This one just to tease - Greek summer has arrived

Some of you might have the impression that I am always moaning about Greece, wrong I love the place and the people. Summer has arrived, schools closed 15 July and open again mid-September and now the city is gradually getting empty. Many are moving to their little summer homes on the coast as the temperatures begin slowly to climb. Hotels are filling up and the water is just right for the typical Greek who would never dream of swimming in anything but warm Mediterranean waters. And slowly the city life is winding down, the clubs and discos more out of the center in the summer and from mid-July to mid-August shops change their opening hours to basically mornings only (with the exception of Fridays). Walking through the city this morning I noticed the numerous tourists struggling with their guide books and phrase books. White skinned and shading themselves constantly from the sun, the Northern European is not hard to detect.

More news on the cost of living in Greece - and it's not good

This article was pubished in May 2008 but I believe the economic turn down has not improved things and the cost of living in Greece has increased:

"Greece also has the highest cost of living in Europe, according to a recent survey by the Consumer Protection Center (KEPKA) on supermarket prices. Greeks pay –215.70 for 86 of the basic goods, for which Germans pay –162.71. For example, a kilo of yoghurt costs –0.93 in Germany but –2.49 in Greece. Fresh milk costs –0.66 in Germany but –0.94 in Greece. Local farm products such as feta cheese and red (Florina) peppers cost more in Greece than in any other European country."

This I admit is frightening but it is the realities of daily life:

"According to the latest report by the European Commission, 49 percent of Greeks say they have already reduced purchases of various goods, 73 percent are no longer planning to buy a new car, 82 percent have decided against buying a home and 74 percent against having repairs done to their homes.

One in three Greeks has difficulty in paying the rent or mortgage installment, having meat or fish on the table every two days or heating their homes adequately.

Nearly half of those with low incomes say they are pessimistic about the future and are expecting more price rises over the next few months. (In Spain the corresponding percentage is just 9 percent, in France 7 and Italy 6.4 percent.)

Today the percentage of the population that lives on the poverty line stands at 20 percent, with most of the burden being borne by pensioners, single-parent families, the unemployed, young people and immigrants. A fifth cannot afford to buy a personal computer, 11.31 percent cannot afford a washing machine and 22.3 percent a car. Meanwhile two-thirds (523,122 people) say they cannot afford extraordinary expenses and 79.3 percent don’t have the money for a week’s holiday.

About 400,000 people say they have not been able to afford a visit to a doctor."

Both quotes are from the national Greek newspaper Kathimerini

Terrorism raises its ugly head in Greece.

Since the collapse of the military junta in Greece in 1973, contemporary history has been marred with the presence of terrorist groups. The most famous or infamous was the 17th November, named after the day the junta drove tanks into the Polytechnio in Athens to quell student uprisings against the junta. The 17 November terrorist group was disbanded in 2002 with the trial and emprisonment of its key members. The group assassinated 23 people in some 103 atacks and the targets were usually Amercian, Turkish and British diplomats and rich Greek entrepreneurs. The motives of the organistaion were getting the US bases out of Greece and Cyprus, getting Greece out of NATO and the EU. It was de fact an urban Marxist organisation.

With their demise in recent years we are witnessing the growth of an offspring of the 17 November group calling themselves the Revolutionary Struggle and it is deeply anti-American and anti-globalisation. Since its inception in 2003 it has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks and assassinations in Greece. Indeed only last week, an anti-terrorist officer protecting witnesses in a case against the group was gunned down in Athens.

A final word on the Greek language - embarrassing but funny

A true story. Just after moving to Greece - some two weeks in fact, a colleague of mine went off to the local bakery to get a loaf of bread. Armed with her scanty knowledge of Greek she walked in and was faced with a little old black-clothed lady behind the counter. Proudly she ordered "ena psouli, parakalo" - "one loaf please", she thought. In fact the word for bread in Greek is "psoumi". The immediate reaction of the little old lady indicated something was very wrong. Anyway, having asked for the bread, she then continued - "large and brown please". The atmosphere was icy to say the least. Perturbed my colleague returned home and still pondering the reaction in the shop she got out the dictionary. To her horror she had in fact order a certain part of the male anatomy - and a large brown one to boot.