We relocated here from Melbourne. There is a saying among Hellenes — “San ti Halkidiki den ehi” — and this is what it actually means.
For a number of personal reasons, Stavros and I relocated to Halkidiki from Melbourne, Australia. But our love affair with this place, which I call ‘paradise’, started over a decade ago with an important reunion with my husband’s family.
As children of migrants, we never really knew much about our roots — our ρίζες — or the incredible places our families originally came from. Of all the places we had travelled to in Greece and around the world, we always somehow found ourselves missing Halkidiki. Not only did we miss it. Somehow, it always felt like home.
“San ti Halkidiki den ehi”
Many Hellenes around the world know the very famous saying, “San ti Halkidiki den ehi” — meaning, quite simply, “There is nowhere like Halkidiki.” But what does that actually mean in REAL terms?
Well, while talking to some locals recently, I found out how this saying came about. Over the years, people here would save their hard-earned money, just like families everywhere, and when the holidays arrived, they would set off to discover somewhere new. Let’s keep in mind that in Greece, this might mean taking a ferry to somewhere as beautiful as Paros or Crete.
They would travel, enjoy their summer break (and believe me, summer is what it’s all about for the locals here!), and then return home and reflect on their holiday. They’d talk to friends and family and say: “It was good… but not like Halkidiki.”
And I think that says a lot.
Three peninsulas, and something for everyone
Halkidiki is a unique place. A magical place that is hard to forget. Of course, it has all the things you might expect from coastal Greece: incredible food, wonderful people, spectacular sunsets and that beautiful Aegean light. But it also offers almost every kind of experience you could possibly be looking for.
And that’s partly because Halkidiki isn’t just one place. It is three very different peninsulas, each with its own personality, landscapes and sweeping coastline. There really is something for everyone. Luxury hotels and boating. Legendary bars and clubs. Hot springs, wild untouched beaches and exclusive beach bars. Quiet little villages, long lunches by the sea and places where you can still feel wonderfully far away from the rest of the world.
Something I can’t quite explain
But I’m not sure it’s only about what Halkidiki has to offer. Now that we live here, rather than simply visiting on holiday, I think there is something else. Something I can’t quite explain. Perhaps it’s the feeling of coming home. Perhaps it’s the history, the people, the landscape, the sea — or maybe it’s something that has been here long before any of us.
Maybe the reason lies in Halkidiki’s mysterious and fascinating past. I might just have to get out those old, dusty Ancient Greek books I studied and find out.
Until next time, from paradise, Anastasia x
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