THOUGHTS

~ omika63 ~ Leave a comment 
 I sit alone, trying to think of what to write. It is hot; the heat permeates my skin, but only to a point of pleasurable discomfort. The absence of humidity keeps it bearable. The endless motion of the waves reflects the perpetual nature of the human race, yet the waves also signify that there is an end. What are we but temporary travelers in the abject mass we call “Earth”?

ΚΑΛΗΜΕΡΑ. GOOD MORNING

~ omika63 ~ 2 Comments 
Θέα Αιγαίου
ήχους του Rio de Janeiro,
Η μελωδία και φωνές εμπνέουν ... 

View of Aegean 
echoes of Rio de Janeiro,
Melody and voices inspire

Σας καλημερίζω, αγαπητοί μου φίλοι ...
Good morning, dear friends ...

Odysseus



Desafinado (António Carlos Jobim)


CLICK HERE TO LISTEN


Ερμηνεύουν  ..   Performed by
George Michael και Astrud Gilberto

REST IN PEACE, MIKI…. ΑΙΩΝΙΑ ΣΟΥ Η ΜΝΗΜΗ, ΜΙΚΗ

~ omika63 ~ 4 Comments 
REST IN PEACE, MIKI
(1925-2021)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikis_Theodorakis



SPIRIT REBORN
 
People gathered
a reunion of old faces, 
addition of new
 
Expectations;
new life ready to join us,
reacting to rhythm
 
One melody,  many ideas,
one idea, many melodies
infinite feeling, boundless expression
 
Thirty years have passed,
but the flame burns;
Conveying message
that psyche is alive and well
 
Immortal poetry and music
 
Young faces, older faces
voices of passion and melody;
Orchestral, choral symmetry, 
symbiosis
 
Marriage of East and West,
penetrating our innermost thoughts
 
Narrator, 
delivering a message beyond melody
Presence of audience chorus,
leading to harmony and spirit
 
Muses, surely you approve;
 
We came together
seeking spiritual reinforcement,
through music;
Outside our bodies, 
one with the music
 
We listen, sing, 
are one
 
Regeneration of spirit
 
Thank you, Miki!
 
 
May  9, 1994 

Written a day after the Mikis Theodorakis concert at the JFK Center for Performing Arts, Washington, DC, May 8, 1994…

Antonis was born two weeks later..
THEODORAKIS’ MUSIC, 
BRENDAN BEHAN’S POETRY

Speaking to the suffering of the Irish and other peoples who suffered English oppression…

Composed by ‪Mikis Theodorakis‬ to the lyrics of Brendan Behan, first sung by Maria Farantouri.  Attached (see links below) are two versions (the original from the album “The Hostage,” as sung by Maria Farantouri, and the second, by Alexia with ‪Alkinoos Ioannidis‬, capturing the essence of the poem in both languages ....


ALBUM:THE HOSTAGE (1966)

Song: In September I Remember

I remember in September, 
when the final stumps were drawn, 
and the shouts of crowds now silent,
and the boys to tea were gone. 
Let us, oh Lord above us, 
still remember simple things, 
when all are dead who love us, 
Oh the Captains and the Kings, 
when all are dead who love us, 
Oh the Captains and the Kings. 
Far away in dear old Cyprus, 
or in Kenya’s dusty land, 
where all bear the white man’s burden 
in many a strange land. 
As we look across our shoulder 
in West Belfast the school bell rings, 
and we sigh for dear old England, 
and the Captains and the Kings. 
I wandered in a nightmare 
all around Great ‪Windsor Park‬, 
and what did you think I found there 
as I stumbled in the dark? 
It was an apple half-bitten, 
and sweetest of all things, 
five baby teeth had written 
if the Captains and the Kings. 


Το Σεπτέμβριο θυμάμαι όταν άδειαζαν οι πάγκοι
κι έπαψ’ ή βουή του κόσμου, πήγαν τα παιδιά για τσάι.
Άσε μας θεέ ψηλά, να θυμόμαστε τ’ απλά
τώρα που έχουν πια πεθάνει
όλοι που μας αγαπάνε, λοχαγοί και βασιλιάδες.
Πέρα στην παλιά μας Κύπρο και στην Κένυα την καημένη
όλοι εκεί βασανισμένοι μαύροι κι άσπροι από τους άσπρους.
Και στα ξωτικά τα μέρη κι όπου ρίξουμε το μάτι
το κουδούνι του σχολείου στο μισό Μπέλφαστ σημαίνει
κι αχ, ή Αγγλία μας ή καημένη, λοχαγοί και βασιλιάδες.
Σκόνταψα σ’ ένα βραχνά μου και στο πάρκο ‘κει του Ουΐνδσορ,
τι θαρρείτε κει πώς ηύρα, περπατώντας στο σκοτάδι;
Μισοδαγκωμένο μήλο και το πιο αστείο απ’ όλα
χαραγμένα πέντε δόντια
πέντε δόντια από παιδάκι, λοχαγοί και βασιλιάδες.

https://youtu.be/A7jvObgay-w

https://youtu.be/ruz8BFpIx3w

TRAVEL SAVVY: ATM/DEBIT & CREDIT CARDS

~ omika63 ~ Leave a comment 
I have often been asked for my opinion regarding financial transactions while traveling abroad.  Here is my insight regarding cash, ATM, debit and credit cards …

Credit and debit cards are widely accepted throughout the EU and other European countries;

Notify your US financial institutions regarding your travel plans; 

Ask the bank what the ATM withdrawal limit is per day (and change if necessary); 

Inquire whether there/what are ATM fees;

AVOID HIGH FEES BY NOT PURCHASING FOREIGN CURRENCY IN THE U.S., OR EXCHANGING CASH WHILE TRAVELING, UNLESS NECESSARY;

Inquire whether your credit/debit cards are free of foreign transaction fees;

Note:  Purchasing/transacting is much easier with contactless credit/debit cards