I have noted years ago that every conversation between Greeks will at some point turn to politics. I do not know of another nation where politics plays such a dominant role in everyday life. When I saw that the Prime Minister of Greece, Georgios Papandreou, is using twitter, I followed him. He is not an [...]
What comes to mind when thinking of Greeks? Foreigners will likely mention the ancient civilisation, democracy, or philosophers. However, for someone living in Greece, the answer is far from the nobility of the sophisticated heritage of ancient times. A concurrent phenomenon has spread throughout this country to the point that it is now an ingrained [...]
There are many good things about having four kids. And there is one good thing in particular, about having four kids in Greece. It gives the family a special status, called polyteknos, which means the equivalent of “with many children”. The state offers support to these families in several ways, as a social contribution and [...]
Birthday parties are a non-event for adult Greeks, as name days are far more important. For children however, birthday parties are imperative, which is of course as it should be. When I was a child, I would invite 5 to 10 friends to my house, and lots of games would be played. In today’s world [...]
I have been living in Greece for six years, and even now it sometimes happens to me that I feel bewildered whilst dealing with usually routine situations. Every now and then I fall prey to some of the more deplorable tactics used in this country. The weather is still warm and mild in Athens, but [...]
Greeks are extremely generous people. Sometimes when two different cultures come together, the outcome can be surprising. I am of German heritage, and before we settled down in Greece my family and me lived for 18 months in a small German village called Oberjosbach. It is not easy for newcomers to make contact in such a [...]
It is always an experience to travel with Greeks; my personal highlight is to travel with lots of Greeks on a plane. For most people, “chaotic” would be the single best fittingly term to describe this. I just returned from 3-day trip to Hamburg via Zurich. I applaud the airlines that do their best to [...]
This is a very special post for the Only in Greece column, as it is written by the most important person in my life – my wife Alexandra. She gives a great insight into how the “southern” cultures work. Simply read and enjoy – I am so proud of her! Photo by Ramazan Sahin I [...]
Greeks are often temperamental people. It is nearly impossible to drive through Athens without someone yelling at you or gesturing wildly at you. For me, this is in fact a valuable learning experience for slang words, and it works wonders if I put up a friendly smile and ask the aggressor with my German dialect to [...]
Greeks interpret even basic traffic regulations differently than most of us. Somehow the relaxed way of enjoying life does not extend to driving. Even worse, it is replaced with the passionate temperament only Greeks seem to be capable of. Life on the roads is fast and furious. Where in most countries the normal [...]
