ΚΑΘΑΡΑ ΔΕΥΤΕΡΑ - CLEAN MONDAY

KATHARÁ DEFTÉRA - ΚΑΘΑΡΑ ΔΕΥΤΕΡΑ - CLEAN MONDAY - LUNES LIMPIO

Today, 7th March 2011, is 'Clean Monday' in Greece. Everyone is spending the day in the countryside flying kites.

{Greek Orthodox Christians celebrate the first day of the Eastern (cuaresma). The beginning of the 7th week before Orthodox Easter Sunday}

I'll never forget that journey.
The amazing view from the train in the way Patra - Athens: at the background mountains with snow, the sea and all those kites hanging in the sky. Magic.
Mou leipei th omorfa Ellada.

Elena's Record:
10th March 2008

Cool moment: Καθαρά δευτέρα - Clean Monday

Thousands of kites flying over the sky, high, so high. They say bye. During the whole way from Patra's student dorm (Estia Panepistimio) till Athens, everywhere. They smiled happy, it was their day, I did cry, the day was mine as well, the day to say bye to Patras. The definitive bye. Before that I knew I would go back, for Carnival the dorm was going to burn again. And it was burnt, and now there are only the ashes left, although stoned for me in that little happy world we created there.

The way Patras - Athens is probably the most beautiful in the whole Greece. From the Peloponnisos: the blue sea (such a blue that I've just been able to find there) shines protected by the calm that continental Greek mountains give to her from the background.
In Korinthos the climax. In the Strait, sea in both sides, till crosses through the other side finally: Salamina.

Bye bye Peloponnisos and hello to that awesome goddess: The amazing, wise and warrior ATHINA.

Antesala de la vida/Antesala de la muerte

Alcázar de San Juan, Hospital La Mancha Centro.

La sala de espera de paritorio junto a la sala de espera de la unidad de cuidados intensivos polivalente.
La antesala de la vida junto la antesala de la muerte.
Familiares, amigos que esperan vida. Risas, sonrisas, alegría, esperanza.
Familiares, amigos que esperan muerte. O algo peor, tal vez. Llantos, gritos, desesperación, miradas perdidas.
Dos puertas se abren. Por una aparece una nueva vida y por otra comunican muerte.
Como la vida misma. Llegas a este mundo por una puerta y lo abandonas por otra.
Temblores de excitación y nerviosismo, por tan diferentes motivos. Todos juntos compartiendo sentimientos bajo un mismo techo, juntos pero nunca revueltos.

Tu vida puede cambiar de rumbo en tan solo un segundo.

¿Te has preguntado alguna vez cuándo y cómo morirás? No hace falta que te lo plantees ahora mismo, pero no olvides que algún día TODOS moriremos. TODOS, sin excepción.

Disfruta de cada momento, persona o situación, porque hoy: es el primer día del resto de tu vida!

La gran verdad es una mentira

Foto por cortesía de Abi (gracias pequeña)

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Alcázar de San Juan, Hospital La Mancha Centro.

The maternity ward waiting room next to the waiting room of the polyvalent intensive care unit.
The threshold of life with the death row.
Family, friends waiting for life. Laughter, smiles, joy, hope.
Family, friends waiting for death. Or worse, maybe. Crying, screaming, despair, blank looks.
Two doors open. For one there is a new life and another reported death.
Like life itself. You come into this world through a door and you leave it through another.
Trembling with excitement and nervousness, so different reasons. Sharing feelings together under one roof, together but never stirred.

Your life can change course in just a second.

Have you ever wondered when and how you will die? You don't need to raise it now, but don't forget that someday we will ALL die. ALL without exception.

Enjoy every moment, person or situation, because today is the first day of the rest of your life!

The great truth is a lie

"A good day to die"

Pic by Abi (thanks babe)

Santander April 2010

The tide of your absence is enlarged in my pupils

Brooklyn Bridge NY_08

This entrance is dedicated to someone who I met in NYC. This person is that kind of people that you meet just for a day and it's enough to mark your life, maybe cause of simple connection or same feelings. This draw was made by him. And thought it took a while for him to make it... for me is a work of ART.

Thanks, V. M. Cano. You'll always be kept on my mind!

Nikos Kazantzakis

I don't expect anything
I am not afraid of anything
I AM FREE.

This is the inscription that we can find in the grave of Nikos Kazantzakis, Cretan writer, creator of 'Zorba the Greek'. I wrote it down in my notebook when I found it one day that I went out for a walk around Heraklio, Crete.

Good belief.

Η μικρή Αννούλα - La pequeña Anita

Con todos ustedes...

LA PEQUEÑA ANITA! The little Anna! Η μικρή Αννούλα! (/i Mikrí Anula/)

Todos aquellos que me conozcan bien sabrán perfectamente de quien se trata... Esa pequeña a la que le ocurren todas las desgracias del mundo, tan famosa entre el humor negro griego. Podríamos compararla con nuestro Jaimito, pero en gore.
Ahora ya podéis ponerle cara a la pequeña Anita (ilustrada por mi misma) e imaginarosla en todas sus situaciones comprometidas.

No sería de buen gusto poner chistes gore en un post, pero abro la veda para comentarios, donde podeis dejar vuestras aportaciones. Prometo contribuir con alguna historia de Anita.

¿Por qué me gustan ese tipo de chistes de tan mal gusto? Ni idea. Pero es algo que, a pesar de la delicadeza del asunto, siempre me ha hecho gracia. Tal vez por la excesividad. O por la sorna habitual que me caracteriza. Habrá que buscarle el lado gracioso incluso a las situaciones más penosas.

Si alguien no está preparado para ello, por favor, que no lea los comentarios. Que no se diga que no avisé.

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Those who know me well will know perfectly who I am talking about... 'the little Anna'. That little girl who is victim of all disasters you can imagine, so famous in the black Greek humor.
Now you can imagine better the little Anna in all those committed situations (illustrated by me).

I don't think it'd be a good idea to post black humor jokes in an entrance, but if you want to contribute you can write some black jokes in 'comments'. I promise to contribute with some stories about the little Anna.

I can't explain why I love so much this kind of jokes, no idea. It's something that I've always seen as funny, even being a delicate matter. Perhaps in the intention of finding a funny side in the worst situations.

Please, I request you not to read the comments if you are not ready. Don't say I didn't warn before!

My first Greek word - Mi primera palabra griega

My first Greek word, in an Irish beach, near Dublin. July 2007

παραλία - ΠΑΡΑΛΙΑ (/pa-ra-lí-a/) = beach

Dedicated to Robe. Thanks for being my first Greek teacher and for passing on me your enthusiasm. I'll never forget you!

Σε ευχαριστώ Ρόμπε. Σε περιμένω στη Ισπανία για τα νέα Ελληνικά μαθήματα!