Author: sylvia

Nikos and Maria’s wedding

Posted on by sylvia

One of the most beautiful things about being invited to your friend’s wedding as the wedding photographer is that you get to live the entire day very close to the couple, living every moment with them. This August I traveled to Ptolemaida, an industrial city in mainland Greece, where I got to know both the couple and the area a lot better. By the way, I can’t wait to go back!

The day started off at George Hair Club where Maria was getting her hair and make-up done. After some champagne and a few make-up induced tears, the bride rushed off to her family’s house, where nearly the entire village of Olympiada was waiting for her, with live brass music, dance and treats. The wedding dress was rushed on and the traditional ceremonies began before we all ran off to the church.

Nikos was patiently waiting on the church steps with his wide smile, bouquet in hand. The ceremony took place at Agia Triada, a large, beautiful church in the centre of Ptolemaida. The priest united the couple, spoke some beautiful words and it’s love ever after. ❤

After an urban stroll through the city with the couple and the best man, we arrived at Flo Cafe Bar where the pedestrian street was filled with the guests. Music -by friends and the groom himself- and dance, drinks and laughs!

Enough said, I’ll let you see some of the highlights.

Shame on you Kalymnos!

Posted on by sylvia

Kalymnos may be an island known for rock climbing and scuba diving, but it’s also great for hiking! During my short stay on the island I managed to hike a few of the paths, but there are still many more to discover.

On the day I was trying to find my way to Sikati cave, I took a path that leads to a beach. All along the descent, I was saying how wonderful this bay is, how amazing it would be to camp there and how amazing everything looks. Unfortunately, once I arrived on the beach, I quickly changed my mind.

This beautiful landscape, that’s actually a natural fjord with crystal clear waters, was completely covered with garbage! I was absolutely shocked and appalled with the amount of trash that lay there! There was all sorts of discarded objects in the sea, on the beach and even in the bushes behind the beach! I was devastated.

This is a beach close to a frequented spot, Palionisos Cove, and it’s also on the way to a climbing sector (for those of you who have the climbing map, I believe it’s sector 5). During the time I was there, several tourists passed through. Imagine the disappointment after the 30 min. hike.

Why isn’t the administration of Kalymnos doing anything about this beach? Why isn’t there a yearly beach clean up event, calling on volunteers to help collect the trash? Local fishermen can also volunteer by bringing out their fishing boats, loading the garbage bags on them and taking them to the designated garbage disposal area. Imagine what 5, 10, 15 people can accomplish in only a day. This beach can be reclaimed and enjoyed by all. Shame on you Kalymnos for turning a blind eye!

It makes me so sad that every year I find a beach similar to this one. Remote, beautiful, full of garbage. Last year it was one of the less accessible beaches in Mali, on the island of Tinos. You can see what it looked like here.

No more excuses, we all need to pitch in.

Kalymnos: rock, sponge, sea

Posted on by sylvia

Summer holidays are about discovery, exploration, fun and relaxation! I found all that in the Dodecanese.

The island of Kalymnos was put on the map thanks to the long tradition of sponge diving and more recently, rock climbing.
In fact, the reason the island first attracted attention on an international scale was because of the diving-related accidents and illnesses the sponge divers suffered. Thanks to them (and quite unfortunately for them), international diving standards have been set in place in order to avoid such diving injuries as decompression sickness.

Nowadays, Kalymnos is best known for its rock climbing and bouldering. Climbers from all over the world come to the island for its marvelous sectors.

And since it’s an island in the Aegean sea, many come for the beaches! One positive little surprise about Kalymnos was the island of Telendos, separated from Kalymnos by an earthquake, now lying at only 800m. across the channel.

But I’ve already said too much. Take a look for yourself!

Ascent to Mt. Olympus – 2918m.

Posted on by sylvia

Now, there’s an easy way to do things and there’s a hard way.

Choosing the “hard way” to reach the highest point of Greece is what we did with my team, but I can assure you that it was rewarding.

Here’s the breakdown

Wake up call: 5:00 am
1 hour drive from Litochoro to Krevatia Refuge
Starting point: Krevatia @ 1000 m. altitude
7 hour ascent via the Barbalas path to the Plateau of the Muses

This is what that looked like:

Arrival at the Giosos Apostolidis Refuge @ 2700 m. altitude.
Quick snack, warm beverage and concerned discussions about the weather forecast.

The weather conditions would definitely be worsening over the course of the weekend, so we decided to make the ascent to the Mytikas peak (2918 m.) on the same day and return to Prionia on the following day.

This is what that final stretch looked like:

I dare to confess that those final 300 m. (of altitude) ascending to the peak were the scariest thing I’ve done in my life. And those of you who know me would probably wonder about that statement, but it boils down to a high risk factor and a lack of a safety back-up.

As for the photos… My trusty Canon G10 is getting old, but I was immensely grateful for its 390 grams of weight compared to the 1.5 kilos of my DSLR!

The next day, we had a pleasant return via the Koftó path to Prionia.

Here are a couple of friends we met on the way:

Admittedly, the path did have its own set of challenges, especially if you factor in the strenuous ascent of the previous day, but it seemed like a piece of cake compared to what we encountered at Mytikas.

Overall, it might have been tough, but I can’t wait to go back!

 

Katerina & Stathis: Urban Wedding

Posted on by sylvia

Katerina and Stathis are a beautiful, harmonious couple who decided to tie the knot at the Athens City Hall, on a beautiful September morning, followed by a lunch reception at a nearby restaurant.

After a morning hair and make-up session with the bride at the couple’s home, I was shown the groom’s family house where he was getting dressed in the meantime. I was surprised to see that their families’ homes -and now their own home as well- were only a block away from each other. It turns out that as children they had grown up in the same neighbourhood, but didn’t actually meet until they had both finished school! I guess one way or another these twin souls were bound to cross each other’s path. 🙂

It didn’t take Stathis much time to get dressed and ready, so soon we were off to pick up the bride! Hugs, kisses, some happy tears and lots of wishes from the neighbours, and we’re headed downtown!

Thankfully the couple had arranged for a reserved parking spot a short walk from the City Hall, otherwise we would have been circling around the city centre for hours! It was just beautiful to see Katerina and Stathis all dressed-up and walking through the busy streets of downtown Athens on a Saturday morning!

It was a simple yet classy ceremony and reception with their families and loved ones, planned with love and care and great attention to detail. I’ll let you see for yourself!

 

Surprising Underwater Fashion Photos

Posted on by sylvia

Beautiful underwater fashion photos with a prop that will surprise you.

At one time or another, you must have come across beautiful underwater photos of ethereal models, their long dresses flowing with the sea current.

Take a look at the photos below. They were taken this summer in the Cyclades, a beautiful and popular vacation destination in Greece.

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What do you see?

 

 

 

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My beautiful, patient and highly cooperative volunteer models are not using lavish fabrics for their poses. Instead, they are using objects found in the very waters they are swimming in.

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And what’s that?

 

 

 


Garbage. Trash. Rubbish.

That’s right. Unfortunately, these objects that are part of the beautiful photos you see, are nothing more that trash, collected from the bottom of the sea, near the beach, some tangled in seaweed, others approaching the shore floating in from a different country.

Take a look at this photo.

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See the crystal clean waters? The flawless bottom? The white rounded pebbles?

This photo was taken at a marvelous deserted beach that formed part of an astonishing landscape.

 

Unfortunately, at less than 5 meters from the shore there were massive amounts of trash that had floated there from -possibly- hundreds of miles away.

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It’s easy to detach oneself from this and simply say, “I never throw my garbage onto the beach, it’s not my fault”, but we are all part of this problem. We must all make a conscious effort to prevent any objects from ending up into our seas and oceans.

 

We can all definitely make sure we leave nothing behind when we leave the beach.
We can pick up any garbage we find around us.
We can spread the word and make the people close to us aware of this.
We can influence our local officials through relevant groups and organizations.
We can do things about it!

No one wants to swim in a sea of garbage. But guess what… we already do!

 

Summer Photo Cocktail Recipe

Posted on by sylvia

Ingredients:

5 ripened Greek women
2 ripened Spanish women
5-7 bikinis
1 summer hat
1-2 pareos
plenty of turquoise sea water
sunshine

Instructions:

Mix the ripened women with the bikinis and place on a beautiful Greek island
Add 1 dash of turquoise waters
Sprinkle with sunshine
Maintain temperature between 28-35°C
Allow for the mix to rest and soak up the sun
Serve with a salty twist
Garnish with the summer hat and pareos
Place in front of a camera
Enjoy while hot

 

 

Results: Spot the University Professor

Posted on by sylvia

In the previous week, our readers were presented with a challenge: Spot the University Professor.

After a short description during which they were asked to form a mental picture of this professor, they had to look at this picture and guess which one was actually her.

challenge

The results were stunning!

20% voted A
20% voted B
20% voted C
6.7% voted D
13.3% voted “All of the above”
and 20% voted “None of the above”

So according to the participants it could have been practically anyone, but the correct answer is: C!

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Zoi Resta, Interpreters’ trainer at the Ionian University in Greece, Freelance Interpreter and Translator, Business Development @TheLanguageProject, Member of the International Federation of Translators (FIT), Member of the European Society for Translation Studies (EST), Member of the Panhellenic Association of Professional Translators Graduates of the Ionian University (PEEMPIP), Member of the Pancyprian Union of Graduate Translators and Interpreters, Member of the Hellenic Society for Translation Studies.

 

Impressed yet? I am!

What does this challenge show us? Well, that we are not the stereotype of our job. Dr. Resta is not only an extremely talented professional, she is also a very fun and kind person (I happen to know her personally), and as you can see, extremely hot!

We should never fall into the trap of judging a person by their job title, or by their Facebook profile image. Each one of us is way more than what appears in an email signature, or on a business card, or on just about anything that gives us a limited first impression.

Let’s be open, kind, welcoming and willing to get to know people for who their are, not for what we imagine them to be.

Challenge: Spot the University Professor

Posted on by sylvia

Close your eyes.
Oh, wait! This won’t work unless you’re able to keep reading. So, keep your eyes open. 🙂

Imagine a University professor. Good…
A female. That’s it…
She’s from a small town and she teaches at a small University in a similarly small town.
Her subject is interpretation.
Have you painted a picture?
She’s a bookworm and loves languages, especially German.
What does she look like?

Does our University professor wear glasses? Is she dressed in slightly old fashioned clothes, a long skirt and a button-down shirt? How old is she?

Ok, so now that you have a pretty complete image of this professor in your mind, look at the picture below and guess which person is the professor.

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Vote for the challenge on my Facebook page, by clicking here!

Tune back in after a few days to check out the results!