You speak Greek.. You just don't know it

The birthplace of Olympic Games! Ancient Olympia, Peloponesse

άσπρο πάτο[áspro páto] white bottom

Phrase used to encourage a person to drink the whole glass of a drink in one go.

Παράδειγμα
Cheers! White bottom!
Στην υγειά μας κι άσπρο πάτο!

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Άκου να δεις

άκου να δεις[ákou ná δis]listen to see

A phrase used to draw one's attention or to show surprise.

Παράδειγμα

I’ll try to explain this to you. Listen to see…
Θα σου εξηγήσω. Άκου να δεις…

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Souvlaki pita

Souvlaki-pita

Souvlaki sandwich
A difference between southern and northern Greece is that "souvlaki ap'ola" (souvlaki "with everything") typically includes tzatziki sauce in Athens, unlike Thessaloniki.

This course consists of souvlaki meat garnished with sliced tomatoes and onions, sauced with tzatziki, and wrapped in a lightly grilled pita. When chicken is used instead of pork meat, tzatziki and onions are replaced with a special sauce and lettuce to be compatible with its taste; Various other garnishes and sauces are possible, including shredded lettuce, paprika, fried potatoes, ketchup, andmustard, though these are considered heretical by purists. In Athens and southern Greece it is called pita-kalamaki. Any of these components may not be included, at the request of the customer. Hungry customers may occasionally request a two-pita wrapping (diplopito) and/or a double meat serving (dikalamo).

In Corfu, a special tomato sauce is added to souvlaki, plainly called "red sauce" (κόκκινη σάλτσα).

Έτσι είναι η ζωή!

Mykonos windmills

The Mykonos windmills are iconic feature of the Greek island of the Mykonos. The island is one of the Cyclades islands, which neighbour Delos in the Agean Sea. The windmills can be seen from every point of the village of Mykonos, the island's principal village, which is frequently called the Chora (which translates to "Country" in Greek, but refers to an island's "Town") on Greek islands. The windmills are the first thing seen when coming into the harbour of Alefkandra, as they stand on a hill overlooking the area. Most windmills face towards the North where the island's climate sources its strongest winds over the largest part of the year. There are currently 16 windmills on Mykonos of which seven are positioned on the famous landmak hill in Chora. Most of them were built by the Venetians in the 16th century, but construction continued into the early 20th century. They were primarily used to mill wheat. They were an important source of income for the inhabitants. Their use gradually declined until they ceased production in the middle of the 20th century. Their architecture is similar. They all have a round shape, white colour and a pointed roof and very small windows. Such windmills are found in almost allCyclades islands. One of these windmills has been transformed into a museum.

Pláka (Greek: Πλάκα)

Pláka (Greek: Πλάκα)

is the old historical neighborhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture.

Plaka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens.

It is known as the "Neighbourhood of the Gods" due to its proximity to the Acropolis and its many archaeological sites.

House in Mitilini Island

Chairs in Taverna - Retro Styled

Monument of the Unknown Soldier on Syntagma Square in Athens

Two quotations by Thucydides, from Pericles' Funeral Oration, are inscribed on the retaining wall:
Μία κλίνη κενὴ φέρεται ἐστρωμένη τῶν ἀφανῶν ("... and one bed is carried empty, made for the unknown ones"), and
Ἀνδρῶν ἐπιφανῶν πᾶσα γῆ τάφος ("For eminent men, every place is (worthy) burial ground").
The inscriptions flank a central sculpture in low relief, depicting a dying hoplite. The monument is guarded round the clock by the Evzones of the Presidential Guard.

We are all Greeks!

Mpougatsa (Greek: Μπουγάτσα)

Μπουγάτσα Θεσσαλονίκης με Κρέμα

Mpougatsa is one of the most famous Greek breakfast pastries in Northern Greece. It comes with different fillings creme, cheese, meat, spinach. It has somewhat made its way to the Southern parts of Greece but the Southerners don’t seem to understand how it is different to their ‘normal’ and ‘usual’ cheese pastries.

History claims that ancients Greeks used to make pies with every kind of fealing called “placountas”. Years went by and mpougatsa stayed popular in Constantinoupolis and Smyrna. Mpougatsa in Turkish means pie fealed with cream and topped with sugar powder and cinnamon powder. After the destroyal of Smyrna and the exchange of the Greek-Turkish colonies, mpougatsa became extremely popular in north Greece and especially Thessaloniki.

Best Crepes in Greece

Best Crepes in Greece (Thessaloniki - Navarinou Square)

Κρέπα με Οδηγίες Χρήσης
1. Πατάς
2. Ρουφάς
3. Δαγκώνεις
Αλλιώς...Λερώνεις

Καλά μπάνια!

The National Library of Greece

The National Library of Greece (Greek: Εθνική Βιβλιοθήκη) is situated near the center of city of Athens. It was designed by the Danish architect Theophil Freiherr von Hansen, as part of his famous Trilogy of neo-classical buildings including the Academy of Athens and the original building of the Athens University. It was founded by Ioannis Kapodistrias.

Greek Traditional Καλτσούνια (Kaltsunia)

Greek Traditional Καλτσούνια (Kaltsunia) - Cream Cheese Cookies

They are mainly produced on the island of Crete.

Kaseri Cheese

Kaseri Cheese : A traditional Greek semi-hard cheese, Kaseri cheese is a famous alternative to mozzarella. Historically, it is one of the top two oldest cheeses in the world. While not as well-known outside of Greece, it is used extensively in local Greek dishes and it's called for in a number of Greek recipes.

The Greek White Color

Laouto (Greek: Λαούτο)

The laouto (Greek: λαούτο)
is a long-neck fretted instrument of the lute family, found in Greece, and similar in appearance to the oud. The role of the laouto in Greek traditional music is primarily that of accompaniment. The laouto is often played in a duo with the Cretan lyra

Τι μου κάνεις;;

Easter Saturday, the night of the balloons

Easter Saturday: the night of the balloons

During Eastertime in Leonidio devoutness and excitement go hand in hand, thanks to the spectacular custom of the balloons that is more than one century old. Although its origin is unknown, it is believed that the custom is a revival of a similar one that the seamen of the area had seen practiced in some Asian country.
It all boils down to the competition among the five parishes of the village. For six weeks until Easter, after every Friday evening’s service, the kids raise money to make as many balloons as possible. It is estimated that every Easter Saturday night five to six hundred balloons fill the sky with their sparkling light, and that is about one balloon per house.

http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/culture/easter_saturday_the_night_of_the_balloons_

Ikaria Island!

Ikaria Island!
It derived its name from Icarus, the son of Daedalus in Greek mythology. Today, Ikaria is considered one of the world's five "Blue Zones" – places where the population regularly lives to an advanced age (one in three make it to their 90s). This is due to healthy diets and lifestyles.

Δε σφάξανε!

Noway! Δε σφάξανε! (Greek expression)

Καλό Πάσχα!

Καλό Πάσχα - Happy Easter !

Δε μου λες ...

Рουκετοπόλεμος (Rocket-War)

Rouketopolemos (Greek Рουκετοπόλεμος, literally Rocket-War)

is the name of a local traditional event held annually at Easter in the town of Vrontados (Βροντάδος) on the Greek island of Chios. As a variation of the Greek habit of throwing fireworks during the celebration of the service at midnight before Easter Sunday, two rival church congregations in the town perform a "Rocket War" by firing tens of thousands of home-made rockets across town, with the objective of hitting th...e bell tower of the church of the other side. The rockets are wooden sticks loaded with an explosive mixture containing gunpowder and launched from grooved platforms.

The two rival parishes are St. Mark's and Panaghia Ereithiani, the respective churches built on two hilltops about 400 meters away from each other. Direct hits on each belfry are supposedly counted on the next day to determine the winner, but each parish invariably claims victory over the other. The result of this apparent disagreement is that both parishes agree to settle the score next year, and the rivalry is thus perpetuated. The church buildings themselves and the nearby buildings have to be extensively boarded up and protected with metal sheets and mesh for the occasion. Several Vrontadites regularly express their dismay at the explosive nature of the custom, but it is a source of significant tourist revenue for the area.
Posted by Today I Learned...

Trigona (Greek: το τρίγωνο=triangle)

Trigona (Greek: το τρίγωνο=triangle)
is a speciality of Thessaloniki (northern Greece) although you can find it in other places as well.

Ntakos (Greek: ντάκος)

Ntakos (Greek: ντάκος)

is a Cretan meze consisting of a slice of soaked dried bread or barley rusk (paximadi) topped with chopped tomatoes and crumbled feta or mizithra cheese, olives and flavored with herbs such as dried oregano.

Nikos Papazoglous (with his baglama)

Κανείς εδώ δεν τραγουδά - Νίκος Παπάζογλου

Ραγίζει απόψε η καρδιά με το μπαγλαμαδάκι
Πολλά κομμάτια έγινε, σπασμένο ποτηράκι
Θυμήθηκα που πίναμε σε τούτο το τραπέζι
Τώρα ποιος ξέρει πού γυρνά, ποιος ξέρει τι γυρεύει

Κανείς εδώ δεν τραγουδά, κανένας δε χορεύει
Ακούνε μόνο την πενιά κι ο νους τους ταξιδεύει

Τυχαία δήθεν αν τη δεις, φέρ’ την στο ταβερνάκι
Κρυμμένος θα ’μαι στη γωνιά, για να την δω λιγάκι

Βaglamas (Greek μπαγλαμάς)

Βaglamas (Greek μπαγλαμάς) or baglamadaki (μπαγλαμαδάκι),

a long necked bowl-lute, is a plucked string instrument used in Greek music.

Ιt is a version of the bouzouki pitched an octave higher. Its small size made it particularly popular with musicians who needed an instrument transportable enough to carry around easily or small enough to shelter under a coat.

The name comes from Turkish bağlama, a similar instrument.

Riding in Athens!

Pavlos Pavlidis (Greek singer)

Παύλος Παυλίδης - Δεν είμαι από εδώ

Μ' αρέσει να βλέπω την άσπρη γραμμή
που αφήνουνε πίσω τα αμάξια όταν τρέχουν,
να φτάνω σε πόλεις που μόλις να έχουν
ανάψει τα φώτα και μια μουσική
να φωτίζει απαλά τις ψυχές των ανθρώπων,
μες στη ματιά τους να βλέπω νερό,
να ρωτάω πως λέγεται η πόλη
και όλοι να λένε δεν ξέρω,δεν είμαι από εδώ...

Μπροστά μας ουράνια τόξα και μέρη
που έχουν αφήσει τα πάντα κι εσύ
μου λες ότι θέλεις έστω για λίγο
να μείνεις ακίνητη μες στη σιωπή,
ουρλιάζουν τα τρένα την ώρα που ο αέρας
ξαπλώνει τα στάχυα σε κύματα φως,
κοιτάς μακριά στον ορίζοντα πέρα,
γυρνάς και μου λες:πάμε ήρθε ο καιρός...

Έλα τώρα!

Coloured Amorgos Island !

Να'σαι καλά!

Να'σαι καλά! (Να είσαι καλά)

Meteora ... Breathtaking !

Breathtaking !

The Meteora (τα Μετέωρα) is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly in central Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka. The Meteora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tsipouro (Greek Τσίπουρο)

Tsipouro

is a pomace brandy from Greece and in particular Thessaly (Tsipouro Tyrnavou), Epirus, Macedonia, Mani Peninsula, and the island of Crete (where Cretans call it tsikoudia).

Tsipouro is a strong distilled spirit containing approximately 45 percent alcohol by volume and is produced from the pomace (the residue of the wine press).

Tsipouro and tsikoudia, as with all alcoholic beverages in Greece, always seem to coincide with various social gatherings, as their consumption had a festive and symposium-like quality.

It is usually served in shot glasses, very cold, often with meze, walnuts, almonds, raisins, feta cheese, olives, or accompanying halva or other desserts in restaurants.

Posted by eatGREEK, on 12 October, 2012

Add colour to your life !

Start by eating an ice-cream ..

Drinking Ouzo!

Ouzo is widely consumed in Greece and Cyprus. Ouzeries (the suffix -erie is imported from French) can be found in nearly all cities, towns, and villages. These cafe-like establishments serve ouzo with mezedes — appetizers such as octopus, salad, sardines, calamari, fried zucchini, and clams, among others. It is traditionally slowly sipped (usually mixed with water or ice) together with mezedes shared with others over a period of several hours in the early evening.