Low season wins

Low season wins

Many travel destinations have more visitors during a high season, when the weather is best, during holidays and festivals, or perhaps just because of habitual migration. These are often important reasons; travellers accept the crowds and inflated prices as trade-offs.

Occasionally, even sensible travellers disregard their guidebook’s first chapter (“When To Go”) and visit during the “wrong” season – and they win! The weather is not unpleasant, the prices are heavily discounted, the streets are free, the locals are more open, and new perspectives are unveiled. And sometimes, while out picking wild asparagus, the sky bursts with rainbows, and you really wonder: why is this the low season?

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Santorini

Santorini

Our 2012 destination was Santorini, where we were due for a visit with Craig at Atlantis Books and to do an eight-week shamatha and vipaśyanā retreat. These things we did, and were done most pleasantly so. Our retreat location was in Tholos, a house of a friend who was away and Rosy the little monster/dog we kept for our stay. This island is filled with remarkable friends, whom we spent far too little time with; we shall return soon I hope to sit properly with you all.