Home Greek news Society Edward Kennedy Square on Paxos Island Commemorates Late U.S. Senator
Edward Kennedy Square on Paxos Island Commemorates Late U.S. Senator
Philip Chrysopoulos
The handwritten note by late U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, dating back to August 1968, is exhibited in the small art gallery that used to be a taverna in Edward Kennedy Square, located in Lakka village of Paxos island in Greece.
Dedicated to the owners of the taverna which Kennedy would visit, Spiros Mantelas and his wife Sarenia, the note, dated August 1968 reads: "The memory of your hospitality, friendliness and good food I will bring with me back to my home in the United States. Edward Kennedy US."
The commemorative note is now exhibited in a glass showcase posted on the gallery war.
The longest serving U.S. Senator spent summers on Paxos and it is said that he enjoyed Lakka. The Mantelas taverna was his favorite place to eat, according to Paxos Deputy Mayor, Giorgos Lichnos.
"His handsome face, his rich, blond hair and his tall body attracted all the girls on the island, but he preferred to come to this small taverna and eat his favorite handmade souvlaki grilled on charcoal," Lichnos said.
It has been over fifty years since Edward Kennedy wrote that note to the Lakka taverna owner, but the older villagers who were young then remember the "strange" tall American who walked the streets of the island and enjoyed its beauties away from his life of public service.
He visited the island on numerous occasions and was known as 'Teddy' to the locals. The U.S. Senator became friends with some of the locals. His death in August 2009 was met with sadness to those who knew him, but his name lives on.
Source: Athens – Macedonian News Agency
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