This weekend is the annual Capital Region's Greek Festival, which just happens to be held just a few short miles from our house. We look forward to this festival every year. It's not just the fact that they have wonderful Greek food that the folks of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral have been cooking up in preparation for the onslaught of huge crowds that always show up. It's also because it is a happy reminder of our time spent living in Greece and especially of the fact that we met and married in Greece.
The first thing you have to do when you get near the vicinity is find a parking spot. That can be a challenge. It can also result in a hike. However, the day was a glorious one so I didn't mind walking at all. The second challenge is to decide which venue to go to for your food. There are food tents outside on the grounds selling things like gyros, fried cheese, and souvlaki. There are also usually LONG lines there. Or you can go inside the church and into the auditorium. There you'll find the dessert counter (notice which one I mentioned first), a meal counter, and the a la carte counter. That's the one we choose. I picked one of my favorite dishes - pastitsio and two little tiropitas.
The Commander went with a Greek salad and some dolmades. I wondered why he was choosing such light fare but discovered after we ate that there was a method to his madness.
Ah, yes......when we went back outside, we went in search of some baklava. I just wanted to finish my meal with a piece of that gooey goodness. However, all we could find was a stand selling it in bulk. The smallest package was one of six pieces for $12. Goodness, I didn't need it that badly. We noticed this stand advertising baklava sundaes and just happened to walk past a lady who was enjoying a bowl of ice cream with what looked to be baklava sprinkled on top. We asked her if it was a Baklava Sundae.
"Yes," she replied.
"Is it good?" we asked.
"Heavenly!" she responded.
That was enough of an endorsement for us so we purchased one sundae and split it between us. I wouldn't say that it beats out a Dairy Queen Blizzard made of hot fudge sauce, chocolate chunks, and mocha flavoring but hey......the Greeks can't have everything.
It was a fantastic way to spend our date night. All we needed was to end the evening with a stroll along the Aegean Sea. We settled for our feet up in the recliners and "Midnight in Paris" in the DVD player, which was a cute movie. As for the rest of the evening? I'll just say "Opa!"
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