Coyotes ELE. Spanish Lessons for Children

The Theatre of Dionysus on the South slope of the Acropolis hill in Athens, is a site that has always held a special place in my mind, since I studied the tragedies that one took place there. Built around the 6th century BC, it held the City Dionysia festival, where tragedies and comedies would be performed amongst other rituals and events. The seating still shows the impressive stone carved thrones (of a much later date) for high priests, officials and judges, some of them inscribed with their names, or with dedications to the god. A truly impressive site with fantastic acoustic and which at its highest could host up to 25000 spectators.

Athens' Acropolis has had fortifications since at least the 13th century BC, but the famous Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaia and the temple of Athena Nike were built in the 5th century BC under Perikles. Absolutely incredible, and utterly unique. What a shame you have to travel all the way down to London to see all the Parthenon's amazing decorations...

I'm always posting about Hispanic food for my students of Spanish, so this one is for my Classics students! Greek and Cretan food. A-ma-zing. Hummus with paprika pitta bread, kefalotyri cheese, pickles, tirokafteri (spicy cheese dip), grilled octopus and fried seafood, grilled graviera cheese, the most delicious melitzanosalata (aubergine dip), saganaki with almond crust (fried cheese), Greek fava hummus, fruits and Mavrodaphne red sweet wine, tiropita (cheese pies), more octopus! Athoi gemistoi (stuffed courgette flowers), Graviera saganaki, Cretan olives, Cretan dakos (with barley rusks called paximadis), fried courgettes, kalitsounia with myzithra cheese (spinach and cheese pasties), raki (Cretan spirit), and for pudding, baklava and kafayif. Phew! Very delicious...

Chania, north west Crete, and Elafonissi, a stunning pink sand beach so so beautiful!

The absolutely gorgeous coastal city of Rethymnon, Crete. The old town is beautiful and full of colour, and there is also a marina and a long beach. So worth visiting! And the food is delicious! 😋😋

The Saronic island of Agistri, a beautiful little green island with an iconic Greek orthodox church.

The beautiful Saronic island of Aegina, a vital trading port in ancient times, and the first to mint a coin. This island, with a foot in mythology (its name derives from Aegina, mother of the mythological hero Aeacus), was the first capital of the newly formed Greek state from 1826-1829. Also very famous for its production of pistachio!!

Some beautiful places in Athens, including the breathtaking Acropolis.

My favourite selection of paintings from the Museum in Madrid, a truly wonderful collection. Here some less known or earlier pieces from very well known artists. Van Gogh's The potato eaters, a truly fantastic lithography.

A Greek papyrus from Egypt preserving one of the finest copies of Homer's Iliad, Book 2. The calligraphy is beautiful and perfectly arranged. "Kalos graphos" beautiful writing...

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, one of my favourite museums with an astonishing collection. Gorgeous unique pieces, and so worth visiting. Here some snippets to the collections, including a famous portrait of Henry the VIII bu Hans Holbein. From Ghirlandaio to Renoir, passing through John Singer Sargent to Kandinsky, this collection has it all. I will be adding some highlights showcasing some of my favourite ❤️❤️❤️