Reading other people's blogs has not only helped me to improve my own blog but, most importantly, to broaden my horizons by learning about other cultures or simply adding to my knowledge of things. Here are a few of my favourite blogs which I really enjoy reading regularly. I hope that you w...

Easter is the greatest celebration of the year for the Greek Orthodox Church . It is the symbol of human rebirth and the promise of life after death. It is the ultimate message of love and forgiveness, it is the time when God and sinners reconcile and spread the love Jesus Christ taught the w...

Easter is round the corner and all over Greece and Cyprus, it's that time of year again when housewives bake their tsourekia, their flaounes, their Easter cookies and look forward to the greatest celebration of the year. The Greek Easter is filled with all those smells of our traditional Easter ...

Burning the midnight oil marking homework or tests and filling in 2nd term reports. This is just a quick hi to say thank you for stopping by either here on TypePad or on Facebook. Also, many thanks for your wishes on my birthday. Filakia xxxxxxx

In my childhood and adolescence, I hated gym. I preferred reading books to exercising and I'd always come up with an excuse provided I missed gym at school. However, I loved cycling. As a child I'd ride my bike in the back yard, as a teenager I'd get around by bike and even cycle to school w...

Green Monday not only marks the beginning of the greek orthodox Lent, but also presents the perfect opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors, have picnics, eat lots of vegetables, dress up, and maybe fly a kite. Today was a typical early spring day, slightly windy albeit perfect for flying a ...

Grigoris Pieris Afxentiou (Greek: Γρηγόρης Πιερής Αυξεντίου) was a fighter during the Cypriot struggle for union with Greece. He was second in command to Georgios Grivas in the leadership of EOKA (National Organization of Cypriot Struggle). His nom-de-guerre during the struggle was Zedhros. ...

Does red wine protect against heart disease? Maybe. Many studies investigated the benefits of red wine suggested that moderate amount of red wine (one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men) lowers the risk of heart attack for people in middle age by ~ 30 to 50 percent. It is als...

We sometimes tend to amass possessions - often without being aware of doing so. Indeed, we can have a delightful surprise when we find something useful which we forgot we owned. Unwanted objects are left in drawers, cupboards and attics for years, in the belief that we may one day need them. As ...

The history of computers and computer technology thus far has been a long and a fascinating one, stretching back more than half a century to the first primitive computing machines. These machines were huge and complicated affairs, consisting of row upon row of vacuum tubes and wires, often e...

The history of computers and computer technology thus far has been a long and a fascinating one, stretching back more than half a century to the first primitive computing machines. These machines were huge and complicated affairs, consisting of row upon row of vacuum tubes and wires, often e...

Photo Credit On the stroke of January 6th, the "twelve days of Christmas" officially come to an end. This day takes on a special meaning in Greece and Cyprus. All over the world, the Greek orthodox observe the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist, in the river Jordan. The Greek word for...

The history of computers and computer technology thus far has been a long and a fascinating one, stretching back more than half a century to the first primitive computing machines. These machines were huge and complicated affairs, consisting of row upon row of vacuum tubes and wires, often e...

In my part of the world, in less than 10 hours, we'll be saying farewell to 2010 and welcoming 2011 feeling hopeful and positive that this brand New Year will be much happier, much jollier than 2010 and, most importantly, much more peaceful. As we are all preparing to welcome 2011 regardless of ...

The New Year is usually a time for resolutions. Mentally, at least, most of us could compile overwhelmingly long lists of "do's" and "don'ts". The same old favourite recur year in year out with monotonous regularity. We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less, exercise more, find mo...

Saint Stephen's Cathedral If you asked me to describe Vienna in one single word, I'd hesitate a lot. It's hard to find one word to describe the city where Europe's heart beats fast. Vienna is definitely a multi-faceted city: romantic, cultural, modern, musical, magical, surprising, light-heart...

Trying to ...flame the Christmas Pudding Christmas has always been my favourite time of year after the summer. As a little girl, I would help mum decorate the Christmas tree and make the traditional Christmas sweets - melomakarona and kourabiedes. On Christmas day all the family would gather ...

The Christmas Tree In My Office I admit to being a Christmas freak. I love everything about Christmas: the sparkling decorations, the presents, the carols, the food.... So, by the end of October, I start making plans about my Christmas decorations both at the school and at home. December 1st i...

Photo Credit This is the most famous lion to ever walk on this planet. Her life was very short but she left a mark that will be there for many centuries to come. Elsa came in to the life of George and Joy Adamson in 1956 with her two sisters 'Big One' and Lustica when George was forced to kill...

Photo Credit Black Friday is the discount shopping day that follows American Thanksgiving, which is always on a Thursday. Retailers promote Black Friday as the day to start shopping for Christmas. Black Friday is often advertised with "Christmas Sales" as well as "Thanksgiving Sales." The word...

This photo was taken by dad on Christmas Day 1961. He loved photography as a hobby and he'd always take pictures of me and my brother. What I can't understand is my brother's ....miserable look! Poor darling! The flash must have scared him! I also hate the outfit I put on for Christmas. But it...

Photo Credit Not as long as 20 years ago, divorce was rare in Cyprus. If a married couple had problems, they'd talk and search a solution or they'd compromise for their children's sake. In the last five years or so, divorce rates have rocketed in Cyprus! One in three file for divorce and this ...

All Greeks feel an outstanding movement when they recall in their memory the epic facts of an heroic era: 1940. Indeed, those great and glorious events sealed with indelible glory the historic evolution of the Hellenic nation. It is true that the nation feels exceptional pride for the great...

Photo Credit In the early hours of 31st August 1888, the body of Mary Ann Nichols was discovered in a stable entrance on Buck's Row (now Durward Street). Nichols was the first Whitechapel murder victim of the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. On the morning of her death she returned to t...