I landed in Athens around midnight and decided it was best to stay the night at the airport to save money and use the wifi. In the morning, I went to my hostel and explored the city. Wow… 5,000 years of history in one city. Aside from the ancient artifacts and buildings, I noticed Greece has peculiarities rarely found elsewhere. The iced coffee is amazing (and only 1.5 euros), 99.99% of Greeks are orthodox (apparently the priest speak ancient Greek, which not many people understand), and the history is rich in the arts and sciences, which has impacted the entire world.
I tried greek yogurt, gyros, and coffee (with a nice layer of grinds on the bottom). The culture is quite warm and expressive. The few Greeks I interacted with can talk! Going to the acropolis and other archeological sites was breathtaking. I also enjoyed visiting the ancient university, which was where Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle formulated their philosophical concepts. Athens is the cradle of western civilization. I recommend everyone who is interested in modern society to visit Athens. It’s awesome!
Duration
3 days
Accommodation
Hostel (3 nights)
Favorite Food
Chicken gyro
Favorite Site
The Acropolis
Cool Person I Met
George. George and his dad own a hostel in Athens, which was the most homey, warm accommodation I’ve had so far. He studied engineering and has a food tasting company. We enjoyed a fairly deep conversation one night about philosophy, startups, and culture.
Highlight
Talking with hostelers at night on a rooftop about travel, refugee camps, US politics, and lots of story exchanging.
Big Takeaway
Greece has a struggling economy, especially since 2010. I was told the average salary in Athens is 450 euros a month. A young lawyer told me she makes 450 euros a month. Another issue I was told is that when Greece moved to the euro from the drachma, prices increased 2000%. Wow! I’m troubled by this macro situation and have asked myself multiple times, “how can a city or country increase job quantity?”. There are academic, political, and social approaches to attain this goal, which I won’t discuss now. Implementing a strategy to improve a macroeconomic condition is extremely difficult and not so linear. This is a complicated issue.
Tourism has risen as a main source of income for Greece. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Most would say of course it’s a good thing, and I mostly agree. However, there is another perspective, which I had a better understanding after speaking with a local. Tourism has generally increased rent and food expenses, making the cost of living more expensive for the local. On the other hand, the economics work more in favor for businesspeople who sell to tourists. Again, macroeconomics can have simple answers and complicated ones. My point here is to briefly share my view of the Greek economy and to address some points for further discussion (over a nice cup of coffee… have you tried Greek coffee? It’s great!)
Your Turn
Why do you think Greek’s economy has struggled? Recommend any solutions?
Share some thoughts about how you think Greek society has impacted the rest of the world.
This economic conundrum is happening everywhere. In a globalized, connected, and easily accessible world, the rich (not as impacted by economic bumps) can easily go where the deals are to “play” or have their 2nd/3rd home. It unnaturally raises real estate values and costs of consumer goods…because they are willing to pay. But, as you said, the locals are nearly forced out of the market. You have areas of the US that are flooded with investment by wealthy foreigners…it’s a safe place for their money, and generally a good place to live. In turn, inflated real estate values and consumer goods. We live in an area that mafia from a certian country commit auto insurance fraud on, receive claims, and then leave…thus exponentially increasing the cost for those who live and work here. Welcome to the connected, broken world. A world leader will eventually try to make it all work out, but will fail. Only God will make all things new one day!
Amen. We are in a broken world. Naturally, I want to do my best to fix it but sometimes all human effort, organizational excellence, and much resources fall short. We need the Lord to come back to bring resolution and reign on this earth!