A Three Year Old’s First Visit to the Cinema

My three year old granddaughter – Melina

Last night I had the most wonderful time, a time I’m sure to keep in my heart, as one of my fondest memories.

“What did I do?” you are wondering, spend the night at a five star luxury hotel with MGG (My Greek God), or did he take me for a slap up gourmet meal, no expense spared?

Neither of the above, I spent twelve Euros and took my three year old granddaughter, Melina, on her first visit to the cinema.

The Elektra Cinema – Loutraki

This week, the local open-air cinema in Loutraki, Cinema Elektra, opened its doors for the summer season.

I had eagerly been anticipating this event so that I could take Melina, as I had taken my two children before her, usually accompanied by a gang of unruly friends, so many years ago, too many years, in fact, to mention!

Electra – The Summer open-air Cinema – Loutraki

Electra – Summer Cinema – Loutraki

Each week, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, the cinema Elektra, founded in 1937, shows a children’s film, and as luck would have it, the first one of the season starred Tinkerbell, a favourite of Melina’s.

Tinkerbell and the Monster of Never
Photo courtesy of Elektra cinema Loutraki

Planning our Outing

Plans were laid, most importantly; Melina had to have had an afternoon nap, as the cinema, being outdoors, doesn’t start before nine fifteen in the evening, when the sun has gone down.

When I spoke to her, late afternoon, Melina, who had been informed of this wondrous outing by her mother, excitedly told me that we were going to the cinema together, and that she would wear her new dress.

I picked her up at nine, there she was, ready and waiting, all spick and span in her new dress (which she proudly showed me), smiling like the Cheshire Cat, we said our goodbyes to her mum, and off we went.

We strolled along the beach front, Melina singing happily “Pame cinema, pame cinema“, which in English translates to “we’re going to the cinema, we’re going to the cinema”.

Walking along the Loutraki beach-front on our way to the cinema

First Impressions

Melina held the money for the cinema tickets tightly in her little fist and on arrival, shyly paid the cashier.

She was rather quiet, gazing around with a look of astonishment on her sweet face as she chose our seats. (Surprisingly, not at the front, I had been worrying about that, thinking about the stiff neck I would have suffered later).

It was still quite light when we sat down but in less than five minutes, as happens in Greece, it was suddenly nightfall and the lights went on, much to Melina’s delight.

Elektra Cinema – Loutraki

This delight was nothing compared to her reaction when they went off again and she gleefully exclaimed:

“It’s starting, it’s starting”

Elektra Cinema – Loutraki

Making Memories

I had noticed, beforehand, quite a few of the parents and grandparents had ipads, tablets and the like, at the ready, headphones attached and thought to myself “What a good idea, that will relieve the boredom of sitting through ninety minutes of a children’s film”

How wrong I was, what those people missed!

I didn’t see much of the film as I couldn’t take my eyes off Melina, the expression on her face was priceless.

Her little face was a picture; the awe, the wonder, the explosive little chuckles, the way she sat, so alert, on the edge of her seat, and every now and then, she asked me “Is it a bad monster?”, “Where’s Tinkerbell gone?”

Monster of Never. Photo courtesy of Elektra cinema Loutraki

Pure Happiness

At the end, when the credits rolled, she turned to me and her face was a picture, pure happiness; my heart felt like it was about to burst with love for her.

“Shall we come to the cinema again Yiayia (Grandma)?” she asked me.

Yes my little darling, we shall but never will it be like it was tonight, it won’t ever again have the magic of a child’s first visit to the cinema.

Melina and I made a memory together, we will make many more.