“Like Halkidiki, nowhere” | #TheLocals

“Like Halkidiki, nowhere” | Tips by #TheLocals

When someone tells you “Write something about your favourite place in Halkidiki”, you realize, before he even finishes his sentence, that such a thing would
simply be impossible…

Airview of the Kassandra peninsula

From the evergreen, perennial oak trees, that cast a spell on you, when you find yourself in the Holomontas forest in Autumn, the crystal clear waters in the Kavourotrypes and Aegeopelagitika beaches, the delicious fresh fish in Porto Koufo, one a hot afternoon while the cicadas play the 3rd symphony of Beethoven, to the full moon drinks
accompanied by friends’ laughter at the Athitos "balcony"… What can anyone say that will be enough to do justice, about this magical land?

Fishing boats at Porto Koufo

You know… when I was a little girl (and until adolescence, I must admit), I thought that Halkidiki and Thessaloniki, were the same place, as for all the people who lived in Thessaloniki, Halkidiki was just an expansion of our neighbourhood. Our second home. For every age group and a different favourite place. As children at the camp in Metamorphosis, during our first teenager freedoms for a swim with the local bus at Kallikratia, as students for nightlife in Kallithea and the camping’s of Sithonia and as adults at the festivals of Moudania, Kassandra and Sani

Sani festival up in the hill

Sani music festival on Sani hill

When someone is pulling our leg with the classic -after all these years- the expression “Like Halkidiki, nowhere”, I don’t think they realize how much truth that statement
conceals. I have many times tried to explain, but words are not enough to describe the uniqueness of this land. An endless coastline, that no matter how much you explore it, every single time, it has something new to reveal. Sometimes I feel that the land keeps secrets and reveals them when you are ready to embrace them, depending on your state of mind,  on the day, the company you are with, and how much beauty you can handle at a time. Gastronomy, culture, silver olive tree fields and endless pine tree forests,
mountains, and traditional villages. That is the magic of Halkidiki: It has no age, no standard form, no boundaries. You can do “whatever you want” with it…

As for the ones who have never visited it, it makes sense they say “Like Halkidiki nowhere”, with a sense of irony, just because they heard it somewhere. But you can hear the difference when it comes from the mouth of someone who has… It has a sweet memory feeling at the end. That feeling only MY Halkidiki, that mixture of calmness and passion, sun and wind, light and star glow, can cause to the hearts of its visitors. So, I can’t be more serious when I say “Like Halkidiki nowhere”…

By Lia Zampetoglou | Director of Learning & Development INSETE

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