Saturday, October 12, 2013

GREEK HERITAGE

Neither SWMBO nor I are of Greek ancestry, at least not that we know, but we can remember enjoying the annual Greek Festivals held in Phoenix in the past so today we traveled to the grounds of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral for their 53rd annual Greater Phoenix fest.

There was lots of jewelry for sale.



There was Greek music and folk dancing, performed by a talented group of youngsters.




We took a tour of the Cathedral and heard an interesting talk about the religion.  We were invited but not pressured to attend a liturgical service.





Beautiful stained glass windows inside.

And, of course, there was Greek food for sale everywhere.


SWMBO had a Greek-spiced and grilled beef Gyro sandwich.  The beef was topped with tzatziki, tomato and onion.


And I feasted on a lamb shank (a treat I discovered years ago in a Detroit restaurant) which had been roasted with tomato, fresh garlic and Greek spices, and we shared a delicious bowl of Kalamata olives.


Of course we had to wash it down with some Greek beer and I had to start the day with a shot of Ouzo.  

All in all a fun time with a group of fun-loving people.  If you happen to be in Phoenix the festival continues Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

9 comments:

  1. Sounds like fun.

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  2. I like very much these customs which bring people together and learning to differientiate between right and wrong is the first thing I am looking for in any religion. Food is always a plus for our body.

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  3. The views of the Greek Orthodox cathedral are stunning. It's probably been said before, but ouzo never tastes as good at home as it did on holiday.

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  4. Enjoyed the post. No ouzo for me.

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  5. We have wonderful Greek festivals here in Portland and I can never get enough of the roasted lamb.

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  6. I don't see Sharon in any of your pictures but she was there too. Looks like fun.

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  7. What? No Retsina or Souvlaki? I had a little taste of ouzo too but only a sip. That was about all I could handle. My friend David is of Greek heritage and we have another friend who is very Greek and her family ran the booth selling Loukoumades. They were delicious and I ate way too many of them.

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  8. Ooh I LOVE real gyros! When I worked in Asheville there was a restaurant that had the best gyros...

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