Vogue : L'autre Grece

The Colorful Sounds of Summer by sunsecrets

Kalamata Messinia Greece

Kalamata is a beautiful city, rich in heritage and culture, possessing a vibrant business environment which includes agricultural production such as olive oil, world famous food goods such as pasteli, and a host of industrial goods.

Kalamata combines the beauty of the Taigetos mountain range with the salty breezy freshness of the Messinian gulf. It is a perfect colorful postcard melage of mountainous green and deep blue.


As a historical note, Kalamata was the first Greek city that was freed from the Ottoman yoke in the Hellenic War of Independence (Kolokotronis : Memoirs of the Greek War of Independence).
On March 23 1821, 3000 armed Maniates under Petros Mavromihalis invaded and liberated Kalamata after issuing a declaration of war.

In commemoration of this event Kalamata has erected a statue of Mavromihalis, General Kolokotronis and Papaflessas (the Devil Priest or Satan Papas as he was known amongst the Ottomans) along with the issued war declaration in the central square (plateia) of the city.

The city is well equipped with fine restaurants that cater to exquisite tastes, fast food places mainly targeted at students, and a set of very fine hotels either by the beach or within the city.

Notable is the daily availability of fresh seafood which is usually fished within the Messinian gulf and finds its way to the local restaurants each morning.
The nightlife due to the extensive student population and the hosted technological institute is impressive and includes of a variety of bars and cafes all offering an assortment of refreshments at student rates.

The modern superhighway that connects Corinth to Tripoli and the eventual extension that will connect Tripoli Arcadia to Kalamata Messinia means that it will only take about three hours for a traveler to reach Kalamata by car from central Athens, assuming no bottlenecks.

Bottlenecks can be avoided by using the Attiki superhighway and omitting the central city roads.
Kalamata is usually used as a spring board for treks inward towards the Mani as well as the remaining Peloponnese. Kalamata is a necessary hub for famous destinations such as Stoupa, Githion, Areopolis, and Monemvasia.

Travellers from abroad usually either fly directly to Kalamata, or fly initially to the Athens International Airport and then transit either by plane, bus or railway to Kalamata and then onward into the Taigetos mountain range.

Eat More While Losing Weight

A number of people may at one or another point in their lives experience a weight problem.

Many people who feel, or are, overweight try to eliminate the extra pounds by eating less; this crash attempt many times leads to detrimental health effects.Undoubtedly, overweight issues should be first be brought to the attention of a qualified physician and dietitian who is the most suitable to prescribe a proper strategy that will eventually, with patience, lead to the desired effects.

Crash diets frequently lead to weight gain rather than weight loss since the individual’s body, or metabolism, responds in such a way as to lead the individual to massive eating, or pigging out, to replace the perceived loss of energy.

One of the largest research projects called Diogenes, and dealing with proper nourishment and effective dieting has lead to the conclusion that effective weight loss (without any collateral damage or related side effects) can be accomplished by a high protein low carbohydrate diet. This diet must be accompanied by ample high fiber, fruit and vegetable intakes as university of Copenhagen researchers point out in their treatise in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The research which involved a group of about 950 individuals concludes that individuals following such a diet can eat to their limits, without incurring any extra weight while actually positioning their bodily functions towards actual weight loss.The related control group which usually ate to the brim, actually gained about half a kilo in a six month period, while other groups following other diets gained about two kilos.

The consumption of high protein from foods such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, low fat dairy products, beans and nuts leads to faster intake satisfaction than other food combinations, and effectively less fat.

The strategy detailed by the Danish scientists comes terribly close to what is known as the Atkins diet, which is followed by a number of well known Hollywood celebrities. The scientists however emphasize that while the Atkins method involves 50% of daily calorie intake from protein, the Diogenes diet invokes a 23% protein based calorie intake.

The latest research results suggest that a classical Greek salad, the crown jewel of the so-called Mediterranean diet, which incorporates fresh tomatoes, fresh green peppers, olives, onions, cucumber, capers, parsley, topped with feta cheese and lavishly embellished with oregano and ample virgin olive oil may be an ideal food candidate for those wishing to engage in a fulfilling healthy and high energy low fat meal.

Sources:

The New England Journal of Medicine, Diets of High and Low Protein Content

Slim Waist Cuisine

Mediterranean cuisine, commonly found on the tables of Greek, Italian and Spanish households offers a nutritiously healthy meal, at an attractive price full of energy, low in calories while light on the digestive system.

Mediterranean cuisine in addition to the fresh fish products which are usually tastier than their ocean counterparts, due in part to the saltier Mediterranean waters, consist of fresh vegetables, local cheeses and of course virgin olive oil.

Mediterranean dishes are always accompanied by wheat products, usually bread and have been proven to reduce toxins and provide an effective guard against a number of diseases.Typical Mediterranean cuisine is also excellent for weight control since the usually low fat high protein food contents (such as fresh fish, wild greens, virgin olive oil and fresh veggies) provide complete all around nourishment, satisfying the hardiest of appetites, without the equivalent cholesterol based intakes of meats and related by products.

Indeed, historic data has proven that those that traditionally adhered to Mediterranean cuisine and avoided today’s fast food based deep fried dishes, enjoyed a healthier lifestyle with less digestive system related problems; women especially enjoyed slimmer waist lines without engaging in unhealthy in time for the beach crash diets often resulting in numerous problems including anorexic behaviors and related ailments.

One of the most popular dishes, from the island of Crete –which is well known for its traditionally tasty Mediterranean approach to cooking- is a dish known as Dakos.This recipe’s ingredients can be found in most supermarkets or local grocery stores, but the reader is advised to choose products carefully and to insist on fresh products where possible since one of the powers of the Mediterranean dish, is the rich vitamin supply that is characteristic of fresh produce such as veggies, fruits, fish, olive oil and of course cheese.

Dakos is a Cretan dry and Crusty brown bread which is usually sliced in two, or cut into thick crumbs or pieces and served with the appropriate embellishments.The dish is made by first of all grating fresh tomatoes, green peppers, and Feta cheese and spreading the grated product over the Dakos break.

The topping is then garnished with oregano and capers, and olives are placed around the dish to add to the taste. Fresh olive oil is then lavishly poured over the product to enhance the dish’s taste and soften the crusty bread making it more palatable and easier to chew.Dakos is a quick, tasty and easy meal that can be prepared in under ten minutes, and that can offer a nutritious fulfilling meal anytime, anywhere.

The Mysterious Island of Scorpios, Lefkada Greece

Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, otherwise know as "Ari, the Golden Greek" and one of the most famous and legendary self made billionaire tycoons purchased Scorpios in the fifties.
Before Onassis, Scorpios was nothing more than a barren rocky piece of earth in the middle of the Ionian, across Lefkada.
Onassis deployed the latest engineering and irrigation methods including an underwater pipe system that carried water from the mainland, via Nidri (Nydri), to Scorpios.


Onassis also ordered the transportation, via his own fleet, of fine beach sand from the shores of Northern Africa and had it deployed in key areas of the island, thus creating shorelines and beaches.
Onassis in addition brought vegetation from different parts of the world and planted them on Scorpios (once the irrigation system and water works were up and running) and converted a barren wasteland into a man made paradise.
To the wonder of the Lefkadan locals, what was once a piece of barren rock in the middle of the Ionian seven island complex, the Eptanisa, was transformed into a habitable island rich in lush and exotic vegetation, beachfronts with ample water supply.


Once the island was made habitable, estates were built including his own and the “Pink” estate which housed visitors. Notable visitors to the island paradise were celebrities such as the legendary Maria Callas as well as Onassis' last wife, Jacqueline Onassis formerly Kennedy.
Onassis had the island guarded 24 hours a day on shore by local security, and underwater by frogmen to ensure that paparazzi and unwanted visitors were kept at a distance from the family premises.

Aristotle Onassis' only son, Alexandros, was killed in a plain crash in Greece in 1973, and Aristotle Onassis died of pneumonia in France in 1975. Onassis' only daughter Christina passed away in Buenos Aires, Argentina from pulmonary edema in 1988 leaving her daughter Athina as heiress to the Onassis empire.
The mausoleum of the Onassis family occupies an area on the island and houses Aristotle Onassis and his two children, Christina and Alexandros. Onassis has included a clause in the will that even if the island is to be sold, the area occupied by the mausoleum will remain with the Onassis foundation thus ensuring that the remains of the once powerful family remain undisturbed for the years to come.
How to Get There
To get to Scorpios from Athens one takes the road to Patras. Right before Patras one crosses the Rio/AntiRio bridge and heads for Astacos, then Amphilohia and then across the bridge to the Ionian island of Lefkada.