Greece - Paradise Forsaken?

It is difficult to find words that will accurately portray the 'Greek situation', the state of the country that is modern Greece as it currently stands. Much has been written or said by others on the subject, some well-meaning, some malicious, some accurate, some irrelevant or even false. What is indisputable is that the country is in economic limbo, with state finances in disarray, an embattled private sector and a population largely on its knees - seeing people in Athens searching through rubbish bins for food is indicative of the scale of this modern tragedy, as this is something that had not happened there since the German occupation during WW2.

For any Greek, wherever in the world we live (and I am London-based), this is a distressing and dispiriting situation, even more so since, after nearly ten years of 'recession' (surely meltdown is more accurate), there is little sign of real improvement despite politicians mouthing off hither and thither.

Yet should you visit Greece, especially the islands during the April to October period, you will be hard-pressed to understand that there is a problem at all - not only will you be confronted by scenery of sometimes astounding beauty, with beaches and sea of a clarity and colour rarely encountered, but you will also see people going about their busy professional life. Do not be fooled, as tourism is the one thriving industry the country possesses DESPITE successive governmental efforts to mess things up, and you are viewing places during the tourist season, so that they are naturally busy. Even Athens covers up some of its scars well, but hardship there is more widespread and runs deeper; having said that, there has probably been no better time to visit this ancient city, one that has given so much to world civilisation.

So why have we Greeks made such a mess of our finances despite the assistance of the European Union with countless grants over the years? How have the people who created a culture that has influenced most facets of Western Civilisation managed to mislay their share of the thinking process thus derived? And how can the descendants of the creators (yeah yeah, I know we may not be untainted direct descendants, but this does not necessarily alter the argument as we are the heirs to all that preceded us) of mighty concepts like Democracy, Philosophy and History act as if they are unacquainted with their meaning and care only about the here and now, the having a good time today above all else. The most sobering aspect of the Greek crisis is the way most Greeks have reacted: instead of accepting the situation, making some sacrifices and a big effort to make things better for the country as a whole, we have largely fought tooth and nail to maintain often undeserved privileges and to keep earning as much as possible at the expense of others (if at all feasible)! So in the middle of all the suffering, with people begging or searching through the bins for food a new Bentley showroom opens in Athens!

The funny thing is that there has never been a better time to visit Greece as a tourist, or even to buy property there as a long-term investment project; even Athens, despite all the ugliness inflicted upon it in the post WW2 years, maintains some gorgeous buildings offering neoclassical symmetry, beauty to spare and reminding us of the past that we have thrown away for the sake of quick profit. Ah, greed, the universal, powerful sentiment governing human beings...

The photographs I have been able to include show but a little of the beauty available and major on the Cyclades and the Athens area, so are not fully representative; Greece is, after all, predominantly a mountainous country and large parts are currently verdant, only slowly succumbing to the intense heat of the oncoming summer. The simple purpose - my purpose, to be precise - was to show a bit of the beauty that can easily be enjoyed there by better-off residents and visitors alike - this is a version of paradise that was until recently accessible to all Greeks and anybody able to

endure their passionate embrace of life and love, combined with the intense heat of the summer months.

What Greece is not is a Paradise for cheap, destructive tourism, nor should (or could) it ever be so, as it is small and fragmented. There is a complicated transport network in place to service the needs of the multitude of islands, but also many remote mountainous communities, and this can never be cheap. Greece is also not all things to all people - the weather is too harsh for that, especially in the summer - but holds a rather more eclectic appeal, especially to those of us who seek to understand the present and help shape the future by looking at, studying and trying to understand the past; there it is a treasure-trove that, for some, becomes a love affair for life - many superb writers have published books of their personal journeys. And it is not a Paradise in any way, shape or form for anyone trying to earn an honest living complying to the complicated, ever-changing web of legislation imposed by the Greek state in order to make up for its own shortcomings.

But this is another subject, soon to be tackled on this blog. And a post about Greek wine (much improved at all levels) will also appear before you soon, so keep reading; you are also welcome to comment on my scribblings, in admiration or otherwise...

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