"Vouliagmeni My Love" a Vouliagmeni Travel Page by janetanne

Of Course I'm Prejudice. I live here! I've lived here since 1990, but the first beach I ever swam at in Greece was here in 1978. So, can you blame me for being partial?

Why do I say this is the best place to live? Because of the beach, the sea, the lake, the mountain, the mild climate in the winter, the resort-like atmosphere, the closeness to the centre of Athens, yet the distance from the noise and pollution. Not to mention, the clean streets, the shops and supermarkets that are open 7 days a week and the 3 pharmacies, one of which is always open in the evenings and on Sunday! Oh, and did I mention the fantastic track and field, tennis courts, and last but least of not...THE BEAUTIFUL SPRING FED LAKE, with temperatures never dropping below 18C. even in the winter? An outdoor cinema in the summer, not to be forgotten...and the coffee shops on the seashore, the fish tavernas...more? Yes, there is much more, but I will leave that for you to find out.

Ask any young or old Greek male what their favourite thing to do on a hot summer day, and I would be willing to bet that more than 90 percent would agree that 'sight seeing at the beach,' would be their number one pick!

Ask any young, independent but eligible Greek female what she likes to do on a hot summer day, and I wouldn't be surprised if her responce wasn't almost the same: 'watching the muscles go by on the beach!' It seems that this is a universal Greek pastime in the summer. So, where do the Greeks go to body-watch on the beach???

Any public beach will do, but Vouliagmeni Beach, if you already haven't
guessed, is my favourite!

This summer, 2008, I have rediscovered the all new, all modern, all WONDERFUL BEACH at Astir Beach in Vouliagmeni. It may cost more, but you get so much more. Treat yourself one day to this lovely beach. BUT...be sure to get there before 10:30am or you won't find a bed! Even though there are about 1,000 beds on this beach, they are all taken by 11:00am on the weekends in the peak summer months. And, believe it or not, by 2:30pm with the first wave of sunbathers are leaving to go home and have lunch, a second wave of swimmers are coming in and still there are no beds! So, get there early, or get there very late to get a good seat!

With all those 'hot' bodies, it's best not to sit still for too long!

So, what to do? Well, you could take some paddle boards and a ball and play one of the most popular beach-side games. An added plus, is that you get some good exercise...but, if you ask me, the real reason these guys play so much of this 'paddle ball' is so that when they miss the ball, (which is often enough) and the ball conveniently lands on top of a cute babe, (which it often does) it's just a good excuse to meet someone! Isn't that what it's all about anyway?? Let's get together, yeah, yeah yeah!