Music Monday: a playlist

bluemountain thyme, flickr

Hope everyone has a great week. Here's some classic rock jams to get you through your Monday blues (I've got them bad today...)

Rock n' Roll Ain't Noise Polution from ATLGeorgia on 8tracks Radio.

Hi, Weekend!

Well, winter is definitely on us up here in New York. I didn't realize it could be so cold your face hurt! But overall we can't complain- I live a short walk from the hospital, and according to my colleagues it's actually unseasonably warm. That hasn't stopped me from planning a Florida getaway to look forward to, though ;-) 

Speaking of winter, this cold has given me a new appreciation for warm socks! I think I need to go the wool route as the temperatures drop...this pair's definitely on my list.

I was never a huge fan of Mark Zuckerberg until he posted this. Vaccines are important, and with very few exceptions all children should be vaccinated according to the CDC schedule. I've been wanting to write a post about vaccines for awhile now...maybe it's time...hmm...

I found this list after we got back from London. Of course. But that's not stopping us from adding it to our ever-growing London to-do list, haha! Some of those locations just look so gorgeous, it's hard to believe you can reach them on the tube.

I went through a weird phase this past couple of days and started making playlists on 8tracks again! It was really fun- I've had this one in particular on my iPod for ages but never put it up until now. 

Our ideal pet situation. 

Valuing time more than money is linked to happiness- a good thing to remember in the upcoming year. (Thanks for the link, reddit.)

I so badly want to see the rest of this clip- Channing Tatum lip syncing to Let it Go

The drawers situation at our has has gotten a little bit...ridiculous? Let's just say living out of cardboard boxes as a chest of drawers is not ideal. I found this one on etsy and it's not crazy expensive...what do you think?

I'm kind of dying to try out this recipe one weekend...call in London withdrawal ;-)

Just discovered this Mommy-doctor blog and I'm pretty impressed- Laura makes this intern business look easy, haha! 

Have a great weekend. I'm working today, but in the ED so hopefully it will be a good- and maybe even fun?- shift. And tomorrow- pumpkin spice pancakes with one of my favorite people :D

Music.

somewhere on the blue ridge parkway, 2015

I've said this before, but one of the things I've really missed since starting work (finally! at the ripe age of 26!!) is the time I used to spend discovering new music. All to often, when I'm working long hours, I plop down on my laptop and just play 1989 (it's the only new album I've bought on iTunes, and all my old stuff is inexplicably hidden in some part of my hard drive.) It's the equivalent to eating junk food all. the. time. If I'm lucky the husband will pop one of our records on, but apart from Leon Bridges (genius that he is,) I haven't really gotten into any of the new (and I'm sure great) stuff lately, which is a bummer.

So I've been trying to change things up a bit in the first month of this new year. I skimmed through Rolling Stone and NPR's best of album lists, not to mention a trustworthy blog here and there (these guys introduced me to Jason Isbell, for example.)

So here's to a year of good music, new discovery, and all that that implies :)

The best of Indie Folk 2015 from rbieze on 8tracks Radio.

What are your favorite albums/new artists or songs of 2015?

-G

Into the Clouds

I think a regret for both Peter and I was never managing to scale Psiloritis while we were living on Crete together. When my Dad was a kid staying in our Horio in the 70s, they'd make the trek straight from the village- hiking down into the lush, wooded valley, then climbing up the mountain from the South face, guided by a neighbor who knew the place like the back of his weathered palm. He's well over 90 now, Kyrio Stelios, and he doesn't go up there any more, though he's one of a handful of people who still regularly go to the Horio and spend time out there in the mountains.

So obviously, we weren't going to get married on Crete without getting ourselves up there.

We called it a bachelor/ette party of sorts. Figured that was one good way to convince our family and friends that this idea wasn't actually crazy and might work. We left from Rethymnon in 3 cars with some vague idea that we needed to drive South. A few wrong turns and some directions from a goatherd in exchange for a few cigarettes landed us at a sort of base camp. Within a half hour of walking the air had become thick with clouds and icy wind.

We found what we were searching for, in the end (that is, after getting lost on the next peak over. This post is a little more of a what-not-to-do one, if you catch my meaning.) A tiny chapel, built of slate and stones, is nestled at the peak of Psiloritis. Services are held only once a year, at a summer Panagyri. It's not accessible in the winter, when snow blankets the mountain trail.

We huddled together inside and said the prayer for marriage, had a shot of raki, and enjoyed the fragments of view that we could catch between the clouds: mountains on mountains, and a few glimpses of the Libyan sea shimmering to the South.

We made it down alright in the end, but not without getting lost twice (whoops.) I wouldn't recommend doing it as we did: don't go to early in the summer (snow was still covering some of the trail;) don't go without good hiking boots, and for goodness' sake, bring a guide, or at least a map. It was worth it in the end, though- as we descended back out of the clouds the mountains opened up into stunning views of the valley below. It felt like we were in another world.

The hike is actually part of a trail that spans the length of Crete. One day, maybe, we can go back and do the whole thing...one day :)

Happy New Year, everyone. Wishing you all the very best in 2016!

Back in London

We've been in London nearly a week now and guys, it feels so. good. The weather's been cool and damp, but not miserable. We've been spending days wandering central London and nights curled up re-watching the original Star Wars trilogy (we're seeing the new one this week!) My sister came in from Spain this past weekend, and between birthday and family dinners, Christmas shopping and a few touristy things squeezed in we've been keeping busy. I'll try to post more photos soon, but if I disappear again for a bit, a very happy, merry Christmas to everyone out there- Christ is (almost) born!

A few interesting links around the web:

To get you in the Christmas Spirit

More good news- and proof that we're all just humans

If you're a big Star Wars nerd, you'll find this extra funny

The Daily Mail's list of things that cause cancer- don't believe everything you read, y'all.

2015: a cuteness review of the year

Husband and I got a Rosemary Christmas Tree this year and it smells amazing.

If I was a D.I.Y. kind of gal, I'd be making these this week- oh well...

We used this blog post to plan out a few fun outings in London before Christmas- enjoy

(p.s.- another helpful London guide for those who are vegan, or fasting like us.)

All the best,

G

A long December

source

It's Friday! Hurray!

....and I'm working tomorrow. Womp womp.

Honestly I will be a much happier, more pleasant human being 1 week from today, so I'm refraining from writing longer posts till that time, because honestly, no one needs extra negativity floating around this here interwebs. We get plenty of that from domestic and international news sites, amiright?

I will however, divulge in some moody winter music. It's ever so slightly inspired by this post from A Cup of Jo about 26 things to do for yourself once a year (one of them is listening to old songs from another part of your life.) Honestly, I don't think once, or even 2 or 3 times a year, would be enough for me. I love the nostalgic feeling I get when I listen to certain albums: No Doubt's Return of Saturn brings me back to 90s road trips in our giant leperchaun-green van in the 90s (yep, had one of those. We were that family.); Fleetwood Mac's self titled album when I fell hard for this handsome idiot once in high school; even Celine Dion's Greatest Hits and A New Day Has Come playing on repeat on my karaoke machine in my room after Christmas (yea, I went there. No shame. also the year I got wayyyy into Lord of the Rings, so Celine and The Fellowship will forever be weirdly and closely connected for me.) So yea, if it wasn't clear before, I love a good throwback. So here you go.

Cretan Summer

Moni Arkadi

Agios Titos

Irakleio, the road to the Limani/Koules

 So I'm not even sure where to begin...
Going back to Crete, 5 years after Peter and I met and over 3 years after my last visit, was pretty emotional/awesome/overwhelming. As I walked around the streets of Irakleio with my sister, memories would come flooding back- of the corner of Liontaria Square where we'd meet up to run as just friends, of the roma kids who I eventually sort of kind of befriended, of the anarchist's bar down the street from my old apartment, and the Goody's (basically Greek McDonald's) where I'd get club sandwiches when I was home sick.

Our favorite restaurant was Lychnostatis. It felt like eating at your Yiayia's kitchen- everything was cozy and old, from the crummy wicker chairs to the old fireplace that caught fire once while we were sharing raki there with some of the other Physics students (true story.) We'd get lost in the little winding city streets, or on mountain roads looking for the best meat in the villages nestled up against Psiloritis with my cousin. We hopped on KTEL buses from one end of Crete to the other, seeking out the best beaches, the most beautiful cities.

It's so weird thinking back on those times now. I was a puny 21 year old with nothing but a lit degree and a handful of Greek phrases to my name. I miss it- the experiences, the foods, the feeling that there was so much yet to do and see- but now, 4 years on, I know our lives will never be quite like that again. I'm so grateful we began this chapter of our lives- marriage- right where it all started in the first place ;).

Favorite spots in Irakleio (no particular order, sorry:)

Lychnostatis- great food. enough said.

Vrakas Ouzeri and seafood restaurant: so actually, Peter and I are in debate on this one, as I love this place (they used to make a honey-grilled octopus that was kick ass, but don't anymore- boo!) but Peter is partial to Ligo Krasi, Ligo Thalassa. Hippocampos is where Peter used to take his parents- go try all three and decide for yourselves!

Peskesi- a new favorite- everything, including the salads, meats and cheeses, are amazing! Very nice open air ambiance too (though that's not hard to find in Cretan restaurants.)

Erganos- great authentic Cretan meals. Just outside the walls of the city

Outside of Heraklion: Tou Pavlou and To Rodi, both in Rogdia, have amazing food and equally lovely views. Worth renting a car to get to.

The wall around the city is great for strolling, exploring, and getting a nice view of the mountains. In the spring after the rains all you can see is beautiful white and purple daisies- it's just lovely.

Knossos Palace- an archaeological site well worth visiting in spite of being unintentionally damaged by a well-meaning English guy (whoops) - get a tour guide

The Koules- every seaside town on Crete has a Fortezza and old limani, or port from Venetian times or older. Heraklion's is not super big or exciting, but one of our favorite things to do used to be to run together to the end and back. Many Cretans will go for a "volta" (stroll) along the walls. The giant archways you can see nearby were where the ancient ships were once built :)

Churches- Agios Minas has a miraculous history from World War II, when a bomb was dropped on it but did not detonate. Agios Titos is a repurposed mosque from Ottoman times with stunning architecture.

Beaches- so many to choose from! Near to Irakleio the beaches are kind of...icky. a short bus ride or car ride out of the city will bring you to Agia Pelagia, Paliokastro (I used to climb here,) and Kokkini Hani.

Kazantzakis Museum- I never actually went here, but history and literature nerds will love this place. I'm kicking myself right now for not checking it out, all these years later (whoops...)

Getting around: Heraklion has two KTEL bus stations. Coach-sized buses can take you over the whole island; the farthest trip, to Chania, is 3 hours. Prices are somewhere under 10 euros, but I did have a student pass and this was a long time ago, so don't quote me! Basically you can easily get to most major places on Crete without a car if you don't fancy driving on the winding roads. That being said, many of the roads on Crete have been re-done since my last trist with them- they're a lot safer, and a car will afford you access to even more hidden corners of the island. Of note, my now-husband cycled everywhere on Crete, but personally I think he is a crazy-pants and would not have felt safe doing this myself :)

Chania, the Limani

Peskesi, Irakleio

Liontaria fountain- basically at the center of Iraklieo

Tou Pavlou

The rocks down by the sea were a favorite climbing spot when I lived here 

like a terrible blogger, we basically ate all the things without taking *one* photo! for shame. To be fair, it was our first meal in Greece and we were kind of excited.