Itisallgreek2me

Kastelli Kissamos

The Greek debt crisis is far from over and when one talks with the people here, I wonder how it is that they manage to make ends meet at all.  The price they have to pay for the basic necessities of life – a roof over their heads, food, health care, electricity, telephone, petrol (over NZ$3 per litre) and  for those who have work, long hours for as little as 3 Euro per hour (approx. NZ$6).   

I believe this situation has arisen from malpractice on the part of both Government and some citizens and must be linked to an inadequate tax collection regime.  Many self employed individuals tend to keep two sets of books – one with the true revenue received and another to show the Government, with tax inspectors more than happy to accept bribes.  Greeks in the public sector work on average only 7 months a year.  They retire in their 50’s whereupon they start receiving 14 monthly pension payments per year!  The Government’s proposed austerity measures will force citizens to tighten their belts further with cost cutting measures including reviewing public sector salaries, raising taxes and slashing pensions.  Clearly not all citizens are guilty of these practices, however, all citizens will have to pay a price one way or another.   

Started the day by dropping a can of hairspray on my toe – yes it hurt, however, I did not think too much about the black toenail that developed until late this afternoon, by which time it had become quite painful.  Anna has now wrapped it in a slice of juicy aloe vera and bound all my toes with a bandage.  I must have faith in this herbal intervention if I want to put on shoes next week to walk the 18 kilometre long Samaria Gorge.  Enjoyed a walk around Kastelli this afternoon.  Saw our German friend Reinhard from Saturday night and he invited me to meet with him, Jilly and Rick at Taverna Petra in the Square for a drink.  Pleasant interlude – they were off to the beach, I came home to rest my toe.   

Wonderful smell of garlic coming from the kitchen earlier – Katina was making Skordalia, a thick puree made from potatoes, bread, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and salt.  I see it is now on the table to be part of our evening meal – with fried fish it is delicious!   

My final words of the day – for anyone considering visiting Greece in the near future, do not be put off by the events taking place, there is so much more to be enjoyed and no real reason to stay away.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 24th, 2010 at 7:16 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.