From Fear to Awe. How Greece Changed My Rhythm!

I did not like Greece the first time. Not even the second or the third.

I was watching over the Prokopos Lagoon and Strofylia Forest from a view point on Mavra Vouna Hill.

I was seeing it through young eyes, with little information. My school years only praised Romania in the history books, and we were not taught about other cultures. Life in Romania was difficult after the 1989 Revolution. I had just started traveling abroad, and I have to admit, I was terrified of everything new.

There wasn’t much information on the internet back then. We didn’t have AI.

Prokopos Lagoon, Strofylia Forest and the sea.

Information came from international guidebooks, if you could find and afford them, or from the early days of Wikipedia. No GPS apps. No Google Maps. Only paper maps.

I had a constant fear of getting lost. But that fear also made me more aware, more observant. The food was different from what I knew. The language made no sense. I was wild and restless. But I documented what I saw with my camera.

Now I wake up missing everything about it. The air, the sounds, the views, the people. The peacefulness of my mind.

The last few times we had to leave Greece, I honestly cried, alone, watching the sunrise in silence, before we started our drive back towards Romania.

I knew, and I still know, that I had to make this move a reality.

We sold our Apple Watches

The amazing Umbrella Pine Trees

In an effort to feel time differently, and also because this transition needs extra funds until we sell the house, we sold our Apple Watches. I realized they kept me connected to the constant need of being productive. Every beep, every notification, every call, right there on my wrist.

Now, I feel time in a softer way. More human.

Kalogria

When I began discovering Greece, the first place that truly captured my heart was Kalogria. Those who have followed my posts won't be surprised.

I had the chance to explore it without rush, not just the gorgeous sandy beach, but also the Strofylia Forest, its wildlife, and the park that stretches all the way to the Prokopos Lagoon.

There was no drone back then, so I climbed Mavra Vouna Hill, overlooking the lagoon, trying to take in as much beauty as I could.

Even if this may sound false or poetic, that was the moment something shifted. Greece became something beyond a visit. I felt it deep in my body.

When I got divorced, I made myself a promise: I want to live with no regrets. I don't want to reach the end of this journey wondering... what if.

Kalogria Beach

It may seem that I'm ungrateful for my life in Romania. I'm not. I just feel something pulling me, stronger and stronger.

I am not afraid of this move. I look at it the way I used to look at places I'd never been — with open eyes and no idea what's coming. That's enough for me.

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