There's an old saying that goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." This saying can and should be applied wherever one goes when one is visiting another country. For my first time out of the country, I had the opportunity to spend two weeks in Greece, on the island of Evia, in a small town. This is not typical for an American who is going to Greece; usually, you can find American tourists in places like Santorini, Mykonos, and Athens. In Evia...not so much. This island, the second largest Greek island, is mainly composed of real Greek people just living their everyday lives. This made for a very interesting and different type of vacation, where it was less about being a tourist and more about adapting to Greek culture and everyday life.
We've all seen the pictures and the videos of places in Greece; it is a breath-takingly beautiful country. The water is crystal clear and bright shades of aqua and turquoise everywhere you go, no matter where you are you can see silhouettes of magnificent mountains towering over towns, and there is an immeasurable amount of ancient history available to see and learn about. Everyone knows these facts about Greece. However, I wanted to shed light on hidden gems of the country, ones that tour guides probably wound't think to bring up, as well as general things that you probably just don't know about the ancient country of Greece.
1. There is NO HUMIDITY.
I repeat, no humidity. Although some days the temperatures can rise to 102 degrees, it will never feel that hot because the air is so dry there.
2. The water doesn't have waves.
While in Greece, I swam in the Evian Gulf, the Ionian Sea, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranian Sea. I had no idea how different these would be from the Atlantic Ocean, aside from the color contrast. They were extremely salty, for one thing, but also you can actually SWIM in them without being tossed around in the waves like a tomato in a Greek salad. Of course, there are little ripples in the waters, caused by the wind and sometimes from crashing into rocks. It's also very funny because local people think that the waters are rough when the ripples are a little bit larger than normal. If only they could see the Atlantic Ocean on a stormy night!
3. Water bottles only cost 0.50 euro!
I had to include this because I was so happy about how cheap they are.
4. There's no air conditioning, for the most part.
Apparently, Greek people just do not like the idea of air conditioning. Some of them even believe that it's harmful to your health! There was no AC in any of the houses I stayed in, so typically you just sleep with the windows open to catch a nice breeze. Obviously in stores in Athens they have AC, and thank goodness, because Athens is definitely hotter than the islands.
5. Marble is very, very slippery.
I learned this the hard way...at the very top of the Acropolis. While exploring the ancient sites, I slipped on the marble steps that have been there for over 2500 years and messed my kneecap up. Let's just say that getting all the way back down the mountain became an even greater challenge after that injury.
6. When you eat in Greece, no one orders a meal specifically for themselves.
Everything is family style there. You order a lot of different things, like a plate of tzatziki, potatos (what they call fries), a bowl of Greek salad, beef or chicken souvlaki, bread, and a hunk of feta cheese, and you're good to go. You pass the plates around and eat what you'd like!
7. Driving there scares the sh*t out of me.
In the small towns, like the one that I stayed in, the roads aren't paved, there are no street signs, and no traffic lights. So, it's easy to imagine how crazy the driving can be. Also, driving on the side of a mountain is also terrifying because there are no guard rails, and the road is about as wide as one car...pretty scary, but you get some great views from up there!
8. Speaking of driving, no one drives an automatic there.
Stick shifts only!
9. American gyros are illegal in Greece.
They actually are. Greek gyros are completely different, and made with only the freshest meats. A new trend in Greece is to make gyros with fries in them, which I must say was life changing. Amazing.
10. All homes there are surrounded by iron fences with iron gates protecting the driveways and entrances.
I thought this was really interesting and visually appealing because of the style of the gates couples with the architecture of the homes there. However, not only is it stylish, it's primarily to keep out wild animals. (There are lots of stray dogs and cats there.)
11. Their beaches are VERY different.
Unlike beaches in South Jersey, where you have to walk what seems like miles on hot sand to get to the water, the beaches in Greece are very short- maybe 20 to 30 feet long. There's no need to bring umbrellas or chairs, either, because most of these beaches have loungers and umbrellas there for your convenience (as long as you buy a frappé from the waiters and waitresses that walk around). Also, you don't need beach tags, which is really awesome too.
Although I did spend some of my time in Greece doing typical tourist things and taking ridiculous amounts of pictures, I am happy that I had the opportunity to go past those things and experience how real Greek people actually live and learn a lot about their every day culture. It's important to travel and see how other cultures live; not only does it broaden your own horizon, but it also makes you appreciate your home country even more. So, if you can, travel to experience other cultures; you'll definitely learn something.
