Having had the wonderful opportunity to intern at the Athena Research Center in Athens for a little over 6 weeks, I pen down some observations that struck me as different when compared to the Indian way of life.
Whether it is the metro, the tram, the bus or the train in every coach you will find at least one Greek reading a book, oblivious of her surroundings, the motion of the vehicle, the general banter and the overall chaos. Lost in another dimension.
Greeks are incomplete without a coffee container in their hand. No matter if the day is just starting or if it is well past sunset, students, office goers, senior citizens everyone loves their coffee. People even have special coffee holders on their work desk, and it is quite normal to have a coffee cup on your desk and to keep sipping it throughout the day. I have even seen people sip their favourite beverage in buses where others do not have a place to stand.
Greece is going through an uneasy transition, there is no denying that. Fully armed police vehicles cruising away on the streets are an ugly reminder of that. These vehicles look like what India's riot control or Rapid Action Force look like. Every policeman that I have encountered be it in Syntagma square or at a random metro station is fully armed, with an automatic rifle and a bulletproof vest. This struck as odd to me and I mentioned as much to Fanny (a friend from France living with a co-intern) and she said that this was not very different from what she sees in France. In India we have our fair share of armed policemen and paramilitary forces at important places like the airport but the local beat policeman walks around in his khaki with just a baton for enforcing the letter of the law. This is both encouraging and sad at the same time.
This was funny, walking down the road you encounter cars that you have seen all around you since your childhood but strangely enough they don't have the same names. Your routine Santro is called Atos. Incidentally you see this across car manufacturers, plus you see a lot of the same models that you see on Indian streets unlike the US. This kind of makes you feel at home in a weird way.
The flag of the Hellenic Republic is loved by its citizens, you can find it prominently displayed from houses on vehicles even in commercial shops and on the carts of small vendors. Seeing such patriotic display of the flag was a refreshing change from how the Indian flag is treated. Inspite of the freedom that the flag code provides to Indians the use of the national flag is still restricted to mostly government officials. Another interesting titbit about the the Greek flag was shared by Eva, the ever cheerful intern from Cyprus on our long train ride from Athens to Kalambaka. Apparently the stripes of the Greek flag represent the syllable of the patriotic cry which loosely translated into English mean 'Freedom or Death'.
One of the fun parts of living in Athens and indeed travelling around Greece was their bakeries. These are small scale local bakeries which are typically run by a single family they open super early in the day and it is not surprising to walk into an empty bakery around 11 in the morning. They only make a limited quantity of fresh baked goods, which people grab on their way to work. I can never forget the apple pie I ate for breakfast in the town of Kalambaka at the base of the Meteora monasteries. There was only one bakery in the entire town and everything was still warm from the oven.
This was a little unsettling in the first week, we know that the sun did not set in the erstwhile British Empire but evidently it does not set till 9pm in Athens either. Indians are used to a pitch dark sky by at most 7 in the evening, but a 9pm sunset gives you the opportunity to better utilize the day.
I don't know if it is their diet or their lifestyle but almost no Greeks wear spectacles!
If you thought that the hand fan was limited to Japanese women and karate fighter, think again. Hand fans are ubiquitous in Greece, where ladies flip stylish ones out in the metro or on a crowded street and seek relief from the heat.
The Greeks are rightfully super proud of their rich cultural heritage. Talk to any Athenian about the civilization that gave the world democracy and geometry among other things and you are bound to see her eyes light up.
- Time indicators for buses
This simple innovation helps relieve a lot of stress for the city commuters. Almost every bus stop has an electronic indicator that estimates the number of minutes remaining for the corresponding bus's arrival. What improves the efficacy of this system is that these estimates are accurate within a margin of one minute. This really helps you plan your travel instead of waiting indefinitely at the bus stop hoping that the traffic gods smile at you.
In interest of the reader ever finishing this post, I am splitting the list into (at least) two parts. Second part to follow soon.
That's a good insight which is normally not covered in travel blogs your observation adds new dimensions to understand and appreciate the Greek way of life!
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