kefkat
Vital Football Legend
As I have just spend 3 weeks in Kefelonia Greek Islands I have been asked to report on what I seen and heard on how The Greeks are coping with the austerity and how it is affecting them.
It is always hard to come home from where we go every May because of the sheer beauty and tranquility of the Island which is totally unspoiled however I always appreciate home much more when we get back and realize how lucky we are here.
On the whole the Islands are coping with the austerity alot better than the mainland. The Islands have returning 60% of holidaymakers each year who go to the same place plus new 1's.
The lives on the Islands are generally much simpler than that of the mainland which has been hit more by austerity and tourism than the Islands.
So apart from the norm of the divine of having coffee with 'normal' milk, having proper supermarkets and getting into your own bed and using our shower for the first time in 3 weeks which brings raptures better than an orgasm and so on, I will now regale you with what is happening.
The government paid workers are often not paid including the police, ambulance, fire service, Doctors, teachers and so on. This is what is mainly causing the riots in Greece mainland.
The police when they aren't paid suddenly come out in force round the Islands and start stopping people on a whim and fining them for anything they can come up with. They then pocket the money to make up their wages is just 1 way they are dealing with it when they don't get paid. I kid you not.
Doctors are charging locals to see them £5 euro's a time and making them claim it back which they won't get even if you have a EU card.
Alot of ex-pats are coming home but can't sell property out their so are stuck.
Unemployment benefit has also been getting the same treatment of people not getting anything. There are new rules coming in with that that they will only beable to claim for so many years put together over a working lifetime.
For all our problems over here there is no way we would have any of this meaning people not being paid by the government etc.
Apparently The Greeks are turning back to growing vegetables and old ways of living to get by.
The house market is shot. If you think it is bad here then we don't know we are born. Houses simply don't sell and are on the market for years.
The same is happening in Spain we read about whilst their
I will add anymore as I think about it.
It is always hard to come home from where we go every May because of the sheer beauty and tranquility of the Island which is totally unspoiled however I always appreciate home much more when we get back and realize how lucky we are here.
On the whole the Islands are coping with the austerity alot better than the mainland. The Islands have returning 60% of holidaymakers each year who go to the same place plus new 1's.
The lives on the Islands are generally much simpler than that of the mainland which has been hit more by austerity and tourism than the Islands.
So apart from the norm of the divine of having coffee with 'normal' milk, having proper supermarkets and getting into your own bed and using our shower for the first time in 3 weeks which brings raptures better than an orgasm and so on, I will now regale you with what is happening.
The government paid workers are often not paid including the police, ambulance, fire service, Doctors, teachers and so on. This is what is mainly causing the riots in Greece mainland.
The police when they aren't paid suddenly come out in force round the Islands and start stopping people on a whim and fining them for anything they can come up with. They then pocket the money to make up their wages is just 1 way they are dealing with it when they don't get paid. I kid you not.
Doctors are charging locals to see them £5 euro's a time and making them claim it back which they won't get even if you have a EU card.
Alot of ex-pats are coming home but can't sell property out their so are stuck.
Unemployment benefit has also been getting the same treatment of people not getting anything. There are new rules coming in with that that they will only beable to claim for so many years put together over a working lifetime.
For all our problems over here there is no way we would have any of this meaning people not being paid by the government etc.
Apparently The Greeks are turning back to growing vegetables and old ways of living to get by.
The house market is shot. If you think it is bad here then we don't know we are born. Houses simply don't sell and are on the market for years.
The same is happening in Spain we read about whilst their
I will add anymore as I think about it.