Alexandra's cafe in Aristi

Crossroads at West Zagoria is Excellent. From here one passes to go up to Big and Small Papigo, crossing him Voidomatis, climbing the winding road with the hairpins, the "railings", or in Vikos village, to enjoy the view of the gorge of the same name - the deepest gorge in the world - and the proud mountains opposite. If in summer and on weekends all year round visitors are welcomed by several hostels and two or three cafes, on winter days the village is deserted. You will not see a soul and the only chimney that smokes in the village is in Alexandra cafe.

"I come here in the morning and leave at night, I do not care about the time, as long as the last customer accompanies me to my house, two steps above."

Η Mrs. Alexandra became famous for cashew pies of. Many times they call her to prepare a pan for them, to take it and leave.

But in the cafe it also serves pieces of pie, either from green pie (with nettles, lapatha, leeks and seasonal greens) or from lentil pie which are her specialties. Even if you surprise her - as I did - and she has not prepared anything, she answers: "Drink your coffee, or take a walk to the square and in half an hour I will bake the pan ready."

The ingredients of the pie are simple. Water, flour, eggs, butter and local, cheese. But her art is incomparable. The thin, crispy cassava pie with the handmade leaf bite and home.

Alexandra's cafe also operates as a grocery store, "For the small things, if something is saved for them suddenly, because for their shopping, they go to Kalpaki which has a supermarket".

Her friends come for their coffee around the machine - a large wood stove - which burns in winter and summer, for the daily chat but also to get the bread from the bakery of Kalpaki or to receive the mail and the bills.