(CNN) — In the sundrenched summer of 1971, Sura Crutch, a recent graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art, headed to Europe for three months.
Sura traveled around Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands, soaking up the paintings, architecture and sculptures she’d spent years poring over in books.
Sura traveled with a college friend, and the two connected with other travelers along the way, enjoying, as she puts it, “the experience of being just a young hippie hitchhiking through Europe.”
One evening, drinking in a London pub, Sura got talking to a guy from Greece and mentioned Athens was her next stop. In response, the man scribbled down an address on a piece of paper.
“Look up my friend Haris Sevastopoulos when you get there,” he said. “He’ll find you a cheap hotel.”
The address turned out to be a small, family restaurant near what was then Athens’ main airport. The restaurant was across the street from a stretch of sandy beach, bordered by cerulean blue waters.
Haris Sevastopoulous was the son of the restaurant owner. He welcomed Sura and her friend, exuding a friendly, laidback confidence. Haris told Sura he was training to be a naval architect, but all he wanted to do was play music.
As promised, Haris found the two Americans somewhere to stay. The hotel was packed with Greek naval officers, and slightly run down, but seconds from the beach.
Sura spent the next few weeks swimming, sunbathing and exploring Athens. She didn’t cross paths with Haris, who was holed up trying to scrape through his final exams.
Then one day, Haris was heading out of his dad’s restaurant when he spotted Sura, wrapped in her towel and making her way to the beach.
“Hi,” he said, catching up with her. “How do you like Greece so far?”
“I love it,” said Sura.
“You know what, it’s so hot. Let me go across the street and get my bathing suit and come join you,” Haris suggested.
Seconds later, the two were jumping in the sea, splashing the cool water on one another, laughing.
“That was it. The relationship started immediately,” Haris tells CNN Travel today.
Summer romance
Sura Crutch and Haris Sevastopoulos became inseperable in the summer of 1971, while Sura was visiting Greece.
Courtesy Sura Sevastopoulos
Over the next five days, Haris and Sura became inseparable.
“We were just having fun together,” says Sura. “We had the same sense of humor, so we could play in the water and crack jokes and have fun.”
After spending all day on…
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