Accommodations on the trip were a mixture, but always modest: mostly in small rooms either in the local taverna or in guesthouses.

A full meal for two at any local taverna rarely costs more than $20.

After dinner at a local taverna in Agios Nilolaos, we were returning to the resort in a rental car.

Time to have a drink at one of the local tavernas, maybe.

We came back again along the coast, with stops for the beach, lunch at a local taverna and an afternoon coffee along the water.

I usually opt for one of the local tavernas for lunch and head a little farther down to the narrow peninsula of Vouliagmeni for coffee.

Although it only does simple suppers, the local taverna is good and very lively.

And the local tavernas are the best places to sample the delicious Greek cuisine or to simply sit back with a glass of ouzo and watch the world go by.

There are still islands with a quiet pace of life revolving around fishing, the local taverna and not doing very much in the sun because it's too blinking hot.

With Megaritis as an informal community centre (and there were other local tavernas too), it was impossible ever to feel lonely, lost or abandoned as most city-dwellers in other countries periodically do.