Diet of Indulgence

On the Eve of Twelfth Night (perhaps my very favorite of the triad), magazines fill cluelessly with detox programs, as though indulgence were toxic. The antidote to indulgence is not abstention but balance- indulge excess in every direction equally- easy in Greece. My New Year's detox plan was exactly that- 72 hours of every kind of pleasure. 

secular,

Converses and Couture

and sacred,

Kolonaki's Sumptuous Pre-Raphaelite Sanctuary

culture, 

Playful and Profound- the Picasso/Cocteau show at the Theoharakis Foundation

Double Treat- this 2nd C Aphroditi was restored by Canova.

and nature:

Snowy Peaks from the Window of Train 55 from Thessaloniki

A Verdant Taste of Spring at the Laiki on Kalidromiou, Exarchia

icons,

Sacred Luxury: Russian Orthodox Icons Shimmer in a Window
on the City's Most Mysterious Shopping Street

and pastis,

Vitrine at Chez Violette, Darling of Exarchia. 
(have a pastis)

archaeology, 

The Surreal Beauty of the Acropolis Museum by night

jumbles of treasure, 

Cavernous Galleries filled with Trinkets and Treasures at the Bazaar

and the golden light of late afternoon-

In short, lots of everything in perfect balance (I love Athens).

Lots more about all these places soon. Happy New Year! And if you resolve on anything, let it be joy every day.