The chef, Mrs Tonya Karandinou, runs an internationally acclaimed restaurant called The Balcony, near the harbour in Sitia, eastern Crete. She has travelled to London specially, to prepare our lunch, bringing with her high quality, organic, local produce from Crete. On the menu are dishes based on fresh fruit and vegetables, grains, legumes, cheese and extra virgin olive oil: all ingredients of the Cretan Mediterranean diet, which is acknowledged to give a long and healthy life.

Tonya leaves the kitchen several times to talk to us at our tables and find out what we think of our lunch. Her passion for food and cooking is obvious, so what’s her secret? “ Love”, is her reply. Everyone around the table is impressed with the food.

I visited Crete last year. As different dishes are served, memories of enjoyable meals in places like Chania, Rethymnon and Heraklion come flooding back. My travels did not take me as far east as Sitia, where some of the best Cretan extra virgin olive oil is produced. The nearest I got was Agios Nikolaos.

Grassy green-gold, fruity olive oil is waiting for us to dip our rusks in as we sit down to our meal, with a choice of wines from the Sitia Union Winery. The red is a ripe, soft and fruity Sitia 2008 and the concentrated, dry white wine, Sitia of Crete 2008, is made from the native vilana and thrapsathiri grape varieties.

Mezedes or starters include fava, or split-pea purée, and Cretan dakos, tomatoes and cheese on barley rusks. There is also dolmades, vine leaves stuffed with rice and minced meat, served with tzatziki, a yoghurt, cucumber and garlic dip.

Next come four different main course dishes. Oven-cooked lamb is served on a bed of potatoes with artichoke hearts and Cretan wild herbs. The cuttlefish dish, dressed in a wine sauce with spinach and herbs, is unbelievably tender. How does Tonya achieve this soft, melting consistency? “I cook it for just ten minutes.” she says.

Xerotigana and kalitsounia pastries are served for dessert, with delicious Cretan yoghurt and honey, sprinkled with chopped pistachios.

When I visited the island, I asked why meals are made up of so many different courses, and why eating takes up so much time. “Well, meals are not just for eating. They are for enjoying with family and friends, and for discussions.” I was told. “Besides, you might feel hungry again and need to eat some more”.

Mrs Tonya Karandinou and lady wearing traditional Cretan dress

We take our time to savour today’s traditional Cretan lunch, enlivened by a performance of traditional dances, shared in stimulating company and spiced with lively discussion.

The Sitia wines can be ordered through Mr. Sotiris Meredidis, Director of Sitia Limited
Fax: +44 (0)208 907 2902 Mob: +44 (0)793 048 4424

Extra virgin olive oil and other Greek foods can be ordered from – www.odysea.com

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Country Profile
Greece is a country located in Southern Europe and shares its borders with Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. Its coastlines and islands stretch from the Aegean, Ionian and the Mediterranean Seas. Greece has been part of the European Union since 1992. The country runs under a parliamentary system of government. With over 15 million tourists visiting each year. Greece is considered one of the most popular tourist destination in Europe.

Travel Requirements
Because Greece is a member of the European Union, citizens of other EU member countries may freely enter with their national ID card in tow. For those tourists who belong to non-EU countries, a visa and passport is required. But there are selected countries such as Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Hong Kong,  Israel, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, and the United States that are provided by a 90-day visa-free stay in the country.

Greece is also a signatory to the Schengen agreement along with Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Traveling between Schengen countries by a non-Schengen citizen may be able to do so by getting only a single visa from any of the member countries. This may be used for multiple entries on other Schengen member countries.

Language
Greek is the country’s official language and mother tongue. It’s spoken by the vast majority of the population. But English is also a widely spoken language in many parts of the country.  And since tourism has become an important industry in Greece many of its destinations already have an increasing number of personnel that can speak and understand English well. Communication with most Greeks does not usually pose a problem for many tourists who visit the country.

Currency
The official currency in Greece is the Euro, having replaced the local drachma since January of 2002. Foreign exchanges are also now common in most major cities and other dense tourist areas in Greece. Most banks in the country also offer currency exchanges for tourists. When exchanging currency, it is important to note of getting only notes below 50 Euros. Most Greek businesses are usually reluctant to receive notes larger than 50 Euros, mainly because of a scarcity of change as well as the risk of larger notes being fakes.

Cuisine
Greek cuisine is an interesting blend of traditional as well as foreign influences. A major part of Greek cuisine is influenced by neighboring Turkey. It is common for both countries to have shared dishes. The traditional Greek diet is predominantly Mediterranean which makes heavy use of vegetables, herbs and grains native to the area. And because Greece is largely a maritime country, seafood is an important part of the country’s cuisine.

Other important Greek dishes also make use of pork, lamb, beef and chicken as primary ingredients. Olive oil is also a major staple in Greek cuisine and largely used for many of its most popular dishes. Other common ingredients also include the use of lemon and tomato paste. Bread as well as wine is also a common fixture on every Greek dining table.

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“The most luxurious thing we have here is nature”, says Tassos Gourgouras, welcoming our group to Milia (www.milia.gr/english.html).  This restored mountain settlement is an international eco-tourism award-winner.  Once derelict, these traditional stone farmhouses near the village of Vlatos in western Crete, are now comfortable, rustic eco-apartments, decorated with local furniture and powered by solar energy.

All year round, people come here for alternative holidays, close to nature and away from the crowds.  On the balcony outside the warm and welcoming taverna, we inhale fresh, clean mountain air, sipping infusions of mountain tea sweetened with local honey.  As we admire the scenery, visitors can be seen trekking along the mountainside across the valley.

Organic produce, including wine from the settlement’s farm, is served in the taverna.  Guests can get involved in the agricultural and farming activities. Appetising aromas emerge from the kitchen, where lunch is being prepared, including boureki (courgette, potato and mizithra cheese pie), vlita (wild greens) and salads.

Loaves of bread made from three different types of flour are ready for baking.   We discover why helping in the kitchen is so popular and have great fun manouvering loaves of bread into the wood-fired oven, with a long-handled wooden board.

Afterwards, we walk down to the farm, via the amphitheatre, across a small bridge over a stream, up to terraces planted with olive and carob trees, brushing against pungent wild oregano on the way.

Milia is the Greek word for apple tree; we pick apples to feed to the cows.  Free-range chickens squawk nearby, next to the calves being weaned from their mothers.  A griffin vulture glides overhead, before swiftly vanishing into the blue sky.

Back in the kitchen, the bread is ready to remove from the oven.  Before sitting down in the taverna for our Cretan meal, we chat with some Canadians who are spending a week here, and a Danish couple, here for lunch because they heard how tasty the food is.  Our freshly baked bread disappears as soon as it is put on the table.

As we leave, we turn and look back.  The eco-friendly buildings of local stone and wild chestnut from the surrounding woods blend naturally, almost imperceptibly, into the landscape.

It is a 45-minute drive, past Topolia gorge, to Elafonissi on the southwest coast, one of the most beautiful beaches on the island.  Small particles of crushed pink shells are washed up onto the long, wide beach, turning the sand pink. By the time we arrive in the late afternoon, many day-trippers have already left.

The beach feels very safe because the clear, turquoise sea is so shallow near the shore.  We swim before walking across to an islet, through thigh-high water.  After enjoying the natural beauty of the sea and the surrounding landscape, we leave just after 6.00 pm, when other people are packing up and leaving too.

We return to the calm and peaceful Cavo Spada Luxury Resort and Spa (www.cavospada.gr) on a tranquil beach 18 km west of Chania, where we are staying.  Our day ends here, on a moonlit terrace overlooking the pool and the sea, after a very enjoyable evening meal.

Milia is in the governing district of Chania, about 60 km from Chania town centre.
Our group was driven round the island in comfort by Solmar Tours (www.solmar.gr)

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But beyond the sight seeing, people can take part in a lot of activities in Greece. Here are some of the things that you can do while on holiday.

1. Shopping
There are lots of items that are uniquely found in Greece. Tourists will also love replicas of the famous structures. There are places that you go to, to look for bargains. Greece being the centre cross roads of East and western europe has a treasure trove of bargins in their bazaars and markets, so this is where you can get great deals. Here you can find unique gifts from eastern europe to bring home to your loved ones at very affordable prices,

3. Eating-out
Greece’s restaurants are great places to relax and just rest. This is especially true if you have gone through so many sights during the day. Relaxing at a local cafe or a restaurant is a great way to cap your evening. You should also try their famous restaurants. For a list of the recommended restaurants in the area, check with the local tourism office or at your hotel concierge. You can also check the internet for any listings and for some recommendations from bloggers.

4. Bar-hopping
Greece may have been an ancient culture but this does not mean that they don’t have modern haunts like bars where you can drink and dance the night away. Before going to any bars though, make sure that you’ve asked locals which bars are the best and the one’s to avoid. Remember that you’re still new to the place and will need to go to places that are tourist-friendly. You can get information from your hotel concierge.

5. Walk
Walking is one way to enjoy the sights and the ambiance of Greece. You can go early morning or really late at night when the weather is not as hot. Be careful though in going out late at night. As local transport is not as easily available in the early hours of the morning.

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We’d arrived the evening before to see Spartochori’s picturesque hill village perched on a cliff overlooking the harbour. Whilst exploring the harbour below we chanced upon the landing of this big fish. Too big to carry into the kitchen the chef decided to carve it up on the quay next to the floating pontoons.

As the interest from visitors grew, relays of children were seen with containers going back and forth with slabs of freshly cut white tuna. White tuna we’re told is not common in Greek waters, so when caught it’s quite an event. This fish of 50kgs took 40 minutes to carve up every part of it was used as it draws top prices at the table.

White tuna is a highly migratory species and estimating its numbers is very difficult. However it can be found in cooler tropical waters all around the world. The closest comparison in taste to the tuna is swordfish. Whilst white tuna has some what dry texture to its meat and has a tast similar to chicken. Swordfish has the consistency similar to pork with a light fishy taste; both are served grilled with lemon and seasoning.

Sitting in Spartilla Taverna sipping our Retsina’s the smell of grilled fish drifts through the air. All around everybody that’s heard of the tuna has ordered it, as it’s now the “Speciality of the day.”

Facts: White Tuna (Albacore) is considered to be over fished in the northern Atlantic. The numbers in the southern Atlantic and West Africa are not any better. Little is known about their numbers in the Mediterranean.

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“Something Else Restaurant is the best place to eat in Kos!” says Heinrich.

Whilst travelling on an Archaeological tour of the Greek Islands our guide and Archaeologist Heinrich Hall discovered this restaurant weeks before. Located in a residential area of Kos town, with no touristic shops in sight. Our fellow travel companions and we join him, in a feast of the best traditional food on the Island.

It’s very much a residential district we are in. Local cars and scooters are parked on the curbs surrounding small apartment blocks. Light from these buildings ad accents of rectangular colours up and down the street.

Something Else Restaurant is on Bouboulinas Street leading off from the main harbour towards the west. It’s about a 5 min walk from the Harbour and a world away from the tourist traps of high priced junk food that’s handed out along the water front.

As expected it looks little different than most other tavernas and their square little tables are of the traditional style. But the similarity stops there… it’s the food! It’s very, very good!

“Nothing brings people together better than good food” says Heinrich with a grin. Plate upon plate of food is laid out before us in a pick and mix style. Beef with aubergine (stew), Cabbage Rolls (Lachano-dolmades), Red peppers stuffed with feta cheese, Aubergine dip, Pastitsio and the more well-known dishes of Mousaka, Greek Salad and fried cheese keep on appearing in front of us. Calorie counting in Greece is unheard of as I seamed to be saying ‘delicious’ to every plate that arrives. Yet the texture of the food the way it crumbles in the mouth all presented in a cordon bluer style that would please Gordon Ramsey. Just keeps on coming.

This is home cooked food at its best!

Talking to others around the table I’m informed that Eudokia Taverna across the road serves equally good food! It would seam that there’s a healthy competition between the two Restaurants. Yet, they’re both a secret hide away for locals.

Getting there…
David Mutlow travelled with ‘Peter Sommer Travels’ on their North Dodecanese Archaeological tour for seven days visiting Samos, Patmos, Leros, Kos and Halicarnassus (Bodrum) the site of the Mausoleum. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Eating Out…
Something Else Restaurant Tel: 02420 21386l and Eudokia Taverna Tel: 22420 28585 are on Bouboulinas Street leading off from the main harbour towards the west.

“For further information visit Archaeological tours in Greece

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Sitting outside a taverna on a hillside can be a dangerous occupation….

The mind can wander !!

My Heineken friends and I have time to kill….
No bus for 2 hours….
No phone for a taxi and too lazy to walk in the heat….

Above is this Lemon hanging from a tree. It’s been there a while all on it’s own….

When will it drop?
Why don’t it drop?

Why did it take Isaac Newton to work out gravity?

There’s so many Lemons on a tree and more than enough clever Greeks to work that one out!

Archimedes at least, brainstorming in his tub should have cottoned on to the splashes that landed on the floor…..

My Heineken friends are been invaded.…. Swordfish with dressing and a.… LEMON!

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