Now, let me share my personal experience from Greece. I do it on purpose, to challenge you, to evoke your response with similar stories that might be interesting to many readers, not only those who one way or another are acquainted to this wonderful country, but also those who are just curious to learn about it.
For me Greece has always been kind of attractive, even before my first visit there, in my childhood hearing stories about it from my family friends, reading the adventures of Greek Gods in mythology books and watching movies fascinated my imagination. My father was a teacher of ancient history in school and although he’s never taught me, his illustrated history books were another source of interest for me. Later on in my university years I have studied the architecture of the ancient Greek civilization, (among other things) and met my first Greek friends, also students.
I liked to stay in the same hotel when in Athens, to have my evening drink in the same bar, so how I met Kostas, the bar-tender there who spoke English (only a few people I knew in Athens then spoke good English) and we often talked over the drink in the long evenings before my flight back home. So Kostas was my first real source of information about Greece. (Hi, Kostas, if you are reading this now, I would like to thank you once more for your kindness. I hope you would remember me too.) Kostas has told me, he was from northern Greece; his family had some farm lands there, but he has come to Athens looking for better job. With the years passing we lost connection with Kostas and I was rushed throughout the world (mainly the third world) for the same reason – looking for job, before settling down somewhere in the beginning of the new Millennium. Then was the time when I could (finally) afford my first summer vocation in Greece and I took my son to Halkidiki for two weeks. He was then a small boy at 5 or 6 only, but was already able to catch lobsters in a self-made inlet at the beach.
And he of course loved to have his regular afternoon drink at the bar of Philipion beach hotel, while I was still swimmming in the open sea. What we have enjoied most at Halkidiki, was the calm and quiet of the place, quiet soft music in the bars and shops, huge quiet beaches, no noisy crowds or jet motors. I realized later it was the local and government regulation and there were heavy penalties for those who tried to breake it, but I appreciated the policy anyway.
To be continued
