Greece: Svoronos Bakery
The day before we left Santorini, we stocked up on bakery goods so that we would have something to eat on the four-hour train ride to our next destination. We saw Svoronos Bakery every time we walked by the main square, so we were curious to check it out:
It was definitely much fancier than the other bakery we went to on our first day on the island. There were also more options:
We each picked a pastry and before we could pay at the cashier, we got distracted by the cookie display. We ended up picking out a couple different cookies to snack on. That same day. There was no way we could wait until the next day to have them.
My father wanted to try these fried pastry strips called diples:
(I apologize for the poor photo quality. I'm going to blame the bad lighting in our Airbnb.) They were sticky with honey and topped with chopped walnuts.
We saw these cookies everywhere, so of course we had to get them:
Melomakaronas are apparently a traditional Greek Christmas cookie made with honey and walnuts. The cookie is soaked in the honey making it super moist and quite sticky.
The kourambiethes also caught our eye:
These butter almond cookies covered in powdered sugar were very similar in taste and texture to the Mexican wedding cookies that I love. It's basically butter. What's not to love?
All the cookies were sold by the kilo. Prices ranged between 14-17€ per kilo. Meanwhile, the pastries cost around 2€ each. We were very good and actually succeeded in saving them for the train ride.
The next day, we left Santorini bright and early. Our flight to Athens went without a hitch, but we were thrown for a loop when we arrived at the train station to discover that all trains to Kalambaka, our final destination, were cancelled due to it being Christmas Day.
Um, what?
We tried to find a bus that would get us there, but same thing. Cancelled. Ultimately, we decided to get as far as we could via train and then figure out the rest later. Hopefully.
We tried not to worry too much on the train ride. In-between napping, we nibbled on two of the pastries. There was this long one:
Filled with chicken:
And also this triangle one:
Filled with spinach and cheese:
The train ride was scenic beyond compare, but as the sky darkened, my stress levels started to rise. All the conductor announcements were made in Greek, so I had no idea what station we were approaching. I couldn't even see the signs anymore because the rural stations were so poorly lit. All I could rely on was the spotty GPS on my phone and my general understanding of around what time we were supposed to arrive at our stop.
Fortunately, we disembarked at the correct station, Palaeofarsalos. It felt like the middle of nowhere, but at least there was a building in which we could take shelter from the cold. The ticket counter was closed because, well, Christmas. We knew that the next train to Kalambaka wouldn't be until 4:00am and according to Google Maps, Kalambaka was still a two-hour car ride away.
Not too keen on spending the night in the drafty old train station, we threw ourselves on the mercy of the locals. A trio of fashionably dressed young women to be exact. My sister and I ambushed them as they were examining the posted train schedule. Luckily, they spoke English. To our surprise, our innocent inquiry started a fiery debate about what our best option was. Even an elderly janitor got involved when he tried to offer his two cents.
The girls were adamant that we shouldn't get a taxi because it would cost at least 80€. Way too expensive, they said. They pulled out their phones to figure out bus routes and which small town nearby we could stay at for the night before continuing on the next morning.
Finally, when it looked like they would never reach a consensus, my sister and I interjected. Given how we'd already paid for an Airbnb and had booked a tour for the next morning, we didn't mind paying for the taxi as long as it got us to Kalambaka that night.
One of the young women went above and beyond and helped us call for a taxi. Luckily she did, because the taxi driver who arrived 30 minutes later didn't speak English. She drove like a boss though. A kind of scary one. Lane lines and speed limits meant nothing to her. We made the two hour drive in an hour and a half. By the time we finally arrived in Kalambaka, we were relieved not only to have made it, but to have made it alive.
Best 90€ spent.
Too tired to go out and forage for dinner, we stayed in our Airbnb apartment and finished up the last of the pastries. There was this spinach and cheese pinwheel:
And this custard pastry or bougatsa:
All the pastries were stale by the time we ate them, but we expected that. We all agreed, however, that the first bakery was better. The crust was flakier there and the filling more generous and flavorful. It was cheaper too. Which goes to show that fancier isn't always better. In fact, I find that it generally is the other way around.
Well, this turned out to be a super long post. Mostly about our transportation woes and not really about the food. Sorry.
I blame Christmas.
Bah humbug.
Svoronos Bakery
25is Martiou, Thira 847 00, Greece
+30 2286 023446
It was definitely much fancier than the other bakery we went to on our first day on the island. There were also more options:
We each picked a pastry and before we could pay at the cashier, we got distracted by the cookie display. We ended up picking out a couple different cookies to snack on. That same day. There was no way we could wait until the next day to have them.
My father wanted to try these fried pastry strips called diples:
(I apologize for the poor photo quality. I'm going to blame the bad lighting in our Airbnb.) They were sticky with honey and topped with chopped walnuts.
We saw these cookies everywhere, so of course we had to get them:
Melomakaronas are apparently a traditional Greek Christmas cookie made with honey and walnuts. The cookie is soaked in the honey making it super moist and quite sticky.
The kourambiethes also caught our eye:
These butter almond cookies covered in powdered sugar were very similar in taste and texture to the Mexican wedding cookies that I love. It's basically butter. What's not to love?
All the cookies were sold by the kilo. Prices ranged between 14-17€ per kilo. Meanwhile, the pastries cost around 2€ each. We were very good and actually succeeded in saving them for the train ride.
The next day, we left Santorini bright and early. Our flight to Athens went without a hitch, but we were thrown for a loop when we arrived at the train station to discover that all trains to Kalambaka, our final destination, were cancelled due to it being Christmas Day.
Um, what?
We tried to find a bus that would get us there, but same thing. Cancelled. Ultimately, we decided to get as far as we could via train and then figure out the rest later. Hopefully.
We tried not to worry too much on the train ride. In-between napping, we nibbled on two of the pastries. There was this long one:
Filled with chicken:
And also this triangle one:
Filled with spinach and cheese:
The train ride was scenic beyond compare, but as the sky darkened, my stress levels started to rise. All the conductor announcements were made in Greek, so I had no idea what station we were approaching. I couldn't even see the signs anymore because the rural stations were so poorly lit. All I could rely on was the spotty GPS on my phone and my general understanding of around what time we were supposed to arrive at our stop.
Fortunately, we disembarked at the correct station, Palaeofarsalos. It felt like the middle of nowhere, but at least there was a building in which we could take shelter from the cold. The ticket counter was closed because, well, Christmas. We knew that the next train to Kalambaka wouldn't be until 4:00am and according to Google Maps, Kalambaka was still a two-hour car ride away.
Not too keen on spending the night in the drafty old train station, we threw ourselves on the mercy of the locals. A trio of fashionably dressed young women to be exact. My sister and I ambushed them as they were examining the posted train schedule. Luckily, they spoke English. To our surprise, our innocent inquiry started a fiery debate about what our best option was. Even an elderly janitor got involved when he tried to offer his two cents.
The girls were adamant that we shouldn't get a taxi because it would cost at least 80€. Way too expensive, they said. They pulled out their phones to figure out bus routes and which small town nearby we could stay at for the night before continuing on the next morning.
Finally, when it looked like they would never reach a consensus, my sister and I interjected. Given how we'd already paid for an Airbnb and had booked a tour for the next morning, we didn't mind paying for the taxi as long as it got us to Kalambaka that night.
One of the young women went above and beyond and helped us call for a taxi. Luckily she did, because the taxi driver who arrived 30 minutes later didn't speak English. She drove like a boss though. A kind of scary one. Lane lines and speed limits meant nothing to her. We made the two hour drive in an hour and a half. By the time we finally arrived in Kalambaka, we were relieved not only to have made it, but to have made it alive.
Best 90€ spent.
Too tired to go out and forage for dinner, we stayed in our Airbnb apartment and finished up the last of the pastries. There was this spinach and cheese pinwheel:
And this custard pastry or bougatsa:
All the pastries were stale by the time we ate them, but we expected that. We all agreed, however, that the first bakery was better. The crust was flakier there and the filling more generous and flavorful. It was cheaper too. Which goes to show that fancier isn't always better. In fact, I find that it generally is the other way around.
Well, this turned out to be a super long post. Mostly about our transportation woes and not really about the food. Sorry.
I blame Christmas.
Bah humbug.
Svoronos Bakery
25is Martiou, Thira 847 00, Greece
+30 2286 023446
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