So what’s life really like in Greece?

The news seems full of worrying stories about Greece, from riots to politicians brawling on TV, so quite what is life really like in Greece at the moment?

Real life is remarkably normal

Well, contrary to what you see and the impression given, ‘normal’ life in Greece carries on very normally. Yes times have been better and yes there have been some well-publicised violent demonstrations in Syntagma Square in the centre of Athens, but across the rest of Athens and throughout the country, people and life carries on unaffected.

There are similar cases of the news reporting of mass demonstrations and riots in other cities which when viewed on TV sound as if the city is in meltdown; it makes for dramatic news; only the reality is that a few hundred metres from where the protest is taking place there’s little evidence of any disturbance at all. It is the same in Athens.

We are not the only people to report this; a recent article in the Boston Globe made the same point as well as another article in the Huffington Post, and the Daily Telegraph recently reported a 30% rise in the demand for holidays in Greece in the first half of June; certainly not the kind of news you hear elsewhere.

Maybe the most directly relevant article though is by Simon Calder, a very well-known UK travel writer. Not only did he travel to Greece and discover that the news and official advice is wholly different to the reality, but of all places to visit, he visited Poros. Well where else would you go if you wanted to enjoy a stay in Greece? His article extols the virtues of Poros and Hydra and his report on the demonstration of the; “Indignant Motorcyclists of Greece” in Syntagma Square is particularly revealing.

How might your holiday be affected?

So if you come sailing with us, how might you be affected?

Well, there have been a few isolated and short airport and ferry strikes, however, these are isolated and haven’t been repeated and so it is very unlikely you would be affected like this. We are, however, fortunate at Greek Sails because we can arrange for you to get to Poros by coach if necessary and so we would ensure even a ferry strike would not impact your holiday.

We also own most of the yachts we charter. That means we are not subject to problems through a chain of providers; when you book with us, you are chartering direct from us, the yacht owner, with no middle-man, and so you can be assured you will get to enjoy the boat you booked. The boats won’t be going anywhere and nor will we!

Silver lining?

Of course, there are benefits to your holiday from the current situation. Tavernas and hotels are even keener to provide you good service and good holiday memories; your business is important to them and indeed to us, and so you may find eating out or accommodation cheaper than in previous years. And if you’re travelling from the UK, the good news is the pound will now buy you around 10% more than last year, giving you the double advantage of both cheaper prices and a better exchange rate.

Also, with some places reporting lower visitor numbers, these places will be less crowded which can be advantageous, especially at popular spots in high season.

Life at Greek Sails

At Greek Sails we’re pleased to say things are running quite nicely despite all the news and we seem likely to report another good year of growing charter numbers.

We believe you should not be unduly put off visiting Greece this year due to a few well selected pictures in newspapers and on TV news and would encourage you to visit. Life has not ceased in Greece and indeed it is likely you’ll receive an even warmer welcome than usual. So if you’ve not yet arranged your holiday for this summer, we and the rest of Greece would love to see and welcome you; remember, you can’t believe everything you read in the press!