Mid-March saw a trip to Athens for the TESOL Greece Convention and for the Tartan Epsilon’s workshop, The Interview.
The venue was, once again, the
Royal Olympic Hotel and, once again, I admired their magnificent tapestries.
Before our session, Angeliki and I enjoy a spot of sunshine on the hotel
roof-garden with that magnificent view.
It was a wonderful surprise to
meet up with two charming ladies, Despina
Malliaris and Eleni Kambadaki,
whom I hadn’t seen for many a long
year. Both, at one point in their
careers, fell ‘victim’ to me: one when I acted as her DOTE tutor, the other
when I was her diploma assessor. I was relieved – under these circumstances – and
disarmed to receive such a warm welcome from both of them. Ladies, it was an absolute delight to meet you –
neither of you has changed one iota!
After our presentation, it was
off to celebrate at ‘To Koutouki tis
Soultanas’ – Sultana’s Taverna - usually ‘koutouki ‘refers to a small
taverna with music. Sultana herself, famed as a competitor on the Greek version
of The Voice, strummed her guitar
and was accompanied by a real virtuoso of a bouzouki player. One of our group
described his playing as ‘embroidery’ as he skillfully embellished the basic
melody. A very kind lady had brought a
cake for an early celebration of my birthday and it turned out to be Sultana’s
birthday on that very day, so here I am being serenaded by these merry
minstrels with birthday wishes sung both in English and Greek. The cake was
delicious, as was the taverna food. Nice, traditional decor, splendid home-style
cooking at good prices and marvellous music - if you’re ever in Nea Makri,
Attica, this place is really worth a visit!
Back home Z had a surprise up his sleeve: as a joint
birthday celebration we went to the Hyatt
Regency’s Vergina Theatre for a
show by Giorgos Margaritis, a
favourite laika (popular music) singer
of ours. He didn’t disappoint and sang
many old ‘goodies’…. or good ‘oldies’?
As the days lengthen and the
atmosphere slowly warms up, our trees boast their blooms: prunus, bitter cherry
and pear at the moment. However, there is no time to bask on the
blossom-scented balcony - it’s time to pack the case for our Glasgow gig: the IATEFL Convention, The International Association
of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language.
We’re staying at the Jury’s Inn
– two steps away from the River Clyde
and our venue is the impressive Exhibition
Centre.
On Monday evening we have a reception where
the Lord Provost herself, no less,
will welcome us and there will follow a ceilidh with Scottish music and dance.
I simply cannot wait to introduce Angeliki to my homeland. I’m already brushing up on the steps for the
Canadian Barn Dance and the Boston Two-Step (er, why don’t these dances have Scottish
names?) as well as my favourite: The Dashing White Sergeant.
Dear Green Place, we are on our way!
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