It goes without saying a summer in Greece is a bucket list experience. Once in a lifetime opportunity or not depending on your life. I however decided to spend the summer in the Cyclades with a base in Parikia, Paros.
After a full month here I feel confident to share all the reasons why Greece should be on top of your travel list this year or any other year. As a matter of fact, if your job permits, thank God for remote working, why not base yourself out here for a few months and really enjoy that Aegean life. It’s truly good for the soul.
I may be a little biased due to my Balkan blood but there is no place like Greece. The best way I can explain it is like spending time at your nanna’s house. The energy of the Cyclades is extremely feminine and if you separate yourself from the hustle and bustle of tourist crowds, you will allow her to take care of you.
To give a little perspective, I moved to London after almost 2 years in Bali. My time in Bali was mostly focused on my healing and building a business. To come to London and have it all be shaken up and my mental health tested to new extremes. I knew I had to relocate to a place that will nurture me after all the ascension I’ve been through.
Don’t get me wrong I love London but this city can really harm your mental health. If you know this then you can plan your life around it and make the best of both worlds. I’m blessed to have travelled as much as I have and evolved with all the beautiful places I have visited.
Back to Summer in Greece
Aside from beautiful divine feminine energy, life in Greece is simply incredible. It’s two hours ahead of London which means it’s so much easier to be in my healthy routine before I start work. If I wake up at 8, then meditate and hit the gym at 9 followed by a healthy green juice. There is still time to relax or write before the work day starts at 12.
I have learned that it’s so much easier to go through life if you have a strong self-love and care routine. My intention in moving here is to improve the relationship I have with myself. It got watered down in London due to many situations and intense energy.
I can easily focus here, creating from the inspired versus forced place. Not to mention to the constant flow of gratitude I feel every time I walk down the white-washed streets covered with pink flowers.
Local people are incredible
My neighbours or all the locals I met in the stores I shop at or the gym, showed me so much kindness. I greet everyone with “yassas” regardless of if I know them or not. They remember me and even though I have no friends here I feel a part of a community. Let’s put it this way, if there was something to happen to me, the locals would take care of me. I love feeling safe around strangers. It makes it so much easier to spend a summer in Greece if you feel welcomed.
Affordable lifestyle
With the cost of living going up and me loving a somewhat of a high lifestyle, I find that I can easily afford things here. I don’t drink much but an occasional glass of wine at €3.50 is a no-brainer. My dinner bill is never over €30 and I like to treat myself to nice things. Some islands such as Santorini and Mykonos are at double price but I wouldn’t recommend spending more than a week in these places anyway.
Gym membership is around €50. There are yoga classes by donation only too. Food at the supermarket never costs more than €50 if I get more than I need. I was lucky enough to snatch an early rent on my studio using a local rental website. All in all I’m living a great life at around €1000 per month including rent. I add an extra budget when I decide to island hop and travel around some more.
Food is not tempered with
One of my favourite things about Greece is its delicous and natural food. It makes the summer in Greece that much more exciting. To put it this way, when I lived in LA the broccoli I bought at the supermarket would look fresh after a month in the fridge. Scary right! Wheres in Greece I can chuck my veggies 3 days after buying them. I make sure I make more frequent visits to the supermarket and buy less for the freshness of things. There is also a little spot right by the church in Parikia where local farmers sell their produce directly. Like a small farmers’ market.
Although I found the food to be the same as them and the supermarket. You can only buy things in the season unless it’s an import and I love this. Moving away from tempering our food to a more natural seasonal produce is the way forward if you want to be healthy.
Don’t even get me started on all the fresh fish caught by local fishermen. Most restaurants only offer local fish which I truly find incredible. I’m not the one for mass farming of any kind and I never support these types of organisations with my money. Small changes make a big impact and I always ask myself where the food I’m buying from. I could also survive on feta cheese, it’s truly incredible.
The ocean blues
The Agean sea is good for the soul. I feel like I completed 30 mins of meditation after only 5 minutes of staring at it. I allow quite a bit of time of staring at the ocean. The deep blues are truly healing and leave me in awe each time.
I hope this post gave you some insight if you are planning to break away from the system. I find that benefiting from the system without being a slave to it, is the way we create the New Earth.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Tania