Sunbathing in Style

Mango swimsuit
RayBan sunglasses
Amazon bag (similar)
Mango earrings
Location: Neos Kosmos – Athens, Greece

I will be the first to admit that I don’t love sunbathing. I never did. Any activity that involves staying in one place but isn’t an actual nap leaves me bored and itching for excitement. (I love actual naps. But prefer that they take place on a couch or bed. With pillows, blankets and other creature comforts. The outdoors is entirely too full of allergens and weather fluctations for my taste. I’m particular.) Apart from a period of time in my early teens when sunbathing came with the rare opportunity to wear a bikini, in which I relished the chance to look stylish, it’s always ranked very low on the list of things I like to do in the summer. When my relationship with my body deteriorated and I started to dread the simple act of putting on a swimsuit, I came to like it even less.

Did I mention I also dislike swimming? I am most definitely not a beach girl. Tropical vacations hold no appeal for me.

Greece isn’t tropical. But there is a beach on practically every corner. I’m exaggerating, but only a little. We actually went to one this year, for about an hour. It was probably Ian’s favourite hour of the trip. But, predictably, the experience bored me. And then boredom made me hungry. So we left in search of lunch.

Still, I will confess that I came to appreciate sunbathing in Athens. The Airbnb we rent in the city is notably fabulous because of its large outdoor patio. (It offers views in three directions, facing the sunset. And it is equally incredible at night, because it offers an unobstructed view of the sky. Athens is a rare metropolis where you can still clearly see the stars above the city lights and concrete. Since we were always up early, we went out most mornings to look at Orion and Ursa Major and Pisces, along with their neighbours.) Most days, we left by 7:30 am. We took photos and hiked all over the city, just taking it all in. Which we loved, but it gets tiring, especially in the heat.

After all that, it was so perfectly pleasant to come home around 2:30 in the afternoon, slip into my swimsuit and lay out on a lounger in the sun for an hour. Or two.

The fact that I packed not one, but two swimsuits I felt good in didn’t hurt. I snagged this suit from Mango in the early summer and it remains a favourite. Simple, sensible and comfortable, but still cute – I mean, look at that scallop detailling! I really couldn’t ask for more in a sunbathing uniform. (Because I really do hate swimming, so I’ve never gotten this suit anywhere near water.)

Sunbathing season passed long ago in Winnipeg. (And I really only took advantage of it once while it lasted this year.) In fact, much to my dismay, the Weather Network forecast snow storms starting tomorrow – and they’re expected to last until Tuesday! Obviously, I am thoroughly unimpressed. So I’m clinging to my Athenian sunbathing memories… and crossing my fingers for a short winter.

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