A love-letter to Greece

Location: Superfast II from Patras, Greece to Bari, Italy
Temp: 25℃

Greece was really good to me.

I was fortunate enough to slot right into the life and get an authentic local experience.

Thanks to the warm generosity of the different family members that welcomed me there (yes, cousins! The ultimate Greek cliche). They helped and guided me without question, opening up their homes and hearts to me as if years and geography had never separated us.

That is not to say that if someone else wanted to visit Greece, they wouldn’t have the same experience. It is this generosity that I found permeates Greece, even to the smallest detail. From a stranger on the street, or a new friend made – they are giving of their time, their money and their energy.

An example. Any time I approached a person on the street, or staff member in a store to ask a question, they stopped what they were doing and gave me all of their attention. They took time to answer my question to the best of their knowledge and I never felt dismissed. Greek people have time.

Another example. If you want to spend two to three hours in a cafe (or five as my cousin Maria loves), and only drink one coffee, that is totally fine. You will not be ‘encouraged’ to buy more drinks or leave. You are at leisure to relax and chat with your friends or smoke your cigarettes in peace.

After a week or two, I realised I had not met one person I would consider to be shy or quiet. Everyone is sociable, friendly, has an opinion, and listens to the thoughts and statements of others. Nothing is not worth hearing or saying. New friends to a social gathering are welcomed without question and included. I asked my family about this and they couldn’t give me an answer – because it is just the way it is.
This is in stark contrast to my home of Melbourne. And so was made all the more obvious as unique to Greece with the obvious differences between cities.

What to eat for lunch or dinner is an in-depth discussion, taken seriously, and every effort is made to cater to every person’s’ wants and needs. I never felt my food intolerances were a burden. I was questioned about it, in a shocked, aggressive way true. But only because they were concerned for me. I mean after all, if I can’t eat bread or cheese, what on earth do I eat?

The time given to every little detail of life in Greece is something I really appreciate and is what I will take with me. Sure Greece is not perfect. There was the odd grumpy, stick-in-the-mud. Sure – young men with girlfriends would stare at me as I walked passed. Actually, old men without girlfriends did the same thing. Sure their government is a bit of a joke (their words, not mine), and administrative processes haven’t progressed passed the 1980s.

But I can’t ignore the great things I saw in Greece too.

The last gift Greece gave me was citizenship and a passport. Of course, it took quite a bit of effort and fuss, but it was worth it. Now I feel part of a larger global community and it has given me more options. My “no restrictions” hashtag has been hard at work since.

If you haven’t visited Greece before, or ever thought of visiting, I highly encourage you to consider it. It is a beautiful country, not just because of its’ beaches, jade-blue waters and food. But because of its’ generous and nourishing soul too. It is infectious if you let it in.

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Highlights:

Monastiraki – the area as a whole is super cool, with many great restaurants, cafe’s, bars and shops with a large majority of it pedestrian only.

Ρακομελο (Ra-ko-me-lo) – this is a white alcohol served warm with cinnamon and honey. Literally the best thing I have ever tasted, and that is considering things like chocolate and guacamole. I’m just saying.

Ancient Agora and the Acropolis – I have been asked this by a couple of people and yes, it is definitely worth paying and going to both of these. Prices have gone up, but there is nothing else like them, so go and see them. I recommend visiting the Acropolis an hour or so before sunset. There are far fewer people and the sun setting gives a magical quality to the place (and your photo’s).

Naxos Island – I absolutely loved this island. In September it was hot but not humid. It is beautiful and quaint with its’ cobblestone streets and cute little shops built into a hillside with the remnants of a castle remaining at the top. It has sunsets that rival any of it’s more popular sister-islands. It has a local community vibe and a gorgeous marina with a sort of ‘riviera’ consisting of restaurants and shops which always had a lot of energy. It was like the cooler younger sister of Santorini.

Greece Hints:

1. When you go to a cafe or restaurant, just sit down, you don’t need to wait to be seated.
2. You can get many kinds of hot and cold coffees compared to Australia. A Freddo Cappuccino or Freddo Espresso is a cold coffee made with espresso coffee. A Frappuccino is made with instant coffee. Everything else is pretty straight forward. Greek coffee usually comes on it’s own, medium sweet, or really sweet.
3. When you order in a restaurant you are always given bread. If you do not want bread, just ask them to take it away to avoid being charged.
4. “Souvlaki” isn’t really called this in Greece. It’s called a “Yiros” and you either get a. Yiros which is the shaved meat off the spit in bread, or on a plate with bread, salad and sauce. Or b. Kalamaki which is the kebab version of Yiros on a stick. But you can also get actual lebanese style Kebap too. If you’re confused, join the club. Pictures on menu’s are your best friend.
5. If someone offers you “Tsipuro”, say no.
6. “Lamp” on the menu means “Lamb”. I promise.