This weekend Greece's Independence Day from Turkey was celebrated and I got some once-in-a-lifetime shots of military helicopters flying over the city, in particular, right in the frame with the Acropolis.

There was also an enormous parade, which I chose to skip - being packed into huge crowds isn't really my idea of fun and it's why I like to travel during "shoulder season". I was able to see the airshow and the later fireworks from my rooftop with friends and that was quite enough celebration.

I had a really interesting experience this week. There's a "secret" park near where I live here in Athens. Within its walls lie all manner of secrets - the ruins of ancient temples, entrances to underground tunnels, hundreds of tortoises, and giant agave plants as big as me, to name a few. I read about it online and became determined to find the entrance, which is an unmarked, unprepossessing gate that appears to go into a little office center with a parking lot. But once you walk through the lot and go up the hill, you've entered an entirely different world, far away from the lively streets of Athens.

It's called Ardittos Hill and it forms one side of the Panatheniac Stadium, an ancient arena where the first Olympics were held and the only stadium in the world made entirely of marble. (Check out my Instagram if you're interested in my photos of the stadium and the "Hole of Fate" beneath it.)

Back to the park. It's nicely landscaped in a wild, exotic kind of way. Gentle tortoises are everywhere (you can see those pics on Instagram, too.) The air is ripe with the scents of eucalyptus and cedar trees, and the sunlight filters through the leaves of great olive trees.

It's quite near where I'm staying - less than a 5-minute walk. On the first day I went, I tried to find the ruins of a temple said to be there with no luck. I'm still limited on distance due to my ankle, although I can handle a mile or two without much ill effect. So I decided to try again to find the ruins. I entered the park and sat down to have a drink of water and rest before I began the uphill climb when I met another American. Her name was Cathryn, and she had a really sweet dog named Lucky. We began to talk and discovered we were both writers. I told her that I was there to find a specific ruin, and she asked me where I heard about it. I mentioned the article linked above...

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And she was the author of it!

What a small world and a strange coincidence that was! We walked together, and she showed me around some of the more hidden places in the park.

UPCOMING PROJECTS

Sometimes being in new places can really spark one's creativity! I have two near projects coming up.

First, I'm in the process of releasing the paperback version of my book, What to Eat When You're Broke. I released it initially in PDF and got loads of emails asking for a hard copy, so your wish is my command! Look for it this week! Given the economy, I think it's very timely.

Secondly, I'm working on a piece of fiction that I think you will really love. If I'd written it ten years ago people would've said, "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever hard." Today, I suspect the response will be different.

I hope you have a week filled with magical coincidences, fresh air, and happiness.

This weekend, you can grab Selco's original course for 65% off the regular price. This is the course in which he shares his story about the year he spent living from moment to moment during the Balkan War. He was in a city under siege, without power, water, or food and each day was a fight for survival.

With the current upheaval in the US, there's never been a better time to take this course, One Year in Hell.

This was the first course of Selco's that I ever took and it turned me into a huge fan. There's so much wisdom in it that you won't find anywhere else.

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