The "No" Day

This weekend has been very eventful in Thessaloniki. Except from the celebration of 100 years of Independence from the Turks, yesterday, on the 28th of October, the whole of Greece celebrated the "NO" Day(Η Μέρα του Οχι").

As a foreigner you might ask yourself why would a whole nation celebrate a negation but it might make a bit more sense once you know where it comes from.

In the early morning of October 28t 1940, the Greek Prime Minister, Ioannis Metaxas received an ultimatum from of the Italian Ambassador in Greece, Emanuele Grazzi. The ultimatum demanded Greece to allow Axis forces free passage and the occupation of certain unspecified strategic locations or else, face immediate military repercussions.

Allegedly, the answer of the Greek Prime mister was a laconic "Oxi"("no") in reality his answer was "Alors, c'est la guerre" ("Then it's war"). A couple of hours later, the Italian troops stationed at the Albanian border entered Greece and launched a full scale attack. 

No one expected Greece to resist not to mention fight back and yet by mid December 1940 Greek army pushed the Axis forces back to the border and even recovered some Albanian territories.
This was the first Allied victory in the Second World War and the first ray of hope.

Thessaloniki - One Hundred Years of Independence

The city of Thessaloniki celebrates tomorrow 100 hundred years of independence from the Turks. October 27th 1912 is the date in which the Greek troops entered Thessaloniki.

Thessaloniki 100 Years of Independence

But that didn't just happen over night. Taking advantage of a wick and unorganized Ottoman Empire due the revolution that started in its interior in 1908, the Balkan states decided to take back from their occupied territories and, why not, more.This was the spark that started the First Balkan War.

Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Greece made an alliance, called the Balkan League, to fight together against the Turks and retrieve their territories. The League underestimated the Greek army's strength considering it weak after being defeated by the Turks so easily in the Greek-Turkish war from 1897 but they were in dire need of their fleet. Leaving the sea unguarded for the Ottoman Empire to transport troops from Asia to Greece could have cost them the war.

In October 1912 allies start moving towards the boarder releasing territories from under Turkish occupation. The Greek prime minister at that time, Eleftherios Venizelos understood the the aim of their Bulgarian allies, which was to gain access to the sea buy occupying Aegean Macedonia so he insisted that the Greek troops make haste towards the city of Thessaloniki.

On the 27th of October 1912 the Greek troops enter victoriously in the city of Thessaloniki. A few day later the Bulgarian troops reach the city also but they were not granted access in it. 

Even before the Treaty of London from May 1913, that marked the end of the First Balkan War, the Bulgarians expressed their dissatisfaction regarding the way the territories were shared and they were prepared to intervene military against their ex allies. That set the stage for the next war in the Balkans, that were known at the time as the "gunpowder barrel of Europe".

I found this National Geographic documentary on YouTube if anyone is interested in more historical details. It's called "National Geographic - The Doubling of Greece 1912-1913" and it has 6 parts ( Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six)

Tzon Kennenti (John Kennedy) Street in Thessaloniki

John Kennedy, with his Greek version Tzon Kennenti, has a street named after him in Thessaloniki. Until now, nothing out of ordinary. If you look on the map though, there is something special about it in the typical Greek manner. 

Tzon Kennenti Street

As you can see, Tzon Kennenti (John Kennedy) street goes up to a point then it disappears and then it appears again. 
I discovered this the hard way. I was looking for an address on Kennenti street on a dark rainy evening and I found myself, half way through, facing... a house. 

John Kennedy Street

Yes, I'm not joking. The reason Kennedy street is interrupted is because there is a house in the middle of the road. I don't know if the house was there first and the municipality decided to appeal to the adventurous nature of people and made the street like that or if the street was there first and one fine day a person decided to just build a house in the middle of the street. It's hard to tell since they are both very plausible options in Greece. Either way, I found this very funny but only after I managed to get home and get dry.

And the T-shirt Goes To...

We finally have a winning t-shirt for the blog!!!And that is...... Ta Ta Tam!!!
The Logical Schema design. 
In total there were 18 valid votes, out of these, 8 were for this design. 
 

I want to thank everyone for participating and for helping me choose. To show my gratitude, I decided to have an extra price, a second a t-shirt for the first runner up. 

First of all, the winning number was written on a different blog before the contest started and it is 682. To make sure you can check it here.
 
And now....the winners are:
First winner is Shock  - who will receive a t-shirt with the "Twisted Roads"
First runner up is, who also gets a t-shirt, is Mer who will receive a t-shirt with the winning design.

Stay tuned for the next competition that is going to start in November:) Then you'll get to create your own hero.

Thanks again everyone!

Fatebook the Gyros of Fate

Fatebook the Gyros of Fate

The first time I saw this logo was on a delivery bike that passes by me in a big rush. I didn't have time to reach for my phone and take a picture.

As a person who speaks mainly English these days, my first thought was that the name comes from the English words "fate" and "book" and they were using a "Facebook" look alike logo to help people recognize them easier. Not that this would be in any way legal but who cares, we're in Greece. Then again why would you need a delivery bike if your business involves "fate". It's kinda complicated to deliver a kilo and a half of "fate". (Though with how strong the church is in Greece they must have found a way to buy and sell that also, maybe even internet delivery:D )

Then, I had a sudden wake up call. I'm in Greece! Here things are never what they seam. So, apparently, "fate" (read "f a t e") comes from the Greek "φατε" (read "f a t e") being the Imperative form of the verb eat (φαω). You didn't see that coming, did you? 

Gyro

Finally, the place is a Gyradico. A local kind of fast food where they serve Gyros. That would give a more logical explanation the delivery bike also:)

If you find yourself in Greece make sure you try a gyros, not necessarily from "Fatebook" who's recipe I haven't tasted yet, but do try it. For a more tasty experience, try gyros from a northern city. People there tend to be more giving with the salads and sauces so the taste is going to be richer. As a second thought you should consider having your cardiologist on speed dial considering how much cholesterol it has. :) Enjoy!

Delphi - The Bellybutton of the Ancient World

I always knew that Delphi is a real place but since I never had the opportunity of visiting it, I had this impression of it being more mythological real, a place in between the worlds, in between earth and sky and being claimed by both. 

Recently I had the chance to visit Delphi and I must tell you, I wasn't very far from reality. Delphi looks suspended in mid air, staring at the Gods while pulling the strings of the humans. 
The ancient Greeks seem to have been very inspired in choosing this place. The view from it is breath taking even now, after thousands of years. 
Delphi, was not only a place of Gods, temples and prayers, it was also a very important cultural and economical center. Since it was sacred ground and no war could touch it, arts, sports, businesses, they all developed and flourished undisturbed. You can think of ancient Delphi a bit like the New York of our times.

This place was the center of the Earth or at least that is what they used to believe. 

The Bellybutton of the World

One of the many legends regarding this rock says that Zeus, wanting to find  the center of the Earth, sent his eagles around the world. When they found the place, Zeus threw a stone to mark it and for everyone to know. 
Another legend, one that I like more, is that this rock is the one that Rhea, Zeus' mother, gave to Chronos to swallow in order to save her son. 




 A funny story about this stone is that in Greek the bellybutton of the world is called "ο οφαλος της Γης" read "o ofalos". Since "ofalos" and "o falos" are pretty close you will probably have the surprise of people in Greece knowing the rock to be "the falus" of the world and not the bellybutton.

Apollo's Temple

The Temple of Apollo was also the home to Pythis, Oracle of Delphi, the most important oracle in the ancient world. The Pythia was priestess of Apollo and was chosen only when the previous Oracle had died. The woman chose to be The Pythia had to cut all ties with her previous life, even if she was married or had children, and dedicate her life to Apollo.

P.S Don't forget about the on going contest on the blog
Contest - Choose a T-shirt for "It's all Greek to Me"

The Horn Sign

Yesterday I revisited the Thessaloniki Archeological Museum and something pretty odd drew my attention, the "sign of the horn" known these days as "the devil's horns".

Paul Stanley-KISS :)
making the Horn sign

While I'm used on seeing this gesture being made by rock stars I must admit I was a little by surprised to see it on a first century B.C. bas-relief.

This is a picture I took Yesterday while in the museum. As you can notice, the lady sited on the chair is making the horn sign with her left hand while pointing it to the ground. This bas-relief represents a grave stone made by the mother (sited) for her dead son (standing). Why was she doing that sign? Was it bad luck for the living to appear alongside the dead and she needed to protect herself? Was she trying to ensure the safe passage of her son to the other world? One thing is for sure though, this sign was used for keeping away or fighting of evil.

Tomb Stone Bas-Relief - 1st Century BC

Back in those days, magic had a very strong grasp over people. Amulets and protective signs were of daily use. The sign of the horn was a protective gesture and also an implicit curse since in the Mediterranean area (but not only) fighting of evil would mean threatening to curse or cursing it.

Even from the beginnings, magic has been associated with the Moon (Artemis is the Goddess of hunt but also of the magical arts and of the Moon). A waxing moon, or a growing moon was believed to have a positive impact on people lives. It was auspicious for new business, for new beginning. On the other hand, waning moon was considered to be unfavorable to any activities, what we would call "unlucky" these days.

Waning moon

While there are not that many theories about the origins of this gesture, the most believable is that the sign of the horn bares the meaning of the waning moon being a curse and a protective gesture in the same time.

The direction of the fingers indicates the direction in which you send the curse. In that bas-relief, being pointed at the ground, it meant protection from the underground forces by cursing them. In Greek mythology, the underground was the home of Hades, one of the twelve Olympian Gods and probably the less loved of them all since he was in charge of the dead and their souls. 

P.S Don't forget about the on going contest on the blog
Contest - Choose a T-shirt for "It's all Greek to Me"