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Permalink Reply by Elli :) on May 23, 2012 at 4:29pm

I guess it would be hard to tell the difference for tourists because it's not like a disaster area, it's still a functional first-world country. Supermarkets are well stocked, while prices that are sensitive to the price of gas have gone up and prices of luxury and durable goods have dropped, because of low demand. Many stores have been forced to close by the downturn. Utilities run fine but public transportation strikes are more frequent. It is now easy to find a taxi and traffic congestion is lighter. Night clubs are operating 2 or 3 nights a week and there is no problem getting dinner reservations in pretty much any of the restaurants.

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Permalink Reply by Giannis Kostas on May 23, 2012 at 4:52pm

This is what I see - shortages of teachers, delays with printing school books, a huge reduction in hiring of  university teaching staff and university strikes have been destroying the public education sector. Quality of treatment in public hospitals has gone way down due to limitations of supplies and staff. Statistics show that Greeks have decreased their average food intake and doctor visits, which shows that the increasing part of the population that falls below the poverty line has a difficulty in meeting their essential needs. Statisticians are expecting a further drop in fertility rates and increases in mortality rates. Depression and suicides are at an all time high and the crime rate has doubled (but luckily, they were pretty low to begin with). All these mark a significant drop in the quality of life.

Thankfully Greeks are a naturally optimistic people and a big part of what we perceive as quality of life comes from our amazing climate, our connection with nature (the mountains and the sea) and our strong family ties. We will overcome!

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Permalink Reply by Nick Barnets on May 27, 2012 at 2:13am

People who work in tourism are getting affected lately with bookings down for this summer compared to just last year.

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