See Agrinio

  Have you ever made a dish that stopped people in their tracks, with eyes wide in amazement? That is the reaction I always get when I make my Tzatziki sauce for people! The word Tzatziki derives from the Persian word "zhazh", which means  herb mixture, and it is the best herb mixture ever! So,  this last weekend when I gave out jars of my Tzatziki sauce as Christmas gifts and the rave reviews kept coming in, I knew I had to make the recipe available to everyone so you can all have a taste of Agrinio.  I just posted the recipe in my Etsy shop for you Give my recipe a try this Holiday season, as it is the perfect dish to take to gatherings.  🌟 καλά Χριστούγεννα! 🌟 (Merry Christmas from Agrinio, Greece)

  This week I made some videos for you of driving through my city, so that you can have a quick tour of Agrinio and see some of the sights. And I think you will really love Agrinio at Christmas time, when all the streets are lit up and even covered over with our famous Greek blue lights! It's very beautiful! Please watch and share - because it really helps my country when we promote awareness of these cities and our culture to be enjoyed and appreciated.   🎄 Have a wonderful Christmas season 🎄 with love  from Agrinio

Puzzles are a great way to feel connected to your art work; especially when it's your own photo!  That's why I turned two of my photos I took of wild olive trees on the beach here in Greece, into a puzzle so you can have a fun activity to do this winter season and then have lovely Greek art work to display and enjoy! Plus, these puzzles are also fun to have around during holiday gatherings or for gifting to your favorite puzzle enthusiast or Greece lover.  Here's my video of me putting our 252piece puzzle together with my family: 🧩🧩  Have fun!  🧩🧩

 My friend Giorgos has a donkey farm that is famous for its milk here. His farm is nestled in the countryside among the hills, with the most incredible views. Donkey’s milk is enjoyed by many locals here and is well known to be highly digestible, because it does not contain casein and has little fat.  ...And they're very friendly! SeeAgrinio YouTube Channel Donkeys play a big part in Greek tradition and culture, so come visit this unique attraction for some unforgettable family moments while you are here.

  Located just north of my hometown of Agrinio, is Lake Amvrakia. Her pristine waters and surrounding shores seem to resonate with all the graces that Greece has to offer. She never ceases to impress each and every visitor! It is in these moments while standing in these places in my country, that the pandemic and crises of world no longer seem to exist, and there is a serenity that the landscape washes over my heart and mind.  I wish these photos to have the same effect for you, no matter where you are in the world. That's the beauty of my country...that's Greece. 

  Greek Custard Pie (Bougatsa) is a traditional dessert made with the most creamy custard and wrapped in a golden brown, crispy phyllo. It is then baked to perfection, sprinkled with melted butter and garnished with icing sugar and cinnamon.  Simply amazing! You can make bougatsas too as shown below by Greece's own master chef, Akis Petretzikis: ~Enjoy the tastes and smells of Greece in your home~

I find I do my best work in the cafe with my freddo cappucino 😁 It's the best fuel! ⛾ On today's napkin, I would like to introduce you to the Greek Letter Gama: Try your hand at copying the Greek vowels on the left of the picture and see how fun it is to write Greek letters!  Hope you are learning and enjoying...until next lesson, Yasso from Agrinio 👋  

  As I sat in my local New York Cafe here in Agrinio, an inspiring idea came to me... A way to help you become more familiar with Greek words and letters that all fit on a napkin in the cafe! So here is my lesson board for today over the Greek letter B: (You can print the lesson picture if you like so you can study it) See more of my pictures of Greece Please let me know how you like this "Napkin A Day" way of learning Greek and if it helped you! Yasso 👋

  Today I went to visit Saint Paraskevi chapel in western Greece, nestled in the hills of rural Sitomena.  The interior of the chapel is beautiful from ceiling to floor! And outside, there are places to sit and enjoy the autumn views of the Greek mountainside.  I even had a Zazzle acrylic puzzle made of one of my favorite photos from this visit: It comes in a lovely tin, so even makes a nice decoration in a family room. Get your own chapel bench puzzle here Thanks for visiting Saint Paraskevi Chapel with me 👋 Yasso! Here is my latest Greek tour video - Click to see

 I want you to see Greece through my eyes...the eye of my camera. I share with you the natural beauty of my country with untouched photos of the landscapes around me that catch my eye, and inspire me to share the moment with you.  Like in this photo I took while walking along the beach of Lake Trichonida, amidst the wild olive trees, and I knew at this moment I had to show you this ancient view.  Shore of Lake Trichonida There are so many new photos in my Etsy shop of the most amazing sites I've seen recently in my area and I wish for you to take a look at them ! My New Video of Lake Trichonida: Have you ever been to Lake Trichonida? Let me know below!

   I like the fact that many singers are helping during the pandemic and bringing out new songs that touch our hearts and feel our pain in these times. Nikos Vertis has just masterfully delivered such a song to Greece and here I share it with you too, if you are not able to go hear him in Thessaloniki this summer. The lyrics are below the video here in both Greek and in English.  Nikos Vertis – Poso Me Pligoses / Νίκος Βέρτης – Πόσο Με Πλήγωσες Greek Πόσο Με Πλήγωσες Μπήκες σαν φως σ’ ένα δωμάτιο σκοτεινό Κι άρχισα όνειρα να κάνω για το αύριο Μαχαίρι έγινες σε χέρι παιδικό Μια στάλα αίμα στης καρδιάς μου το τετράδιο Μια στάλα αίμα στης καρδιάς μου το τετράδιο Πόσο με πλήγωσες πόσο με πόνεσες Θέλω να κλάψω μα τα βλέμματα φοβάμαι Σου είχα πει πως σ’ αγαπώ και με τιμώρησες Μου είχες πει πως μ’ αγαπάς και το θυμάμαι Πόσο με πλήγωσες πόσο με πόνεσες Μου είχες πει πως μ’ αγαπάς και το θυμάμαι Το θυμάμαι Μια χαραμάδα σε κελί μοναχικό Κι η φαντασία μου παράθυρο την έκανε Να δραπ...

In Greece, you can enjoy the luxury of hours in the coffee shop with no fear of ever staying too long. It's part of our culture to enjoy each other's company and one way we do this is with a lovely game of chess . What's better than chess and coffee?! (Chess boards already provided!) So bring your A game and get ready for a great round of chess ...the Greek way!  I'll be there ♟ Yasso 👋

The warm, spicy smells of Baklava baking in the family kitchen is like nothing else in the world! It's a part of Greek culture that I always look forward to and love to devour! Today I wanted to share 2 versions of this traditional Greek dessert with you that is shared by Chef Akis Petretzikis, Greece's Master Chef. Akis makes this dessert the authentic way and it's easy to follow for incredible results: Then there's the rolled Baklava version that is easy for guests to help themselves at parties: And this is my piece of Baklava from a cafe' here in Agrinio - and yes, it was delicious! Come try some for yourself ☺ I hope you get to make Baklava for yourself and if you do, let me know in the comments how it goes!  Yasso 👋

Learning Greek is easy and fun when you learn in small segments - so here is a short lesson for you today on how to say goodbye... Practice your new words on me and tell me "goodbye" in the comment section below! There's never anyone better to practice with than a native speaker, so I'm here to help. Let me know if you have any questions... Yasso 👋

Did you know that Greece has some great music! One of our favorite musicians is Nikos Vertis...  In 2004, Vertis was nominated in the category "Best Male Laiko Singer". You can hear one of his most popular songs with English lyrics  "An Eisai Ena Asteri" (If You're A Star)  here: https://amzn.to/2MrAeD4 Nikos performs worldwide, so check out his website for a performance near you! https://www.nikosvertis.com/ .  Hope you enjoyed listening to our music.  Yasso 👋

Today I bring you a mini vacation to Lefkada Island in Greece through my lovely pictures for you to enjoy and transport you to the Mediterranean. Lefkada Island is about one hour's distance from my hometown of Agrinio. So on leisurely summer days, it's a nice little trip to the beach for the day. Here I share my trip with you on my new YouTube channel!  Also, my photos of Greece are now available for instant download, so you can use them for your artwork, gifts, canvas art, or prints! Find them here: www.etsy.com/shop/seeagrinio Yasso 👋

Enjoying the last few days of summer on Lefkada Island The beach works up a hearty appetite. Here is the menu with Greek and English - what would you pick? I chose gyros with traditional tzatziki sauce! Did you know we eat them with fries inside the pita? MMMMM 👍 https://amzn.to/2ptJ3ob Gyro #2 with onions and olives too...a perfectly balanced meal all inside this pita! What do you like in your gyro? I hope you can come visit Greece soon and try our gyros for yourself! Contact me for tour information. Yasso 👋

Did you know Greece has a Master Chef? Meet Akis Chef Akis Petretzikis will show you how to easily cook authentic Greek fare. Spanakopita is no longer something you can only order at a Greek restaurant: Also sharing how to make the famous Tzatziki sauce in a few simple steps (you will always want to have some on hand after you try this!) Enjoy the videos and I hope you come to Greece soon to try our amazing food. Yasso 👋

Kalimera from Agrinio, Greece I wanted to share a free Greek lesson for you so you can  learn some basic greetings for your trip to Greece!   I hope you find this helpful. Yasso! 👋

Ever wondered why Greeks have the curious traditions of smashing perfectly good plates at a celebration? - Smashing plates at funerals allowed the mourners to express their grief at their loss. - Smashing plates at weddings, symbolized new beginnings. It meant that the couple were "throwing away" or breaking their old life and embarking on a new life together.  - Smashing plates at any gathering was also believed to keep the evil spirits away because the spirits would be tricked into thinking that the people at the party were angry and upset—instead of celebrating. Of course, the evil spirits would not wish to interfere with an event that was already making people angry, so they would go interfere with a happy celebration elsewhere. Good theory! 👍  I can help you plan a trip to Greece and you can come smash some plates of your own! Contact me today - Opa!