The very north
of Greece might well be ‘The Yardstick’ by which we can measure the veracity of
living in a significantly indebted nation, because Greece has been enjoying a
severe reality check of late, together with a boringly repetitious ticking off
from the Germans.
Perched in
their ivory towers, most of the verbiage about Greece seems to have come from
the many postprandial hacks who occupy their litter strewn desks, in and about
the capitals of the world. These well distanced diagnosticians - who no doubt
think Greece to be mainly about Diogenes, Euripides or even Feta Cheese -
generally believe that a country can be described in terms of cartoon clichés
from the past and perhaps the sound of smashing dinner plates - in some hardly
remembered Greek restaurant in London’s Notting Hill Gate. A country traditionally visited by seasoned travelers
- other than those who visit for a two week hedonistic break in Mykonos -
Greece seems to be turning a corner and getting back on course. Not only according
to the all-knowing Brussels pundits, but also by Greeks themselves.
The pain started
six years ago in Orestiada, the second city of Evros. Evros is also the name of
the river that separates Greece from Turkey to the south and to the north, The
Republic of Bulgaria.
As you
travel south from the Bulgarian border on the E85 towards Orestiada, you can
see the busy Turkish City of Edirne on your left hand side, across the River Evros,
with its many Minarets. With four remarkable Ottoman Mosques and many sprawling
historical buildings - pink and shining in the sun – it immediately confirms that
the vital contrast between the two countries is immense. And it is here that
the differences also begin to show and the story starts to open our eyes, to
some sort of reality, far away from a cloying media dominated world.
Sunday in
Edirne (their Monday) is lively and alive with activity everywhere. Amongst the
many shops there are mountains of affordable well designed clothes stores,
stuffed with all manner of electrical goods and kitchen ware, and with so many restaurants;
it appears to be like a holiday town. It also seems that you can eat anything
you like in Edirne, provided of course it is a Kebab!
By contrast,
across the river in Orestiada it is practically dead, with rows of empty shops
and very few people about, despite the fact that Sunday is traditionally a day
for the many Greek Orthodox Churches, for people to promenade in the streets
and for Greek café life to flourish. These days talk in Orestiada is generally
about the price of logs and the almost doubling in price of heating oil from the
previous year. The increase in VAT on food stuffs and the attendant hike in
prices - generally unreasonably so – obviously leaves some unscrupulous food
shops with a nice little earner and this too is also a major source of gossip.
Stuck to the
telly, Greeks are served up a daily diet of waffle – there are about ten TV
stations to choose from – from a bunch of wind bags whose only wish is simply to
be seen on the box. With impossible ideas and multiple choice alternatives;
little of it makes any sense, under the present difficult circumstances.
Spike
Milligan once said – apropos the then Irish question –that the best solution
was to put a large post in the middle of Ireland, and to tow it out to sea.
This now appears to be one of the ‘flat earth’ political alternatives these
wind bags now suggest; but how I wish they would stop talking!
The historic
philosophy behind the EEC, EC, and finally the EU now seems to have been
blotted out by us all, and these days only appears to be about money and dodgy
economics. Once it was all about war, domination and political intrigue, and of
course the Germans. However, like the Bulgarians and to some extent the
Romanians, the lure of EU money has always been a great imperative in the
Balkans – along with being in NATO – and this was surely so for Greece in
1981, when it became the 10th member of the European Community.
Since then
the whole ethos of ‘Poor little Greece’ has changed, and now we see a cabal of
political elite – mostly devoid of shame – who have sucked the Greek banks dry,
with a look of total innocence that completely baffles even me! Asked to define
the difference between Bulgarians and Greeks, I was surprised to find more
things in common than differences.
Finally it
occurred to me that the difference was that Bulgarians wanted to do things, but
couldn’t, and that Greeks could, but didn’t want to! Maybe it is once more about
that old stereotype bon mot; the one about a Greek going into a revolving door
last, but managing to come out first! And this may well have been how Greeks
defined themselves in 2008, but unfortunately the door has recently become a
little stuck, and is in need of some WD 40.
In this part
of Greece, Greek attitudes have changed dramatically since then and now in
2014, everyone is more than aware that the good old days are over and that
Greece’s claim to being universally middle class has gone. No more easy loans –
from an abnormally friendly and amenable bank manager – just blank looks and a
firm demand for prompt payment, business is now consciously improving customer
service and reducing hotel prices and property costs too.
So where
does this leave our erstwhile or would be intrepid visitor to Greece? Is Greece
getting better and why am I banging on about the northern part of Greece which
is called Thrace or Thraki to the natives? The answer to that question is very
simple, I live here.
Throughout
modern history, the River Evros was always regarded as a secret place. It was
next to Turkey after all – the Greeks old enemy – but it also teemed with the
most spectacular flora and fauna. A naturalist’s paradise - and where you are
more likely to see a Kestrel sitting on a gatepost, than a crow - Evros Region
is full of wonders. It is also farming country and where you can find the fabulous
Greek National Park near Tychero. Hard core Greek - Alexander the Great came from
Greek Macedonia and his mother was born on the mystical island of Samothraki – this
part of Eastern Thrace is hardly known by foreign travelers at all, but remains
full of wonder.
When you
arrive at the Aegean, Greece once more becomes the ubiquitous family holiday
destination of yore. With its deserted beaches and its striking scenery – not
forgetting the first rate campsites - the Thracian coast has a lot to offer its
visitors at very reasonable prices. You can, if you wish, lie on a beach like a
sardine in a tin - getting bronzed to the sound of rap music - but considering
the many hundreds of kilometers of deserted sandy beaches on offer, many of us
would rather not and of course, they are all free.
Greece also
has a lot of little airports and the internal flight costs from Athens are very
small, especially if you order your tickets in advance, and Thrace is no
exception. With airports in Alexandropoulis, Kavala and Thessaloniki many are regularly
visited by cut price carriers from different parts of Europe.
Finally,
what is really good in Thrace are the Greek language skills. In Thrace, English
and German is widely spoken, even in my little village corner shop, close to
where I live and a place which is very easy to live in!
Copyright © Patrick Brigham – May
2014 Rizia Evros Greece
