Greece Epilogue

Our stay in Greece was 18 days entering in the NW and departing in the SE. The people of Greece are great when it comes to personal interactions. They are a very proud people about their heritage. The younger set though will need to show the new leadership as there is a new reality in the EU . From our discussions with them they enjoy the comfort of some of the best family lifestyle we have seen anywhere, and to be able to spend money, but the jobs aren’tin Greece.  According to some we have talked to, Greeks haven't adapted well when they move to other parts of Europe to work and the work ethic and meeting commitments/contracts is part of it. This is directly from people who have had experience with bringing people in as favours.


For those of us that only speak English there can be some challenges in small villages. Canadians appear to be well liked here but there is an attitude that came through from some Romas I believe that we are full of money and we aren’t spending it on them. Our Italian friend mentioned the same message was conveyed to him as well but not from Romas. If that same message is passed on to Germans, Americans etc. then they will have more problems with their tourism. 


The Greek language and alphabet is very different from ours but road signs appear first in Greek and then a second sign will have the same information in the Roman alphabet, or Greek is in Yellow followed by Roman in white lettering so driving isn’t too difficult. Unfortunately many road signs are defaced with graffiti or in disrepair. I’d love to catch “13” in eastern Greece no artistic ability just plain defacing signage everywhere. When speaking about roads, we were warned up in Kalampaka and just about every place we went that the roads were extremely slippery when dry. What?? That’s right folks, this is not a really friendly place for 2 wheels since the pavement conditions are poor. You will need to adjust your driving. We were warned and experienced giant potholes in roads, and places were the road disintegrated into gravel and back without warning. We lost traction many times on corners in perfectly hot dry conditions. The pavement has been scuffed away leaving only smooth surfaced rocks to be in contact with your tire. And no maintenance to restore the surface. Those austerity measures are showing.


The roadway system in Greece has not kept pace with the times and population. Most of the country has only narrow 1950’s roads to travel on. There are some motorways/autobahns, with tolls, but they change into 2 lane roads and then back again. The maps still show them as 4 lane though. Tolls are reasonable in cost compared to mainstream Europe and basically everything is less expensive here except fuel. I expect that prices will change with the reforms, and I wouldn’t mind that to happen you get good value here paying a bit more would still be good. I’ve been told that Greeks earn on average ½ the wage for the same work as others in Europe. So something we are confused with is the huge nightclubs that exist in places like Glyfada and cafes in Kavala. Obviously there is money as people sit in these places and spend money, so how come it isn’t in the mainstream system?

Any which way will do

A warning about Greek drivers. Those same great people who will do anything for you on the street corner, will kill you when driving. It is an every man/woman, for themselves. Lane splitting by motorcycles is nothing. Cars, trucks, tandems will lane split if they are in a hurry and expect you to notice them and give way. Sandra says based on her reading Greece has one of the highest death rates on highways and I believe it. The rate is 15.28/million and was tops in Europe with Poland close behind. By comparison Canada is 8.4/million and the USA 14.2/ Yikes that can't be right!  On many roads we’ve seen 4 to 5 cars abreast or nearly abreast on a 2 lane road. And in Athens there are squeege kids and beggars at every stop light. Now coming off our experience in Morocco we’d say the 2 countries are competing in a demolition derby. If you notice my parking picture you will see the chaos on a small city side street. The question is why?


As you probably have read over the past while Greece is a country in turmoil, financial, governmental and social systems. The credit crisis has hit the small business person. Many places won't take credit cards now, seems there are no credit lines or operating funds in place unless you operate a BP station or a Shell. Being a student of sociology for many years I am always interested in societies and their conditions. Police work was nothing more than an extension of sociology. And graffiti has always been a barometer of social disruption since it is an expression of the temperature of a society. Greece is a social democracy, very socialist, in a world of centralist financial systems now. The young argue that the government should supply the electricity and water and basically all services. Yet it is the government run services that are failing, and with the power outages that are strike based there is no consequence management. It is the people who are trying to run businesses that are impacted by these strikes. We had to walk out of many places since we couldn't see to purchase anything while their tills, computers etc. were down. Give your head a shake people! It sounds from the complaints we heard from citizens that government leaders are in need of lining up at the spine donor clinics. They claim they are unprepared to take the actions needed to establish control. 


A number of the German motorcycle tourists that we travelled with said that 10 years ago tourism in Greece was at its peak. In Epidaurus small business people said that it has dropped off significantly in the last 7 years or so. In our travels we did not see many out of country plates on vehicles so that seems to validate what they are saying. Its too bad, Greece has some great destinations, good food, beautiful people, a very attractive family oriented lifestyle that just needs to get organized and embrace change. Clearly it is the young that need to embrace the change and lead this austerity program. I recall Alberta during the Klein early 90's and look how far it moved Alberta forward, now with no debt. This could be the tourist destination for all of Europe since it does not have any export industries except olives/olive oil it needs something to improve its GDP. Economic reforms/development and strong effective forward looking leadership will be the only salvation here. For example, We saw lightly used agriculture in eastern Greece in a beautiful farming area. Then when we crossed into Turkey the agriculture got more mechanized and intense. And they can market consulting in family lifestyles, they are masters at it!


And we haven’t mentioned the food yet. I was a little unsure coming into Greece about food. Well all I can say is this is the benchmark to which other countries have to aspire. I started off with souvlaki, then moussaka, then mussels saganaki, then grilled fish I have never heard of, to yogurt in Olympia that you would die for, plain with a little honey and your favourite jam mixed in, and you are in heaven. Their red wine isn’t great but you can get decent whites, and their “Mythos”  beer is really good. And the watermelon is absolute candy after each meal or whenever. Never have I seen so much watermelon and all fantastic, the stuff in Turkey doesn't compare. If you are in the tourist zones then menus will likely be in Greek and English, but in small villages like on the Pelion peninsula you will have to rely on finding an English speaking waiter to interpret the menu with you. But as we have found hand jesters and pantomime get you a long way. 


Another characteristic of Greece that you don’t see other places is the megaphone marketing of their fruits, vegetables and sometimes other things. In each village town or city you will hear a squawky loudspeaker advertising the wares of the hawker who drives down the street in some beat up old truck. Most of the time it is fruit and vegetables, but we have seen kitchen appliances and even lawn chairs. And it is a passion for every Greek within sight or sound of the sea to go for their daily swim in the ocean. The lady in the picture to the right was about 70 and scurrying ahead of us up, then down a set of stairs in Kavala. Then as she descended the stairs all her friends, who were already in the water began waving. It is a ritual not to be messed with.

Heading to the ole swimming hole

You will enjoy your time in Greece for sure. We have been staying at an apartment in Nea Larlitska and talking with a Greek/German family who lives the winter in Hamburg and runs this B&B for 8 mths of the year. He is from Greece, and he is so frustrated for the first 2 weeks when he comes back by the way things are done, then he settles in. Give yourself the time to get into their rhythm. Hopefully the financial, political changes take place but retain the Greek charm and in 20 years we won’t recognize the place. But we will be back our next trip, and I now understand why my dad loved this place so much. We truly love this place, and  admire its family values. And if you have a family look no further than Greece for a family holiday, they just love children. You will be treated like kings.