A Walking Food Tour of Athens
Many times, during our travels, my wife and I will strike out for the places less traveled. We like to see the authentic parts of the countries we visit, not just the touristy ones. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes those touristy things are fabulously fun. But when I’m telling stories to my friends, the unique places and adventures rise to the top.
We visited Athens in February. Being a student of history, the place itself was fascinating to me. Our apartment had a view of the Acropolis, which was especially stunning during sunrise and after sunset. The place bustled with activity and was as far from our sleepy midwestern home as you can get. One day we were looking for something new to try and I was browsing online and came across a private food tour of Athens. I had no idea what a food tour was but I was up for finding out, as was my wife. So, we booked the tour for the next day.
If you had asked me what I expected from the tour, I would have said that we were probably going to visit a few local restaurants and learn about some of the local foods. The reality was that the tour was much, much more than that. Our guide was a very nice woman from Argentina, who was studying in Greece and gave tours as a way to make money. There was supposed to be another couple with us but they never showed, which meant we had a truly private tour! We began in one of the plazas near our apartment.
Our guide was very friendly, she bonded with my wife very quickly because they both spoke Spanish. She led us to our first stop, a restaurant only a few blocks away. As we walked, our guide was recognized by many of the street shopkeepers and she would smile and flirt and laugh as they told stories. But she stayed focused on us the most. As we walked, she would talk about the history of the city and how these streets had changed over the last fifty years. I was very impressed with her knowledge of Greek history and culture. She was clearly comfortable in this space she had created.
The restaurant was a more traditional place with foods to choose from that were both tasty and well presented. We ended up trying a couple of smaller items, well warned that the tour would take us to many stops. The Macedonian pie was particularly good. In addition to the food, the views from this restaurant were excellent and allowed us to people watch as our guide explained the different types of fare available. After the first stop, I was starting to worry that we were not going to be able to walk back to our apartment.
The nice thing about a tour like this is that in addition to the stops you make to eat, you also get to see a lot more of the city and Athens has so much to see. Our guide was able to point out different landmarks and also tell us different stories about their pasts. I was not expecting that added bonus! We stopped into a small church with a stunning interior, careful not to make noise as there was a small service going in.
We were expecting another restaurant but our guide turned us down a few alleys, far away from the hustle and bustle of tourists. Eventually, we entered a long warehouse, which assaulted our noses with pungent smells of the sea, blood and fish. She explained that the warehouse was the place that many of the local establishments visited to buy their own meats and seafoods. The people were incredibly friendly, no doubt because every single person knew our guide, and we were offered the chance to try some morsels. By the time we emerged on the other side, I’d seen different cuts of meat, types of fish and exotic foods I’d never experienced before.
We emerged from the building and were immediately transported to another place. We left the strong smells of the sea behind and instead were surrounded by the smell of fruits and olives and a swath of colors.
The fruits were so fragrant, we had to buy some of the strawberries. Likewise, we were offered and accepted an assortment of the olives and purchased many of them as well. I can honestly say that this trip increased my love of olives tenfold or more. As we left the markets with our purchases, I realized that while the food was fantastic, the experience of meeting the people selling their wares was just as interesting. They were funny, sincere and all had stories to tell. We walked through the city, listening to our guide speak about the neighborhoods, laughing at her jokes and looking forward to our next stops.
We ended up at a small shop that specialized in wine, salt, olives, and olive oils. We were surprised when our guide took us to a small area in the back with a workspace, a small table and a ready supply of foodstuffs. She proceeded to make us a meal. First, we had a simple appetizer of bread, olives and oil, while she talked about the ingredients and where they had come from. I learned that salt can taste very different, depending on where it is harvested. The same lesson proved true about the olive oil. Our next dish was feta cheese, tomatoes and some olive oil. Each part of the dish was distinct, with a richness that folded into the next, creating something special indeed.
As you might imagine, we had built up quite an appetite from the walking and the food was also fantastic, both of which contributed to us eating far too much. It was hard to regret it because each ingredient was so good. When the meal was over, I thought perhaps that was the end of the tour. Wrong! Our guide happily showed us out of the store and informed us that we were going to be visiting a place called Miran Athens, a charcuterie that was established in 1922. Needless to say, we ate even more there but only after we were completely charmed by the staff and the unique location.
We eventually pushed ourselves back from the table and thanked our guide. She had taken us on an adventure that far exceeded our expectations. We certainly did take a tour of the food but we also toured the city and its people! I would recommend a food tour to anyone. It is an excellent way to learn more about the places you visit, try new things and meet strangers who could become friends!
