Frikasé a la Yaya...in Elassona!

A wonderful supper of "Arnaki Frikasé", salad, tzatziki and bread.This is a very traditional Greek dish, usually eaten around Christmas time. It is made from lamb, romaine lettuce with parsley, dill and lemon for flavor. It is perfect to warm you up on those cool winter evenings, but i love it anytime. If ever you are lucky enough to be invited to a Greek home for this dinner you may never want to leave. 

My Yaya prepared it for me as a special treat when i went to visit her in Elassona last night. Elassona is a town in northern Thessaly at the foot of Mount Olympus. It is a very ancient place that has been occupied for at least a few thousand years. Even Homer mentions it in his writings. There is not much in the way of archeological sites here, i believe it is because the modern town is built upon the old as it has always remained inhabited. 

The town has two rivers, Elassonitis and Titarisios running through it with four bridges, one being a very ancient foot bridge. This is a great place to use as a base camp for exploring the western side of Mount Olympus. For those of you interested in a longer (permanent ?) stay there is the beautiful Virgin Mary of Olympus Monastery that sits upon the hillside above the town.

The Virgin Mary of Olympus (Παναγία Ολυμπιώτισσα) Monastery over Elassona.

Elassonitis river running through the town.

Bridge over Elassonitis river.

The central square of Elassona from a café.

Ancient footbridge over Elassonitis river.

St. Dimitrios church from across the town square.

River from above the town.

Carnival - Mardi Gras madness in Tyrnavos!

The Carnival in Tyrnavos is the best and the strangest in all of Greece. Literally thousands of people come to this small town in Thessaly to celebrate it every year. The event has come under attack from the Orthodox church and other conservative groups for some of its overtly sexual overtones. The events last one month with concerts, theater, mascarade balls and street parties.


The festival concludes with a parade of floats on the last Sunday before lent. The parade has school groups, youth groups and adult organizations participating with costumed groups and floats. Everyone in costumes, from children dressed as clowns, cowboys, cheerleaders to adults in sexy nurses and doctors uniforms performing lewd sexual acts on the road. The strange mix shows how the modern Greeks have found a way to blend the early spring fertility rites with the Christian resurrection ceremonies. Clean Monday following Parade Sunday gets even more wantonly pagan but we will wait until tomorrow to show you that, as it is truly worthy of its own posting.

Sexy nurses and doctors "riding" their patient! 

A quieter side of Carnival in Elassona, a town near Tyrnavos.

The Carnival crowd having fun!

The burning of the Carnival King at the end of the Parade.

No Carnival is complete without its transvestites..!

Last but not least, the final float of the parade.

No Peter Pan, but we have Pan's Peter...