Over the weekend I walked to San Diego’s Greek Festival.
These were some of the flowers I passed on my walk over.
It was a gorgeous weekend for an outdoor festival!
Ok, it’s actually a smidge too chilly for me with no humidity and “only” 69F temps but I know most people think that’s perfect. Add 20 degrees and I’ll be happier.
The festival was held a local Greek Orthodox Church.
I run or walk by this Church almost daily and finally had my camera with and could make some photos.
It’s an annual event and ironically, this was the weekend, last year, that we moved back to San Diego after our brief, 9-month stint in Phoenix. This weekend, last year, we moved back to San Diego; just one, singular day after my fitness show and competition <–link with photos.
I look back at Phoenix, the show, packing and the move, and the timing of it all and think boy, that was a lot of work and I am glad that was then, and this is now!
In typical festival nature there was plenty of food!
And it was all homemade or handmade, fresh and made on the spot.
These iced frappes looked so good…
But I had just drank a vanilla iced coffee at the house..
…and didn’t want to be too wired up!
There was also Greek music playing, a beer garden, and some artwork showcasing, you guessed it, Greece and the Greek Isles.
There were some Greek-themed cookbooks and kitchen items for sale.
A wooden spoon handmade in Greece from olive wood. Gorgeous! I’d be scared to even use it for fear of ruining it.
It was a fun event where old and young, people from all walks of life and diverse ethnic backgrounds all seemed to be having a fabulous time!
And the best part was that I walked there. No car required.
It made me want to rush home and make some Hummus
vegan, 4 ingredients, 5 minutesOr roast some chickpeas for Carmelized Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Chickpea “Peanuts”
I’m glad the No Bake Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites were a hit from my last post! Foodgawker and Tasteologie liked them too, which made me happy.
Most of you said you enjoy coconut and coconut-containing recipes. That’s awesome! Let me know if you happen to try this recipe.
Questions:
1. Best thing you ate or did over the weekend?
Between the Greek Festival and the coconut chocolate chip cookie dough bites , and one other thing (next post!) I had a great weekend!
2. Have you ever been to a Greek food festival or a food festival featuring a particular type of food? Or any street fairs or local fairs?
I have been to so many types of food festivals and outdoor street fairs with food from the Taste of Chicago (a massively huge event in Chicago, hundreds of thousands of people attend, spanning miles of city blocks, and it lasts many days, and you can get just about every kind of ethnic food from Vietnamese to Moroccan to giant turkey legs and there’s music, too.)
I’ve also been to “Oktoberfests” (in the US, not in Germany) and German festivals because growing up in MN with a heavy German population, they was common.
I also love Renaissance Fairs (even though they can be a little over the top sometimes) but they’re fun for an afternoon.
Last weekend in San Diego was Taste of Little Italy and although we were in Aruba this year, I’ve been to it in past years.
And I’ve been to tons more food festivals, too!
When I was growing up, the state fair and local county fairs were The Thing To Do in the summer. I have such great memories of them!
3. Do you like outdoor festivals or fairs?
Blends my other question, but yes, I love them!
Something about walking around outside, people watching, hearing the sounds of the crowd and smelling the food that’s being made, I just love taking it all in!
Not having to struggle with parking and having a great sunny weather and not sweltering temps are added bonuses.
P.S. If you’re just catching up on posts, here are mine since Friday:
- No Bake Coconut & Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
- Powder
- Chores & Goodies
- Rock the Boat
- Comforts of Home
- Blogging 103
The song, “I’m so excited. I just can’t hide it…” is playing in my head right now. It has something to do with this. Next post, an update.
Have a great week!
I cant believe that you did your show and moved in the same weekend!!!!!!!!! I would have been a stressed out big cry baby!!
I love going to outside fairs and festivals!! Here in St. Augustine they have a TON of things like that but there are also a ton of tourists so sometimes its not worth the fight to get downtown and find parking!! I could rise my bike but with all of the tourists its not too smart since they pay attention to everything but the road!!
GOD.. the food and scenery looks amazing.. esp. COFFEEE… i love iced coffreee
Oh, I love Greece! And everything greek- their culture and food is great! Mmm, Baklava Sundea- that MUST be good! I love Baklava, used to eat it all the time when I was in callage:)
I totally forgot about the festival today! What a bad Greek I am! It excited me that they have Nescafe there. I don’t drink coffee at all, but every time I visit my family (twice a yr), I drink that stuff by the gallon. To me, making it is the most fun part because you get to use this little electric mixer… I’m easily entertained… Glad you had fun! We’re so lucky to live in SD where there are festivals like every other weekend. I definitely went to the recent Art Walk and Sicilian Festival. But I’m spoiled because I live in Little Italy so I too can just walk to them (they’re usually right outside my building so I get to people watch too… creeper)! FYI, hummus isn’t Greek, it’s actually Middle Eastern :-)
I really want those roasted chickpeas! I bet they smell good when they’re baking!
I love festivals, but havne’t been to one in a while. Ironically, my favorite annual festival was this weekend in flagstaff. after I moved. Oh well,I hear there’s a circus in Ashland.
Fun fact: My BF and I had our first date at an African festival! They offered some food there, too, but we didn’t eat anything. But when we went again the following year, we tried some of their food – I had vegetables in a rich peanut sauce with couscous – and really liked it. This fair has become an annual tradition for us. Ah, memories.
I love fairs an festivals in general, but I’ve been to the local ones so many times, it’s getting old.
Love Greek fests!! But i am Greek so that is no surprise :)
Man, those bites look fabulous. I might have to make those soon. I need to pick up some coconut oil and cashews though.
The Greek festival sounds like fun, and it looked like it was a beautiful day! I’ve never been to a festival like that. I’m with you on them temperature. I have to have about eighty degree temperature to be comfortable. Haha.
You get a chance to do so many things much more interesting than our lame lives that it lets us feel awkwardly jealous. Now about the topic, Its good that you get a chance to attend various ethnic events exhibiting so much about a particular culture, thus enhancing your knowledge about that. And, regarding that temperature comment, looks you like sun a bit!:)
We have a few Italian festivals in my area of mass, and I’m half so I love to go. I have to get rice balls and wish I could learn to make them some day I will. chocolate coconut dough balls made with dark choc would be in love. I love coconut its soo good!
Glad you made it safely home, Averie! Enjoyed all of your Aruba pics a ton! :-)
Been to lots of Greek festivals cause I am Orthodox! I am not Greek, but anyone can convert to Orthodoxy and I did and I love attending the local Greek festival here in Santa Cruz every year. The church is really old and they actually block off one whole street and just set up shop there. They have all the goodies and they also have Greek dancers, all dressed in their authentic Greek dancing costumes and you can hear the music playing blocks away. It’s a crowded and fun-filled event and people in Santa Cruz really dig it. I love their culture and their food! I am sensitive to all of it, however, so I just smell it and watch my kiddos enjoy all those treats!
Your pics, btw, are looking more amazing every day! Nice work!! ;-)
wow this food looks amazing I love greek food, what a fun day outdoor festivals are the best!
I love Greek festivals…just because that is probably the best Greek food I’ll ever have in Dallas :) We have a Romanian festival here too that is awesome. I never thought Romanian food of all things would be good!
I made your chocolate coconut dough balls – they are great! It is so nice not to turn on the oven for a lovely treat :) It is so hot here.
thanks for telling me you made them and yes in TX in the summer…you dont need to turn on the oven, that’s for sure!
Ohh that Greek festival looks so cool! I just vacationed in San Diego (I absolutely fell in love.. I completely understand why you live there) and my friend and I were able to go to the Little Italy Farmer’s Market, the Sicilian Festival and a Taste of Little Italy. Taste of Little Italy left me SO FULL. We hit up 21 out of the 23 vendors over the course of four hours. So.much.food. But it was all so good! The Sicilian festival was also packed full of food.. so yummy. I really wish we had more food festivals over here on the east coast!
oh that’s so cool you were just here! i love the Taste of L. Italy..and yes….super filling but fun :)
I’ve been to many local fairs, and the Greek festival is my favorite one. I *love* the food.
Looks like fun! You always seem to have the bluest sky there, too!