The travelling architect

Reconnecting after a while Our trip to Heraklion in Crete had as purpose to meet again, to meet our little ones and to rediscover everything that united us. Some people you may not know them for a long time but the connection is there. So that's how I feel for you. Since you left Switzerland, I haven't had a close friend again. Your absence was intense but somehow we managed to see each other again, either because you came for a visit in Zurich, or because we were on vacation in Chania at the same time. My first aftertaste from Crete and Chania in 2018 was sweet, colorful and fragrant. So were our routes and our short excursions to Heraklion and its surroundings. 48 hours were enough to visit Knossos, Fourni, the colorful Archanes and the center of Heraklion. The label "kreotechnio" - in other words, the butchery - is stuck in my mind, because everything is an art. Our trip was full of little words, sweet looks, strong emotions and lots of talk. The Cretan traditional...

Yerevan, a city stack on time Travelling is my way to explore, to feel relaxed, to forget the struggle of the everyday life, to get off my comfort zone and of course to discover cultures, learn traditions, smell, and taste different food. This time I planned a trip with a friend with whom have already travelled together, and we know well that it works well. The destination chosen was Yerevan in Armenia.  "What are you going to do there? Where is that? Why are you going there?"  Those are some of the questions that our circle was asking. And my answer was "Why not?". And to be honest, lately I have been hearing a lot about Yerevan and Armenian in general. I have been learning their history, reading about the genocide and I was curious to go there before it becomes touristic. Armenia is part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east and Iran to the south. The country was part of the Soviet Union, and it ...

The perfect summer ending I was trying to find a good subject for an article. And then this last weekend came, and I couldn't miss the opportunity to talk about it. My cousin, Georgia, was getting married.  Georgia is one of the most important persons in my life. We were born with a month of difference and since then, we are growing together and in parallel. Even though we both studied architecture, our career path is completely different. We are certainly not the same type; however, we respect each one's boundaries. My likes are mostly her dislikes, and her likes are my dislikes. Even though we are so different, she is always the one that I call when I need support, help or just someone to talk. I tried to visit them in London twice in 3 years but somehow halfway there, the restrictions and regulations because of COVID didn’t let me visit them. The taste was sour, and the feeling was unpleasant. So even if they are seven years together, I have only met Isaac in 202...

Road trip in Italy It has been a while since I have last written an article on my blog. Life changed drastically after our move from the US to Cyprus. Nothing can compare to our old life. It took us a lot of time to finally find a routine. However, we couldn't miss the opportunity to take some time off and travel. Travelling is my antidote during difficult times. And I was really looking forward for our first European trip after almost 4 years. Guess what? It was great.   We landed in Milan and stayed in the most iconic area, 2 minutes walk from Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. We spent a day there and then drove towards Rovereto, a small town near Lake Garda, Trento and at the foot of the Dolomites. The scenery was exceptional. The apple and grape fields were unfolding in the whole area. Numerous castles were standing proudly on the top of the hills. The reason of our visit was special, we celebrated our friends’ love. It is always nice to m...

Final chapter 3.5 years later, we are closing the American chapter. The feelings are mixed. The relations are strong. The experience is good. But life is full of decisions. And we have decided to have a safer and stable future.  The best work experience that I have ever had is coming to an end. It was a hard decision and I hope that the future keeps the same high work standards. Working in teams where the main goal is to have a viable project while keeping the quality high. Working in teams where people enjoy the company of each other, make the time pass easier. Working in an office with good working conditions and where the hours spent are appreciated and the balance between personal life and work is priority, then DiMella Shaffer is my best working experience. I couldn't be more thankful to the people who trusted me and gave me the opportunity to grow as an architect, to build my confidence and gain my voice as a professional.  Boston was the city that our son was born. Our ...

Traveling with two architects Leaving March behind and welcoming spring with one more trip, a special trip, it was a girls trip. My partner in crime, my best friend, the person that we traveled together in Barcelona, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Istanbul, Zurich, Montreal decided that wanted to visit New York. I couldn't miss the opportunity to see her and spend time together. Together we walked around Paris during the 5 years of our studies, but this time we walked around New York as architects having on our back a career of a decade, seeing everything that we learned at the university.   It was my third time in New York. And my biggest wish was to watch a Broadway Show. And this is what we did. We saw "Lion King", it was a majestic show, with colorful costumes, great voices and a spectacular live music. I visited Morgan Library and Museum, an old building with a contemporary extension from Renzo Piano. We also visited Guggenheim Museum, the museum that we heard about ...

2024 started with many planned trips. After visiting Montreal in January, we continued with a three day trip in February to Niagara Falls, which is only a 1.5 hour flight from Boston. We've all seen countless pictures of Niagara Falls and that's why I was looking forward to this. By the end of the trip, the photos that I took were uncounted. Our hotel overlooked the falls. We were sleeping and waking up at an exceptional view. We couldn't get enough of them. Even the little one admired them constantly. When we got closer, we were left speechless. The water was falling with such force and was so angry that it was blowing "smoke". In contrast, of course, to the birds that flew undisturbed and created an image of tranquility. The park around the falls was covered by snow with bare trees. It was a winter landscape. We chose to go from the Canadian side and enjoyed where the water falls. We also went through the tunnel built behind the falls...

Απολογισμός της χρονιάς Κάπως έτσι τελείωσα τον απολογισμό της περσινής χρονιας "Ανυπομονώ και αγχώνομαι ταυτόχρονα να συνδυάσω το ρόλο του αρχιτέκτονα και της μαμάς".  Το 2023 μας βρηκε αγκαλιασμενους με τους δικούς μας στην Κύπρο και λιγες μέρες μετά ξεκίνησε το νεο κεφάλαιο επαγγελματιας και μαμά. Οι πρώτοι μήνες της χρονιάς ήταν μια προσπάθεια να βρούμε μία καινούρια ισορροπία μεταξύ δουλειας και οικογένειας. Ηταν απαιτητικοί οι πρώτοι μήνες από θέμα οργάνωσης. Στην αρχη της άνοιξης, έχοντας το μικρό στους ώμους, κάναμε το πρώτο ταξίδι πεζοπορίας στο Zion National Park, καθώς και κάποιες βόλτες στο Las Vegas. Ήταν μια εμπειρία που θα μου μείνει αξέχαστη. Η άνοιξη κύλησε ήσυχα και υποδέχθηκαμε το καλοκαίρι με πολλες εξορμήσεις για βουτιά και μικρες πεζοπορίες στη Μασαχουσέτη. Κάθε σαββατοκύριακο γνωρίζαμε διαφορά State Park και γίναμε θαμώνες του Walden Pond.  Το αποκορύφωμα ήταν το πάρτυ μας στην Κύπρο, όπου γιορτάσαμε την οικογένειά μας με ολους τους δικούς μ...