Over life changes and traveling

Weekend brunch conversations

This weekend felt like summer holidays to me; I got to see old friends, meet new ones and spend time together catching up; we had some of the best conversations over Saturday’s brunch: around a big table, near the sea, wearing our sunglasses and t-shirts as if it was August, we talked about life changes that bring us close to the things we dream about, like living on a small Aegean island.

The idea of changing your life’s course when everything is settled down, to move to a place and start a life there can be scary and amazing in the same time. My wonderful neighbors, who moved from France to Paros a year ago, my friends from Spain or Athens who are dreaming about moving to Cyclades and me; I discovered that I like sudden big changes as long as it concerns location and work. The more I move, the more I want to travel and the more I tend to dream about new projects that will bring me to new places.

We talked a lot about time. Life here gives you the feeling of time escaping, or it isn’t so stressful as it is in the cities. It’s the presence of nature that balances our inner rhythms. In some islands, like Ikaria, time is “melting” like Dalí’s pocket watches.

So, maybe it is the beautiful scenery, maybe it is the traditions and lifestyle that attracts us here. But the common ground for all the Aegean dreamers is that we change our lives to be here, we don’t change our lives to get away from something. The sea can unlock our dynamics: Surrounded by it, we have a port as the terminal station that makes us feel safe and as the starting point for new travels.

Dedicated to Andonis and Enrique 

words by maria alipranti

photography by christos drazos