Afitos
I’ve come to think of Chalkidiki as the local coastal area of Bulgarians, Romanians and Ukrainians. Mostly Bulgarians. Sure, it has its share of other tourists as well, but can you rival the beaches, the food and the mere proximity of the peninsula in comparison to our Black Sea resorts? In the summer months you barely need any Greek language skills as nearly all restaurants feature a menu and welcome signs in Bulgarian language. Admittedly sometimes the spelling is rather dodgy but to us Bulgarians it is a very rare thing that a foreigner speaks our language so we full-heartedly treasure every effort, even if “Шандвиц” is somewhat of an unconventional spelling of the Bulgarian word for sandwich. Imagine my surprise when the predominant tourist population of Kassandra’s Afitos was not Bulgarians but Germans, some British and American tourists and a few sporadic Serbians and Macedonians. The menus were of course still also in Bulgarian, and the Bulgarians did arrive for the weekend, yet Afitos has a different vibe. The locals speak English with barely a hint of an accent. The souvenir shops are galleries selling handmade accessories, natural products and various olive wood creations. Even the cats are different - they have a fur shinier than the hair of a shampoo commercial model. Looks like all that Omega-3 fatty acids consumption from fish leftovers in the local restaurants is really paying off in the Afitos cat world. A long beach follows the coast and tempts your senses with its turquoise water and your luck with spontaneously sprung cacti. It’s beautiful, peaceful and time flows in that slow and easy-going way that only happens in Greece.
