Notes from a Secret Greek Island

Shhhhhhh.........everyone has secret places that are unique and special to them even when traveling ! A few years ago I was lucky to find a wonderful little island in a country of islands that is very dear to my heart. I took the leap of faith and rented a traditional village house for six weeks, solo,  in a place where I knew no one at all. I have a deep and abiding affinity for the culture and have been many times to other places but not to this island. I now come every year and it has become my private retreat in so many ways which is very precious to me.

This very special place has elements that I was specifically looking for -  a small, traditional village on a traditional island which is not inundated by mass tourism and still off the beaten track, a place where the people live their daily lives as they have for generations, a beautiful sea , virtually no air or light pollution ( how precious to see the stars twinkling in an indigo sky as they should ) healthy, simple food, safe, and genuinely friendly people.

I found the place that is right for me. A village that has no vehicles and which requires a fairly strenuous walk to reach, donkeys braying and sheep bells tinkling, and the chanting of priests in the morning from the numerous churches dotted around, church bells ringing the hours, fig trees rustling their leaves outside my window......

I believe that we should honor those secret places within our souls and in our lives wherever they may be found. For me,  just being here solo during these precious weeks once a year is as much an inner journey as an outer one.

I wish everyone the power of experiencing their very own secret place wherever it may be found !

Caveat -  My family and friends know where I am in this big, wide, wonderful world of ours ! Shhhhhhh......... its a secret ! 

Carpe Diem - * Sabrina

The Power of Secret Places

       

Travel is incredible for opening your eyes to the diversity and beauty of life on this planet as well as for truly expanding your knowledge of the world. Travel for me is essentially  a deep passion in my life and continually shapes my need to keep on exploring and learning. Solo travel in particular has evolved into my preferred mode of travel and my mantra is to take it slow and give yourself enough time to absorb more fully where you are.

I have been fortunate to experience a great variety of travel destinations in my life and there are just so many more !  "So many places and so little time " Ha ha !



     

Our  present era of technology and the ability to have swift information literally at our fingertips has revolutionized  the travel business in the last ten years. We can instantly find out versions of places we must see before we die, or the world's 10 best secret beaches, cities, countries, restaurants etc. How ironic that when these "secret places" become available to all on the worldwide web they instantly become much less "secret."


I love to share my travel experiences and impressions but also know it is very important and powerful to honor your own personal secrets ......which also includes some of my own unique and yes, "secret " destinations. The irony of this does not escape me as I write this post on my travel blog !

Of course I will write about my various solo travel experiences and give specifics but I want you to know, fellow travellers, that we all should have some "secret destinations " that must remain  that way ................... and I do !

Carpe Diem *   Sabrina

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware" - Martin Buber

Solo versus Single Travel.......but no selfies please !

I was reading a travel article recently on the growing popularity of single travel among women in the " over 40 " demographic and it made me reflect on solo travel as I like to experience it. It so happened that I had a previous conversation with a very well traveled female friend and we were discussing the differences between single and solo travel. She travels on her own to join a travel group as a single traveler. The travel article also defined this type of travel as single travel and was providing many websites for group tours designed especially for singles. My definition of solo travel is traveling alone as the entire experience and not joining any kind of tour, travel group or retreat. So I will use solo travel as my own personal distinction!

I met an older woman recently in Spain who was traveling on her own. She was taking photos of a fountain and I asked her if she wanted me to take her photo. I know what that is like as one of my travel quirks is never to take "selfies" or buy one of those dreaded "selfie sticks " ! Have you ever seen a sign in a cafe that says they don't have wifi....talk to people ? I don't take selfies...... I talk to people ! Ha ha. We sat in a cafe for a drink and she told me she travels for a few days on her own before she joins a tour group. However, her own personal story was she adores travel and her husband does not. He golfs in Florida, USA while she goes as a single traveler and joins various travel tours around the world.

This is a way to have travel adventures if you just cannot see yourself going completely solo!

I know solo travel is relatively rare for both men and women but if you have the feeling you would like to try it , even for a few days,  it can be a deeply renewing and self revealing experience !

As a woman who is not afraid to travel solo and who concentrates on European travel it is always an opportunity to keep learning and exploring, to follow my own individual interests, to celebrate the ability to take risks, be confident in myself, and to renew my body and spirit with the concept of slow travel.

For example, in Athens, Greece the Parthenon and the Acropolis are one of the ancient wonders of the world. When I was there recently I spent two hours absorbing the details of the structure, the architecture , the deep historical energy, soaking up the wonderful golden warmth and light while walking carefully on the marble stones that have been polished by millions of feet and are as slippery as ice !  I could easily have rushed to a few other places in those two hours but I prefer the more intense experience. I also had a nice  interlude acting as an impromptu tour guide to an older couple who were on their own and who had not researched the Parthenon beforehand  ( they thought it was a castle.)

The opportunity to travel is always a precious experience in terms of  both time and money so it is wise to shape it in the way that you truly will enjoy ! There is no "right "or "best " way to travel and my advice is to be thoughtful and careful in regards to your own personality whether you travel solo, single, as a couple or with friends or family !

"But no matter, the road is life "  Jack Kerouac

An Iconic Flea Market Experience in Berlin,Germany

On a slow, solo weekend in the vibrant and individualistic city of Berlin I spent an afternoon exploring a little known and culturally iconic flea market located in the former East German area. Berlin is famous for their amazing flea markets and one of the best known is at the Tiergarten. This is a wonderful one to also stroll around and I particularly like looking at their silver ware and old linens.

However this market is not the one I am going to write about in this post ! If you want to experience a small flea market, in a real neighborhood and which is focused on selling items from the former East Germany ( as well as other items from the 1960's and 1970's ) then go directly to the Arkonaplatz on Sundays between 10 and 5 p.m

In a small leafy square and surrounded by neighborhood coffee shops this is an iconic Berlin experience. As you wander up and down you will see record players with vintage albums, German movie posters from the 1940's and 50's, vintage dresses and shoes, sunglasses, coffee cup sets and silver ware from the East German era, and cool, futuristic ( even for today's standards ) furniture and lamps from the early 1960's "sputnik " era from the time of the Russian and American race for space !

The vendors are relaxed ,specialize in their wares and nothing is very expensive. You can bargain a little, usually offering 10 to 20 percent off the asking price. Fantastic people watching too as you peruse the treasures ! I love the juxtaposition of items which often have a surreal air to them. Last time I was there I bought six silver plated spoons from an elderly couple who I am sure spent most of their life growing up in the former East Germany. This is the area of Berlin that has the most remnants of this era in history as well as the longest length of the remaining infamous " Wall " known as the Mauerpark.

If you have enough time and energy left over you can walk to the huge, sprawling and lively flea market in the Mauerpark ( which has the graffiti laden and artistic paintings on what is left of the real Wall )

 But that experience is another story...........

How to get to Arkonaplatz with the Berlin metro -      Take the U8 to the Bernauerstrasse stop

"Always keep your eyes open. Keep watching. Whatever you see can inspire you " - Grace Coddington

A Life Long Passion for Greece !

I resonate to the idea that all of us have a ' soul country' , which is often not our place of origin , and we are very fortunate if we find it during our lifetime. This concept of a soul country is not as simple as " I love the beaches, the food, the buildings " etc. It is rather a deep sense of belonging and a sense of knowledge on an inner level when you first travel to that place.

This happened to me at a young age when I first traveled to Greece in my twenties visiting Athens and Crete when Greece was emerging from the times of their dictatorship. I instantly felt an instant connection and rapport with the land, the culture, the history and the people. I studied ancient history and have always loved ancient Greek mythology but this feeling went way beyond an academic interest !

I have been so fortunate to travel back to Greece and the astonishing Greek islands countless times during my life ( well, lets say more than thirty times and I have explored twenty plus islands ) There is a very unique energy in Greece made up of the translucent quality of the light, the crystal sapphire seas, their ancient history, the simple Greek philosophy of enjoying and appreciating life, their attention to family, their open hearted attitude to tourists, travelers, foreigners, their traditional way of life on many islands, the Greek food which is very simple and fresh ( and their extra virgin olive oil which they use liberally is now known as a health food crucial to the long life " Mediterranean diet " ) and of course the beautiful sunshine which Apollo provides Greece with most generously all year long !

Ahhhh...the heavenly Greek islands !  Did you know that Greece has approximately 1,400 islands of which 227 are inhabited and has 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites. My life long passion has been to experience many of them......Chios, Rhodes, Crete, Astypalea, Corfu, Kefalonia, Karpathos, Naxos, Sifnos, Andros, Thassos, Aegina, Hydra and so many more !

My advice if you want to experience the Greek islands ( and perhaps this may be your only visit to Greece ) is to definitely see Santorini for its sheer geographical beauty, although it is the most heavily touristed with cruise ship visits and then one other island , perhaps Folegandros, which is close to Santorini and much more traditional.

If you are an independent traveler then I recommend island hopping as the thing to do on your first visit to get an overview !

Greece is a very safe country to travel around as the people are honest and genuinely friendly but of course take the usual precautions with your belongings. Personally I have never felt unsafe in all my years of traveling in Greece.

If you have any questions about traveling in Greece and around the islands please ask me in the comments section below. I love Greece and will be happy to help !

Carpe Diem *  Sabrina

" The days in Greece are like golden coins which I spend slowly one by one.....   -   Sabrina

Open the Door in Hydra, Greece. Leonard Cohen's artistic hideaway !

When you are traveling, whether solo or not, it is wonderful to take in details of where you are that you can then transcribe in writing or in photography. Take a look in a completely different way and you will discover real beauty in what are usually very ordinary objects !

When you are in a brand new city, country and culture your eyes are wide open and you can drink in and more fully appreciate what you are experiencing. Ah........the true beauty of slow travel !

 Hydra is an exceptionally unique little Greek island as there are no vehicles permitted  - not even bicycles ! It has a permanent population of approximately 2,000 people and 500 donkeys and mules (and one fire truck, one ambulance and one garbage truck ) It is incredible to think of the children who grow up on Hydra living this lifestyle and what they must think when they have their first visit to Athens. It must seem like they are on a different planet !

UNESCO has awarded Hydra a special recognition for " preserving integrity of place "  I spent one afternoon wandering the narrow, twisting, back streets through Hydra town and was taken by the intricate and utterly unique door knockers which were just like little works of art ! This is one of the fantastic moments of   "slow travel " when you can truly take time to drink in and fully appreciate where you are !

Carpe Diem*           Sabrina


MAGIC DOORS !

" Traveling- it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller "  -  Ibn Battuta

The Joys of Solo Travel- An Inner Journey

                                         - San Sebastian, northern Spain

There are so many types of travel that you can choose to do and for so many reasons.Most people choose a type of organized travel with family, partners, spouses, friends and I have also enjoyed this type of travel as well over the years. However, I have evolved over the last ten years into the joy ( and art ) of solo travel and this has become my preferred way of traveling !

As a close friend told me " Sabrina, you were born with wings under your arms " I love this compliment and I definitely have the " wanderlust " and what I also like to call the " wonderlust " mixed in with it.

When I travel solo it can range from weekend trips alone, to periods of one and two weeks in various European cities and countries. My lengthiest period of solo travel was for six weeks when I rented a small, traditional house on a Greek island. This experience will be one of my upcoming posts. I consider Greece to be my " soul country " and I have been so fortunate to travel to Greece over forty times in my lifetime and have spent time on twenty four islands.

                                                   - the Acropolis, Athens, Greece 

Over the past thirty years from a  Canadian young woman backpacking around the Greek islands, to traveling to Europe for fifteen years in the summers, to living and working in London, England for one year and now in Germany over the past eleven years I have embraced the ex pat lifestyle...and you may guess what profession I am in ( which is one I love ! ) that affords me this type of time.

If you are reading this post you are most likely a solo traveler yourself,   and/or wondering if it is right for you and longing to try it and may be a bit fearful about the experience. I would recommend trying a solo trip, even close to your home, for a weekend at first.

I find when I speak to people about solo travel it is usually not the actual travel itself that is causing the fear but rather the fear of being alone. This type of travel is not for everyone and the most important aspect is to know yourself. If you are the type of person that gets the most out of experiences by being with people on the journey than that is your preferred travel style.

Travel  is precious and involves costs in terms of both money and our precious ( in our often frazzled, hectic world) TIME. I think as we get older that often time becomes our most precious commodity of all. Hence why it is important to choose and plan wisely with your " golden " travel experiences.

                                                   - Athens, Greece 

 I believe solo travel involves confidence in yourself, a strong element of independence and self sufficiency, risk taking, and just being comfortable with your own company and in your own skin. This is true for both men and women. Solo travel also develops these qualities ! If it is your first time and you can do a solo trip for even two days you will really know if it is right for you or not.

It also involves a great deal of research before hand so you can get the most out of the experience along with being conscious of safety concerns. ( I will write about my own safety tips in another post ) Generally speaking traveling in Europe is quite safe for women.

My style of travel is to take it " slow " and stay in one place for a period of time and be selective in what I choose to see and do. " Slow travel " has become a concept much like the slow food movement but again I believe it is in knowing yourself. Some people would be very bored with slow travel just as I would become frazzled with rushing from place to place with checklists. Know yourself first !

                                        - Happy pintxos, Donostia, northern Spain 

Please use the comments to ask me any questions you may have about my  solo travel

experiences !  My next post will be practical ones. My safety tips and packing tips !

Carpe Diem *  Sabrina                     FYI -   I always use my own photos on my blog !

" The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait 
   until that other is ready "   -   Henry David Thoreau                     ...... and woman  !

Plan your own European travel with freedom, style and saving money

I plan all my solo travels independently and will share my tips regarding airlines, what I look for in accommodation and what websites I recommend for booking places to stay - slow, solo, sparkling, Sabrina style !

                                                - the Acropolis, Athens, Greece

Seriously though........ my solo, independent travels are mostly within Europe and vary from weekends to stays of up to six weeks.

My tips will also be relevant if you are planning a European trip from North America or elsewhere. A huge part of travel in my opinion is the research beforehand and then really knowing what you are doing and what you are seeing ! I find it fun to do and it is always a learning experience !

If you are traveling from Canada or the U.S.A. I would recommend finding an inexpensive return flight to a major European city such as London, Paris, Amsterdam and then going from there. You can also fly one way into one city and out of another back to your original point so you do not have to back track. This is also the case if you already live in Europe as many airlines offer one way fares.

When I look  for accommodation I focus on small, family run, traditional, charming places in the best location possible. In Europe these can be called pensions, hostals ( not hostels, there is a difference ) or hotels.Often these are the 1,2 and 3 star hotels as they do not have swimming pools, room service etc. but often reflect historic buildings.

https://www.acropolishouse.gr     A charming and traditional little hotel in the Plaka area of Athens, Greece. I have stayed here a few times over the years.

My favorite website over the last ten years has been   www.booking.com and you can book from any country. There are many others but I find this one to be the most reliable and often you can cancel up to the day of booking ( but check when you book for the specific hotel policy )

 I have also rented houses for periods of two weeks or more and I like the British websites the best when looking for European houses, apartments, villas, cottages to rent. The American websites are frequently significantly more expensive and have much less choice of locations ! You can book on the British websites with no problem and pay in British pounds or euros. I have used  both of these ones -

www.homeaway.co.uk        and    www.holidaylettings.co.uk


There are so many charter airlines within Europe that offer great fares and can sometimes seem as cheap as taking a bus if you can travel in the off season or book ahead. Just look through their destinations and you can often find a completely different way to plan your trip with one way fares so you do not have to back track.

Here is a list of airlines that I personally use ( and you can book the fares independently from other countries if you do not live in Europe ) All of these airlines offer one way fares.

www.condor.com ( all over Europe, they also fly to cities in the USA and Canada )

www.airberlin.com ( all over Europe )

 www.aegeanairlines.com  ( all over Europe and in particular Greece and the Greek islands )

www.vueling.com   ( all over Europe and in particular within Spain )

www.tuifly.com  ( all over Europe and the Canary Islands )

www.ryanair.com  ( all over Europe )

www.easyjet.com  ( all over Europe )

www.bmiregional.com   ( within England and all over Europe )

www.iberia.com  ( Spanish airline and flies all over Europe and to the Canary Islands)

www.aerlingus.com ( national airline of Ireland. Great airline to fly to Dublin from European cities )

 ( Please note I am only recommending accommodation and airline websites that I have personally used on my blog )


Carpe Diem *    Sabrina

" Airplane travel is nature's way of making you look like your passport photo " - Al Gore

Slow and Solo - A Particular Type of Journey

Slow Solo Travel -  A Particular Type of Journey


As in the recent concept of " slow cooking " where food preparation and meals are done slowly with care, attention and with fresh ingredients this is also the concept of  " slow travel " in how I experience it.

                                           - Glowing lemons, Athens, Greece

 Personally I have never been attracted to group or organized travel and have always preferred to make my own independent arrangements and journeys. Even when I travel with friends we make our own arrangements  without going through a travel agent or packaged tours. However I completely understand the desire and need for organized travel and think it is wonderful that so many people can live their travel dreams through this mode.There is no such thing as a " right " way to travel ! It is whatever works best for you and is all  part of knowing yourself and your own individual style and tastes.


I arrange my travels in a way where I can take time in a location and really get to know it with a deeper layer. I do not feel the need to have an extensive checklist and rush to get through my list of museums, art galleries etc. I would rather spend more time in one location and select what I would like to see and experience those choices without feeling rushed. This is true for me whether I am traveling solo just for a weekend or for a few weeks.

My blog will concentrate on my solo travel experiences within Europe ( some being cities such as Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam as well as countries such as Greece, Spain, Germany, England ) As a Canadian I am so fortunate to have lived in Europe for eleven years now and have had many solo travels within that time frame.

My next post will be practical ones ! I will share European accommodation and airline websites with you that I use frequently. I will also have a post on packing tips so you are not overly weighed down with luggage ( this can be a nightmare ! )

I will also post a page on my own personal safety tips that I use as a woman traveling solo.

So........ I am looking forward to the journey together as I develop this blog !

 Carpe Diem*          Sabrina


" One day,  you will wake up and there won't be any more time to do the things you've always wanted to do. Do it now " -     Paulo Coelho

The Seed of a Passion

We all have many passions in life that our unique to our own personality, our own individual  talents and style......one of my deepest and life long  passions is the sheer love of travel which in my lifetime I have been very fortunate to discover in a myriad of ways.

My personal love for movement and all the new experiences that travel offers has its seed in my childhood in the 60s when it was extremely unusual for a Canadian family to live in Ghana, west Africa for two years where my sisters and I attended a British school. As I grew up my family moved frequently and I now know that we had the experience that the sociologist David Pollock terms "Third Culture Kids" which for me contains the seeds of my love and longing for travel.

I have been living and working at a job that I love in Europe for the last eleven years which affords me frequent holiday time to indulge my passion for travel. I envision my blog to focus on my love for what I like to call  " Slow, Solo Travel " which I believe is a unique form of travel especially for women. This has evolved into my preferred, but not my only, style of travel over the years.

I am definitely a Europhile, and in particular a Grecophile, and I have also spent time in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Mexico, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco as well as travelling across Canada and the USA but those particular travels were not solo ! I have spent a good part of thirty years experiencing the joys of travel in many guises.

So many people have asked me about how I do it, why I travel on my own , how I plan and prepare etc. and are just  very fascinated by my experiences.They have frequently requested that I write a travel blog......so here I am !

 If I can inspire anyone who has been hesitating to travel solo, even for a weekend, then I will be very pleased. This type of time spent alone is very much both an inner and outer journey.

At the moment I am on the tiny Greek island of Hydra which is about two hours by boat from Athens. It is a place that is exceptionally unique in the world as there are no vehicles permitted not even bicycles. UNESCO has awarded it a special recognition for preserving "integrity of place." Donkeys, mules and your own two feet are the basic modes of transportation and I will do another post soon about this experience.

Greece and the Greek islands have figured prominently in my explorations for thirty years and will definitely feature in my upcoming posts !

My individual style is very eclectic and wide ranging in interests so I expect this will be reflected in my blog .............

be prepared for something different !

Carpe Diem*     Sabrina  

                             " Life itself is our ultimate solo journey " - Sabrina