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gemsofgreece · 2 years ago

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My mum's friend went to Lemnos recently and she brought us back these! They're so good! A bit rich, but very comforting. They remind me of koufeta (I hope that's right? I mean the sugared almonds they give in bonboniere at weddings). Mum looked on their website and they have so many tasty looking sweets😍 It got me wondering if you have any recommendations for other sweet shops around Greece? I don't think it's the first thing people think of when they go to visit, and it's such a shame.

I never had one of these! It's absolutely worth it to mention that what you had is called Venizelikó and it was named as such because it was the treat they gave to Venizelos when he visited during the Independence of the islands!

As for pastry shops, we have a sweet tooth and there are pastry shops everywhere and each place has its own several ones and sometimes you may find quality in an obscure one nobody knows about and a famous one might underwhelm you so I don't know how to approach this question. It's also that few are chains here in Greece, even if you really liked a pastry shop, it was 80 % a local shop only the locals are aware of. Like, some of my favourite chocolate pastries are from my grandparents' village, a non-touristic town of 1500+ people!

I will tell you the most well known pastry shops of the city where I lived for a while though, Thessaloniki.

Terkenlis is famous for its tsourekia and especially the ones with the chestnut praline filling. The shop is also famous for its baking goods smell which spreads throughout the Aristotle's square. It is so potent that there is this urban legend that they throw baking fragrance oil (or whatever it's called) in the sewers under the shop XD

Agapitos is also very famous, especially for making various types of chocolate bars and pastries.

Miltos is another well known one.

Elenidis is a pastry shop that specializes in Trigona Panoramatos, the local sweets of Thessaloniki.

Blé Taste Gallery is cool with its variety.

Choureal has the best choux and profiteroles in Greece, they say.

There is also Konstantinidis but this one is not a Thessaloniki original, it's from Larisa. The Thessaloniki shop is cool, they have a piano in there lol

Anyway, this turned to a Thessaloniki guide. But followers can add good pastry shops they know or from where they live!

#greece #pastries #sweets #pastry shops #greek cuisine #lemnos #thessaloniki #northeastern aegean #macedonia #mainland #greek islands #bluespiritfire #ask #greek facts

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katerinaaqu · 4 months ago

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Philoctetes inspirations 2

A random dialog as a sequel to this: Philoctetes Inspirations . A tiny dedication to @nikoisme before I finish with some other projects. It is a quikie that I am writing on the spot so forgive me the mistakes it was a random inspo! ^_^

Moaning in pain the old man Philoctetes was assisted by Neoptolemous to the ramp of the ship. Odysseus was standing at the deck with his arms folded across his chest as Diomedes stood tall by his side.

"There he comes..." said Odysseus

The two new passengers eventually climbed upon the ship. Diomedes stared longer than what he should that thin and beaten up body with his foot wrapped up in a dirty bandage. He was nothing but a lad at that time they ensembled the ships and they abandoned this man to Lemnos and yet from the little he could remember, he remembered a vigorous middle-aged man, quite similar to his partner, Odysseus. Now this man was prematurely aged; his hair had turned white like snow, his limbs were nothing but skin and bone and both his beard and his hair were growing wildly and tangled beyond recognition. His hairy body was already beaten up by the elements but now that he was also half-naked and miserable, made Diomedes almost lower his gaze. It was the first time he came before the consequences of everyone's actions, including the decision to leave this man behind. He looked at Odysseus. How could he look so calm and steadfast? Some sailors arrived to assist Neoptolemous (earning some glares from the old man, who seemed reluctant to leave Neoptolemous)

"Bring him in," Odysseus ordered, "his wounds shall be taken care of back at Troy"

Philoctetes glared at him (with a look that if it were a knife, Odysseus would be striken dead already)and spat at his feet. Odysseus barely moved his foot, as if he wanted to avoid to get his sandals dirty.

"Just when I thought we started to get along..." he whispered

Diomedes had come to know him long enough to know that his sarcasm was fake. He was as disturbed as he was and yet for some reason this annoing calmness of his on the outside seemed all the more infuriatng.

"Is he gonna be alright?" he dared to ask the elder man

"He's gonna be fine..." Odysseus mumbled absent-mindedly,"we have good healers back in Troy now and they will take care of him now that they know the gods are holding the same opinion on the matter. He will be fine"

"But not thanks to you!"

The young voice full of anger and contempt made them both turn around and see the young Neoptolemous glaring daggers at them. His eyes seemed to be spitting out fire (thus now making perfect sense why he got the nickname Pyrrus in the first place. Even Odysseus seemed surprised by his sudden hostility, for the child was pretty obedient so far.

"What do you mean?" Diomedes asked

"Stop it!" Odysseus said warningly

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Neoptolemus ignored him

"Tell me what?"

"I said, enough!" Odysseus said once more

"He was ready to abandon him again!" Neoptolemus said in an accusing manner, "he said as long as he had the bow, he didn't need him anymore!"

"Odysseus, what is he saying?"

"That's not how it happened!" The man of many wiles retorted

"We both heard you!" Philoctetes now barged in as if he wanted to hammer the nail in the coffin, "you said it would be child's play to master my bow! You are lucky that Heracles came to me and that I do not wish this boy to rot under your evil deeds!"

"You stay out of this!" Odysseus warned him

He had enough already in his head. He didn't need an entire entourage against him too much more turning Diomedes against him and succeeding no less! Philoctetes spat again.

"You shall keep me silent no more you spineless bastard spawn of Sisiphus! Your flesh costs not even the money your father gave to the slave bazaar to buy you!"

And then for the first time Diomedes saw Philoctetes cower away before Odysseus for the man had practically pounced on him with his finger inches apart from the man's eye. Diomedes made an instinctual move to get closer because it almost seemed like Odysseus was ready to pull it out.

"Listen you rotten scoundrel!" Odysseus whispered dangerously, "you can say whatever you want about me, but keep my father out of this! You shall not taint the name of Laërtes with your fork tongue again or by all gods let me not be called father of dear Telemachus if I do not chop your good foot off and let you crawl on the ground like the serpent you are! Do you understand?"

"Now do not threaten the man, Odysseus" Neoptolemus said again

He seemed totally changed. As if some evil spirit had possessed him on Lemnos. Perhaps I was too harsh with him, Odysseus thought, and the pressure I put to the youth has made him lose faith in me.

"We both heard you"

"Odysseus" Diomedes pulled him up again, "it is true isn't it?"

"Of course not!" Odysseus cried out in anger, "I was bluffing! It was the only way to make this damn savage to move! I was bluffing so that he would come along!"

Diomedes knew him enough to notice he was lying. Or at least that he wasn't perfectly honest. His eyes turned cold.

"May I talk to you for a minute?"

Odysseus knew he wasn't really asking. He was almost demanding. Rather unwillingly he followed the younger man at the beach away from the commotion created upon the deck.

"What?" He asked annoyed when they were alone

"Tell me this isn't true. Tell me you knew he was going to follow!"

Odysseus rolled his eyes.

"No" he admitted, "I didn't KNOW...I was hoping though"

"Hoping?!" Diomedes asked in disbelief, "you were hoping?!"

"I wasn't gonna wait ten more years for the old man to be cooperative if that is what you are asking!" Odysseus replied almost unapologetic, "I thought I could trick him upon realizing it was in his best interest to follow!"

Diomedes laughed in disbelief. It was a dry,humorless laugh.

"You're unbelievable! You would leave him alone AGAIN if he didn't tag along is that what you are saying"

"I wasn't gonna BEG him if that's what you are asking!"

"Does anything matter to you anymore? Do words 'compassion' and 'repent' mean nothing to you?"

"Don't you dare lecture me on compassion Diomedes!" Now it was Odysseus's turn to retaliate, "if it weren't for me you would be now ten feet under the ground by the Trojans you wouldn't stop slaying!"

"Oh now it is MY problem?!"

"I didn't say that"

"Then WHAT did you say?! Would you leave ME behind then?"

"Enough!"

"Or what? Shall I head to the cave next?"

"Listen here, boy!" Odysseus growled

He had remained kind way too long, he presumed. This relentless pounding was enough! He didn't need more enemies to guard his back from! Not now that they had the keys to finish the damn war!

"Do not challenge me!"

"Oh so now you do what all the others do? You will start treat me like an inexperienced boy like everybody else treats me?"

"Diomedes come back to your senses! You forget yourself! Do not cross me any further!"

"Oh yeah? We're gonna do this now? Come on then! Come on!"

Diomedes drew his sword.

"Don't be foolish!"

"Or what? Are you scared? I fought a war when I was 14! What did you do? You got yourself gushed up by some wild pig!"

"Now listen you bastard!" Odysseus's eyes darkened with dangerous anger, "you shall speak in insolence no more!"

"Then come on! Show me what you've got, king of Ithaca! Come on!"

Odysseus brought his hand to his hip and half-drew his bronze sword out as well but then as if a cloud was lifted from his face he halted his moves. What are we doing? He thought. This didn't make any sense. None of that made sense. He pulled his sword back in his sheath.

"No" he said huskily, "this isn't right. I shall not fight you! Not over something insignificant as this conversation! Cool off and come back to the ship"

He turned his back at him and began walking towards the direction of the sea. However Diomedes was far from done. He was far from cooling off. He was still shivering and boiling with anger.

"You, asshole!"

With speed given to him only by the adrenaline that can be provided by anger and fury, Diomedes rushed at the elder king and all Odysseus could do was to turn around in surprise and before he had time to breathe he was seized by the shirt by Diomedes's strong hand and the next thing he knew was that his feet barely touched the sand below; barely tiptoe away from being completely hanging off the ground and then his face was against Diomedes's and his sword threatening over his head.

"Dammit! Gods!" He cried out

He felt the younger male's breath against his face as he was huffing and puffing in anger. The king of Ithaca found his composure pretty fast.

"I didn't want to leave him behind again" he whispered emphatically, "but I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life waiting for him to decide either!Not now that we are so close to finish this damn war!"

He saw some anger evaporating by the younger man's face.

"You know it better than I do, Diomedes, we must do what we can to finish it! This lasted long enough already! And we have done already too much to be spoken on. We cannot let all our effort be gone now! We must remain united and trust each other now more than ever! Do you understand?"

Silence.

"Do you?" He repeated

Diomedes took a few moments before answering.

"You are right, of course" he admitted bitterly, "we need to get done with this farse"

"Right"

"And we both did things much worse than that"

"Quite"

"I understand that alright"

"Good"

"Good..." the argive king replied, "however if you dare to pull such a trick again or on me...I will kill you!"

A light smirk crept to the lips of the king who was called "equal to Gods"

"Noted" he said, "can you put me down now?"

Diomedes blinked in realization and he finally allowed the shorter king to place both feet to the ground and put his sword back in place.

"Bastard..." Odysseus mumbled dusting himself off, "you must work on your temper"

"I don't wanna hear this from you!" Diomedes laughed

"Better believe it. Next time you won't be so lucky"

"Excuse me?" Diomedes said scandalized, "did you honestly think you were gonna win this?"

Odysseus's onyx eyes sparkled mischievously.

"You didn't feel the knife, didn't you?"

"What knife?"

One movement of Odysseus's brow made him look towards that direction and sure enough there was a tiny hole to his cloth to the lower stomach right beside the navel. Odysseus twisted one knife to his hand before hiding it somewhere inside his armband.

"You asshole!" Diomedes didn't know if he had to feel impressed or offended

"Don't expect everyone to flash out at you, boy" Odysseus said as a matter of fact, "it might be the last mistake you shall make!"

Then his eyes turned serious as if a cloud had shadowed the sun.

"I shall not be killed here, Diomedes" he said dead serious, "not even by you! I shall survive to see my home again. Don't you think for a moment that I will hesitate!"

Diomedes gulped a bit. Yes he believed that. But so was himself after all. So he could understand his mentor's sentiment.

"Bastard!" He finally said smirking at Odysseus's back as he had started walking to the ship

"Takes one to know one!" Odysseus moved two fingers in greeting without looking back

Diomedes chuckled in defeat following him.

Yes.. it truly did

***

Hehehe sorry guys this is a random thing and it is four in the morning hahaha sorry if it doesn't make much sense hahahaha 😅

So basically according some other accounts in which Diomedes was the one to persuade Philoctetes and refused to leave him behind I thought again to make a small mix and make Diomedes retaliate.

Also a random fight done by tension and all.

I do not support the version that Odysseus is indeed son of Sisiphus but rather that Philoctetes uses the rumor to insult Odysseus

Somehow I found this as a connection to my other fanfiction "Guilt" in which Neoptolemus is hostile to Odysseus

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