Greece's Identity: A historical meeting point of Europe and the Mediterranean

The Grecian identity is strongly tied to its history and to its distinct juxtaposition of the ancient and the modern. Greece has invested a lot in updating and tidying up their country and those that live permanently among the brilliant blue waters and ancient ruins are 93% ethnic Greek and 98% Greek Orthodox. This homogeneity makes for a very strong feeling of tradition and culture within the country both the mainland and on the Islands. Greeks continue to unite under their language Ellinika which uses the Greek alphabet, the oldest in the world. While luckily most words are translated into English as the Greek spelling can be very hard to decipher. As a society that has long seen traders and different leaders they are proud to be very open to visitors and will work to help bridge the language gap with a high portion speaking English.
Athens from the Acropolis

The food in Greece especially reflects their connection to the sea, and has a very Mediterranean style. This was the first location we traveled to during MUDEC that we really ate only authentic national dishes. They were extremely easy to find at really good prices. We would get a full dinner with drink for around ten euros. Our first night in Athens we ate at a rooftop restaurant outside at the base of the Temple of Nike, lit up and overlooking the city. The man that flagged our friends down on the street and called down the road for Marilyn and I until we appeared, was apparently also a musician at the restaurant. Greek women and even some men would spontaneously get up from their dinner and join the music for a traditional dance. It was really neat to see people celebrating tradition on their own accord, we usually witness tradition in a tourist or formal setting, this type of banal nationalism keeps their heritage alive in a sea of tourism.


We spent most of our time on the Island of Santorini, an Aegean jewel fabled to be the lost city of Atlantis, because of its history of being buried in volcanic ash. It has exceptionally fertile ground from the former eruptions and across the caldera you can still see the large active volcano that is the panoramic focal point for its renowned red sunsets. The geographical makeup has formed the city and you can look out across the sea from the winding cobble stone paths perched precariously along cliffs and lining the sunwashed cliff sunken houses stacked high above the beach. They are famous for the vegetables grown here such as tomatoes, olives and the unique white eggplant. The farmers have historically inhabited the upper reaches and now a days with the tourist industry and business of the coast there are also fisherman along the edges. This location allows for wonderful seafood at local prices, served still in its original form which took some getting used to for me! I usually prefer not to have my food stare me in the eye or high five me, even if it is on accident.
We really enjoyed the small feel of Perissa the town we stayed on in Santorini we would often run into tourists and workers from previous days who would greet us with friendly questions on how our excursions had played out. The pressure of the tourism business also means that many people recommend you to friends the man that sells ferry tickets to his friend that has a bar or our hotelier to her friend that rents atv's etc.
Our biggest mishap with the Sea and tourism came on the day we initially tried to travel out to Santorini from the port of Piraeus. Weary from 12 hours of travel the night before at 7 am we were already dreading the 8 hour ferry trip. We learned after many people avoiding the question that there was a solid strike by port workers that would last for the whole day. I think the morning was best described by the associated press, “Greek passengers booed strikers chanting slogans and blocking ferry gangplanks, while foreign tourists sat despondently on their suitcases.” While we chalked up the strikes to their more active civil unrest, it also showed how their economy is affected through the international programs being used to help pull them out of debt. This type of strike poses a real threat to Greece's economy with 1 in 5 jobs being in tourism many islands are very dependent on the summer tourists to keep their businesses afloat (AP). I found it interesting that according to labournet.net the IDC or International Dockworkers' Council has established a front against the European directive and over 90 ports have protested similar rights violations to the profession of dockworkers so in a way they have also shown unity through this strike. I found it interesting to see the ways that Greece acts as a bridge for Mediterranean states to the greater European population and how it continues to work to find its niche.

Santorini
To read more about the port and economic identity:
Tourists stranded by Greek strike in port of Piraeus:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10390221.stm

Greece: Five Days of Strikes in Last Two Weeks
Http://www.labournet.net/docks2/0506/greece3.htm


Strikers Disrupt Ferries in Main Greek Port:
www.goog.com/hostednews/ap/articleALeqM5iXUJvBknZ

For more on Greek Identity:
“Greece and the Mediterranean: Shifting Foreign Policy”- Dimitris Xenakis

Santorini Eruption and the Legend of Atlantis:
www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/santorini.html

Greece's economic woes are secondary to its crisis of Identity:
www.irishtimes.com/newspaper0122/12242628/world/2010/