Articles
I've been coming to Greece for about 30 years now. Today best known for it's deficits and bond downgrades, I prefer to think of Greece as a land of great people, great beaches, great food and great roads. We've 'done' most of the islands, and now normally divide our time between Athens, and an area on the mainland called Mani (pronounced mah-ni). Mani is a region of rugged coastlines, pine forests, mountains andsmall beaches, some with sand, others with pebbles.
When I first started coming here, donkeys were still common. The most popular vehicle on Greek roads was a Datsun pickup, and the most exotic, a BMW 516. Now you are likely to see late model MX5s, S2000s, Porsches, and the odd Lamborghini or Ferrari. There is money here. Near the place we are staying, a pastry shop owner recently bought seashore property from a bumpkin villager for €1.5 million. The purchaser was ultimately prevented from building on the property because the land was found to contain an archaeological cave.
When I’m here,I have to rent a car. Avis seems to have consistently low prices and the service is good. I typically rent the 2nd lowest category of car, and there is usually a free upgrade.For 21 days or more, arranged from North America via Internet, the rental cost is about €25/day including taxes. If you show up at the airport without a reservation, you might pay €100. I once got a € 10/day rental for 45 days. Even the Avis clerk was surprised.A Gold/Platinum card with free CDW saves €10/day .
These econoboxes now cruise at 160-180km/hr, in quiet comfort. You can hear the radio, and don’t have to raise your voice to talk. The days when these things sounded as though they were thrashing their little lungs out at 120 are long past. Note to North American law enforcement officials: you probably already know this, but cruising at 180km/h on motorways in sparse traffic in good weather is as safe as sitting in your living room.
The fatality rate in Greece is higher than North America. The reason is the roads, Greece is mountainous, and there are many remote villages, so the roads tend to be winding and narrow. Putting wheels off may not send you home for the weekend DE style, but may have you over a cliff, or in a 2 foot deep V shaped ditch. But are these roads ever fun! And the Greek drivers are competent. You can pass here in the face of oncoming traffic. Signal, and the person in front will move to the right, as does oncoming traffic. You drive down the middle. The co-efficient of friction of the roads is low because of the oil and heat. Tires squeal even in normal driving. When it does rain, the roads are initially an order of magnitude slipperier than the dry line in the wet at Mosport. The SUV in the olive grove went off a straight road.
When you are sitting at a traffic light in Athens, motorcycles flow around you like a stream around boulders. Greek motorcyclists believe in the Harley “loud pipes save lives” mantra, so even the most mediocre 50cc motorbike sounds like a Ducati 900SS. Ontario has recently made hand held cell phones illegal while driving. Greece has always had this ban, but a motorcyclist with a phone wedged between shoulder and ear while riding is a common sight .
Police presence here is minimal. Outside of Athens you almost never see them I have occasionally seen radar traps, but they are where they should be: at the outskirts of villages along two lane roads. Those winding roads I spoke of don’t have any marked passing zones, but as long as you can see, you can pass. I pass more cars (mostly other tourists) in a one month vacation here than in a lifetime of North American Driving.
Unfortunately, much of the fun is coming to an end. Every year the roads are improved. The winding roads are being replaced with motorways and tunnels. You’d better come soon, the Greek economy needs you. Oh, and road signs are in English as well as Greek.