Friendly and smiling and wearing clothes
In fact, a proper, serious edition
First of all, apologies for the delay and thank you for your patience. This week turned out a bit messier than I’d expected, so at some point last night my brain hit the off switch and I just couldn’t finish this week’s edition, which I’ll need to keep disappointingly brief. But I’ll make it up to you with an extra juicy one next week, promise.
I hope you’re all reading this either in a cool room, or from the beach. Or anywhere in nature, really - somewhere far from this pile of concrete that is Athens (a lovely pile of concrete, of course, but still - a pile of concrete).
Spotlight
Greece will no longer grant asylum to people arriving from North Africa, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced, stating that anyone entering the country illegally from the region will be arrested and detained. The government says the move is a response to the recent spike in arrivals on the shores of Crete and Gavdos. Human rights groups have criticized the policy as illegal under international law.
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The last week marked ten years since the 2015 Greek referendum, a major moment in the country’s financial crisis. On June 29, 2015, just days after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called a vote on whether to accept a new bailout deal, banks shut down and strict limits were placed on cash withdrawals, as people rushed to empty ATMs. A few days later, the public voted a clear "No" to more austerity. But despite that, Tsipras ended up agreeing to an even tougher bailout deal shortly after.
10 years later - how has Greece changed? (Bloomberg)
How Greece came back from the brink (Financial Times)
Referendum 2015 – The anatomy of a historical moment (a good documentary, just in Greek, unfortunately)
As an additional resource, there’s also The Greek Experiment, a Greek documentary that you can’t currently see in Greece, just in Berlin, I guess (!?). Please correct me if I am wrong and if it screens anywhere in Athens, as it was just released.
News You Can Use
Tourism recorded a huge increase in overtime hours last month, as the new digital work rules reveal hours once hidden by employers. Employers, are, of course, in show and awe.
One in six motorcycle/moped riders in Greece is riding without a helmet. I particularly like the ones wearing their helmets on their arms, like cute little purses.
Businesses that started operating between January 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, are obliged to submit VAT returns monthly. That also includes freelancers, yes.
What are the major interventions aimed at curbing traffic in Attica?
The underground oven: twenty trains operating on the blue and red lines do not have air conditioning, while the air conditioning on the old trains on the green line is reminiscent of a lottery: you never know whether you will get cool or hot.
Everyone was happy with Saturday 24 hour metro experiment, but the questions of whether this is feasible in Athens still remain open.
There is a purple jellyfish outbreak these days, and here’s everything you need to know about it.
Because there are so many new fires every week, and a lot of content on this subject would just be depressing and exhausting, but I do think it’s important for you to know where they are and check out the details for yourselves, I decided to set up a:
Fire bulletin
(all the recent news about fires that may, or may not, be close to you)
News You Can’t Use
Nicole Kidman is vacationing in Paxos and, of course, she was seen “friendly and smiling, wearing a long sky-blue dress”.
I’m really dreaming of a day when women will be described as anything other than “friendly and smiling” and wearing clothes.
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The Long Reads
As the population of Greece shrinks, villages across the land are fading into silence.
The bell of the Drakotrypa elementary school in the mountains of Karditsa in central Greece rang for the last time on June 13. It will not sound again in September to duly announce the start of the new academic year. Nor will children’s voices be heard in its yard. A journey of 146 years has come to an end. (…)With just two students left, it cannot remain open.
How Germans see Greece: Sun, sea and a selective memory
While we have fairly precise data on how Greeks have viewed Germany over the past 20 years, until very recently, virtually nothing was known about how Germans perceive Greece and the Greek people – apart from anecdotal accounts in segments of the German media, which, particularly at the height of the financial crisis, often relied on predominantly negative or even racist stereotypes. This gap has now been closed with a nationwide poll of public opinion in Germany in March of this year.
The secret "deal" of Elliniko that will swallow a public beach - yes, it’s the beach I was trying to access in the intro to The Lost Expat’s Guide to the Athenian Riviera.
The Greek Analyst is spilling the tea on the Greek Diaspora.
From the vibey shores of Melbourne (Australia) to the spirited neighborhood of Astoria NYC (USA), and from the busy city of London (UK) to the funky streets of Toronto (Canada), Greece’s spirit flows far beyond the borders of the mainland and its many islands.
How the fishermen of Amorgos took their lives into their own hands: as fish stocks declined, they joined forces and called for two-month annual fishing bans to protect their livelihoods and allow fish populations to recover.
Wanderlust
The first thing I ever saw in Greece, after a night of driving from Romania, having parked the car in the dark by the side of the road, was the image of the endless blue sea from the cliffs of Sithonia, Halkidiki. I was hooked for life. As was another colleague, who writes a Substack on Greece, and who has a great story about (a part of) Halkidiki, which also includes very cool bits of history, not just a list of amazing beaches (which in itself needs a separate article, honestly).
A few things to do in Northern Evia.
The Anilio Park Festival returns for its second year, August 8-10, at the Anilio Ski Center in the Pindus Mountains, combining live music with outdoor activities like hiking, biking, yoga, and zip-lining for a full weekend of mountain adventure.
A trip through the beautiful beaches of the Peloponnese, and a guide to Amorgos.
Aegina Jazz Festival is happening this weekend.
Morrissey is playing next week at Release Festival, and you can also see Beth Gibbons live on July 20th.
Branford Marsalis Quartet at Stavros Niarchos on Sunday (if you’ve never been to a gig there, just try it, it’s worth going for the place, a park with a nice vibe and grass - yes, grass!).
That’s it. Have a great weekend and do write back. Even if it’s just to complain.
Ioana