Olives, Yogurt and Ships, Day 10 in Greece #HogsAbroad

The olive trees on AFS campus.

Jerry here again (for all you dads out there!), and what a day we had today. We started the day tasting olive oil, made traditional Greek yogurt, had a lecture over rural development and sustainability, took a boat cruise around the city, and walked around the city while trying many different treats at the local bakeries and shops.

The first activity of the day was olive tasting with the resident sommelier, and I think I speak for all of us when I say taking shots of the oil is very different from dipping our bread in it.

We learned a lot of interesting facts about olive oil, including that it is judged in competitions based on fruity, bitter and spicy attributes.

​After olive tasting we ventured to the dairy where we tried our hands at yogurt making.  About half of the group enjoyed the taste while the other half had a hard time getting past the “crust” of the yogurt. We had time to burn until the late lunch served here on campus, and this was followed by an interactive lecture with a professor who has degrees from Mississippi Sate and Texas Tech.

We discussed rural development mostly in regards to the current crisis here in Greece, as well as agricultural policy issues like subsidies. Our day ended with a trip into the city that consisted of a really relaxing and scenic (and free!) boat ride around the harbor, followed by a walk through the city to see some of the shopping areas they have to offer here in Thessaloniki. Thus concludes our activities for the day.

Jerry “Hamp” Maus, signing off.

View from the boat ride this afternoon.

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Find our more about the U of A Faculty-Led: Food, Agriculture and Sustainability in Greece program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/aggreece