Memories of the Greek Sun
I like to shop. I have shopped in Paris, New York, London, Stockholm, Tokyo, and lots of random places. Rings from Gdansk, baby-Ts from Kaunas, kimonos from Copenhagen, a whole mix of things. I think it is a fabulous thing to buy a little trinket - or even better a box for your trinkets - while on vacation. Articles of clothing, art, tchotchkes, they will always remind you of where you were and it shows a collection of who you have been, where, and when. I might even love to shop. It’s a dangerous habit. However, I have never traveled in order to shop. I never decided to go to Paris because I was in need of a yellow jacket, I just happened upon one in Merci and said Oui. It was easy peasy! So, when I stumbled into a fabulous store in Athens, it was not a surprise. I wasn’t even surprised when I happened upon a cute boutique in Paros, and then it struck me as I walked into my fifth cute super shoppable store. The usual hit or miss business was nowhere to be seen, it was just consistent bangers, and I am a vegetarian! Somewhat shocking to me, the shopping in the Greek Isles served consistently good shopportunities.
I can still recall our last summer. It was one of golden sunsets and feta. I had just finished my first year at University, I was starting to grow into a version of myself I’ve now grown beyond, but I didn’t know how much growth would be on the horizon. The only thing on the horizon for me was a splendid summer of sunny days, fresh fruits from farmers markets, and lots of linen. It was going to be perfect. I reunited with my family at the start of June, and we hung out in France before we all split off in our own ways. I spent about a month and a half traveling by myself throughout Europe, before I was reunited with someone I recognised.
My sister Madde and I were going to spend about ten days together in Greece in between two of her Summer Programs. I had planned it out, Athens, Paros, Anti-Paros, Sifnos, Serifos, and back to Athens for a few days before she flew to Stockholm to study prisons and systems of (in)justice. I was also on a very rigorous trip after Greece, visiting my flatmate-to-be and bumming around Geneva. Madde and I hadn’t spent much time together, over Covid we were reunited but she quickly went back to Seattle to work as an EMT to help with the crisis and then I was off to university. We had been disconnected from each other, but that changed with our ten-day trip galavanting in Greece.
First of all, some advice. If you want cash, I found the cost of withdrawing cash from most ATMs around central Athens to be fairly exorbitant. If you can, take some Euros out someplace else. I prefer a free under 10%, but most of what I saw was about 14%. For where to stay, unless I am traveling with a big budget (i.e. paid for not from my pocket but still organised by me) I don’t really stay in a hotel. I prefer to find smaller, inexpensive Airbnbs in the neighbourhoods where I have identified the best things to do. However, this is not always achievable in every city. In Athens, though, there were huge amounts of Airbnbs to check out which were under £40 per night, so still more than a hostel, but worth it in my opinion. We stayed in a precious Airbnb close to the eccentric restaurant Little Kook for our first few days in Athens. It was close to a number of good restaurants, a short but pleasant walk to the Acropolis, and a unique environment. We walked to the Acropolis, explored the ruins, I over explained Greek history and mythology, and we went to get some frozen yogurt.
That’s when it happened.
We discovered a fabulous if pricey store. MO Vintage Athens. If you are looking to splurge on some fabulous women’s wear (available to all genders of course) it is the place to go. The store owner used to work with a number of designers, and clearly has a huge passion for the stunning collection of designer goods available in the store. He explained all the unique elements that indicate the era of a Hermès scarf, the stitches to look for if you want to verify if a piece is really a Nina Ricci vintage, and the best way to tell a knock off Gucci. Wisdom, I have sadly lost with too much Aperol, but go and ask him for yourself. Athens is easy enough to navigate through, and most of the major sites are established. The biggest advice is to go before the peak season, when it will be warm and less crowded. Good food is easy enough to find, and if there is one place, I enjoyed it was the Louis Bistrot d’Athens, not uniquely Greek, but they had a mean cappuccino freddo and a yummy menu.
Madde and I left Athens in a rush. So here is my second and a very important piece of advice. When you plan something out, check, then double check, and then triple check. Why, you ask? Because with the full and naïve confidence that only a man can muster, I thought we were going to the Athenian Port at Piraeus. Oh no, we were not. I realised this in the nick of time because the port we were going to, Rafina Port, was significantly further away. I asked Madde to take a chance on me, and we scurried to a taxicab I ordered. He asked me when the ferry was. I told him it was in fifty minutes, and he looked at me like I was dumb. In his defence, I had been stupid. He said it would take an hour to get there, but he would try his best for us.
When I say this man busted his whole ass to get us there in time, I mean I was clutching the car door because my life depended on it. I said we were late, and he said yes sir, and from that point onward we zoom vroomed our way across Athens and to Rafina Port. We arrived at our boat, got onboard, and it began to sail away two minutes after we boarded. That man was a super trouper, and I will never forget how hard he worked to get us there on time, and I will not forget the lesson to triple check information. But my stress-owent away with some espresso, and soon enough, we were walking to our accommodation in Paros.
Paros p o p p e d off. It was by far my favourite of the islands we visited, and the only island of the lot that I would go back to. We stayed at a little place by the water, where we bumped into some of my sister's college friends on their own Greek Isles Trip. Here are the things you must do, absolutely must, non-negotiable:
1. You must buy Agrino Oregano flavoured Rice Cakes. They literally changed my life. I bought them from a special Greek Food Retailer and brought transatlantic rice cakes for Madde for Christmas. Trust me, you will love them. They were a blend of savoury, puffed to perfection, and salty enough that you could not help but eat more. Over the ten days we consumed yogurt with fresh fruit, rice cakes, greek salad, and the occasional souvlaki and treats.
2. You must rent a little motorbike and go around the island. We went up to Naoussa and had some lunch, walked around to some of the cute boutiques, shopped, and like the babushkas we are, gossiped about the numerous people who had recently died. The peak of motoring around was then going to Mikri Santa Maria Beach, where we parked, and walked from the beach out to some bluffs. We walked out onto the rocks and found a stunning spot where sea salt was collecting in little pools. Some of the fresh salt was slipping through my fingers and we ate our rice cakes, dipped into the water, and lived our Greek Summer fantasy. It is a very fond memory I would love for you to share with someone you love.
3. You must visit Antiparos. It is super close and be sure to budget yourself money, money, money because the shopping slapped. Apparently, it’s a celebrity hot-spot according to one of the shop attendants who says she often sees A-Listers who rent seaside mansions and feel more isolated from the paparazzi (not for long). It was a lovely getaway, a simple adventure, and a nice little day trip. We sat in cute cafés, and I bought more things that I should have when you consider I was traveling with just my backpack.
All in all, thinking back to how lovely those days were, I highly recommend taking some time to explore Greece. I am looking forward to going back to Paros, and also exploring some of the other nearby isles like Naxos or Milos. Ultimately, it’s hard to miss the mark when you’re relaxing in white buildings, drinking red wine, looking at blue seas. So Americ— no wait. So, Greece-coded. So, go! Aegean air flies direct from Edinburgh to Athens in the warmer seasons. Give someplace other than Mykonos or Santorini a try.