So Greece was always in my itinerary from Day One. It just was. And it fell in naturally as a connecting destination between Turkey and the Balkan peninsula. However, back in December I learned that because of the austerity measures in Greece all international train routes and services had been suspended. So it was going to mean a flight or a messy train-bus-train situation across the Greece border if I wanted to head north next. But then I learned that my Global Eurail pass was going to give me free passage on the giant ferry boats that travel between Patras, Greece and Bari, Italy so I had a way around those austerity measures after all. And there was an added plus side that I could just move one way through Italy, south to north, and not have to double back on the train. Still, I kept my fingers crossed while in Australia and New Zealand that things would improve in Greece and maybe I would have a train route available to me as I don't normally enjoy long boat rides. Instead what I found when I returned was a worsened situation given the botched May elections in Greece and I was concerned about even the domestic train lines from Athens to Patras staying in operation. So I hatched a new plan less than one week before departing to Istanbul and booked a flight from Athens to Belgrade and went to work creating a new route last minute. It turns out I still could have taken a train to Patras and I probably would have a better chance of fitting in London now, but I still have no regrets on my last minute decision. It absolutely all worked out and I am excited as I keep refining my calendar every few days. I also can now say the flight was smart as I have seen first hand just how slow the trains in the Balkans are so the $150 one way flight to Belgrade was worth it. And also now having had a wonderful week in Greece, I can say I am soo happy that I didn't consider cutting it out.
But here's a bit of what I learned to add to my posts on Mykonos and Athens.
So I guess they really don't have a government right now. (There are a couple judges overseeing, but government is pretty much shutdown.) What happened was that after their early May elections it was realized very quickly that too many parties were in Parliament and they would never come to any consensus and be able to lead the country through these tough times. So a new election is scheduled for June 16 or 17 now and the parties have had to team up and form "alliances" so that there are fewer of them. But still, I learned that they have only gone from having 30+ parties to 20+ now, so some people don't have much hope for the second go around.
Greece is basically an 11 million person country that receives 30 million tourists a year. They really depend on tourists. It's their main (and arguably only) industry. And again, so many Greeks work only during the tourism season but have to make it last all 12 months. In Mykonos I learned that they are predicting a30% decrease in tourism this year, but so far in the season business was already 60% down for the year.
I understand that some parties think it would be best to leave the Euro because it will mean tourism would increase in the long term as tourists would come to get a good "value" but any Greeks were saying this will mean hunger for the for the next 4-5 years. So they have all told me earnestly to tell my friends and family that Greece is still safety visit.
Signs advertising Crisis Prices in Mykonos
And it is. I was never once in harm's way in even the slightest way. I felt safe the entire time. You honestly couldn't even tell the country was in any trouble unless you engaged in conversation with locals. But furthermore, I found Athens to be a giant bargain! Cheap drinks, cheap food, and cheap ice cream! Mykonos wasn't too expensive either. (It is hard to imagine the beach bed I was on going for €1000 a day later in the season!) so even though I am kind of on a budget and not splurging as I would like, I am glad that I helped Greece with my itty-bitty spending.
My flight from Mykonos to Athens was 20% full at best!
So feel free to consider Greece in the near, near future! It was a GIANT highlight of my trip so far! And let's hope the right party's elected next week to steer Greece out of this dilemma.
The near empty Mykonos airport
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