We all know about Travel Bucket Lists, but what’s your favourite country with regards to beauty and culture? For me, it’s obviously going to have to be Greece. Come with me as I discover and share with you the best of Greece.
You might also be interested in:
- Do’s and Don’t’s in Greece – Customs and Etiquette
- Travelling Responsibly in Greece – Some tips by Locals
- Cultural Faux Pas around the world
Examples of the Best of Greece:
Within half an hour from the centre of Athens, I can be at a beach or natural lake.
Athens has many things to do – see my Fun Things to do in Athens guide.
And yet one of the things I love about Greece and the Greeks is that only 30-45 minutes away, there are marvels such as Vouliagmeni Lake along what is known as the Athens Riviera – a coastal suburb of Athens that stretches down from the Port of Piraeus about 70km/43 miles all the way to Cape Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon.
As you can see below, Lake Vouliagmeni is wonderful. It’s a naturally formed fresh and seawater lake with garra rufa fish that nibble at your skin if you stay still for long enough!
Sounds disgusting, but it’s actually very refreshing, and the water temperature remains warm (approx. 25C/77F) all year, making year round swimming a possibility.
View this post on Instagram
Another thing to love about Greece and the Greeks:
The Best of Greece: Within an hour, I can be on a Greek island
The Saronic Islands include:
- Hydra
- Poros
- Aegina
- Agistri
- Salamis
- Spetsis
- Kea
To read more about these islands, read my article for Travel Awaits as it gives more info:
7 Best Day Trips from Athens, Greece.
Suffice to say they are beautiful and it proves you don’t need to travel far to appreciate and enjoy a Greek island.
Beautiful Agistri island below:
View this post on Instagram
The Best of Greece: The Greeks are friendly
I live in a city: Athens. And yet people greet each other and say some lovely Greek phrases such as Koukla Mou (‘my doll’) which is not derogatory, it’s a way of being complimentary.
People speak to each other and become involved, in a non-intrusive way.
My neighbour, for example, when I first moved to my apartment, cooked me a welcome meal.
Bet you wouldn’t get that in many other capital cities.
Greeks have lovely sayings
On the subject of ‘Koukla Mou’, my other favourite sayings is “A dog licks its balls because it can” (yes, very random), to “Agappy mou!” (meaning “My love!” but it must be said in a high pitched voice and accompanied by lots of air kissing, even if you’re male. It sounds lovely, particularly when said to a young child or pet. Go on, try it).
The Best of Greece: Because mostly, a Greek is honest with you
This can range from:
“There’s cappuccino froth on your nose”
to
“How the hell did you get that job, you incompetent asshole. My grandmother could do a better job, and she’s dead.”
They are at least STRAIGHT with you.
The Best of Greece: Greeks know how to drink alcohol in a civilised fashion
No, you will NOT see your ‘average’ teen or person in their 20’s rolling around drunk in the street, spoiling for a fight and thinking it’s hilariously funny.
The number of times I’ve been asked by Greek friends “Why do British people, or Northern Europeans need alcohol like this in order to have a good time? Life is for LIVING! Why do they spoil it?!
British vs Greek culture goes into more interesting detail.
The Best of Greece: Greek food
I had never really eaten until I came to Greece. Well, clearly I had otherwise I’d be dead, but I mean EATEN. And I eat LOADS and the weight seems to come off me – go figure. It’s because the quality is so good. My favourite: Spinach salad with pomegranite seeds, chicken masticato (a chicken dish made with a thick, creamy mastic sauce on a nest of stringy pastry) and of course, gyros.
Greek dishes, top things to eat and drink in Athens.
What’s your favourite country because of the aesthetic beauty and culture of its people? Share in the comments.
PIN for later
So true and so funny too!! Love number 6 and 7 most of all! Very good!
Your list brought to mind some good things I love about Greece too and I am looking forward to experiencing them again plus more this June. I plan on traveling with my daughter (her third trip) and 3 other “newbees”. Little do the “newbees” know they will be haunted by the “pull” of Greece until they return again (and again!). Now back to my “Packing List” for this summer’s trip. I work on it constantly to remind myself I am going back! OPA!
Christy
Glad to hear, Christy, that you’re exposing them to Greece from a young age! May they grow to love it over time. Always good to review the packing list and have something to look forward to, especially with the ability of the UK to have appauling weather most of the time.
The thing I love about Greece the most is that you can sit and eat or drink for as long as you like and no one will come and snatch your plate away as soon as you put your fork down as happens here.
Yes – that’s true. You can while away the hours very pleasantly over just one coffee and take your time over a meal.
Food is part of LIFE here, not just something to be eaten to keep you alive.
Where’s ‘here’ – Anonymous? The UK, the U.S?
I live in Romania now, but lived in Greece 15 years. Here people always seem to eat in a hurry and I’m always the last one to finish. Greek habits die hard 🙂
The ‘nice’ habits die hard. :0)
Hi Bex, I enjoyed this one so much that I tweeted it this mornin, as in “From Rebecca Hall, a positive way to start a Friday: 7 things to love about Greece and Greeks http://t.co/dj2uK5Bx“
Love it !
You are a very nice and kind person, I admire that you can blank out the negatives and concentrate on the positives, this is really something you can show us Greeks how to do. I also try to do the same about other nationalities – nobody’s perfect on this world, otherwise history would have already come to an end. Best wishes!
I’m pleased I’m passing on the love – it’s easy to hate, not so easy to love. But try it – once you see the positives, they just keep coming (like how I kept adding to this blogpost! Once I found 7 things to like, I ended up finding more and more).
One thing ‘they’ should never take from you Greeks is your humanity and hopsitality…keep that and you will always be one step above the b*stards who’re trying to grind you down.
Great list Bex! It’s such fun, and love the part about Greek friends.
Thanks Kate. Greek people make the best friends, and coffee companions!
Excellent post. Thanks for reminding me why I live here!
Glad I could remind you of the good reasons why you live here Jessica. There are too many negatives at the moment – let’s try to remember the positives.