Recipes, our exploits and random musings about all things Greece.
Sometimes it rains in Athens, But that’s OK!
Greece, land of sunshine, true. But every once in awhile there are a few days of rain. It can happen anytime. I’ve seen 3 days of rain in June, I’ve seen 3 days of rain in August, Looks like we’re looking at 3 days of rain in November … No need to fret if it …
Gone With The Winds
It’s hard to be an “under the radar” destination in the vicinity of the Acropolis in Athens, but if anything comes close, it might be the Roman Agora, which is just to the north of the Acropolis. While its neighbors like the Ancient Agora, the Stoa of Attilus, and the glut of awesome museums in …
Founding Fathers
It’s a big day in Greece today! Were he still around, today would be the 154th birthday of Eleftherios Venizelos, who some might consider the George Washington (or maybe the Abraham Lincoln) of the modern Greek state. One of the most important political figures in Greek history this side of Pericles, Venizelos rose to fame …
Pass the Tzatziki
Gyro mania! You probably know what a Gyro is—yes, it’s pronounced yee-ro, with a nice rolled r—but what does it mean? Where does it come from? And how much does a real Greek gyro resemble the sandwich you might get from a street cart in New York or a hole-in-the-wall in Chicago? Today is the …
Of Venetians and Venizelos
If you’re visiting Crete, most of the to-do lists will have you somewhere in the vicinity of Iraklio, Crete’s largest city and one of the biggest in the whole country. But it’s not the only major metropolis on this majestic island—don’t count out Chania! Like everything else in Greece, and especially Crete, Chania is really, …
Not Your Usual Cape Town
A skeptic of the Greek vacation experience might wonder what makes some of the ancient sites and temples around the country so special. “Aren’t they all the same?” They might ask. Well, a lot of temples and houses of worship built by the ancients might seem a little similar on the surface, but beyond the …
This Win is Dedicated To…
For the second day in a row, this #ThrowbackThursday is a little bit less ancient than what we usually talk about about when it comes to Greek sightseeing: this time fourteen years ago, it was an exciting time for Athens, as we were right smack in the middle of hosting the 2004 Olympics! Along with …
Tourism is an Olympic Sport
Have you ever wondered what it must have been like to witness an ancient chariot race? Can you imagine yourself in the midst of something that might be straight out of Ben-Hur? Well, the screaming crowds might only converge once every few years, but if you come to Athens, not everything gets left up to …
For The Culture
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you’re really going to get the most out of your Greek experience, you need to spend a few days in Athens. Well, you don’t HAVE to spend time in Athens, but one of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking they can do Athens in just a day or two. If you’re really pressed …
Olive Love
There are a million different parts of Greek food and cuisine that have made their way into our modern foodie lexicon, but there might not be a staple more intimately associated with Greece than the simple olive. The Greeks love their olives—they even have a really fun olive and olive oil museum in modern Sparta …
Unorthodox Literature
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s National Book Lovers Day here in the United States, so I thought I’d take a look at look at one of modern Greece’s most famous and foremost writer of books, Nikos Kazantzakis. In keeping with the theme of some of my other posts this week, Kazantzakis technically wasn’t born a Greek—when he was born …
Beware the Minotaur!
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Oh, Wednesday wanderlust! Thinking about El Greco yesterday made me realize how long it’s been since our last visit to Crete, which is criminally underrated as far as Greek vacation spots go. It’s a different kind of island destination than Mykonos or Santorini—you’ll want to spend more than a day or two here, because there’s …
Get Me To The Greek
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Can you imagine being so good at what you do that people all over the world simply know you by where you’re from? Maybe in a couple hundred years someone will see one of my photos in a museum and know exactly what’s going on where they’re told it’s one of the best known works …
The New Classics: Part 1
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When talking about Greece, I often find myself using the fact that everything there is really old as one of ways that it’s super interesting. Thinking about it a little more, it’s not just the fact that things are old that makes them cool, it’s that when things have been around for a long time, …
Wine Lovers Welcome
It’s International Beer Day! Greece isn’t terribly well known for its beer (if you’re interested, here’s a pretty cool rundown of Greece’s brew scene), but it’s got one of the oldest winemaking traditions in the world, so I think you’ll probably be okay should you choose to celebrate tonight with some Nemean red. Today I’m …