Daylight streams through the curtains as the ducks on Lake Voulismeni in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, bellow noisily demanding food from the lone fisherman tending his nets. The first day of my Crete – An Aegean Odyssey tour has begun. We head off to the local town beach for an early morning swim in crystal clear […]
Thirty years ago, I took a trip to a Greek island which would change me forever. I went to Crete for just a couple of months, for a chance to breathe my own air and take a well-earned rest from the hustle of city life thousands of miles away. Little did I know then, the […]
“You just have to live and life will give you pictures.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson. Henri Cartier-Bresson’s quote has always resonated deeply with me as it’s been a reminder to live in the moment and use all my senses to see, breathe, smell, feel, touch whatever I can around me. For to live with an acute […]
Join me on a small personal tour to the island I call my spiritual home – Crete Greece My affair with her began more than 30 years ago and I’ve been in love with her ever since, for she changed me forever. She leaves an indelible print on people and I have yet to meet […]
A symbol of heartfelt emotions… … an expression of gratitude for understanding. Discovered in the land of the rising sun, your moniker hails from the land of the Greeks Hydrangea – Water jar – a link to your undying thirst. Like a good friend you visit me once a year and we pick up where […]
I’ve had so many requests for the “recipe” for my festive wreath of greens that I thought I’d tell you all just how easy it is. But first I’ll let you into a secret – there’s no recipe! It’s made up of whatever vegetables you like arranged on a platter – it’s that simple. It […]
“What on earth are you going to do for seven days in Athens?” a friend asked incredulously. “Live like a local” I replied. Because, to live, shop, eat and escape the city like an Athenian, is something I have wanted to do ever since I first visited the city in 1979. And, I have to […]
According to the Greek legend, Halcyon, (Aλκυών, Alkion) the kingfisher, charms the winds and the seas every winter solstice, so she can lay her eggs on a calm, safe, floating nest. Hence, Halcyon Days (Αλκυώνιδες Μερες, Alkionedes Meres) signifying peace and tranquility. If you’re lucky enough to be in Crete in winter, you can indeed […]
The warm glow on the horizon tells a tale. The muted pink glow fading to desert yellows and beyond speaks of burning hot sands and unforgivingly cold nights. Of oases and nomadic herdsmen and of dust storms whipping up seas of sand and shrouding the world in a gritty cloak. Howling across the water, the […]
Over 30 years ago, Lawrence Durrell wrote of Santorini in his book The Greek Islands… “It is hardly a matter of surprise that few, if any, good descriptions of Santorini have been written: the reality is so astonishing that prose and poetry, however winged, will forever be forced to limp behind”. Today this still applies, […]