My Big Fat Greek Vacation

Just like the title says - two weeks of eating and eating with some sightseeing and a lot of fun with friends. The Greeks might be on a financial austerity program due to living beyond their means, but ....living beyond my caloric capacity has led me to a food austerity plan after this holiday.  

The dude in the skirt and leggings with tassels
is going to lead us
on that austerity plan...or another restaurant.

Adventures in food

E's first food adventure was lamb's head - complete with brains, bones and teeth.  

Adrian ordered the "cod", and it too came with a head.

Lamb, pork, quinoa salad - no heads

Risotto with a special smoked pork "apaki".  Chicken with celeriac puree

The pigeons didn't realize the bread was just bait for this meat-eater!

The turtle tried running for the hills when he saw A&E - afraid he was headed for the stew pot

  

Greece, especially Crete is blessed with abundant fruit and vegetables.  There were lots of vegetarian dishes with legumes.  No heads were served in the process. 

Kostas' bread bowl salad

We ate this!

See how beautiful!  Salad at Mama Bear's

Now that's a Greek salad!

My new favourite, Cretan salad
with cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, capers, olives, rusks, soft cheese.
Oh, and this was meant for one person!

Our favourite vegetarian "omelette" that takes 5 hours to make.  

Our dinner table at the villa

Just one more little morsel...  Spherical pavlova with mango coulis.  

That one sweet little morsel at the end of the meal just pushes you over the edge into...

   FOOD COMA!!

Not even one more little wafer thin mint...

Kostas in the Kitchen!

We all experienced different highlights during the trip, but my favourite was the afternoon spent with Kostas' in his kitchen.  In the micro-village of Goulediana, near Rethymno, the small taverna Goules is a treat of flavour and hospitality.  The owner, Kostas Chamogiorgakis, is a wizard transforming tradition Cretan flavours into a modern riff.  He invited us into his kitchen for cooking lessons.  We were honoured he demonstrated his secret recipes, which we promised to keep.  Ya'll have to go visit Kostas or maybe one of us will cook for you to experience the dishes!!

True to Kostas' hospitality, he set us up with some snacks to start 

Kostas broke out a special wine reserved from his personal cellar

Open wide

The big rooster undergoing a flame treatment.  Glad I don't have to get rid of my hairs this way.

Washing the rooster

Rooster in a pot.  E's favourite Goules dish!

Tomato jam to top the baked feta in phyllo.  

Hmmm, Hmmm good!! D'ya think it was Delisa's favourite?

Taste testing

Mamma Kostas at the bread truck

ANOTHER special old bottle.  

Testing the fave bean mixture - perfect

The best fava bean puree we had - with secret ingredients!

Robert, Anne-Marie, Delisa and me - happy as chams!

Thank you Kostas for such a wonderful day and so many great meals!

Finally finding the best coffee in Europe!

Finally, after three years of arduous testing to find consistently good coffee, Greece comes up as the winner!!! You'll remember our French adventures in coffee lingo and the inconsistent results from the Un bon café, c’est compliqué! post .  Cup after cup, they were great everywhere in Greece.  

Cappuccino freddo - this summer's drink!

Too good to photograph before the cup emptied!

Winning wine

The wines of Greece, whether indigenous or international varietals, just keep improving.  Gone are the days of funky Retsina and oxidized brown wine.  Er, well, ask Bob about that experience... some of it is still lurking.  Modern wine making techniques keep the wines fresh and true to the varietal and winemaker's expression.  We visited the boutique winery of Dourakis and had a lovely tour and tasting.  

Adonis Dourakis with Delisa and me

We must have liked this one...its empty...The 2013 won a silver Decanter award

Half full or half empty - it is always re-fillable

The decline of the Greek Empire

Graffiti scars every building

Unfortunately, not is all idyllic in Greece.  Our first impressions of Athens was a city lacking social capital and in urban decay.  The defacing of historical buildings, shop shutters and general absence of civic pride is tolerated as normal scenery and seemed either a reflection of the decline in their national economic status or a lack of self-control and disenfranchisement.  The obvious stress people feel with the loss of wealth is evident in the sloppy, grimy face it presents to the world. They flaunt EU laws like smoking in restaurants.  This seemingly selfishness, or "the rules don't apply to us" doesn't bode well for the near future without re-evaluating their collective values as communities coming together for greater social and national change and prosperity. If individuality overrides order and self-discipline on the small stuff, how can they get their act together for the big stuff?

Care for a smoke under the no-smoking sign?

I'm not so handsome with a moustache

 

At least someone made an effort for some creativity

Unfortunately most spray paint is just vandalism and rare is this "street art"

The beautiful bits

Good thing there is still a lot of natural beauty to be found

Fishing boat in Heraklion

We did a little shopping for headgear, but I don't think the dimensions will make it for an Ascot hat.

Wasn't expecting that!

On our way to Elofonissi Beach

Can we bring him home, Mom?

Pink Beach Day at Elofonissi

Don't pick the pretty prickly cactus pears, we learned our lesson in France

The pink sand of Elofonissi

Day at the beach - who's going in?

Now what do we do?

Look Mom, no hands!!

  

The quaint town of Chania

The beautiful port of Chania

E's other mother.  We match the wall!

And A matches the water

Greek Orthodox church

Nafplio, Greece's first capital

View after climbing 295 steps to the Palimindi Palace

Knossos

 Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archeological site in Crete and considered Europe's oldest city.  The advanced architectecture and living conditions were pretty impressive.

Athens

Olympic Stadium!

Winners!

Not quite sure what this is all about?

Men in Black at Zeus' Temple
A, Adrian, Don & Robert

People in Pink
E, me, Delisa & Anne-Marie

The family who dresses together plays together

Seriously, it wasn't planned, it just happened.

 

Wouldn't want to get a chill! Isn't that what extra tablecloths are for?

Selfie at the Parthenon!

Love the one you're with

Sometimes, people just need a little more time together to forge closer relationships. Travel is a wonderful opportunity to really get to know someone and create a special bond

Just like siblings...

Snuggling up to my sweetie...

And sometimes, you just need a little space....

I could get used to this life

Waiting for the grapes

Happy fish.  You would be too with all this sun!

We have to stop meeting like this!  A final picture of the serendipity in our blessed lives!  Again, due to a flight rescheduling (delayed in Athens for a day due to an airport strike - there are worse places to be stranded), we met up with another familiar face.  From across the lounge, I said, "hey, that man over there looks a lot like Benadetta's Dad".  Guess what!  It was indeed Felice!  Another small world story of an Italian that we meet up with in Athens!  Either we are on the road too much, or the world is truly a small place.

We have to stop meeting like this!  Felice, Adrian, E, and me!