A Balanced Mediterranean Adventure

No matter where you travel, balance is important. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that demonstrated more clearly than the village of Fourni on the island of Crete. At the top of an olive tree, a feeble-looking old man was balanced on a limb, swatting branches with his cane. Olives fell onto a blanket spread on the ground. An old woman dressed entirely in black looked on sternly.

Not much earlier, I’d seen the same couple in a small café where I was having tea. The man was warming himself by the same fire I was enjoying, when the woman came in, uttered some sharp words and chased the man out. Later, when I walked past the olive grove and spotted the old man in that tree, our eyes met, and we both started laughing.

Discovering the joy of life in Greece can happen by accident, of course, but it’s better when you know where it lives, or travel with someone in the know. When I help people experience Greece, I want to strike a balance that captures the essence of such a rich and diverse land and culture. I don’t believe you can go to Greece without seeing wonders such as the Acropolis, the Corinth Canal, the Peloponnese and some of the islands. I also think you’re missing out if you don’t take advantage of the expertise of people who can show you places and experiences you’d probably never find on your own—the island restaurant where the owner sets a table right on a pier as fishing boats bob on the turquoise waters of the Aegean; the mountain villages where time seems suspended across the decades; the joy of life coursing from a taverna where small dishes placed in the middle of a table are shared by everyone.

My own discoveries in Greece started when I was a tour guide there almost 30 years ago. There, locals introduced me to foods that seemed wildly exotic to me at the time. Now, I try to replicate those culinary experiences when I’m at home. Maybe I’m grilling calamari tubes stuffed with a mixture of feta, chopped tomatoes, lemon, cayenne pepper and oregano. As soon as I smell those ingredients, strong senses and memories come flooding back. Suddenly, I’m in Greece again, where I’ve had some of the most memorable meals in my life.

For me, food means more than just staving off hunger, especially when I travel. So much of what defines a place is based on its cuisine: how its food is grown and harvested, how it’s prepared, how it provides a way for communities to come together in celebration or in solace. On the islands, I’ve seen fishermen coming in with octopus, which is one of those “exotic” foods I was unfamiliar with. There, it’s on the menu everywhere—octopus salad, grilled octopus with lemon, octopus marinated in vinegar. You see them draped from balconies to dry out, and dropped on cement piers to tenderize (the fishermen say it takes 50 drops to properly tenderize an octopus).

Another time, a friend and I were walking in a small mountain town when we saw an elderly woman with a large sack slung over her shoulder, struggling to carry her load to the top of the hill. My friend jumped into action, taking the heavy sack from the woman and carrying it to the top of the hill. We weren’t able to communicate very effectively through language, but she showed her gratitude when she opened the sack and offered us handfuls of freshly shelled almonds. It was a cold winter day, but I’ll never forget the warmth of her smile.

Experience Greece in your very own kitchen.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 cup chopped shallots
• ½ cup chopped celery
• ½ cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano or 2 tbsp. fresh minced oregano
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste
• red pepper flakes, to taste

1. Heat the oven to 400°F.
2. Wash, peel and devein shrimp and place in a bowl. Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté shallots, celery and garlic until tender. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil.
3. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then add broth, wine, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes, then simmer for another 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook through. Add oregano and move everything to an oven-proof casserole dish.
4. Sprinkle feta cheese evenly over the top, then bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese melts. Top with fresh parsley. Serve with a crusty bread loaf or garlic bread.

The taverna culture is especially conducive to using food to soak in culture. Tavernas are different than restaurants. Often there’s not even a printed menu. The staff just tells you what’s available today and brings it to the table. I love the communal aspect of taverna dining that encourages engagement, conversation and interaction. In Greece, a restaurant is just a place to eat; a taverna is a place where food fuels a great time. It can include impromptu music performances and traditional dancing that you’ll be urged to join. From my experience, you probably won’t need much encouragement.

That’s what I mean when I talk about balance when you travel. There are times when you want to cast aside your inhibitions and dance like nobody’s watching, in a place you’ve never heard of. Other times you want to walk in the shadow of world-renowned historical and mythological sites or indulge in a big-city shopping spree. City versus country, beach versus mountains, top attractions versus ones off the beaten path, restaurant versus taverna. The diversity of Greece means you can have it all, but traveling with someone who knows how to mix those ingredients together is what can make for the most memorable experience.

When my wife and I went to Greece on our honeymoon, for two weeks I don’t think we put on anything more formal than shorts and sandals. It might not be practical to be quite that casual, but on trips that AAA creates for its members, we try to stay away from anything overly formal—and Greece just seems to fit a more relaxed style of travel. After all, you never know when you might have to climb an olive tree.

By Renata Faeth

Senior International Travel Advisor Carri Loken shares her own Grecian tour experience, from her favorite highlights to the perfect timing.

Greece is an idyllic vacation destination with both stunning natural beauty and some of the earliest relics of western civilization. With sugary-white villages that glimmer above the blue-green waters of the Aegean Sea, ancient temples and fragmented ruins to explore, and cities filled with lively sounds of music, clinking glasses and conversation, it’s no wonder it is a top pick forAAA Minneapolis travel professionals.

“Most travelers want an experience that strikes a balance—an appreciation of Greece’s magnificent past while being authentically immersed in the present. There are lots of ways to do that,” notes Senior International Travel Advisor Carri Loken.

She recommends visiting some of the unique places she experienced recently on Insight Vacations’ Glories of Greece tour. The seven-day itinerary traverses the lush, mountainous central region (terrain once trampled upon by Persian and Greek soldiers) to the Unesco World Heritage site of Meteora, where ancient Byzantine monasteries are perched atop massive rock pillars—a visual so stunning, it has captivated the imagination of historians for centuries. Visitors can climb the pathways and steps for breathtaking views of the Penejos Valley below, or hike a nearby trail, following in the footsteps of the earliest monks who arrived more than15 centuries ago.

“Meteora was the highlight for me, so I consider it a must-see, along with the iconic sites of Athens,” says Loken. “But most people want to visit the islands too, to step inside those images that inspired them in the first place.”

Grecians welcome visitors like they’re long-lost family members. Meals are festive and loud, conversation is passionate, and traditional dance is a social function that emphasizes a shared celebration of life. Surrounded by the Ionian and Aegean seas, the Greek Isles boast Europe’s finest beaches, and their impact on everyday life adds to their allure. Local fishermen deliver the catch of the day to beach tavernas, windsurfers and kayakers frolic offshore with the dolphins, and sunbathers bask in the sun until it disappears on the horizon.

Loken recommends that travelers visit Greece anytime between May and October to enjoy ideal weather, with July and August being the warmest months. “Ships of all sizes cruise the Greek Isles, but not all year long for most vacation packages. I suggest at least a two-week itinerary that incorporates island hopping (preferably on a cruise), time in Athens to explore the most important ruins and a few days in northern Greece. This approach offers travelers the richest cultural and historical contrasts.”

“If you want to visit Greece soon,” she says, “start investigating 2021 now.” After a tumultuous year, hoteliers will be eager, flight prices should be competitive, and tables will be set for vacation dreamers to once again share food, laughter and the joys of togetherness.