According to my Italian friend who now lives in Greece, when the first days of hot weather start, Greeks rejoice "That's it! winter is gone, now we will have cold weather again in November”, apparently our faces light up, our skin clears out, our eyes glisten and our mood improves, the complete opposite to our apparent grumpy winter state!
I can understand that! it is almost the same in any city of the world, when the weather is great, people are happier, Serotonin levels rise as our body releases dopamine.
Greeks love the outdoors, or better put they prefer to be outside of their home, this has created a certain culture that has been built over the thousands of years by the people of this "Summer land".
There are even a few quirks that come with summer in Greece that stun foreigners, here are a few:
Did you know that Greeks count how many ice creams they have in a summer? why I hear you say, simply because the more ice creams you have had apparently the better your summer has been!
We Greeks also count how many swims in the sea we have had! Yeap, we count those too, simply because our parents who listen to all old wife’s tales, will tell you that you must have at least 10 swims to not catch a cold in the winter! Oh, and they must be of at least 30 minutes long, or they don't count! Something to do with the iodine....
Some won't swim until watermelon price has dropped to €0.40 cents a kilo, meaning that they wait until the weather is very hot and the sea has warmed up, before they enter the sea!
I could go on and on, from how many cocktails to how many Greek salads, how much fish they ate...... The truth is that Summer in Greece is special mainly due to Greece's geographical position, it has more than 280 days a year sunshine and it almost never rains from June to September! In addition, the evenings are also warm in comparison.
All of this promotes this outdoor enriched atmosphere that you find in Greece in Summer, it really is a magnificent period, and this is exactly why it is seen as an event that lasts almost 5 months.
Visiting Greece this summer? let us know how you enjoyed your holiday and if your inner Greek made an appearance!
Of course, with the coming of Summer you also have amazing produce, fruit and vegetables are at the very best! and so the classic Greek summer dishes come to life! see them below.
