Elias Gourtsoyannis:  

I was born in a house near the top of the hill of Profitis Ilias, at Kastella, the most picturesque part of Piraeus, the ancient port of Athens, with an imposing view of the harbor, the ancient naval base of Faliron and Athens itself. As a child, I would spend the endless summers swimming every morning and many afternoons at Votsalakia,(little pebbles) the beach within walking distance of our house. Afterwards, I would arrive, exhausted but very happy, at the dining room where my grandmother, with the help of my mother, would serve fried burgers, ambelofasoula (thin green beans with olive oil and lemon sauce) and French fries fried in lamb fat. High cholesterol, but, absolutely delicious and necessary to replenish the energy lost after all the hours of swimming. In the cool breeze of many an Attic evening, I would go to AELLO, the local open-air cinema, in the site of an old theatre near our house. For a few drachmas I would watch adventure B-movies and thrillers. During the interval, I ...Expand for more