We skipped breakfast this morning because today's activities started with a walking food tour of Athens. We met our tour guide Eirini in Monastiraki Square. Two Australian women cruising from Singapore to London joined us. The first stop was a local bakery, Meliartos, where we tried two different pies - spinach & feta and three cheese. These are not like our apple pies. Rather, they are pastries made of phyllo with a savory middle. Variations of the spinach pie (spanakopita) are well known outside of Greece as well.

Our next stop was at a pharmacy turned café called Kpivos. There we watched them make loukoumades which are donut shaped pastries. They are deep fried dough covered in cinnamon and honey syrup. Honey is very popular here and there are many variations of it. Honey syrup is honey mixed with water to make it easier to pour over the loukoumades. We were full of sweets so it was on to the meat and fish markets.

One entire block was dedicated to vendors selling meats. It was easy to tell what cut came from one animal as often times the head or, in the case of rabbits, the fur on the feet and tail, were left on! Lamb is not as popular in Greece as we thought but being so close to Easter, whole lambs, head and all, were hanging in several of the cases. Butchers broke down the carcass right on the street on huge butcher blocks to your specifications. As we turned the corner, we entered the fish market area where the day's catch was displayed on ice. All the fish was from the Mediterranean except the salmon.

As we exited the meat market area, we sampled several types of nuts: smoked pistachios, peanuts covered in honey and sesame seeds, and more. They were delicious! A stop at Mokka was next. Mokka makes old fashioned coffee by mixing finely ground coffee beans with water and sugar in a small copper pot. The pot is buried halfway in heated sand for several minutes to heat the coffee. When it's warm enough, the pot and a small cup are brought to your table. You carefully pour the drink into your cup carefully to avoid pouring the sludge from the bottom of the pot. While we are not coffee drinkers, Keely said it was as good of coffee as she's ever had. Tasted like coffee to me - no thanks!

On the way to our next stop, we walked through the vegetable and fruit areas of the market. Eirini purchased a few tomatoes for our next stop and we sampled cherry tomatoes and several types of olives. The mainland of Greece grows the majority of its vegetables and fruits while the islands grow some of the bananas and avocados. We arrived at a small grocery store where Eirini made us an unbelievably delicious Greek salad. In order to be a Greek salad, it must contain olive oil, tomatoes and feta cheese. Variations can include other toppings as long as it's not lettuce! She also added a bit of truffle infused balsamic vinegar, salt and oregano. It was outstanding. We also sampled several olive oils and a bit of wine. We also sampled ouzo - a Greek liquor that tastes like black licorice. The Australians loved it because it didn't "kick like a mule!" To finish this stop, we enjoyed a desert of Greek yogurt and thyme infused honey. Beautiful as the Aussies say!

Our last visit was to Miran - a charcuterie shop. They made a sample platter consisting of turkey, pastourma, soutzouki, hummus and two types of cheeses. The hummus was the best we've ever had. Pastourma was unique in that it was a dried, cured meat from camels! Interestingly, the camel meat is imported from Australia as there aren't enough in the Mediterranean. Soutzouki is a milder cured meat. All were delicious.

This tour was one of the best tours we've done. Eirini spoke excellent English so it was easy to converse and it felt much less formal than other tours we've been on. We learned a lot and had a great time but four hours of eating and tasting left us full!

Our tour ended back in Monastiraki Square so we took a walk to explore more of the city. Eirini recommended that we make our way to Anafiotika. This small neighborhood at the base of the Acropolis was one of the most expensive in Athens. It had great views of the city, neat architecture and very small but nice homes. We made our way back to the market area and picked up some nuts for our drive tomorrow before heading back to the hotel! After so much walking, we needed some relaxing time in the spa.

This evening we made our way back to the Monastiraki Square area to eat at one of Eirini's recommendations for souvlaki - a traditional Greek street food - at Hoocut. It's roasted meat on a pita with tzatziki, tomatoes and feta, very similar to gyros. We tried pork, lamb and chicken. After dinner we headed to a rooftop bar called Anglais for after dinner drinks with amazing views of the Acropolis, Greek and Roman Agoras and other ruins we visited yesterday. All of the ruins are lit up and it was a beautiful evening to sit outside and enjoy the views.

What a fun day! We learned so much about the city, food and culture of Athens and Greece. It was a relaxing and action-packed day.

Kevin