I arrive (gratefully) at a big round birthday number this summer. I'll be in Greece for work on the day itself, and a week later work will have me in France. I'll be on my own, and I'd like to take some time to enjoy my own company in one of those countries, with as much sunshine and swimming as possible. Do you have suggestions? I'm really open to your input, and I'll mention a few priorities within.
It's been a bang up few years, and I'm genuinely feeling good for the first time in a long time. It's been a project to get here! In the last six or so years, I've been through a divorce, a rebound, a crazy series of medical worries, all while moving countries, letting go of smoking cigarettes, weed, alcohol, and becoming fitter than I've been in my adult life as a consequence. This attention to self is a work in progress, and I'd really like to bask in it. A moment of birthday reflection, if you will.
The things my current home doesn't deliver are: sun, wilderness, swimming, warmth, forests, and all sorts of the summertime features of the place I grew up that loom large in what I really miss: cicada noise, perfectly ripe tomatoes, spending all day sweating and swimming in whatever body of water is nearby as often as possible. I'd love to find those things in Greece or France while I'm already there. A key detail: I won't rent a car. If I can't get there by train, bus, bike, or walking, I'm not going to go. This is the only non-negotiable detail, really.
I've never been to Greece, and I'm wary of being a part of the tourist hordes. I don't know how to judge where I could go where my presence wouldn't make life worse for locals and make me feel bad for contributing. I don't speak Greek, so I accept that in some way I'm going to be contributing to the tourist crush.
I'm in France often, and I speak French. I've spent a lot of time in the Ardeche, and I love it (it reminds me a lot of where I grew up). It's not easy to get around without driving or I'd go back again. I worked in Marseille last summer and really enjoyed it, but it made me crave escape from urban life. I took the ferry to Corsica (Santa Giulia near Porto-Vecchio) but the trip was spontaneous and I didn't think much beyond what I could get to and from in the time I had available. I ended up in a beautiful place that nevertheless was tantalisingly close to nature without it being very accessible, and also very tourist-oriented.
I am notoriously bad at planning leisure time. This time, I'd like to try. If you have suggestions that might fit the bill, I'm all ears! |
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