RECIPES FOR INTERESTING DISHES

                                                          PAELLA

Paella can be prepared either with frugal or rich ingredients, such as lobster or fish. But whatever ingredients with which you choose to prepare it, this seafood risotto is a delicious Spanish dish.

 

1 kg (2 lb) prawns, shelled, deveined and thoroughly washed

6 mussels, scrubbed and strings removed

1 kg (2 lb) chicken, cut into serving pieces

4 spicy sausages

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sofrito:

60 g (2 oz) lean bacon cubed

60 g (2 oz) onions, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium-sized red pepper, halved, deseeded and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 large tomato, peeled deseeded and finely chopped

 

750 g (1 ½ lb)  long grained rice

½ tsp saffron

5 cups tasty chicken stock

90 g (3 oz) fresh peas

2 lemons, each cut into 6

 

Prink the sausages with a fork, cover with water and simmer for 5 minutes, drain and slice.  Pat the chicken dry, season to taste and cook in 3 tbsp of olive oil, skin side down, browning well all over and transfer to a plate.

Add the prawns and cook for 1 minute on each side or until they turn pink, set aside to drain on kitchen paper, and transfer to a separate plate.  Also, saute the sausages and place them on kitchen paper to drain.

 

For the sofrito, discard all the oil from the frying pan and add the remaining olive oil add the bacon and saute quickly over high heat,  Add the onions, garlic, peppers and tomato and cook briskly, stirring constantly until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture thickens.

 

About half an hour before you wish to serve, preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F) Place the sofrito, the rice, a little salt, the saffron in a paella pan.  Pour in the hot chicken stock and stirring constantly, bring to the boil.  Remove the pan from the heat and arrange the chicken, prawns, sausages, and mussels on top of the rice and scatter the peas evenly over.  Place the pan into the oven and cook until the liquid has been absorbed 25-30 minutes.

 

Let it rest for 5-6 minutes and serve garnished with lemon wedges.

 

 

                                                 CHICKEN CURRY

I have no words for this fabulous Indian dish.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, peeled and grated

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/8 tsp Cayenne

4 heaped tsp curry powder

Salt to taste

A little sugar

1 ½ cup tomatoes peeled, deseeded and diced

1 ½ cups coconut milk

1 ¾ cups chickpeas, boiled in salted water and drained

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

Chopped parsley

 

2 cups basmati rice

4 cups tasty chicken stock

1 tbsp butter

(Bring the stock to the boil, add the rice and butter and simmer gently, partially covered, until the liquid is absorbed.)    

 

Saute the onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt, stirring frequently until soft and starting to brown.   Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes, stir in the spices and cook for a few seconds until fragrant.  

Add the tomato, stir and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens a little.  Pour in the coconut milk and the chickpeas.  Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to medium, simmer the curry for about 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, taste for seasoning and add extra salt and sugar, if necessary. 

 

Serve hot over steamed basmati rice, sprinkled with parsley, it should be perfect!       

 

 

 

                                                         PASTITSIO

 

Pastitsio, baked macaroni with minced meat sauce, is a tasty, traditional Greek dish, able to feed a large, hungry family.

 

500 g (1 lb) thick macaroni

60 g (2 oz) grated Parmesan plus extra

2 tbsp hot melted butter

 

Minced Meat Sauce:

1 kg (2 lb) minced meat

1 large onion, peeled and grated

2 large carrots, scraped and grated

2 stalks of celery, threaded and finely chopped

4 rashers of lean bacon, extra fat discarded and finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Nutmeg, grated to taste

80 ml ( ½ cup) METAXA brandy

250 ml (1 cup) white wine

500 ml (2 cups) tasty hot chicken stock or more 

1 tsp sugar 

¼  tsp Cayenne pepper

½ cup chopped parsley

 

Bechamel Sauce:

150 g (5 oz) butter

150 g (5 oz) cornflour

1 bay leaf

5 cups of hot milk

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

100 g (3 oz) grated Parmesan

Nutmeg, grated to taste

4 eggs, separated, whites whipped to soft peaks with a pinch of salt

 

1 tbsp of melted butter and

Dried breadcrumbs for the baking dish

 

First, prepare the minced meat sauce.  Sauté the onion, carrots, celery and bacon in olive until the onion becomes translucent.  Add the minced meat and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring until well browned and crumbly. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, nutmeg and Cayenne.  Pour in the brandy and stir for 2 minutes, then pour in the wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates.  Pour in enough hot stock to barely cover. Simmer for 30 minutes until the meat is cooked and dry.  Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly, if necessary.  Sprinkle with parsley and set aside.      

 

For the bechamel, melt butter add the bay leaf and cornflour and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour in the hot milk and stir for 10-12 minutes until the sauce bubbles and thickens.  Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf, then sprinkle with cheese, mix well and set aside to cool.  Then add the egg yolks, one at a time, taste and season to taste.  Finally, gently but thoroughly fold in the egg whites and set aside.

 

Meanwhile, boil the macaroni in salted water until “al dente”, drain, return to the saucepan, sprinkle with cheese, pour in the hot butter and swirl the saucepan.  Add the minced meat sauce, and about 2-3 tablespoonfuls of bechamel and, gently but thoroughly mix together.

 

Brush the baking dish with melted butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.  Spoon in the macaroni mixture and level the surface.  Cover evenly with the remaining bechamel. Sprinkle with Parmesan, dot with butter and bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for 50 minutes to 1 hour until golden brown.  Cool slightly before serving with a salad of your choice.                           

PAVLOPETRI A SUNKEN CITY

                                                  

 

Pavlopetri or Paulopetri is a small islet off the coast of the coast of Laconia, in the southern Peloponnese, where ancient history meets the blue of the Mediterranean Sea.

 

This beautiful place, which remains unknown to the majority of people, hides one of the most amazing stories of Greek history, since it is the oldest ancient Greek city, that has ever been discovered underwater.

 

Its name is Greek for “Paul’s Stone” is related to St Paul one of Lord Jesus Christ’s greatest apostles and martyrs who travelled all over the world spreading Christianity, during the 1^st century AD.

 

The city’s long history, however, spans nearly 5.000 years back into antiquity, since the region was known to have been inhabited during the earliest years of Greek history.

 

Discovered in 1967 by Dr Nicholas Fleming, Geoarchaeologist from the Institute of Oceanology of the University of Southampton, this ancient Greek town is now the oldest underwater “lost city” in the Mediterranean and one of the oldest such cities in the world.

 

In 1968, a year after Pavlopetri was discovered, a team from the University of Cambridge surveyed the remains of the ancient city.  They produced a plan of a prehistoric town, thought to be Mycenaean, 300 m x 150 m, lying under one to four metres of water. At least fifteen separate buildings, consisting of houses. courtyards, streets, two-chamber tombs, and at least thirty-seven cist graves were identified.

 

The under site continued southward on Pavlopetri island, on top of which the remains of walls and archaeological material were still visible.

 

 

In 1968. Pottery, obsidian and cert blades and a bronze figurine were found on the seabed.  In 2009, the University of Nottingham, through the British School in Athens permit, began an 5-year collaboration project with the Ephorate of Underwater Activities of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Hellenic Centre of Marine Research to outline the history of the submerged town and the reasons for its sinking.

 

The research consisted of detailed underwater survey of the remains, using a robotic total station and sector scan sonar technology, along side sampling the material across the site.  Working with experts in acoustic sonar and latest digital survey techniques, archaeologists have been able to record the entire city,  which covers over 80.000 square miles.

 

In 2009, over 9000 square metres of buildings were discovered, including a large, the rectangular wall and a street lined with buildings. The ceramic discovered confirm the Mycenaean occupation as early as 3500 BC, making Pavlopetri over 5000 years old, the oldest known submerged town in the world.

 

The Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture has proposed a plan, recently, approved by the Central Archaeological Council introducing underwater routes for swimmers over the submerged prehistoric settlements.    

 

The city of Pavlopetri is part of the underwater cultural heritage as defined by UNESCO.  The UNESCO Convention  of the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage aims at preventing the destruction or loss of historic and cultural information and looting.  It helps countries to protect their underwater cultural heritage with an international framework.                                     

SPAGHETTI WITH FETA AND TOMATO SAUCE

 

                     

 

Jennie Hayrinen is a Finnish food artist that invented the delicious baked feta pasta recipe that has gone viral on social media worldwide, boosting feta sales to an unprecedented peak and even causing shortages across the globe.

 

International documented the massive impact of Jennie’s dish on feta supply and demand across the USA, last month, as the popular recipe which went online in 2018 under the Finnish name “uuni feta pasta” became very popular.

 

Here is the recipe: 

500 g (1 lb) spaghetti

 

210 g (7 oz) Greek feta

½ cup olive oil

½ red chilli pepper

500 g (1 lb) cherry tomatoes

4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

½ cup chopped basil leaves or more

 

Pour some olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish and place the piece of feta on top.  Chop the red chilli pepper and sprinkle over the cheese. Place the cherry tomatoes and garlic slices, roll around the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Bake in an oven preheated to 200 C (400 F) for 15 minutes in the middle rack. Crumble the feta.

 

Cook the spaghetti “al dente” in salted water, strain and drizzle with olive oil.  Mix the boiled pasta with the feta/tomato sauce, sprinkle with heaps of chopped basil and enjoy!  

HOW COVID-19 HAS CHANGED OUR LIVES

 

                            

 

To say that the pandemic has changed our lives is an understatement.  COVID-19 has changed how we work, learn and interact, as social distances have led to more effective existence, both personally and professionally.

The plague has triggered mental health issues such as depression, social isolation, stress and anxiety.   We are, also, feeling perplexed by the constant and sometimes shifting information from the media and press, we don’t know what to believe.

The whole world has come to a stop.  People skip or delay healthcare visits, although doctors have gone to great lengths to ensure that keeping their appointments are safe for everyone.  We must keep as healthy as possible and not be frightened of visiting the dentist or putting off surgeries that will save our lives.  

 

But we, also, have good news.  People all over the world have more time to exercise and have, certainly, changed their unhealthy eating habits.  Also, many have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza vaccines.  It has brought us closer to our families and made us value our relationships.  Especially children have benefited from being able to spend more time with their families. It is however difficult for children not going to school and having their lessons online. They miss their friends and their classmates.

    

 

Along with tourism, culture and creative sectors are among the most affected by the current crisis, such as museums, performing arts, music, festivals, cinemas, restaurants etc are the hardest hit. 

 

We hope that as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19 this terrible disease will be totally defeated, in the not so distant future.

VEGAN RECIPES FOR LENT

 

Here are a few vegan recipes for lent.

 

                                                 CARROT PATTIES

 

4 cups roasted carrots

¼ cup minced garlic

¼ cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground fennel seeds

1 tsp allspice

¼ cup chopped mint

2 cups toasted breadcrumbs

2/3 cup minced onion

Vegetable oil

 

Peel and slice carrots into small rounds and toss with salt, pepper, turmeric, fennel seeds allspice and minced garlic in a bowl. Mix well and turn out on a tin lined with baking parchment. Set the bowl aside and do not rinse it.  Cover the carrots with a piece of aluminium foil and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 30-36 minutes until tender.  Return the carrots into the bowl you mixed them in, cool them and coarsely mash them with a potato masher of a fork.

 

In a large bowl, combine the fresh mint, thyme, minced onion and breadcrumbs. Add the mashed carrots and mix well together.  Blend into a thick paste, cover the mixture with cling film and refrigerate  for at least 2 hours or as long as 5 days before cooking.

 

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).  Shape the mixture into patties and place them in a tin lined with oiled parchment and bake for 25 minutes or until the carrot parties are crisp and golden.

 

      

                                                     LAGANA BREAD      

 

A vegan bread which is offered of Clean Monday but can be offered throughout lent.

 

3 ½ cups plain flour

1 ½ tsp dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 2/3 cups warm water

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

½ cup sesame seeds

1 tbsp honey mixed with

5 tbsp boiling water

 

Combine yeast, sugar and water and set aside to activate, small bubbles will form on the surface when the yeast is activated.    Combine flour, salt and activated yeast and mix well until you have a sticky dough.  Place the dough on a floured surface and approximately for 10 minutes and can be shaped into a ball. 

 

Place the dough in a large, clean bowl and brush with olive oil, cover with cling film and a small blanket and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 ½ hours.  In a bowl knead the risen dough for a few minutes to deflate.  Gently stretch and pat the dough into a rectangle.  Using your fingers poke small grooves into the dough, brush with honey and water solution, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in an oven preheated to180 C (350 F) for 30 minutes until golden brown.

 

 

 

                                                  VEGAN PASTITSIO

 

Sauce:

500 g (1 lb) mushrooms, trimmed and chopped into small pieces

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion peeled and grated

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

250 ml (1 cup) white wine

500 ml (2 cup) vegetable  stock

1 tsp thyme

A tiny pinch of Cayenne pepper

 

500 g (1 lb) macaroni, boiled in salted water until al-dente, strained and drizzled with olive oil.

Breadcrumbs

 

Bechamel Sauce:

80 g olive oil

80 g plain flour

1 bay leaf

800 ml vegetable broth

Salt, white pepper and grated nutmeg to taste

 

For the mushroom sauce, sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent, stir in the mushrooms and garlic and simmer gently until dry, season to taste.  Pour in the wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates. Then pour in the hot vegetable stock, season with chopped thyme and a tiny pinch of Cayenne pepper and cook until the mushrooms are tender and dry, and set aside.

 

For the bechamel, sauté the flour and bay leaf in olive oil for 4-5 minutes. stirring then pour in the stock in three doses, season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste, stirring vigorously each time until the sauce bubbles and thickens.  Set aside and discard the bay leaf. Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).

 

Mix the macaroni with the mushroom mixture and stir in 2 heaped tablespoons of bechamel sauce. Spoon the mixture into a dish brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with half the breadcrumbs.  Cover with the remaining bechamel, sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove and serve hot with a salad of your choice.

 

         PRAWNS WRAPPED IN KATAIFI WITH A SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

Kataifi derives from kadife which is Arabic for velvet.  The original way of preparing this pasty is by pouring batter through a perforated tube on a very hot slab.  After a few seconds, the fine strands of pastry were pulled off, folded and packed further use.

 

Today pastry manufacturers in Greece use the same concept as their colleagues did centuries ago.  Now with sophisticated machinery and the appropriate “know-how”, they produce an excellent kataifi pastry.

 

This is an appetizer that can be served either as a first dish or as finger food.

 

30 middle-sized prawns, shelled, deveined, tails left on

Salt and freshly ground multi-coloured pepper to taste

30 wooden skewers

750 g (1 ½ lb) kataifi pastry

Corn oil

 

Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce:

1 large onion, peeled and grated

2 leeks, white part only, split in half, lengthwise, washed and finely chopped

1 tsp grated ginger

A little salt

250 ml (1 cup) water

125 ml ( ½ cup) vinegar

62.5 ml ( ¼ cup) balsamic vinegar

100 g ( ½ cup) sugar

4 large tomatoes, halved, deseeded, grated skins discarded

3 tbsp tomato ketchup

Salt and freshly ground multi-coloured pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

 

First prepare the sauce.  Sweat the onion, leeks and ginger with water and a little salt until soft but not brown.  Then add the 2 kinds of vinegar, sugar, grated tomato, tomato ketchup and bay leaf to the onion and ginger mixture.  Cover and simmer gently until the sauce is cooked and thick. Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaf.

 

Puree and sieve the sauce, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract all the sauce and taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.  Place in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.

 

Sprinkle the prawns with salt and pepper and thread each one on a wooden skewer. Fluff out the kataifi pastry thoroughly.  Take equal strands of kataifi and cover and cover each prawn completely except the tail.  Fry in hot corn oil until crisp and golden and pat with kitchen paper to remove the superfluous oil and discard the skewers.

 

Serve hot dipped in hot sweet and sour tomato sauce.       

 

 

 

            

PRINCE CHARLES OF GREAT BRITAIN AND HIS WIFE CAMILLA IN GREECE

As I have written in the previous post, that Prince Charles of Britain and his wife Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall at the request of the British government were invited by Prime Minister Mitsotakis in Athens, to celebrate the bicentenary of Greek Independence.

 

The Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla last visited Greece in May 2018, and Prince Charles has visited Greece on two occasions, in an official capacity.  Of course, this trip will have additional resonance given the Prince’s father was born in Greece into the Greek Royal Family.

 

The Greek War of Independence was waged by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821-1830, 200 years ago. The Greeks were later assisted by Great Britain, France and Russia while the Turks were helped by Egypt and other North African countries.  The war led to the formation of the modern Greek state, and two centuries on, it is a member state of the European Union and is certainly something worthy of celebration, even while fighting against COVID-19.

Prince Charles and Camilla were greeted at the Athens International Airport by Her Majesty’s ambassador to Greece, Kate Smith and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Nicos Dendias, with a red carpet outstretched for a suitable royal welcome.

 

 

Laiki Agora (Greek Farmers' Market) by Panagiotis Testis 

At the National Gallery, Charles and Camilla were met by the Greek Prime Minister and his wife Marewa  Graboski-Mitsotakis, where they heard interesting speeches by the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendonis and Professor Marina Lambraki-Plaka.

The Prince of Wales gave a touching speech, in which he said: “My wife and I could not be more delighted to be back in Greece, which has held the most special place in my heart.  After all, Greece is the land of my grandfather and of my father’s birth, nearly 100 years ago, in the centenary of Greek Independence.  Later it was in Athens that my grandmother Princess Alice, during the dark years of the Nazi occupation, sheltered a Jewish family, an act of which in Israel she is counted as  “Righteous Among the Nations.”

 

Prince Charles continued: “I am feeling a profound connection to Greece, her landscape and history and culture.  I am hardly alone there is something of her essence in us all.  As the spring of western civilization, Greece runs through our societies and democracies.  Without her, our laws, our arts and our way of life would never flourish as they have.”

Towards the end of the speech that celebrated the ties between Greece and Britain, the Prince of Wales said: “As we all work to rebuild our societies and our economies from the unmanageable upheaval of previous years and to set our world on a more sustainable path, we could take some inspiration from the courage, determination and ambition of 1821.  Once again the stakes could hardly be higher.  The choices we make will determine the future not only of our nations but of this singular planet that we all share,”  at which point the Prince of Wales introduced his “Terra Carta” initiative that Athens has agreed to enact. "The Terra Carter or the Earth Charter has parallels with the Magna Carta. It aims to encourage the private sector to safeguard the planet by adopting sustainability to invest 7.2 million pounds sterling (8.2 million euros) in natural capital by 2022."

 

The Prince of Wales concluded: “Your Excellencies, today, as in 1821 Greece can count on her friends in the United Kingdom, the ties between us are strong and vital and make a profound difference to our shared prosperity and security.  Just as our histories are closely bound together so too, are our futures.  In this spirit tomorrow, your British friends, once again, will take great pride in Dionysos Solomos’ rousing exhortation “Haire o Haire Lefteria – Zeto e Hellas!”.            

 

 

         

                                                  Dionysios Solomos  

 

25th MARCH 2021 - BICENTENNIAL OF OUR NATIONAL DAY

 

 

 

“Freedom or Death” was the motto of our brave compatriots on the 25^th March 1821 who fought and died for the independence of our country.

 

The 25^th of March is the Greek Day of Independence and is celebrated annually in Greece, Cyprus, and in many countries around the world, due to the Greek Diaspora.  It coincides with the Greek Orthodox Church’s celebration of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, when Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she would bear the Son of God.

 

This year is very special as 200 years of freedom is celebrated with pomp and pride, despite the coronavirus plague that haunts us all.

 

Many friendly countries are celebrating with us by illuminating their distinctive landmarks in blue and white, to honour our country’s Independence Bicentennial, like cities in Australia, the USA, Canada and in many European states. 

 

In Greece, we used to celebrate this great day with military and school parades, where all the hierarchy attended, like the President of the Hellenic Republic, the Prime Minister, the heads of the armed forces and also, numerous people were present, both Greek and foreigners.

This year, despite the bicentennial, we shall watch the military parade on television, due to the coronavirus and listen to important, patriotic speeches. Symbolically, 200 Greek flags are flying at Syntagma Square in Athens.   Greece is coloured blue and white. 

 

The parade is to be attended by the Russian Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishtustin, Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, French Defence Minister, Florence Parly and Cypriot President, Nikos Anastasiades, who made touching speeches about the event during a meal at the Presidential Mansion.  

 

All Greeks are very pound of the struggle of our ancestors for freedom.       

 

 

 The world turns Greek:

 

THE ZILLER-LOVERDOS MANSION

 

                             

 

The historic Ziller-Loverdos mansion, located near the centre of Athens, will reopen its doors as a museum, at the end of April.

 

Built in 1882, the mansion was the German architect Ernst Ziller.  The building combined elements of ancient Greek architecture with 19th-century European trends.

Its façade is adorned with cariatid heads, while the indoor areas feature high-quality decorative elements, murals, ceiling paintings, marble fireplaces and a beautifully carved wooden staircase that leads to the second floor.

 

It was bought in 1912, by the banker Dionysios Loverdos and donated to the Greek state by his daughter Maria Loverdou, and Ioanna Vassiliadou in 1979 and 1992, respectively.

“The Ziller-Loverdou Mansion is an architectural jewel for Athens.  It is a building featuring many unique details indicative of Ziller’s archictectural signature.  It was left abandoned for many years, but has been restored and is ready to welcome the significant Loverdos collection and open its doors to the public”, the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendonis, said.

                                                          Cretan School

                                                       Heptanese School

Further, the Byzantine and Christian Museum has made the necessary preparations for the transfer and display of the Loverdos’ collection which consists of icons of the Cretan and Heptanese Schools as well as antiquities, wooden sculptures and more.

                                                    The Centre of Athens

According to Minister Mendoni the reopening of the Ziller-Loverdos Mansion will act as an "upgrading of the centre of Athens".

 

            

EVENTS COMMEMORATING THE GREEK WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

 

    

 

According to the Greek and foreign press and media,  a special event was presented by the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic, in Athens on Sunday, 21st March 2021, where the ambassadors of friendly nations read poems related to our country’s War of Independence.

                           Geoffrey Ross Pyat the USA Ambassador to Greece

 

                     Katerina Sakerallopoulou, the President of the Greek Republic                              

The ambassadors of France, the USA, Russia, the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland and Romania accepted the invitation of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakerallopoulou, and joined this event.

 

The initiative comes yet as another COVID-19 secure event that Greece organises in order to commemorate and honour the Greek War of Independence.

                                                           Victor Hugo

                                                     Alexander Pushkin

                                                            Lord Byron

                                                        Edgar Allen Poe

The aim of this particular event is also to attract attention to the tight connections that link Greece and other western countries, whose poets were inspired by the struggle of the Greek people for liberty like Victor Hugo, Alexander Pushkin, Lord Byron, Edgar Allen Poe and others. 

 

In a post on her social media platform, President Sakellaropoulou noted that “The Greek Revolution against the Turkish oppressors inspired poets in other western countries, with lyrics that were so ecstatic, so moving.”

Apparently, the entire world will turn Greek to mark Greece’s bicentennial, celebrated on March the 25th, 2021, commemorating 200 years since the Greek War of Independence.  All over the world, where the Greek Diaspora is present, the anniversary will be celebrated with splendour.  Iconic landmarks in all those countries will be illuminated in blue and white in honour of the Greek people and their struggle for freedom, 200 years ago.   

 

The upcoming celebration of 200 years since the outbreak of the Greek Revolution of Independence of 1821, and the War of Independence will be the keystone events.  It is an occasion to recognise the sacrifices and struggles of our ancestors, while it also makes us think of today’s Greece and its future.

 

Backed by teamwork and collaboration, all of us have a moral duty to contribute to this celebration, with events in Greece and abroad with historical and creative themes.       

 

A few more sentences about the 25th of March, 2021    This week Greece will celebrate the uprising that created the modern state, a romantic revolution that experts say, captivated both the elite and the masses around the world. 

 

Nations who helped Greece in the decade-long struggle against the Ottoman Empire will also be represented in the celebrations, like the Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishutin. the President of Cyprus Nikos  Anastasiades, Prince Charles of Great Britain and his wife Camilla will also attend, according to government sources.  A coronavirus lockdown forced President Macron to not be able to attend, but the Minister of Defence of France Florence Parly will be present.  Also, French Rafale and American F-16 jets will fly over Athens on the 25th of March, while the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier will dock in Crete, according to Defence Ministry sources.  

                                            "School of Athens" by Raphael

France has also loaned Greece, an 18th-century tapestry of Raphael’s Renaissance masterpiece “The School Of Athens”, the French Embassy said.    

The most flamboyant among the Romantics, Lord Byron was the most fashionable poet of his time.  Here is a verse of one of his poems "Maid of Athens", dedicated to Tereza Makri, with whom he had fallen in love: 

                                           Maid of Athens, ere we part

                                           Give, oh give me back my heart!

                                           Or, since that has left my breast

                                           Take it now and keep the rest

                                           Hear my vow before I go

                                           Ζωή μου σας αγαπώ! 

(I wish to thank the Greek and foreign press and media and greekreporter. blog. com for the valuable information, without which this post would have not been created.)