Final day of activities and we had the best saved for last! A big day can only start well though with a good brunch, courtesy of the Meliartos Experience, where we drank traditional Greek coffee, learnt how to make pitas, and tasted a variety of olive oils and honey! A blend of modern production methods and traditional pallets, truly, a splendid hands-on experience! Demetri Maroutsos expressed his enthusiasm about the event! “It was amazing to finish our trip at a place that specializes in taking the best of every ingredient from the regions that have perfected them. I’ve never been hungrier watching bougatsa being made”

Next, a visit to the new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Kallithea, in the Southwestern part of Athens. A marvel of modern architecture, it aims at revitalizing the area by offering a free to the public admission to the grounds and building, which houses a new opera and the National Library. We saw a wonderful performance by Heidi Latsky and Apostolia Papadamaki, called ON DISPLAY.

We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful sendoff; Sat under olive trees, surrounded by the intoxicating smell of lavender, we reminisced of these last two weeks. Secretly wanting more, we laughed and laughed until it was time to go and say our farewells.

Billy Fuerst had a lot to say about his last day in Greece: “The view from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center was truly breathtaking and provided me with a final opportunity to appreciate the beauty of Greece. The performance choreographed by Heidi Latsky and Apostolia Papadamaki was an interesting take on the way which the performer and the viewer interact in an artistic and socially constructed environment. Despite the fact that our trip came to a rapid end I will never forget the friendships I’ve made and the experiences I’ve shared with the entire Heritage Greece community.”

Meliartos experience olive oil tasting

Final Day at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre

Blog editor and photographer: James (Dimitris) Voutsas