Not everyone is ready yet to travel….and not every country is ready to accept international travelers. But after 13 and a half months stuck in the USA, we are ready to go. So many of you have been asking about our plans, so today I thought I would share with you how we are restarting the Grand Adventure.
The Grand Adventure which began in 2016 has evolved over time and will continue to evolve as we mitigate a new world. We may never again be able to flit from country to country the way we did before, but with planning, caution and ingenuity we think we can have a travel life full of adventure and intrigue.
Restarting The Grand Adventure
After abandoning our travels mid-itinerary in spring 2020, this week we embark on our first international trip. During our time in the USA we have done a lot of travel to eight different states. But this will be our first trip out of the USA since April 30, 2020.
We fly this week to Iceland for a two-week adventure. No tour, just on our own, using the Rick Steves Iceland Guide. Our visit includes three days in Reykjavik, then nine days in a camper van exploring the island. We have visited Iceland before, but only for two short days so we have always wanted to go back. Iceland seems like a safe place for restarting the Grand Adventure.
Summer and Fall
After two weeks in Iceland we will return to Washington State for the rest of the summer, as summer is the best time of year to be here in the Pacific Northwest. We have a couple of short excursions planned within the state as well as a trip to Maine in early September.
On September 20th we fly back to Maui where we will stay in the apartment of a friend who will be off island for six weeks and then two additional weeks in an Airbnb. Then we fly to Los Angeles before heading on to Arizona and the Grand Canyon. Next we have a trip to Mexico City for a Taco Tour (no joke, a whole week of eating tacos with a guide) and on to Oaxaca before returning to Washington to spend Christmas with our family.
2022 Away We Go
January and February will be spent in French Polynesia. OMG yes it will. First time there so I’m really excited. We will spend two months on the island of Moorea as a big step towards restarting the Grand Adventure.
March is still unplanned but we tentatively hope to fly back to Washington, say hi to the fam, repack and reorganize and then, embark to Israel and restart the itinerary we abandoned, almost two years to the day in March 2020. We have not booked that yet…we will wait and watch and keep our fingers crossed that the world will find its way and we can find our way back to the retirement life we were living and had always dreamed of.
Follow Along
I plan to continue to blog until its not fun anymore so keep following and we will tell you what we are doing. Finding us on Instagram is a great way to get daily updates and beautiful and fun photos and videos. We love your interest and are grateful. Cheers to all of you for your continued support!
Cheers!
I’ve learned a lot of things from living in the PanDamit, mostly to be more patient and flexible. Additionally I’ve learned there are a lot of crazy people and I just need to keep my head down and do the things I believe in, without judging even when I am being judged. Like I’ve said before, I absolutely refuse to be a victim in all of this. Instead I am searching for the learning opportunities and growing each and everyday from this life we are handed. It is still a fabulous life. And if our adventures help others make the step forward cautiously into the brave new world, then our work here is done.
Join us on Instagram here.
Iceland here we come! Learn about Iceland’s Covid restrictions here.
This is a repost of one of our favorite blogs from 2020. Enjoy again or for the first time.
We spent seven weeks on the island of Cyprus – 37 days longer than we thought we would be here. During that time we were basically under house arrest so there was very little sight-seeing. Fortunately we are allowed to go out to the grocery store (with advanced permission) and the stores were bursting with wonderful fresh produce; avocados, citrus of every kind, carrots, eggplant, zucchini, pomegranates, lots of greens and potatoes and cucumbers. Just about anything you can think of to use in my Cyprus test kitchen.
Beautiful and abundant produce
Introduction
I’m very grateful that one of the first things we did on arriving in Cyprus in early March, (before all hell broke loose and quarantines and lock downs became the norm), was take a cooking class. By doing so during our first few days, I was introduced to the incredible cuisine of Cyprus; a little Greek, a little Turkish and a bit reminiscent of Eastern Europe. The cuisine is hearty with pork, beef, lamb as well as middle eastern spices and lots of beans, rice and local produce. There is also seafood, although we unfortunately did not experience it.
Delicious Cypriot Coffee cooked in Sand
Since the island was on lockdown during our visit, we were unable to go out and taste the cuisine at the hundreds of restaurants and tavernas dotting the island landscape. So I decided to use all that time I had on my hands to bring the cuisine to us, creating a personal Cyprus test kitchen. I did a similar thing when we spent three weeks on the island of Antiparos a few years ago. We were there in the off-season and almost everything was closed. So I taught myself to cook Greek (see it here). And that was my attitude and goal here in Cyprus. It’s been one of my favorite boredom-buster-in-lockdown activities.
Taste of Cyprus
Before the lockdown began, during our first few days on the island, we signed up for a full-day tour with Cyprus Taste Tours, a local tour company and we were so blessed to meet Liza (Lee-zah) a Cypriot who loves food and loves introducing it to visitors. Our day included a beautiful drive through the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus, a visit to the Vouni Panayia Winery and a visit to the Loukoumia Geroskipou candy making factory. We also made a brief stop at the Chrysoroyiatissa Monastery to learn a bit about the ancient ways of making wine.
Beautiful fresh bread right out of the outdoor oven
But the best part of the day was the four hours we spent at Mrs. Sofia’s Traditional House learning and eating several of Cyprus’ most traditional foods. She has a perfect Cyprus test kitchen and I was infatuated.
Cooking with Mrs. Sofia
As you know, I love taking cooking classes in every country we visit, and it’s always my favorite when I am cooking in a local home with a local family. That’s what happened at Sofia’s Traditional House.
We were at the family home of Sofia and Andreas, the home Sofia grew up in. The original part of the home has been preserved in a way that guests can see how a traditional Cypriot home was in the past. Sofia and Andreas have added a cooking kitchen on to create a space for classes (only through Cyprus Taste Tours) as well as serving meals to tour groups that come through.
Spectacular
We learned so many things during our time with Sofia. First she pulled fresh bread out of the outdoor oven and fresh halloumi out of the outdoor cheese maker. Wow. Delicious.
Next we watched the interesting process of making traditional Cypriot Coffee in a special machine where the coffee cooks in hot sand. Amazing.
Then we began to prepare the ingredients for our feast.
Six Famous Cypriot Dishes
During our time with Mrs. Sofia we learned to make the following dishes;
Halloumi Cheese – famous cheese of Cyprus is fantastic eat fresh, boiled or grilled. Squeaky texture with a very high melting point give it an unusual variety of cooking and eating options.
Koupepia
Koupepia – stuffed grape leaves, very similar to Greek Dolmades, the Cypriot version is filled with rice, pork, tomato and parsley and simmered in a tomato broth.
Preparing the meatballs with Mrs. Sofia
Keftedes – a word that means meatballs and can refer to many kinds but the most popular are a minced pork, grated potato, onion and parsley with a hint of cinnamon.
Pligouri – which is a pilaf of bulgur wheat. Bulgur wheat is what you might know in tabouleh. Pligouri is considered a poor man’s food, but is delicious, quick and easy to make.
Anari Cheese with Spoon Sweets
Spoon Sweets and Anari Cheese – Anari Cheese is the fluffy white byproduct of halloumi cheese made by adding fresh raw milk to the whey after the halloumi curds have been separated. Spoon Sweets are spoon size bites of usually fruit but sometimes vegetables, usually the rind preserved in a sweet syrup.
Things I Tackled at Home
After going in to quarantine then followed by lockdown, I realized I wasn’t going to be eating in any local restaurants. So I set out to teach myself in my own Cyprus test kitchen, how to make several more of Cyprus’ most famous dishes. Here is everything I tackled during our weeks of solitude with recipe links when possible;
Sheftalia
Sheftalia – a type of sausage without skin its held together with caul fat. Very popular taverna meze. I was able to buy the Sheftalia already prepared at the butcher and grilled it up at home.
Kolokouthkia me ta afka – is a traditional scrambled egg and zuchinni dish often eaten as a mezzo.
Kolokouthkia (scrambled eggs and zucchini) and fried Halloumi
Fried Halloumi – this cheese is really amazing, with a very high melting point so it’s perfect for frying…but I also love it’s dense saltiness just to pop in my mouth.
Macaronia Tou Fournou (similar to Greek Pastitsio ) this deep dish casserole was delicious and I plan to make it again. Layers of macaroni pasta, Bolognese sauce, bechamel sauce and grated halloumi it was comfort food at its finest.
Macaronia Tou Fournou
Melitzanosalata – smashed eggplant cooked and mixed with garlic, lemon and parsley and usually served as a mezzob.
Avgolemoni Soup – Lemon and Egg Soup. Simple and absolutely delicious. What a refreshing surprise this treat was. I will certainly make it again.
Avgolemoni Soup
Lamb Chops – for our first Easter dinner we had lamb chops fresh from the butcher, marinated simply in olive oil, lemon and rosemary.
Kleftiko – Lamb Shank. This is the most famous dish on this island, and I wasn’t sure about tackling it. Usually cooked in a traditional outdoor oven for hours and hours, I took my chances cooking it in the oven in my kitchen. This was our Easter dinner on the Cypriot Easter Sunday and it was amazing.
Kleftiko
Souvlaki – I’ve eaten souvlaki in Greece and the USA and I love it but I wasn’t sure about making it myself. But on one of our final days in Cyprus I went to the butcher and bought beautiful piece of pork tenderloin and made the most mouth-watering meal! We had a lot of meat left and we enjoyed it again on day two.
Souvlaki in Pita
Fresh Lemonade – we were up to our ears in both lemons and oranges and we loved having fresh squeezed OJ each morning. We put our fresh lemonade skills to the test and what a refreshing afternoon pick me up.
Fresh Lemonade using the lemons in our yard
In addition we learned to make Cypriot coffee in our Cyprus test kitchen, just like Turkish coffee, dark and strong.
Things We Ate Elsewhere
Our lovely Airbnb host kept us in delicious baked goods, including one of Cyprus’ most famous desert flat breads called kattimerka, very much like lefse. She brought us a local molded pudding (cake) made from semolina flour called Halva as well as orange cake. And she also made us our favorite, the traditional Easter bread called Flaounes.
Easter bread known as Flaounes
We bought Galaktoboureko at the local bakery, a very dense custard, phyllo, and honey pie.
Galaktoboureko
From the grocery store we enjoyed excellent local olives and olive oil as well as wonderful wines from Cyprus including Commanderia, the Cypriot favorite. As well as Tahini, Hummus and Tzatziki.
Halva Pudding
At the local butcher we sampled the traditional Tsamarella, a sausage made from lamb or goat and served like an appetizer with cheese and bread.
Things I Didn’t Have
We missed out on one famous Cypriot specialty, a slow clay pot cooked meal called Ttavas. We also didn’t get to experience the cultural tradition of mezzo meals, either a meat mezzo or seafood mezzo at a traditional taverna. This is the most popular way to eat in company, sampling dozens of small dishes while drinking and enjoying each other’s company. So sorry we never got to do that.
Cyprus will always hold a special place in my heart…what a remarkable place to be in lockdown. Even though we missed so much, I still feel a great emotion to the people and the place…perhaps we can return when times are better.
I am so grateful to this country for the love they showed us. EUCARISTW POLU. Thank you very much. You will never know how much it has meant to us.
It’s Orthodox Good Friday here in Cyprus…the start of a four-day holiday, the biggest holiday of the year – one week later than other Easter Celebrations. But not this year. Yes the dates are still the same, but the celebrations have all been called off. In 2020 the story of Easter in Cyprus is on pause.
The President of Cyprus has declared the island people will celebrate a “postponed” Pascha in May. Let’s all hope it will happen. As Cyprus continues it’s lockdown, we all hold our breath and wait.
Bon Fires are an Easter Tradition
It’s disappointing not to be able to witness the faithful on this day here in Cyprus, a place I am beginning to feel is my home. Last April we were flabbergasted at the spectacle of Semana Santa in Antigua Guatemala…one of the most wonderful things I have every experienced. I have no doubt the Orthodox Easter Celebration would be just as amazing. Perhaps we will still be here in May when and if it happens.
Lambs are a symbol of Pascha
Meanwhile I’ve been in touch with the local website called Choose Cyprus and they have agreed to let me share this amazing blog that describes the story of Easter in Cyprus and how the people come together in their communities each Pascha.
I hope you can take the time to read it in the link below.
Here we are. Walking our second Camino de Santiago. Why you ask? Why not? It just seemed like we should. Six months ago when we were planning our fall itinerary we were looking at being in Madagascar in October. Until we looked at the airfare. Yikes. Madagascar will need to stay on the bucket list for a while longer. So we turned our attention back to one of our favorite countries, Portugal. And well, here we are.
Having completed the 486 mile Camino Frances last September, I wasnt sure if the Camino Portuguese would be different.
It is different. While also being somewhat similar. One week into the Camino Portuguese, I don’t think I can say I prefer one over the other (yet), because each is special in its own way. But I have found myself during week one on the Portuguese Way comparing it to the Frances Way.
Here are my thoughts so far after one week of walking;
Distances are Different
Of course the biggest difference between the two walks is the distance. When setting out to walk the most popular Camino Frances many people begin in Saint Jean Pied de Port in France. This is where we began on September 1, 2017. Forty-one days and 486 miles later we arrived in Santiago, Spain.
On the Camino Portuguese we started in Porto, Portugal on October 21, 2018. We plan to walk to Santiago and then beyond to Muxia on the Atlantic Ocean. This walk will take us about 15 days and will be 217 miles.
It is a significant difference in distance and days walked – making some of the comparisons here not really fair.
We are Different
We are not the same people we were a year ago. And so this is another major difference. A year ago we had never tackled anything like walking the Camino de Santiago. We were a bit frightened, naive and apprehensive. I think we over trained and over planned and over stressed. I spent too much time reading what other people thought was best. Ultimately most of that wasn’t best for me.
This time we hardly trained, barely planned and did almost zero research. In fact I stayed away from the Camino Facebook pages (which I found last year too judgmental) and just went with what felt good for us. We did use the John Brierley books again – a valuable resource for any Camino pilgrim.
We also don’t feel any pressure this time to “succeed”. We are just enjoying it. If we don’t finish – no worries. If it pours down rain and we hop on a train, so be it. If we get sick or tired and decide to sleep all day – well Buen Camino. Our Camino, our way.
Our Bags are Different
Last year I walked the first 100 miles with a 15 pound pack. But eventually it was too much for my plantar fasciitis and I began shipping my pack ahead each day. This year I decided to do it from the very start. It’s so much better. I last longer and feel better at the end of the day. My Camino, my way.
The Terrain is Different
Over these past six days we have seen quite different terrain than what we enjoyed walking across Spain. We have spent a lot of time in beautiful wooded areas of eucalyptus, cork and pine trees. We have also spent a lot of time on rocky paths climbing over mountains. In Portugal in the suburban areas, and even on country roads, we were forced to walk on difficult cobblestones – both ancient and new.
Similar to the Frances we have also spent a lot of time in bucolic farmland with cows, sheep, horses and goats (there is a distinct Camino aroma!). Most enjoyable is passing miles of vineyards, corn fields, chestnuts, vegetables of all kinds and many fruit and nut trees. Here along the Portuguese way these things are grown altogether. In Spain there were more distinctive sections of types of agriculture.
We left Portugal and entered Spain on day five. Here the path meandered through lovely creek-side shaded paths before we had a major climb with a very steep descent into Redondela. We are now in Spain’s Galicia region, one of our favorite areas last year on our walk. The mountains bring cooler weather, and marine air from the ocean just 8 miles away.
On both routes we enjoy the incredible medieval villages, most fully functional and still living, breathing towns – on the Camino Frances it felt like many of these towns were only there because of the Camino – not so much on the Portuguese. For someone from the USA where old is 200 years, seeing 900 year old villages and 2000 year old Roman bridges and roads still in use is just mind-boggling.
The Portuguese People are Different
Perhaps because the Portuguese Way is not as popular as the Frances, or perhaps because the Portuguese people are only beginning to learn how to be Camino entrepreneurs as The Way becomes more popular; for whatever reason there just are not as many businesses catering to pilgrims.
The accommodations are fewer, the food is definitely not as available and we never encountered anyone just trying to make a buck off of the pilgrims. Last year in Spain it was a normal sight for someone to be set up on the side of the road selling things to pilgrims. Restaurants, bars, cafes were abundant.
But we have found the Portuguese Camino much less developed for pilgrim services.
The Portuguese people are a bit more shy and quiet. They nod and say Bom Dia but keep more to themselves than most of the Spanish we encountered on the Frances.
We expect this to change now that we have arrived in Spain.
Vandalism is Present
The first day we entered Spain our guide-book gave us a choice on routes. We could take the shorter “industrial” route or the slightly longer “scenic” route. We chose the scenic route.
Immediately, and for the first time on either the Portuguese or the Frances, we began to see a clear effort to vandalize signage, misdirect pilgrims and disrupt progress on the “scenic” route. Beautiful granite markers splattered with paint, arrows blacked out and other arrows trying to get walkers to go another way. We stayed the course using the map on our phone.
Our assumption is there are locals not wanting pilgrims to go this way. I’m sure it’s not all locals, but it was a disappointment to us. On the Francis we always felt welcome.
The Pilgrims are Fewer
The most striking difference to us in week one is how few pilgrims there are. Last year we found ourselves on the Camino Frances during its busiest September ever. We had chosen to walk in September because we had read it was a time with fewer pilgrims than in summer but still with good weather.
Well clearly we were not the only ones who had read this recommendation. It was very crowded.
Most days it didn’t matter, but as we got closer to Santiago it was busy and not very peaceful. Rooms were hard to come by and so we started booking several days and even weeks ahead.
Late October on the Portuguese Way is very quiet. On our first day we did not see any other pilgrims. That night at dinner we met a man from Holland. We have now seen him several times. We also have often seen a young couple from Italy/Australia and few others along the way. But until day five the total number was only about a dozen.
On day five we began to encounter more Pilgrims. We learned many start walking in Valenca, the border between Portugal and Spain. We met a woman from Seattle (who had heard about us), another woman from Ottawa and another woman from Russia. We met a group from Australia, a couple from Germany and a couple from Mexico. We have also seen two young men walking with a dog, several cyclists and a handful of people walking the other direction. The Portuguese Camino also supports the route to Fatima going south. Some people walk south from Santiago to Fatima Portugal, a town between Porto and Lisbon where an apparition of the Virgin Mary was considered a miracle and brings pilgrims.
We have enjoyed week one. We feel healthy and capable. The forecast for the week ahead has much rain, and we will take it day by day to see how we proceed. Meanwhile, I am very happy to be here, experiencing once again the magic of the Camino de Santiago.
More soon, from the Way of Saint James. Buen Camino!
What a wonderful decision it was for us to spend three weeks on the tiny island of Antiparos in the south Aegean. We have truly loved our time here.
Antiparos
Delos
Using Antiparos as our home base for island hopping wasn’t really what we set out to do, but it worked out well for us to take short day trips to some of the other islands around the area. However, something to note – because of the unusual weather pattern (around the world) the ferry from Antiparos to Paros was shut down for two days due to wind while we were here. Something to think about if you plan to stay only a short time. We had lots of time so it did not affect our plans.
Santorini
You can hop to Santorini from here, but the off-season ferry schedule makes that tough. During the summer more boats run. But we had already spent three days there so no need to go back. But if you visit and want to do a day trip to Santorini check out both the ferry schedule as well as the privately operated tour boats. The private boats run more frequently. When we took the ferry from Santorini to Paros it costs us 58 Euro for both of us (one way) and took three hours, stopping at Ios along the way. We used Minoan ferry line for this trip.
Mykonos and Delos
Delos
Mykonos
We used a private tour boat to visit Delos and Mykonos together on one day. We took the ferry from Antiparos to Paros and we got on a van that transported us to Naousa (the van transfer was included in the tour price). Here we hopped on a boat that could carry about 200 people. It wasn’t full, but perhaps 100 people. It was an hour ride to Delos where we spent three hours touring this amazing island and its significant ancient ruins. Guided tours were available but we did the tour on our own and really enjoyed it.
Back on the boat we motored 15 minutes to Mykonos. We had three hours to wander here. We had a fantastic lunch at Salparo, sitting on the rocks overlooking the harbor. We then enjoyed sauntering around the historic blue and white village, visited historic sites and looked at shops. Three hours was just enough, since we had been to Mykonos once before eleven years ago.
That trip to Delos and Mykonos was an all-day adventure and costs us 50 euro each. We booked this through Polo Tours in Paros.
Paros
Naousa,Paros
Naousa, Paros
We visited the island of Paros twice. The first visit we had a car and we headed to Naousa in the north part of the island. The weather wasn’t great but we still enjoyed exploring the tiny alleys and hidden shops and homes in the old chora (village). Naousa also has a charming and picturesque port. We drove up into the mountains to visit the teeny village of Lefkes. This ancient town, far from the water, is unusual in how green it is, unlike most of the brown island landscape, and is home to a small agricultural population. Lefkes is one of the few remaining chora that retains its authentic roots.
The next time we visited Paros we spent several hours discovering Paroikia, the port town where the large ferries come and go. The port area is bustling and noisy, but hidden back behind it is an incredible old chora that many people miss. It once again had some fascinating buildings, tunnels and passageways, a spectacular old castle and temple of Athena, many lovely shops and of course, cats.
Naxos
Naxos
We traveled on the lovely Blue Star Ferries to the island of Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades Islands, about a 45 minute ferry ride from Pariokia. We paid 42 Euro total for both of us round-trip. It was a very windy day and I worried about the boat ride, but the Blue Star line runs large, almost cruise-ship style boats, and I did fine with my motion sickness issue.
Pariokia, Paros
It was also very windy in Naxos, and this port town is very exposed, so we spent a lot of time wandering the old chora up to the ancient castle and trying to stay out of the wind. It’s another beautiful ancient town. We enjoyed having a drink at the rooftop of 1739, which was out of the wind and offered a spectacular panoramic view. We had a nice lunch of simple souvlaki at Yasouvlaki. We then braved the crashing waves to cross the pedestrian manmade causeway to walk out to the famous ancient portara (door), site of an unfinished temple from 530BC. We got wet. Like I said, it was very windy. But it was worth it. The Naxos Portara was worth it.
Antiparos
Naxos
At the end of the day in Naxos I told my husband that I have really enjoyed visiting all five of the islands, but in the end, I am so glad we stayed three weeks on Antiparos. It has everything we want; quiet and peaceful, small village, beautiful secluded beaches, a handful of shops and is still close enough to visit the surrounding islands.
I do hope to return here someday.
Where to next?
But now its time to leave. Next stop – ten-day tour of Egypt and Jordan. A definite bucket list destination for me ever since I was a child. We hope you will continue to follow along on our Fab Fifties Adventures.
I’ve been to Greece before, and one of the things I was most looking forward to about returning here was the cuisine and enjoying my favorite greek foods and recipes.Fresh, local and fabulous, it’s easy to see how healthy the Mediterranean diet is.Copious amounts of olive oil, ocean to plate seafood, salty mouth-watering feta, and produce from local growers including gorgeous red and yellow tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, purple eggplant, greens, beets, onions, potatoes. Lemons, limes, pomegranate and other seasonal fruit figure prominently.
What’s not to like?
Dolmades so delicious and easy to make
My favorite greek foods and recipes were enjoyed in restaurants on Antiparos, Mykonos, Paros and Santorini. I have enjoyed squid several times, it’s best I think when simply grilled with lemon and olive oil.I’ve also had octopus with orzo (tasted very much like a risotto) and lamb souvlaki.We’ve tried dolmades (I love these lovely little lemony pockets of deliciousness and have made these at home several times), anchovies, sardines and fried cheese called saganaki. We also enjoyed moussaka, pastitsio, rabbit stew and many choices of salads.
Making Humus
I usually like to take a cooking class in every country I visit.But here on tiny Antiparos there is no such thing.So instead I have set out to cook several Greek recipes I’ve found on(where else) Pinterest.Everything from sandwiches to salads to spanakopita has made its way out of our Airbnb kitchen these past three weeks.So here are my successes (and one fail) from my self-taught Mediterranean Highlights Menu from Antiparos.
My Favorite Greek Foods and Recipes;
Salads
Greek Salad
In most restaurants you can find many choices of salads.Most popular are Eggplant Salad, Tomato Salad and of course, Greek Salad.
Greek Salad is fairly simple and usually includes the following ingredients; feta, olives, tomato, red onion, capers and cucumber.Sometimes it will have lettuce, but the Greek way is without lettuce.The dressing is olive oil (of course), lemon, salt and pepper.
Chickpea Salad is also very popular.Chickpeas grow in abundance in the mediterranean region. Chickpeas find their way into many recipes, not the least of all being hummus.This salad I made included lots of delicious fresh veg as well as the chickpeas. I had left over chicken from our Greek Chicken (see below) so I shredded that and added it to the salad. It was delicious served with the fried eggplant chips.
In Greek small bites or appetizers are known as mezes.You will often find mezes on menus to be served with a glass of wine.You can also enjoy mezes before your meal.We ordered several mezes when we ate out and especially liked saganaki (a fried cheese), octopus in vinegar, and bujurdi an incredible cheesy dip.So I decided to tackle bujurdi.It’s amazing.Try it.
Spanokopita has always been one of my favorite Greek dishes. And it is so easy. Don’t fear the filo! It is very easy to work with. Spanakopita has simple ingredients; filo (purchase it ready-made fresh or frozen), spinach, onions, feta and dill. Bake and enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
For lunch one day we ate the most delicious, and very filling, Greek Sandwich. This sandwich could easily be dinner, with a side salad or dolmades which is how I served it. It’s a very tall sandwich, so be sure to get nice fresh bread that can hold up to the numerous ingredients. I will definitely make this recipe again.
At most of our lunches we ate very simple mezes of canned sardines (so many choices available in the store) or fresh anchovies in oil and lemon along with pita, hummus, feta, olives, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber and fruit. A very simple and easy meal and totally satisfying. Here in Antiparos we have really fallen in love with lemon hummus. Bright and nutty and delicious.
Delicious Dinners
Greek Roast Chicken
Most any country you travel to you can find a version of roast chicken, and since we were blessed with an oven in this Airbnb I was well prepared to try this recipe. We purchased a beautiful plump and organic locally grown chicken and with some simple herbs and lemon, created a fantastic dish. We had left overs for two additional meals. I served the chicken with a warm potato salad with feta.
I’ve always been one to experiment boldly in the kitchen, and I tackled a full Greek meal for guests when I was just 23 years old and we were first married. This was my first attempt at moussaka. It was a smashing success and I have made it many times over the years (35 years since!). So cooking it here in Greece seemed appropriate, even though we had enjoyed it in a restaurant. This recipe gave us lots of left overs.
I didn’t make any desserts but I must mention how much the Greeks like their sweets. Fortunately (or unfortunately I’m not sure) the little village here in Antiparos has an amazing bakery…which we visited several times. Of course you know baklava, but there are many other cookies, pastries, custards, pies and amazing bread available fresh every day. We made a point to partake – of course all in the name of research!
The Big Fail
Seabream fail
I love seafood, but I admit, it can be difficult to cook.I wanted to grill a whole fish on our BBQ, but the wind has been so high we couldn’t use the grill.We bought a whole fish, frozen, because the fishmonger has closed for the season.I think that was our biggest mistake.It just didn’t smell or taste fresh.Despite the deliciously fresh herbs (dill and parsley) and lemon and garlic we stuffed the fish with – we hated it.I didn’t even eat mine. I think the recipe isn’t at fault here – or the cook for that matter. The fish wasn’t fresh and so it was a fail.
Saganaki fried cheese
We haven’t eaten out much during our time in Antiparos, and now many of the local restaurants have closed for the season. But we enjoy creating in the kitchen, and we have learned a lot about the local cuisine in doing so.
So there you have it! My favorite Greek foods and recipes. Fabulous Greece. Fabulous Food. Fabulous Life. Opa!
Check out some of our other blogs about Fabulous Food Here!
Two weeks shy of eleven years since we visited the incredible island of Santorini. And nearly everyday since we have wanted to return. Today that happens.
Santorini 2007
We only spent one day on Santorini, since we were on a Mediterranean cruise and it was one of our stops. We loved all of our stops on that cruise, but Santorini was, well, magical.
Santorini 2007
It was magical for its stunning beauty – that shot the world thinks of when they think of Greece. It was magical for the view – and one of the most memorable meals I ever had overlooking the crater. It was magical for the authentic villages – like a movie but better.
But more important than any of that, it was magical because that day I changed. It may seem silly, but it’s not silly to me. That magical day on Santorini I discovered a new person within myself. The beginning of finding my Fabulous Fifties Life.
See it happened like this:
Santorini 2007
Laying on the cruise ship at the pool the day before arriving in Santorini I was reading the guidebook about things to do in Santorini. In the book it suggested walking from Fira (where the ship tenders) to Oia on the far end of the island. The walk was six miles and went all along the crater rim.
Santorini 2007
As soon as I read it, I knew my husband would want to do it. Should I tell him? Should I keep it to myself? Hike six miles? Yikes I don’t think I can do it. In the hot sun? I was torn.
But I love my husband so I said “Honey, there is this hike on Santorini maybe we can do.” He was all over it.
Santorini 2007
That day I was nervous since I hadn’t done a hike in YEARS. But we left the ship really early and got started before the heat of the day – and well, the rest is history. That hike changed my life. Not only was it SPECTACULAR, but it was inspirational. We saw only two other people (today this rim walk is much more popular) as we maneuvered our way on this rocky island in the middle of the turquoise blue mediterranean sea. During that six miles and about three hours I became someone who could hike six miles, who could adventure in the unknown, who could feel alive and free in the wild. A new person emerged who had been hidden inside of me all those years.
And that is how it began. Without that hike I would never have tackled hiking from Cusco to Machu Picchu. I would never have tackled walking 486 miles on the Camino de Santiago. I would never have tackled many of the things I now do everyday, knowing I am capable and not afraid.
Magical Santorini shaped me and I’m going back to say
Santorini 2007
thank you. Just for three days this time, but long enough to remember and pay my respects. A beautiful and magical place where I was transformed, and my Fab Fifties Life was born.
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