6.6 Santorini, Greece: 4 Reasons this Island Paradise Calls to Me

Views of the Aegean Sea are plentiful.

While my husband can’t yet hear the beckoning call of the crystal blue water of the Aegean Sea and white-washed architecture on the cliffs of this beautiful Greek Island, I do! It beckons loud and clear in our incredibly crazy season of life. And though he and I won’t be speeding down the runway anytime too soon, it’s a dream destination I enjoy imagining.

1. Beauty

Having the time to pause and enjoy a moment of beauty is a great reset for any day. Having two weeks to be enveloped in beauty can do wonders for stressed minds and lives. Santorini is known for its incredible sunsets and its seaside balconies. The vivid hues of the turquoise sea and the cloudless skies add to the consistent beauty that this Greek island offers. The buildings were literally built on the cliffs overlooking the sea, offering the picturesque views' full advantage.

2. Beaches

The sandy beaches on the island of Santorini are unique. They boast various colors of black and red sand, depending on which shoreline you’re on. While different sand colors  differentiate the beaches, they all have in common the sun and surf. This Wisconsin girl’s heart melts at the thought of a sunny beach with a book in one hand and a cold drink in the other, swimming in the Aegean Sea between chapters of my book and sips of that drink.

3. Food

Mediterranean cuisine offers an expansive array of tastes for every pallet. Feta, marinated vegetables, flatbreads with hummus, and fresh fish are some of the endless options. Fresh herbs and spices are essential to the mouth-watering flavors. Add to that the authenticity of locally made cuisine, and that’s an incentive to contemplate. (Be right back, heading out for a gyro.) While there are well-known healthy aspects present in Mediterranean food, we’ll be on vacation, so bring on the flaky baklava!

Experience, travel--these are as 

education in themselves. 

- Euripides

4. Relaxation

Because we’d rather travel pretty much anywhere when it’s not peak season, October would be an ideal time to travel to Santorini. The warm sun is still out, but the crowds of people present in the earlier months aren’t. Our goals for relaxation will include leisurely moments combined with a bit of adventure and exploration.

               Opportunities for fun and relaxation

·        Hiking the cliffs

·        Touring on Jet Skis

·        Viewing at the open-air cinema

·        Cooking class

·        Visiting unique wineries

·        Conversing with locals

·        Dancing and drinks

Wineries are plentiful in Santorini, Greece.

While Santorini has a host of cultural and adventure opportunities, relaxation tops the list for this dreamer. No responsibility, no demands, no deadlines—Santorini, Greece, offers an ideal get-away to anticipate. The great thing about dream destinations is that we all get one.  So, what’s yours?

Sources:

https://www.kimkim.com/c/santorini-in-october-travel-tips-weather-and-more

https://handluggageonly.co.uk/2018/01/20/19-beautiful-greek-islands-visit/

4.6 Ethiopian Cuisine for the Multicultural Connoisseur: Your Senses Won’t Want to Miss This!

An Ethiopian meal is as much about the experience of the meal as it is about the food itself. The culture, spices, colors, and textures combine to offer a dance of the senses that you’re not likely to forget. A favorite meal of my family is called awaze (a-woz-ay) tibs, which is a spicy meat stew. Each time we prepare this meal, fond memories of our experiences and friends in Ethiopia flood our minds and our conversations. Before we get to the stew though, let me share some groundwork.

The Bread

One thing the 84 different ethnic groups of Ethiopia all have in common is their love for injera (in-jeh-ruh), which is a very large, sourdough flatbread and the foundation for every meal. It’s made of teff flour and baked (not flipped) on a circular iron. Injera is used within a meal for the base layer that many different stews and vegetables dishes are served on, and secondly, it’s used in place of utensils. Bite-size pieces of the flatbread are torn off to pick up, or mop up, the flavorful bites of food. I haven’t yet mastered the art of making injera, so we purchase it in Minneapolis.

The Spice

Rich and spicy stews are the heart of Ethiopian cuisine and berbere (bear-ber-ay) plays a large role. It’s a traditional and essential blend of 15 different spices that awaken taste buds and opens sinuses--it brings the flavor and the heat. Due to its complexity, we purchase the spice blend online or at Ethiopian grocery stores in Minneapolis.

Berbere Spice Blend

·      
garlic

·       ginger

·       onion

·       cayenne pepper

·       paprika

·       chili powder

·       allspice

·       coriander

·       cumin

·       cinnamon

·       fenugreek

·       cardamom

·       cloves

·       carom

·       nutmeg

 

The Preparation

There’s a cultural aspect of cooking in Ethiopia that involves community effort and socialization. My family is no different and we enjoy the afternoon preparation working together to create a family feast.  We each have our roles to play to complete the final product. Whether we end up with tears from the many onions that are cut, or tears from laughter, it’s a bonding time. While one person cuts the vegetables, another cuts the meat, another measures the garlic and spices, while another rolls the injera and cuts it into individual portions. The further into the process we get, the delicious smells begin to fill the air and it becomes a special time with family and sometimes friends.

The Stew

Awaze tibs is a tomato and wine-based meat stew. It’s prepared in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

 

Ingredients:

 

·       1 c. red onions, thinly sliced

·       ½ c. nitre kibbeh or unsalted butter

·       1 ½ lb. beef tenderloin, ½ inch cubes

·       1 t. salt

·       1 ½ T. berbere

·       ½ t. ground cardamom

·       ¼ t. ground ginger

·       ¼ t. ground cumin

·       ¼ t. ground cloves

·       ¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

·       3 garlic cloves, minced

·       3 tomatoes, chopped

·       2 jalapeno chilies, thinly sliced

·       ¾ c. dry red wine

 

Cooking Instructions:

 

1. Melt the butter over high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring constantly, until they begin to color around the edges, about 3-5 minutes.

 

2. Add the meat, sprinkle with the salt, and stir-fry until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes on each side.

 

3. Stir in the berbere, garlic, and other spices.

 

4. Tilt the pan away from you and carefully add the tomatoes, jalapenos, and wine. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then season with salt if necessary.

 

5. Serve over injera.

 

The Experience

Each time we enjoy an Ethiopian meal we put on some Ethiopian music and share food, laughter and a different culture than our own. It reminds me and my family of the warm and welcoming hospitality that we enjoyed together when we visited the country in 2016.

Consider discovering for yourself this unique meal experience. If you’d like to awaken your senses and try something different you might try Dilla’s Ethiopian Restaurant on Riverside Avenue in Minneapolis. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

3.6 Some People Laugh When They're Scared. Apparently, I'm One of Them.

The weather predicted storms that day as my family and I climbed into my brother-in-law’s boat from the dock on the shore of Lake Wissota. The sky was blue and the breeze was gentle, which was enough to lure us onto the water for some tubing and skiing despite the forecast.  

After an hour or so of fun, we motored the boat next to others on the sandy shore of an island and pulled out the grill to make BLT sandwiches for lunch. Just as each of us climbed out, (four adults and two young children) someone spotted a very definite funnel cloud restlessly bobbing up and down directly above us. We made the frantic decision to jump back into the boat and head a short way to land, realizing that a small island is not a safe place to be during a tornado.

The sirens sounded and other people on the island began pointing at the sky. I was struck with terror as my husband lifted my two young boys back into the boat. As I turned to get into the boat myself, I realized the boat was resting in the sand rather than in the water and much too high for me to jump back in. I began giggling, and I could NOT. STOP!

"What is your problem?!" my brother-in-law demanded. My mind and my limbs suddenly were not my own. I knew that we desperately needed to leave so that we could get to safety. My little guys, three and eight years old, stared at me in confusion as they read the urgent cues of the other adults, and recognized mom’s didn’t match. I felt embarrassed. I felt helpless. I felt like others on the shore were staring, but I just kept giggling. Finally, my husband essentially grabbed me and hauled me into the boat and my brother-in-law gunned it back to land.

While I can’t explain it, I guess it is a thing. It is helpful to know I’m not the only one.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/69830/why-do-we-laugh-when-were-scared

There are various thoughts scientists have about the causes of laughter when we’re scared. One of those, which seems appropriate in my case, is the idea that laughing could be the result of feeling that we may be overwhelmed by our emotions in a particular situation. Thankfully, this incredibly bizarre response hasn’t happened a second time, and my level-headedness remains.

It's a humorous story now, and I won’t ever forget that day. Realistically though, even if it did slip from my memory my family won’t ever let it die…’ the day mom couldn’t get a grip’.

3.4 Apparently, Some People Laugh When They’re Scared. Apparently I'm One of Them.

 

The weather prediction was for storms that day as my family and I climbed into my brother-in-law’s boat from the dock on the shore of Lake Wissota. The sky was blue and the breeze was gentle, which was enough to lure us onto the water for some tubing and skiing despite the forecast.  

After an hour or so of fun, we motored the boat next to others on the sandy shores of an island and pulled out the grill to make BLT sandwiches for lunch. Just as each of us climbed out, (four adults and two young children) someone spotted a very definite funnel cloud restlessly bobbing up and down directly above us. We made the frantic decision to jump back into the boat and head a short way to land, realizing that a small island is not a safe place to be during a tornado.

The sirens sounded and other people on the island began pointing at the sky. I was struck with terror as my husband lifted my two young boys back into the boat. As I turned to get into the boat myself, I realized the boat was resting in the sand rather than in the water and much too high for me to jump back in. I began giggling, and I COULD. NOT. STOP!

"What is your problem?!" my brother-in-law demanded. My mind and my limbs suddenly were not my own. I knew that we desperately needed to leave so that we could get to safety. My boys, three and eight years old, stared at me in confusion as they read the urgent cues of the other adults and mine didn’t match. I just kept giggling. Gratefully, my husband essentially grabbed me and hauled me into the boat and we dashed back to land.

I can’t explain it, but I guess it is a thing. It is helpful to know I’m not the only one.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/69830/why-do-we-laugh-when-were-scared

There are various thoughts scientists have about the causes of laughter when we’re scared. One of those, which seems appropriate in my case, is a result of feeling that we may be overwhelmed by our emotions in a particular situation. Thankfully, this incredibly bizarre response hasn’t happened again to me and my level-headedness remains.

It's a humorous story now, and I won’t ever forget that day. Realistically though, even if it did slip from my memory my family won’t ever let it die…’ the day mom couldn’t get a grip’.