Colorful Chronicles: My adventures on the island of Spetses, Greece
Greetings, colorful people! I sure am happy to be here today chronicling the time I spent last fall on the island of Spetses, Greece.
My hope is that these travel chronicles will inspire, encourage and teach you to have your own colorful adventures—whether they be local or airplane flights away from home! There’s always something new to discover and explore each day, isn’t there?
Normally when traveling internationally, I do so unaccompanied. When my friend Julie heard that I was heading to Greece, and Spetses specifically, she asked if she could join me for some much needed rest and relaxation. She was celebrating her 50th birthday and I was so delighted to be traveling with a buddy! We chose our time there on the island for late September/early October 2023.
October is an ideal month to visit Greece, as the tourists have headed home, yet the waters are still warm and you can sunbathe and wear summer attire.
Julie and I took a full tour of the island either by walking, taking a horse drawn carriage or zooming up and down mountainsides in a tri-wheel golf cart. My friend and I have a HILARIOUS STORY to share about how I almost tipped our golf cart into the old port waters of Spetses—through no real fault of my own, as it was a sheer battle against laws of physics. We will table that discussion for an upcoming podcast episode!
Here are some of our picturesque views from our guesthouse, 7 Islands Guesthouse in Spetses. This was our home for a full week. 7 Islands is a short walk from the main port, so it is the perfect off-the-beaten-path spot for me to highlight in today’s post.
We had our choice of beach waters or the 7 Islands Guesthouse pool for taking a dip!
Last fall I had registered for a sports tourism swim event there in Spetses, which is a 3-hour ferry ride from Athens. The idyllic, cozy, traditional guesthouse of 7 Islands was very much what our souls needed during the vacation in Spetses!
Family owned and operated since 1987, the 7 Islands guesthouse delivers what it promises: to “feel like home.”
Nestled in a quiet neighborhood only slightly off the beaten path, 7 Islands is 550 meters from the Old Port, 450 meters from Agia Marina beach, and 900 meters from the main port of Dapia and Spetses market.
One of the 7 Islands owners, Tonia Vatikiotis, and I discuss on a recent podcast episode how her father began guesthouse operations after a career in construction, a bit of Spetses history, the Greek concept of filoxenia, and some of the best places to visit while on her island. You will find our conversation at the podcast link below, friends.
Learn more about 7 Islands Guesthouse at http://www.7islandspetses.com
7 Islands Guesthouse
Agia Marina, Spetses, Greece
+30 2298 073059
Now, let’s shift gears to the open water competition in which I participated. There is an entire weekend dedicated to swimming, running, and cycling. My race—the 3k open water swim—is part of the Spetsathlon and Spetses Mini Marathon series.
Friends, this 3k swim (just under 2 miles) was extremely challenging, as it was mostly swum against current, in very choppy waters, with a yellow buoy strapped to my backside, and lots of arms and legs battling it out together in the waters off the coast of Spetses.
We competitors had to take a ferry from Spetses to another location to begin the race. Swimmers from all over the world competed—Brits, Croatians, Russians, Italians, Spaniards, and more. Over 50 countries were represented. I did my best, friends, to make the good old United States of America proud, though I wasn’t in my fittest swim condition ever.
My training began less than two months prior to the event, and I only swam in indoor pools. Suffice it to say that this swim left me feeling extremely fatigued and winded. Julie was there waiting at the finish line, though, and my U.S. American countrymen :) couldn’t be let down! Ha!
Disclaimer: If you are new to swimming and open water racing, then this is NOT THE RACE FOR YOU. There is a 1.5k swim the same day, and that may be more to your liking. Even so, my opinion is that this isn’t a swim for novices.
Above you can see my less than graceful finish! Once back on land, we remained in Spetses for a few more days. Julie headed home to the States, and I began what would be another 4 weeks of island hopping and the return to Athens.
Once in Athens, I reached out to the Spetses race director and asked her if she’d be open to an in-person podcast interview. She gladly accepted my offer and I took the train to meet her one day in late October 2023.
Today’s podcast guest is Dr. Marina Coutarelli, the founder of both the Spetses Mini Marathon and Spetsathlon events. Dr. Coutarelli is an award winning PR and communications professional who has a knack for launching some of the most successful brand campaigns in her native country of Greece and beyond.
In our live interview conducted in her beautiful office in the Athenian suburb of Kifissia, Marina and I discuss the 3-k open water swim, sports tourism and extending tourism season past August in Greece, best things to do while on the island of Spetses, the Greek lifestyle of living in the present, and her take on color and branding.
Dr. Coutarelli is the founder and CEO of Communication Lab, a boutique communication agency based in Athens, Greece, specializing in PR, media relations, social media and crisis management. Learn all about both the Spetsathlon and Spetses Mini Marathon events at https://www.spetsesmarathon.com.
Well, my fellow color aficionados and adventurers, we covered a lot of ground today! I’d love your feedback and always welcome your comments.
Until we meet again, have a most colorful week.
Lauren B.
