For the last 6 years Greece has been my neglected neighbor, one I regularly overlooked for more exotic countries in the region like Georgia or Bosnia. Somehow there was always somewhere seemingly more exciting to run off to. But in the last year, I have been giving it more attention, and I am finally starting to realize what 11 million Greeks already know, Greek food and wine is amazing! Last September I did a cooking course with the brilliant chef, Aglaia Kremezi, at her home in Kea; but a more recent trip was done on a budget. We ate a lot of Greek staples: street food, like gyros and souvlaki (shish kebab), and frankly, more fried cheese than any one person should be allowed to consume. We ate our dinners in local tavernas and drank cheap but delicious table wine. Most of our breakfasts were cheesy, buttery, flaky filo pastries from bus station bakeries, all of which were amazing. This is also how you gain 5 pounds in 6 days. Worth it.

Our trip began in late April on a 9 a.m. bus to Alexandroupolis where my two friends and I were off to the Umami Festival to taste examples of Greek wine. One of the producers we really liked was Katogi Averoff, but they were also the only producer to give us a free bottle of wine and it is possible that my affections are that easily bought.

From Alexandroupolis we bussed it to Kavala where we spent the bulk of our trip, this was a wonderful time to come since the weather is still fairly mild and you can explore the Roman ruins comfortably. However, since it is still off-season we ran into the problem of some things being closed. For example, we went to the island of Thassos hoping to do an olive oil tasting at Olis, only to find it closed. (Even though their Facebook page clearly stated they were open). On the upside, Thassos has a wonderful Archeological museum and many ruins, so it was still a great day-trip.

In Drama which is located in northeastern Greece (Macedonia and Thrace region) we were able to do a private tasting with the owner of the boutique distillery Chariskos Distillery, the only gin producers in Greece. They harvest the juniper berries from the surrounding hills and the resulting product is wonderful. I am generally not a fan of hard liquor, and gin specifically, but I was won over by theirs. They also have a line of delightful liqueurs, including one made from quince, and another made from the honey of bees who have feasted on linden.

We were continually impressed by the hospitality we experienced throughout our visit; one example of that was on the last evening: we were dining for a second time at Tsalapetinos Urban Farm–a restaurant near the port that undertook a rebranding about 3 years ago. It transformed from your classic Greek taverna, to a more modern seasonal local menu under the guidance of their new head chef. The transition has made it a smashing success. What captured our hearts were the traditional sausages. They are not glamorous or pretty, but they were the delectible. After singing their praises to our waiter for probably longer than was socially appropriate, he called over the chef. Much to our surprise, we were walked over to the local butcher shop by the chef where he showed us exactly where he purchases the sausages, as well as telling us about some of the local cheeses, also used in the restaurant.

When we got to the airport to fly home, I was disappointed to find out that my suitcase was under the weight limit…which means I still had room for a few more kilos of those sausages. Rookie move forgetting my luggage scale.