Month: September 2010

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I just got back from eight days in Greece — Athens and the island of Hydra — updating my guidebook there. Before my visit, people were concerned that my trip would be complicated by the country’s “economic meltdown.” (A magazine I write for didn’t want to run my article on Greece, fearing that it would inspire its traveling readers to venture into trouble.) As has been my standard operating procedure lately, I wanted to go to Greece to get beyond the media hysterics and see for myself the truth — to experience firsthand the effect of Greece’s economic problems on travel there. Greece remains an enjoyable place to travel, but it does help to have some background in what’s going on there.

There’s no doubt that Greece has its economic problems. It has lived beyond its means, worked too short, retired too early, consumed too much, produced too little, enjoyed too much job security, created a real-estate bubble with overvalued properties, and funded too much on a growing deficit. Many other countries (including the United States) are plagued by these same problems, but Greece is an extreme case, with extreme consequences.

The Greek government is scrambling to salvage their economy. They’re getting more serious about collecting taxes. And those taxes are higher: From the beginning to the end of 2010, the Greek VAT (Value Added Tax, a national sales tax) will incrementally rise from 19 percent to 25 percent. This means everything people consume will cost more, because 25 percent of what they pay is going to the government to rescue the economy. Complicating matters: Many businesses have gone bankrupt because of the crisis, so there’s less competition — which means higher consumer prices.

What about all that violence in the streets? Strikes and demonstrations have long been a way of life in Greece. Most Greeks see a general strike as an excuse for an impromptu holiday. But there is a tiny anarchist fringe element that knows a peaceful demonstration or rally by teachers or doctors at Athens’ parliament building will have media coverage. And a handful of troublemakers will “come out to play with their friends” (as locals term it), and things become violent. Like back home, when it comes to TV news, “if it bleeds, it leads”; Greek and international media outlets embrace anything violent and exaggerate it. People who don’t get out much overreact, offering anarchists behind those actions huge rewards.

What’s the future? Greeks are optimistic by nature. They realize they’ve dug themselves into a pretty deep hole. But they also know they’ll get through their “tough economic times.” And they understand that a reality check — which will come with some brutal belt-tightening — is necessary. The biggest culprits of Greece’s notorious largesse are government employees. They have cushy jobs, 100 percent job security, and great benefits. In the public’s eye, they get in, make too much money, and — because they know they can’t be fired — just luxuriate away their work lives in worry-free comfort. There’s a huge anger about economic scandal and corruption, as maddening cases fill the news almost daily.

Simply put, Greece’s adjustments to its new economic reality won’t be fair. For instance, if you turned 60 in 2009, you’re comfortably retired. If you turned 60 in 2010, you’ll need to work seven more years. People are angry about that, but there’s nothing they can do. Young, well-educated, multilingual people feel that they’re overqualified for what Greece has to offer, and are tempted to go abroad for employment to match their skills. This potential “brain drain” of bright young people is yet another of the many challenges the new Greece will be dealing with.

What about the practical effect on tourists? Strikes are nuisance strikes — just a day or two here and there, and generally not prolonged. Regardless of the economic challenges, people still need to get to and from the islands, and they still need services once on those islands.

There will be destructive attempts to grab headlines and express anger at corporate and government sources of local frustration. (Anarchists burned two Starbucks in Athens. Other branches, realizing they were targeted, closed up shop.) But, as of this writing (August 2010), the violence is relatively easy to avoid. Unlike the frightening, random “suicide bombings” of marketplaces that we hear about in the Middle East, in Greece, any violence has been done with notice and generally at off-times — they’ll call the newspaper at 4 o’clock in the morning, just before they bomb an empty bank building (their target is the institution itself, not the people inside). And virtually all demonstrations or acts of violence have taken place solely within one small, high-profile area of central Athens, and have not affected the main tourist attractions (islands and ancient sites) elsewhere in Greece.

I had a great visit to Greece. Based on my mid-2010 experience on the ground in Athens and out in the islands, Greece is the same old place. My company is taking more tours through Greece then ever (our 2010 program is particularly hot), and they’re bringing home happy customers. The museums are still open. When I asked a Greek friend about his, she responded, “Why would we close the Acropolis? It would make no sense. Tourism is an important part of our economy. People pay to see it. That’s why they are here.”

In my mind, the biggest impact of the crisis on anyone considering visiting Greece is the satisfaction you’ll get from contributing to the economy of a nation dealing with tough times, and the joy that comes with a tourist industry that really appreciates your presence.

If there’s a positive outcome from all of this, it’s that Greece’s economic irresponsibility has inspired politicians and political movements across Europe to get real with their economics. In the US, throughout Europe, and elsewhere, the cautionary tale of Greece has sparked a sweeping realization that government pork, corporate corruption, and personal production relative to consumption needs to be re-calibrated.

As many American travelers are nervous about visiting Greece, I plan to put a version of this blog entry in the 2011 edition of my Athens guidebook. Please share your thoughts on this issue. What’s the impact of the crisis on tourism in Greece, and how should this impact our plans to travel there in 2011?

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I just returned from several days in Athens, and I enjoyed the city more on this trip than ever before. Part of my enjoyment was seeing a place that’s getting its act together, as I believe Athens is. I had a great experience even though I was there at the worst time of year. It was sweltering — well over 100 degrees — and in mid-August, much of the town was gone, enjoying a vacation and finding relief on the beach. Still, there was an energy in Athens that made me want to come back and linger…in the winter.

Right off, I noticed women’s toes. I did a study of feet on my subway ride through town. While sandals and painted toes, of course, are routine whereever it’s really hot, for some reason toes caught my attention in Athens. Surveying hundreds of Greek feet (actually doing a counting tally), I found over 90 percent wore open-toed shoes, and there was a huge emphasis on beautifully painted toes. Women I talked to later affirmed that pedicures are a particulary big in Athens.

Munching a tomato reminded me of my backpacker days here. Back then, tomatoes cost literally pennies each (or drachma, in those days), and that was all I could afford. I ate them like apples at a Huck Finn fest. I grew up thinking vegetables were the pulp of filling the tank — not very flavorful. With my upbringing, broccoli grew in cubes, and cherries came off the tree filled with red dye. I ate mandarin orange sections for years before I ever actually peeled one. Then, when I hit Europe as a teen, I found tomatoes splashed with flavor. My first mushroom was in Germany. My first yogurt was in Yugoslavia. And my first quiche, crêpe, and pâté were all in France. Back in the 1970s, Europe did to my personal food world what color did to my TV.

The oppressive heat was a big topic of conversation on this trip to Athens. My guide pulled a bottle of water from her purse, took a guzzle, and offered me some, saying, “It’s hot enough to shave with.” The day before, she had gone to the departure point for her company’s walking tour, and the heat drove five of the twelve tourists (who had prepaid plenty of money to take the tour) not to show up.

After talking with Athenians about the brutal heat, it occurred to me that even people who live in hot places don’t get used to the heat. When considering the impact of global climate change on our planet, it’s easy for people in temperate climates (like me) to imagine that people in the tropics just get acclimated to the blistering heat. But I don’t think they do — they just suffer through it. That would make me pretty miserable. Like my experience in Athens, they just have no alternative. For most of the people on this planet, summer is as hot as Fargo in the winter is cold.

Athens was still shaken by its recent riots and violence. At the Changing of the Guard in front of the parliament building, we saw the “riot dog” — a stray dog that has hung out around the palace for years. She smells trouble and always sides with the people against the police. Locals look for and usually see her in all the TV coverage.

At lunch, I asked my guide if she felt endangered by the street violence. Putting the last bite of moussaka in her mouth, she told me her grandma’s words of wisdom: “When you see food, eat it. When you see a fight, go away” — advice that has worked very well for her.

I’ll talk more about those riots — and Greece’s much-touted “economic crisis” — in my next entry.