Small things that always surprise me on the first day of summer vacation

 

 

I know, I know. September came and I still talk about summer. I decided to merge August and September in a big period of reality denial. As life at the islands only gets better as days are getting smaller, there is no reason not to start each day pretending that is the first day of summer vacation, right?

So, here are some things that always surprise me on the first day of summer vacation:

 

– The people that wave from cruise ship decks, as the Blue Star Boat leaves the port of Piraeus

– The strange feeling of not knowing where I am, when I wake up in the morning

– The pleasant surprise when I look at the white island bedroom walls and realize where I am

– When I remember that I need to wear sunglasses to have breakfast

– When I discover of a plate of fresh cold figs in the fridge (which I know I will have for breakfast)

– The very loud cicadas singing

– That people’s first morning thoughts and conversations are about the direction of the wind

– The fact that more than three ingredients of my lunch are coming from the garden of someone I know

– The ease with which siesta finds the way back into my life

– The night sky, full of constellations and stars that fall leaving a track behind, giving you the time to make a wish

……….

Are these things familiar to you? What surprises you on your first vacation day?

 

photos by christos drazos

words by maria alipranti