3 things I've learned about Greece in one year of writing The Lost Expat Digest
Resilience, humor and Molotov cocktails
This is edition number 50 of this newsletter. When I published the first one, on July 18th 2024, “The Hellmouth is Open” - through which I was referencing Buffy, the Vampire Slayer (you know I love a good pop culture reference) - I had no idea that this small project would gather such an amazing community, and, after 18 years of working in the media, I had no idea that I would still learn so much from doing it.
About what it means to show up for something you committed to, even when you’re tired or in a completely different headspace - and it’s not your day job (I’m pretty good at showing up for that, haha).
About how cool it feels to have people reading you every week and sending you messages and feedback and nice thoughts, and then even showing up in person for meetings or asking you out for coffee.
So, a big THANK YOU to everyone reading this newsletter weekly (and a special thank you to my paying subscribers!).
This will be the last edition before a (badly needed) month long holiday.
Paying subscribers will still receive, however, a few special editions during this time.
I was intending on organizing a small event to celebrate, but we’ll do it later, in the autumn, because so many of you are away from Athens these days.
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But one year of consistently reading and writing about Greece also taught me a thing or two (or three) about the country and the people here.
And this is what I’d like to share with you today.
Greeks put up with much more than most foreigners are aware of
Every week, there’s a new statistic that shows how difficult life is for Greeks. And most people coming here just on vacation don’t really see it. Greece, along with Romania and Bulgaria, is near the bottom in most statistics about living costs and quality of life.
Yet, people face this with resilience and wit - but also exhaustion. You can feel it in the strikes, the slow collapse of trust in institutions, the people quietly dreaming of moving away to countries where they know they wouldn’t feel at home, but that would perhaps make their lives just slightly easier, less of a permanent struggle. The way exhaustion shows on people’s faces during the daily bus or metro ride, after an endless, hot commute.
And the many interviews I did this year for my PhD research showed me that, after years of crises, many Greeks have learned to survive around the system - not through it.
The Greek state loves a big announcement. Delivery? Not so much
Housing, healthcare, taxes, digital services - if you’ve been reading this newsletter, you’ve read about all of these. Big promises are trumpeted and reproduced in bold headlines in the pro-government newspapers. And then: silence. Or a half-baked fix that barely works. The gap between what’s announced and what actually happens (or doesn’t happen) is what turned the Thessaloniki metro into a running joke, among other things. Is what wears people down even more. It’s future faking on an institutional level. It’s almost a form of structural violence - among the many other forms that are commonly practiced by the Greek state, in fact.
Public life is vocal, has a sense of humor and is embedded in community
Whether it’s a neighborhood protest over the new metro station, a workers strike or a public outcry (followed by a cascade of memes) over a politician’s comment on TV or on their socials, Greek public life is loud and reactive. People talk, argue, joke (a lot!) and occasionally throw Molotov cocktails. And there’s this deep sense of connection to places and communities and a belief that politics shouldn’t just happen in the Parliament, but also on the street, at a bar, while talking with friends, having a family dinner or even on the beach, when people are understandably getting mad because there’s no more space left for their towels because of overpriced sunbeds.
Everyone should have a say in how the state is run.
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Now - I’ve said this from the beginning. One of the reasons I include so many links in Greek is because the Greek and English versions of the news often feel like they come from completely different outlets. If you’re constantly reading eKathimerini, English-language ProtoThema or To Vima, or similar sources, it starts to feel like Groundhog Day. As if they’re just recycling the same stories over and over. Every single week, there’s something about how:
Rents are more and more expensive.
Foreigners are investing in real estate (and we usually cheer for it, although rents are expensive).
The government promises to solve the housing crisis. (Spoiler: it doesn’t. Rents are still expensive.).
Erdogan’s at it again - here’s what he’s doing now. (Just in case you want to take your mind off the expensive rents.)
Luxury homes are more expensive than ever (wipes tears with 50 euro bills).
More wealthy people are moving to Greece (again, we cheer).
Heads up: the tax authority has changed the rules (again). You need to do x and y now, or risk serious trouble.
And don’t even think about tax evasion.
On a lighter note, here’s a great holiday destination! (You’re a foreigner, so you can afford it! Forget all that nonsense about the rent, that just applies to the Greeks.)
It’s a curated version of Greek reality, tailored specifically for a foreign audience that needs to see this and nothing but this (and, let’s be fair, sometimes this is all they want to see).
If, however, you check the Greek versions of the same newspapers - or all the other ones I’ve been linking, including small independent outlets, like Inside Story, you will find wonderful cultural commentary, reportage, a lot of very interesting people’s stories (Lifo has an entire section for that) and real, in depth reporting about stuff you will never run into in the English language versions.
Meanwhile, international media only talks about Greece when the subject of the day is of somewhat international relevance and significance (like the fires, an occasional story about Tempi, and something about tourism in the summer). The Guardian’s latest coverage, for example, includes: a list of foods for hot days, something about the Parthenon marbles, a book review and four stories about wildfires.
Meanwhile, only this week, just from Kathimerini (but I’m linking to other stories in the Long Reads sections later), I’d highlight the story of Pedion you Areos, of how this park used to be rundown, and has now become a cool pocket in the city. Or this story, about how people are spending 100 hours per year in traffic in Athens and what potential solutions exist. Or a story about how the traditional panigiri, once something that you could only find in the village, is now blooming again even in the parks of Athens.
Meanwhile, in the English language version, at best, you get a summary of these stories or, at worst, this crap, which is not only NOT news, but a masked Nestle commercial.
There’s a Google Translate Chrome extension that automatically translates everything from Greek, and it opens a fascinating door into cultural subtleties that would otherwise keep flying under your radar, no matter how long you’ve lived here. I promise you will not regret using it (and it’s not the only technical solution).
Now, on to this week’s news.
I am sending 4 editions of this newsletter/month. If you think they are worth the price of a coffee, please consider supporting me by becoming a paid subscriber.
Spotlight
Athens faces a deepening water crisis: the main reservoirs are operating at 60% capacity, marking a continued decline since peaking near full capacity in 2022. The Mornos reservoir, which provides the majority of the capital's drinking water, was at only 65% of its maximum surface area in May 2025, a significant decline from 79% in 2024 and nearly 100% in 2022. This marks the second-lowest level recorded since 2005.
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With 177 positive votes, 74 "no" and 42 abstentions, the government's amendment on immigration was voted in favor in Parliament. The law is effectively suspending asylum applications from people who enter the country illegally by any vessel originating from North Africa. These people are returned, without registration, to their country of origin or provenance. At the same time, the Prime Minister stated in Parliament that “any immigrants who enter illegally will be arrested and detained.”
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The Greek government is pushing ahead with a major new Finance Ministry bill, which is expected to be voted on in Parliament on July 24.
The bill includes some important changes:
Shops must accept IRIS payments (a free bank transfer system) through their card machines. If they don’t, they could face fines of up to 20,000 euros.
Rent payments must go through the bank: Starting in 2026, all rent will have to be paid by bank transfer into a landlord’s registered account. Paying in cash will be punished - both landlords and tenants could lose tax breaks or be excluded from benefits if they don’t follow the new rule.
The same bill will put an end to handwritten receipts.
News You Can Use
The second largest village in the municipality of Platanias at Hania, western Crete, will be artificial. The state just approved the development of a tourism village that can host up to 4.700 people, which will include 830 villas, two hotels, a marina, a helipad, a small golf course, and even a cable car.
Meanwhile, the Cretan tourism industry opposes migrant reception facilities and warns of booking cancellations.
Meanwhile, in 2024, 27.0% of the EU’s population aged 16 or older were unable to afford 1 week of annual holidays away from home.
Highest shares in:
🇷🇴Romania (58.6%)
🇬🇷Greece (46.0%)
🇧🇬Bulgaria (41.4%)
One explanation for this? Ferry ticket costs in Greece are among the highest in Europe.
Home prices in the “My Home” state subsidy program have become so inflated that even banks are starting to pull back. More and more properties are being valued lower by bank engineers than the prices agreed between buyers and sellers.
This means buyers are often left to cover the difference themselves. But since most are already borrowing the maximum allowed (90% of the property’s value), they usually don’t have the extra funds. Some even resort to taking out consumer loans just to close the deal.
Meanwhile, there are less and less houses on the market.
Housing crisis solved!
Five EU states will test an age verification app to protect children. Greece is one of them.
A "Pay-As-You-Save" program, that allows people to gradually pay for energy upgrades through their electricity bill, without a large initial cost, is under way
For those of you who use the proastiako to get to the airport: Athens suburban rail just suspended the local routes between Ano Liosia and Kantza until further notice.
Trump’s tariffs create problems for Greek peach farmers and slow down the harvest.
AADE has extended the deadline for submitting tax returns to July 21.
A new free national health helpline, 1566, launched this Tuesday (July 15th) with support from the Recovery Fund and the Ministry of Development. You can call it if you need to:
Find out when hospitals and pharmacies are open
Book appointments at local health centers (hospital bookings start in September)
Get info on how to receive expensive medications
Learn about prevention programs
Report problems with the National Health Service
What the Herodion will look like after the “facelift”.
Only one third of the complaints submitted in 2024 through the "MyCoast" application were followed up on.
The nightmare of flying cockroaches in Attica: has climate change driven their numbers up?
The Long Reads
Adoption in Greece, a neverending wait that kills you
Greece has a noise pollution problem and, although the European Commission is pressuring the authorities to handle it, nothing much seems to be changing.
The heavy tourism industry: profits for a few, costs for the many
I will leave this here, mostly because I have heard so many people here warning me about the danger of even stepping in the sea after food, that I found is somewhat enlightening: a cardiologist explains, for all of us wondering whether it’s half an hour or 3 hours, how long should we wait after eating or drinking alcohol before swimming?
Wanderlust
You can now go to Kythnos straight from Pireas (until recently, only ferries from Lavrio headed there), and I promise you will love every second of it. It's one of the most beautiful islands in the vicinity of Athens.
Jazzet International Jazz Festival takes place this weekend in Athens.
See you in a month. Have a wonderful summer and do write back, even if it’s just to complain.
Ioana
Enjoy the break!