Summer view, Greece style
Today’s it’s about films, and two titles from About Travel’s list of top 10 films filmed in the Greek islands. First though, I have to plug my own third book about life on Symi. Whereas ‘Symi 85600’ covers the first five years of us living here and ‘Carry on up the Kali Strata’ covers the next couple, this one covers all of 2013. It’s a collection of blog posts, edited, and photos from the year on Symi Dream. This was also the year of my 50th birthday, so there is a section where we are away in Transylvania (everyone should go there) and while we were away, Jenine and her son, Sam, put in some posts about cooking and what it is like to be a boy at school on Symi.
It’s a day-to-day account of island life seen through our eyes and brings the reader right up to the end of 2013, so if you have all three books you have 10 years on Symi detailed in the articles, posts, letters and some short stories, all included. Again, if you want to search out more books or films with a Symi or a Greek theme, then you can use our Amazon store page which you will find here.
Onto the films. I know I said I would be talking about holiday reading but then I thought, this might make a nice diversion. There are loads on the list that are well known and that you’ve probably seen; Mamma Mia! Zorba the Greek, Never on a Sunday and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin etc. But there are two that I had never heard of. I thought I would mention those so you could check them out, and here’s what I found.
Summer Lovers came in at number four and the write up I found says: A guilty pleasure, this light-on-substance movie is filled with Darryl Hannah and Peter Gallagher in swimsuits, slightly kinky sexual situations, an irresistibly perky soundtrack (“I’m So Excited!” is the theme song), and glorious shots of Greece. Only problem? They combine several locations in Greece into one “super-island.”
Sounds intriguing and might well go onto my wish list for another day along with this one I don’t know: High Season. About.com writes: A personal favourite, this light-hearted romantic comedy has an intriguing darker side, but all takes second place to the beautiful Greek setting. It stars Jacqueline Bisset and a young Kenneth Branagh has a small role.
I will also add, as it wasn’t in their top 10, ‘Driving Aphrodite’ a romantic comedy by and with Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding – another huge hit though not filmed in Greece). ‘Driving Aphrodite’ is also titled ‘My Life in Ruins’ for the American audience, and is filmed around Athens. It’s good fun, light and silly, but with great humour and views.
I know those three were films and not books, but hopefully they will inspire you to check out some more Greek reads and you can do a search via this link. All being well, I shall be back to my usual ramblings tomorrow. I should be back on Symi by now and all set to settle in for the regular daily blogging. Oh, apart from next Wednesday when I am nipping back to Rhodes for the day. But that’s a story of another day, or perhaps even another book.
