It is the early morning sun peeping into the master bedroom that wakes you up, and after opening your eyes you take in the magnificent view of the Ionian Sea and the mainland mountains. You step out onto the master bedroom’s private balcony to really wake up. When you see the small fishing boats returning to the tiny fishing harbour of Pogonia, you walk down there to see if the catch of the day is to your taste. 

You have a quick dip in the sea, warm up on the empty beach while observing the return of the last fishing boats. On the way back, you try the greek coffee at the bar near the church. The smell of your pancakes wakes up the lazy part of your family, and you have breakfast on the balcony, while enjoying the stunning view. 

After breakfast, you decide to pay a visit to the monastery of Dimitris, about halfway along the beautiful coastal road to Mytikas. Even though the nun that shows you around speaks Greek only, you have a good time and enjoy the cookies and the glass of water presented to you. 

When returning to Villa Mouria, you have a swim, read your book, have a swim, play a board game, have a swim. When you hear a car horn, you run out to see what’s being sold today. 

During the heat of the afternoon, you argue who will make a nicely chilled lemon squash today, from the lemons you picked in the garden. You enjoy it in the shadow of the mulberry (mouria in greek) tree, and stare down the sheep under the olive trees at the other side of the fence. Nothing wrong with a short nap during the hot hours of the afternoon. 

At the end of the afternoon, you walk up to the local kafeneio for an ouzo, and then it’s on to your favourite place for dinner: will it be a fish bbq in Villa Mouria, a traditional meal at Koutavos, the nearby restaurant with the best meat dishes in the region (the owner is the village butcher), some tapas at one of the beach bars, or whatever you fancy at the boulevard in Palairos? 

Before driving back to Villa Mouria (a 10 minutes drive), you have your after-dinner coffee at one of the traditional bars near the central square close to the harbour, just like the locals do. Upon return, you enjoy the view of the nicely illuminated garden, topped by the starry sky. Not a bad day!