Mario, Mario, Mario

Rhodes, Greece, August 2016

Have you ever been to Rhodes?

It's the largest island in the Dodecanese, Greece, and it's also a super popular summer destination for kids and families for its clear blue waters, good food and whitewashed villages.

If you don't know the Acropolis of Lindos, I recommend it: it's a crazy archaeological site overlooking a lovely bay.

We were five friends looking for a place to dine, and we decided to wander around a bit randomly to avoid the clubs on the downtown streets and jump into something different.

We ended up at a very spartan restaurant, one of those places where you wouldn't stop if you happened to pass by, quite far from the nightlife and the centre of Faliraki-where we had the apartment. I still remember the bare feet of the owner who greeted us with a huge smile: a slightly wild squire, with a lived-in shirt and two big blue eyes. We started looking at the menu, but quickly realized there were other "house rules." He arrived with a basket of fish and told us that everything was super fresh because every morning he goes out in his little boat and goes fishing for the evening; he learned to fish from his grandfather, and that fishing fills him with joy every day. I still remember that delicious octopus made on the grill...

Needless to say, it was really special, and sometimes it is the simplest and most authentic things that satisfy the most: some very good fish while enjoying some good local wine with a light breeze and chats, with lifelong friends and a new fisherman friend, on a terrace overlooking the sea and the reflection of the moon, far from the chaos and in the middle of nowhere.

If you happen upon this island, you can't fail to pass by Mario's: https://yamas-mario.webnode.gr/