Five Reasons To Visit Greece This Half Term.

Where have I been???

I know, I know – there’s been nothing but silence from me for ages. What can I say? It’s been an intense year and quite a journey, and I will most certainly fill you in in the very near future.

En bref, I have gained my QTS, am lucky enough to have been offered a TA position in a local school and I’m happier than I’ve been in AGES.  I am now two weeks into the new term and am really enjoying my new job, but, inevitably, working in a school means I’m also thinking about half term, more specifically how nice it would be to get a week of last minute sun before winter sets in. 

Being the dreamer that I am I’ve convinced myself that we WILL get away (despite the fact Rory is a student again) and have even gone so far as to come up with five compelling reasons to visit Greece this half term. 

Flight times

Bearing in mind that public transport in Leeds is shockingly bad, it often feels like it would prove quicker for me to actually get to the airport and leave the country than it would for me to get across this fair city. This might not QUITE be the case with getting to Greece but a mere 4 hour flight for a bit of sunshine is more than fine by me! As a bonus, the Jet2 flights from Leeds all arrive and depart at a reasonable times – early mornings on the way out so you get a bit of time to do stuff when you arrive, and afternoons on the way back – an efficient use of holiday times IMHO. 

Weather

Although not quite the 30º+ of the summer, Greece in October sees warm days and chilly nights. With average temperatures of 23.5º it is still warm enough to sit on a beach, take in the sights, indulge in some al fresco dining (with wine of course) and top up that tan before winter. It is always nice to have a lovely time without your big coat on knowing that everyone back home is wrapped up in their woolies, wondering where the electric blanket is.  

Food & Drink

I mean, this is pretty much my reason for visiting anywhere but the idea of drinking Ouzo while enjoying feta and olives in the sun is one that appeals. To be fair, Greek cuisine in general is appealing – moussaka, spanakopita, dolmades, gyros and keftedes all feature on my Top 20 food list. If you’re one of those folk who enjoy fish then there’s even MORE for you to enjoy. Though not everyone’s ‘glass of wine’ Retsina is a ‘must try’ too.
*Fact attack* The unique flavour of this Greek white wine harks back to the times when wine was stored in amphorae sealed with pine resin. The resin would infiltrate the wine providing it’s love it or hate it taste. Once they moved on to storing wine in barrels they decided to keep this flavour as a characteristic, everyone should try it once. 
I also have a friend who lives in Greece – good wine with good food and friends in the sun sounds even more perfect. 

History

Bear with. I know history isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, but Greece was not only the home of the first civilisations of Europe dating back to 27th century BC, the Ancient Greek culture is also widely famed for it’s parliament, architecture, art, sport and philosophy all serving as foundations for modern, western society. I mean, how cool is that? To be able to see where, arguably, western civilisation began, walk among 3,500 year old ruins and see artefacts from that time – surely everyone’s mind is blown by that? SURELY!

Just because

It has been a pretty rough 18 months for all of us and we all deserve something to look forward to.
Whether it’s cocktails with friends, a quiet couple of hours to do something that makes you happy, or if indeed you are in the position to be able to treat yourself to a break in Greece (or anywhere for that matter) then do it! 
Life is short. 

This post was written in collaboration with Jet2 but is all true – I really do want to go to Greece.