Greece 2022
I’m just back from a glorious time in Greece. My partner and I visited Athens, Naxos and Santorini. Some photos and thoughts from the trip are below, if you’d like to see.
Athens
We landed in Athens at 6.30am, local time. The taxi driver brought us to our apartment, and then rowed with us over payment. I fell on my ass. Not a delicate tumble, but a complete crash to the ground. For the duration of the holiday, I had a bruised right butt cheek peeking out from the side of my swim togs. We left our luggage and set out in search of breakfast. (Eggs for me, yogurt & fruit for her) Afterwards, we wandered to a green patch to lie in the shade/sun and nap. My partner worships the sun; I cower from it. I liked Athens. We got acquainted with its cobbly streets stopping for cherries, sunscreen, smoothies but mostly air-con. It was hot!
That evening, we visited the Acropolis. It was beautiful and mesmerizing but also just a collection of very old stones behind barriers. We soaked in the scale of it, the majesty of these rocks lying in place since the fourth millennium BC. It started to drizzle and then pour. We got completely soaked. We made our way down the steep slopes, wary of either slipping on the marble steps or my skirt blowing up and flashing my bruised butt. We made it downhill, me preserving most of my modesty and managing to remain upright. We learned that the ‘Free Now’ app doesn’t work in Greece. After a few failed attempts to get a taxi, I saw one with its light on and ran towards it, my flip flops slapping the pavement noisily. “Be careful” my love called after me.
We paid €10 to be escorted back to our apartment. My partner calling her parents who, seeing that she was soaked through, inquired as to the location of the poncho she packed. It, of course, was safe and dry in her suitcase. Back home, we showered and inadvertently flooded the shower, bathroom and a portion of the hall by not realizing that the drain could be, and indeed was, closed. My partner, an engineer, realized and opened the drain while I made my way to the higher ground of our bedroom. After that palaver, I suggest that we order in which was swiftly (and in retrospect rightly) vetoed. We had one of the best meals of the holiday, in the little restaurant adjacent to our apartment.
On our second day, we wandered around Plaka and found penises everywhere. They were mostly keyrings in bright colours, larger than was necessary or, in some cases, anatomically possible. We took cheesy photos outside a fancy design shop, and my partner tried on many white linen shirts. We stopped by the botanic gardens for a nap and I stand by my statement that (in many ways) Stephen’s Green is nicer!
Naxos
The next day, we got up early to take the ferry to Naxos. I ate a crumbly spinach pie, while nursing my luggage. In an enormous strike of luck, I managed to find our seats by glancing at the tickets and realising we were standing right next to them. Once settled, we watched a movie which I thought would be bluergh but turned out to be pleasingly satisfying. (It won’t win any prizes, but it was a cozy watch.)
Naxos was my favourite part of the holiday. Every morning, I sat on a sunbed by the pool and wrote in my journal. I had a quick breakfast, often the bread I couldn’t bear to leave behind after the previous night’s dinner and a squeeze of Naxian honey. (I loved the honey. Brought home lots of it.)
After that, all we had to do was choose a beach and spend the day enjoying it. In the middle of the day, we’d wander off to a little tavera for lunch, almost always some tzatziki and a Greek salad, perhaps marinated anchovies or a dish of olives. After that, it was back to lie on the beach. We rented a car which meant we were free to explore the whole island. (Incidentally, it was 10% cheaper if you paid with cash. The black economy is thriving in Greece.)
For most of the time we were visiting Naxos, the Meltemi winds were also around. I didn’t know that wind could be named, but apparently this is common. The wind made it a little cooler, though it did take some time to adjust to how to enjoy a beach without having sand thrown against your body. (Key thing is to be on a sun bed rather than a towel, and not to walk into the wind if it’s blowing against your shins. Sand becomes glass, you know, and having been whacked by many individual grains, I know why.) We learned to avoid the beaches with windsurfers gliding along the horizon like distant dragonflies. They were lovely to look at, but the wind that kept them upright would be less pleasant on the shore. “The wind is how we know we’re not in heaven,” I said to my partner on days that it blew insistently when everything else was postcard-perfect.
My favourite place was a level of luxury that was entirely new to me*. It had plush sunbeds, straw umbrellas and a decent menu. I sat there for hours reading, writing, chatting, people-watching, eatting, swimming, almost always staying to watch the sun sink down into the horizon. The staff were attractive young people in 90s clothing (or no clothing “I didn’t recognise that guy with his shirt on!”). Periodically, I said ‘no, thank you’ to people selling doughnuts, massages, fake designer handbags, shell bracelets and sunglasses. But other than that, it was blissful.
I swam until I got pruney. We bought snorkels and saw a bunch of fish which, of course, prompted a ‘school’ joke. I then had to explain the joke (if we can call it that?) to my Italian girlfriend and hung my head as it died. We watched sea birds swooping to pluck fish from the sea for their dinner.
We spent one day on the South of the island on a beach lined with palm trees. It was busy but not crowded, the cicadas chattering all day until sundown.
I was, by some margin, the palest person on the beach. I sunscreen-ed, on average, 6 times a day and was very proud not to get burnt once. This was the one I used, spraying it on my limbs as if it were furniture polish. In no time, it’s sticky residue coated every pen I had.
I did get ‘some colour’ which I think is both a euphemism for sunburn and a smart way to calm a person who gets anxious about sunburn. (Am I the only one who has deeply internalized the risks of sun exposure?)
I was a lot more comfortable on the beach than I expected. I brought what I’ve always thought of as the “sucky in” swimsuit but hated wearing it. The beach was full of bodies of all shapes, sizes and shades. Mine was just another imperfectly shaped body that (at least for the moment) is doing everything that it needs to do (breathing, surviving, carrying me around) very well.
It changed my relationship with my body to be around such nakedness, though I did have some ugly thoughts this morning when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. (More of my thoughts on bodies and size over here.)
Also having spent my formative years on Irish beaches where people wrap themselves in towels, stand on one leg and contort themselves into all kinds of shapes in order to get their wet togs off, it was a revelation to see a (French?) woman simply take off her bikini bottoms and pull on her knickers.
We took hundreds of photos and I saved every memento I could for the scrap book. A holiday is pleasurable in three ways: when you’re planning it, when you’re living it and when you’re remembering it. I made a list of things I could do to keep the holiday spirit alive.
In the photos, it turns out I’m the Chandler of the relationship who can’t figure out how to take a decent photo. I got better as the trip went on. If you want someone to take your photo, look for young women. They know how to do it. I watched influencers photograph each other on the beach and then huddle around the phone to review the shots. When people ordered cocktails, they held them up to the horizon to take a photo. I also tried that but it wasn’t nearly as photogenic with a tall glass of green detox juice. One evening, we had a DIY aperitivo on the beach with my girlfriend enjoying a spritz while I sucked on a juice box like a 5 year old.
Before this, I had never taken a 2 week holiday. I had never given myself the chance to step out of ‘normal’ life entirely, and feel what it’s like to slow down, to get restless and lean into it. I knew I was unlikely to sink into mindless rest without some amount of panic about the passage of time and what has been achieved. I brought some meaty books and spent several days writing long essays on the beach. I also got some proper exercise most days, which I think was essential for my mental health. I brought a travel yoga mat (& used it most mornings) and took long swims in the sea. It was a lot easier than I expected. Turns out, I really needed a break and was really ready to take one.
Santorini
For our last two days, we took the ferry to Santorini. The island is the remnants of a volcano that erupted in 1600 BC and is now a picturesque (but pricey) holiday destination. Santorini was too touristy for my liking. It’s expensive and crowded, without delivering any real value. But you can’t deny the views. The views are amazing.
The food
The food was amazing. I love mousakas (planning to make a vegetarian version), souvlaki and so many amazing salads (greek, davos, tuna). Of course, the seafood was amazing. On several nights, we split a fish from the catch of the day. It’s a palaver to eat a whole fish, but it was delicious. (I enjoyed the scales less; it always felt like I was eating contact lenses!) The only thing that disappointed was the lamp chops which were a pain to eat and delivered very little reward. As always, eating red meat left me feeling sluggish and regretful.
Best things I brought
These earplugs, which I bought off instagram and use all the time.
A big sarong - for laying on sunbeds, protecting myself from the sun etc
A thin travel yoga mat (heard this suggested on this podcast and am so glad I bought one)
Dioralyte. It was vile, but helped during the first melty days in Athens.
4 books & the kindle- very glad I brought paperbacks which were perfect for the beach. The kindle just felt too artificial, but it was perfect for the plane.
Multiple options of togs, sunglasses and hats. It was so nice to have a bit of variety in what I was wearing everyday. (I need a second beach cover up though and a bigger towel.)
Many, many, many moisturising products. At the end of one day, I joked to my girlfriend that my skin was so dry I felt like the fish she cooked in salt.
The perfect beach bag. (Pictured above, sadly no longer for sale)
I wish I’d brought the iPad pen - writing with a sticky pen in a sandy journal has a certain charm, but the wind made it a bit of a faff. Next time I’ll bring the iPad pen so I’ve another option.
*To be fair, this is a pretty low bar. My previous holidays have involved peeing in buckets, sleeping in airports and spending less on meals than it costs to rent a trolley in the supermarket.
