In Greece, you will not find high-rise buildings and skyscrapers: not one of the houses exceeds five floors, including new buildings. This is a law that allows the Greeks to preserve their architecture and the traditional look of cities. The main colors of this country are bright blue and boiling white. They can be found literally at every step: in souvenir shops, in hotels, and most of the houses are white with bright blue window frames and doors. Needless to say, the colors of the national Greek flag are also white and blue.
Athens and Glyfada
So, we landed at Athens airport. Before I had time to move away from the impressions that the views of the city brought me upon landing (I just didn’t take my camera out of my hands and took everything that could be opened to my eyes from the window), they drove me through the Greek capital to a town called Glyfada, located in the neighborhood. I rode with the feeling that I got into a fairy tale, everything around was so amazing. When we got to Glyfada and drove up to the house where I was to live for the next two weeks, I thought that I needed nothing more for a wonderful vacation: just a stone's throw from the sea, five minutes on foot to the city center, and a wonderful view from the balcony to the city.
Greeks are very hospitable people. They respect their country and love to tell tourists about it. Be prepared for the fact that any resident with pleasure will show you everything, well, or at least most of the monuments of architecture, if you ask about it. I was fortunate enough to see probably the most famous Greek attractions: the Acropolis and the Temple of Poseidon. Both temples amaze with their grandeur, and, being next to them, it seems that time froze in eternity.
In cities, there is a special daily routine. As in many other resort countries of the world, in Greece everything "comes to life" with the onset of night. In the daytime, the Greeks hardly go outside. They sit at home, watch TV or read fresh newspapers, listen to music or just relax (sleep). Do not think that no one works in Greece, I just was there in the summer, and most people had holidays. Although for many, summer is, on the contrary, the very height of work. For example, beach workers or store employees.
By the way, if you go shopping in Athens, you will find almost any world-famous brand there. Prices here are about the same as in the Emirates, but the classification of things in stores is slightly different from what we are used to. If you come to any emirate mall, then, basically, the entire collection of clothes or shoes of the same brand is located on one floor. In Greece, shops are located in small three-, four or five-story buildings, so collections of women’s, children’s, men’s or, for example, office clothes are located at different levels of these buildings. This is how Marks & Spenser, for example, is "arranged."
Greeks really like to eat. Probably, this passion is inherent in all the peoples of the Mediterranean, but Greece and its culinary traditions are something special. Greek cuisine is very diverse. The only principle in a traditional Greek dinner is that there should be a lot of food or, better, a lot. Fresh vegetables must be on the table — tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, bell peppers, green salad of rucola, green beans, various, preferably sheep’s, soft cheeses and Greek yogurt, olives and olive oil. Seafood and fish are served in all of the many taverns and restaurants. From meat, young lamb and poultry are preferred. Well, it’s all washed down with young wine, instead of which, because of my young age, I drank fresh lemonade.
For dessert, fresh fruit is always served, which Greece is especially famous for: apricots, strawberries, cherries or melon. In some taverns (small restaurants with home cooking), all these fruits are removed right from you from the nearby trees (which, of course, are grown by hospitable and welcoming hosts). Therefore, after the Greek meal, you will not go hungry! The most expensive and prestigious in Greece is the rest on the islands. Each Greek island is unique in its own way. I was lucky to visit one of them.
Mykonos island - mills, old markets and pelicans
This amazing island is probably one of the rarest places in the world where there are still working windmills and pelicans. They are the two symbols of the island of Mykonos. Located directly on the slopes of the mountains, the city of the same name impresses with its beauty and tranquility. Here, time is slow and somehow imperceptible. People come here to really relax, to be distracted from city (capital) affairs. The islands are especially popular in the summer, both among tourists and among the Greeks themselves (many of whom live in the mainland), because it is at this time of year that everyone begins their holidays and vacations.
The locals call the center of the island “the old city” (most likely due to its architecture, and maybe earlier there were no buildings on the island except the old city). On its many intricate streets you can easily get lost if you do not know one feature of the "old city": the main street, starting from the square, goes in a circle, passing through the whole city, and leads you to the same place where you started your journey.
This very street of the "old city" is filled with souvenir shops that have absolutely everything: colorful magnets for refrigerators, candlesticks, pictures, dishes, postcards (all with images of Athens or the island) ... I even found in one of them small clay thimbles! In the "old city" there are a lot of jewelry shops, on the windows of which are eye-catching items made of gold, silver and precious stones. You simply cannot pass by without looking at least one of them.
In the evenings in many restaurants of the "old city" live music begins to sound. People sit in them until the morning, listen to their favorite songs, at first they simply sing along, then they already sing together with the group in a loud voice, and by morning they even start dancing. Those who are accustomed to living in non-stop mode while listening to music in a restaurant prefer fun at a nightclub (there are also a lot of them on the island).
Two weeks spent in Greece passed quickly, and I really did not want to leave this country. I managed to visit the island, I also lived for some time in Glyfada, and, to be honest, I still did not understand where I liked to relax more. Everywhere I was surrounded by wonderful nature, everywhere I was welcomed by the hospitable inhabitants of Greece ... I liked this country. It has something to see, not a single person will be bored here. If I have the opportunity to visit Greece again, I won’t even think about it, I’ll just answer briefly: “Let's go!” After all, so many interesting things have remained unreached, overlooked and unrecognized. So you give Greece !!!
