I found my HAPPY PLACE in Finikounda Greece

As our car squeezed through two buildings with inches to spare, I suddenly find myself driving along a tiny paved Greek village street. And it is right about now I realize this is exactly where I want to stay tonight. It looks like time has stood still with a mix of original Greek homes, and a few modern ones thrown in for good measure.

And so now the challenge is to find a place to stay.

We note there are a few but not too many tourists, so this means they are staying around here. We try two places and find an old Greek couple close to ninety years old I’d say who live in a house right on the sea. Above them they rent out apartments I think have been set up by their children or grandchildren.

As I walk out to the balcony, I am right over the beach, and I can’t believe how wonderful this is.

We are right at the end of town, so it is peaceful and the balcony looks over toward the setting sun. Time to go and explore!

We climb the rocks at the end of the beach. I love the time I have to relax and talk to Explorason, as our feet grip the rocks in the not too cool water.

Next, we head down to watch several fishermen. Explorason LOVES to fish and rarely gets a chance. One day we will stop; camp; relax; and fish …. one day ??

Then we find ourselves meeting some lovely people who are buying fish from a fisherman who just came in on his boat. We are told these fish swim through these parts to head south for the warmer waters at this time of year and are very rare. They pay twenty Euro for two of them, and the fisherman guts them too and tells them how to grill with some lemon.

As we walk down the little main cobblestone street, I find this to be a perfect place. The photo here is lousy, but sometimes it is hard to get a nine-year-old to take a good photo. It shows how cute this street is. It is shared with cars, pedestrians, cats, dogs, bikes, and diners!

We see the local men playing they games This is relaxed Greek life and they call Explorason over for a photograph.

That night I lay in bed, listening to the lapping of the waves below.  The windows were open, and the air was fresh, but not too cold.  No mosquitoes around, so this was an added bonus. I left the curtains open too, as I just wanted to enjoy this idyllic location.

As the sun rose it was time to start the day, and I sat out with Explorason sipping a lovely coffee, whilst he had a hot chocolate. Then it was time for a morning stroll and a chat.

We love collecting bits of smooth glass, unusual rocks, and shells. But Explorason was fascinated when he found a baby seahorse that had been washed up with the change of tide and sadly died.

We popped it in a shell and carried it back “home”. The Seahorse will be dried and was called ‘Sandy’. Explorason was able to study it closely. He was thrilled with his find.

So now we carry with us ‘Jeffrey’ the dead scorpion we found in Italy, and ‘Sandy’ the dead seahorse.

As we walked along the beach I realized this was just a relaxing little fishing village, and it was wonderful to slow down and just ‘be’.  You can see another church, ruin, square, or attraction, but this time is precious, and I found it interesting Explorason constantly told me “I love you, Mum. You’re the best Mum in the world” as we walked along. He was happy too. What more can a mother want than a wonderful happy child?

By the seafront is also the original old arch.  It is a shame it is hidden and in disrepair.

We sit on some empty Greek chairs and have a rest. We have wandered up and down the beach, up and down the lanes with the small traditional cottages, and down the cobblestone street. So here we sit. I even love the traditional Greek blue wooden chairs with the woven seats.

It is time to head back to our apartment, and you can see it in the distance. It is time for breakfast – what? it is now 10:00 a.m. and the day is already flying by.

We end up spending most of the day in.  Firstly I have a load of washing to do by hand.  Then I want to cook. Finally, I lie out in my swimsuit on the verandah and read a book. Explorason reads and plays on the computer.  It is a rest and relaxation day. We have no internet and sometimes that is good. The Internet can be all time consuming with blogging, Facebook, and other media challenges.

By late afternoon we head down to the restaurants.

There are multitudes of cats of every size, and color. We especially like the kittens. Cats seem to be everywhere in Greece.

They are all hanging around the restaurants, and they are in pretty good condition too.

We wander to the end of the lovely cove to find a place to have a drink and watch the sunset.

And as we sit, I realize I feel a bit like I’ve stepped out of a scene from the movie ‘Shirley Valentine’.

I sit here and realize “I have found my happy place”.

Life is perfect !!

I wish time stood still and this moment was every day.  There is not a lot we need in life. I have a son who loves me.  I have food to cook, and right here I sit on a beach in Greece.

My gosh. I feel so blessed.  I am so very glad I changed my life from what it was in Australia with all work and no play, to a far less stressed lifestyle.  Sure I get concerned about money – we don’t have a lot and we try to live off $60 a day AU.  But amazingly we seem to manage most of the time.  It costs far less to live this life than to pay off a home and all the associated bills and repairs I had. We have few possessions, so few things to worry about with us as we travel.  We get by and notice each day has its own blessings.

And we have our health, and a living classroom each day.  This really is living.  I am glad I have not waited until retirement age. I am so pleased I can have this time now whilst I have the energy levels I do.

As the sun sets over the ocean, I am very thankful for my life and the wonderful journey I am on.

I was recently asked, “if I had the chance to change my mind about deciding to go on this world trip, would I do so?”.

My answer is “not in a million years”.

This is the journey and opportunity of a lifetime.

I am sure there are other places I have, and other places I will find perfect moments as we continue our journey.

But for tonight, I sit here on the beautiful beach in Greece with Explorason, and right here; right now – This is MY HAPPY PLACE!

Questions and Comments

• What do you find fascinating about Greece?
• Have you been to Finikounda?
• What do you make of their culture?
• How was the experience?
• Do share your comments with us below.