Uncategorized Archives - AthensLingua

Jul 16

The colourful food market in Pettah, Colombo / Sri Lanka. 15.7.2018

The colourful food market in Pettah, Colombo / Sri Lanka. 15.7.2018 I’ve been to loads of street food markets while traveling. I’ve always liked them since I’ve always felt that part of a city’s heart beats there. I’ve always shot photos of foods in those street markets and always been intrigued by the colours and […]

The Russian Matryoshka Doll.

I had always been intrigued by the story behind the Russian Matryoshka dolls: Somehow, somewhere, someone once told me that Matryoshkas had always stood for the heroism and sacrifice of the Russian women during war time, as they stood at the forefront on army expeditions, sacrificing their bodies by stepping onto minefields before the soldiers, […]

Helsinki / Finland in 1 morning, 0 words, 24 photos (4 April, 2018).

Armenia’s Religious Character.

Let me tell you the story of “Saint Gregory the Illuminator” from Armenia. According to the legend, Gregory was born in a very well-off Armenian family. His father killed the Armenian king but also lost his life after that. Gregory’s biographer Agathangelos wrote that after his father’s death, Gregory-still a child-was transferred to, and raised […]

Cairo, Egypt. Café “Riche”.

First time I visited Cairo, I was only eleven. Twenty six years after, I anticipated, being extremely emotional to see if things would look as “big” and exciting as they had before my childhood eyes. You see it was the first time I would ever travel abroad (had crossed the Balkans with mum and dad […]

Why God(s) should be kept alive.

This year I was blessed enough to travel a lot. The compass kept pointing to the East. I knew very well that it was mysticism that took me to Asia as well as what we call: “the cultural gap”, that is, this impossibility of deep understanding – despite one’s struggle – of the eastern “otherness”. […]

Cambodia, Siem Reap; the temples of Angkor

Angkor is a stunning complex of temples found in the North-west of Cambodia, proudly holding the title of the largest religious monument in the world with Angkor Wat in its heart! The ultimate fusion of creative ambition and spiritual devotion are a source of inspiration and profound pride to all Khmers (Lonely Planet, 2010). Construction […]

Vietnam: Hoi An, City of Lanterns.

This is the most captivating, most picturesque, romantic and chic Vietnamese city – no doubt! The Thu Bon River used to be a glorious international trading port back in the 17th century. Traces of the Chinese, Japanese and European influence are omnipresent – “written” on the splendid, local architecture. We’re in the South now and […]

Vietnam, Cat Ba: The floating Van Gia village.

This was not in the guidebook. It was a discovery that gave us a very blissful afternoon! We had only heard of it and only assumed it exists on a kayak the same morning, rowing to the Monkey Island. The Van Gia floating village lies a few meters away from the southernmost port of Cat […]

Vietnam: Everybody plays in Hanoi!

Wake up at 5 o’clock in the morning and don’t miss this miracle unfolding before your eyes! People wake up before the city does (shops, morning shifts etc.) and reach for the Hoan Kiem Lake to meditate, take their morning exercise, play: dance, yoga, cycling, fishing, aerobics, weight lifting, chess, massage! Same at dusk! Children […]

Singapore: Gardens by the Bay.

In the middle of a city, which is in the middle of the jungle, one will not miss the splendid tropical “Gardens by the Bay”! Back to Singapore after four years. This was not planned. There was a nine-hour wait at the Changi airport on a transit flight to Hanoi/Vietnam. It was very early, six […]

India’s Caste System.

India is probably the most complex society in the world. The country is growing fast but traditional views that would appear as rather obsolete today still persist. Among those, and when it comes to the caste system –even though outlawed ever since the 1950s –segregation and discrimination are still in place, looming above perceptions about […]

Asian Gothic: Nepal.

If Gothic had been conceived and cultivated in Asia, it would have been under the blessings of Nepal! Reddish and dark subdued colours, fog, carnivorous Gods, elaborate architecture with complex ornaments, stupas with the Buddha’s eyes omnipresent, under the shade of the Himalayan Mountain range, and this terrible memory of the dark 25th of April, […]

New Delhi: the Gurunwara Bangla Sahib.

What should really serve as an example to the West is not only how the Indians tolerate but also how they embrace “Otherness”. Despite the fact that almost 80% of the population is Hindu, it comes as a surprise to the traveler how harmoniously they coexist with other ethnic and religious minorities. The secret behind […]

India, New Delhi: the Akshardham.

Spending on religion on behalf of the governments seems like a rather impossible scenario today, but the Hindus don’t joke when it comes to ritual. The architectural marvel of the Swaminarayan Akshardam goes far beyond any expectation, rising just a bit outside the center of the chaotic Indian capital. Set in a vast 100-acre expanse […]

India (a short introduction).

Humans, cows, pigs, and monkeys, rubbish, pollution, dirt everywhere…temples, open markets, endless motion: a chaos by itself in a strange harmony of its own; a shock to the senses…Harsh light, high themperatures, odours; curry succeeded by rotten matter, and then in just a few seconds dung switching into spices again, and then the frangipani flowers..dust […]

Happy 1396! Nowruz: March 21, 2017. The Iranian New Year’s Eve.

(Shiraz; December 31st, 2015) How strange could this get…December 31st: sitting at a nice restaurant, ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The clock strikes 00:00 and ….nothing happens: No fireworks, no bliss, no kissing and wishing around! Just an ordinary night. Iranians do not celebrate New Year’s Eve on the 31st of December! They celebrate […]

Planet Dubai (UAE). دبي

Dubai is a planet in its own Universe. A land of frenetic progress, vanity to the extreme; land of world records, a place that changes every day only to prove that the human potential has no limits. Size matters here, same as height, luxury, speed, ambition.Yes, you can go skiing in the desert, you can […]

Singapore: Little India District.

Singapore is home to a Pantheon of deities celebrated all over the country, in every house and every street, with festivals, customs and traditions dominating social life – a paradox if one considers the hectic pace of life of an ultra modern city galloping towards the future: Budhism, Taoism, Islam and Catholicism coexist in a […]

Greece, Amorgos: Chozoviotisa Monastety.

This is the second oldest orthodox monastery in Greece (built in 1017), landmark of the island, pride of the locals. The monastery-literally built on an almost vertical surface, is an ode to the grace of Panagia (Virgin Mary), patron of the island-celebrated on the 15th of August. A stone doorway leads to the higher levels […]

Bali: The Rice Terraces.

The view from those terraces is different but definitely stunning in its own way! Rice production in Bali probably constitutes the most crucial part of the national economy. It holds an important part not only of the Balinese diet but also the culture and religion. Dewi Shri, the ancient goddess is there to protect […]

Roma: La Statua di Marforio.

“Hidden” among the walls of the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori, this magnificent reclining marble statue of a male figure is in fact not Poseidon, neither Jupiter nor Neptune! This is Marforio (Lat. Marphurius, Marforius). This statue, dating back to the 1st century AD, is thought to be the personification of Ocean or […]

The Portuguese Fado.

I discovered Lisboa in the books of Antonio Tabucchi (“Sostiene Pereira” 1994, Feltrinelli/ “Pereira Maintains”). In Lisboa, I discovered the Fado. Fado is a music genre dating back to the 1820s probably with much earlier origins to be traced; A simple, rather minimal style of music accompanied by lyrics much about anything at present form. […]

Coral reefs in the Maldives / Indian Ocean.

Beautiful though they might seem, in fact they are suffering. More than 60% of corals in reefs in the Maldives has been hit by “bleaching” as the world is gripped by record temperatures in 2016, a scientific survey suggests. (The Guardian 8.8.2016) What is to blame? Unusually warm temperatures in the Indian Ocean due to […]

The Borobudur / Java, Indonesia .

Everyone has somehow, somewhere seen those tranquil Buddhas gazing the foggy jungle with a mystic sunset in the background, but few would tell where they truly are. This is the Borobudur; the single largest Buddhist temple anywhere on earth, one of the most brilliant architectural constructs ever made. It dates back to the 8th century […]

Women in Iran.

Among the Eastern peoples, Iranians-who have always asserted “not to be mistaked for Arabs (!)”-seem to be the most difficult for the western eye to understand, and Iranian women-or attitudes towards them-have long been a surface of controversy. But what are truly Iranian women allowed to do within their society that during the 70s looked […]

Iran, Esfahan. Masjed-e Jāmé. ایران، تهران. مسجد جامع

A real museum of Islamic architecture itself, the Jameh Mosque is located in the historic centre of Esfahan. The complex, covering more than 20,000 m2 , is the oldest preserved edifice of its kind, starting its history back to 841 AD, covering 12 centuries, most predominantly the Abbasid, Buyid, Seljuq, Ilkhanid, Muzzafarid, Timurid and Safavid eras. […]

Jordan; Wadi Rum, الأردن؛ وادي رم

Wadi Rum, spreading 60 km east from Aqaba, 30 km south of the Wadi Rum village is the “Valley of the Moon”! This desert has been home to the Nabateans who left their marks on the rocks, and passage to the Romans, as well as byzantine ascetic communities. The rather aggressive landscape has constituted […]

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Travel thoughts, impressions, information.

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