[our comenius graffity]

Hei Norway!

[Our week in Spain]

Hello!
Our trip in Spain was an incredible experience for all of us. It’s not only that it was a perfect chance to get to know new lifestyles, traditions and exchange ideas and different viewpoints, but it was also the perfect chance to make friends from 4 other countries. Spending one week together we realized that this experience was unique!!! So we would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to spend an unforgettable week in Spain!!! WE REALLY MISS YOU!!!
Natasa.

Hi,everybody!
I'm very excited about the trip to Spain!It was a wonderful experience and a good opportunity to learn the spanish culture and history,meet people and make friends from different countries-Spain,Norway,Italy,Germany.I'll never forget the conducted tours in Montoro and Cordoba,the presantation of the spanish program at the theatre,the amusing nights at Amaduz,the last day's party in Carmen's house,the walk in the Mountain...But,mostly,I'll never forget the people who were very friendly with us and made our trip unique!!!
Finally,I would like to thank Magdalena and her family for their hospitality,the spanish teachers and the students for preparing a fantastic week for us!
Thank you for everything...
You are all perfect!
With love,
Athina


MEMORIES...

[A wonderful week in Germany]

I really want to thank all teachers, students and their families for the warm welcome and the lovely stay in Germany. I was quite nervous in the beginning because I knew only 4 German guys from the Comenius Week in Volos and no one else. But I soon discovered that each person in Germany was really kind and easy to get to know. All the fascinating activities helped us get closer and talk about our countries, interests and much more. During this exciting-and unfortunately fast- week I had the chance to experience a different way of living, local traditions, songs and dances and moreover marvelous landscapes.
But the most important experience was meeting new people from Norway, Italy, Spain and of course the hospitable Germans.
A really big thank you then, for this wonderful week!
Hope to see you all soon!
Much Love,
Rachel



This week was one of the best in my life! It was a great experience! I met new people, Italians, Spanish, Norwegian and of course the guys from Germany!! The first day was a little strange because we have to meet so many new people and to live to a house that u didn’t know anyone!
And we were all the time with the Greek guys . . . but the next day everything was better! We met all the students, because we knew the teachers already! We learned the topical food and beer!!! We made knew friends and probably will meet them again in Greece!
This week turned so fast! I wish we had more time together! the truth is that I miss all the guys so much and sometimes I feel so Sad and I hope someday to meet them again. . . but these good memories don t let me cry because I know that someone, somewhere in Europe feels the same as me! I will never forget this week . . . guys thanks so much, I will never, ever forget u!!!
Love and Kisses
Mary














We want to thank all teachers, students and their families for this amazing week. We'll never forget it.

Arni sti Souvla: Spit-Roasted Lamb

At Easter in Greece, the air is filled with the smell of lamb or kid roasting on spits. Some are modern motorized rotisseries, requiring little supervision, and others are turned by hand for hours, with family and friends taking turns, all the while enjoying the camaraderie of the day. This recipe is for lamb on a spit, cooked over wood or hardwood charcoal.

INGREDIENTS:
1 whole lamb
aromatic wood (olive, oak, apple, cherry), or hardwood charcoal
olive oil
lemon juice
sea salt
pepper
crushed Greek oregano (rigani)
crushed garlic (optional)

PREPARATION:
Tip: According to local experts, the best size lamb for spit roasting is generally around 22-25 pounds (10-11 kilos). Cooking time is 3-4 hours.)
Start the fire about 2 hours before cooking.
The spit should be at least 20 inches longer than the lamb (10 inches or more to extend out each side).
Sprinkle the inside of the lamb liberally with salt and pepper and rub in.
Lay the lamb on a flat surface and pass the spit between the hind legs, through the stomach cavity and out through the mouth. The lamb's spine should be straight along the line of the spit. Tie the front and hind legs to the spit. Tie the middle of the lamb to the spit or clamp along the spine. (For a larger lamb, tie in two places: behind the front legs and at the top of the hind leg. Sew the stomach cavity closed with butcher's twine or aluminium wire (use a pliers). The lamb should be tied securely and not slip when turned.
With hands rub the entire lamb with lemon juice and oregano.
Place the spit over the fire and spread the coals so they are under the shoulder and thigh (thickest parts). A drip pan can be set under the middle of the animal to catch the juices.
Keep olive oil at hand with a paint brush.


At the beginning, the lamb needs to be turned quickly in order not to burn. Once the fire settles and the lamb is golden all around and starting to crisp, turning can slow, to approximately 1/4 turn every 15 minutes. Replenish wood or charcoal as needed. Brush occasionally with the oil.
Cooking time will depend on the size of the lamb. The skin on the legs and chest of the lamb will crisp and crack open. The colour should be a deep brown.
Testing for doneness: With a meat thermometer, internal temperature at the thickest part should be 155F for medium. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, stick a knife or skewer into the thigh (thickest part). The juice should run clear.
Lift the spit with the lamb and place on carving surface. Remove wire, ties, clamps, or straps, and carve.

Traditional Easter Soup / Mageiritsa

This soup is only made once a year and is traditionally eaten after the Midnight
Mass of the Greek Orthodox Easter.

Ingredients
- liver, lungs, heart & intestines of a young lamb
(intestines optional)
- 10 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 cup chopped dill
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 eggs & juice of 1-2 fresh lemons
- 1 teaspoon oregano & ½ teaspoon fresh thyme (optional)

The Making
Prepare the organs:
- blanch in boiling water for about 3 minutes
- remove from boiling water, let the meat cool & cut
into small pieces
- in a large pot, add the extra virgin olive oil
- add the small organ pieces & continue to sauté for
another 3 to 4 minutes
- add 7 cups of water, cover pot & cook at low
temperature for 1 hour
- add the onions & dill to the pot
- cover & simmer for another 30 minutes until the liquid
is reduced
- turn off the heat &rest for 15 minutes
Prepare the Avgolemoni sauce:
- beat the eggs lightly in a bowl
- add the lemon juice a little at a time, beating continuously
- while beating, pour in some of the warm broth from the
pot, blend the soup
- add slowly the egg-lemon mixture into the soup & stir
lightly
- adjust to medium-heat & bring soup to a simmer without
letting it boil
- add salt & pepper to taste
- remove from heat & serve

[Good Friday]

On Good Friday (Μεγάλη Παρασκευή) everybody has to fast and go to church to see the epitaph, which has been decorated by young girls and women of the local community. They use fresh spring flowers like roses and violets and this habit comes from the ancient times, when girls and women used to decorate dead Adonis’ corpse with flowers and mourn for three days.

In our town about ten epitaphs from the most important churches (St. Nicholas, St. Constantine, Metamorphosis, etc.) meet in the centre of the promenade, by the sea, and it’s very impressive to watch the ceremony with all these priests and bands playing sad marshes and thousands of people following with their lit candles in their hands.

[How to dye eggs with onion skins for Greek Easter]

Red eggs (in Greek: kokkina avga, κόκκινα αυγά) are perhaps the brightest symbol of Greek Easter, representing the blood of Christ and rebirth. We also dye eggs other colours, but rarely will a Greek Easter be celebrated without lots of red eggs. Commercial dyes are available, but this old-fashioned natural method creates red eggs with a deep rich colour. The following is for one dozen red eggs. Note: It may sound counterintuitive, but the skins of yellow onions work wonderfully!




Here's How:
1. Start with 12 medium-to-small eggs.
2. Carefully remove any material clinging to the surface of the eggs.
3. Make the dye with the onion skins: In a stainless saucepan, place skins of 15 yellow (Spanish) onions and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar in 4 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
4. Strain dye into a glass bowl, and let cool to room temperature. (Don't be fooled by the orange colour.)
5. In a stainless saucepan (around 8 1/4 inches in diameter), add the cooled strained dye and eggs at room temperature (up to 1 dozen). The eggs should be in one layer and covered by the dye.
6. Bring to a boil over medium heat. When boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer.
7. Dyeing time will be affected by the colour of the eggs. Start checking for colour at 12-15 minutes. Do not simmer longer than 20 minutes (see step 9 if they aren't red enough).
8. When eggs are the right colour, proceed to step 10.
9. If eggs are not a red enough colour after 20 minutes, leave in the pot and remove from heat. When the pot as cooled enough, place in refrigerator and let sit until desired colour is reached.
10. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and cool on racks.
11. When they can be handled, coat lightly with olive (or other edible) oil and polish with paper towelling.
12. Refrigerate until time to use.
Tips:
1. Save onion skins in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Do not use any porous (wood, ceramic, plastic, etc.) materials as they can be coloured by the dye.
3. If stainless cookware and utensils get coloured by the dye, wash with regular detergent and a small amount of chlorine. Rinse very well.


There's some kind of game Greeks play at Easter with the red eggs. What is it?
The game is called tsougrisma and it involves two players and red eggs.
Each player holds a red egg, and one taps the end of her/his egg lightly against the end of the other player's egg. The goal is to crack the opponent's egg. When one end is cracked, the winner uses the same end of her/his egg to try to crack the other end of the opponent's egg.
The player who successfully cracks the eggs of the other players is declared the winner and, it is said, will have good luck during the year.

[Greek Orthodox Easter]

This week (21-27of April 2008) is the so called Megali Evdomada, Great Week, which is Easter Week for all Greek Orthodox people. Anyone that has spent this week in Greece will have noticed that it is the most important holiday of the year. This year the Good Friday is on the 25th of April and the Easter Sunday on the 27th of April 2008.

Many Orthodox fast before Easter, and are not allowed to eat various foods such as meat, butter, milk as well as olive oil for the last few days. Then they will go to a priest for confession, and are so allowed to partake in the Holy Communion.

The actual Easter festival begins on Good Friday and people go to the churches to see how the priests and monks take down the icon of Christ off the cross, wrap it in linen and put it in a great casket covered in flowers symbolizing the tomb of Christ. Then the bier is taken through the town or village, with people lamenting the death of Christ.



On Saturday everyone goes to church late in the evening, carrying with them unlit candles. At midnight the priest announces the resurrection of Christ ("Christos anesti") and lets the people light their candles of the Holy Flame taken from Christ's nativity cave in Jerusalem. As everybody do this fireworks and crackers go off and the dark night is filled with light from the candles. After this, everybody goes home for a meal (mageiritsa) – the fast is over. If their candles are still burning, a cross is made in the doorway with the soot, to protect the house for the coming year.

On Easter Sunday friends and family gather in homes, eating lamb on the spit and dyed eggs. Before the red eggs are eaten, however, you must crack them against your neighbours, and whoever wins by having a whole egg at the end, will get all the luck.

[Mrs. Sarakosti]

Long ago in order to count the days people used to draw Mrs.Sarakosti. They didn't put a mouth on her face because she represented the 7 weeks fast period before Easter. Her hands are tangled because of the many prayers. She used to have seven legs,one for each week of the Sarakosti. Each Saturday they cut one leg of her. In Chios(a greek island), people cut her last leg on Holy Saturday and they put it into
a dry fig. They mixed this fig with some others and the one who managed to find it,it would bring him luck.

[Euripides]

He is one of the three greatest poets of ancient times, that appeared after Aeschelus and Sophocles.He was born in 485 or 480 BC in Flia or according to some in Salamina. His father Misarchos was a rich landower and offered very good education to the young boy. His father was also the owner of a small tavern. Euripides was a lonely person and he spent most of his time in a property in Salamina away from the social and political issues of the city. His mentors and teachers were Anaxagoras,Aerchelaos and Prodicos. He was a friend of Socrates who had a great influence on his way of thinking. In 411 BC he received the first prize in the tragical competitions in Athens. He died in 406 BC while he was in Pella (Macedonia) where he had been invited by the King Aerchelaos.
Euripides wrote 92 tragedies and satyrical plays in 23 tetralogies,the most of them are refered to Trojan War.Only 18 tragedies have survived, one of them is "Alcestis.
His artistic work:
Euripides was the most tragic of all the poets.His ideas are expressed by his heroes,who usually have to confront a strong dilemma. People also appreciated Euripides as a philosopher.

After visit Volos

Our students wrote an article (including some thoughts – impressions from your students) that has been published to two newspapers in Volos. They also have given an interview to a local radio station.

[Alcestis] 438 BC

The tragedy takes place in Fere of Thessaly.Apollo is punished by Zeus and he lives as a slave in Admitos' Palace.The Gods have decided the King's death.Apollo accepts to change their mind so the decision is that he will live only if someone else dies instead of Admitos.Everybody refuses,even his parents,so Alcestis,his wife,decides to offer herself.Death comes to take her soul to Hades.Alcestis says farewell to her family,Admitos mourns and promises eternal bereavement.Hercules while passing from Feres,visits the palace of Admetos.The latter tries to hide his sadness away from the great hero and accomodates him as a guest. When Hercules finds out the truth from a servant,goes to the grave of the dead woman, grabs her from Death and brings her back home. In the meantime she is wearing a veil.When the veil is being raised Alcestis reveals herself and the play finishes with a happy end.

[Meeting Greece]

[OUR TEAM]

The headmaster (Ms. Doubioths) + the teachers

The comenius team