What I Packed To Go To Greece

Greece is a symphony of colors, smells, and various shades of bright happiness. Here, even happiness has different hues and fragrant perception. Mostly, I love the scent of Greece, which is that unique flowery-salty breeze that awaits to be uncovered on every corner. 

For me, the main source of happiness is its flavors: balmy breeze, winds, salt, wine, seafood, fresh fish, coniferous scents, sweet pastry, and various coffee scents. And the scent of the sea being carried by all winds. 

This year I have caught a shower or two, unlikely for this period in the year, but they left behind the petrichor heightened by the scent of flowers and cold mountain breeze. 

It looks like the mythology was right. Aeolus, the king of the winds, has a bag of assorted kinds, as here they smell and feel so different, and they indeed brought news of Aeolia, the mythical floating island, the home of all the winds. 

Occasionally I feel my heart exploding with fragrant happiness while sniffing the balmy breezes. I have truly experienced the sensation of living on Aeolia.

I love Greece as well for its striking simplicity.

After leaving, I feel as though my heart blooms with an abundance of colorful flowers under a sky filled with every shade of blue.
 

Then, the sun was drunk with light and the clouds drifted on a sea of silence. 

It was the perfect holiday with everything: sunshine, rain, thunderstorms, majestic clouds, glorious sunsets and sunrises, petrichor…

In order not to miss the golden hours of dawn, I was on the beach at 6 am. I was able to capture all the colors of dawn as reflected in the sky and sea.

Every day there was a different spectacle of colors and lights.

It was so beautiful that I experienced the pangs of nostalgia, a feeling I have not been able to experience since the golden age of childhood.

As always, I love writing on the beach. Some of my most beautiful articles were written on the beach, I think.

I have taken some samples with me to test them, while the vastness of the blue surrounds me.. 

One of my favorite niche brands is the Spanish house Botanicae, which I discovered at Pitti Fragranze 2022. They create scenic and natural fragrances inspired by all the corners of the world. Perfume Travel is still in fashion.

I have chosen a few fragrances by Botanicae: Itaca, Taro, and Ebano.

Itaca Botanicae

A burst of freshness over a coniferous glare

When in Greece, you can almost touch the myths and legends, as the gods used to walk its shaded paths overlooking the sea. 

Itaca Botanicae is fresh and feels citrusy but slightly resinous and serene. In it, I can feel the roar and turmoil of the waves that sometimes smell flowery. The rose is not so obvious, but the combination with the sea salt makes me inhale the salty-flowery breeze that is so familiar to me from Greece.

Taro Botanicae 

Fruity green oud

Taro Botanicae is slightly sweeter on the first sniff. My nose perceives it as coumarinic and extremely juicy. I feel the mild scent of pineapple and the sharp tinge of saffron.

It is a green ode with a slightly bitter sage-jasmine combo, fruity shine, and succulent grasses. The patchouli and oud make it more grounded and wash away the sweetness after some time. This combination is irresistible.

Ebano Botanicae

Hot chocolate essence

It is a combo of hot coffee, hot chocolate and liqueur with a milky soft feel.

It is a very relaxing gourmand. For me, it echoes Tonka Latte Parfums Dusita a bit in the combination of serene and relaxing ambery chocolatey milk. Probably because Tonka Latte is a recent discovery of mine. I am still not over it. Then Ebano becomes more balsamic and green. After an hour of wear, it smells like sour caramel.

On this holiday, I took advantage of the clearer thoughts provoked by the majestic surroundings to analyze other Dusita fragrances that I have not reviewed yet. 

I like Pissara’s creations, as they are like no others. Maybe they speak better to our senses, they have a clearer voice, and they are are blunt and unapologetic in their beauty. 

My favorite is Pelagos, launched last year, inspired by the magic of the ever-changing beauty of the seascape. I named it one of the best fragrances of 2024: FRAGRANTICA BEST PERFUMES 2024 — Iulia Halatz & Jernê Knowles.