The hectic life in the cities has only one antidote, only one way of healing. Escape into nature. Into nature, from the somewhat made-up nature of parks and gardens to the wild, untouched by human intervention. People's preferences are so different, as different as the offer they receive from nature. Mountain, sea, forest, plains, lake or river, and a lot of other possibilities that I have certainly omitted.
People's preferences for nature are so different, reflecting, of course, the personality of the chooser.
For me, the sea is the peak (if I may say so knowing that it is the basis of all height measurements). The sea is a great passion, the eternal passion because I will want to get to the seashore as long as I can move.
Hard to say where the love for the sea comes from, I think there are many contributing factors. It probably started from my childhood, from school when my classmates used to go to the sea on holidays and then they would tell me how it was. I live in a country that has an outlet to the sea, the Black Sea, but back then I lived 700 km away and my parents never thought of going to the sea.
That's why I saw the sea after I turned 18. Probably so many years of dreaming of the sea has made it take on fantastic dimensions for me and I believe this because every time I go to the sea I am a bit disappointed. Never has the sea been like this in my imagination.
In my life so far, after I turned 25, I have been to the sea every year. Until 1990 only in Romania, then in Bulgaria, at a higher quality and finally in Greece. Greece is superlative, especially since I chose an island, the island of Thassos.
In Thassos, I got the most I wanted from a seaside holiday. Every person has certain preferences and expectations of where they want to spend their holiday. Some want luxury and comfort from their holiday, others want the water to be a certain way, the landscape, and the climate to be tropical.
I want a holiday as rustic as possible, integrated as much as possible in the daily life of the inhabitants, and don't put a price on special conditions of accommodation and food. I want to do a lot of movement, frequent walks and discover the neighborhoods at a walk. All this I found in Limenaria, the second largest town on the island.
I have a nostalgia for the holidays of my youth and on the island I can have this feeling, because the buildings, the cars, and the Greek way of life seem to be frozen in the past, giving off a vintage feel.
The town is not very clean, the houses are old and dilapidated and vegetation grows unchecked everywhere. It seems that the Greeks are not interested in the impression they leave on tourists. This is a false impression, they know that this is exactly what the tourists are looking for, the authentic Greek lifestyle, climate and Mediterranean cuisine.
Breakfast at the small hotel near the pine forest.
Dinner at a taverna which is a regular house that offers the same food your family eats, with tables right on the sidewalk.
Simple and very tasty food because the ingredients, especially the fish, are very fresh.
This is the general framework of the location, which are some of the reasons why I choose this island. But the real beauty is nature, pine forests, olive groves, goats left free...
The cliff, the sea, the pines, the view, that was our daily food, for that we walked 4 km, crossing the pine forests, always with the sea in front of us, with the sea breeze in our noses.
Everyone had a favorite spot for the beach, for bathing in the sea, for resting and watching the scenery. We walked miles every day for that. Few come to the island to get off the hotel directly onto the beach. Most have their favorite hidden spots to enjoy this Mediterranean nature.
This is how I see the perfect holiday, a holiday that involves lots of movement, healthy and tasty food, and beautiful views. The place to meet friendly and welcoming people. Greece is the place for that.
