thassos chillout
This place me caught me between lives and placed me in it's paradise within and in-between worlds. It has always been a place where you recharge and not because of the sun, the soft sand or the turquoise water.
Of course no paradise would be one without looking the part, but there are plenty examples of paradise which feel souless (and they each depend on the traveler's subjective nature).
However, this chill laid back vibe did not make me feel like I could belong there (Berlin did), but it made me feel like I'm there for a reason.
This / those reasons are more vague than: this means B because A makes C and D is what you were searching for. They rather lay in the moments which stuck with me years after I've stopped going there. In a state of being and mind.
Thassos caught me between lives, as I've been there in different periods, circumstances and with different people from my lives.
Always a family holiday, but surprising in its own individualuty nonetheless
Me & my family discovered this island through an invitation to a wedding. I didn't bother to go. We were close to some of the guests, but I see no point in weddings so I minded my own business. The first week spent there, was, back then, for me a perfect time for introspection, alcohol and island exploration.
What stuck with me from that time was the serenity of everything. Every native seemed to have this unspoken understanding that all happens in due time, with its own flow. Even if that can come with the diversity of having a town alive by night and more of a siesta by day.
I was also surprised, but I am generally surprised by this. The farthest I've travelled was Cyprus and that's not really far. Somehow I've had the most of luck to find all the foreign cultures I've met so far, kinder than ours. Sorry guys, I don't know, maybe it's just me, maybe I haven't met enough people yet.
At that time in my life, Thassos gave me the opportunity to slow down and in live in the present moment. Even if that first trip, was just for a week. The second and third time I think we stayed two weeks or almost two weeks.
On the second round we went, one of my deskmates from high school went with me. The one thanks to whom I've met my boyfriend. Finally, on the last round I went with him as well.
Lazily drinking my coffee in the shade while enjoying the breeze of the sea and purely enjoying simple moments and nature seems more of a luxury nowadays than ever. You earn your money to sustain your bubble. Technology and nature and anything else are extras you've added to your bubble, otherwise today you live in a box ordering other boxes to keep you sane. The better we get at this the more exotic a walk in the park becomes.
This dark note was left here for a reason. We've befriended some interesting people and perhaps, that's where it oficially became tradition - to make some sort of bonds everywhere we go. To this day that still goes on and it seems that the rougher the place, the stronger the connection.
It's funny how now I don't want to go back? Precisely because of that. There's so much of the world left to see and while I'm really fond of the memories, I want too much to experience the rest with the benefit of learning something from any place.
Moreover, I think the vibe is not the same since the Pandemic either and even before…I've heard that too many tourists started to go and that it became too crowded. Going “out of season” could be an idea though, but not in the near future.
Perhaps Thassos's lesson was that you still make your own bed. Despite the times, you can still make and keep and cherish a place of peace if you keep your eyes open in the present and look more than superficially at the people around you.
