Author Archives
Alexander Billinis
Hydra, the “Rock of Liberty”: Leading in 2021, as in 1821
For those who are students of the Greek War of Independence, few places figure as prominently as the island of Hydra. This is not just the boosterism of a proud Hydriot (which I am), but…
This Is YOUR Bicentennial!
For some time now, I have been going on about the importance of the Bicentennial of the Greek War of Independence. This key event in Greek—and world—history needs to be commemorated and celebrated, in a…
The Greek Princes Of “King Cotton”
I am a Greek-American, and in my (rather distant) youth, I was a Civil War buff. To me, the word “cotton” always conjures images of the South, of the Civil War, and of the cruelty…
Citizen Hanks, Greece Needs You
Let me start by saying that I have always loved Tom Hanks. He is a fantastic actor with a range possessed by few. From humor in Volunteers, where he met his Greek-Pomak-American wife, Rita Wilson,…
Samos at the Edge
There is an island, in the far east of the Aegean, the closest island, in fact, to Asia Minor, where a tiny strait separates the island from the Turkish mainland. Its scenery is beautiful, its…
Pammachon – A Martial Tradition and Ethos rooted in Hellenism
There is a martial tradition in Greece with continuity throughout all the ages of Hellas, and one still in the living memory of nonagenarian Greeks, but nearly lost to the ages, like so much wisdom…
Greek Merchant Mariners: Saying “OXI” Before OXI Day
“OXI Day” will soon be upon us once again. A national holiday in Greece, it commemorates Greek Premier/Dictator Metaxas’ categorical refusal to be occupied by the Italians massed on the Greek-Albanian border. In truth, rather…
A Trip To Bosnia And To The Bridge On The Drina
One Bosnian says to another: “Have you read The Bridge on the Drina? Read it, I walked on it!” The former Yugoslavia is blessed with rivers, any number of which mightily fortify the Danube as…
Odessa: The “Society” Port
My late father always wanted to go to Odessa. A proud Hydriot, every port had a visceral, nostalgic resonance to him. It reminded him of younger days and open horizons, sailing, like his ancestors before…
Thinking about the Bicentennial
I am old enough to remember America’s Bicentennial in 1976, and the sweeping pride we all felt, as well as, for my parents’ generation, a fair amount of soul searching. The Vietnam War just ended,…
Uncle Nick Of Greenville
I met him through my son. We had just moved to Clemson, South Carolina and I searched for a local Greek community for spiritual and cultural anchorage. After the church service, I saw my son…
A Grandson’s Visit: Ano Kastania
While we lived in Greece, a source of succor from the daily reality of life and work in Athens were trips out of the city via Greece’s new superhighways. A plethora of alpine and seaside…
