Smugtown Mushrooms
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Zagori Spring 2024

Mushrooms + Culture of Greece

Zagori - May 23 -June 1, 2024

We return to the incredible province of Epirus to witness the blooming of Spring ephemeral flowers, medicinal plants and of course, an incredible array of mushrooms and fungi.

DAY ONE:

Ioannina

Welcome to Greece! Welcome to Epirus! Ioannina, a breathtaking, ancient, history-rich city. Today we check in to our accommodations, have a delicious lunch, then go for a late afternoon walking tour, through the old town and along the lake. Folks have the chance to visit stores or museums on their own time today after our walk together. Lunch + dinner included.

DAY TWO**:

Ioannina —> Dodoni -> Parga

Everyone can take their time waking in our beautiful accommodations or stroll this stunning little city, visit markets and grab any items we might need before we make a break for the shore after lunch towards the stunning coastal town of Parga! On our way to Parga we visit the oldest oracle site in the modern borders of Greece. The Oracle site of Dodoni. After our passage to the ancient world we head towards the Ionian Sea. Once we arrive in Parga, folks can either hang back in your accommodations or take a walk at the near by beach or in town.

DAY THREE**:

Parga

Today we spend our day on the beaches of the Ionian Coast in the Northwest province of Epirus. Folks can swim, take walks along the beach and cute beachside trails, visit tiny cafes and order fresh seafood. Parga is a very picturesque place and we spend our time around the town this evening. Dinner is at the jewel of Parga, a taverna off the beaten path in town.

DAY FOUR:

Parga-

River Acheron Delta, Springs and Sea

DAY TRIP ! Today we venture to the delta of the Acheron River to witness a precious confluence of bird life. We bird watch this morning, then we drive upriver to the headwaters to walk the gorge and take a dip in its icy waters. We picnic riverside and leisurely make our way back towards the shore of the Ionian. We spend the last sunny hours at one of my all time favorite beaches where cliffs expose the Earths colorful and incredible strata of colorful mineral deposits millions of years old.

DAY FIVE:**

Parga —> Zagori

Today we leave our beachside home and venture inland and towards the magic Northern Pindus mountains in the Zagorahoria region. Together we get to witness the vastness of the Vikos Gorge and the western Zagori stone villages. We make many stops along the way and eventually settle in our home for the next few nights. To commemorate our arrival to this special region. We have a welcome dinner at my friend Lena’s guest house, where all the food is homegrown and raised by her and her family. This will be the best meal of our trip.

DAY SIX**:

Western Zagori Region

Our deep nature immersion truly begins today! Zagori is beyond beautiful, with springs bursting and giving life to the mountains. We visit famous limestone gorges + stone villages. Mushroom lessons are given alongside these stunning sights. We ask you to truly enjoy the vastness of these mountains. After lunch, we stroll on intervillage trails and are led on a medicinal plant hike by Greek herbalist Eleni Bourou from Officinalis Drogeriii. We enjoy dinner at a famous mushroom restaurant in the region.

DAY SEVEN

ZAGORI

Today we restore, retain and process. We slow down to learn more and interact deeper. We use all our SENSES and take a different approach to learning about Fungi. Today is a day we go through and work with our botanical and fungal findings. We make medicine, gather for more lessons, practice cooking Greek food and just catch up from our last few days. We get our hands scented with plant resins as we prepare and begin a hydro-distillation or a making of a hydrosol. Watch the purest parts of the plant get condensed as an aromatic Earth nectar to be used in various ways.

DAY EIGHT**:

South Central Zargori -> Metsovo -> Kranea

More mushroom hunting and immersing in the natural splendor! Today we leave our residence and head to and through feral mountains that break tree lines and have such incredible habitats its overwhelming. Open late afternoon for you to hang around the mountain villages we visit along the way!! This area is rich in diversity, wildlife and more! We visit picturesque stone clade villages sitting on mountain cliffsides, still with hints of artistry, traditional life ways and the regions treasured culinary delicacies. Dont worry we wont hesitate to stop along the way and take a jaunt up the road side forests to find ourselves some fungal delights.

DAY NINE:

Valia Calda:

Our last full day together, we visit a different woodland and learn about a different variety of mushrooms we would not see in the ecosystems from the previous days before. Our hike will be guided and then a great feast will follow and be prepared with our friends Fotis + his trusted fungal companions from Manitaria Products Grevenon which run one of Greece’s wild mushroom value-added product line! We will have several mushroom tastings and flights of local cheeses! Truly a good send off for our last day in the mountains!

 

DAY TEN**:

GREVENA

After breakfast, we start returning back towards civilization and into the city of Grevena, coined the City of Mushrooms. Before our city shopping romp begins we make a stop at Fotis’ mushroom factory! Learn how he makes his amazing products.and come see racks upon rack of drying Boletus AKA Porcini! After our tour we visit several myco-themed shops with incredible array of products made with local mushrooms and more. Close by we visit one of my favorite cheese shops and get some samples of their high quality cheese + butters. Our last meal together, is at a world famous mushroom restaurant. We take our return with ease and make our way back to Ioannina after our time in Grevena. We land in Ioannina early evening and bring everyone to their respective lodging or the airport. No dinner served.

THOUGHTS ABOUT BOOKING FLIGHTS:

*We ask that you not fly or bus out of Ioannina the last night(June 1, 2024) til at least after 8pm if you must depart the same night the seminar ends.

We highly recommend insurance or refundable tickets

Be ready to join us DAY ONE in Ioannina by May 23, 2024 by 13:00/1:00pm.

Exact location is given upon registration.

**days that dinner is not included for A la Carte registrants

Itinerary is tentative and subject to change.

This is a gentle reminder that Greece this time of year can be hot during the day and cold at night. On the road, infrastructure like bathrooms, sidewalks, paths and roads are often unpredictable, and can often be not ideal and sometimes these are factors that are out of our control, including, acts of god, natural disasters, illness, acclimate weather, etc. We hope, it is clear that, we are passionate about hosting and organizing in Greece and always make sure everyone is comfy and healthy. Everyone has the ability to take everything at their own pace. We often walk 2-5 miles a day and sometimes more. We ask for you to read everything thoroughly and honor our agreements and terms upon registration to this small, hand crafted assembly of folks on their way to extraordinary places of antiquity and incomparable beauty.