Midweek Stroll

Although we are almost in the middle of March and so close to the start of Spring, the weather is still chilly enough here... May be we experience the coldest time of the year! As I have a very heavy working schedule this year, I was waiting anxiously a day off in order to organize a day trip somewhere far away from the city centre! Bad weather made us to change our plans, deciding just to made a ride in the car, in the suburbs of Athens without a specific destination... 

It was finally a good choice as we discovered a lovely tiny mountain road (from where we enjoyed a breathtaking view of the sea) which led in Lavrio. A town  located about 60km of Athens with its own seaport and a long history, as it was famous in Classical antiquity for silver mining and then in the  early 20th century for lead, manganese and cadmium mining. It is built from the scratch in 1865, based in a premium street plan with wonderful squares and a lot of well maintained neoclassical buildings! 

Finally, it was such a good idea walking in the port and then strolling in the streets of this lovely town admiring all those gem buildings. Despite the rain and the chilly temperature we charged our batteries and we came back refreshed and relaxed!

Folder: Dinning Room

I love so much enormous rustic dinning tables (I have a similar in my home) surrounded by a bench and comfortable chairs... They are ideal for long Sunday family lunches or for gatherings with our friends in order to play table games. I like also ,some days, to convert it to my home office as it offers me plenty of room strecth out all my papers!!! 

Sunday Morning Tale

Today, I am going to do a mind trip to Mikro Papigo, in Ioannina, Greece... As the weather is chilly enough for this time of year in Athens (about 7 degrees Celsius this time in the Northern suburbs of Athens) my mind went to this amazing village which is built  near Vikos Gorge in the Vikos-Aoos National Park, entirely build by the local stone, fact that makes it harmonized in an absolute way to its natural surroundings! Oh... I really would like to be there right now strolling in the snowy alleys and taking deep breaths in order to fill my lungs with pure fresh air and then finding warmth neat an enormous fireplace drinking a cup of hot chocolate!!! 

BRIKI Cafe

Briki Cafe (briki: Bree-kee, is the greek word for the coffee-pot where we are preparing greek coffee) opened in 2012 in the city of Veria in the north Greece. It is about an ultimate atmospheric space where you can enjoy a coffee or drink making in the same time a mind trip to another era under the watchful eye of a true diva...Maria Callas!!!

Greek architect Dimitris Koukoudis   designed the space combining successfully industrial with neoclassical style, creating a candy eye... a place where you feel like home!

On the one hand there is the red brick wall with the exposed metallic pipes and the concrete columns and on the other hand there are amazing architectural elements just like those of a neoclassical residence, as the plasterwork frames of the ceiling, the plasterwork decorations of the right wall, the semi-wood paneled wall and the all time classic black & white ceramic hand made tiles on the floor. 

Wise Words

Clean Monday

Today, in Greece we celebrate Clean Monday, the day that occurs at the beginning of the 7th week before Orthodox Easter Sunday...  One of the customs of this special day, beloved by young and old,  is the flying of the kite! Unfortunately, today is a rainy day but we are always hopeful that the weather will allows us to fly our kites!
...and making a flashback, this is a photo of Clean Monday 1955 in Athens from the photographic archives of Benaki Museum! Those years every family made its own handmade kite from canes and colorful papers.... I have memories from my childhood, in the 80's, when my uncle was making a wonderful kite for me and my brother every year!!! Priceless moments! 

A Girl's Bedroom

How lovely is this bedroom? I adored it by the first site! Everything around looks so pure like the soul of a kid... White everywhere with a light touch of pink just enough to reveal its girly character.