After over a year and a half of eating Portuguese cuisine which is not rich in spices, yet flavourful, arriving in Greece and tasting the burst of spice flavour was a welcome treat. I have been eating everything, relishing the vast differences and welcoming a wider variety of vegetables, all prepared in different ways. It's so easy to follow the scent of food being cooked here and find the source of it. I confess I ate a plate of lamb as a meal. It was not gamey and ever so tender, flaking off the bone. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed lamb. There are some foods I've had a mild allergy to. I've devoured those as well because of the fantastic and very different texture and flavour, like yogurt. Fresh Greek yogurt is not like the packaged Greek yogurt that you buy in the supermarket. Being here has inspired me to try different things. Thank God they don't weigh you on your way in to the country and tax you on how much you've gained on the way out of the country! I'll have some adjusting to do when I return to Portugal. For now, I will enjoy myself to the fullest.
If Greece is on your bucket list, take it off the list and travel here. Athens caters to tourists, English as well as other languages are widely spoken. It is very easy to figure out how to get around. In some cases if you are fit, you can walk to many tourist attractions depending on where you stay. The hospitality is amazing, the food is scrumptious and the history will amaze you. The prices are very resonable for shopping. You can get to a variety of places including the beach from the Hop On Hop Off buses. Looking at the relics from 6500 BC and seeing how precise and ornate patterns are in pottery and gold are made me marvel at how intelligent and skilled people have been throughout the ages.
If you believe in God, like me, the history puts some of the Bible into perspective, especially the journey of the Apostle Paul as it's written in Acts 17-18. Ernest and I have traveled a lot and we have worked throughout most of our travel. In Greece we stopped working and enjoyed being tourists. We have such a enormous appreciation to God for bringing us here.
Right now it is very hot as high as 39 degrees Celcius. Even that I love. Tomorrow we arrive on Naxos Island after a 4 1/2 hour ferry ride. Not many tourists go there. Its most famous landmark is the Portara, which is the large door to the former temple to the god Apollo. One book that I studied in high school was the Tales of Greek Heroes. I might just listen to the audio version to put things into perspective even more. I look forward to experiencing what the Mediterranean waters feel like in the summer. I touched it with my hand on one of our bus tour stops and it was warm. Naxos is further south. More on the island life in my next blog.
You must vacuum pack your clothes