Hello dear friends and readers, I'm back from Athens since a week today but haven't found time for a new post yet. I catched a cold while coming home to Hamburg airport from the pleasingly warm Greek weather to a wet and windy very autumnal German weather in thin summer clothes and naked feet in sandals *Duh me*
Thank you for all your sweet comments on my 3 years blogiversary post! The overall favorite photo was the Venezian balcony, followed by the close up of the Doge's palace and the Venezian pink lanters/silhouette photo. I think that's perfect because those are my faves too! :) And without further ado I announce the winner now, chosen by a random number generator (P.S.: sorry dear Daisy and Tyra, but you were a bit too late, I closed comments at No. 56 this morning), congratulations to you Miss Mary:
Before I'll show you some photos of Athens, I thought you might be interested to see some photos of my current fall decoration. I like the cosy evenings inside while outside it's wet and windy, with candles lit giving my home a warm shine.
The photo above (click to enlarge) I shot just a few days ago, when I took out the plane tree balls which I picked of a plane tree (
European plane Platanus x hispanica Muenchh., you 'll find a close up pic of one here:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:London_plane_flower.jpg ) in Athens and decorated them over my bird cage and around the white pumpkin. They are dry and quite hard and last for many years. I love using them for decorations, but they are ususally hanging far to high to reach them, so in Athens I had the luck to find a tree where they hung deep enough and I had my huge collegues help me pulling them down for me.
The pictures above I think reflects this cosy time of the year so well. I put dry artichocke heads in the two silver cups on my mantle and lit the tea lights in the glasses. I'd advice you to click on the pictures above and below to enlarge them and see all the details.
Anita's fabric birds are still hanging from the chandelier (and yes her lavender hearts on the mantle too lol) and birds are also everywhere in my decoration between the pumpkins. For me birds are always seasonable:
So the next photo is not from my home, but from a greek home in the old Plaka of Athens and doesn't it look very cosy too? And so classical!
I also like the old licor shop "Brettos" in the Plaka (= old city) of Athens where you can taste all the yummy stuff:
and the beautiful neo classical houses with the gorgeous scrolly iron balcony balustrades:
Oh and the beautiful statues like this one of the greek goddess Athena:
And I was so impressed by the old olive tree on the Acropolis next to the Erechteion Temple, of which a Myth says that it was planted by the goddess Athena (click photo to enlarge it):
Here is the story:
Athena and her uncle, the sea god Poseidon, competed for the affections of the Greeks, each providing one gift to the nation. Poseidon provided either a wonderful horse or a salt-water spring, but Athena provided the olive tree, giving shade, oil, and olives. The Greeks preferred her gift and named the city after her.
Well I have had a fabulous 4 days in Greece and a lot of more photos, but I'm not sure if you are interested in seeing them so I finish here, for today at least.
Enjoy the cosy autumn days!
Carola xox
