The summer’s drawing to a close…
About two weeks ago, out of the blue, our summer seemingly ended overnight. The scorching hot days gave their place to crazy winds and rain and that lasted for many days. That was very strange weather for this time of year here.
Naturally, we were convinced summer was over. But now, it’s all back, a glorious sunshine out there, like summer’s hit the reset button. So, we’re back on the beach, though swimming is now a much cooler experience than before.
This summer was special, allowing us to do two things we hardly ever do.
First, we got to do picnics on a quiet beach.
Now that my husband, Andy, is retired, we have a choice. It doesn’t have to be on a Sunday when the beaches are filled with people. The first time we had a quiet picnic with the shore almost to ourselves we were enthralled.
Our favorite beach here is Varea in the area of Megara. It is near the fishing village of Pahi, a short drive away from our home in Nea Peramos, which is another seaside town situated 36 kms west of Athens.
Varea Beach is phenomenal, so incredibly unspoilt, unlike so many others near Athens. The seabed is perfect. No rocks or seaweed-just sand. And the waters are sparkling clear. On top of that, the general, rather barren landscape also tricks you into thinking you’re in a quaint Greek island, as you can see in the pictures here. This allows my mind to unravel and wander, so I can conjure up new stories. A wonderful place to be. 😍
The triangle-like peak you can see in the above photo rises over the fishing village of Pahi, and a tiny chapel stands on the top. It’s most enchanting to gaze at. Here are more pictures from Varea beach.
The other interesting feature of the locale, would you believe, are aeroplanes!
There is a military/civil airline airport beside Pahi, so we get to see an air show of sorts, every single time we are in Varea. Most days, civil airline planes fly up and down the beach, which carry either pilots having their training, or civilians, who buy an hour’s flight as passengers for a special treat.
My husband did that too, a few years back, for his birthday. He flew around the area with a very pleasant, chatty pilot. The furthest part they got to fly over was Aegina Island.
So, while we swim and sunbathe, the faint mechanical buzz of the small civic planes never stops echoing. Things get louder on the days the military takes over the skies, though. A couple weeks ago, a Chinook helicopter kept flying in circles over the airport, Pahi and overhead as we swam, raising a racket.
Whenever it reached the airspace of the airport it spurted out a dozen paratroopers. It must have held dozens of them in its bowels. The last ones had to fly in circles over an hour before they were called to do their jump.
Other times, the military does exercises in the sea with inflatable speed boats, the Navy Seals diving in the water, then getting picked up again. They occasionally do military exercises in the whole area. The Greek Navy Seal/Paratroopers camp is in our town, so we also get to see the odd military exercise from our local beachfront.
In this short Facebook video I took on the beach, you can see a small civic plane as it approaches to land. Sadly, I didn’t have my phone handy the day the Chinook kept us company 🙂
Maybe next year!
Now, to segue back to what I was saying earlier about doing two special things this summer.
The second one was that we were able to visit both the islands where I have family roots.
That’s Corfu in the North Ionian sea, and the island of Limnos (or Lemnos), in the Northeast Aegean.
In my recent newsletters, I have been sharing information and photos from Corfu, like from my visit to Corfu town or the charming village of Agios Mattheos.
There are a few more photos to share from Corfu, which I will leave for a later time. Maybe, when the winter has come for good, when we all need a bit of summer sunshine to stream through the bleakness and warm our hearts.
In my next couple of posts, I will be sharing about my recent vacation on Limnos, which is totally different from Corfu. Being situated in the Northeast Aegean sea, opposite the Turkish shoreline, it is rugged, much like a Cycladic island, but way larger than any of them, and it is remarkably stunning, offering amazing beaches and food and diverse landscapes. So, stick with me, and see what I got up to!
If you are on Tik Tok, check me out! During my vacation on Limnos, I signed up and started posting videos on there, mainly from the beaches of Limnos. Enjoy, and give me a follow, so you don’t miss the future videos either!
In today’s newsletter, I am discussing Greek beef soup–how Greek mothers swear by it to keep their children strong throughout the winter. And I’m sharing my mother’s recipe so you can make it too! The newsletter contains a load of FREE book offers. Make sure to download a bunch and enjoy!
If you’re interested in all things Greek, try these posts next – all fun anecdotes from my life in Greece:
My close encounter with a sea turtle at my local beach ended with a few chuckles. Also, my family recipe for Gemista. Here’s a fun, summery post https://effrosyniwrites.com/2025/07/11/greek-eggs-tomato-sauce-recipe-gemista/
Fast tortoises and Aesop debunked 😜A chuckleworthy post https://effrosinimoss.wordpress.com/2021/06/11/fast-tortoises
Porphura: Mollusks with a royal secret https://effrosyniwrites.com/2021/05/28/royal-secret-mollusks
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