Search through the luggage of anyone leaving Athens International Airport and you will undoubtedly find a stone, a tiny jar with sand, something to remind them of their visit to the land of the gods. Most importantly though, you will find the Grecian sun in their hearts. That is the impact Greece has on its visitors!
From a very young age at school, children are taught history and it is the Greek history that really stays with them; mythology, the majestic Olympus where the gods reside, the sun – burning for ever – warming the hearts of a most hospitable nation, the sapphire-blue sea and its endless beaches – pebbled, rocky, sandy, crowded, secluded – something to cater to all tastes.
The islands of Greece – rocks randomly thrown into the Mediterranean Sea by Poseidon himself – adorn the country, luring its many visitors to come and get a taste of something unique, an experience not encountered anywhere else on the planet
The temples and monuments – built thousands of years ago in honor of some god or another still stand proud and never cease to be the subject of admiration of all that visit them. Their dominance is symbolic too of the strength and the unity of the Greek people themselves.
Greece is the country where the sun shines three-hundred and sixty days in a year. How then could its people not be blessed with warmth and a friendly, outgoing character? Visitors to Athens are fascinated by the ongoing nightlife and entertainment in general.
Whether it is the traditional bouzoukia or the countless clubs and cafeterias one visits, one thing is certain – they know how to have fun and put all troubles behind them.
They will deal with their issues when the sun comes up again, marking a hopeful future, an optimistic outlook and they know that one thing nobody can take away from them is their charisma – their love of life and living it to the fullest.
By taking along some sand or a stone or anything which ultimately reminds them of their visit to Greece, is like a pact, a promise to come back again. Greece is definitely not a country to visit just once in a lifetime – it draws you back again and again.
The magic is there and in abundance and is ready to embrace everyone wishing to visit it, to explore it and to thoroughly enjoy it.