Psychiatry and Related Sciences, Athens, Greece

The First Interdisciplinatry Congress "Psychiatry and Related Sciences, is holing it's conference at the Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens, Greece. It incorporate the World Psychiatric Association Thematic Conference on Intersectional Collaboration, "The Multidiscipliary Facets of Psychiatry" and the 4th European Congress of the International Neuropsychiatric Association: "Overlap and Integration in Neuropsychiatry". The Cosponsoring Organization is the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry with supporting Organizations including World Asociation for Psychosocial Rehabilitation, International Psychoanalytic Association, European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, and European Family Therapy Association, including another 30 National Scientific Organizations based in Cyprus, France, Greece, India, Russia, Turkey and the USA.

I left Vancouver in the rain and dark, took more than a 4 hour flight to snowy Montreal. I then flew 7 1/2 hours to Frankfurt and on a few hours more to Athens. The weather here is balmy to a Canadian though I see locals wearing coats and jackets, no doubt finding this chilly compared to the summer temperatures recorded here. I'm warm. The coffee is great. The Divani Caravel Hotel is truly a luxury hotel and the conference is extremely well organized with world renowned psychiatric speakers. It's a bit like going to a science rock concert in that regard.

 I'm staying two blocks away in the Best Western Ilizia Hotel simply because I like them and am a member. It's a smaller hotel with great rooms and service.  Sitting in the chandaliered halls of the Caravel I am impressed with the location the organizers picked.

I enjoy the World perspective on my field of endeavour at this time in my career having benefitted from learning the Canadian and US insights for decades of study and conferences. The problems are very much the same but the insights are decidedly different at times.

 I've yet to see the Acropolis and am glad I'll have a few days to tour Athens and fly over to Crete since I'm in the vicinity. I studied Minoan and Mycenanean History in Classics during undergrad and have read Plato for years . In theatre I performed in Greek Tragedies and think it utterly marvellous to be where so much of Western culture began. It's truly a blessing. I'm looking forward too to visiting the church here in honour of St. Paul's mission.