Visit Greece
Visit Greece: Sitia Beach.
In blogging terms my first visit to Greece remains destined to be a non-event. It was a long, long time ago, way back in the summer of 2001 when I was just twenty two years old.
It feels cliche to even say it, but yes, my first Greek adventure was a lads’ holiday to the grotty resort town of Kavos on the island of Corfu.
Visit Greece: The best photo I could find of my underwhelming stay in Kavos.
Even if you’ve never been to Kavos I’m sure you can picture it. Dirty, average beaches… charmless bars. Uncultured Brits everywhere wolfing down English breakfasts while reading The Sun.
Visit Greece: We thought we were cool. We were wrong.
Nevertheless, that trip will always long live in the memory thanks to a spontaneous and thoroughly insane road trip to Athens.
It all sprang forth from a Kavos travel agency offering cheap tickets and travel arrangements to see England play Greece in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier.
Somewhere in Greece, June 2001.
Well aware that Kavos was rubbish, we jumped at the chance of seeing our footballing heroes play in the Greek capital. Thus we set off on a gruelling 24 hour bus and ferry journey from our hotel to the Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium. It. Was. Rough.
Visit Greece: Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium in Athens.
However, the whole ordeal was worth it when we got to Athens and soaked up the atmosphere outside the stadium.
Moreover, England won the match 2-1, with goals from David Beckham and Paul Scholes. Unfortunately, our celebrations were brief, as we needed to immediately leave for the 24 hour journey back to Kavos. It. Was. Rough.
England players and fans celebrating in Athens.
Sadly (in the case of Athens) and fortunately (regarding Kavos) a lack of photographs means I’ve been unable to add these adventures to my travel report library.
Visit Greece.
In fact, it wasn’t until September 2011 that I made it back to Greece. This time, I enjoyed a more authentic experience on the island of Crete. There, in the city of Rethymno, the town of Georgioupolis and the village of Kournas, I was finally able to give Greece some blogging justice.
Visit Greece: The beach town of Georgioupolis in Crete.
That trip proved so successful I returned the following year for a stay in the city of Sitia. Once again it was a memorable visit that took in stunning beaches, a hilltop cemetery and a 13th century fortress.
Visit Greece: Kazarma Fortress.
In the winter of 2022 Sladja and I were living in Georgia when a spontaneous question arose. How amazing would it be to go and live on a Greek island for several months? After a short consultation we agreed that it would be nothing short of a life dream fulfilled. Thus that’s what we did, booking up three months on the wondrous Cycladic island of Naxos.
Visit Greece: Naxos Island.
This time, on our way out of Greece at the end of our Naxos stay, I finally got to explore Athens and experience a cluster of its world-famous delights. To read more about my time in Greece, check out my articles on:
Georgioupolis, Crete.
Sitia, Crete.
Naxos Island (coming soon!)
Athens (coming soon!)
