As incredible as it is to #travel the world, I think it’s equally important to travel to your roots.
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This is my grandfather’s hometown in #Greece - #Exanthia, on the island of #Lefkada (@travel_to_lefkada ). Perched up on a mountain, overlooking a beautiful blue sea, most people who lived here, including my grandfather’s brother, worked as farmers. My grandfather was the local town teacher.
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My father lived here in the first few years of his life before moving to Athens, but kept returning for holiday celebrations and summer vacations.
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I grew up heading back to this beautiful, traditional, half-abandoned yet still charming town every August 15, to reunite with uncles, aunts, and cousins. We still haven’t lost the tradition of returning once a year at least. The last census I can find (2001) shows a population of 345 people. Most likely, there’s much less now.
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This is what fascinates me about this town, and other places like these. Even though my grandfather may now be gone, and his brother as well more recently, I still see so much of them in this beautiful village. The places we are raised and live in shape us, and we affect them as well - whether we love or hate them, they leave a mark, especially the ones we experienced as children. I walk the lone paved road and see the traditional cafes my grandfather used to sit in. I breathe in the brisk mountain air, and stone, and sun, and trees, and I feel connected to my grandfather’s life and experiences in a way I can’t in other places.
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This is what I love about travel. Ultimately, it is not about places - it’s about people. The cities and countries we visit are products of thousands or millions of lives, past and present. And every place in this world tells their unique story.
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