Athenians last month swallowed hard when they heard that members of an Albanian mafia were out to kidnap gold medal champion weight-lifter Pyrrhus Dimas. Although born and raised in Albania (he only received a Greek passpost just before flying off to Barcelona), he is an ethnic Greek, and judging from his first name, probably of royal Epirot descent.
Ever since he sacked his foreign minister a few months ago and took the post
President of the European Commission Jacques Delors was in such a good mood when he came to Athens last month, it was almost as if he had brought a box of bonbons.
According to wise old Aristotle, catharsis is that good-all-over-feeling you get at the end of
Last year during the Gulf Crisis a bright little Hellinopoula looking at a map projected
There she is in the picture on the tin of Nounou condensed milk in her
In ancient times the slopes of Mount Hymettus buzzed with industrious bees which collected the most famous honey of antiquity. Today, the summits still buzz, but with the hundreds of radio transmission stations, many of which are producing things not so sweet – especially as far as the government is concerned.
Last spring this newspaper called its readers’ attention to a privately sponsored organization called “Plant Your Roots in Greece” which was collecting funds for national afforestation.
There was an amusing sketch in the Economist last month just before the Maastricht summit. It showed a sort of conga-line of premiers led by ample Chancellor Kohl and the rear brought up by a grimacing Mr Mitsotakis. The final paragraph of the accompanying text, appropriately devoted to Greece, opened, “Last and certainly least…”
“I despise the Greek state but I adore Hellenism” – Ion Dragoumis
