Eliotravio Olive Press

The new plant in mid-plastering stage on Sunday. A roof and everything!

We passed by the site of the new Olive press building near Drakinoschismo to see how things are progressing. It is progressing. There was talk of the facility being able to bottle oil so that the Cooperative can make some cash by selling their own authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) in convenient sizes for tourists and the general market. I hope they do it. The Cooperative needs the money.

As we suspect, there is no way to know if olive oil in a shop is indeed EVOO unless you watch your olives go into the press and your oil comes out the other end. Once bulk oil is sold to a wholesale middle man, who knows how much it is adulterated with inferior olive oil or some other vegetable oil? We’ve read that hazelnut oil is the “stretcher” of choice of large bottlers in Italy and Spain and that there are tankers of full of hazelnut oil plying the seas between Turkey to Italy and Spain.

It amuses us to read on (American?) food websites that the success of certain recipes are due to the use of EVOO which was bought at the local supermarket. Dream on.

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The life giving spring

Wandering through the woods in the mountains of Skopelos we came across the structure pictured above. We discovered by peering inside the dark crypt-like space that there was a spring with an icon placed conspicuously above the source. Dim natural light coming through the doorway revealed the icon to be the Panagia holding the Christ child, both suspended above a pool of water. The icon of Η Ζωοδόχος Πηγή.

Being in a cave (inside the earth), the site had the feel of a place for worship of the Earth Goddess, the giver of life. There was nothing Christian about it except the tattered icon.

So what’s it all about Alfie? Alfie says that the feast day of the Η Ζωοδόχος Πηγή always falls on the Friday after Easter, one week after the crucifixion. On that day in Orthodoxy are celebrated the names of Zoe, Zisis, Pigi, Polyzois, Krini and a few Panagiotis (not all). Another springtime “resurrection of nature” reminder.

OOF

There are churches out there dedicated to Η Ζωοδόχος Πηγή – here in Skopelos? I don’t know. Ask Alfie.
But since the main holy person connected to “the life giving spring” is the Panagia, I suppose that any Panagia church would do for the holy day liturgy.

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A plate with a view

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Our committed team of determined drunks – sorry, adventurous epicureans – were tipped off about a new eatery in downtown Glossa, Παραδοσιακη γωνία – roughly, ‘Traditional Corner’ – and were on its doorstep quicker than the Tracy brothers. Hard by the bus stop, a few yards into the town centre on the right, and only open a week or so, this former coffee bar now offers a full taverna menu lunchtimes and dinner, although it is closed Mondays to give Apostolis and his family some time off. The winter a la carte menu is simple but decent, although our roustabouts plumped for a mezes menu that produced an abundance of excellent fish, seafood and vegetable dishes, including a generous helping of seasonal αχινός, sea urchins. Its sunny main room gives on to a balcony that hogs the sun most summer days, with that fantastic Glossa view, and our relay reprobates were shocked to leave, after an abstemious couple of beers and generous helpings of tsipouro, just a tenner lighter each. It deserves our support, and earlier visitors report night times are already busy.

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