I met up last Sunday with my Greek-American friend, Evi.  She, like myself is from the US, but has now made Athens her home.  Fresh from her two-month trip to Boston, I was looking forward to hearing some new perspectives from New England.  I haven’t been back to the US in a year, and after my surreal 3-month army experience at Kalamata Military Base and the Defense Ministry in Athens this summer, I am getting a small dose of Greek cabin-fever. 

I barely let her take a sip of her coffee before I started with a barrage of questions: “So, what is the vibe like in the US right now?  Did you want to stay more or are you glad you’re back in Athens?”  I asked her, like my one-year stretch in Greece had given me amnesia to thirty years of living in America.

“Yeah, I’m glad to be back here.  But it’s really good over there too.  You know; everything works. Everything is easy.  Customer service is good.  You do things online.  You run errands in like fifteen minutes.  It’s not like here, where you spend a half-day, running from office to office, paying bills in-person, getting signatures, asking for sealed-stamped certificates, like we’re still living in a 1970’s cult TV comedy series.” 

“I took my mom to General Mass Hospital to get an x-ray on her wrist.  When I asked the nurse when we should come back to get the diagnosis, you know what she said?”  My lower lip quivered and I raised my eyebrows in anticipated fear, not so much for the results of her mother’s x-ray, but preparing myself to be flabbergasted by American efficiency.  “She said by the time you drive home, you can check your mom’s online medical profile and read the doctor’s notes.”

If you said that to an Athenian who recently visited a public hospital, they might give you an empty stare, take a deep breath, laugh delusionally and then weep quietly that their mothers gave birth to them in the cradle of democracy.  A friend of mine stubbed her toe and fractured it during her summer vacation and wanted to get it checked-out.  She walked into a hospital a few days later, but soon left because she didn’t have the energy to wait in lines and go through the ‘whole process’.             

“There’s a trade-off wherever you live.  In the US, my friends seem to have more stable lives, they’re ‘building careers,’ their kids go to good schools, they’re saving money for the future.  But whenever anyone comes to visit me in Athens, they can’t believe we have this outside our doorstep.” She pointed her hand out to this -the lively, bustling neighborhood square filled with outdoor cafes-bakeries-tavernas- which on a Sunday evening, pushing 11PM, it was still full and animated with families out for late night-snacks, young couples cuddled up on outdoor patio couches at the tastefully-designed cafes, teenagers somewhat respectfully loitering around and flirting with other adolescents, old folks sitting back on benches, and the solitary, out on their evening ‘peripato’ – nightly stroll.

Greek culture has something embedded in its social fiber, in its cultural DNA.  It’s not a numerical, quality of life that is going to give Greece a higher ranking in the Monocle and Mercer ratings of best places in the world to live in, by crunching hard-data on public transportation, health care, education and safety.  It’s a humane touch that you observe discreetly and experience subconsciously, in the 24-hr daily lifestyle of peoples’ behavior: the details, little intricacies, what they prioritize, what they consider necessary.

“You know what was kind of a pain-in the ass in Boston?  Trying to meet some of my friends for a coffee or lunch was almost like scheduling an appointment with my dentist.   It’s not like here, when you’re passing by someone’s office after work or you happen to be in their neighborhood and you say, ‘hey you want to meet for a coffee, now, like in thirty minutes and you do.   I played phone-tag with a couple good friends of mine, all summer back home, we-rescheduled a few times and then I just stopped trying and we never ended up meeting.”

The Greek impromptu social gatherings are one of my favorite occurrences when you happen to stumble into one of them: its like a game of social musical-chairs playing out throughout neighborhood piazzas all over Greece.  On the weekends they tend to last longer and can be all-day affairs, at the neighborhood taverna/café; and on the weekdays, they still happen after work or later in the evening at a more rapid-fire pace: friends drop-in, others drop-out, on their way to a gym class or strolling out of the office. Calling a friend out-of-the-blue because ‘I thought maybe you might be around here’ is not a rare occurrence in Greek social life.

I remember last year, a  NY Times article, circulated widely online, about Greeks who live to the age of a hundred on the island of Ikaria.  Besides a healthy diet and some of the obvious traits to staying fit, most of the people in these communities also had stress-free lifestyles: (1) waking up late and taking naps (2) lax attitude to meetings and appointments (3) Greek coffee didn’t seem to hurt either.    

We chatted a bit more about Boston, how some of the old neighborhoods have changed, and some common friends.   But I didn’t feel like I was walking away with a new striking revelation in my comparisons of laid back Mediterranean life and efficient, meritocratic Americana.   As we got ready to leave Evi added, “It’s a love-hate relationship.  It makes sense to go back to the US, to work in a professional environment where you will be rewarded, to take classes, to learn new things.   But at the same time, I can’t picture my life without Greece.”

I felt somewhat similarly.  I am missing the cultural and intellectual stimulation of NYC.   I don’t know if I’ll stay in Greece another year, or longer or perhaps it will become a base to a professional, 21st century nomadic lifestyle.  But there is a real-life charm here, no matter how low the country sinks on the financial data and econ statistics, the lifestyle is very alluring and very humane.

To read more from Spyros, check out his blog  here.

Until next week,

Jack

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

It was my first time in Greece and after visiting Mykonos and Santorini, a must they tell me when you come to this country, we decided to stay in Athens to see the city and visit friends. On the last day we checked out of the hotel and were having lunch (our flight was thankfully not for a few hours) when I realized that I had forgotten all my jewelry in the hotel room safe! I quickly called the hotel and told them the situation. They agreed to leave the room as it was and didn’t allow anyone in until I arrived and had taken my belongings. I am so thankful and impressed with how professional they were. I’ll be coming back to the Life Gallery on my next visit to Athens. Thank you XpatAthens for letting me tell my story.

Life Gallery Hotel
http://www.lifegallery.gr/en/

Until next week,

Jack
 

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

Of course I do need to rent cars from time to time, especially when there are visitors around. And the money I save on car expenses means that the cost of renting isn't such a sting...

This past week I had (more!) guests in town. (One would ask why I haven't opened up some sort of hotel or half-way house by now... ). I decided to rent a car so we could spend some time down the coast, beach side.

Driving in Athens is in fact not so bad - and I would say has gotten better over the years. Compared to places like Rome or Istanbul, driving in Athens is a walk in the park. But by far the biggest challenge on Athenians road, morning or night, is the miracle known as Finding Parking.

Finding Parking happens only for the lucky few, those chosen souls who have clearly lead better lives than I have, and for whom the universe has decided to provide the last remaining spot in the city.

Finding Parking is the last hope of every desperate driver. When every sidewalk, driveway and ditch - literally every open space - is jammed with headlights and tires, the only thing to do is accept that Finding Parking was not your destiny. When you are three and a half hours late for an appointment, Finding Parking is surely to blame. When you have to drive around the block 75 times, only to find that someone has left their spot and someone else has taken it while you were at the bottom of the street, make peace with the Parking gods, since you will not win.

When I returned the car the other night, I breathed a sigh of relief. My two feet would get me home ('in' the house, not 'near' the house) in half the time it would take me with Finding Parking.

And that's the way I like it.

Until next week,

Jack

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

"I come from Brazil - Rio de Janeiro - and came across your site while I was looking for information about my trip. I just returned home from my first time in Athens and i wanted to write to you to share my great experience...

Of course we all have learned about the history of Greece and the importance of Athens to the world. I know what many of the sites look like and remember many of the 'facts'...

I have also heard all the news reports that tell us how bad things are in Greece and this made me expect the worst...

But visiting Athens is nothing like the facts! I found a city that was as full of 'today' as it was of 'yesterday'. A city that made me feel happy... I remember walking through the Plaka in the mornings and wish I was still there!

I can share that I have recently gone through a breakup and have been feeling unhappy (yes even in Brazil!). I guess I came to Greece hoping to get away from that and wishing to be inspired.

Now back at home, I can tell you that I felt inspired. I heard the stories of difficult times from some locals, but i felt a special energy in the air ( not to mention amazing food!) that made waking up on the morning something to look forward to.

I feel changed by Athens. And charged. I want to say to everyone who lives there to feel lucky for living there and never to take it for granted that you live in such a place.
I can't wait to return!

Thanks for the chance to write in your site!

Silvia"

Until next week,

Jack

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

Over the past week, I really noticed how ‘far away’ Athens feels from the rest of Greece. Of course, we often hear people outside the capital say they could never live in Athens, not with the crowds, the noise, the traffic, the chaos. And it seems the further away you get from the city, the more dramatic is this response. My answer has always been (usually spoken to myself), ‘sure, but Athens is like a quiet country town compared to Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Sydney...’

After hopping around Crete over the past days, I understand this more clearly. In places like Agios Nikolaos, Elounda, in the villages around Chania – Athens seems like a world away. And the pace of life in these small, ‘authentic’ Greek locales does make Athens seems like a chaotic metropolis. There are days in these rural zones where, I’m sure, not much happens. And where not much has changed in generations.

I suppose the truth is that everything is relative – relative to where you’ve just come from and relative to where your life’s experience has decided is the ‘comparison’.

The same goes for Greece’s beaches. Some of us have unwittingly become acclimatized to the beauty around us – so much so, that I have often found myself saying ‘oh look, those tourists think that (tiny, average) beach is wonderful – how unfortunate’. But really, relative to the colder, wetter, less ‘beachy’ places they’ve come from, those (tiny, average) beaches are a little piece of paradise for many people. And why shouldn’t they be!

So I am really trying to avoid this ‘relativity trap’ – the trap of thinking ‘gosh, Athens is so loud and busy’, after returning from an idyllic getaway - and instead remembering why I moved to this ‘energetic and alive’ city.

That, and also thinking about where I might go next time…

Until next week,

Jack

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

Crete: the isle of the Minoans, the isle of fantastic food, beautiful beaches, authentic villages, picturesque landscapes – and seventeen Ryan Air flights per week.

Crete really does have it all. It is big – very big – and requires resetting one’s geographic ‘clock’ to allow more time to get to one’s destination. But the rewards are well worth the drives…

With 8 people in tow, the island holiday takes on a decidedly positive flavor. Costs are shared, laughs are had, and fond memories are created. Deciding where to have dinner does prove to be a challenge, but splitting the bill by 8 means that we have been consistently surprised at the great value and low cost of this holiday.

We are staying in the little village of Gavalohori, a 30-minute drive east of Chania. I can confidently report that Gavalohori is one of the most ‘authentic’ Greek villages I have seen yet. It is tiny, with 2 tavernas, 1 kafeneio and a general store. There is a beach nearby, and the Lefka Oroi mountain range as a backdrop. There are families who have lived here for generations, in houses that look like they’ve been standing forever.

Between swimming, eating & drinking, and hanging with friends, it seems like the typical island holiday doesn’t involve much activity. Sure, you can visit an ancient site, or browse in the shops – but at the end of the day, sitting still and sharing with friends is what an island escape should be about. And in my world, this is a good thing.

And there are a lot of tourists here. Everywhere – including lots of Greeks. But the size of the island means that it never feels over-crowded. And truth be told, I am happy to see full restaurants and crowded beaches – maybe it means that tourism numbers are back to normal. Maybe it just means that ‘doing nothing’ was also on the agenda of everyone else who is tired of the everyday in Europe.

Until next week,

Jack


In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

Call me uncaring, but I find it annoying to have to dodge trains (trains!) at every corner around Thiseio, Plaka, Monastiraki, Acropolis.

And the ding-ding-ding of that bell!

I was at Moma last night (still one of my favourite places to eat and hang out along Adrianou St.), enjoying a glass of wine with 2 friends. The night was perfect – warm, breezy and relaxed. In mid-sentence, I heard the bells. The bells signalling an end to all things breezy and relaxed. The bells that are followed by “…and on your left you can see the ancient Agora…” Followed by a giant wave of people jumping out of the way so that the overloaded choo choo train can interrupt our lives for 30 brief seconds (I counted) as it makes its way around the pedestrian streets. Repeat this every 10minutes.

But it gets better. As it turns out, you can run but you can’t hide. There are multiple choo choo trains that seem to follow me around. I am dodging moving locomotives at every turn. I can’t win.

I really hope that everyone who takes those trains really appreciates the ride, really loves the commentary, and really see everything the want to see. And then I also hope that each of them experiences the ‘choo choo train dive’ as they leap out of the way of the next tour.

End of rant. Now back to summer. :)

Until next week,

Jack

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

With air conditioners taxed to their maximum, and fans spinning out of control, the midsummer ‘get out of Athens’ feeling is creeping up… For those of us still in the city (and there are many of us these days!), the question is how to enjoy our days and nights while dealing with this heat. For me, the question has become ‘who is arriving or departing today?’ – as I deal with an influx of friends and travelers at my place.

Moving into the city centre has meant that I’m now the preferred destination for friends visiting Athens. I’ve been lucky (!) to have a series of visitors in town for the past month or so. I’ve got my city tour down pat – Plaka, Monastiraki, Acropolis (entrance fee not included), Syntagma, Kolonaki, Exarheia. And even a trip down to the seaside for those who have the time. Nights out in Gazi, in Plaka, at Plateia Karitsi, etc are also included in Jack’s Athens Package. I love to show people my Athens.

The trouble is, they love it here. And they inevitably tell their friends, who also jump on a plane headed for Athens. And before you know it, you have a house full of people with cameras in hand, who can’t wait to see what they can see. At this point I have sweat through all my t-shirts and most of my sneakers. And we’re only at the end of July. Surely it can’t get any hotter…

In my next life, I will own a bed-and-breakfast. With air conditioning.

Until next week,

Jack.

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

To all the beach snobs out there, I have a wonderful compromise. We ended up going to the beach at La Cabana, and the taverna next door called ‘Ellados Eikones’. I was impressed. This is located at the end of Akti Alimou (Alimos Beach) – where the old Blue beach bar used to be. Look for the La Cabana sign.

The beach itself is lovely – organized, pebbly (not rocky), very clean, with ‘deluxe’ beach chairs and even a net set up offshore to keep out all the unwanted stuff… crystal clear water and a wonderful view. The snob in me was actually rather satisfied.

The dinner afterwards at Ellados Eikones was equally good. Their motto is ‘think Greek’ – and the place lives up to that promise. The design has a wonderful island style, very relaxed, rustic even, but elegant. The menu is delicious, the music is Greek, and Thursday-Saturday nights they have live Greek music. Without exaggeration, I felt like I was not in Athens. I loved it. It’s certainly not the cheapest taverna I’ve been to, but the quality of the whole experience is definitely a step up from average.

So to all my fellow beach snobs who trek far south in search of the perfect beach – I challenge you to give this one a try. Who knows, maybe you’ll duck out of work early one Friday night and see us there…

Until next week,

Jack

Ellados Eikones
www.ellados-eikones.gr
 

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

One of my cousins loves to enter contests. And, as these things go, someone must win. She won a 3 day island cruise with Louis Cruises. And she took me along. Greek islands – great. Cruising – great. Free –really great! So off we went…

The route took us over 3 days to Mykonos, Kusadasi (Turkey), Patmos, Crete and Santorini. The destinations were super. Very different flavours, with a little taste of each along the way. At each destination, there were organized excursions one could do (for an extra fee) – visiting places like Ephesus, Oia, Knossos, etc. Or you could simply go ashore and explore on your own.

Life onboard the ship was nice. These ships are not the giant cruise ships that we normally think of – we were told that the capacity was around 1500 people, spread across 9 decks. The ship had 2 swimming pools, several bars, 3 restaurants, a ‘performance’ theatre, a casino and even a nightclub. How can you go wrong?

The passengers were from all over the place – North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Australia – and lots of Greeks as well. There were lots of families, older couples, young people, and even a Contiki tour group. The crew and staff were also from everywhere – speaking every language imaginable. This was a different mix of people than I expected – really nice.

Food onboard was not bad. The nightly entertainment (‘the show’) onboard was even bearable. I wouldn’t call it a luxury cruise, I wouldn’t call it the trip of a lifetime. But I would certainly call it a great way to see a lot in a short time. A perfect solution for travelers who want to ‘island-hop’ without worrying about hotels and flights and ferries. People seemed to really enjoy themselves. Judging by the constant clicking of cameras and smartphones and ipads, everyone loved everything they were seeing.

Cruising the Greek islands – add it to the list of ‘maybes’ for a short summer break.

And since I can’t really argue with ‘free’ - I’ve decided to start entering contests. All of them.

Until next week,

Jack
 

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…