Around the World in Analogue: Charms of Greece

Greece has a rich history and culture dating back to antiquity and much can be said and learned from the local life, even by simply visiting its scenic seascapes. Paris-based Lomographer Maya Caraly a.k.a. mayargentique visited Athens and the islands of Mykonos and Paros, capturing the beauty of the area in film. She shared her experiences of her trip around the islands with her friend and gave us some culinary tips along the way.

I went to Greece with my best friend in May for 10 days. We started our trip in Athens, then we took a ferry to the Cyclades and visited the islands of Mykonos and Paros, we came back to Athens for some days before going back home. The capital and the islands are two different worlds, Athens sometimes appears more antique, it’s really animated and has a great historical past. Mykonos and Paros are two beautiful islands all painted in white and blue, it’s really nice to visit the villages and enjoy the numerous beaches.

We noticed that the local life has suffered from the 2008 crisis and that traces of it still remain today. In addition to the 2008 crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic doesn't seem to help as well. I think that tourism is the main part of the economy and helps the country to survive. When we arrived in May we were one of the first tourists, and we saw the happiness of traders seeing us French tourists!

One of my fondest memory was the spot where we ended after a walk in Paros, it was a little hidden creek with beautiful turquoise water! We just chilled here and it was awesome. Another good memory is the food, I think I enjoyed all my dishes, I found Greek food just delicious! I don’t have a special photo hotspot to recommend, but I admit that all the little villages of the Cyclades are so photogenic! Streets and houses are covered with white lime paint, the shutters are painted in blue and a lot of different pink, purple and red flowers surround the village.

My first tip for people visiting Greece will be to go to the Cyclades during the low season, We went in May and it was just perfect! We were alone on the beach and the streets were empty, that’s just amazing to take great photographs. My second tip is to meet the Greek’s people by going into the taverns, they are so kind and the food is succulent!

In my opinion, if you go to Greece you need to taste as much as you can of the Greek delicacy, everything tastes so good! If you want to try the famous Greek sandwich, go for a Pita Giro, they are so nice and really cheap. If you like cheese and especially feta, there are numerous dishes made with feta cheese. My favourite one was a fried Feta with honey and sesame seeds as toppings.

Because of the actual pandemic, I had to change my photo’s habits, normally I like to travel and capture new things, cultures, scenes or landscapes that are strange to me. I was always in search of new discoveries, but since the Covid pandemic, I learned to be impressed by the things in my daily life, that’s why I never leave my camera at home and I bring it everywhere with me. I started to take shots in my neighbourhood or even in my flat, something that I normally don’t do. I also did my first auto-portraits, something that I enjoyed a lot. Furthermore, I think this virus pushed me more into a permanent creation with things that surround me.

I don’t have any travel plans for the moment, I’m going to continue my studies in Paris for a while, and hopefully, I will go to Montreal next year. Next to my studies, I will of course continue to take film photos and try to improve my skills.

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written by cielsan on 2021-09-10 in #places #around-the-world #greece #around-the-world-in-analogue