I am in Greece on long holidays after spending 4 years in exile, which made me realize that there are some things I had taken for granted and shouldn’t; there is also a list of things I had forgotten how happy they make me.
I wouldn't change in the world...
I wouldn't change in the world...
- The ability to pop in to the New Acropolis Museum or the Acropolis monument in Athens, ten minutes from my parents' house, gain entry for 1 Euro and spend endless hours studying the treasures of the Hellenistic period
- The pleasure to go swimming every day at the nearby sea, playing rackets on the beach with friends or sunbathing while reading a book
- To sit at the balcony in the evenings, listening to my parents chatting and laughing while I am reading and having coffee
- To enjoy freshly-cooked Mediterranean food and have it readily served by my mother (yes, my typical Greek mother who likes pampering me even now I am in my 30s)
- The happiness of visiting and having coffee at my sister's house and playing with my baby nephew
On the contrary, I miss...
- The good customer service and internet banking of my UK bank as opposed to the long and exhausting procedures in Greece (bureaucracy is their middle name)
- The numerous sushi places in London at affordable prices; this is still considered a luxury in Athens and is difficult to find a good take-away or sit-in place for good value
- The cool London weather and the long path along Thames that allowed me to go running in the mornings or evenings; running in Athens in July is just impossible, due to extremely high temperatures and humid atmosphere, let alone lack of running routes
-The "chip and pin" system of paying by debit card in the UK, whereas everyone uses cash in Greece. And I am not used to carrying money on me
-The BBC iPlayer access in the UK, the live streaming of sports events; sadly I 've missed Wimbledon and Tour de France this year due to links not being legally available in Greece.
Great post. It's interesting going back home, wherever that is and whatever that means to a particular person. They say "you can't go home again" and that is true to an extent (can't go back to being a child, more like), but you can return physically to a place, and if your family is there and other pleasant things, it can be a great treat.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like where you live is pretty idyllic. Losing yourself in the Acropolis, swimming in the sea, reading... That sounds like heaven to me. I'm glad you're enjoying your holiday. And yet tellingly, now that you're in the "slow lane" (relatively) of Greece again, you miss some of the conveniences of London. It's hard to have both, isn't it? I go through this too to a lesser extent - I live in the country pretty much, where the pace is slow and there are more grape vines and cows than people. But not far away by car is San Francisco and the other cities of the Bay Area (Oakland, Richmond, Berkeley) and a little further south the sprawling metropolis (there's a good Greek word) of San Jose and all it's suburbs which make up the Silicon Valley.
So I can experience a nearby hike and have a greater chance of seeing a cougar than a human being during an entire day, or I can drive a couple hours and be in the middle of one of the busiest places on earth. And both have their own qualities to recommend them.
It's nice to see you have a good perspective on both places you live, and can appreciate the positives of both. Nothing like home cooking though!
At the risk of blatant advertising - come take my harry potter character poll on my blog!
Enjoy your books and your swims, Kat. :)
p.s. As I'm sure you've heard, Federer won Wimby (yay) and Lance is 2nd in the Tour de France behind teammate Alberto Contador.
Hi Meta,
ReplyDeletejust came back from a 5-day trip in Austria. One I've said before, I am always up for new challenges. Just being comfy at home is not my thing, so there I was on a flight to Munich and from there on the train to Innsbruck. I went hiking in the snowy Apls, swimming in a lake in the middle of the alpine woods and also tried a 15-mile white water rafting session! Great kick of adrenaline, cool weather, nice surroundings.Will write up a blog soon and post some photos!
Feel so refreshed. Another corner of the planet seen. Need to explore more. Makes me feel alive. Part of the world and nature.
Thanks for checking in, will have a look at your posts as well. Found your answers to the quiz very interesting. Glad to see my hero is doing well in TdF, hadnt been checking on that the past week. Speak soon, thanx again