This year

I really enjoyed this year:))) Looking forward to the New one :))

Zimno

Żesz, miałam nadzieję, że w tej części Grecji można zapomniec o znienawidzonych rajstopach pod spodniami i czapce. Nic z tego, wróciły do łask.

Unusual Christmas

My first Christmas not at home. However we had a very nice, last minute trip on the Christmas Eve. We managed to get on the last bus to Drama to go to Savaas, parents' house and came back on Christmas Day.

Another nice thing - there is this wine here, that people make at home only in this period - so sweet, and sooooo tasty. I have had quite a bucket of it so far.
Generallyon, here it not such an important holiday. People go out to bars, clubs starting 24th night and so on till New Year.
A side note: For me a must-be element of Christmas is to carry around bags with food - going to someone you bring stuff and leaving also loadd with goodies. And so it was this time:P

In the centre of Drama there is a village of Agios Vasilis (Santa Clause) - looks so cute lit at night.
The bus station.
On the way back.

Po barszczyk skoczę do Londynu

Jeszcze jedna z zaskakujących rzeczy w Londynie, muszynianka, majonez kielecki, kapusta kiszona jest nawet w małym sklepiku na rogu. Niektórzy jeżdzą do Londynu po żakiet z Next'a - a ja po barszczyk na święta.

London calling II

So here we are:) In a quiet area of Tolworth, London just 25 min by train from the centre. Yesterday till afternoon Savvas had meetings at work and I had been trying to do some work from the hotel. Later we went to the freezing centre - hmm the central London is so classy and cosy at the same time. And so metropolitan - and every time I go I see the city different.We were much disappointed though when trying to have some dinner about 22.00 - almost all in the centre was closing!

Riots

Ale jestem wściekła.
Banda rozwydrzonych bachorów zrobiła sobie użytek z bardzo smutnego i oburzającego wydarzenia - policjant zastrzelił nastolatka (przypadkiem, rozmyślnie - nie istotne).
Studenci zamknęli uniwersytety, żeby się dołączyć do demonstracji (i wyrazić swoje oburzenie). I różne grupy mają swoje własne powody: demonstracja przeciw rządowi?? Premierowi??!!!? Ogólnie - rewolucja (????????!!!!!!) A co to ma wspólnego z zarzewiem tego konfliktu? Nic, ale można się wyrzyć (i to jak!) i nikt nam nic nie zrobi.
Wynik: przeciętny mieszkaniec miast jest daleki od popierania tych demonstracji, wściekły, bo nie może się poruszać po mieście, różne biznesy są zdemolowane i spalone - banki, kioski, sklepy. Mamy szczyt sezonu, a sklepy są zdemolowane.
Wczoraj zbojkotowaliśmy ogólną atmosferę paraliżu i pojechaliśmy za miasto na rowery. W drodze powrotnej okazało się jednak, że w centrum (gdzie mieszkam) demolują sklepy, a blisko gdzie mieszka Savvas jakieś starcia się zaczęły. No i wracaliśmy przez tylko jemu znane skróty. Udało się, choć i tak zaliczyliśmy widok mołotowa lądującego na jednym ze skrzyżowań.
Niech to się już skończy, bo sama wyjdę i przyłożę komuś.

The Old port in HDR pictures (my first attempts)

Afternoon storm

Did not want a wash?? Too late!!
Buildings inside the port surrounded with water:

London calling!!!

So we are off to London for 5 days on 14 of December! All because Savvas was invited by one familiar company to visit them. He will write a program for them and in order to learn all specifications needs to be there for some training. On their cost - lucky one!
I am joining as a turist, yeeepi- will see London in Xmas period :)))))

First gift

I open the door today and at the threshold I see a small present bag with a card.?? A bottle of wine with X-mas wishes from the agency that I rent the flat from. Bit early but nice:)

Seih Sou Forest Sunday ride

This Sunday I went for a ride with some people from www.bikerespect.gr . A ride in the mountain forest, which is just 15 minutes with the bike from the very centre. And you are in a real forest, that smells pine trees, the view from the mountain is breath-taking. Proximity of wood to the busy centre where I live make me sure that THESSALONIKI IS MY FAVOURITE CITY. :)

The Bikerespect goes twice a week for rides in the city, as 'Critical Mass' - a regular event, that gathers 40-50 people and hence manifests the cyclists presence in the city and in the traffic and request respect for basic traffic rules from cars drivers. And on weekends there are rides outside the city.

Giorti Aggelon (Święto Aniołów)

On the main square of the city, with 2 symbols of Xmas to satisfy the eastern (the ship) and western (the tree, apparently with 80 000 lights ) tradition. A concert, fireworks, lots of people pushing around (really annoying) opened officially the X-mas season by turning on the lights on the tree and the ship.

P.S (04.08.2010)I was there at Giorti Aggelwn in Thessaloniki and left earlier and now I see that I missed a concert of Maxairitsas :(((((( Now I found this film from his concert at this event on youtube....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VK3Cium8s8&feature=PlayList&p=B8314C8D5335CCE7&index=11&playnext=7

Concert of Konstantinos

A friend of mine - Konstantinos - had his concert the other day in tiny rock bar - really good covers of greek and international rock pieces. Actually, I think I never mentioned him on the blog. We became friends when I used to teach him Spanish, and since then we talk almost only in Spanish (I really appreciate it as it is so easy to forget the language).

HDR pictures

Some samples of the HDR technique picture (by Savvas). Nice, a?:
The National Bank of Greece ( I love this picture):
A cafeteria on my street:

A village close to Florina:

49th Thessaloniki Film Festival

Big names, lots of films, concerts, lots of famous faces in the city, busy cafes etc. I liked it, wish it wasn't over. Speaking of big names: Willem Dafoe, Oliver Stone, Terence Davies were available for consultations during masterclasses if someone was interested :P.
I saw four films:

Lake Taho, by Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico 2008
My favourite film, longish though. A story of a teenager whose father died and who cannot face the death and live the sorrow properly. Instead he gets involved in solving irrelevant problems - i.e. fixing the car, walking someone's dog, chasing a not very reliable mechanic, struggling to say 'no' when other people impose their will on him. He is also struggling to start acting like a man, that he now must be.

Stella, by Sylvie Verheyde, France 2008.
A very moving story of a young girl coming from a bit weird background, trying to find herself among other teenagers, have 'smart' hobbies and find motivation to go to school.

O teleutaios gyrismos, by Corinna Avramidou, Cyprus 2008.
A love story with the events of 1974 in Cyprus in the background, amazing atmosphere of the island in the '70. BTW I was surprised to meet some people from the crew I knew from Cyprus at the screening :).

Rysa, by Michał Rosa, Polska 2008.
Very, very good acting. However, the story of a woman that finds his husband repulsive after she suspects he worked for the communist secret police and married her to spy of her father turned into a clinical case. Too much.
The screenings were in various cinemas in the city, but the centre of all events was at the port.
Speaking of famous faces - we were having lunch with Savvas and at the next table there was this bunch of loud people, speaking Serbian (?) with a very famous Greek actor (his back is visible on the picture). Then I wanted to go to the concert of Emir Kusturica (yes, this one, he has his own band) and realised that it was Kusturica that was the laudest of the group (the guy with long hair).
Plus I got my favourite Savvopoulos in rehearsal when I went for coffee:

Coffee at the OTE tower

Last night we had coffee and conversation on very high level. .. :P On the telecommunication organisation's tower (OTE) there is a cafe that rotates so that you see all the city from all sides.It made a 360 turn in over 1hr.

It was really cool despite slight dizziness and overpriced drinks.

Here it shows as the core of the floor remains unmoved and the platform with tables rotates. Someone who has not seen the action though will not appreciate the picture as much (the pic by Savvas).
Some views...

Killer Dog

Went today for a bike ride to Perea with a stop for food/coffee. When we were entering a cafeteria a dog jumped to us, barking angrily. We sat and I was eating some meat wrapped in pitta bread. The same dog came over, sat and was staring at me for 15 minutes non-stop, unmoved. So finally we shared my food - he ate from my hand almost all the meat and I had the pitta.
I just felt sorry for him - it is not easy to be so ugly...

Playing around with the camera and new shoes:)

Favourite city spots

Nikis 35, a coffee shop.
Right at the beach boulevard, facing the sea. I met there this good-looking guy that first answered the announcement for Greek classes ;)))

Rahati, a narghile spot.
Has played an important role in the continuation of the story with the good-looking guy... :P
There he is.

LOL, a coffee and games place
Busy and colourful.

Night walk II