Greece, A Trip of A Lifetime...

 

We were so pumped up for a much anticipated ✈ also coz it's been five years without one...

And where can we kickstart our travels again once school let out, none other than the unrivalled scenic blues and whites with that sun kissed Mediterranean Sea in.... Greece 🇬🇷🏺🌞 Opa!!

Exploring, discovering, dining and learning as much as we can while on this trip to bond as a family and most importantly expand my culinary repertoire on our kitchen table beyond my usual grilled souvlaki, roasted lemon potatoes and Greek salad which traditionally btw has no lettuce 🥒🍅! Even more so inspired after my lovely girlfriend went last year. 

How do I sum up a dream family vacation to Greece in one word?... Idyllic 🇬🇷🥴! My heart and belly was set on food and more food, but that really was a side story. What took centre stage wherever you look was the natural stone beauty and the stunning rustic cycladic whites and aegean blues setting the stage for the pops of gorgeous lush greens and fuschias 🌺🌺🌺! #heavencanwait

We began our journey from Athens- stayed 2 days and sea jetted to Paros for 3. Then cruised to Naxos for another 3. Almost a whirlwind but not, we made sure to make every day count and relished in the stunning moments!

Athens Olympic Stadium

The glass floor viewing in front of the Acropolis

The Grand Acropolis

Our first meal- lunch upon arriving in Athens! Gyros with all the traditional fixins'...

Meandering about and taking in all the surreal scenic views!

Ohh, how I love tiles and bowls and ceramics... that blue and white💙!!!

Rustic, lush green, charming beauty beckons at every turn. Too picturesque not to capture!

Stray cats abound... my youngest couldn't help stopping, stroking and staying a while...

... That pink fuschias 🌺🌺🌺🥰!

Kalimera my friends 👋🇬🇷!  So many striking moments, but if I had to choose one, it had to be this... Finding an empty unlocked soccer stadium with the most gorgeous mountainous backdrop in the last leg of our trip- in Naxos island. My son can tell his coach he indeed kept up with his soccer training while away ⚽️🙌 

But of course, the food.... why else? #travelforfood However, I did start my vacation posts from Greece about the stunning scenery that captivated all my senses and etched into my heart the most... yes, over food. It's time to touch upon that, you think?

Can you guess the top foods we ate on trip in the collage? From top left clockwise:

#1: Gyros- pork and chicken, tzatziki and fries in pita

#2: Dakos Salad- barley rusk,  lots of tomatoes, feta or mizithra cheese, oregano, herbs, olives (noted as one of the best salads in the world!)

#3: Fried eggplant, Horiatiki salad and dolmades

#4: Grilled snapper

#5: Grilled gyros and souvlaki platter 

#6: Grilled octopus

#7: Grilled sardines

#8: Fried small shrimps 

#9: Fried calamari 😋

Our favourite meal was our first dinner out in Athens at Restaurant Scholarhio on the busy patio. Loved all the large plate mezes, fresh quality, perfect for sharing with a set table menu that included wine and very friendly on the wallet (collage 1- #2, #3 and #9)- 90 euros (no taxes, no tips)- $150 Cdn 😯 A steal!

At Mezes Mezes at the port in Naxos

Dinner at a sea-side restaurant in Paros

Brunch at an art cafe in Naxos

If in Athens, check out ‘Zisis: Fish in the Cone’ an original street food concept in the heart of Athens, named in honor of Zisis’ late grandfather, Zisis senior. It provides a choice of eight delicious seafood options, served in a brightly-printed cone inspired by old newspapers, to eat on the go.

Ahhh, we can't forget Greek desserts and snacks (namely chips)... 

Fresh Greek yogurt with apricots & honey and a shot of Rakomelo, a warming liquor spiced with cinnamon and honey (a comp finish to our meal at Mezes Mezes in Naxos)

Gelato and icecream (so refreshing, so quality, so delish everywhere)

Chips (Lay's) in Oregano, Tzatziki and Cocktail Shrimp. It has to be garlicky tzatziki all the way 🙌

Loukoumades- crispy fluffy chewy Greek donuts drizzled with honey and cinnamon (OG) Crave it? Check out Mr.Puffs with many locations across GTA- lots of toppings to be had from Oreo to lemon meringue to caramel. OG is my favourite 😋

We probably stopped to have ice cream or gelato a dozen times! Quality-fresh!

Eggares Olive Press is one of Naxos’s oldest remaining olive mills. Recently renovated, the Eggares Olive Press dates back to, at least, the late 1800s when it pressed locally-grown olives for the village community. Today, the original stone built structure has been elegantly refurbished to evoke a sense of tradition updated in a contemporary white Cycladic design. It has been part of the Lianos family for five generations.

The Olive Press exhibition area features original production materials once used at the site. Here, visitors can enjoy a free tour and brief presentation of how olive oil was originally produced at that time.

Olive Press Museum in Eggares, Naxos

In ancient Greece, there was a close connection between gods and heroes and the olive tree. The olive tree is the symbol of goddess Athena following her victory over god Poseidon in their competition about who will win the city of Athens as a place of worship.

Characteristically, Hercules's truncheon was made of wild olive wood. Hercules himself transported and planted a wild olive tree in Olympia. It is worth mentioning that 'kotinos' was a wreath of wild olive branches with which Olympic game winners were rewarded.

Olive oil was a fundamental element in funerary rites as it was used to wash and rub the body of the deceased prior to cremation and burial.

Visiting the Temple of Apollo during sunset is the most biggest attraction in Naxos.

So hard to get a good family photo with a lovely view. This may be it 📸!

What better menu than going Greek fresh from vacation, for my son's soccer family friends poolside to entertain 💦🤽‍♂️🥙🥗🍻! 

Greek Quinoa Salad is the perfect crowd-pleaser salad to make with it's healthful Mediterranean ingredients and tasty flavours! I taught this all the time in my classes to the old and young...  and they all loved it. A large fresh bed of both romaine and mixed greens topped with textured nutty grains of quinoa and a medley of crunchy colourful vegetables you'd find in a Greek salad dressed with garlicky lemony dill. Mmmm.... Served alongside both pork and chicken souvlaki and my very garlicky tzatziki in pita (thin Middle Eastern style so they can eat more) with DIY toppings and grilled thyme vegetables, everyone was going for seconds ✌. 

These memories linger and leads my heart astray down the Greek lane...

Your unrivalled beauty is cherished, and we will be back to immerse in you once again.

Thank you Greece! OPA! 💗