Irish music and life in northern Greece
Aimed at me, and not as a compliment. A few days ago before going for a shower, I decided to trim the beard and treat my face to L’Oreal Men Expert Deep Exfoliating Wash Anti-Blocked Pores plus L’Oreal Men Expert Black Charcoal Wash Multi-Action Purifier. OK, I overdid it. With the charcoal I looked like... Continue Reading →
Note the stress is on the third syllable. My bilingual dictionaries translate it as “Act of God” and/or “force majeure”. Babiniotis reduces the drama by giving the first definition thus: “ο παράγοντας (συνήθ απρόβλεπτος) που προβάλλει ανυπέρβλητα εμπόδια, ανατρέπει σχέδια, προγράμματα…” In other words, “unforeseen circumstances”. I knew the Act of God meaning, so I... Continue Reading →
In my last post, I suggested a bar (actually a CAFÉ-ΟΥΖΕΡΙ) called Το Κάστρο might no longer host Greek musicians playing Greek music. I stopped there this morning to ask. My suspicions were correct. I sometimes address the issue of spousal abuse here in Greece. Unfortunately, I have two more to report. The more recent... Continue Reading →
Harat’s has contacted us. We have been invited back to do monthly gigs from September onwards. This has come as an unexpected and pleasant surprise. No mention of sessions, however. There will be complications regarding pay and social insurance, which might make playing a non-starter. So far nobody has come up with a working solution... Continue Reading →
The UN's World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines overtourism as “the impact of tourism on a destination that negatively affects the quality of life for residents or visitors. This impact can be environmental, economic, or sociocultural, and it's often characterized by overcrowding and strain on resources.” Let’s look at the adjectives more closely with reference to... Continue Reading →
Well, it arrived – eventually. I received a call to tell me if I could submit my UK licence by Wednesday, July 16th, I would receive my Greek driving licence on 17th. Trouble was it was already 16th July and I was 120km away in Halkidiki. I wanted to get it over and done with,... Continue Reading →
June, unfortunately, did not go to plan. Harat’s cancelled our session, I wanted to hold a session at home, but a lot of things got in the way, including my birthday, and visitors from Athens and abroad. It’s July now and, as expected, nothing is happening. I will try to wake from my θερινή νάρκη... Continue Reading →
A borrowing from Italian. Its first meaning is similar to a work or school canteen where you can buy tea, coffee, soft drinks, sandwiches or a pie. Basically, a synonym of κυλικείο. However, it is now mainly used to refer to the mobile food/drinks van as in the picture. Hunting for Greek words can also... Continue Reading →
9th July 2025: I went to London on 10th June. The UK is almost completely cashless. I didn’t use any coins or notes in the 19 days I was there. And I didn’t see anyone else use cash either. Greece seems to be going the same way. Since returning on June 29th, I have used... Continue Reading →
31st May 2025: We were scheduled to do a gig in Harat’s on Sunday, 25th May. A few days before, we were asked to bring it forward to the 24th. This was not possible, so we asked about the following weekend. Again, there was a clash with some other event. (The Champions League Final is... Continue Reading →
A word that probably serves no useful purpose unless you want to show off the depth of your Greek vocabulary. The original root word is δαίς, which goes back to Homer, originally meant ‘feast’, ‘meat’ or ‘food’. Synonyms are ομοτράπεζος and ομόδειπνος, both more readily comprehensible if you have a good grounding in the language:... Continue Reading →
Our second Harat’s session got underway on Sunday 11th May. The atmosphere in the pub was tremendous, but it wasn’t due to our playing. Barcelona and Real Madrid drew in the crowd. We also recorded our joint lowest number of musicians – seven of us. This is not unusual. As the weather improves, numbers tend... Continue Reading →
Miracles do happen. ΚΕΠ (the Centre for Public Services) has returned two of the παράβολα I submitted to get my Greek driving licence. I am due a refund of just over €100. Luke Prodromou. Luke was a well-known figure in the TEFL world, especially in Greece. In the 80s he was first one of my... Continue Reading →
Any little gizmo that connects two cables or pipes. I bought two like the one in the picture to connect two HDMIs. Wiktionary defines it thus: μούφα < ίσως (άμεσο δάνειο) αγγλική muff ή (άμεσο δάνειο) γαλλική mouffle + -α κατά το βάνα[1] Ουσιαστικό μούφα θηλυκό υδραυλικό σωληνοειδές εξάρτημα το οποίο περιέχει, εσωτερικά, και στα δύο άκρα βόλτες και χρησιμοποιείται για να ενώσει δύο σωλήνες που περιέχουν εξωτερικές βόλτες στα... Continue Reading →
Oh to be in England now that April’s there, said the poet. I don’t normally miss April in NW Europe, but the weather has not been particularly good here in Greece. In our communal garden we have a lovely Japanese acacia which still hasn’t bloomed. Scrolling through the pics on my mobile, I note that... Continue Reading →
It is basically a Request to Pay a government fee. You receive the document, and you go to a bank or post office and pay. I am in the process of changing my UK driving licence to a Greek one. For one licence I was given five παράβολα totalling just over €231. From the Greek... Continue Reading →
I have to begin with a correction to 25/005 LinNG. The harbour lights shine on the harbour wall rather than in the direction of moored boats. Still, the lighting does not illuminate the side of the wall where all the damage is. And the damage is still there. No warning tape or barrier to protect... Continue Reading →
April 1st 2025. I’m glad March is out of the way. Friction in the band, the Dubliner under new ownership, and an uncertain future for the sessions. A chain of Irish-themed pubs, Harat’s ( https://thessaloniki.harats.com/en/ ), has bought the business. Unfortunately, for both the old and new owners, the name change may be inauspicious. The... Continue Reading →
St. Patrick has been and gone. We had a practice on Thursday, 14th. We were scheduled to do a session in the Dubliner on 16th and a gig on the great day for an Irish party, March 17th. Very late in the day, the owner of another bar approached Vasili, one of our guitarists, about... Continue Reading →
Yesterday was March 25th, the feast of the Annunciation and the 204th anniversary of the Declaration of Greek Independence. On this day Greeks eat salted cod fried in a batter. The finished product looks like the fried fish you’ll find in any Irish or British fish & chip shop. My mother-in-law is a good source... Continue Reading →
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