18th February. I am in Toroni with the dog. I came here just after Christmas to make sure the house was OK, and this weekend is my first outing of 2024. The winter months can cause a lot of damage to vacant properties. We’ve been lucky this year as, to date, winter has been quite mild. One thing I have learnt is that Sithonia, the second leg of the Halkidiki peninsula, is dead in winter, especially on a Sunday. Flora Pizzeria, whose owners told us last year that they remained open in winter, is closed until March 15th. We are often told that the minimarket in nearby Porto Koufo is always open. Not today, so the dog and I set out for Sykies. There was not much going on there, so I decided to drive to Sarti, a busy village in summer. Dead. Petrol stations were also closed. At that point, I decided it was better to head for Nikiti where I could get something to eat. I hit the jackpot. One of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten – and served very stylishly too. Then off to the patisserie to buy a piece of pie for tonight’s meal and a brioche for tomorrow’s breakfast.
Just beyond Sarti there is a lovely view with a double bay, the first looks quite natural, and the second one has a little harbour. Sithonia’s interior is wild, wooded hills with jackals and other wildlife, and the sea is glorious. Whenever the road climbs, there are spectacular views of the sea below. On the Toroni side of Sithonia, Cassandra (the first leg) is visible. After Sykies, the third leg, Mount Athos scratching at the gates of Heaven comes into view.
Here is the double bay:
Earlier in the morning I took the dog on the trail that leads from Toroni to Porto Koufo. He had a great time. I walked about three kilometres, maybe more, but Odin walked, trotted, cantered and ran at least three times that distance. As I write, he is lying fast asleep on the floor.
Sadly, the year in northern Greece began with another wife-killing. Money seems to have been the motive. Then the killer found a man with possibly the lowest IQ on the planet to help him bury or dump the body. Since then, in Thessaloniki there has been one more femicide as well as another wife stabbed in the neck. By highlighting spousal abuse, it is not my intention to imply this is a Greek phenomenon, and I am well aware that it crosses all social classes and education levels. The Greek authorities are addressing the problem. The websites below are in Greek and English.
As well as the above, there are two apps. One is called Panic Button, which appears to be government- and police-backed: https://www.naftemporiki.gr/society/1404582/panic-button-pos-leitoyrgei-i-efarmogi-gia-tis-kakopoiimenes-gynaikes/
The second app – an initiative by Vodafone – is called Bright Sky: https://www.moneyreview.gr/society/103334/bright-sky-diathesimi-i-efarmogi-gia-tin-katapolemisi-tis-emfylis-kai-endooikogeneiakis-vias/#:~:text=%CE%97%20%CF%88%CE%B7%CF%86%CE%B9%CE%B1%CE%BA%CE%AE%20%CE%B5%CF%86%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%BC%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%AE%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CE%B7,%CE%B3%CE%B9%CE%B1%20%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BD%20%CE%B1%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BC%CE%B5%CF%84%CF%8E%CF%80%CE%B9%CF%83%CE%B7%20%CF%84%CE%AD%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%B9%CF%89%CE%BD%20%CF%80%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8E%CE%BD.
Still on the subject of family life, on February 15th Parliament passed the Equal Marriage Act, making Greece the 37th country to pass such an act, and the first Orthodox country to do so. In the parliament, it seems MPs can vote four ways instead of the usual three: For, Against, Abstain. The fourth here is when a lawmaker declares himself or herself “Present” (Παρών and Παρούσα respectively). It is effectively an abstention. What’s the difference? I think the “Present” MP is actually in the chamber, whereas the Abstainer has fucked off to the Parliamentary watering hole for a swift ouzo. According to my wife, Παρών is the coward’s option!