{"id":17303,"date":"2017-11-27T06:52:12","date_gmt":"2017-11-27T06:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=17303"},"modified":"2017-11-27T06:52:16","modified_gmt":"2017-11-27T06:52:16","slug":"dreaming-of-halkidiki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/dreaming-of-halkidiki\/","title":{"rendered":"Dreaming of Halkidiki"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Memories of beautiful Santorini…\u00a0 \u00a0A Greek island famous for many things – exquisite sunsets dramatic enough to draw cheers from onlookers as the sun takes its nightly dip in the ocean (John especially enjoyed those<\/a>!), the iconic backdrop of blue and white buildings that seemingly perch on the side of vertiginous cliffs, wonderful local produce, and it would be fair to say, the masses of honeymooning couples that flock to it in the hope that the over the top romantic setting will make what should be their most memorable holiday 100% memorable…<\/p>\n

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Of course there are a few larger resorts that cater to families here, but in hindsight (and although we still had an amazing time), Santorini wasn’t perhaps the best Greek introduction for the children (although we still laugh at the memory of the American Honeymooners who looked on in horror as our older two suddenly joined them in their miniature plunge pool<\/a> before we had a chance to shout “noooooo”, sprinting after them without breaking an ankle or two on the lengthy and rather precarious staircase leading down from our cave for the week…<\/a><\/p>\n

We have been talking about going back to Greece a lot recently.\u00a0 I have only ever visited Crete before, and would love to see Athens and beyond.\u00a0 Mr R’s Greek travel history is a little more extensive, but mostly concentrates on Corfu where some friend’s parents owned a brewery (funny that!), but we all know that we love it.\u00a0 \u00a0 Besides many things, it’s just one of the friendliest places to explore, and it helps that most Greek people adore children, making everything all that much easier and relaxed…<\/p>\n

Greece has also been a bit of a hot topic in our house lately, as both the 6th Grader and the 8th Grader are studying various aspects of Greek Mythology at the moment.\u00a0 \u00a0The 8th Grader considers herself quite an expert in such mythological matters already, but our 6th Grader (a typical boy) has been captivated by tales of Battling Giants and Olympic Gods in Flegra – or Place of Fire – better known today as Halkidiki (or Chalkidiki depending on where you read the name\/who spells it to you!)…\u00a0 According to the legend, one of the giants, Enceladus, was buried deep under the ground but is actually still alive.\u00a0 He has a bit of a wriggle around from time to time, and that’s your earthquake explanation right there.\u00a0 \u00a0Chuck in to the “would like to go there” pot the fact that it was the birth place of Aristotle, and also home to the Petralona caves where the skull of a man from a lifetime some 700,000 years ago was discovered, and you might understand why both history fiends are now keen on heading here when we next visit Greece, and the more I look in to it, the more I am inclined to agree…<\/p>\n

The North East of Mainland Greece isn’t somewhere that we Brits typically think of when a holiday in Greece is first suggested though really is it?\u00a0 We tend to head to the islands in the South…\u00a0 That’s not to say that Halkidiki is completely undiscovered, its distinctive three-fingered peninsula that juts into the Aegean is popular with natives and holiday makers from other countries alike, but having now looked in to it a little further, unlike a few of the busier destinations favoured by my fellow countrymen (Santorini for example!!), Halkidiki seems like it could well be the perfect Greek destination to take a family…<\/p>\n

The first claw of the peninsula – Kassandra, is by all accounts the most lively in terms of resorts and restaurants.\u00a0 The second Sithonia sounds a little more tranquil, and the third – Mount Athos is not somewhere everyone can say they’ve been too- mostly because it’s been inhabited by monks since 885, and access to women is still very much restricted (men also need a special pass to visit by the way if that makes you feel slightly better!)…<\/p>\n

Kassandra and Sithonia more than make up for their sibling’s more reserved tendencies with over 550 kilometres of unspoiled coastline to enjoy, boasting some of Greece’s best beaches (Halkidiki has 71 Blue Flag beaches to choose from!) and all flanked by crystal clear seas.\u00a0 I am already imagining hiring a boat for a few snorkelling adventures, or to maybe discover a beach of our own…<\/p>\n

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With thanks to Jason Briscoe<\/a> for the use of his beautiful Halkidiki pictures…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More active members of the family could also enjoy sea kayaking, paddle boarding, or hiking in the pine-clad mountains that surround it… Or maybe an afternoon spent learning a little more Greek mythology in one of its fact filled museums?\u00a0 I am already making a note of a few of the history steeped mountain towns and villages for the days when my blackmailing techniques still work (usually at the start of a holiday!) in a “if we just go and have a look at so and so, we can maybe head to the beach for the whole afternoon” kind of way…\u00a0 Do you know, the more I think about it, the more I am tempted?\u00a0 \u00a0Now I just need to search for somewhere that has its own private pool without any canoodling honeymooners to disturb…\u00a0 \u00a0If you will excuse me, I am off to search for villas in Halkidiki<\/a>…<\/p>\n

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With thanks to Jason Briscoe for the use of his beautiful Halkidiki pictures…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

*written in collaboration with James Villas…<\/p>\n

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