Anastasia

Memories of a Magical Holiday in the Aegean - Part 2

DAY 2 - July 7 - Serifos

Our arrival on the island of Serifos was.... adventurous! Upon arrival at Piraeus Port, we were told that our boat was delayed. Finally we sailed off on a different boat with a two-hour delay. We arrived in Serifos at 8:30 pm. The hotel's mini bus which would drive us to Coralli Bungalows as we had agreed wasn't there! We called the hotel several times but there was no answer. So, we tried to find a taxi and walked to the taxi station about 1 km carrying our luggage. No taxis!!! Our last resort was to hire a car. While I was keeping an eye on our luggage, Alkis went to the car rental office, but he was told that there were no cars available at that time and that we could have one in the morning! I was beginning to believe that we'd spend our first night on the street when a man at the car rental office asked us where we were going and we told him that we had booked a week at Coralli Bungalows. "Well," he replied, " I am the owner of Coralli Bungalows." He called the mini bus driver who was there for us in 5 minutes. The driver said that Seaways Company hadn't informed them about the delay. He was there for us at 6:30 pm and seeing that there was no boat, he left!  By 10:00 pm, we were having a romantic dinner at Takis Restaurant - right on the beach! All's well that ends well.

DAY 3 - July 8 - Serifos

After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, we couldn't wait to swim in those crystal-clear waters just a few steps away from our bungalow. It was sheer bliss!  We spent the whole day at the beach, had a great lunch at the hotel's restaurant and, in the evening, we walked to Livadi where we enjoyed dinner at one of the many restaurants  of the area.

DAY 4 - July 9 - Serifos

Serifos has an area of 75 m² , 70 km of coastline. and a population of about 1200 inhabitants. It is a small, peaceful island that hasn't experienced yet the dizzying tourist development of many of the other islands of the Cyclades such as Mykonos, Naxos or Santorini. Serifos makes time stand still and offers a unique feeling of harmony and relaxation.  It was yet another great day at the beach.

Memories of a Magical Holiday in the Aegean - Part 1

The islands of the Cyclades lie leisurely in the middle of the Aegean Sea southeast of Athens. They consist of 2200 islands, islets, rocks but only 33 of them are inhabited. They belong to the prefecture of Syros with Ermoupolis as their capital city and look like music variations on the same theme offering the visitor a unique feeling of calm and relaxation. They are also known as the "white islands" because of  their traditional cycladic architecture and their milk-white colour against the bare land and the deep, blue sea. My husband and I have already been to Mykonos, Syros and Naxos and were so impressed by the breathtaking views and the cycladic harmony and beauty that we decided to spend our vacation in the Cyclades, this summer as well. This time, we spent three days in Athens and a week on Serifos. We also visited the nearby island of Sifnos. 

 

DAY 1 - Friday, July 6 - Athens

We took the early morning flight of Aegean Airlines to Athens, which left on time at 05:10. and landed at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos at 07:45. By 07:30, we checked in at Titania Hotel in the city centre. As our room wasn't ready yet, we left our luggage at the reception and set off to enjoy sight seeing in Athens and shopping at Monastiraki. Having visited Acropolis and the Parthenon many times, we preferred to explore the city centre which sits amongst the ruins of Ancient Greece. Our walk through Athens took us to Stadiou Street - one of the city's large avenues and from there we headed to Syntagma Square and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which stands in front of the Old Royal Palace and is guarded by the Evzones of the  Presidential Guard. We watched the change of guard for a while before visiting the ruins of Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus

As it was very hot that day, we continued our walk through Zapeion National Garden - an oasis of peace and quiet in the hustle and bustle of the city centre.  Time flew by so fast! We didn't even realise it was already 1:00 pm.  Only then did we realise that since breakfast at home at 03:30, we hadn't had anything to eat! It was such a bad idea to decline breakfast on Aegean Airlines! We dared the heat and walked back to Stadiou Street and from there to Aiolou Street where we had a glass of ouzo and appetizers called ouzomeze. Finally, we had lunch at Paradosiako - a traditional Greek restaurant. After lunch, we went back to the hotel and had a good siesta!

In the evening, we met our good old friends, Titos and his wife Mary who we hadn't seen in a long time. We had a drink at Olive Garden - the roof garden bar & restaurant at our hotel and then a great dinner at Kouvelos Tavern  in Koukaki.

DAY 2 - Saturday, July 7 - Athens

Our second day in Athens was entirely devoted to shopping. We shopped at Attica - one of Athens' most renown department stores. I got a boho style black dress for the beach, a total white outfit, sandals, a couple of T-shirts, a handbag and cosmetics. Alkis got linen trousers and shirts and a pair of beige sneakers. Soon after lunch, we took a taxi to Piraeus Port. Our boat to Serifos sailed off with a two-hour delay! That was the beginning of a quite eventful arrival on the island of Serifos!

My Mediterranean Ouzomezedes

A lot has been said about the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet - a healthy eating plan based on delicious foods and flavours of the Mediterranean. The traditional Mediterranean diet has been part of my eating habits for years. Lately, I've come up with some healthy ouzomezedes provided that you have only one glass of ouzo and only 2 small pieces of grilled haloumi cheese. 

This is Fava - split pea purée.  Fava is Greek and has nothing to do with our louvana here in Cyprus. If you like real fava, use fava not louvana! I used Agrino Fava. Here's my recipe.

Cucumber and Kalamata Olives with a pinch of salt. 

Tomato salad with a splash of olive oil and salad herbs. No salt! I find that herbs and spices are much tastier than salt!

Grilled Haloumi Cheese

Feta Cheese light (12% fat) drizzled with olive oil and oregano.

Frozen chicken nuggets cooked in the oven and my chicken fillet meatballs also cooked in the oven.

Don't forget to add some fresh lemon juice.

Include some wholegrain pita bread....

... and a glass of ouzo

 

Chios – The Island of Mastic

When I first visited Chios in August 2013, I fell in love with its intoxicating fragrances. It is the island of orchards and orange groves, of mastic and jasmine. Mastic and jasmine are in the air as you walk along the pebbled courtyards of this noble island with its gorgeous stone mansions.

The tree that makes the flora of Chios unique is the mastic tree and its sap. The tree is very much like a shrub, with spreading branches and an ashy trunk. It's either light or dark green depending on how old it is. The natural resin, the mastic, oozes from these trees.

The cultivation and processing of mastic is still done today in the old, traditional way. This requires many working hands, time and effort, something which makes the genuine Chios mastic unique. The jobs involve the tapping of the trunk and then the collection of the mastic. This takes all summer and has many stages. First, the ground is cleared and smoothed under each tree. The trunks are cleaned, scraped and swept down. Then, the ground is spread with white earth, particularly in areas with red soil. The white soil is easily separated from the mastic during cleaning. And then, there are quite a few other technical processes for the preparation of the mastic tree.Here are some of the health benefits of mastic gum.

I visited the southern part of Chios, which offers places of amazing beauty as well as lovely beaches. Rolling hills covered with mastic trees hug the sea. What I loved most about Chios, other than mastic, is its pure and unspoilt natural environment

Trahanas Soup in Cyprus – My Recipe

Trahanas is known all over Cyprus as well as in many parts of Greece. It is a delicious and nutritional food, probably the world's healthiest fast food. It is soup with cracked wheat kneaded in soured milk. Let's see how this traditional food is prepared. After the wheat is thoroughly washed, it is blended in a hand mill. Then it is mixed with soured milk and the mixture is placed in the fire. When it boils well, the mixture coagulates, and then it is moulded into small elongated pieces which lay in the sun where they dry out. These dry pieces are stored and so preserved for a year in the freezer. Each time you wish to cook trahana soup, you take the desired quantity from the stored dry pieces in the freezer. The pieces are placed into water, where they inflate and open. Haloumi cheese can be added, chopped into small pieces, which also cooks inside the soup. Trahanas is served hot after some salt, pepper and lemon (optional) are added.

 

Here is the recipe of Trahanas Soup in Cyprus

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

200g trahanas

8 cups water

1 Vegetable stock cube

½ teaspoon salt
125g halloumi cheese cut in small cubes or feta cheese

Ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Place trahanas in a medium sized bowl and cover it with 4 cups water.  Let it soak for 2-3 hours. 
2. Pour trahanas into a large pot, add the remaining 4 cups of water and the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every so often so that trahanas doesn't stick.   Add more water if you think the soup is too thick and cook for a few extra minutes.
3. Five minutes before you turn the heat off add halloumi or feta cheese .  Gently stir in until you take the soup off the cooker. Serve hot!

   

Salata Politiki

This healthy salad, also known in Greece as "pikandiki" is mainly served in Northern Greece and Central Macedonia. It was first brought to Greece by the Greek refugees from Asia Minor back in 1922, especially from Constantinople or Polis - hence "politiki". The health benefits of cabbage.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium-sized  white cabbage finely chopped (not shredded)
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 hot green pepper, finely chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 a cup wine vinegar (red or white)
• salt to taste
• some olive oil

 

DIRECTIONS

• Mix the vegetables in a bowl.
• Add the salt and cover. Let the salad rest for about 3 hours.
• Add the water and vinegar, mix and place in the fridge for about 24 hours.
• Serve the following day after adding some olive oil.

Recipe by my friend Irini Hondroudi

 

August 15 - Dekapentavgoustos

August 15 - Dekapentavgoustos in Greek - is the third most important holiday for the Greek Orthodox after Easter and Christmas. Often called the Small Easter, August 15 observes the dormition of Virgin Mary and her ascent to heavens. This day is celebrated throughout Greece and Cyprus with a variety of festivities (panigyria) following the solemn church services.

 

Island of Tinos - The Church of Virgin Mary - August 1999

 

On this day, pilgrims from all over the country flock to the Church of Megalochari situated on a hill on the island of Tinos, Cyclades, in order to worship the miraculous icon of Virgin Mary. The Virgin has proved to have a healing power. Believe it or not, many terminally ill or disabled people were cured by Her Holy Grace. All it takes is faith. To this day, many pilgrims with serious health problems will go up to Her Grace on their knees - a distance of about 3 km - and their knees would often bleed till they reach Her. But they are driven by their deep faith and hope that Her Grace (Megalochari) will cure them just like She has cured many other people. On August 14, in the evening, a wreathe is laid as a memorial to the warship Elli which was sunk on the island of Tinos by an Italian submarine on August 15, 1940.

 

Helios Aircrash at Grammatiko - Athens

Photo Credit

 

In Cyprus, August 15 also commemorates the island's two greatest tragedies: the second phase of the Turkish Aggression (August 14, 1974) and Helios Airways Flight 522   Aircrash (August 14, 2005) at Grammatiko 40km from Athens. 121 people lost their lives : a crew of 6 and 115 passengers - 93 adults and 22 children who had been looking forward to their holidays for a long time. It was the deadliest air disaster in Greece and Cyprus.

 

This post was originally published on August 13, 2013

 

 

Fava - Split Pea Purée

Fava is a Greek appetizer, which must not be confused with fava beans because it's nor made from fava beans. It is a  yellow split pea purée and a delicious Greek veggie dish whose origins lie on the islands of Santorini and Skiros. Here's a recipe of the authentic Greek fava by one of Greece's greatest chefs - Akis Petretzikis. 

INGREDIENTS

• 200g split peas
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 50g onion
• 50g carrots
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper
• spring onions for serving

DIRECTIONS

• Cover the peas with water and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat and strain.
• Chop the onion, garlic and carrot
• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sautée the onion, garlic , carrot and bay leaves.
• Add the split peas, sautée and add some hot water to cover the split peas in the pot. Leave until the split peas are softened and water adsorbed, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
  
• Strain the remaining water and remove the bay leaves.
• Purée the peas in a multi blender.
• Add the juice of one lemon, salt, pepper and the remaining olive oil.
• Serve with spring onions .
• You may also wish to add some cherry tomatoes and/or red pepper.

 

 

Syros - July 2017 - Ermoupolis - Ano Syros

ERMOUPOLIS

Ermoupolis ,the capital city of Syros, is the island's largest natural harbour and a town noted for its marvelous neoclassical buildings. Using the harbour as our starting point, we followed the coast road which led us to a flagstone street - Eleftheriou Venizelou -  and from there we  got to the famous Miaoulis Square.  The Town Hall, which dominates the square, is a splendid neoclassical building of the 19th centurry. The square was named after Andreas Miaoulis, the Greek hero of the Greek Revolution in 1821. We had espressos and "halvadopita"- one of the island's famous desserts. This gave us the energy to climb up the 900 pebbled steps to Ano Syros!  We were rewarded by the awe-inspring views of  Ermoupolis and the picturesque neighbourhood of Ano Syros.

 

ANO SYROS

The ascent to Ano Syros on foot was such a wonderful experience! We walked along the narrow lanes, we stopped at a café to have a coffee and some of Syros' delicious "loukoumia", we admired the bougainvillea , we loved Saint George Catholic Church and the museum of Markos Vamvakaris - one of Greece's most popular songwriters.Thank God, we made our way back to Ermoupolis harbour through the labyrinthian  maze of alleyways and , yes, we were starving! So, we  had lunch at "Petrino" in Ermoupolis.

 

 

Syros - July 2017 - Galissas

  Galissas Beach is located at about 8 km from Ermoupolis. It is one of the most popular beaches on the island of Syros. Shallow, crystal-clear waters - probably the cleanest waters in Greece - compose a small paradise for families with young children. The beach is well-organized and provides facilities such as sunbeds and umbrellas for rent, showers, toilets and a small beach bar. What I loved most about this beach is the transparent, blue waters. I could swim for hours!

The beach tenderly kisses the small village of Galissas lying on a hill, only a few metres away. Galissas is the most important tourist resort on Syros. However, if you like high-class, trendy beaches, I recommend Mykonos next door! The quaint village of Galissas boasts a few tavernas where, you will enjoy homemade Greek food and fresh fish, right out of the fisherman's boat. 

I don't think I'll ever forget Syros. It's yet another magical island in the Cyclades.