Alright, so earlier today I grabbed my kid’s school atlas ’cause she asked where Greece was for homework. Total blank moment for me even though I’ve heard about Santorini a million times. Started flipping pages like mad trying to spot it in Europe.
The Mediterranean Hunt
First I went straight to Italy ’cause spaghetti and pizza, right? Scanned that boot shape – nada. Then my eyes drifted south to Africa which was obviously wrong. Got real frustrated when I almost confused Turkey’s coastline with Greece. Like dude, those tiny islands all look the same when you’re squinting at a map!
Lightbulb Moment
Remembered vacation stories about island hopping and suddenly focused on that messy jigsaw puzzle below Albania. Zoomed in on:
- The dangly thing (Peloponnese peninsula) hanging off the bottom
- Those sprinkle of islands in the Aegean Sea looking like someone spilled pepper
- The Turkey hug where Greece’s mainland practically leans across the water
Boom! There it was – that crooked L-shape landmass with more coastline than my grandpa’s wrinkly face.
Testing My Method
Grabbed three other maps to check – our car’s GPS, a vintage NatGeo one from the garage, and yep even Google Maps on silent mode. Worked every dang time:
- Find Italy’s boot kick
- Slide southeast to the island cluster
- Spot the mainland cozying up to Turkey
Felt stupidly proud when my kid pointed at Cyprus shouting “Greek island!” – close enough for a seven-year-old honestly. Still messed up once by confusing Crete with Corsica though. Map skills need work but hey, at least I won’t book flights to Egypt by accident anymore.
