Music
Firenze mia – Angelo Petisi
Oh the joy and peacefulness of an Italian tune…
Parisienne Walkways – Gary Moore
I first heard this song while watching an ice skating routine performed by the incredibly talented Yuzuru Hanyu in 2014. It is so sensual and nostalgic that I find myself reminiscing of a love that is far away…
Books
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
In 1842, thirteen-year-old orphan Maria Merryweather arrives at Moonacre Manor, her family’s ancestral home in an charmed village in England’s West Country, and she feels as if she’s entered Paradise. Her new guardian, her uncle Sir Benjamin, is kind and funny; the Manor itself feels like home right away; and every person and animal she meets is like an old friend. But there is something incredibly sad beneath all of this beauty and comfort, that shadowing Moonacre Manor and the town around it. Maria is determined to learn about it, change it, and give her own life story a happy ending.
The enchanted valley of Moonacre is shadowed by a tragedy that happened years ago, and the memory of the Moon Princess and the mysterious little white horse. Determined to restore peace and happiness to the whole of Moonacre Valley, Maria finds herself involved with an ancient feud, and she discovers it is her destiny to end it and right the wrongs of her ancestors. Maria usually gets her own way. But what can one solitary girl do?
The Fourth King by Glen Petrie
He saw her for the first time the very evening he returned to St. Petersburg from six years in exile.
Pushkin was ordered by Tsar Nicholas to write great Russian novels. Natalya, at thirteen, was already a great beauty. Five years later they were married.
But their marriage would unleash a tragedy neither one expected and which no-one could control…
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
NARNIA… the land between the lamp-post and the castle of Cair Paravel, where animals talk, where magical things happen… and where the adventure begins.
Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are returning to boarding school when they are summoned from the dreary train station (by Susan’s own magic horn) to return to the land of Narnia—the land where they had ruled as kings and queens and where their help is desperately needed.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings… until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.
Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic but wicked Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.
But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game—and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after or the most exquisite tragedy…
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.
Movies
Dolittle (2020)
A physician who can talk to animals embarks on an adventure to find a legendary island with a young apprentice and a crew of strange pets.
Disenchanted (2022)
Ten years after her happily ever after, Giselle questions her happiness, inadvertently turning the lives of those in the real world and Andalasia upside down in the process.
Shops
Noel
Noel is one of those special corners that give off Christmassy feelings all year round…
Buena Vista Social Bar
A popular Mexican spot just below Acropolis with the perfect view for a meal and a cocktail accompanied by some Latin music.
Kastelorizo
A fancy seafood restaurant next to the sea in Varkiza with eclectic dishes to host a meal with old friends.
