The Travels of ブリッジバーンさん: This island grows the best pistachios on Earth.

I like pistachios but I`m not particularly CRAZY about them. I like them about as much as any other nut... But with that said, I am absolutely nuts about pistachios from Aegina island!

Nestled 17 miles from Athens is a cool cozy island which harbors the best pistachios on Earth!

Pistachios are a particularly important part of the identity of Aegina. It was on that island where pistachios were first cultivated by the Greek civilization in 1896 {source}.

In addition to pure pistachio nuts, many pistachio products are also sold there, such as pistachio gelato.

The place where I enjoyed my gelato

They are also incorporated into much of the local cuisine, traditionally being used as crust for Mediterranean meat and feta cheese or served with yogurt. Aegina pistachios are particularly delicious and officially high quality. In 1996, Aegina pistachios were declared a "Protected Designation of Origin product" by the European Union. The island nut is of a rarer round variety with a softer shaded shell and the rich emerald green flesh is a tad sweeter than those grown in other parts of the world. Don`t leave the island without a bag!

Of course pistachios are not the only reason for making a visit. The island also has loads of beautiful scenery.

Athens is famous for its historic ruins such as Acropolis, and yes acropolis is wonderful but as one might expect has tons of tourists;

Now lets compare there to Aegina`s ancient architecture;

Sure, it`s not as big as Acropolis but still pretty amazing and it`s much easier to get into the ancient spirit when there`s not a million cameras from the 21st century around.

I also enjoyed sticking pine needles in my beard

On the topic of historic structures, I also sadly discovered several abandoned businesses which were victims of the Greek financial crisis.

This bar looks like it was once a cheerful place.

I wonder if someday in the far future, it will also be considered an ancient world heritage attraction akin to the pillars built centuries before Christ being viewed today.

Here`s a lovely image of a bar which isn`t closed down. The reason I visited the island was because it`s the home of a Greek couple I befriended many months prior in Fiji. They own 2 fabulous bars on the island.

One is a beach bar which offers a great space to chill out with a beachside view.

wait for it..

The bar also had an interesting piece of wood which looks like a snake.

Their other bar/restaurant is called PANTAREI and is located at the lively port of Aegina.

Super Fancy

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Along the busy port, there are many pistachios being sold. It`s easy to prove that Aegina pistachios are the best; just try them. The taste is as unique as the islands climate, which was likely fine tuned by the Greek God of Pistachios.