Communication 323/523:
Food and Wines of the World
Itinerary
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Each year, my students and I travel to a different part of Greece, exploring each region's distinctive agricultural and culinary practices and traditions. Sometimes, we venture farther afield, visiting, for example, the villages in southern Italy that are still inhabited by the descendants of Greeks who first landed on their shores so long ago.
This year, we are venturing to Kea, home of the international cooking school Kea Artisanal, and to the eastern islands of Lesvos and Chios, just a stone's throw from Turkey.
If you would like to participate in next year's trip, please contact me. While we give priority to UWSP students, the trip is open to everyone, whether you are currently enrolled in a university, or consider yourself a life-long learner!
Highlights of 2012
May 23 We arrive in Athens and begin our exploration with a Welcome Dinner at a traditional taverna in Plaka, one of the oldest parts of the city located at the base of the Acropolis.
May 24 A trip to Greece has to begin with a visit to the Acropolis -- and today we will explore the ancient site as well as the world-class Acropolis Museum down below.
May 25 We begin the day with a visit to a small gourmet food cooperative on the outskirts of Athens for hands-on cooking lessons, lunch, and a discussion of how these cooperatives are providing an alternative economy for women across the country. We will then take a private coach to the Temple of Poseidon where we will tour the site, take in the magnificent sunset views, enjoy a quick dip in the sea and dinner at a traditional fish taverna.
May 26 Today we will explore the famous Athens Central Market. Then you will have the afternoon off to write, take a tram to the beach, visit a museum, or just relax and catch your breath.
May 27 We will take a ferry boat to Kea where we will have a chance to explore this little-visited island that's a hiker's and birder's paradise. The island has 18 marked ancient trails criss-crossing the mountains, with many ending up in idyllic coves perfect for an afternoon swim.
May 28-29 We will spend two days with journalist/cookbook writer/food historian Aglaia Kremezi and her husband Costas learning how to make traditional Greek dishes and enjoying the results of our labors. We will also have time to explore the island.
May 30 We say goodbye to our friends Aglaia and Costas and head back to Athens where we will embark on an overnight ferry to Lesvos.
May 31 We arrive in the port of Mytilini where a private coach will meet us. Our first stop will be to the island's famous salt marshes, a haven for migratory birds. We will tour and enjoy a tasting at an olive oil museum and production facility, participate in cooking lessons at a local women's agricultural cooperative, and then wrap up the day with a donkey ride (a traditional form of transportation) along the sea.
June 1 Today is all about cheese: we will visit traditional cheese-makers and learn about the local cheeses this island is famous for -- and wine: we will visit the Methymneos winery, well-respected for its introduction of organic wine-producing practices. After lunch, we will hike through the Petrified Forest National Park.
June 2 We begin with a visit to a traditional Ouzo distiller and museum, then visit another women's agricultural cooperative for hands-on cooking lessons. After lunch, we will hike along a well-known trail to visit the Theophilos plane tree -- a site important to one of Greece's most well-known folk painters.
June 3 Free day to explore, swim, walk to the nearby hot springs, catch up on your writing. In the evening, we will take a ferry boat to Chios.
June 4 We begin our tour of Chios with a visit to the Mastic groves for which the island is known world-over. After a lecture and harvesting activity, we will hike to a nearby beach for an afternoon swim, before touring tww of the most important mastic villages: Mesta and Pyrgi.
June 5 After visiting the Mastic Growers Cooperative, we will explore the medieval ghost town of Anavatos and then head to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Nea Moni Monastery. Later, we will learn about local pasta-making traditions in the village of Vessa.
June 6 Today we tour the Egrigoros wineryand the charming village of Vollisos.
June 7 You will have a chance to explore Chios Town on your own before we board a private coach to the Citrus Memories Museum for a tour and hands-on lesson in how to make Greek traditional spoon sweets. We will then take an overnight ferry back to Athens.
June 8-9 You will have a chance to travel on your own, taking day trips from Athens or visiting one of the islands.
June 10 Farewell dinner.
June 11 We bid farewell to Greece and all our new friends!