Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Athens Day Trip to Aegina Island

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Before we went to Athens I only knew about Aegina because I had watched one of Jamie Oliver’s TV shows, Jamie does Athens. He visited the Greek island, explored it and cooked all sorts of delicious, yummy food. Then and there I decided that we needed to see this island ourselves.
Infinite

When we found out we would travel to Athens, we knew Aegina would be our day trip. It was so nice to get out of the noisy city full of dust and breathe fresh, salty air within only 30 kms away from Athens.

To make the Greek mythology short, Zeus, who was the father of gods, fell in love with the god Asopo’s daughter (he had 20 daughters!), who was of course very beautiful and her name was Aegina. Zeus kidnapped her and took her to the island of Oinoi. There, they had a son called Aiakos and the island was named after her. Aegina was also Achileas and Aiada’s hometown and they were both two of the most important heroes in the war of Troy. In historical terms, there is evidence that the island was inhabited from as early as 3500 B.C.

You can read my article about Aegina Island on the site of The Travel Belles here.

Port of Aegina

Aegina is famous of the export of pistachio

Temple of Aphaia

View from Temple of Aphaia

Picnic lunch

Agios Nectarios Temple

Chilled frappé coffee

More posts about Athens:
Athens Basics
Athens: Lycabettus Hill and Acropolis
Athens Central Market

Athens Central Market

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The hectic, colourful Athens agora is the highlight of the vibrant Athinas market district in Omonia. It is a sensory and gastronomic delight, with an amazing range of olives, spices, cheeses, deli treats. Even if I’m vegetarian and I write a vegetarian food blog I think I should show you the historic meat market too, with hanging carcasses illuminated by swinging light bulbs, is a surreal highlight. The place is so noisy (the vendors /butchers know how to shout) and a bit scary for a vegetarian but it is worth looking around.

The fish market (next to the meat market) is also a must see. The ground is always fishy and wet so if you go there, make sure you wear shoes and not flip-flops or sandals. Wander around, listen to the vendors as they call out their prices, look at the fish, the sea food (some frozen, some fresh). You will be surprised at the variety and the noise.

Across the street of the meat and fish market there are the vegetables, fruits, olives and cheeses. This is the place for the vegetarians. 🙂 You can sample the olives before buying. Taste them all and go back to the place where you loved it the most. There are really tasty, juicy, huge green ones – these are my favourites.

The tavernas, small shops, deli treats in and around the market are worth seeking out too. My favourite spice shop was Elixir where Jamie Oliver went, in his TV show, Jamie does Athens. Their range in the herbs and spices is very impressive and rarely obtainable tastes and flavors thus catering to the needs of the most demanding and exotic of cuisines. They also offer a selection of other products such us natural hand made herbal olive oil soaps, organic oils, and an exclusive melange of teas and honey using natural processing methods. So do not miss it!

Athens Central Market:
Between Sofokleous and Evripidou streets, at Omonia district. Metro station: Omonia.
Open: from Monday until Saturday, 7:00 am – 3:00 pm.

Elixir:
41, Evripidou street, at Omonia district. Metro station: Omonia.
Open: from Monday until Saturday.

Easy Greek Dessert

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We slowly run out of our Greek products: the yoghurt and pistachios. I am a bit sad of this because I really like the pistachios we bought on the island of Aegina. It would be nice to have continuous supply from the island. If you want something sweet for a quick snack or something delicious for breakfast, make this dessert. Not only does it taste amazing, this dessert is so simple to make you hardly need a recipe. Both yogurt and honey are great for the digestive system, and the combined tastes are so yum.
Did you know that Greek yogurt (yiaourti) has been around for thousands of years? Yogurt itself might be as old as 10000 years, which is much older than the oldest Greeks. It didn’t get popular outside Greece until the first wave of Greek emigration to Western Europe and the US after World War I.

Easy Greek Dessert

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 200 g Greek yoghurt
– 8 teaspoons honey
– small handful toasted pistachio, roughly chopped

Method

In a dry pan toast the pistachio for 3-5 minutes, then peel them. Divide the yoghurt into 2 serving bowls, drizzle 4-4 teaspoons honey over the yoghurt and sprinkle with the toasted pistachio.

Athens: Lycabettus Hill and Acropolis

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On our second day we hiked up to Lycabettus Hill – this is the highest point in the city that surrounds it. Pine trees cover its base, and at its peak are the 19th century Chapel of St. George, a theatre, and a restaurant. The view from the top is so beautiful. 
View from Lycabettus Hill to the Acropolys

On the way up to the hill we met a friend who joined us for a two hour walking. 🙂 Actually he was leading us because he knew the way. If we stopped to take photos, he also stopped and waited for us.  During the whole walk we didn’t talk but we knew he liked us… we liked him too.

Look at this photo of him carefully to be sure of recognizing him, if you should travel to Athens someday. And if you happen to pass by there, I beg you not to hurry past. Wait a little, just under the star! Then if a black dog yelp to you, if he doesn’t answer your question, you will know who he is. If this should happen, be kind! Don’t let me go on being so sad: send word immediately that he’s come back…

View from Lycabettus Hill

We carried on walking to the Acropolis. On the way there we passed the Hadrian’s Arch. It is a monumental gateway resembling – in some respects – a Roman triumphal arch. It spanned an ancient road from the center of Athens, Greece, to the complex of structures on the eastern side of the city that included the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Why is it so important to see the Acropolis? It is because it was the most perfect building built by the world’s most advanced civilization and even though we have been studying it for centuries we are still not sure how they did it – from Matt Barrett. So Acropolis is the one historical site you can’t miss in Athens. The sacred rock on which the ancient Greek temples were built rises spectacularly above the centre of the city. The admission fee is 12 EUR, valid for 4 days and includes entrance to Ancient Agora, Theatre of Dionysos, Roman Agora, Kerameikos, Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Library.

View from Acropolis to Lycabettus Hill

Our next stop was the Areopagus or Mars Hill which is a bare marble hill next to the Acropolis. According to Greek mythology, Ares (the god of war, known to the Romans as Mars) was tried here by the gods for the murder of Poseidon’s son Alirrothios. It is this legend that gives the hill its various names. Another legend says that the hill was the site of the trial of Orestes for killing his stepmother and her lover, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.

Ancient Agora

In the afternoon we spent some time walking amongst the ruins of Ancient Agora. By this time we were so hungry and we wanted to have a delicious Greek lunch at a lovely taverna. We opened our Lonely Planet guide and looked for a nice place in Psyrri district. We chose Nikitas Taverna (Agion Anargyron 19), an old style family taverna… it was a good decision. Locals swear by this old taverna that has been serving reasonably priced, refreshingly simple and tasty traditional Greek food since well before Psyrri became trendy. It is the only place packed during the day. Sofia, the waitress gave us the menu, which was surprisingly short. We were so hungry, we wanted to order everything. The dishes arrived in a matter of minute… Greek salad, tzatziki, dolmades (grape-leaves stuffed with rice, onions), patates tiganites (Greek french fries), boiled broccoli with lemon and soft cheese. Our table looked like a beautiful smörgåsbord, everything was so delicious.

At sunrise we took photos of the Acropolis. It was so beautiful. We ended our day in a gorgeous cafe-bistro, Yiasemi. We sat down next to the fireplace, drank hot chocolates and ate home made pies. It was a perfect ending of our day.

Stay tuned… more to come!

Tzatziki

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Even if it is just a simple recipe and I have made it before, I learnt in Athens how to make it The Greek way. Wherever we had lunch or dinner I always asked for tzatziki and it was so delicious and creamy everywhere. In one of the tavernas I asked for the recipe. What is the secret? You need to use real Greek yoghurt (not fat free or low fat) and let the cucumber draw out water.

Tzatziki

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 375 ml (1 and 1/2 cups) thick Greek yoghurt
– 1 medium size cucumber, peeled, seeded
– 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
– 1 tablespoon olive oil
– 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
– salt, pepper

Method

Grate the cucumber, then add it on a strainer over a bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Let it stand for about 30 minutes. This technique helps to draw out the water from the cucumber and the tzatziki sauce will be thick and creamy. In a bowl combine yoghurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Before serving keep tzatziki in refrigerator.