Where do you live?
I live in Nicosia on the last floor of a tall building with my two feline friends, Aris and Olympia. They adopted me nine years ago.
Best childhood memory?
Aged four or five on family summer holidays at Kykkos monastery. To say modest would be luxurious for our mountain refuge. The food was legumes. Every day! And everybody was in bed a bit after sunset. I loved it! We all loved it. Family was there, all five of us. We explored, we hiked, we talked, we laughed, we were at peace.
Most frequented restaurant and absolute favourite dish? What food would you really turn your nose up to?
We love to go to Sitio. It is casual, the people are friendly and courteous, the food is good at reasonable prices. Nowadays, I enjoy Grilled Salmon with… some yellow, creamy sauce 🙂
I am not that excited about okra.
What did you have for breakfast?
Two glasses of luke warm water with lemon juice and one banana, some herbs and vitamins.
Would you class yourself as a day or night person? What’s your idea of the perfect night/day out?
I used to be a 24 hour person. So many all nighters (mostly for work) too many to count. Nowadays, I take care to get enough sleep, at least five hours. Other than that I could be any time person if I am motivated, curious, inspired and of course at peace. I love home gatherings with friends, good food, even greater wine, stories, jokes, laughter, teasing, playing, learning. Have I mentioned wine?
Best book ever read?
Nikos Kazantzakis’ The Last Temptation. Kazantzakis dared to suggest an unthinkable heresy; Jesus had a choice. His life, as he lived it, was his choice. He has chosen to become Christ and not the village carpenter. Jesus wasn’t a martyr. He was a hero. Kazantzakis manages to bring Jesus back to us, ordinary people. He gives us hope. We can be as heroic by choosing our own path.
Favourite film of all time?
So many! Nothing comes to mind. But I would say Goldfinger, a James Bond movie.
Best holiday ever taken? What’s your dream trip?
Two years ago, summer holidays, in Tuscany, especially in the village of San Gimignano. The environment was there, and the conditions were there and of course the right two people were there. I have always had a fascination for Cuba. It’s like a time capsule of the age of the innocence in a dark age of greed and survival.
What music are you listening to in the car at the moment?
Nowadays classical music. Some other times I do enjoy Jazz. And then there are times that I blast the car roof with good classic Rock.
What is always in your fridge?
Fruit, lemons, vegetables, bread, juice, halloumi, eggs and some unidentified objects.
Dream house: rural retreat or urban dwelling? Where would it be, what would it be like?
I do enjoy the conveniences of the city, but I love the life at the countryside. I like being with people and at the same time I need peace and quiet to reflect. The layout would be simple, open spaces, airy with a studio for art and writing.
If you could pick anyone at all (alive or dead) to go out for the evening with, who would it be?
It’s a tough one. It is between Nikos Kazantzakis and Despina Papayiannaki. Kazantzakis is my hero. I love his childlike curiosity in a wise man’s mind. He questions everything. Even himself. I would ask him a million questions about Life, Love, Joy, God, Man, Woman, the Good Life. On the other hand, with Despina I would be myself, plain me, strong, vulnerable, at ease, open and very much interested in getting to know her.
If the world is ending in 24 hours what would you do?
In the first-last 12 hours (do not ask how) I would kiss all the people that touched my life even for a breath. Then I would play three games of bowling with my son Theo. And then I would cuddle with Despina. But then who knows, we may escape to another world.
What is your greatest fear?
I have recently realised that my deepest fear is to “be left out.”
Tell me a joke…
A man goes to his therapist: “My wife says, and my friends agree, that I am obsessed with sex”. The therapist picks a card from a deck sitting on his desk. The card shows a penguin. “What does it bring into your mind?” the doctor asks. “Sex” the man says. “How about this (a cap)? The answer; “Sex!” “This (history book)?” The answer; “Sex!” Long story, short, after one hour worth of pictures, the therapist says with conviction: “You are obsessed with sex.” The man gets up, pushed by his anger and pulled by the words coming out of his mouth “Me? It’s you who you have been showing me these porn cards of yours.” Perception is reality :).
