Tiny Urban Kitchen

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Greetings from Greece!

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Greetings from Greece!

Well, technically speaking, I’m not in Greece anymore. After a super long flight (2 layovers, one of which was 5 hours long!), I finally arrived in Boston last night. It’s been a whirlwind trip (2 weeks in Europe) and I’ve got tons to share with you. Right now, though, I’m soooo exhausted, so I’ll finish off this week by sharing with you a few pictures from Greece.

Soon though, I do plan on writing both a London Series as well as a Greece Series!

For now, please enjoy these snapshots of this beautiful country. 🙂 Have a wonderful Easter holiday!

If you love history, Greece is an amazing place to visit. The ruins here span back to thousands of years B.C. It’s awe-inspiring just to stand in the presence of such magnificent structures built without any benefits of modern technology.

One of the biggest and most well preserved ancient theaters – the acoustics here are simply astounding. A few friends and I sang some songs (a cappella!) on the stage below and you could hear us clearly from the very top. Simply incredible. And you can’t beat that mountain view in the background!

The island of Santorini is absolutely stunning, with the cities built on top of soaring cliffs overlooking the ocean. Here is the main town of Thira.

We stayed in the town of Oia (pronounced “Ee-ya”), which is well known for its picture perfect blue domed churches.

How could we forget the food? Greek salad is classic and you see it everywhere. Unlike in the US, it never  has lettuce, and instead just has cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, olives, and capers tossed together with olive oil and topped with a big chunk of feta. I much preferred this version to the US version.

Lamb is huge in Greece, and you see it much more frequently than beef. These souvlakis were cheap and simply divine.

My favorite Greek cheese! This simple, hearty cheese (called halloumi) is one of the few that can be grilled, and tastes perfectly fine just simply prepared.

I loved the gyros here. They were much less greasy than the ones I’ve had in the US, and nothing beats fresh pita bread!

We tried so many different varieties of baklava! I liked how the ones in Greece tend to be less sweet than the ones I’ve tried here. They were really really good!

And finally, my favorite way to start the day in Greece – full fat Greek yogurt with honey. So simple, yet so delicious.

Have a wonderful weekend!

UPDATE: Here are the posts from the entire series!

Sweets in Greece
Tavernas
Gyros, Souvlakis, and Pitas, Oh My
Eating in the Greek Isles – Santorini
Papa Galos (Santorini)

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Comments

  3. Audrey Almy says

    Those pictures look incredible, and the sites are nice to, I guess….
    🙂

    No really though, you have me salivating and I think I may go on a quest to find a good gyro in Boston, where should I go?!

  4. Cupcake Kelly says

    My husband is Greek and still has a lot of family in Greece. I have to say after having salads the traditional way, I have never gone back. Greek salad the traditional way is my favorite. I also love gyros, the best time/place to get them here is at Greek festivals in the summer!

  5. Cupcake Kelly says

    Try the Greek Corner in Cambridge, or wait until summer and check out Greek Festivals at local Greek churches. (My husband is Greek and we have had our fair share of gyros) Festivals is usually as close as it gets to Greece. Also some festivals have the lamb on a spit, those ones are the best!!

  15. Kpam says

    I’m glad you pointed out that Greek salad has NO lettuce. I hope you had fun and tried lots of Greek food. Being Greek, I sometimes take it for granted what wonderful cuisine we have.

  17. Ouncesandgrams says

    Greetings from Greece! I have origins from all over but was raised and currently live in Greece.
    Great post and thank you for posting the truth!
    Capers are rare on Greek salads; I can’t even think of the last time I saw them on one (or if I have at all). There is definitely no lettuce though!!
    The second food you picture is what we call kebab. Our souvlaki is usually pork or chicken cubes on a skewer which we call “kalamaki”. Halloumi is Cypriot! There are actually quite a few hard cheeses we use like graviera, kefaloturi or formaella.
    About the yogurt, I always bought strained (Greek) yogurt and never knew and still don’t know what yogurt you have in the US. For the short time I lived there, I doubt I had any. Fage is the best and even their 0% fat one is creamy and delicious. It’s usually served with “spoon sweets” which are candied fruit preserves. If served with our honey, they usually also include a sprinkle of walnuts.
    I’m surprised you found the gyros to be less greasy! Here, it is a requirement that a sweaty man prepares your gyro or souvlaki and that the meat is lined with fat. In fact, a friend of mine said, when describing the perfect souvlatzidiko (souvlaki shop), that “just stick to the little hole in the wall places that have been there since before I was born and you can visibly see the grease stuck on the kitchen wall tile; they know what’s up.”
    😀 I hope you had a great time. The ruins are beautiful and Santorini is gorgeous. It would have been an honor to have met you had I known you were coming.

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