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What I Love Best About Greece – IBC

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It’s time for another edition of International Bloggers Club.  If you are new here, we are a group of friends from all over the world who get together every month to share our projects, compare notes and see how we do things in our corner of the world.  Last month we shared our crafts with baskets, and before that crafts using household items.  

This month we are going to do something totally different. Katrin of KreativK is always experimenting with the look of her projects and she suggested we try a flat lay photo shoot. Of course it would not be complete unless we added our very own favorite things that we love from our countries. 


Sunglasses on a book, What I Love Best about Greece www.theboondocksblog.com
Greece is all about the blue and white.  These are the colors of our flag and also the prevalent colors that I see every time I look out the window.

The sunglasses are a must because when we talk about the famed bright light of Greece well, there is no way you can go out there and not have to squint. Everything looks sharper and more vibrant because of this bright light. And the sky is blue, always blue, that beautiful blue!

​To be honest, I am not such a fan of the sun because it is too harsh for me but I do love the way it makes everything look so bright. And there is much less depression in our country from all that vitamin D. Plus everyone looks cool wearing sunglasses!

Greece is also famous for its olive oil and olives.  This is a huge part of my life.  We go olive picking every year around Christmas time and then harvest the olives to get fresh olive oil.  It goes without saying that most of my cooking includes olive oil. 

The olive branch also has a deeper meaning.  It was made into a wreath and worn by the winners of the Ancient Olympic games. This was their prize. And it represented virtue and honor for the winners. 

And the driftwood?  We are lucky to live near the shore, as many Greeks do who live on the islands.  We don’t live on an island but the beach and the bay are a part of our lives. 

olive branches and driftwood, What I Love Best about Greece www.theboondocksblog.com
Greece is also famous for her ancient ruins.  That is a photo of the oracle of Apollo at Delphi I had snapped many years ago.  Of course it still looks the same.  The ruins don’t change much.  And they are everywhere.  It is not unusual to hear of someone wanting to build a house and in the process of excavating the earth they find ancient ruins and so the construction has to be halted. Ruins and ancient artifacts are everywhere. 

The ruins are Delphi are located in the middle of a mountain range up there in the clouds.  My love for the mountains of Greece is well known.  I think it has to do with the fact that I come from a town that is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains.

Now back to Delphi, it was known as the navel of the world back in the BC years because according to mythology Zeus threw a stone and it landed there to signify the center of the world. Our lives here are surrounded by Mythology and the Greek gods, and although we no longer worship them, we do have plenty of opportunities to talk about them, as if they are still around and poke fun at them. 

Photograph of Delphi an ancient ruin, What I Love Best about Greece www.theboondocksblog.com
Pottery is also a very important part of our lives.  I was born in a small town that had many little pottery shops and I remember as a young girl visiting and buying little pottery cups.  Many of the plates were hand painted.  

Years later I came to realize that all of the crafts and artistic leanings I have came from that small town.  We are very big on the arts here in Greece and not just the handmade type.  We also have a love of theater that dates back to the ancient times, and each town has its own theatrical group. 
​ 

pottery, What I Love Best about Greece www.theboondocksblog.com
This next one needs no explanation.  My love of the beach and sea. The Corinthian Bay has sparkling clean waters that invite you to dive in.

​The best time of the day for a swim in early in the morning around 9 am to be exact, it is nice and warm but not so hot that you will turn into a lobster.  And there aren’t many people about which makes lying on the beach and listening to the waves the perfect activity. And shell collecting never hurts either. 

sea shells, What I Love Best about Greece www.theboondocksblog.com
This next one of the miniature wooden boat represents my husband’s love for the sea and of fishing which is his all time favorite activity. If only there were more fish in the sea he would be in fishing heaven.  It is also a great way for him to get away from it all and just unwind.  There is nothing better than being in a boat in the middle of the bay – in the morning or when the sun is going down

And that little marble owl?  That was a souvenir I bought at the airport as I was leaving from Mytilene a lifetime ago after a vacation. I was still young and living in the States, but wanted to take a piece of Greece with me. The owl is the symbol for the Goddess Athena (or Minerva)  who was the personification of knowledge and wisdom. 

wooden boat and marble owl, What I Love Best about Greece www.theboondocksblog.com
The book you see is all about Greece and captures the beauty of this incredible country which leaves everyone breathless when they visit. And it is opened to a page with the Parthenon in the background. The Parthenon which is the temple of Athena is the epitome of classical architecture, with its perfectly formed columns and proportions. 
Book with photo of the Parthenon, What I Love Best about Greece www.theboondocksblog.com
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What I Love Best about Greece www.theboondocksblog.com
There is so much more that I love about this country but it would take a whole other post to tell you all. 
olive branches, driftwood and book about Greece, What I Love Best about Greece www.theboondocksblog.com
pottery, seashells and photo of Delphi, What I Love Best about Greece www.theboondocksblog.com
I hope you have enjoyed this edition of the International Bloggers Club Challenge.  It was very different from what we normally do but it certainly was eye opening for me because I had never sat down to examine what it was that I loved best about Greece.  So thank you Katrin for coming up with this fantastic idea. 

And now hop on over to visit my friends who are also sharing their flat lay projects.  Simply click on the images below my name.  If you’d like to see more past challenges click here.

A photo essay about the things I love best about Greece, #Greece #photography #photoessay #flatlayphotography #Travel #Ancient ruins #mythology #sun #sea #olives #driftwood #seashells #Parthenon What I love best about Greece, www.theboondocksblog.com

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tomthebackroadstraveller

Monday 22nd of July 2019

...blue seems to be the color of Greece, how can you go wrong! Thanks for stopping by.

Mary

Tuesday 23rd of July 2019

The flag is also blue and white so it fits perfectly.

Laurie

Monday 25th of September 2017

I have a silk scarf with the ruins of Delphi painted on. Such a beautiful place that I must visit one day xx www.vanityandmestyle.com

Mary

Saturday 30th of September 2017

I certainly hope you can Laurie. Just not in the summertime when it is too hot to walk around.

Michelle Leslie

Monday 25th of September 2017

This must have been such a bitter sweet challenge for you Mary. There are so many lovely things about your country that are worth celebrating. How I'd love to hop on a plane and experience them all again, with you as my tour guide. We went there on our honeymoon a looooong time ago and I'm afraid to say we didn't see half as much as we wanted to. I'm real glad Katrin came up with the idea. I got to see gorgeous snapshots of Greece through your eyes

Mary

Saturday 30th of September 2017

It was very bitter sweet and made me really reflect on what I love the most. Things that I don't think about on a day to day basis but nevertheless touch me. I hope you have the chance to go back again and take the paths less traveled.

Stephanie ReadsWell

Monday 25th of September 2017

That wooden boat is so beautiful. It grabbed my attention when scrolling down.

Mary

Saturday 30th of September 2017

It was once part of a school picture frame.

Katrin

Monday 25th of September 2017

Mary each time I visit here, Greece gets moved up a little bit on my "to visit" list! Such interesting details and your flatlay is really a lovely homage to your country! Blue and white sure is beautiful!

Mary

Saturday 30th of September 2017

Katrin now is the time to do it. The prices are reasonable and you are in Europe anyway. Hope you have a chance to see the amazing light!