disquisition on the theme of beauty which far exceeds in genius the work on which it is based, the novella of the same name by the German author Thomas Mann. The great German novelist published the original story in 1911. It describes the tragic journey towards death of its protagonist, a worshipper of ideal beauty, set against the gorgeous backdrop of Venice, symbolizing the decadent aristocratic society of the early 20th century. The story is rich in symbolism of many kinds, but what interests us here are the images it offers, and which Visconti transferred so miraculously to the cinema screen, of a luxurious holiday resort where a privileged ruling class spends its carefree vacations.

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Historically, the concept of the holiday is relatively recent. Initially it was only the aristocratic classes who were able to enjoy a vacation, spent invariably in luxury resorts designed exclusively for their own class. But as the industrial revolution led to the emergence of a prosperous middle class, these new aristocrats sought to imitate their social superiors, establishing their own seaside resorts where they could spend a summer vacation. At this time, in the mid-19th century, social distinctions and the segregation of the classes were still too powerful to break. A successful bourgeois might indeed have the money to enjoy the same things as a member of the upper class, but the two worlds were still kept very much apart. It took several years for this new custom of the summer holiday to become widely established, but soon more and more people in Britain – home of the capitalist revolution – were beginning to discover the many advantages of their new wealth, among them the pleasures of travel. Destinations grew more varied and numerous: from the peaks of the Alps to the coasts of the Mediterranean, from the Middle East to North Africa. And before too many decades had passed, even the poorest members of society had joined in the holiday game, taking cheap vacations at nearby resorts and establishing the idea of the summer holiday as we know it today. As with all social developments not brought on by violent change, the evolution of the holiday was gradual and occurred over many decades. When the idea of mass tourism was still in its infancy, the foundations were already being laid for the package holiday of today, thanks to a certain Thomas Cook, who in 1841 arranged for 570 persons to travel from Leicester to a rally in Larborough, chartering carriages from the British rail companies and charging the passengers one shilling each for their fare and a meal. In literature, too, travel was beginning to occupy a more prominent position, particularly in the novels of Jules Verne, which were addressed to an educated audience but proved so popular that they did much to familiarize the general public with the idea of travel, whetting ordinary people’s curiosity to see the world and go on distant adventures. Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days was published in 1872. Earlier in the century, in 1828, the first ever ‘travel guide’ had been published, the Traveling along the Rhine from Mainz to Cologne, by J. Klein, in the famous Baedecker series, whose pioneering guides offered reliable information on travel, accommodation and what to see.

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...as with all social developments not brought on by violent change, the evolution of the holiday was gradual and occurred over many decades.

Nowadays, a summer holiday is enjoyed by all – and in fact tourism has become a key driving force in the global economy, its various manifestations often effecting a creative transformation in the landscape of the holiday destination. From hotels by the sea or on the snow-clad mountains, we have now moved on to the 2nd generation resorts, which offer a total vacation experience. Tourism has advanced from the provision of a basic accommodation infrastructure and ‘hotel catering’ to comprehensive hospitality in environments that offer all the comforts of home, haute cuisine restaurants and alternative leisure activities designed to promote the tourist’s physical and mental health and well-being. And we haven’t even mentioned the cruise – a unique form of tourism which conceals many more secrets than you might imagine, secrets well worth learning! Perhaps we will even change our minds about when the idea of the holiday was first invented...

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53 chefs from 15 different countries, with 33 Michelin stars between them; 172 meals, 7,500 menus, 6,994 diners, 26 sponsors, 24 communication sponsors, 44 affiliated Greek wineries. In just a few short years the Sani Gourmet has established itself as a major gastronomic event.

Sani Gourmet 7 and counting

ome things in life just seem to acquire an irresistible momentum from the very beginning, without anyone being able to explain exactly why. But both experts and laymen can often detect in the early stages of a new project the commitment and attention to detail that are going to make it a success. We ourselves think the recipe for success is simple and self-evident, and we’re not ashamed to repeat it: hard work, more hard work – and a dash of inspiration! Why these introductory remarks, you ask? Because we are now looking back on seven years of the Sani Gourmet, an event which has evolved from a simple manifestation of our love of good food and drink into a major date on the gastronomic calendar, here and abroad. When we invited Eric Frechon, chef at

the three-starred Le Bristol in Paris, to take part in the first Sani Gourmet in 2006, he didn’t hesitate to accept. And the same was true of Alain Parodi, the alchemist of Mediterranean cuisine, holder of one Michelin star, and Daniel Ettlinger from Provence, also a Michelin one-star-holder. It confirms what we said above: no serious professional would risk his reputation through involvement in a project that was less than perfect. There must have been something about the Sani Gourmet idea that inspired confidence and tempted these three top chefs to become involved – along with another 52 chefs from 15 countries (a total of 33 Michelin stars to their credit), who have visited Sani Resort over the years to present their culinary creations to our loyal and delighted audiences.

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E. FRECHON

C. SMYTH

The idea of Sani S.A.’s Vice president, Fokion Zisiadis, the event was based on the belief that the creation of fine food is an art form in itself. In a way, the festival was the logical continuation of the emphasis we had already laid at the Sani Resort on encouraging fine restaurants with a distinctive style and character, as far removed as possible from conventional hotel catering. The initial idea was to organize a week of gastronomic events, featuring top chefs working in friendly rivalry to produce superb examples of their own national cuisines and their own personal culinary creations. The first attempt was a relatively modest affair, with a number of Greek and international chefs demonstrating

C. KARAMOLENGOS

L. LAZAROU

their skills over two days. The success of these events, however, encouraged the organizers to plan on a larger scale for the following year, and in 2007 the festival programme extended over eight days, with parallel exhibitions and wine-tastings. The featured chefs included Eric Frechon, Maurizio Santin, Ettore Bortrini, the rising star of Lebanese cuisine El-Hajji Salim, the awardwinning Syrian Majed Al Omari, the globally renowned sushi chef Shoji, the Greeks Christophoros Peskias and Chrysanthos Karamolengos, as well as Stella Spanou, Ilias Mamalakis, Myrsini Lambraki and wine producers – all offering guests a comprehensive range of gourmet sensations.

The following year’s festival assembled another constellation of talents, including the German Heinz Winkler, the Spaniard Alain Llorca, the Turk Vedat Basaran, the Indian Atul Kochhar and from Greece Andreas Mavromatis, Mihalis Psilakis, Chrysanthos Karamolengos and Christophoros Peskias. Once again, the emphasis was on the tastes of the Mediterranean, as well as the use of local ingredients. New activities and objectives were also introduced for 2008, including the promotion of up-and-coming young chefs. In 2009 the ten-day festival made its first reference to the Greek Cuisine, a theme to which we would return in 2011, after the very successful 2010 festival dedicated exclusively – a global first! – to female chefs! Taking as its theme ‘Women as creative chefs’, the 2010 festival brought together 11 top representatives of the sector, including Clare Smyth, executive chef of the Gordon Ramsay flagship restaurant in London, Royal Hospital Road, the Catalan Montse Estruch, winner of a Michelin star for her avantgarde cuisine, the Greek-American Cat Cora, the only female winner of the Iron Chef competition, and Maria Elia, a star of the London gourmet scene, the local chefs Konstantina Faklari, Nena Ismyrnoglou, and Reine Sammut, Michelin star-holder and two-times winner of the Best Chef in France in title, Flora Mikula and the Italian Cornelia Poletto, Michelin star-holder and disciple of the great Heinz Winkler. A key moment in the history of the Sani Gourmet was the focus in 2011 on New Greek Cuisine, assembling the top chefs in Greece and leading Greek chefs from around the world and inviting them to answer the question: is there such a thing as New Greek Cuisine? This year, 2012, the debate continues, with a focus on the so-called 100-mile practice, which requires that only ingredients produced within a hundred miles of the kitchen be used – with all the obvious ecological advantages and benefits for the local economy.

Sani Resort, Kassandra, Halkidiki, T: +30 2310-317.327, +30 23740 99.400 www.sanigourmet.gr facebook.com/sanigourmet twitter.com/sanigourmet 126

Μ. PSILAKIS

Scan for more info

C. CORA

Y. LOUKAKOS

H E A LT H

Oats:

Power on a plate Nature herself is a storehouse of remedies for many ills, preventing and suppressing symptoms and curing their underlying causes. The secret of health lies in a good diet, and we have known this since the days of Hippocrates. Modern science has uncovered the hidden properties of the things we eat, beneficial or harmful, and urges us to consume the substances that are good for us, turning the foods we eat into life-giving medicines. By Georgia Dodou.

Porridge helps protect us from diseases of the arteries, while also combating chronic inflammations which can lead to arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. It can also reduce cholesterol levels. It is a food with a low glycemic index, which our system digests very slowly, gradually releasing sugar into the blood stream. When we eat porridge the body produces a hormone called GLP-1, which gives a sense of fullness for hours and helps suppress those cravings for a snack.

Maple syrup: If a bowl of porridge is the healthiest way to start the day, it is even more beneficial if we add a spoonful of maple syrup, which contains no fewer than twenty health-giving ingredients, among them phenol anti-oxidants which help fight cancer, bacterial infections and diabetes. But a word of warning: it is vital to check that the syrup you buy is genuine, not an artificial product with maple syrup flavouring.

Grapefruit: This can be a healthy way to start the day if you suffer from chronic hepatitis C. Conventional treatments are based on powerful drugs like interferon, which have unpleasant side effects such as nausea, anaemia, depression and irritations of the skin. Researchers in Boston have discovered that a grapefruit or other citrus fruit can be just as effective as interferon. The active ingredient in the fruit - naringenin, which gives it its acid flavour – suppresses part of the life cycle of the hepatitis C virus, and can also prevent the appearance of type-2 diabetes, helping the liver to break down fats and increasing sensitivity to insulin.

Water melon:

here is now incontrovertible evidence that the conventional western diet of processed foods and fizzy drinks is one of the main causes of some of our chronic illnesses, whereas the so-called Mediterranean diet is the best way of preserving our health and living a long and happy life. The Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables, fruits, olive oil and fish; it helps keep us safe from heart disease, cancer and many other chronic illnesses. Recent research also suggests that it protects us from declining mental faculties, from senility and Alzheimer’s. But are all the foods which feature in this diet equally

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effective? And are there foods not eaten widely in the Mediterranean which we should make part of our daily fare? As funding policies have gradually begun to shift from drugs to the food we consume, scientists have concluded that there is a category of "Power Foods" which not only prevent illnesses, but can treat them as effectively as pharmaceutical products. Included in our daily diet they guarantee us a better quality of life. Let us examine how they can be integrated into a daily menu, and how they can improve our health.

This fruit can be as effective as statins in reducing blood pressure, but you would need to eat at least three a day to see any results! Water melon is rich in L-citrulline, an amino-acid which the body tolerates better than L-arginin, which has a negative effect on blood pressure. In the body L-citrulline is converted into L-arginine which, when taken directly, causes nausea and stomach problems, especially in patients with high blood pressure. In a recent study nine adults with high blood pressure managed to stabilize their pressure by taking a distillation of water melon every day for six weeks.

Yoghurt: Yoghurt contains ‘friendly’ bacteria and is a probiotic which allows the intestines to function more effectively. It also helps fight conditions like diabetes and obesity.

Eggs: Eggs have had a bad reputation for some time with people trying to cut their cholesterol levels, but in fact there are now claims they are good for the heart and effective in reducing blood pressure. Boiled and fried eggs produce peptides which suppress the enzyme which converts angiotensin – they belong to the family of drugs used for high blood pressure – while fried eggs in particular are highly effective in preventing heart disease and blood pressure problems.

Watercress extract: Researchers at the University of Southampton have discovered that watercress extract contains a substance which interferes with cancer cell communication and blocks the flow of oxygen and blood to tumours. One bowl (about 80gr) of watercress extract a day should be effective. Blood tests on women who have survived breast cancer have confirmed that the substance affects the protein which helps the cancer cells feed and grow.

Tomatoes: Among their many health-giving properties, tomatoes can also reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Men eating tomatoes and tomato products frequently can reduce their risk of prostate cancer by up to 35%.

Walnuts and walnut oil: If you are feeling stressed, try adding walnut oil or walnuts to your midday salad. They are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, which help the body cope with raised stress levels. These fats also reduce blood pressure and ‘bad’ cholesterol.

Olive oil: Dressing your salad with olive oil can help stave off Alzheimer’s, and alleviate the symptoms in those already affected by the disease.

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Broccoli:

Shellfish:

The king of vegetables, with a wide range of health benefits. Like other vegetables in the cabbage family it is rich in sulforaphanes – chemical substances which boost the human immune system.

Shellfish are a rich source of vitamin B12, which helps the elderly preserve their mental functions. People with low reserves of B12 are more likely to suffer the shrinking of the brain believed to accompany senility and Alzheimer’s. When researchers at Oxford recorded the dietary habits of 107 individuals aged 61 to 87, over a five-year period, they found that those with inadequate intake of B12 were six times more likely to manifest atrophy of the brain. It has also been calculated that 40% of the general population have low levels of B12, one rich source of which is to be found in liver.

Seaweed: Not the most usual accompaniment to an evening meal, but seaweeds are rich in minerals and are one of the healthiest foods you can eat. This is because they contain a sulphated polysaccharide known as fucoidan, which kills cancer cells and tumours. Researches have found that they suppress the growth of lymphomas, while leaving healthy cells intact.

Brussels sprouts: Also members of the Brassica family of vegetables, sprouts stimulate production of the substance 13C (indole-3-carbinol), which blocks the growth of cancer cells. Scientists at the University of Ohio have experimented to date with its effects on cancerous growths in the breast, but are hopeful it may also help fight other forms of cancer, such as prostate, liver and large intestine cancers. Sprouts can also reverse some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

Brown rice: If you’re used to eating white rice, then a simple switch to brown, unprocessed rice is the best way to avoid developing type-2 diabetes, according to researchers. The simple change from brown to white reduces the risk by 16%, 36% if you also only eat wholemeal products like unprocessed wheat and barley.

Fish: Eating fish several times a week can reduce the risk of a heart attack, and the benefits are multiplied if we also take some Omega 3 supplements, according to researchers at the University of Alabama. Those who eat fish once or twice a week reduced by half their chances of a heart attack, according to a nine-year study of 36,234 women. Those who ate fish three times a week were least likely to suffer a heart attack, while even those only eating fish once a week, especially if combined with Omega 3 supplements, were well protected. In another study, which came to the same conclusions, researchers emphasized the importance of eating fatty fish – salmon, sardines, trout and herring – for a healthy heart. The Omega 3 fatty acids in fish are a good natural anti-inflammatory and can also suppress some of the worst effects of stress.

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Concentrated lemonade: If you suffer from kidney stones, drink two litres of water with 120ml of concentrated lemon juice every day. You will find that gradually the kidney stones cease to form.

Cranberry juice: The infection-fighting properties of this berry are well known, and scientists now believe it may be valuable in helping the body resist more serious staphylococcus infections.

Beetroot juice: This has proved effective in rapidly reducing blood pressure. According to researchers at Queen Mary’s College, London, the nitric acid in the juice is converted intro nitrate, a powerful agent which expands the blood vessels. Just 250ml of beetroot juice should help bring blood pressure down, and is effective even with people suffering from very high pressure.

Blueberry juice: Two glasses a day will improve some of the worst effects of Alzheimer’s. When two 120ml glasses were given to 21 patients every day for a month, remarkable improvements were seen in the areas of anxiety, worry and delusions. But most important of all: the carers looking after the patients believe that the drink also ameliorated behavioural problems and symptoms of psychosis by as much as 27%.

Red wine: A good defence against strokes, and also reduces the risk of heart disease. But a word of caution: drink only in moderation. Its beneficial effects are due to something called resveratrol, which we find in the pips and skin of the red grape.

Tea:

Blackcurrants:

Green tea has a whole range of beneficial properties. It can prevent certain oral cancers, even in individuals at high risk because of existing tumours; it protects the eyes from such conditions as glaucoma, and its most important property is that it is one of the few substances which can combat incurable form of cancers, even in cases of chronic lymph-cell leukaemia, where it reduces the size of the thyroid nodules. For those anxious to keep a diabetic condition under control, black tea is the best choice because it is rich in polysaccharides, which prevent the build-up of glucose. Tea is also the most effective weapon against free radicals, which play an important role in the development of cancer and of rheumatoid arthritis. The polyphenols in tea help to strengthen bones, and apparently you can see this for yourself if you have a trial period drinking three cups a day – according, at least, to the researchers from the British Diet Foundation.

These little black fruit can help check respiratory infections and improve breathing in asthma attacks. They are rich in epigallocatechins, an anti-oxidant which works with the immune system to fight inflammation.

Coffee: A cup of coffee in the morning helps reduce chronic inflammations and acidotic stress, while increasing levels of good cholesterol. It is also a good defence against type-2 diabetes.

Grapes: The flavonoids in grapes significantly reduce the risk of heart failure. Just nine handfuls of grapes a day will reduce blood pressure and improve muscle function, while offsetting the damage done by poor diet. Making a quick snack of grapes can even halt the rapid decline of the organism which often ends in type-2 diabetes and heart disease. The results are apparent in three months, according to researchers at the University of Michigan, who discovered that the photo-chemicals in grapes can arrest a whole set of health problems, known collectively as metabolic syndrome, and which include an expanding waistline, increased blood pressure, reduced glucose tolerance and increased levels of c-reactive protein.

Blueberries: Blueberries can counteract even the worst symptoms of a stomach upset, like pain and gas, while also neutralizing colic. They offer protection against digestive problems and are rich in polyphenols, which have are a good defence against microbes and have valuable anti-oxidant properties.

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Apples: A good source of soluble fibres, assisting the body’s own healing processes and repairing unhealthy cells. In general terms, an apple is one of the best things you can eat to stimulate your immune system.

Dark chocolate: The flavanols in plain chocolate improve the condition of the arteries, reducing blood pressure or hypertension significantly. One piece of dark chocolate a day for five years is said to cut the risk of heart attacks and heart disease by 20%. 40gr of dark chocolate a day for just two weeks will improve stress symptoms, even in people most prone to high stress levels.

Linseed: Sprinkle a few spoonfuls on your lunch or dinner and it will cut your cholesterol as effectively as any pill. The seeds are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and lignans, a phytoestrogen, which in one study were shown to reduce cholesterol levels in 90 men by about 10%. This is roughly the same effect as that of a statin, but without the risk of side-effects.

Almonds: Hailed as the most healthy of all snacks, just 70gr a day can reduce levels of bad cholesterol by 24%, limit insulin production, and also improve the workings of the intestine. The positive effects will be visible in four months. The best time to take the almonds is right after a meal.

Ginger: It is most commonly known for its effectiveness as a digestive aid, treat nausea, help relieve pain and reduce inflammation associated with arthritis, rheumatism and muscle spasms. Ginger’s therapeutic properties effectively stimulate circulation of the blood, removing toxins from the body, cleansing the bowels and kidneys, and nourishing the skin. Ginger has long been ascribed aphrodisiac powers, taken either internally or externally. It is mentioned in the Karma Sutra, and in the Melanesian Islands of the South Pacific it is employed ‘to gain the affection of a woman’.

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Hello happiness Ten ways to be happy – without even trying. By Georgia Dodou.

Some people say happiness is a myth. Some say you can expect no more than the occasional happy moment. But we believe that happiness is life itself – every moment of every day. We just need to realize it and not let it pass us by. The truth is we are happy because we are human beings and alive, living and acting, communicating, giving

Open a window, look out at the sun, focus on whatever you see out there – a tree, a flower on the balcony, perhaps one you planted yourself, a building, a person passing by, the sea or the mountains. Take pleasure in the miracle of seeing and being alive.

Be creative.

capable of pleasure and pain.

At the end of the day, however hard it’s been, look back on what you’ve achieved at work or in whatever else you’ve been doing.

There are thousands of things

and receiving stimuli, loving and being loved, reasoning,

that make us happy. And we are happy because we are free to recognize that happiness, to approach it and seize it. Most of the paths to happiness – both material and spiritual – are extremely simple. Here are some of them:

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Take pleasure of life itself.

Contribute something. Think of how much energy you draw from moments with people you love or respect, even moments with strangers you meet for a passing moment.

Remember how good you feel when someone expresses his love for you, his respect, his satisfaction with something you’ve done.

Not just to new circumstances, but in every detail of our own lives. Your home for example: there are so many simple ways to change your everyday surroundings to improve the way you feel.

Be open to others.

Think ahead. The future has nothing to do with your age, it’s about opportunities. The future starts in the very next instant, and we’re free to fill it with constructive ideas, with new beauty and new pleasures.

Think of yourself as an unwritten book. At times life may seem predictable and routine, but in reality it is changing every moment. New data are continually being recorded on the hard disc of our minds, continually opening up new paths to explore, new ways of thinking.

Learn to adapt.

Sharpen your perceptions. Learn to take a fresh look at the world around you, the people speaking to you, the worlds of poetry, art and beauty.

Laugh. A keen sense of humour will find something amusing in every situation.

Fall in love. The fastest way to feel happy and completely alive.

beau ty

Did you know there is no more effective beauty treatment – than a day at the beach? This article tells you why, and explains how to make the maximum use of your time by the sea. By Georgia Dodou.

Spa-rkling on the beach S

pas have appeared in all sorts of places in recent years, offering all sorts of restorative treatments, beauty care, exercises to promote wellness, massage and just about everything else you can imagine. The most sophisticated spas make substantial investments in their facilities and surroundings, providing a beautiful setting and contact with nature, set among trees, plants and running water. And what could be more logical, given that health and a natural lifestyle are so inextricably linked – particularly a natural lifestyle lived beside the sea! The truth is, Greece in summertime is really a giant spa – where you can enjoy your own beauty and wellness treatments every day on the beach, for free and with no need to make an appointment. First of all, the sea is the ideal place to exercise, with your reduced weight making it easier to move your limbs, and the resistance of the water providing a soothing massage as you move around, relaxing the body and mind, stimulating the circulation of blood

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to the skin and tissues, toning up the circulation and lymph system, helping the body to expel toxins and reduce cellulite. And one of the best ways to tone up your muscles is to walk in the shallow water where the sand meets the sea. Walking in the dry sand is a natural form of dermabrasion, just as effective as a pumice stone. And you can go for a whole-body exfoliation by standing in the water and rubbing yourself all over with sand from the sea bed, removing all the dead cells from the surface of the skin. Applying a good sun screen afterwards, with moisturizing ingredients, will not only protect you from the sun but also give the skin a lovely velvety feeling. A rich moisturizing product will then provide it with the nourishment it needs. The sun helps the body assimilate vitamin D and is an excellent way of getting a healthy glow, just as long as you don’t overdo it. The sea breeze is good for you too, filling the lungs with lots more reviving oxygen than city air. And the extra water

you drink when out in the sun helps to detox the system and remove unsightly cellulite. Even those of you who aren’t normally big water drinkers will find yourselves regularly guzzling from the water bottle while on the beach, with all sorts of benefits for the health. There are lots of other things you can do, of course, to tone up your body – from regular swimming to beach tennis or volleyball. For the more enterprising there is water-skiing or wind-surfing. And for the more peacefully inclined, why not spread a towel in the shade and devote some time to meditation? Or try a reflexology session, rubbing your body gently with healing herbs. Remember: the rhythm of the surf breaking on the shore is close to the natural rhythm of your brain waves, and therefore profoundly relaxing. This is why a nap on the beach can be far sweeter and more reviving than any amount of sleep in your bed at home.

G O O D L I FE

6 Βenefits of sunshine Reckless exposure to the sun can do serious damage to your health and that’s why experts advise caution; however, we should never forget that the sun is also a source of life – we just need to enjoy it in moderation. The sun has six key benefits for our health – both mental and physical – and beauty.

Sunshine & happiness

Stronger bones

Healthy hair

Summer tends to make us feel much better about things – and that’s partly because the sunshine stimulates the production of neuro-transmitters, substances in the brain which affect our mental state: endorphins, our organism’s natural painkillers, serotonin, the hormone linked with mood, and melatonin, which helps us enjoy untroubled sleep.

Sunshine helps the body assimilate vitamin D, essential for our natural defences, and especially valuable for the muscles and bones. It helps restore the calcium levels in our bones, bringing relief from the problems with our joints that we may have experienced during the winter months.

The ultraviolet rays of the sun, in combination with the cleansing effect of seawater, counteract problems with the scalp and hair, helping to improve the appearance of the hair even when we suffer from dandruff or greasy hair. The essential thing is always to rinse your hair with fresh water when you come out of the sea.

A better complexion The sun’s rays help to kill micro-organisms and cleanse the skin, returning the production of sebaceous substances to normal levels so that spots tend not to form. People suffering from acne should sun-bathe, in moderation, during their holidays Use a good sun protection product, but one which isn’t too high in fats and will not make the skin greasy.

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Fighting eczema & psoriasis Sunbathing is an excellent traditional method, still recommended today, for combating skin conditions like psoriasis, an ailment which can affect large areas of skin, as well as atopic eczema and pitiriasis (areas of lighter-coloured skin caused by a fungal infection).

A healthier heart Sunlight helps to expand the arteries – an enormous benefit for those whose arteries are hardened and blocked and are therefore at high risk of a heart attack. However, you must be cautious about how long you stay in the sun and make sure your body temperature remains constant, otherwise you will be placing an extra burden on your heart.

c u lt u re

We tend to think of astrology as an innocuous pastime, an attempt to tell the future by studying the messages of the stars and planets. We rarely stop to wonder how it began and how it has evolved over the centuries. The truth is that the history of astrology is full of fascinating details. Spyros Raptis tells the story of a practice that started life as a ‘genuine’ science.

Star ways When we think of astrology or fortune telling, we may have a picture in our minds of a gypsy woman asking us to cross her palm with silver, or perhaps a more up-to-date image of TV commercials offering the service of psychics on telephone lines costing £1 a minute to call. The fact is that the true story of astrology is very much older and more complex than we realize – so old that the ancient Greeks, who loved to study the secrets of the planets, were as far removed from its origins as we are from them… more than two thousand years! Astrology is a combination of science, art and philosophy. The scientific aspect lies in the use of mathematics, mainly geometry and the calculation of extremely complex astronomical data, to draw up an astrological chart. It also employs methods taken from statistics to demonstrate the veracity of its predictions. The art of astrology lies in the interpretation of the data yielded

by an astrological chart, in which the astrologer makes use of his instincts or other mental skills, such as his powers of observation – a capacity which will often lead him to conclusions concerning various cosmic influences that he seeks to confirm through extensive astronomical observations. Astrology is based on the belief that our entire solar system, the constellations, galaxies and the entire universe exercise an influence on our planet and its inhabitants, and that this influence is based on cosmic laws. An astrologer will thus believe that any event in the course of a person’s life, from birth to death, is predetermined by a universal necessity, defined by the movement of the heavenly bodies. This belief is what has led astrologers through the ages to study astronomical phenomena – interpreting the movements of the planets and stars, the many changes that take place in the night sky, as events with a direct influence on our own lives.

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...observers from both peoples had noticed that the planets appear to move in a particular trajectory around the Earth, within a circular zone that, by a series of complicated calculations, they managed to divide into twelve sections, of 30 degrees each. To these sections they gave the names that have become, to us, the signs of the Zodiac.

A review of the history of astrology makes it clear that it played a key role, albeit indirectly, in the development of astronomy, mathematics, psychology and even medicine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from ancient times until the birth of modern science, a period of a thousand years. Until the time of Kepler (1571-1630), there was really no distinction between astrology and astronomy. Kepler himself, a giant in the early days of modern science, was known to practice astrology from time to time, in order to earn a living. Many other eminent men of science have dabbled in astrology, including Galileo, Carl Jung and Copernicus. The origins of astrology can be traced back five thousand years, when the Sumerians, a people from the region of Mesopotamia, began to make the first, rudimentary astrological predictions. It was in this region that the famous ziggurats were built, pyramid-like structures used for both religious and scientific purposes. They were about 30m in height and at the top was a sanctuary dedicated to one of the many gods worshipped by the Sumerians. But they also served as observatories, from which the movements of stars and planets could be observed, where the priests of the Sumerian gods began to study the heavens - with the naked eye, of course. Keeping records of cosmic movements over many years, and correlating them with significant events on earth, they concluded that similar occurrences in human affairs tended to be paralleled by similar configurations of the planets and stars. From here, they moved on to making predictions, which they recorded on special tablets to be consulted by the Sumerian kings.

In around 2500 BC, Sargon, King of the Akkadians, gathered together all the astrological records of the Sumerians and brought them to Akkad, where he established the first known library of astrological knowledge. In around 2000 BC, Hammurabi of Babylon conquered all the cities of Mesopotamia and set up a new state, with Babylon as its capital. He transferred the astrological archive from Akkad to his new capital, creating a hierarchy of astrologer-priests who dedicated themselves to the study of the planets, advancing knowledge of the heavenly bodies with new observations and conclusions. Following the conquest of Babylon by the Hittites, astrological studies underwent a decline in this region, but the sceptre was passed to two other peoples of the Middle East, the Chaldeans and Egyptians. The former, a people of Semitic origin, made methodical use of the knowledge derived from the Mesopotamians, taking a special interest in astrology. They exchanged ideas with the priests of Egypt, who had acquired much astrological and astronomical knowledge, significantly in advance of that amassed by the Babylonians. It was at this point in history that the Zodiac was first discovered: observers from both 142

peoples had noticed that the planets appear to move in a particular trajectory around the Earth, within a circular zone that, by a series of complicated calculations, they managed to divide into twelve sections, of 30 degrees each. To these sections they gave the names that have become, to us, the signs of the Zodiac. In around 1000 BC the region was overwhelmed by a new force, the Assyrians, who retained control for four hundred years, subjugating all the peoples of the region including the Egyptians. They brought to their capital Nineveh all the treasures of the conquered peoples, including valuable writings and records of the astrologers. The Assyrians enjoyed the zenith of their power under their ruler Sardanapalos. Nineveh was the centre of a huge empire, and Sardanapalos, a great patron of the arts and letters, was also a skilled astrologer. He set up a huge library in Nineveh, containing all the literary, historical and astrological texts of the Mesopotamians. The Assyrians were able to combine the positions and movements of the planets with the cycle of the Zodiac, allowing them to draw up complete horoscopes. In fact, Sardanapalos compiled his own personal astrological chart.

...the Greeks contributed most of the key ideas of modern astrology, and were the first to draw up personal horoscopes for individuals rather than peoples or nations.

But the heyday of astrology came in the Hellenistic era. The Greeks contributed most of the key ideas of modern astrology, and were the first to draw up personal horoscopes for individuals rather than peoples or nations. Pythagoras taught that the gods controlled human affairs via the agency of the planets. Thales, Anaxagoras and Plato all practised astrology. Hippocrates insisted that no none should describe himself as a physician if he was not schooled in the science of the stars. Hipparchus (190-120 BC) made an enormous contribution to astrological and astronomical research, while Ptolemy (100-178 AD) was the most important figure in the creation of horoscope astrology, his works laying the foundations for the study of the stars by a broader population, removing it from the privileged world of the priesthood and the aristocracy. The Romans greatly revered their astrologers, and their politicians employed personal astrological advisors. The Roman era saw a number of important researchers, including Plotinus, Porphyry and Maternos. The advance of astrology was halted in the Byzantine era, with the rise of Christianity, laying the emphasis on divine intervention rather than planetary

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influence. Mathematicians, astronomers and even physicians were persecuted in an attempt to wipe out all traces of the ancient Greek spirit of inquiry, and many important documents were destroyed. The West was about to enter the long period of the Dark Ages. The noble science of astrology was to become the province of ignorant charlatans, tarnishing its once glorious reputation. Fortunately, there were the Arabs, who saved from the religious mania of Europe not only astrology but all the other sciences of the time – through the efforts of such great men of science as Al Khwarizmi, the father of algebra, and Abu Al Mafa, who built upon the work of Euclid. The spirit of Arab civilization – so often overlooked by western scholars and thinkers –was dimmed with the coming of the Mongols, who occupied the eastern caliphates, and then by the Crusades and the conquest of the Arab lands by the Ottoman Turks, marking the beginning of the mediaeval period for the lands of the orient – a period which, in many respects, has continued to the present day. In Europe, after the folly of the Crusades, the asphyxiating control of the Church relaxed slightly, allowing more scope

for philosophical inquiry. A philosopher like Roger Bacon was able to complete his Opus Majus and present a copy to Pope Clement IV. The work contained a thorough treatment of mathematics, optics, alchemy, astronomy and astrology, including what many scholars believe is the first description in history of a magnifying glass. Bacon also wrote an Opus Minus (a summary of the former work), and an Opus Tertium, later in the same year. Thomas Aquinas, Copernicus, Paracelsus, Nostradamus and others also took a keen interest in astrology alongside their other fields of study. Over subsequent centuries a whole host of scholars continued the study of this remarkable science, and in the 20th century such remarkable minds as Alan Leo, Charles Carter and Dane Rudhyar have continued the quest. The development of computers and information science have been of great assistance in performing complex astrological calculations and drawing up horoscopes of remarkable depth and fullness of detail. Perhaps one day this ancient science will finally be vindicated, and the truth of its predictions recognized as a valuable contribution to human knowledge.

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The Stylistics

People Make The World Go Round

Trashmen didn't get my trash today Oh, why? Because they want more pay Buses on strike want a raise in fare So they can help pollute the air But that's what makes the world go 'round The up and down, the carousel Changing people, they'll go around Go underground, young man People make the world go 'round Wall Street losin' dough on ev'ry share They're blaming it on longer hair Big men smokin' in their easy chairs On a fat cigar without a care But that's what makes the world go 'round The up and down, the carousel Changing people, they'll go around Go underground, young man People make the world go 'round

But that's what makes the world go 'round The up and down, the carousel Changing people, they'll go around Go underground, young man People make the world go 'round People make the world go 'round People make the world go 'round

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