My world through the Hellenic News of America

Travel Pen and Palate “Explores the world and your own backyard.”

In the first 6 months of 2019 “your own backyard” is relative.

My monthly travel column for the Hellenic News of America meanders through Aegean Islands and the Andes Mountains, from thriving ancient cities to the birthplace of wine…read on please.

At home with Alexander: Edessa and Pella

Karonos Falls, Edessa, Central Macedonia, Greece

What forces make a legendary region a tourist attraction? Conflict and nature are two factors. Pella was Alexander the Great’s new showpiece capital and over 1,500 years later nearby Edessa profits greatly from an earthquake.

Four Wineries of Macedonia and Eastern Macedonia/Thrace

It’s easy to understand why fun loving Dionysius was a favorite deity among humans. Vineyards have existed in northern Greece since antiquity. The earliest archeological records for wine production are at least 7,000 years old. Wine was essential to the Greek psyche and in everyday life Macedonia and Thrace was its motherland.

Ursulines and marble: educating Tinos Island

Angela de Merici, founder of the Ursulines, believed that educated young women could make great contributions to society. The year was 1535.

Cadiz: Beyond the Pillars of Hercules

When Hercules had to perform twelve labors one of them took him to the westward extent of the then (at least to humans) known world. Trouble was that the actual end of the world was on the other side of a great mountain (which if true would effectively have made the Mediterranean a lake). So what’s a super-hero in a hurry supposed to do?

Mountains of the Pachamama: the Andes of Argentina

The dome of the planet was a glittering display for the Pachamama. No wonder for thousands of years the indigenous people of the Andes worshiped the land as a living force and looked upon the Pachamama – the Earth Mother – as their benevolent protector.