Showing posts with label Luxury. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Bliss Springs Eternal- a Classic Spa Weekend at Thermae Sylla

At this classic Spa in Evia's loveliest corner,
I experienced the beauty of Winter in Greece- perhaps its (secret) best season.

Two mellifluous onomatopoeiac words in Greek have no English equivalent: θρόισμα (throisma)- the rustling of the wind through dry leaves, and φλοίσβος (phleisvos)- the sound of pebbles dragged rhythmically back and forth by a gentle tide lapping the beach. Greek is a language of poets, and winter is their season- the contemplative beauty of bare branches is finally revealed; the light is more golden, the shadows longer, and sunsets are positively baroque. The occasional high winds are full of drama. Blinding sun softens, beach bars fall silent, and most visitors are back home again. What is left is the very essence of Greece- naked and beautiful.

Winter is the perfect time to soak this essence up. Literally. Burgeoning to the earth's surface from a depth of three kilometers, somewhere beneath the Thermae Sylla Spa, is some of Europe's finest (in the top three!) therapeutic water. It's so hot- 85 C/185 F- you could make a coddled egg, and it is rich with, apparently, every essential thing. There is a compelling chemical analysis* (see below) of the water's superb properties; my subjective analysis is based on the more compelling fact that my skin is now so soft and so radiant I am not sure I could legally buy a bottle of vodka.

The Spa in Edipsos, Evia, has tamed these (magical?) waters and been using them to heal body and soul for 120 years of health, and a little glamour- (whose bodies? Omar Sharriff's, Greta Garbo's, Winston Churchill's, and of course Maria Callas' for a start). Some friends and I - the members of Travel Bloggers Greece- got to join this list: we were hosted with great warmth by the spa for our one year anniversary, to see- or rather feel- the wonder of natural therapeutic waters. Voula Karatziou – Anastasopoulou and the kindest staff ever made us feel as cossetted and pampered as the waters themselves did. It wasn't the standard professionalism and courtesy that a five star experience offers; this was something more. The reason we felt so truly like guests is because they- as Voula shared with me- feel truly like a family. The management, the staff, the guests, the history, the beautiful location, and of course the great waters flowing up from deep in the earth- all part of one long, grand tradition. We were delighted to become a part of the tradition ourselves- it's an experience that stays with you.

What is the definition of luxury? Perhaps when all the elements of an experience are at their very zenith. By that measure, I had the ne plus ultra of night swims. We were in the midst of a windstorm big enough to be reported on BBC world. Night had fallen. A bright half-moon was soon covered by black clouds and rain started to fall in fat drops. I braved the elements from the 28 - 32 C degree warmth of the outdoor "pool" (the word doesn't feel large enough to describe something this fanciful and enormous):

See those three tiny specks in the middle of the pool? Those are bathers.

The water is half thermal waters, and half sea water. Hot water pumps up from a grate right between these two palm trees. I swam all over the enormous pool, then floated there- the warmth of the thermal waters caressing my back, cold wind howling, rain pelting my face. I would have fallen ravenous on a pack of saltines after a swim like that. But I didn't have to- it was fillet of fresh dorade at our festive one-year anniversary dinner, and the best chocolate cake anyone has ever eaten.

Thermae Sylla is a spa in the classic sense- offering not just luxurious and soul-soothing beauty treatments as many so-called spas do, but therapies, under the guidance of an in-house doctor, often prescribed by the guest's doctor at home. These latter are carried out in a well-appointed medical environment that inspires confidence. The aesthetic and relaxation treatments have their own various plush oases:

Relaxing with the sweet smell of warmed fresh hay in the Rasul salon.

4 different muds are slathered over the body for a Moroccan "Rasul" treatment-
this exotic tiled room with heated seats is where you let them go to work.

The Spa is easy to find- buses service Edipsos from Athens (just a couple of hours) and Thessaloniki (longer- with luscious scenery, and if you are lucky some sheep)-

Both trips include a short ferry ride (2,40 for my fare, plus another 2 for a cappuccino), adding a little of the romance of Greek travel to the journey-

*The waters are rich in potassium, sodium, lithium, amonium, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, chlorine, bromium, iodine, sulfuric ion, hydrophosphoric ion, hydrocarbonate ion. The spa has detailed information about the quantities of each mineral. The waters are odorless but for a pleasant faint tang of mineral health, and salty on the lips. The water- pure and clear- has some body to it, a palpable softness. I did not shower, but just used the the shower head to wash my hair- you simply don't want to rinse it from your skin. We are having a cold winter, but you will not need any lotion or oil- your skin will be plump and lush and silky from the waters themselves.

Travel Bloggers Greece were guests of Thermae Sylla Spa- the kindest of hosts. Thank you to them, and to Travel Bloggers Greece for arranging this festive weekend!

Prunes with Walnuts for Tea Time

An upcoming trip to Istanbul (tomorrow!) has put us in a more exotic frame of mind. Also, we are busy packing. But nothing keeps us from a pretty tea-time. These are simple and beautiful and made really with just two things- the prunes and the walnuts, plus tea and sugar which you already have for tea anyway.

We will need:

As many pitted prunes as you like

As many walnut halves as prunes

Brewed tea to cover the prunes- we used Earl Grey

A little sugar

First, a really good trick:

Check the walnuts- are they sweet and fresh, or a little stale? If they could use refreshing, boil some water, put the walnuts in, remove them immediately with a fine-mesh strainer, give them a shake, and dry them in the oven- ten minutes with a fan should do it, and crisp them a little. The water will have turned reddish-brown with tannins, now leached from the nuts, which will be sweet and fresh tasting (though not have the strong rich flavor of a perfect fresh nut).

All we do now is cover the prunes with tea and simmer until they swell. The tea will become dark and thick with the juice of the prunes. Remove the prunes with a slotted spoon to a platter. Stuff each one with a walnut half, pretty side out.

To the dark prune-infused tea, add a spoonful or two of sugar. It doesn't need any sweetness, but the sugar will add body and gloss as we cook it down. Boil rapidly until it becomes a thin syrup. This should only take a moment or two.

Pour the syrup over the prunes for serving. If you have it and want a little more exotic fragrance, spritz them with some orange flower water:

And to keep the motif, and also because the colors go so nicely, slice a peeled orange and dust it with cinnamon. Some strained yogurt, clotted cream, or labneh are just the thing if you want something more filling for tea-time.

When we are having these, we usually use our Turkish tea glasses rather than cups and saucers.

The Most Affordable Luxury- Home Keeping (All Things Shimmer!).

In our home, we are always looking for ways to grace daily life with a sense of luxury, without increasing expense. We mostly adhere to our own rituals- long Sunday lunches, tea time, alcohol at non-traditional hours (wine at lunch instead of dinner, spiking tea after exercising outdoors), sandwiches with their crusts trimmed, sieving the filling of deviled eggs, baroque fruit arrangements, etc. All these things make a difference. Individually they're pleasing, en mass they are civilized, even a little excessive.

But sometimes, our luxuries take a little hard work. A home so clean it shimmers is the greatest and most affordable of these- needing just soap, water, and time. Doing the kitchen cupboards is the best of these projects- daunting, but the the results will be enjoyed for a very long time. Chaos and waste will be replaced with virtue and shimmer.

1. Clear every space in the kitchen, then take things out of the cupboards and put them on the counters, starting at the back and moving your way forward.

2. Take inventory- types of rice, shapes of pasta, etc., and consolidate them. This will inspire meals and remind you of favorite recipes- note them down to enjoy in the coming weeks.

3. Keep the foods in temporary packaging- bags, cardboard boxes- together. The best part is giving these new containers later on.

4. Also put the foods you received as gifts together- and plan to enjoy them. It is such a temptation to hoard special things.

5. Now focus on the various containers- between gifts and tea tins and so on, the cupboard is full of beautiful things.

6. Decide how best to use the containers. These tea tins were full. But this tea, perishable or not, was 13 years old. Out it went, and the tins were filled with fresh bags of different types. The various espresso tins likewise. Set extra tins aside for packaging confections you want to share. And for bay leaves- they always take up more room than the spice drawer can accommodate.

7. Likewise, we had several jars with just a few matchsticks of ginger in syrup or some crystallized honey caked on the bottom - these we used to sweeten some rice pudding (made with the little bit of rice that wouldn't fit into the jars.) There will be plenty of glass jars- wash them in hot soapy water and set them aside.

8. Match the jars up by size with various dry goods - rices, small pasta shapes, various grains, legumes, sugars, etc. A few thing, like linguine, will not easily lend themselves to being stored in jars, but most everything else will. Jars keep food cleaner and fresher, and we can find what we are looking for quickly. Some things look alike- semolina and fine corn meal, for instance- you can label them, or write on the lids.

10. Bring all the unnecessary packaging to the recycling bin- it will satisfyingly be a lot.

11. Polish your shelves and admire them:

11. Arrange things as they suit you best, giving it some thought, and taking care to not put too much weight on any one shelf.

12. Now all of your things will shine. It is surprising how this enhances your every day.

The Aperitif Biscuit- Making an Occasion of the Evening's Glass of Wine.

The maxims of Frank Lloyd Wright* and Marie Antoinette ever in mind, adding a note of formality to everyday life has really taken the edge off of our so-called deprivation. That theme of stubbornly continuing to live well- whether or not it is within our means- keeps rising to the surface. It seems neither it, not we, nor certainly pleasure itself, are to be kept down. These aperitif biscuits- adding very little expense- are one of the many small things we have adopted to add a sense of occasion to the everyday. The glass of dry Cretan wine (tawny bronzy-rich, like a sherry) now becomes an aperitif- accompanied by these biscuits, it is elevated from drink to genteel ritual.

My friend Janet is expecting guests for a week, a good time to share this recipe. It comes together in very little time and makes about 8 dozen, plenty for even two weeks worth of cocktail hours. The heat of the black pepper pairs surprisingly well with the fruit and cheese tray- with the black grapes that have just come in and a wedge of Roquefort, for instance, in case your aperitif hour is so pleasant you want to turn it into dinner itself, as we very often do.

We will need:

700 g/ a scant 6 C flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground (plus quite a bit more for rolling)

240 ml/ 1 C olive oil

120-200 ml wine

flaky sea salt, several branches of rosemary, and more freshly ground black pepper, for rolling

Combine the dry ingredients an blend in the oil until the mixture is uniformly cakey and green. (This will shorten the gluten strands in the flour and make the biscuits tender and crumbly rater than tough). Then add as much wine as you need to form a a dough that holds together but is not sticky.

Wash and chop rosemary and add a tsp. of flaky sea salt and another 1-2 tsp. of black pepper and mix on a plate. Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick paper, and turn the oven on to 170 c/ 350 f.

Take a piece of dough and shape it into a baguette abut the length of your hand and the width of three fingers. Dampen it slightly with a wet finger or two, and roll the baguette lightly in the herb and salt mixture. Place on a baking sheet and continue, until you have 10 or 12 divided between the two baking sheets. Slice them as you like, not too thin though- the width of a pinky is ideal, and arrange the slices evenly, not touching if possible, as they will puff up and expand.

Bake them for 25 - 30 minutes, until they take a bit of color on the bottom and are dry to the touch. They will still yield to the press of a finger but will crisp up as they cool- baked until firm when hot from the oven and they may be dry.

It sound likes a lot of pepper, and it is- many turns of the pepper mill (grind it over a small piece of baking paper- you can then funnel it right into the measuring spoon). We like the lingering heat. They would be fine with less pepper, and with another herb of your choosing- a dry one, like thyme or sage. The recipe makes a tremendous amount in a very short time- forming and slicing them is not five or ten minutes' of playing with child's clay. They keep beautifully, and in fact are not at all tasty fresh from the oven- give them at least an hour or two before serving. They are as nice with sweet milky tea as with wine, but warn your guests- it is a biscuit that bites back.

Formality adds indulgence
much more than it adds expense.

* "Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities."

The Austerity Diaries... let us eat cake.

"Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities..." (Frank Lloyd Wright)

We have been hearing about austerity measures relentlessly for years. What is almost worse, we have actually been living with them. The day to day life of everyone here has been deeply affected. We have unpaid bills robbing us of peaceful sleep, very often no insurance, and are uncertain even of the very roof over our heads. Necessities are no longer a given.

Luxury, on the other hand, flows unabated. There is nothing "austere" about life in Greece- it continues to be sumptuous, dazzling, juicy, abundant in every material pleasure. Such robust pleasures as these are beyond the reach of any sort of measure- one might as well try to legislate the lusciousness out of a fig.

Despite the fact that whenever there is a blackout I think our electricity has finally been cut off because we have not paid the bill, I am having a hard time feeling sorry for myself. The fact is that we live an enormously elaborate, well-appointed life, rich in culture, occasional frivolity, books, and beautiful meals. And this more so than before Austerity became a household word: Elegance has become a spiritual necessity. Depending on your political views, it might even be a moral imperative.

We are living more elegantly than we ever have, with much less money than we ever had. I had imagined luxury largely a function of money, but strip the money away and this shines like a marquise diamond: Luxury is a function of care, of choice.

Our household budget for four is 100 euros a week for everything that isn't a bill- tomatoes, laundry soap, bus tickets, ouzo meze, biscuits for the dog, milk, tea, outdoor cinema at dusk, lipstick, ice cream cones at one in the morning when it is too hot to sleep. Sometimes the budget is closer to 80.

In truth I am the least likely of home economists. I adore the material world, and am regrettably not particularly modest in any of my appetites. Yet, they all remain sated. In the Austerity Diaries I hope to share the mixture of prudence and lavishness that enable us to live as well as we do in our beautiful country. Even as means are limited, pleasure surely is not.

As a first measure, listen to Marie Antoinette, who wisely prescribes lots of cake: