Tuesday, 2 July 2019

First swim of the year...



First swim of the year, and it was fabulous. North wind, calm sea, clean waters, and because we went early enough, not too many people to begin with.




We arrived here in Athens three days ago, and are very grateful as the heatwave that's hit Europe has not materialised here. It's a cool 31oC with a very strong breeze, so, very pleasant. We even have not had the air-con on yet. Things are going to change however, we are told, and it's going to be a scorching 38oC on Thursday, but at least, we've had time to acclimatise ourselves. It's good being here.





Beach life follows a strict pattern: early morning is when old people come for their swim - I remember my mother used to come here about 7:00 in the morning before the sun got too strong, and this seems to be the pattern for most older people. After 10:00 families and people between the ages of 30 and 55 start arriving. After 2:00 it's the time for teenagers and young people in general. Late afternoon and early evening is when people come after work and this includes lots of families. We tend to come around 9:00 and leave around 12:00 when the beach gets unpleasantly busy.





A yacht race is on at the moment which will go on all week, so we could see the yachts in the distance, beyond the net that surrounds our beach.





When the sun gets too hot, it's time to cover up.








Posted by at 15:36

2 comments:

  1. Olga Norris3 July 2019 at 09:59

    Proto bagnio, ... it always used to intrigue me as a child that my Greek relatives used to count the number of times they went into the sea. None of them swam in those days, just bobbed up to their chest. I however loved swimming way out beyond their voices if not their sight. Ah, to swim in the sea again, ....

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    1. Eirene3 July 2019 at 15:21

      Same here, Olga: everyone I knew as a child would count the number of times they went swimming. I never understood exactly why, but it was certainly a topic of conversation.. I don't know how many people still do it. I know some who still do but I think it's dying out.

      People still bob up and down - what counts is being in the water, rather than the exercise, but that's not quite true, because they do see it as exercise. I guess it's because everyone here is self-taught, rather than having lessons in swimming pools which is what happens in the UK. Like you, I like to swim as far out as I can, away from the crowds, and of course, the quality of the water is different in the deep, but thinking back, it scares me how far out I used to go - I was fearless, but less so these days.

      I am so happy when I am in the sea - it's one of the pleasures that has not diminished with the years.

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