NOTE:
The sequence of activities as well as the dishes we will prepare might change, subject to weather and the seasonality of ingredients.OLIVE PICKING AND PRESSING activities may be an option in the fall programs.
Day 1: Monday
7:00 pm Pick up from hotel.
7:15 pm Orientation, garden tour and drinks at Aglaia and Costas’s house, followed by welcome meze and dinner with the group and Kea residents and friends.
Greek wine tasting, part 1: two sparkling wines; two white wines, one red.
Day 2: Tuesday
10:00 am Pick up from hotel.
10:15 am Cooking class: harvesting grape leaves and making dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with rice and herbs) for meze; also, preparing the kid that we will roast in the wood-fired oven in a mastelo, the traditional unglazed Cycladic ceramic pot.
(OR, in the fall you can take part in the olive picking).
12:30 pm Greek wine tasting, part 2: an overview of Greek whites and reds, followed by long Mediterranean lunch alfresco with dishes prepared in class.
03:00 pm Return to hotel for napping or swimming
Evening free to explore the island’s taverns (list has been provided).
Day 3: Wednesday
09:15 am Pick up from hotel.
09:30 am Cooking class: making traditional breads, plain and stuffed; frying zucchini and other vegetables, and making garlic spread (skordalia).
(OR, in the fall you can take part in the olive picking and pressing).
11:30 am Greek wine tasting, part 3: white wines; followed by Mediterranean lunch
alfresco with dishes prepared in class.
1:30 pm Return to hotel for a brief rest.
4:00 pm Hike to Carthaea archaeological site, to see the wonderful temples by the sea. Wear hiking shoes; bring your swimsuit, map, flashlight and a sweater! After the hike, we will have a refreshment, and then a bite at a meat tavern, at the Port.
Day 4: Thursday
10:00 am Pick up from hotel, and stop at the port to, hopefully, get the day’s catch from the kaiki.
10:15 am Cooking class: making ladera (olive oil braised) artichokes, okra or green beans; also preparing fig-leaf-wrapped fish for grilling; making amygdalota (rustic macaroons), the traditional flour-less festive cookies of the Cyclades, with almonds from the island.
Greek wine tasting, part 4: more whites to accompany our long Mediterranean meal, which will conclude with mastic-scented ice cream and our almond cookies.
Afternoon free for swimming or napping.
5:00 pm Pick up from hotel and drive to Hora, the Main Town.
Walk through the town to Liontas, the ancient “smiling lion.”
Dinner at Yianni’s tavern and return to port.
Day 5: Friday
10:00 am Pick up from hotel.
10:15 am Cooking class with Stamatia and Ela, phyllo dough experts: rolling phyllo pastry and making pites (pies) –crunchy cheese pie, spinach & garden herb pie, etc. Roasting fresh sardines to accompany the pies for lunch. Tasting a few Greek olive oils.
Greek wine tasting, part 4: rosé and white wines.
Afternoon free for napping or swimming.
6:30 pm Pick up from hotel and drive to Xyla for sunset drinks and meze on the beach (bring your swimsuit, your sweater, and a flashlight).
Saturday, May 31
10:00 am Pick up from hotel.
11:00 am Cooking class: making myzithra (the Greek ricotta-like fresh cheese) from our neighbor’s milk. Also, stuffing vegetables: tomatoes, eggplants, peppers etc.
12:30 pm Farewell lunch: baked stuffed vegetables and a spectacular tasting of several cheeses from all over Greece. For dessert the homemade myzithra accompanied with a tasting of various Greek honeys.
Late afternoon, or next day, transportation to the ferry to Lavrio.
