People of Aegina #19 – Christina Alyssandraki
A house in the middle of nowhere without a phone, the hug of Katerina Angelaki-Rook, and the unforgettable teenage summers compose the most beautiful memories of our friend and Aegina Lover, Christina Alyssandraki. Our new Ambassador narrates most tenderly her childhood and adolescent memories from the Aegina she loves and follows the route until today. Enjoy her interview!
I am Christina Alyssandraki, Commercial Director of Avon Greece for the past two years and an Aegina Lover! I have twin sons, Marios and Giannis, who have been studying in Belgium since September. I also have a cute cat who loves Aegina. As soon as he suspects that we are going to the island, he runs to enter his cage alone!
Working in Aegina does not feel like working. It takes a glance at the sea from the window to fill me with energy.
Until 2020, Aegina was basically for holidays for me. In March 2020, my father moved permanently to the island due to covid. Since then, I started coming more and more often, all year round. Now that the children are gone and my company has chosen the hybrid model of combining work from home and presence in the office, I stay longer and longer. I have set up my own home office and hope to spend more time on the island. Working in Aegina does not feel like working. It takes a glance at the sea from the window to fill me with energy.
Why Aegina: The first vacations and Katerina Angelaki-Rook
The bond with Aegina started decades ago when we came in 1975 for vacation. My parents were friends with Katerina Angelaki-Rook and her husband. I remember the feeling. The first carriage rides but mainly Katerina and her wonderful house, her hug and warmth. Later on, other family friends came. And so, hotel accommodation became studio rental, plot purchase rental and, last but not least, our house in the late ‘80s.
At that time, as a teenager, I was admittedly annoyed with my parents’ choice of a house in the middle of nowhere in Agii. Without a phone, without a car, it was difficult for me. Now it is magical that we have everything – from the internet to delivery! For my father, in particular, all this is of great importance and facilitates his daily life. In Aegina Town, one can find everything, all the services are excellent, fast and with a smile. There are also very good doctors. I see that now one can live in comfort permanently in Aegina, so I hope the same for me too!
Aegina and the most wonderful memories
The most beautiful memories connect me with Aegina. All the teenage summers, but also the unique moments with my family later. The sense of stability and at the same time of quality development. Early morning in the Loutra beach in Souvala after a disco night (I know, I betray my age!). Games with my children, ouzo with my father in our yard, youthful love affairs and many friendships. Some were lost, some started recently, but I always feel that there are people of my own on the island.
The sense of arrival to Aegina
Joy begins as soon as you step foot on the ferry boat. It is as if as you leave Piraeus, you leave every worry behind. Once I arrive, I will always go to Agii from the coastal road driving slowly. I will gaze at Kolona through the pines, the lighthouse, the statue of Mana, the house of Kazantzakis. On the contrary, when I come from Agii to Aegina, I choose the route from the mountain to gaze at the view of the hairpin turn before Paliahora, to feel the energy and then descend the Saronic Gulf from above. It is my own small ritual. I feel that I have to visit all these places as if they welcome me.
My favorite places on the island
I go to Aphaia regularly several times a year. While I haven’t been to the Acropolis since I was a child, I will definitely go to Aphaia. And not just in the morning. Often, returning from the city at night, I will drive in the dark to sit for a while in its parking lot. I do not see it, I feel it. I think the firefighters have learned me now 😊. My children have also carried this from me and often asked me for the same ride.
My favorite hidden secrets of Aegina
A more unknown but favorite place is the Tombs of the Salamis. It was also my sons’ obsession when we first discovered them. The whole place has a wild beauty, it is a sacred place and it would deserve a better promotion. The walk from Loutra to Agia Sotira, every season, especially with a north wind. The Monastery of Chrysoleontissa is an architectural masterpiece in a unique natural landscape. Diving on the island of Moni in the off-season period where you feel like you have gone on an exotic getaway.
What I love the most to do in Aegina is…
To not have a schedule. I have noticed in recent years that on vacation I want to live day by day, hour by hour. E.g. I see that the more social I am on night-outs, the more lonely I prefer to swim in the sea. Away from organized places, with my music and book, it is the ultimate relaxation. At night I enjoy the company of my friends, but if it is winter, it is difficult for me to get out of the fireplace.
I keep photographing. With no claims, no equipment, just with my mobile. In every corner, light or colors are a challenge but I am too lazy to take lessons…
Also, the visit to Aegina is an occasion for a reunion with classmates that I get to see only in the summer when they are on vacation. The island becomes an occasion for nice discussions, even if years have passed.
Aegina in a word
Discovery. No matter how many years I come, every time I will discover something new. A new place, a special building, a new bay, a new alley. I never get bored of Aegina and it always surprises me.
I love Aegina because…
Because it grounds me, it calms me, it takes me away from the tension of the city.
A few words about weloveaegina.com
It’s great. It gives a sense of love and not of tourism. It helps me discover the island and keeps me close to it every day.
Stay tuned for more #weloveaegina stories!
Do you want to become an Aegina Ambassador yourself or do you know anybody else who would like to? Send us an email at: ask@weloveaegina.com or contact us through our social media!
#weloveaegina
Follow @we_love_aegina on Instagram and Facebook