Lefkada, Greece

This June we visited a wonderful Island on the West Coast of Greece. It sits in the Ionian Sea with its beautiful blue waters. The island has a bridge so you can drive to it, has a small town and various villages and ports. It has been developed in a lovely way with small hotels and mostly Airbnbs dotted along the hillsides many with lovely views. It has mountains, beaches, farms, abundant flowers, butterflies, plant life, and biodiversity. 

Photo Tour of Kifisia ( Athens, Greece)

We were recently in Greece, it has been 20 years since I had been, and even got to meet up with a dear college friend there. We started our trip in Athens and walked in Plaka and around the Acropolis. Then the next day drove to Patras my friend's home town and then spend a few days in Lefkada an amazing island, expect a post soon!

But on the way back before flying out we decided to stroll around Kifisia a beautiful northern suburb of Athens and one to put on your radar. 

It has lovely tree-lined streets and parks, high-end international stores, and great places to eat. It also has a wide range of cool architecture and lots of beautiful homes. 

It feels cooler than other parts of Athens and many big companies have their headquarters in this area. 

The pictures below give you a feel for the area. 

How interesting is this building? 

A beautiful hotel. 

If you are in Athens be sure to put this neighborhood on the list of places to visit, my friend used to live here and can you believe she got married in January in the snow and rode to the church on a horse. 

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Kefir and Radish Yogurt Salad

This tasty salad is inspired by my friend's recipe. I had a radish and dill salad at her house and wanted to re-create it, not sure about you but I often get inspired to try new recipes this way. 

Also, I wanted a recipe that used Kefir as it's a lovely source of probiotics,   Kefir is a fermented milk that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture. It is prepared by inoculating the milk of cows, goats, or sheep with kefir grains.

It is also lower in lactose than regular yogurt. 

Kefir and Radish Yogurt Salad 

Ingredients -

- kefir about 2 cups 

- Radish or cucumber - I used about 4 small radishes - grated and 1 small cucumber 

- Dill - a handful of fresh dill finely chopped 

- Garlic -one clove chopped 

- Cilantro a handful finely chopped 

- Salt to taste 

- Paprika a sprinkle 

- 1/4 of a red onion chopped 

Method -

1. chop and prepare all the ingredients and mix together, 

2. enjoy as a snack or a vegetable side with a meal.

Some other ways to use kefir may include 

Trying it 

• with fruit
• mixed into yogurt
• in a smoothie
• with oats
• in salad dressings

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Roasted Vegetable and Lentil Salad

This was a super easy salad, and so good served over labneh with pita bread. 

Monsaraz, Portugal

On our recent trip to Portugal and Spain, we wanted a stop en route back from Sevilla to Lisbon and stumbled across Monsaraz and we are so glad we did. I remember driving to the hillside village through an ancient archway over the cobbled streets to arrive at the AirBnB and being blown away by this beautiful and ancient abode with views over the countryside below.