Travels

At the beginning of this month, I went on a cruise through Greece and a few surrounding countries with my family. We hit:

Mykonos, Greece
Kusadasi, Turkey
Santorini, Greece
Monemvasia, Greece
Zakynthos, Greece
Corfu, Greece
Kotor, Montenegro
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Venice, Italy

We had a nightmare on the way over with two flights being canceled out of JFK and having to spend a night there - but we met the boat in Mykonos and all was well from there on out.

Our meals were included in our cruise fare, but on most days we were off the boat at lunchtime, and ate local food at restaurants in the area. On our first full day, in Kusadasi, we had a private tour and went to an amazing lunch at a small restaurant with an incredible view. The food there was very similar to Greek food (I thought) - but because of the restaurant we were at, this was probably the best meal we had on the whole trip. I also particularly enjoyed Kusadasi because this is where we saw the most agriculture; they grow many crops including pomegranates (above), figs, cotton, tangerines, and olives.

Anyway, I decided that I really enjoy the Mediterranean diet. I really enjoy tzatziki, grilled eggplant spread, olive oil, pita bread, and I even semi-enjoyed the olives I had there. I generally hate olives, but I had to give them a try in an environment where you see olive trees all around you. So don't be surprised if a lot of my upcoming recipes have a Greek/Mediterranean feel!