Our view

for three weeks.

I wept like a baby when we were leaving. Can you blame me?

That's it, I'm off

5 days without a computer... Like good Norwegians we're chasing after the snow to do a little more skiing before spring really takes over. I know. I'll tell you largely about this apparent defect in the nation's soul later...

But in the meantime, enjoy yourselves and have a happy Easter!

(I will be checking my online- and gmail mailboxes via mobile, though, so feel free to...)

Greek night out in Norway

Last night was end of term celebration at restaurant 'Zorba' for all Greek language and dance classes. You can't really tell from this recording, but the Greeks - and the others - were pretty good :) And lovely food was had by all...

International Friday

Yesterday I went to the annual International Forum Day. There were "Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests..." - and I'm not the former, so I guess I had to be the latter. I was there accompanying a friend, who works for the foreign ministry and was allowed to bring a guest - but most others were paying guests. Paying a lot, because all income was for charity. And then there were most ambassadors living in Oslo - but I don't know what they look like, so I couldn't tell you who were there... I also met my boss, and a former colleague (of my new job), very friendly environment!

The whole reception took place in Fanehallen, a part of Akershus fortress. It's an awe-inspiring building - there were too many people to get it properly photographed, though. But here's a bit of armour and weapons for you..

Australia's stand (I tasted the meat balls with some bbq sauce, very good)
France's stand. It looked like a work of art! But none of the food actually appealed to me..
Italy. I had to taste Italian pizza, just for the chance of being proven wrong. But I wasn't. Italian pizza really isn't very good. They may have invented pizza, but they can't prepare it anymore...
I absolutely loved Ireland's stand: Guinness! And lots of it! And that was it... (The platters of food you can see belong to other countries.) Genius. The fact that I didn't have any of it doesn't diminish the geniality factor.Perhaps it doesn't startle anyone to learn I headed straight for the Greek stand. They had cheese pies and spinach pies in abundance! Well, they did before I got there...

For dessert - Canadian butter tarts (on the left)...
And our favourites, on the Portuguese stand (I shamelessly confess - we ate as many of these as we managed, then brought the rest home with us when we learnt they were going to throw the rest of the food in the bin as soon as everyone had cleared out!)

Ok - it's not the pastels de nata (sp?) of Belém, but these were also good. VERY good. I even wrote down the name of it, so you will know what to look for when in Portugal; Queijadas leite and bolinhos de areia.

And in between the Greek pies and the queijadas? Thumbs up for Costa Rican empanadas, Argentinian empanadas (...), Moroccan, erh, pita-bread-look-alikes-with-honey, Sudanese falafel, Spanish meatballs, Turkish Köfte and börek, Indonesian chicken satay, Russian pretzel, Belgian chocolate cake, the Canadian butter tarts and possibly some others that I can't remember... The only things I didn't finish (even though these were tinysized portions) were the aforementioned Italian pizzas and American pumpkin pie... I'm really sorry, it wasn't that horrible or anything, just, erh, boring, really. I didn't waste space on that... (Also my ex colleague, an American, said she had yet to meet a Norwegian who liked it. Possibly it's an acquired taste and we're not good at acquiring things...)

- I've still got a bunch of queijadas leite and bolinhos de areia (correct, I don't know which is which..) in my fridge, anyone?

Similarities (or daydreaming..)

Top photo was taken by my mum on her new mobile. It's from Svolvær, Lofoten. The bottom one I don't know who took, but it's from Ipsos, Greece.

Different, but same. See?

Wow - there really is a connection!

I wrote a post recently on my Greek blog about Henrik Ibsen, this year being the centenary of his passing away and all.

Now it turns out Ibsen & Greece go together like ham & cheese! Palin & Cleese! Jason and The fleece! My nephew and niece! (I admit, I did find a rhyming dictionary...) But I'm not just making this up to get a chance to throw rhymes at you. No - the Norwegian embassy in Athens has Ibsen & Greece all over its homepages and there is actually a lot of Ibsen action going on in Greece too, this year...

There's too much to actually type it out, but for a list of rare moments of Norwegian culture in The Capital of Culture (my titling...) you can check out this list. Or not ;)

Greece is out - and I'm not talking world cup (for once)

Just in case you hadn't heard -
Greece isn't allowed in on any international footballing from this moment on. (Actually from a few days back.)

If you want to know why and how and who it'll affect, you can read EllasDevil's post on this.

I'm just feeling bad about it even given all the reasons. I screamed like a madman (well, mad woman) when Greece because European champions two years ago, and I'm proud there's a Norwegian who's successfully trained Olympiakos to another league triumph. I'm even proud - still - about the Norwegians that used to play in Greece - Mykland for Panathinaikos and Sundby for Iraklis Saloniki, since you ask ;) - even if it's been a while.


But at least I hope they won't be coming to collect my kids' kits... Here (half) seen in Chania, Crete, last summer, wearing their kits with pride (Thomas obviously wearing it with pride somewhere else, as he's not in the picture...), Anna in a sort of Greece-coloured cheerleading costume. Oh well, anything looks good on her...

Any opportunity for a connection, right?

There are the obvious things

that remind me of Greece -

The sound of Greek music (for example), the taste of Greek food, tales from all those friends who've either just been or are going to Greece this summer

Then there are less obvious things -

The taste of salt water, sweltering heat, the combined smell of sun lotion, dust, oleanders, exhaust and grilled meat

And then there are those with really subtle links -

The sound of a Harley engine, the smell from a septic tank... (I never did tell you about that Greek Adonis (really called Dimitris) who worked on a septic van one summer in Crete...?)

- Well, we're not going to Greece this year. I think everyone else I know have been or are going, which makes it somewhat worse. And here, summer has arrived. It's nice, it's warm, the water is above freezing point... I listen to Greek radio and eat water melons.

But it's not the same, is it...

*sigh*

Something old, something new, something blue missing..

There was supposed to be a picture here, of the beautiful blue-sea'd postcard Chloe sent me from Pelion. But now I can't find the card! You'll just have to imagine it until I'm able to retrieve it, possibly, from some child's stack of papers...

And I haven't been blogging for a while, old news. Too little time and all that.

So, what's new? Well, I've actually started a new blog. I'm not sure what I'll be doing with it yet (- maybe somebody wants to co-write it?), but the general idea is still my wish to learn more Greek... Well, you'll find my feeble attempts here if you want to see!

For the barbarians 1)

The below means simply (more or less literally): "Happy Easter and Happy Resurrection!" The photos are of mageiritsa (Easter soup), celebrating Easter and tsoureki, Easter bread. Then: "Next year Easter will be at the same time in Greece and in Norway - we'll try to celebrate it in Greece - we hope!"

1) Barbaric: uncivilized, not Greek (or Roman), foreign, rude. (...)
[Did I not mention I've also read ancient Greek at the university? Basic part of general education...]

Καλό Πάσχα και Καλή Ανάσταση!!

Το άλλο χρόνο το Πάσχα θα είναι συγχρόνως και στην Ελλάδα και στην Νορβηγία - θα προσπαθήσουμε να το γιορτάσουμε στην Ελλάδα - ελπίζουμε!

Greek explanation

Huskerdu asked, so I'll answer.. In a post no less, because a) I'm no good with short sentences that will fit in a comment and b) someone else (?) may have wondered about the same thing -

"how and why did you learn Greek?" I'll TRY to make it short. I really will...

I don't remember massive talks on Greek culture and history throughout my childhood, although my father loves that kind of stuff and I had of course heard some tales from Greek mythology etc.

So, when times were up for a different sort of summer holidays, he and I went to Crete. As I've already mentioned here. He'd got a rudimentary knowledge of Classical Greek, but this is - at least in Northern European universities - pronounced quite differently from Modern Greek. So, asking the way to Βρύσης (Bryses, or some sort), he pronounced it similar to Bruxelles (that's French...) - only without the ll's. Get it?

Naturally, the people we asked had no idea what he was on about. (And at this time tourism was fairly new, so not that many spoke English.) It's supposed to be unlike any English or French word I can think of, but, say, Vree-sees. Sort of.

So I decided to learn the Modern version myself. I was 13, and practiced the alphabet and simple phrases by writing in the sand on the beach for the remaining of the holidays. Before we went back next year (this time with my sister), I could pronounce anything, but still had no vocab. I learnt a few more phrases, but quickly forgot, I'm afraid, as there is usually no Greek films or music around here.

We went back every summer, though, and after I finished high school (λύκειο) and moved to Oslo I've done several evening classes, one summer school in Thessaloniki, spent 4 months living in Crete (1994) and done some more evening classes. I get by, I understand a lot more than I can express, and I tend to leave out the endings of all verbs, for the Greeks to insert the right one... (Greek verbs make the French ridiculously simple...)

We haven't managed going back every year since having all our kids, but this shot is me and Jakob in '98 in Chania, and then we didn't return before 2005. Hoping it won't take another 7 years to return...

Update: Ναι, I can read Ελληνικά script, don't know if everyone can, though..

And I've taken - I think - 6 or 7 half year evening classes + 1 month summer school at the univ. of Thessaloniki + lived 4 months in Crete. And still I'm by no means fluent.. But I love it!

- On a different note - I really enjoyed doing Kimananda's tag, I sort of rediscovered that random writing is highly enjoyable! I know at least that Riannan also found it worthwhile to write her own piece.. So for anyone who feels the same - a little topic for you to ponder:

Imagine your father coming to see you at school, riding a tricycle and wearing a Roman helmet. How would you explain this to your friends?

This was an actual assignment my mum was given in school...
Leave a comment if you finish this one, I'm really looking forward to hearing your explaining this one away. Oh, should we say 250 words? And leave a task for me, please...

Roots = Routes?

The first time I ever went to Greece I was 13 years old. I went there with my dad, who'd been longing to go ever since he studied Classical Greek at university.

This was a long time ago, and Hersonisos, Crete, was a simple fishing village with the odd tourist added. We were adding to that!

As soon as I set foot on Crete - literally - I felt so exhileratingly happy! As if I'd been homesick all my life and finally had made my way back to my roots. You can see from this photo comment how I felt about it all...

Needless to say, it wasn't mine - or our - last trip. The other photo is from the following summer, taken on the boat going to Chora Sfakion from Agia Roumeli, where we ended up having walked down the Samaria Gorge. Again. (Daddy's girl, me...?)

I've only experienced the same homecoming feeling one other place. Not at home. But the first - and so far only - time I went to Dublin, the exact same feeling set in when I stepped out of the plane. The fog, the rain, the customs manager waving me past as an EU citizen although I insisted I wasn't (I came on a plane from England) - it meant nothing, I was home.

Go rabh maith agat and ευχαριστώ πάρα πολύ!

My kids sometimes ask where they were before I met their dad. I have settled for "in God's heart". But perhaps, more accurately, they were hopping between Greece and Ireland too?

2005 brought:

- return to Greece, at last! The entire family including grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins went to Chania, Crete, at the end of May (here Filip and I are sitting underneath the world's oldest olive tree, 2 500 years old)

- miraculous fall & save for Jakob (see below)

- introduction to blogosphere including new friends - "bluddies" - you know who you are :)

- and a whole lot of other stuff, but these three stand out as I sit here reminiscing...

Look!

This came in the post the other day. A present from Greece! Chloe has made me a CD with Greek music (ρεμπέτικα και λαικά) - just because I like it so much! Thank you, sweetie :) She even sent this magazine for me to practise my Greek... Ευχαριστώ πάρα πολύ!

I can't really recommend Norwegian folk music to you, but I'll see if I can't think of something else... I'm very happy about this! So considerate of you!

Bluddies are real, that's for sure.

Reasons to be proud of being Greek

(A friend sent me this. Reasons why I must be allowed to believe that I was Greek in a previous life, even though I don't believe in reincarnation...)

* Because we are European Champions in Soccer
* Because we are European Champions in Basketball
* Because Paparizou (singer) made us Eurovision Champions
* Because we buy whole watermelons and not in slices
* Because we buy whole lambs and not in pieces
* Because when we buy feta we buy at least a kilo and not 150 gr.
* Because nights in Greece finish in the morning
* Because we take our coffee slowly and not in "shots"
* Because flirting is our national hobby
* Because we are world champions in sex
* Because we always moan about the public sector and everyone seeks to get a job in it
* Because we go out almost every night even if we are penniless
* Because we know how to spend better than we know how to save
* Because we never visit others empty-handed
* Because there is no way to explain to foreigners what "kapsoura" is...(burning desire for someone)
* Because to Greeks, family is still something valuable
* Because we do not share the cost of petrol with those we take in our cars
* Because we always make it, albeit in the last moment
* Because for the sake of a woman we would wage war for 10 years (Trojan war)
* Because we are everywhere around the planet
* Because we love and hate with passion
* Because the word "filotimo" (a synonym of honour, helping someone because it is the right thing to do) doesn't exist in any other language
* Because whenever foreigners cannot find a word, they bloody steal one of ours
* Because we spend our bad and low times with our friends and family, not with therapists and counsellors
* Because Socrates, Pluto, and Aristotle were Greek and we still quote from them
* Because we invented theatre
* Because we gave birth to Democracy
* Because we discovered logic
* Because we jumpstarted science
* Because we are proud of our culture, not of our wars
* Because when others were discovering meat, we already had cholesterol
* Because when we were building the Parthenon, the others were still sleeping under trees
* Because when others created wars, we created Games to stop wars
* Because we have a distinction between Eros (falling in love) & Agapi (innocent love), while we feel both passionately
* Because we don't use ketchup or mayonnaise with our food - it tastes damn good anyway!
* Because we tossed our ancient alphabet to the Romans and our Medieval alphabet to the Slavs
* Because we get angry quickly but forget all about it even quicker
* Because we are not ashamed to cry
* Because we dance when we are sad and party when we are happy
* Because we work to live and we do not live to work
* Because 97% of the stars' names are Greek
* Because we always talk about getting on a diet after we had our meal
* Because a woman with a big arse is just as sexy as the woman with a small one
* Because although we know danger well, we dare
* Because when you shout "brother" in the streets, everyone turns around
* Because "Greeks do not fight like heroes, heroes fight like Greeks" (Winston Churchill, 1941) * Because we speak loudly and laugh even louder!!!

And because Greece is such a beautiful country, of course!

See?!

I really did spend time on a Harley :) This, as you can see, was taken in the seclusion of some valley (Θέρισσο, just outside Χανιά...) where I was free to grin madly!

(Yes, I did scan these from an album page, hence the other wheel in the upper corner...)

Here you can also see the proud owner of the awesome bike. I asked, and he didn't mind being published, so I lost the blindfold...





Nice view, huh?

Different perspectives

When I was studying in England there were students from basically everywhere on campus. (No, not everywhere on campus, but everywhere in the world, staying on campus..)

Before end of term we'd discuss what plans we had. Most of us were going home to see our parents. Equally un-interesting, you may think. But, oh no! Myself I was going to Lofoten. (Which is beautiful, but not that warm...)

Others were going home to, say, Bali. Or Dublin. Or Greece, even Crete! And pretending it was just as boring as anything! Have they no respect? Admittedly, 25-year-olds don't, as a rule, find it dreadfully exciting going home to their families. But "having to go" to some Paradise or other, even if it's infested with family, how could I feel sorry for them?

Now, I would have given my right arm to be going "home" to Crete. (Just a thought, ok, I actually need both my arms..) My hubby's only flaw is that he is, in fact, Norwegian...

A few minutes later..

I just have to see if and how I can include a photo in here.

Ahh... That's better! The view from my favourite beach in Crete (Greece - in case there's a Crete somewhere else that you wouldn't want it mixed up with). A dip and a dive in these waters and my sinuses would be as clean as the hole on a dolphin's head..