Σάββατο, 29. Αυγούστου 2026
Ολυμπιάδα, Χαλκιδική 🇬🇷
After a good night’s sleep, the travelling finally felt behind me. This morning, the holiday could properly begin.
Breakfast was served in the lovely gardens of our apartment, and it seemed to include almost everything imaginable. There was Greek yoghurt with honey, cereal, a croissant, bread and jam, cheese and ham, chocolate spread, fruit, eggs, orange juice, tea, and toast drizzled with olive oil and herbs. I may still have forgotten something!
We spent the rest of the morning beside the pool. There is always a temptation to fill every day of a holiday with plans, but why rush elsewhere when everything we needed was right outside our apartment?
I did walk into Stavros to buy a mobile phone holder for the car, having left my usual one at home in England. On the way back, I stopped at the bakery for some rolls. Running errands feels rather less boring when a Greek bakery is involved!
That afternoon, we drove down the coast to Ολυμπιάδα (Olympiada), around twenty minutes away in neighbouring Χαλκιδική (Halkidiki).
We soon discovered that plenty of other people had chosen exactly the same destination. The beach was packed. It was the final Saturday in August: not a Greek bank holiday weekend, but the point at which many summer holidays were drawing to a close and schools across Europe were preparing to reopen. Everyone, it seemed, wanted one last day beside the sea.
We stayed in Olympiada for lunch but decided against trying to squeeze ourselves onto the crowded beach. Instead, we drove back along the coast in search of somewhere quieter.
A roadside sign led us to Suntan Beach, which proved a much better choice. The wind had picked up and the sea was choppy without being particularly rough. I settled down in the sunshine with my book, while the sound of the waves made a fitting background to a relaxed beachside afternoon.
Back in Stavros, we stopped at the beach for one final swim. Afterwards, I sat beside the sea and read for a little longer before we returned to the apartment.
That evening, we walked into town for pita gyros at the Konstantinos grill house, followed by ice cream on the way back: Biscoff flavour for me. We found somewhere to sit, ate our ice creams and watched the town go by.
Stavros was especially lively. It was Saturday night, the holidays were still in full swing, and visitors from Thessaloniki, Kavala and Serres had joined those already staying on the coast. Families wandered through town, restaurants were busy and everyone appeared content simply to sit, talk and watch the evening unfold. It was a wonderfully Greek way to spend the night.
It had been a day of simple pleasures: an enormous garden breakfast, a quiet morning beside the pool, a search for a less crowded beach, a good book, a swim, gyros and ice cream. Nothing needed to be rushed. At last, I felt properly on holiday.
Have a great Saturday night.
Καληνύχτα,
Φ.Χ.
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