‘The battle of life is, in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without a struggle were perhaps to win it without honor. If there were no difficulties there would be no success; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved.” – Samuel Smiles (Author)
The ‘tourell Pentelli’ built by the Duchess of Placentias. Ο Πυργίσκος Tourelle της Δούκισσας Πλακεντίας στην Πεντέλη.
It was built in 1846, but the construction was never completed. Χτίστηκε το 1846, αλλά η κατασκευή δεν ολοκληρώθηκε ποτέ.
When I took a photograph of this building I had no idea what the history of the building was. I decided to do a little research and was really surprised by what I found out. The building that I photographed is the ‘Tourelle Pentelli’ or ‘Pentelli Tower’ and it is located on Mt. Pentelli northeast of Athens. The construction on this building began in 1846, but there were many mishaps and it was never completed. The buildings’ purpose was to house the personell of the Duchess de Plasisance (1785-1854). It was one of many buildings that Sophie Barbé de Marbois, Duchesse de Plaisance constructed in Athens. Most Athenians in the 19th Century and up until 1950, only knew her as the Duchess of Placentias and they had no idea that she was American born. The Duchess was born in Philadelphia, USA and her father was a French Consul-General in the U.S. She was a great supporter of the Greek war of Independence, so she arrived in Greece in 1829 to help out. She was very philanthropic and was much talked about at the time. She died in May of 1854 at the age of 69 and she is buried near the tower. There is a metro station in Athens named after her. The station is located on the land that once belonged to her.
“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins, not through strength but by perseverance.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.
The beautiful Mount Pentelicus (Pentelli), with its monasteries and luxury homes, is located northeast of Athens. It is from this mountain range that the ancient Greeks extracted their white marble to build the Parthenon and other temples in Athens. The weather that day changed abruptly, but I was able to sneak in a few photographs before the rainfall.
“Be Kind to Yourself’ collage on paper by Angela Zafiris .
My hand-made collage with images from magazines, text that I typed and printed, and a message attached to a yogi tea bag that I glued on to the woman in the framed image. Then, after I scanned the image on to the computer, I played around with photo shop, and I changed the colours from blue to yellow and put a heart around the image.
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Collage on canvas by Angela Zafiris
High heels
Red lips
She’s careful to never slip
Chin up in the air when she walks
The confidence in her talk
Her ‘multi-tasking’ ability
She’s mastered the code between women
Closeness to the creation
Her love of pretty things
Long hair shining in the sun
Her obsession with beauty
Critical of her body
A career, marriage and children
All happen so effortlessly
Her pride
Her ego
Are as strong as any mans’.
The modern woman, so much is expected from her. To be everything and to do everything. She is not simple, she’s very complicated.. I can go on and on about her. The discussion is never-ending.
FYI-The words in Greek are ‘Woman or child?’, ‘Goddess within’ and ‘fearless’.
‘She got burned’ collage art on cardboard by Angela Zafiris
I have no laurels
to sit on
so I’ll count my losses
and carry gold crosses
I will win this war.
“And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:38
” καὶ ὃς οὐ λαμβάνει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ ὀπίσω μου, οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος.” ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 10:38
Two frozen black hearts melt in the sun light. They can’t hide in the shadow forever..
Two black hearts
Collide
Αn anger that won’t subside
Cold and dark
As a winters’ night
They fight
The light together
From blue to black
And black to blue
Μay a black heart never trouble you!
‘Better a red face than a black heart’. Portuguese proverb
The Borage plant, found in my garden and other gardens in the meditteranean, for the ancient Greeks, Romans and Celts and even in Medieval times symbolized courage and comfort. The blue flower, also called starflower, is tiny and very hairy, its leaves can be used in salads and the seeds are used to make borage seed oil for many ailments. The blue flower, when dried, is used to make tea as well.
Το φυτό Βόραγο, βρισκετε στον κήπο μου και σε άλλες κήπους στη Μεσόγειο, για τους αρχαίους Έλληνες, οι Ρωμαίοι και οι Κέλτες και ακόμη και στους μεσαιωνικούς χρόνους συμβόλιζε το θάρρος και την άνεση . Το μπλε λουλούδι, που ονομάζεται επίσης ‘starflower’, είναι πολύ μικρό και πολύ τριχωτό, τα φύλλα του μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν σε σαλάτες και οι σπόροι χρησιμοποιούνται για να κάνουν σπορέλαιο μποράγκο για πολλές παθήσεις. Το μπλε λουλούδι, όταν ξηραίνεται, χρησιμοποιείται για να φτιάξετε τσάι.
My Creative Wayz 