A quiet kind of relief
Winter in Greece brings… relief.
If you don’t like your own company,
settling in the Greek countryside might not be the best idea.
Jabba: I actually like winter.
Finally, a moment of relief from those unbearable summer heatwaves.
Jojo: Greek winter is a kind of… non-winter.
Everything is intensely green. Almost suspiciously green.
The air smells like wet earth and herbs.
Sunny days alternate with rainy ones,
and it’s still pleasantly warm.
Jabba: Warm enough for Mum and Dad to pretend it’s still summer.
They keep going for swims.
Jojo: Brave. Or slightly delusional.
Jabba: The water feels like the Baltic Sea in summer.
And yet… in they go.
Like it’s completely normal.
Jojo: Humans have a complicated relationship with reality.
Daily life in Greece slows down
Jojo: But this is when daily life in Greece changes the most.
Everything slows down.
Not dramatically. Just… enough to notice.
Jabba: Our village feels different.
Like it exhales after holding its breath all summer.
Jojo: No more circling cars. No more searching for parking.
No more loud voices bouncing off the harbour walls.
Jabba: No more people stepping on my tail.
Jojo: A tragedy narrowly avoided.
Jabba: It’s quiet now.
Only one café is open.
Jojo: The good one.
Jabba: Obviously.
The one where they know us.
Jojo: The one where they respect us.
Jabba: Very important distinction.
Jojo: The harbour is empty.
The pier too.
Even the beach looks like it belongs to someone else now.
Jabba: Or like it finally belongs to itself.
The small pleasures of Greek winter
Jabba: Oh! And tavernas!
We can actually go to tavernas now.
Jojo: A deeply underrated aspect of winter in Greece.
Jabba: No waiting. No “sorry, fully booked.”
No standing awkwardly near someone else’s table.
Jojo: And significantly higher chances
of being noticed…
Jabba: …and rewarded.
Jojo: With something small.
Something grilled.
Something life-changing.
Jabba: Sometimes I think winter is just a long strategy
to maximise snack opportunities.
Jojo: A noble season.
Jabba: And sightseeing!
We can walk anywhere.
Jojo: No queues. No crowds. No heat pressing down on everything.
Jabba: You can actually stop.
Look around.
Jojo: Think things through.
Jabba: Admire.
Jojo: And sneak in a nap.
Jabba: Since when do you nap secretly?
Jojo: In summer, I nap passionately.
With full commitment.
In visible, strategic locations.
Jabba: Like the middle of the path.
Jojo: It’s called confidence.
Jabba: It’s called being stepped over by tourists.
Jojo: In winter, I choose discretion.
Less audience. Better quality sleep.
Living in Greece beyond summer
Jojo: People imagine living in Greece as an endless summer.
Sun. Sea. Noise. Movement.
Jabba: Ice cream.
Jojo: Yes. That too.
Jabba: But winter shows a different version.
Jojo: A quieter one.
More honest, perhaps.
Jabba: Slower mornings.
Longer conversations.
Jojo: Have you noticed that?
People talk differently now.
Jabba: They do.
Jojo: More calmly.
More attentively.
As if no one is in a hurry to be somewhere else.
Jabba: Maybe because… they aren’t.
Jojo: Exactly.
Jabba: Even the shop owners seem more relaxed.
Jojo: They have time to look at you properly.
Jabba: And smile.
Jojo: Jabbi…
Jabba: What?
Jojo: People always smile when they see us.
Jabba: True.
But in winter it feels… slower.
Jojo: More intentional.
Not entirely alone
Jabba: It does get very quiet though.
Jojo: That’s the point.
Jabba: Sometimes too quiet.
Jojo: For you, maybe.
Jabba: Our little village almost disappears at night.
Lights off. Streets empty.
Jojo: And then…
Jabba: The jackals.
Jojo: Yes.
Jabba: Every evening you can hear them.
Far away, but not that far…
