Divine food in Sifnos

What is the fisrt thing a traveller looks for in a new place? Sleep. We covered that part already.

What is the second thing a traveller looks for in a new place? Food!

Sifnos is one of these places that still makes is own traditional cheese. The cheese I tried first is called xi-no-mi-tzi-thra (try reading that out loud!). It is a soft sour and salty cheese that goes perfect in a tomato salad and anything else. It is made by goat and sheep milk. Unlike feta chese, it melts on the tomatos and mixes with the olive oil and whatever is in the salad! I do like dipping fresh bread in olive oil and xinomitzithra!

Another divine food that they make here in Sifnos is "mastelo". It is goat or lamb roasted in a wooden oven for hours and hours. The meat is soft like butter and is has a smokey flavor I have never tasted before... As for the portions they serve here they are more than enough! They are so big, that even Freeda had the chance to taste it!

And then there is pasteli. It is a traditional sweet made from sesame seeds and honey. It is soft and has a tiny bit of cinnamon... The best pasteli I had in my life! (back in Italy, Jim was making fun at me because everything he made was THE BEST I HAD ΙΝ ΜΥ LIFE ha ha ha, Jim, I hope you are reading this!)

There is still a lot to taste and see, but is is going to be a long summer, so I'm taking my time trying everything. My next mission, foodwise, is chickpeas in the wooden oven and more cheeses to go...

Most vegetables are local and eggs taste like real eggs! It's really different from Athens...

I do enjoy my work at the shop, because I am surrounded by beautiful objects I get to arrange as I wish... Very creative... I get to meet people from around the globe and be in the busiest street of Sifnos!

Today is the biggest day of the summer! Hope you enjoy the rest of it!

(BTW I do know that this post is full of exclamation marks, but I am in awe if what I see and taste...)

My first day off in Sifnos

photo by antonisartheart

It is quite strange. People come and go. We say "hello, what's your name" and then we say "goodbye". I am the one staying. It feels good and strange. In a land where everybody takes it easy, I have to have a schedule, go to work at a certain time, come back at a certain time and so on...

Of course I can't complain, I have a job I like and I am in a place I like. Today I do feel like a tourist, because I woke up late, had a long coffee having a distant thought about Athens and its general strike...

Sifnos... day two...

Michelangelo can't wait to get off the boat

It's 7.40 in the morning. I woke up in my tent with the sounds of birds, the wind and the sea. I made my coffee. I am drinking my coffee under a tree. It's a bit cloudy, but the temperature is high.

The first thing you see when the boat approaches Kamares, the port, is a big natural bay surroundeed by tall mountains. It's like the land is hugging the sea. You might think that ports are dirty and full of pollution, but this port's waters are crystal clear. Kamares has a clean, sandy beach...

I did swim yesterday and it seemed that the whole winter was instantly washed away.

It's suprisingly hot for June. The island is quiet this time of the year. It seems that most visitors are foreigners, ie not Greek. No offence, but they are better tourists than the greeks. Very polite, very quiet, very clean, very friendly with Freeda...

Freeda just took a sand bath

It took me a while to realise I'm in this beautiful place and not in Athens this time of the year.

So here I am. I work at this beautiful shop called "I touch", "aghizo" in greek. It's in Apollonia, the main village of Sifnos, 8 kilometers from where I'm staying. It's up on a mountain. You've got the typical white houses, the typical small streets and the typical smell of jasmine coming from the back yards...

Just beautiful...

The first day of the summer!

It's warm and beautiful here in Greece.

Today I booked my tickets for the island. My hopes are high for the summer. My summer will be de-light-ful.

Even Athens seems full of bright, colourful, beautiful people.

While I'm here at paprapera market, I have met and talked with many young artists. We are all vibrating positively, we all believe that change is in our hands. They have formed teams. They help each other. All for one and one for all.

There is power in a team.