As of tonight (Dec 21st/22nd) all flights to and from the UK will be cancelled indefinitely. This is because of the new mutation of Covid 19. Apparently (and hopefully), it is not worse than its older brother, but it spreads more easily. The UK health secretary, angry at the mass exodus from London, stated that... Continue Reading →
Greek Word of the Week #15
φράγκο = franc, nowadays more generally money, especially in certain expressions. After Alexander, Greece suffered many invasions. First it was the Romans (οι Ρωμαίοι), then the Franks (οι Φράγκοι), Venetians (οι Ενετοί or οι Βενετοί) and Turks (οι Τούρκοι); and their periods of rule in Greece are called η Φραγκοκρατία, η Ενετοκρατία and η Τουρκοκρατία... Continue Reading →
Greek Word of the Week #14
τσιφούτης – tsifoutis = mean, stingy Recently I wrote that for a nation of moderate drinkers (by north European standards, at any rate), Greeks are not lacking in expressions for ‘drunk’. It is the same with parsimony. If one were asked to describe Greeks in one word, I imagine ‘mean’ or ‘stingy’ would be far... Continue Reading →
Irish Music Scene Episode #14
I spoke too soon when I said restrictions would be lifted by 14th December. The Greek government announced last night (8th Dec) that it would extend the restrictions until 7th January. I suppose the good news is that Christmas is going to cost around €14! A Greek friend of ours who plays in the band,... Continue Reading →
Irish Music Scene Episode #13
Covid continues to rage through the country. Some shops will open on Monday 7th December and others will follow on 14th, but restrictions are going to persist well into January when, it is anticipated, the vaccine should start to roll out. At the moment, deaths are running at around one hundred a day, with Thessaloniki... Continue Reading →
Greek Word of the Week #13
σιχτίρ – sikhtir I must confess that for an unduly long period I thought the word was ασιχτίρ because it is nearly always preceded by άι, a sound similar to aye in English. I make this confession to illustrate how easily one can get things wrong. Many Greeks like to think (much like Mr. Portokalos... Continue Reading →