Saturday, November 26, 2011

Go Greek for a week


The UK Television Channel 4 created what they thought was an objective look at the Greek economic crisis by trying to replicate the lives of Greek workers using English men and women who pretended to ‘Go Greek for a Week’. The result was a less than inspiring glimpse behind the somewhat smug and obviously negative mind set of the producers of this so called reality programme.

In what can only be described as an unusual outpouring of objectivity I now feel obliged to direct the British consumers to go Greek for a week, but this time to go -do it .......in Greece.

British families visiting Greece this summer will certainly have the opportunity to contribute to the Greek recovery since, their government is not doing it through the euro zone, and I now offer this open invitation for all British tourists to book now so they can “conquer” some of the most beautiful Greek beaches, Greek islands and Greek villages.

This experience will most certainly blot from ones memory all the misery that currently exists in their homeland by taking the first available flight to Athens, Crete or Rhodes and there meet with authentic ‘real’ Greek culture.

Going Greek for a week will mean different things to different people some will travel to Athens, the city that never sleeps, others may choose a remote village perched high above the Aegean sea, many will opt to journey from the Peloponnese to Macedonia, meeting en route real Greeks who have never heard of Channel 4 television and couldn’t care less about this type of stereotypical presenting of different cultures- Why? Because ‘Real Greeks’ are too busy living their lives as best they can under difficult financial circumstances, an experience I hasten to add that is now being swiftly mirrored by the average ‘real Brit’ in their homeland. .

The Greek economic situation is certainly tragic, and those suffering the most are the men and women losing their livelihoods their homes, and their pride. Greece however is a country with a great capacity for recovery something that has been solidly proven over the past 150 years.

The German occupation during the 2nd World War emptied the Greek banks and occupiers stole the entire country’s gold reserves, this was just the beginning of the end for the Greek economy. After the Civil War Greek villages and towns were abandoned by the youth either to go to America or Australia as economic immigrants or they travelled to Athens to find jobs.
This situation left behind untouched unique villages that today still retain and conserve a truly special beauty and character with enormous potential for tourism.

So now is the time for the British Tourist to ‘really Go Greek for a Week ( or perhaps a fortnight) and experience for themselves a country that may be ‘down’ but certainly ‘not out’ as the beauty, romance, and friendliness will always be there in abundance and waiting for you will only be ‘Real Greeks’ ready to welcome you.

Petros Mavros