Sunday morning in Katerini.

Page 1. Sunday Morning in Katerini

There are cities that like to make an impression from the very first minute.

Katerini is not one of those cities.

It doesn't try to please. It doesn't try to surprise. It simply lives its ordinary life. And perhaps that's why I enjoy coming back here so much.

It's Sunday.

It's an early July morning. The sun has already warmed the houses, but the streets are still surprisingly quiet. There's something special about it. It seems as if the city has decided to give its residents a little more peace and quiet before the day gets hot.

I walk slowly along familiar streets.

Some coffee shops are already open. A few locals are sitting at tables. Some are reading the news, others are leisurely chatting with friends. No one is in a hurry.

Sunday feels different in Greece.

It doesn't feel like a day off, meant to be spent as productively as possible. Here, this day seems to remind you: sometimes the best plan is to have no plans at all.

Almost all the shops are closed. The blinds are still drawn. The narrow streets are filled with sunlight, not the sound of cars. The only sounds are the occasional footsteps, the clinking of cups in cafes, and the distant singing of birds.

And it's amazing to think that just a few kilometers away, a completely different summer lives on.

There, in Paralia, the promenade and beaches come alive from early morning. Tourists rush to the sea, souvenir shops open, music plays, cafes fill up, and the shore gradually becomes part of a grand summer festival.

Katerini and Paralia are very close.

But every summer Sunday, they tell two different stories.

One is about tranquility.

The other is about movement.

And I think that's precisely why they complement each other so beautifully.

Sometimes you just want to hear laughter, music, and the sound of waves among the vacationers.

And sometimes, just strolling down a quiet street, inhaling the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, and feeling the city slowly begin a new day.

Perhaps the real Greece consists of moments like these.

Not just famous views and postcards.

But also an ordinary Sunday morning, when life flows slowly, allowing you to notice what easily passes you by in the hustle and bustle.

Thank you, Katerini, for another peaceful morning.

Until the next page in the Aegean Notebooks.