Loving Pelion- the Ultimate Greek Weekend Destination (Part I- Sunshine)

You know how they say it's about the journey, not the destination? In Pelion (in Greek- Πήλιο "Pilio") it's both. Called the mountain of the Centaurs, Pilio forms the curved peninsula that defines the nearly enclosed Pagasetic gulf. With the coves and rocky beaches of the open Aegean on one side, the gulf on the other, the snow capped mountain above, and the woods all around, getting from one place to another is a pleasure in itself. The best vacation deal in Greece is the 5.60 € bus ticket from Volos to Tsagarades- the first half hour hugging the sea, then a steady climb through forests, postcard villages, and glimpses of the turquoise waters below. 

We're here on a special trip- our Travel Bloggers Greece Anniversary celebration, hosted by the hospitality group Spyrou Philoxenia and the Aglaida Hotel. John Grigoras of Spyrou Philoxenia has planned an ambitious and generous itinerary, which fills up even more as invitations mount. We get to meet a lot of wonderful people. Pilio can offer a staggering range of experiences over the course of a single day- here are some of ours-

Tsagarada

This beautiful village overlooking the sea, snowy Tsagarada is our home for two nights. The well - maintained roads of Pilio are narrow, and few, navigated by the world's most skillful bus drivers. No superhighways mar the landscape. But there is an alternative transportation route: stone pathways - in use for hundreds of years - connect the villages. After a breakfast at the hotel of traditional dishes- cheese pies and στραπατσάδα -strapazada- the region's popular egg and tomato scramble eaten at any time of day - we set out for to the next village on foot. 

Hiking on a 17th C path-
Nikos, our guide from Trekking Greece, is very well-informed- he gives us some history of the region (he also gives us walking sticks to navigate our snowy path). The richness of nature ιs matched by rich architecture - Αρχοντικά - aristocratic homes speaking of a prosperous history rooted in the cotton industry of Egypt (fascinatingly boosted by the American Civil War- with the world's leading cotton exporting nation out of the picture, the already strong Greek industry lead the market). There is little Ottoman influence here. It was untouched until the 17th C, then Murad IV (Sultan reigning from 1623-1640), called "Murad the Hunter" for probably various reasons (he was notoriously brutal)- one of which was actually hunting- delighted in the wild boar, and the region itself and gave it as a present to his mother, forbidding anyone but locals (and the few Viziers who collected taxes from them) to live here. This quality of charmed separateness remains to this day.

Family trip- Daughter Mei Mei with Odysseas Asithianakis (son of Dimitris of 
Photography Traveler)

Marissa of Travel Greece, Travel Europe and Mei Mei
descending into a rocky cove.

It's an easy and exciting hike- a leisurely hour and a half if you don't endlessly stop to gaze and take photos, but of course we do- and you will too. The stone path- sometimes steep enough to be really glad Nikos gave us walking sticks- brings us through dense woods opening up all the time to dramatic sea vistas, waves churning in snug coves, waters so pale opalescent green from above you think it must be summer. It also takes us from the 17th C to the ultra-present- via ...Hollywood. 

Damouchari

Damouchari cove- site of scenes from Mama Mia- is really more like a film set than nature. 

It's a cold January day, but the generous Greek sun is already heating up the golden rocks, begging you to take off your jacket, even wade a little- providing a sharp contrast for the winter pleasures of the afternoon.

Zagora-

On our way, we get another taste of mountain hospitality. Zagora is all plane trees and stone houses, smoke from wood stoves in the air, gray slate roofs and a pretty church. We are given a warm welcome by Sakis of the Hotel Owners Association of Magnesia with a classic Pelion lunch at Patis- wild mushrooms, σπετσοφάι- spezofai- (sausages with peppers and tomato), some greens we love and have never seen before and have to ask the name like three or four times until we get it right- τσιτσίραβλα- tsitsiravla are the leaves of a wild pistachio shrub, pistachio in color, too, served with a small handful of chopped garlic. It would seem bold but the table is covered with individual serving size bottles of τσίπουρο- tsipouro- the region's even bolder spirit.

Chania

Not to be confused with Chania, the Venetian town of western Crete- that one is Chaniά; this one is Chάnia. Zagora has a light dusting of snow. As we zig zag up the mountain, the landscape whitens, branches bent under the weight of the snow. The cleanly plowed road has walls of snow half a story high and the sky is like a pearl. When we arrive at the ski resort, we climb a mountain of plowed snow- no slush, no dirt just- while powder that squeaks when you walk on it and makes perfectly packed snowballs. I've heard you can see the sea from the snowy peaks as you're skiing but nothing has prepared me for what that actually looks like- pure white with the sea shimmering gold in the distance.

After a stop for coffee at the charming mountaintop hotel Manthos, and the cutting of the Travel Blogger's Greece Vasilopita (the Greek New Year's cake with a coin hidden in it for good luck) we wind down the hill in the dusk, time for one last stop.

Church of Agia Marina, Kissos

Kissos
We reach Kissos in darkness but the snow covered charm shines through in the night. Chrysoula of Travel Passionate has been to the Church and says it's wonderful. (Is it open though? No matter- this is our driver's village and he can find the priest if the church is locked). It is wonderful-  

The church is rustic and modest from the outside- stone and a slate roof characteristic of Pilio. But open the doors and it is  all opulence- Pilio wears its wealth discretely.

Travel Bloggers Greece were guests of the Aglaida Apartments- a collection of cottages and small buildings all in traditional Pilion style situated in a stunning location with views to the sea. We were equipped with a kitchenette, phone, and television.

The hotel's traditional slate roofs, with the Aegean in the distance.

Pilio in winter is cold- if you visit in the snowy season (and you really should- that combination of the Aegean + snowy peaks is out of this world), bundle up. But don't worry- a roaring fireplace and a warming tsipouro are never far away.

Next up- Pilio in the rain, and endless dining- a romantic winter Sunday.

Where is drinking elevated to a form of art?: Drinking Tsipouro in Volos.

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Best Food Experiences in Greece- A Dining Journal from 2016

It's very hard to get a bad meal in Greece; I didn't have a single one all year. The bar is high. But these meals were memorable- elegant or simple, they were marked by something personal and authentic.

Lobster Macaroni, in a wet bathing suit, on a day trip from Eumelia to Limeni, Peloponnese

I'm willing to bet that pretty much anything tastes great after a swim in the clearest cool waters of the most dramatic cove the Mediterranean has to offer, and also that pasta with lobster would be delicious in a basement in Cleveland. But having it while still wearing a damp bathing suit, in the shade, overlooking the sea, and drinking chilled white wine with people you really like, is the very essence of Greece.

Anything at Chez Violette, Exarchia, Athens

My first meal of the year was a New Year's Eve dinner with my mother and younger daughter at Chez Violette- a restaurant so warm and so real it is the essence of a Greek experience. What did we have? I really don't remember, and also who cares? Everything is always delicious but they are so charming and welcoming that the perfect onion soup gratin or salad with warm chevre is besides the point. That meal set the tone for the year.

French fries, Archangel, Almopia

"Mountain Potatoes, Archangel"

After a hike and a visit to a monastery in beautiful high altitude Archangel, our hosts in Almopeia brought us to the taverna in the town square. We warmed our hands over the wood burning stove, drank red wine, and ate french fries that were so good we asked if the guy they bought the potatoes from would sell us a sack. He came back and we bought some.

Galatopita, Mana's Kouzina Kouzina, Athens

Mana's Kouzina Kouzina opens onto everyone's favorite square in Athens- Agia Irini. It's also a crossroads of cuisine- traditional recipes from all over Greece are revived from obscurity. Better still, they are made with ingredients sourced from small and medium Greek producers. It'a all authenticity here, free of mutinational blah. Try bold all natural Greek made sodas that put Orangina to shame, or better yet a Greek craft beer picked by beer sommelier Giannis. Why have the galatopita, a milky sweet nourishing custard in a shell? Because of the recipe- according to chef Dimitris, "It's just milk, and a little love."

Goat with trahana, Gastrodromio, Litohoro

Fairly famous, Louis Vuitton-guide-endorsed chef Andreas Gavris impressed us with an imaginative menu of modesty- beans, anchovies, inexpensive cuts of meat served over pasta's humble cousin- trahana. Amidst an economic crisis and an influx of over half a million refugees, a menu free of ostentation was in supremely good taste, and one of the year's most elegant in every regard.

Ouzo with Mezze, Maria's cafe, Asomatos, Lesvos

Lesvos was the trip of the year. We visited many places, but we somehow felt like we lived in Asomatos, even if just for an hour or two. At Maria and Stratos' cafe, we had ouzo and koromila, beets, olives, and cheeses, one- rich and crumbling- was made by Stratos' mother, from her own sheep. She was radiant.

"Olives" at Point α, Athens

You can't get a better view of the Acropolis. But the centerpiece- olive branches by a jeweler- draws a second glance. The olives are not metal though- they look almost velvety. "Take one" Jenny our hostess says. It's not velvet- it's frost! A layer of green olive oil sorbet coats my mouth, then there's a rich, savory olive ice cream I enjoy for a moment longer. It's served with rustic whole wheat bread, like you would have if you were eating under a plane tree at your aunt's house if your aunt were from a village in Crete with a wood burning oven. Not such a fanciful analogy- the team of two chefs are from Crete. At the core of the fantasy at a dinner at Point α, there is pure, beautiful truth.

Chez Violette
Kalidromiou 69, Athens 
210 384 5974

Manna's Kouzina Kouuzina

Ailolou 27, Athens
210 325 2335

Gastrodromiou 
Ag. Nikolao 36, Litochoro
23520 21300

Point α

Rovertou Galli 4, Athens

210 923 6832

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Things That Make Mytilene Marvelous

Mytilene- Lesvos' main town - has everything you want from an island and everything you want from a capital at the same time. There is the charm of a harbor filled with "trata" (brightly painted fishing boats) and a promenade of cafes curving around it, plus the cosmopolitan allure of contemporary culture and the grandeur of Belle Epoque prosperity. 

Cinematic Belle Epoque-

Mansions! Mansions galore. And not one kind of mansion either, but a whole panoply of European styles, of mansard roofs and deep eaves. Olive oil was expensive and Lesvos was rich in it. There was also wine, and leather- goods with a market. Foreign importers drawn to Lesvos for business built in the styles of home, as did wealthy Europeans drawn by the famous spas.

These mansions define a whole neighborhood- you feel like you're on a stage set, and probably a little under dressed. 

The Pyrgos Hotel

You could live the Belle Epoque elegance first hand and stay at the Pyrgos of Mytilene boutique hotel. We went for a coffee in the lobby- you feel glamorous just being in the salon with the soaring, ultra-ornate ceiling. It's the real thing- Maria, who invited us to her wonderful island, grew up next door - her mother used to come to dances here.

Big, Bold Baroque-

A house of worship that dominates the city scape - like Notre Dame or the Blue Mosque - sets a grand tone. Mytilene's skyline is defined by the dome of Agios Therapon cathedral, designed by Argyris Adalis- native to Lesvos, and a student of Ernst Ziller (the neo-Rennaissance Numismatic Museum in Athens, among many others). They both borrowed, and borrowed well. Agio Therapon has a grand baroque mood that- like the mansions- doesn't speak of Greece specifically but of a cosmopolitan vibe of European capitals in general.

Ancient Glamour-

The mansions of the Belle Epoque continue a much earlier tradition. Mytilene was a city of wealth from at least the 2nd C BC. We had a tour with Professor Giannis Kourtzellis of the Museum of Archaeology and couldn't stop marveling at the mosaic floors of elegant homes, including the dramatist Menander's. He filled out the corners of our imaginations with symposia and banquets. What also struck us? The reliefs depicting the dinners of the dead, held on the third and ninth days after death (days we commemorate still), and funerary reliefs for heroes- depicted on horseback. Most notable and unusual is the equestrian heroine- women were rarely depicted this way, but then this was found in Eresos (birthplace of Sappho)

And of course this arresting Praxitelous-

We learn that they're easily identified - he was known for the naturalistic "S" shaped pose of his figures. There were lots of them- originals in bronze, and copies in marble.

Fortress of Intrigue-

The best view of the city is wasted on this monumental fortress- Gatalusi's (one-time pirate) home (a wedding present along with the rest of the Island when he wed the sister of Paleologos' - Byzantine Emperor John V - is one of the largest and best preserved of the whole Mediterranean. On our tour with Archaeologist Georgia Tampakopoulou we only had eyes for the ruins and crests, and ears for her stories. She herself was inspired by the place- she had an intuition that led to the discovery of something that would have been lost forever. Visiting the site with her gave us goosebumps to be so close to the thrill of discovery. It is a tale of its own, coming soon.

The mingled crests of Galausi and Paleologos
and the seal of Constantinople

A Symbol of Welcome and People of Grace-

I grew up with a meaningful statue in the harbor by my house- it was for many the first sight of America. How perfect that Mytilene has its own Statue of Liberty-

This is a gift to the island from the people who emigrated from here to New York City. It could not be more fitting: Lesvos has been much in the news, here and around the world, because of how many refugees have passed through here. Ai Wei Wei's exhibition at the Cycladic museum in Athens has the crisis as a focal point, and the images recorded by many local photographers open the exhibition-

Photographs by Petros Tsakmakis

That is one of the reasons we are here- to see how the Island is dealing with this tremendous crisis and to show through our experience how it impacts a visitor's experience. It impacts it tremendously- if you want to be inspired by a population who responds to the need of others with grace, if you want to support an island that has done so much on behalf of us all, then you should come. The only concrete signs we saw of the refugee crisis were signs in Arabic- at souvaki places, and on the public buses. 

Classic Marina Experience-

What's an island without a marina? What's a marina without a yacht club? What's a yacht club without a great kitchen, and some Frank Sinatra and Amy Winehouse? Those are not questions we had to answer, because we spent several happy hours at the Marina Yacht Club with its adorable, unpretentious, and surprisingly young owner Eirini, enjoying all those things. We tried dish after dish- all playful, delicious, but honest and real- exactly what you want to eat as the masts cast ever longer shadows. Best soundtrack, best wine glasses, best view, best hostess. Go. Tastes like holiday.

We loved this little city, crammed with mansions and little boats, with its beautiful museum and outsized cathedral, and its boutique hotel and dining by the docks. We loved the people most of all - for their culture, warmth, and virtue. Lesvos is a perfect holiday destination, and Mytilene is the first taste.

For information on visiting Lesvos, try this site:
http://www.lesvosgreece.gr/

More of Lesvos:

A fabulous party at the EVA distillery in Mytilene where we got to know Lesvos' classic drink:

The Ouzo of Lesvos: Essentials

Molyvos is the Greece of your Dreams

Falling in Love with Lesvos: One Perfect Day

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Food, and a little Love- Mana's Kouzina Kouzina

You can find out a lot about someone's character when they are under pressure. Nations, too. The crisis has revealed some very fine qualities in the people of Greece: a deepening of the appreciation of community, of heritage, great resourcefulness, and not least, a determination to enjoy life, every day.

Fortunately, all of these qualities are edible. You can eat them at family tables all over Greece. Or at Mana's Kouzina Kouzina, where every dish has a pedigree, integrity, a delicious piece of heritage on a plate. (Why "Kouzina" twice? There is a beautiful little sea turtle that lays its eggs on beaches. It's called the Caretta Caretta, and it's endangered, a little like the cuisine Mana's seeks to preserve). 

Mana's Kouzina Kouzina has an inspiring story- it's the story of what is going on all over Greece now. On account of the crisis, Stefanos Spathas- like so many people- felt compelled to start something fresh and new, completely from scratch. All the places that slowly later opened on this now thriving square around the Church of St. Irene has a similar story. That makes for an incredible energy and optimism.

Drink local-

I love what Manas does not serve almost as much as I love what they do serve- this is a little multinational-free universe. What they do have? Greek brands only- small producers of superb drinks. If you grew up in the US, Greek soft drinks- packed with vibrant fresh juices and sometimes made with natural springwater- will be a revelation. Even our beloved imported Orangina is bland by comparison. Better still there are the beers. 

Greece has many new small breweries making interesting beers. Stefanos' son, Giannis- beer sommelier- has put together one of the largest craft beer menus in Athens. We try a smoked porter from Chios, a weissbier called Odyssey with a sweet after-taste, and Ali, a non-pasteurized IPA from Thessaloniki. 

There are also Greek spirits- ouzo, tsipouro, raki, and wines by the carafe:

Eat Local-

All of the products here are from small and medium Greek producers- great quality s one reason, supporting the community another, but also every region has specially protected items- cheeses for exampe- something so specific to the terroir and culture both that they are treasures in themselves. 

Cook... not so local.

Greece, though not large, is very, very complex- there are a lot of terrains and traditions, micro-cultures, heritages. One island's most celebrated dish may be unknown on another; the mountains and their flocks have warming cheeses and meats, the sea is full of sweet, delicate Meze (for ouzo). Stefano travels, goes into kitchens and asks questions and tastes and tries, bringing back to the restaurants authentic things. The chef, Dimitris, has a good hand with them. This is Pastizada, from Korfu- a braised rooster in tomato and sweet spices over pasticcio macaroni. Except you see it is not- this is mesta, a hand-rolled pasta from Chios, instead- a little artistic license is an opportunity to celebrate an authentic product from another place.

We loved the inside-out gemista (stuffed vegetables)- it's actually the homey classic trahana- a rustic tiny pasta of grain and yogurt, with the vegetables mixed in:

Celebrate... also not so local-

We're a group of travel bloggers (TBG), either from Greece by birth, or lovingly adopted by the country in the meantime. We were all here to have a get-together and meet our newest member Gabi (from Italy!) and also Kyriaki, a friend we met in Lesvos, to do an interview for her and her colleague Eirini for Greek TV (which we learned is in San Francisco). In short, an international group brought together by the irresistible magnetism of Greece. Greece's magnetism is edible, too.

Dessert made for lingering (and a little philosophy)-

Kunefe, a katifi filled with melted cheese,
toasted in butter, drenched in syrup, and served warm.

Dimitris comes up with a whole tray of things for us to try- a still warm kunefe (from Asia Minor), an orange syrup pie, rich chocolate cake, and a galatopita- a gentle "milk pie" like a custard with maybe a little semolina holding it together. "What's in the pie?" one of us asks him.

"Just milk, and a little love."

That is the heart of it- everything is made with a little love here, and you can taste it. 

Mana's Kouzina Kouzina is open for breakfast (!), lunch, and dinner, in the shady square of Agia Irini on the pedestrian street Aeolou.

Mana's Kouzina Kouzina, 27 Aeolou, between Kolokotroni and Athinaidos

210 325 2335

here's the site-

Mana's Kouzina Kouzina

This authenticity is not an experience visitors often have- they may have the tastes, but not necessarily the meaning. Mana's Kouzina Kouzina preserves edible heritage. 

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