Winter In A Greek Village.
Winter In A Greek Village Through the Eyes Of A 16yr Old.
Im in Kantina working by myself because I can in the winter due to the fact that we close off the outside of the shop and serve inside only, unless its a warmer day.
People are drinking hot coffees and teas.
Not many people are walking outside because it's very cold, just 4 degrees...
Considering Petra is such a lively village in the summer months, filled with tourists and restaurants and cafes, you'll be very surprised to see how little people actually live in the village in the winter. 700-800 villagers actually stay here all throughout the year. I am one of them. Some people believe that we have great weather all year round but that isn't true... that's probably one of the most heard myths that come from people who don't live on the island in winter haha. Most people don't go out in the village as there are only two-three cafes open but also serve food like pizzas. They're very nice but still aren't enough for a whole village. So that results in most of us "youngsters" preferring Mitilini the capital of the island or to Kalloni which is a town a bit bigger than our villages, for something different.
Generally, my pass time consists of studying, going to the gym (as much as possible), Netflix and sleeping :)
School definitely takes up most of my time in winter as do my private lessons after school in Maths and Ancient Greek.
Here in Greece in order to understand and do well in your lessons at school, you have to pay extra for private lessons after school. Yeah, I've stressed this many times before but it still continues to be absurd...
Anyway, throughout winter most of the locals "hibernate" as after a very busy summer they are exhausted and winter is basically a relaxation period for them. Christmas time is a time when lots of students and people from the mainland come over so Petra is more vibrant than usual.
On the bright side, my class organizes parties almost every weekend and it lifts our spirits a bit.
In Greece, we have loads of bank holidays, at least once a month. Greeks like to take days off lol.
Another thing we tend to do in winter is go on day trips around the island on the hunt for picturesque views and something different than our villages that we are very used to. We go out and then we go for lunch at a local taverna. Winter on the island is beautiful and also different as you may have gathered, it's not hot all year round nor is it touristy either so wherever we go its usually just us around. Its a bit like people are hibernating...
Greeks take care of their customers and especially in the winter when things are quieter. By that I mean in restaurants in our villages, the ones that are open in the winter, there is a different vibe than that of the one in summer as things roll slower so that means the atmosphere is warm and welcoming.
May I add that the sunsets in winter are even nicer than the ones in summer!! Just look, this was actually taken last March but still, that counts :)
As Im walking on the beach, I stop to listen... nothing... absolute silence, Its what I call peace, Its relaxing, soothing, calming but at the same time im drowned in thoughts and emotions as I retrieve my memories of the summer and remember that in this spot that im sitting in, we used to play volleyball with my friends in the summer who are back in the UK or Athens now and im still here... I remember how beautiful the summer was and how lively my days were, but then I stop to think again and realize that its something to look forward to again, its something that will keep me going through the cold and quiet winter of my village:)
In general, winters aren't that bad but still for a young person it can get a bit "depressing" so summer is always something we look forward to with excitement.
Hope you enjoyed and were enlightened by this blog.
If you have any other requests for blog posts let me know!!
Tina xx
