So, we’re enjoying our vacation within a vacation, but I just had to share with our readers the fantastic experience we had Monday night.
Driving up the hill to an appointment, we noted that the olive pressing facility along the way seemed to be running. We were on a schedule, so we thought perhaps we would stop on the way back.
We did stop, and fortunately Pam knew the owner of the pressing facility, whose olives, it turns out, were the ones being pressed. (Side note: The dry equipment soaks up some of the olive oil, so the press owner usually has to press some of his own olives at the beginning of the season, since no one else is willing to lose precious oil to the machinery.)
We got to see some of the first olives of the season being milled into oil! The process involves several steps from olive to oil (see this site for a comprehensive overview). Many steps take place within the machinery, but we could see the malaxing of the olive paste:
And the resulting product:

We both got to try the oil direct from the tap:

And have a glass of tsipouro with the owner:

And yes, we were able to purchase 5 L of the magical elixir, some of which may even make it all the way back to Colorado with us.

Today, on a visit up into the mountains of the outer Mani, we got to see some of the more traditional olive pressing equipment:

We also saw goats on the road and beautiful vistas.

Finally, just a few more pictures to illustrate the good life we’re enjoying in Greece.