Feet up in Crete.

I have just spent a charming 10 days in different parts of Greece. Some of it for business and some of it for pure pleasure. I have been a fan of Greece since I was quite young and my parents took me to Corfu for the first time. The birthplace of Prince Philip and the cradle of civilization inspired me to become a Classics Scholar at school.

My best recollection of a family holiday was three weeks spent on a boat moving around the Greek Islands.

With Greece’s descent as one of the PIGS, into the bottom of the heap and the poster child of the bad things of the European, it is easy to dismiss the country as a basket case. Well it is and it isn’t.

While there are very few locales in the world I genuinely dislike (New York is one of them), Greece will always be special to me. The beauty of Greece is that it is one of the truly wonderful places to visit. No matter if you are a Sun Worshipper or a Foodie or a History Buff. It has something for everyone. And it is really cheap.

Athens is a seething pot of petty corruption and, well, cheating on a grand scale. Almost everyone cheats in some way or another. It’s a national sport. If Greece actually collected the taxes it was due – there would be little of the macro-economic hardship the country faces. So on the bad news side – credit card machines don’t work – a cash society is an open invitation to skim.

Walking around the Meat Market in Athens early one Wednesday morning, I had a quiet chuckle to myself thinking how may Americans would blanch at what they could see. The US Dept of Agriculture just has different standards. Does this make Greeks less healthy or the US visitors better or even cleaner?

The promotion of unnecessary complexity is boundless. Endless forms and different regulations result in a mind-numbing confusion for any commercial transaction. It almost begs for a bypass.

Out in the Islands and outside of Athens – Greece is a wonderful country full of things to explore. A quiet taverna or a raucous tourist trap will leave you feeling happy and content. Every meal is served with food that tastes… well like food. At the end of almost every meal you are served a dessert and some Raki for free.

I have taken a wide variety of trips of almost all types there. Schools, Cruises, Independent, Group travel, Business Travel… etc etc. I can attest to the genuine streak of goodness that runs through the country. But don’t expect the standards to be fair.

However, in my view Greece will not revert to the Drachma. It will not have to sell the Parthenon. It may have to sell some of its priceless antiquities. Even the odd island or two to Russian oligarchs. But take Crete for example. The island has been invaded more times than most of us have had hot dinners. Everyone on the island has a gun and it is probably one of the most law-abiding places on earth.

So what is it about Greece that will help it survive? Its people.

Go sample Greece, it’s worth it. And be open.