Reporting from Greece: April 2006

podcast: Greek coffee

a podcast loveletter to caffeine, as consumed by Greeks.

ah, coffee. Find out what the Greek varieties are, and how to make them.
download (right click, save as...) or subscribe (4:14, 2.42 MB)

NOTE: the two varieties I talk about take special equipment, so you probably can't make them exactly as I describe here. But, if you really want a frappe maker (left in the picture above) or a briki (right) just let me know. Also, I accidentally got like 300 bendy straws, so I could send you some of them, too.

I mention this in the podcast, but I'll be gone until next month. A couple weeks ago, that probably would've meant something. Still, I'm going to Athens before next week's podcast.

podcast pause

This week's podcast is in the can, but my host, OurMedia, is being foolish.
Also, I'm going to be out of Greece for the next two weeks, so I can't in good faith do a report from Greece. (Also, no internet access.)
But, if you want to read more about Greece, either go to Emily's blog or This is Not My Country, which is one of the best Greece-in-English blogs around.

podcast: Aris fans

Hear my take on an Aris basketball game.

Download here, right click, save as. (5:06, 3.1 MB)
Use the link on the left to subscribe.
Links: Aris' official website, their fan website, and photos I've taken at Aris games.
Also, at first I thought that "Aris" meant they were named after Aristotle, but they're actually named after the God of War. Which is probably the best mascot you could ever have.

video: Naoussa Carneval

This was discussed in a podcast from last month, but here's video of the Carneval parade in Naoussa. Stick around for the end of the video, which features adorable boys.

adorable, no?

video: Aris basketball game

Here is some video I took at the Aris Thessaloniki/Hemofarm Vrsac basketball game. By winning the game (sorry if I spoiled it) Aris qualified for the championship game of the ULEB tournament, and will play against Dynamo Moscow on April 11.

The fans were just crazy.

podcast: Rachel Returns

It's the twentieth episode of my podcast, Reporting from Greece, but the first on blogger.
This week, it's my longest title ever: Rachel Returns, and Regales Us with Serbian Stories
My older sister Rachel is living (and blogging) in Serbia, but she visited me last week. During her visit, we sat down and chatted. We also sat on this bench, in the catacombs of Agios Ioannis (the second-best catacombs in Thessaloniki):