A Little Fairytale Magic
Well, I'm back from another Greek adventure, and as usual, I've returned with a ridiculous number of photographs, some wonderful memories, and a growing list of places I now need to revisit.
This time, my travels took me to Athens, Syros, Macedonia, Thessaloniki (my new fave!), and Evia. There was plenty of exploring, eating, wandering, and discovering, along with a few surprises along the way. I took some excellent classes (Ancient Greek perfume making, marble sculpting, silversmithing, and ancient lyre! All amazing!), met some new family I didn't know I had on the island of Syros, and saw some wildlife both in the open and at various animal sanctuaries in central and western Macedonia.
And then once I got home, I kind of just...vegged. Hence my lack of updates here. And every time I tried to write or organize, I'd get lazy or mess up my train of thought. But as a wise hotel wall once said...
One thing that never gets old for me is how Greece can surprise you, even when you think you know it pretty well. Sure, the beaches, ancient ruins, and lively cities certainly deserve their popularity. But sometimes you stumble upon a place that looks like it belongs in a romantasy novel.
Which brings me to my latest article, "7 Fairytale Places in Greece: Beyond the Beaches and Into a Storybook."
There are medieval villages, dramatic landscapes, waterfalls, and old stone bridges. Some are famous, others are places you may never have heard of. All are reminders that Greece has plenty of magic beyond its social media-perfect islands.
So while I'm still sorting through approximately eleventy billion photos even months later, (wish me luck), why not indulge in a little Greek daydreaming of your own?
Who knows? Your next Greek adventure might just have a storybook ending.
If you're interested, take a look at some of my trip photos below.
And if you haven't started following me on Instagram...DUDE. You're missing out on SO much. I post there more than anywhere else, and there are always full accounts of various Greek locations and activities in real time, as well as lots of other Greek-related stuff.
Filakia,
Barbara
Here's a very small collection of some of the highlights of my most recent trip this past May and June. There will be future articles and galleries based on some of these places, so I don't want to give too much away.
So a few years ago I discovered AirBnB Experiences (late to the game, as usual), and since then I look for classes and stuff wherever I go. As I mentioned, I took four different classes this time - 3 in Athens and one in Thessaloniki.
This was my second try at silversmithing at the same studio, and wanted to make an evil eye/"mati" pendant this time around. I think it came out really well!
My favorite class was with Luthieros at SEIKILO in Thessaloniki. Oh my gosh! For someone who has zero music talent, this was so much fun! I was playing within 10 minutes. It wasn't great playing, but I was doing it.
Syros was a new island for me, and it's quite lovely. It has one of the prettiest port towns I've ever seen in the islands.
There was lots of gorgeous nature on this trip, as usual. The north of Greece is absolutely stunning, from the Lakes at Prespes, the thermal pools at Loutro Pozar, the carpets of red poppies everywhere, and the surprising wildlife visits...this was almost more beauty than I could handle.
I was keen to visit the two animal sanctuaries of Arcturos while we were in the area. One focused on bears, like this sleepy death floof here...
...while the second one cared for Greek wolves and Balkan lynx.
The Prespes Lakes had some really cool birds, including this Great Crested Grebe and in insane amount of pelicans...
The cities were great, too, of course. Lovely Florina with it's little river running through it; Nymphaio near the bear sanctuary, and Edessa, with it's urban waterfall just gushing through a city park and over a cliff, like it's Hawaii or something...
But my new love was Thessaloniki. I spent four days there and they were nowhere near enough. I already mentioned my lyre class, but there were also hours at the peacock-guarded monastery in Ano Poli, strolling along the waterfront and seeing the Alexander the Great statue and the city's magnificent archaeology museum, enjoying a Saturday night in Ladadika - the classic nightlife area with it's brightly lit tavernas and music coming from every corner.
There's SO much from this trip, and if you've stayed this long, thank you. If you should want more, scroll through my Instagram - there's lots more where this came from. 😊
Comments