Seen from our balcony snow appearing on the Taygetos mountains can only mean one thing, its nearly Christmas. So as another year approaches its end what has been happening in Greece. Truthfully down here in the Peloponnese not all that much! The economy is still bouncing along at the bottom of the ocean (but at least the ocean is beautiful and blue) with little growth on the business front, but perhaps the housing market is starting to move very slowly. Our accountant told us of four of her British clients that had sold properties recently and a friend of mine has just sold his property in Corfu.
When you look around its a very mixed story, drive towards Kalamata along the old Athenon road and around one in five businesses have gone, there are many empty buildings. Yet walk along the sea front or city square and the terraces are filled with people drinking frappe etc., and no these are not just tourists but locals. Its hard to get a "handle" on just how the financial situation has really effected this part of Greece. A builder we know said to us, you may think that old man and old lady in the village may look tired and poor, but when I do work for them they pay me from a suitcase of money!
Thankfully though the overall cost of living has remained more or less constant this year, and hopefully next. Oil prices are level (if not minutely lower) than the same time last year. Road taxes for car for 2014 are practically the same as in 2013 and during the year we did see the 23% tax on eating out lowered to 13%. However reduced earnings and pensions for many people are still very much in evidence. A school teacher earning just over 2000 euro per month in 2012 is now earning 1350 euro per month. Imagine how you would feel, and what cut backs would you have to make if your salary dropped by 30%.
So what next? Well currently its olive harvest and families tend to get together to gather in the crop, and that is the difference here to much of the "western" world. Families do come together to help each other, be it to gather olives or to look after "granny" in their home during the colder months. Sundays still remain special family days (despite the Troika pushing the country to introduce Sunday retail trading) when their sons and daughters bring their children back to "mum's house" for a traditional Sunday meal and play in the garden with Grand-dad.
What does 2014 hold for the Greek people? Well I recall a story told me by an old Greek man as he mocked an American tourists' idea.
"There I was sitting on the harbour front having just come out of the five seater taverna I own and run about to set up my fishing rod for the second time in the day. This American, who had been eating in my taverna came and sat by me and said :-
"Kostas, you should expand that business, you offer great food, there's plenty of opportunity out here. In a few years you could have a whole group of taverna's bearing your name and making you lots of money".
......and why do I need lots of money I said, what would I do with it?
Well he said, "you could retire, buy a small place buy the harbour and fish every day.........."
I rest my case........................................
