HONEYMOON_PART III.

the last picture of the previous post was about the beautiful view from the bus on our 

way to and from the port. as i have said, it was a long, four-hour trip, but we weren't bored 

for a moment. the scenery was awesome, and the tour-guide told us many interesting facts

about greece. 

 

 the hillsides in these parts /from paralia to volos/ were covered in olive trees. olive is a 

species of small evergreen tree native to the coastal areas of the eastern mediterranean 

basin. the olive trees are very hardy: drought-, disease- and fire-resistant, they can live 

to a great age. many olive trees are said to be hundreds of years old, while some trees 

can live up to 2000 years (in some cases, this has been scientifically verified).

olives are harvested in autumn and winter. the longer they mature, the darker they 

become. the olive branch is a symbol of abundance, glory and peace. olive oil has long 

been considered sacred; it was used to anoint kings and athletes in ancient greece. 

it was burnt in the sacred lamps of temples as well as being the "eternal flame" of the 

 original olympic games. victors in these games were crowned with its leaves.

 we bought a bottle of home-pressed extra virgin olive oil from the captain of the boat. 

 this oil is a tremendously useful stuff, it has a number of health benefits. it is a great skin

moisturizer, in part because it contains linoleic acid, a compound not made by the body, 

but which prevents water from evaporating. extra virgin olive oil makes the perfect, simple

solution for dry nails and cuticles. simply rub a few drops into the cuticle area and around 

 the nail. cuticles stay plump and moist, and nails respond with a natural shine. olive oil also 

 has benefits for your hair.  after shampooing, massage some oil into your hair. leave on for 5 

 minutes, then shampoo and rinse. your scalp will benefit from healthy conditioning; 

 your hair will respond with more shine and strength. 

 olive oil also contains at least four different antioxidants, which can help neutralize 

 damaging free radicals that can lead to skin aging and skin cancer. there are many scientific 

 studies that suggest that olive oil helps prevent and treat heart disease. studies have shown 

that olive oil offers protection against heart disease by controlling ldl ("bad") cholesterol 

levels while raising hdl ("good" cholesterol) levels. olive oil may play a part in reducing 

rates or risk of some types of cancer, particularly colon, breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

 for maximum nutrition, quality and flavor, ideally, the olive oil you buy should not be more 

 than one year old. it should say "extra virgin." it should be harvested carefully, processed 

 quickly and minimally, stored in a cool dark environment and opened and used without too

much exposure to air.

 greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. the earliest evidence 

 of greek wine has been dated to 6500 years ago. 

 most of greek wines are resinated - it means that they put pine resin in it because they 

 like that taste. 

 we didn't taste their wines, but we ate huge amounts of grapes. :D we could buy fruits 

 at the market for half or third of the price than at home and everything was much more 

 finer and sweeter. no wonder, since they are local goods, not gas ripened fruits...

 

watermelon was also very-very delicious there. it is one of my favorite fruits, so i filled 

my tummy with it as often as possible. :)

this weird whitish liquor is the traditional greek aperitif called ούζο (ouzo). it is flavoured 

 with anise (reminds me of the flavour of hašlerky). it is a clear liquid, however, when water

 or ice is added, it turns a milky-white colour.

 in greece, ouzeries can be found in nearly all cities, towns, and villages. these cafe-like 
establishments (for men only!) serve ouzo with mezedes — appetizers such as octopus, 

 salad, sardines, calamari, fried zucchini, and clams, among others. It is traditionally 

 slowly sipped (usually mixed with water or ice) together with mezedes shared with others

  over a period of several hours in the early evening.

 

one night there was mussel dinner party at the hotel. cooked mussels were served for free, 

 so we decided to taste this slimy and smelly dish. i ate it for the first and last time. it tasted 

 like some muddy, smelly fish. okay, i don't say it can't be delicious if it's steamed in some 

aromatic stuff like garlic or wine, but i'm not sure i ever would feel like to eat mussels again. :D

>> neither would peter... :P

a million times finer were the ice-creams! we found this cute little place and stayed devoted to 
it for the whole week. they had many flavors of ice-creams that we had never tasted, about 20
kinds of ice lollys and other amazingly delicious sweets.

 

i can't stop myself from posting so many photos of these goodies. *yummy*

 

in the end: a couple of pictures about the two of us ^^ 

 .