CONFESSIONs from the Heart: truths wrapped in locals' memory

Come, sit. The sun hits hard this time of day, even here under the plane tree. My name is Nikos. I turn forty next week, a dangerous age for a Greek man. It is the age where the hairline retreats just enough to reveal the worry lines on the forehead, the age when we stop blaming our fathers and start fearing we are becoming them. You see the tourists running past the Bourtzi, dragging suitcases that scream across the cobblestones? They are looking for the Mamma Mia dream, the

My name is Marilena , and I have lived all my 55 years on Kythnos, though it took me half a lifetime to truly understand what it means to belong to a place. Tourists say Kythnos is quiet, unspoiled, simple. Those of us who live here know she is anything but simple. She is demanding, unpredictable, full of moods like the Aegean, and she keeps a memory of everything, every promise, every betrayal, every secret thrown into the wind thinking it might disappear. I should know. I o

We are taught from a young age not to talk to strangers. In my city, we navigate our lives wrapped in psychic armor. Headphones on, eyes down, avoiding contact. Unsolicited friendliness is interpreted not as kindness, but as a scam, a threat, or a sign of mental instability. Our interactions are increasingly transactional, optimized for speed at the expense of connection. This constant state of guardedness, while perhaps feeling safe, slowly starves us. It creates a world tha

For a long time, I felt deeply alienated from my own work. My days were fragmented into a series of emails, spreadsheets, and meetings. I was a cog in a machine, completing small parts of a larger process I never saw the end of. It created a psychic split, a feeling that my "real life" was something that happened outside of work, leaving me drained and unfulfilled. My cure came in the form of a small, hand-painted ceramic cup I bought in Crete. The shop owner told me his wife

I confess: I am a recovering productivity addict. My mornings used to be a frantic sprint, a series of "hacks" and "optimizations" designed to shave seconds off my routine. I’d check emails before my feet hit the floor, gulp down coffee while scanning the news, and be mentally "at work" before I'd even showered. I was running a marathon at a sprinter's pace, every single day, and calling it "efficiency." It was, in reality, a state of chronic, low-grade panic.

My name is Despina. I’m 63 now, though most people in Vathi still call me “To Koritsi tou Fournou”—the baker’s daughter. It’s not untrue. My father, Giorgos, ran the old stone bakery down by the harbor for over forty years, and I was the one waking up at four each morning to light the ovens and knead dough long before the roosters found their voice. But if that’s all they remember of me, let me now confess the rest, because there is more to the scent of bread than yeast and f

They call me Antonis, and I’ve run the same periptero—a tiny kiosk—on a corner of Koukaki for nearly 34 years. Most passersby barely...

My name is Sofia, and I was born with wind in my hair and saltwater in my veins. That’s what my grandmother used to say, every time she caught me barefoot on the old volcanic rocks of Lemnos, staring out at the Aegean like it was going to answer all my questions. I’m 45 now. I own a tiny herbal apothecary in Myrina, right between the old Venetian Castle and the bakery that still bakes koulouria the way they did when my yiayia was a girl. I sell local herbs, ointments, and sec

My name is Marina. I’m 35, born and raised in Paros, though for a few restless years I tried hard to deny it. You know how some islands...

My name is Nikos, and I was born in Asklipio, a small inland village tucked in the southern folds of Rhodes. Most tourists come here for...

My name is Katerina, but everyone in town just calls me Rina. I’m 57, I own a small linen shop tucked away in the backstreets of Skiathos Town—just three cobbled turns past the Papadiamantis house, behind the pink bougainvillea that creeps like gossip across the walls. I opened it when I was 29, thinking it would be a side gig. I never expected it would become the stage for both my stubbornness and salvation. Let me take a deep breath and tell you something I’ve never told a

I don’t know if it was the salt in the air or the way the wind rustles the silver leaves of the olive trees, but something about Parga always held secrets. The kind of secrets that don’t shout, but whisper, patiently, until you’re ready to listen. My name is Lefteris. I’m 58. Born and bred here in this jewel of Epirus, where the Ionian sea laps against Venetian colors and Ottoman shadows, and where even the ruins seem to dream. People come here for the views, the food, the ca

My name is Yannis, and I live in the village of Archanes, nestled in the hills south of Heraklion. People know it for the wine, the old...

My name is Eleni, and I live in a house wrapped in bougainvillea and memories, in the village of Lakones on the island of Corfu. They say...

I never planned to stay in Santorini. I came for a wedding. Mine. And then I stayed for something completely different. I am Sophia, and It was the summer of 2003 when I first stepped off the ferry in Athinios port, my heart pounding, dress boxed up, ring tucked into a velvet pouch in my backpack. I remember the caldera wind pulling at my hair like an impatient old friend. The cliffs rising like theatre curtains. I was supposed to be the leading lady. I had no idea the script

The vibrant tapestry of Greek culture is enriched by a unique mindset that shapes the way modern Greeks navigate daily life. Known for their warm hospitality and zest for life, contemporary Greeks approach problems with a blend of ingenuity, resilience, and humor. To understand their perspective is to appreciate a way of thinking that is deeply rooted in history but also wondrously adaptive to modern challenges.

The Greek Crisis is a "short" for the financial challenges and economic recession that Greece has been dealing with, over the past 10...

It's becoming a widespread issue, in Athens. Old people, living alone in their apartments, their beloved next of kins having either left...

Tourists predominantly visit a foreign country in order to see the local landmarks, which, in the case of Greece, are: the ruins, the...

It's no secret: due to the 7-years long recession in Greece, which has resulted in a 25% slash in the county's GDP and a 25% unemployment...

This is an excerpt from the book "With Love from Athens" by Cristache Gheorghiu: it's so refreshing to discover what non-Greeks have to...

When he was in his mid-60s, Stamatis Moraitis was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. His doctor told him he had between six and nine...

In order to get to know a city from the inside, you have to walk it step-by-step, with all your senses at full alert, camera in hand in...

I am an islander, for ever in love with the sea, as were all my ancestors. I did search deep, back into my long family tree: my ancestors...

‘’ΝΕΝΙΚΕΚΑΜΕΝ‘’ – “We won”, messenger PHEIDIPPIDES shouted after he had run the whole Marathonas-Athens distance in full armor in order...

My home place in the island of Rhodes is right on the sea shore. There’s a beautiful and vast piece of sand and sea which spans the...

By spending time close to the sea, you can live unforgettable moments and enjoy a feeling of freedom, while the sounds of the wind and...

This is Zoes, the greek goat herder. Sitting in the back off his pick-up truck, we drove to his small farm high in the mountains. There,...

I know, it's not fair for North Europeans or North Americans. But over the past couple of weeks, we've been enjoying a crazy hazy lovely...

... this lovely-looking homemade pizza. NOT your typical greek dish, but what the hell... Tasty and delicious nonetheless. Being Greek...

​ It was back in 1998. I was already counting 8 successful years of a fully-loaded career in business development, marketing,...

“I’ve always had this dream, and this fire inside me that wouldn’t go away. And this little voice at the back of my head, telling me: “go...