The Typical Greek Day

I am enjoying reading Nicholas Gage's Hellas, A Portrait of Greece. In the past I'd only dipped into it, but it's well worth a concentrated read. It deserves an updated edition.

I'm not sure how this passage plays in the current climate in Greece and Europe:

"Every day in Greece is arranged to allow for the maximum amount of enjoyment and good fellowship. After a morning of work, everything shuts down during a leisurely lunch that takes place at 2:00 or 2:30 or even later. Then everyone takes a siesta until 5:00 or 5:30 before returning to work for a few more hours. There is time for a visit to a coffee house or a taverna before dinner, which is served around 10:00 P.M. or later. Another visit to a coffee house, taverna, or perhaps, in the summer, an outdoor movie concludes the day. The afternoon siesta gives Greeks the strength to stay up until the early morning hours, yet be at work by 8:30 A.M. after a cup of strong Turkish coffee."

No wonder the Northern Europeans feel jealous or resentful, and understand the need for a mild dose of austerity.

Maybe life was once like this, although I don't remember people making two visits a day to the taverna, once before dinner! I'm not sure if everybody starts the day with a strong coffee, be it 'Turkish' or 'elleniko'.


The revised second edition of  "Hellas" was published in 1987 (Collins Harvell, London).

Another side of the picture: a young Corfiot in Athens.

A more positive side, from the blog, Tales from a Greek Island