Living in Athens would NOT be EASY!
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- Опубліковано 2 чер 2024
- This country has been popular with a range of expats for a long time. Everyone from budget-conscious retirees to wealthy celebrities have chosen to live in Greece.
In this video, we take a look at the pros & cons of Athens Greece based on our month-long exploratory trip.
It has a lot going for it, including a low cost of living, great public transportation, and incredible history. However, it comes with several downsides that led us to cross Athens off our list.
When the weather is warmer, we're going to check out some of the Greek Islands where expats like to live to see how livable they are.
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Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:22 Greece Visa Options
2:07 Good Things About Living in Athens Greece
10:51 Bad Things About Living in Athens Greece
15:04 Unusual Things About Athens
16:25 Could we live in Athens?
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I watched some of your videos and I see JP gets "culture shocked" quite easily. I think it is an age thing. I know that it may sound hard but it is time to stay close to home. I would also recommend to find a more diplomatic way to express your inability to acclimate yourself in a foreign environment. Spewing stereotypical phrases like "its all Greek to me" to cover your inability to deal with a foreign language just sounds insulting. The fact that you didnt know about when the shops are closed just tells me that you didnt read anything about the country before you arrived. Read the comments below. What they are trying to tell you is that you came off kind of "Red Neck" but they are doing it in a nice and diplomatic way. Maybe you can learn from them?
Totally agree. Plus his partner wants to live there but he can't be asked to learn greek...omg..greeks taught the whole world to read and use the alphabet...he said he prefers to learn Spanish..ok.go to Spain.then..😢please...greece has thousands of beautiful islands full of cultural backgrounds and fascinating living..if he's so narrow minded..greece is so not for him
Amelia, this is irrelevant to the topic but I really liked your natural grey hair. It is fab on you! PS. As of April 1st/2024 pos is a requirement even for open vegetable markets so you don't need cash anymore.
Embrace the bidet!!
@@lisaconstantinou4690 they (and most of their target group) don't really care about any language or culture at all; everything is really about living in a nice place comfortably yet cheaply. Much cheaper than in the US. Basically, the goal is exploiting local resources without contributing much - except to rasing prices. This trend has become so annoying. And Athens is way overpopulated already.
I moved to Greece 20 years ago. I'm German. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
The Greek language is difficult to learn, especially for people who aren't familiar with a case system, but once you speak the language you enter a new world...
Σαν την Ελλάδα δεν έχει ❤
No, the alphabet takes a while to master but the grammar is easy, much easier than Turkish.
@@michaelmckelvey5122 I don't speak Turkish, so I can't confront them. The only thing I can say is that the amount of people living in Greece for decades and still butchering the grammar is high.
I am Greek and think the opposite, Germany is a much better place to live...
@@LordPrutsikas I'm glad you found a good home in Germany ❤️
Don't the Greek nationalists who hate foreigners bother you?
As a Chinese American, Greece really tops my list of European countries so far. Greek people were incredibly friendly towards me, an Asian looking person. What a stark contrast to my experiences in Italy, which felt cold and rude. In my opinion Greeks are also very humble. They welcomed and treated me well during my last visit. Would definitely visit again.
I am not Chinese but found the hospitality amazing
Of course they are, their country is bankrupt.
As a Greek, I'm glad you like it hear.
I'm just going to note though, for people that read this comment, that Greece is still a real place with real people so you should expect that sometimes you may have some "not so kind" experiences.
Greek people are the best. The food is amazing. Pefkos on the Greek island of Rodos is superb.
Greeks humble? Think again.
I love Greece and greek people.. and i left Belgium and Germany after 22 years and i chose with my family to move to Athens and now we are very very happy ❤
Athens you mean center or sea side city ????😅
Sea side
I'm learning greek since 10 years, it's true it's not easy but it's such an elegant language!
Try listening a lot more, write stuff you don't understand down. Only focus on this, screw the grammar and cases. I wish someone told me this sooner about language in general
Probably you do not know that english language it is based on Greek, which is one of the three oldest languages in the world the richest ofcource the oldest western language, and english language it has more that 65.000 greek words !!!!!
@@ariwnzirakis9272 yes it does have tons of greek words, just like most European languages, but saying that English is based on greek is not accurate
Richest language in the world.....the mother language of all western languages !!!
💙💙🤍🤍💙💙
Been to Greece many times...you have to understand Greek thinking before you can truly enjoy living in Greece...Believe me it all makes sense...Opa!!!!
Yep, understanding Greek gets you to this amazing parallel universe you didn’t know exist!
A mate of mine came to visit me and he was here for 3 weeks. He was reading entire sentences in Greek by the end of his stay. Its all about how you approach things. If you really want to learn basic stuff you can. Most folks here speak english and other languages so communication is the least of your problems
I've been learning Greek for a while and find it easier than Romanian. I've lived in Romania for years. It's a beautiful country and often it is unfairly overlooked. I do find the language difficult and it doesn't flow, no matter how hard I try. People often say "but you speak Spanish, it should be easy", and that is not true. The strong Slavic influence and the absence of an actual "the" makes it very different. Of course there are some similarities but, for me, it's hard. Nonetheless I won't give up, and hope to be fluent someday 😊. As far as Greek is concerned, I don't think it's easy but once you get the hang of the alphabet it is easier. I had a conversation on a bus in Greek a while ago and that was very satisfying. I have loads more to learn but it's gratifying to be understood, at least some of the time, by Greeks. I visited Crete and it was wonderful. The food, the climate and the people made it a magical stay.
With regard to learning Greek, I had lessons for a year after first moving to Cyprus 20 years ago. Once you have the basics down, you will be amazed at how quickly you will pick it up providing you make an effort to integrate and make friends with the locals. You will also get a lot of respect for making the effort. I am known in my village as “the Englishman who knows Greek”! If you are older like myself, it is also a great way to keep your brain and memory active!
That’s cool! Thanks for sharing! 😊
My friend from the U.S. is from a Greek family so he grew up speaking Greek. When he went to Greece shopkeepers would name him a price and when he spoke Greek, the shopkeepers would give him a big discount. I think they though he was from Greece as he is completely fluent.
@@rickmossop3733 That’s not uncommon - it’s happened to me a few times or you are given freebies! I get given homemade halloumi cheese (ten times better than the supermarket stuff!), olives and olive oil and when the grapes are being harvested I can’t walk 10 yards without being given some - it’s a bloody nightmare as to refuse a gift is very disrespectful in Greek/Cypriot culture!
It's Greek to me.
I've been learning Greek for a while and, once you get the hang of the alphabet, it is easier. I wouldn't say it's easy but it is easier. Helps that some words sound like English. Some things are amusingly odd, weekend translates as SaturdaySunday, which always makes me smile 😊. On a trip to Crete a while ago I had a conversation in Greek on a bus, which was very gratifying. As you say, locals are thrilled when you make the effort to speak Greek. I still have loads more to learn though.
Stores are closed on Sunday because in Europe we work to live, not live to work. People deserve a day of rest. You can survive without spending money one day of the week.
Should be like that everywhere.
Your presentation is well pointed, considering only one month stay in Greece. However living (not just tourist) in a country is always a big decision and has to do not only to the cost, but mainly if you can get along with the lifestyle of the country.
As a Greek i will comment 2 points: Language barrier. As I have traveled a lot, I can tell you that Greece is an easy country for english speakers. English is widely spoken in Greece, even in villages. All signs in roads, busses, are also in English. Most of the products in s/markets have also English signs. Always it’s easy to find somebody who speak English. Of course we are not an English or Spanish speaking country.
In Spain, Italy, France [in this order] is much harder to find English speakers, although have more tourism.
I have seen many elderly British people who lives in Greece, who easily deal this matter.
GRAFFITI [which here are too much], in USA means that you enter in dangerous/gang area. Here mostly related to political parties, anarchists and teenagers.
Athens is big city. The center is old, very dense. The good suburbs are in South (seaside) and North. For permanent living, most foreigners prefer islands[e.g Crete] or seaside towns.
Need to remind you that Macedonia is a part of Greece. The AlvanoSlavic country on the North is called North Macedonia and their language is Bulgarian.
TRUE
Correct . Thessaloniki belongs to central Macedonia , that term North Macedonia is correct if you check the map but only as geographical area that Macedonians also used to be there but other than that these guys have Slavic Albanian ancestry and they don’t even know to say hello at Greek coz their language is Slavic Bulgarian and Albanian . There is no Macedonian language since Macedonias Athenians Corinthians thracians Spartans etc were all speaking Greek/Hellenic . When you say north Macedonian u mean Slav or maybe an Albanian with the same heritage. It’s Fyrom for a lot of people since we ain’t recognise North Macedonia as Macedonians ancestors that’s crazy and u only have to check some readings which we have many since we had a lot of writers and we are in these areas for over 4000 thousand years
@JerronHonda slavs were there but in most recent years,600AD.
Albanians are another race that their inhabitant is the Albanos river.
todays Albania is a jigsaw puzzle madeup country by 2 parts of land the South Albania came from North Epirus and the North Albania came from the Slavs,it was mostly inhabited by Illyrians mercenary tribes and groups,and it was made a country to prevent the the slavs from having an exit in Adriatic Sea in order for Italy to have the advantage in commerce mainly Florence.
as for Hellins which Macedonians were part of them as many others...the "old" macedonia was cut&split in pieces (51% GR,39% Serbia (Skopja-FYROM-North Macedonia today), 9.5% BG & 0.5% AL) by the Bukurest Agreement.
as for the rest the Hellenic language is dated at least 12-16.000 years back.geomythology.
@@user-rs1dy2cy3z What language do Albanians speak?
@aldpride8693 tosk & ghek mainly as this is the name they have.
is lke chinese which there are multiple dialects but main is mandarin.
why do you ask?
are you Albanian, Illyrian or you want info to visit?
The air quality in Athens looks a lot better than in did in the 80’s.
One of the best destinations for longer-term expat living would be
Chania Crete. The beaches are very nice and mountains very close.
Crete is a large enough island so it’s great to explore with out having to go off the island. The food is fantastic.
Cars with catalysts and the metro really transformed the air.. It really was dangerous to go downtown on a summer rush hour..
The real culture shock is coming back to the USA and witnessing the massive disconnect between our country and its people.
I want to leave the US so bad
I agree, well said. The relationship the Greek People have with their country and culture and the land, the food, is just incredible.
@@Crystalgrace144 besides nyc, there is no life in america
The eastern and southern Europe is getting westernised and americanised at constantly increasing rates so by the time you move here maybe there will be no difference at all🤷
@@magicmike97m It’s called Californication.
You’d be surprised how interesting it is to learn Greek. I fell in love with Greece years ago and started trying to learn it. I promise it isn’t that hard, but you do have to genuinely take daily time to do it.
The islands are my favorites, especially smaller lesser known ones. Really enjoyed your video-you nailed the ins and outs, pointing out pros and cons I completely agree with. I also want to say that the TP is quickly a non-issue. You get used to it fast. I’m willing to put up with a lot of little inconveniences for that clear water and the peace of those islands. ❤
I’m Greek but was born and raised in Cameroon, central Africa. Therefore, French-speaking. I first lived in Greece at age 24, for my national service (after my studies).
I abandoned everything and stayed there. Although I’m traveling the world with my family, I live in Athens. And there is one thing I know: I’ll die there. Of all the places I’ve lived in, such as Paris, NY, Oxford etc., this is the place where I feel complete. The weather, the sea, the food, and most of all, the people…
The negative points you’re highlighting are very sound. Your video is to the point. Congratulations for your impartiality, and to finish this, I’ll end it the Greek way: with a wish.
May you be always well and healthy, to keep traveling and produce such beautiful and informative videos.
Καλημέρα!
"most of all the people",
really?
LOL
@@judgedredd8876that’s exactly what I’ve written. Do you have difficulties reading, or is it rather the understanding part that’s the issue?
Greece is my top number 1 country I love visiting. I go every summer for the past 7 years. Love love it
💙🤍💙
The business hours for Greece are on the US government website which gives important travel information about each country. If you think it is crowded in January you will be in for a shock in the summer. Once you learn the alphabet it becomes much easier to decipher the signs. Much of English is based on Latin which is based on Greek.
The websites indicated hours may vary for the holidays, but it didn’t say all the grocery stores would be closed for 3 days.
That is true and the local stores do not post their hours on the windows. (if they did I would be in Greek, therefore no help…) if you live at a place you learn like the locals if you’re a tourist you got to be more adventurous.
By the way I don’t recall many stores in the US posting signs till the recent years. Further, when I visited Spain I was not expecting stores to close for an hour in the middle of the day but adapted next time. Got to accept the culture, otherwise the world would be all the same therefore not interesting
Actually, Latin is based on the ancient Corinthian version of the Greek Alphabet, which has a couple of different symbols and different sounds than the Greek Alphabet used today be Greeks, which is based on the Athenian version. Corinthians had lots of cities on what is today Southern Italy, then Etruscans on the north of Italy picked up the alphabet, and Romans used it after them.
@@AmeliaAndJPsome grocery are open everyday till 11 at night.. o.k markets😅
@@kostasjezuz4846omg ! What i just read ? Modern Greeks based on Hellenistic koine greek and not athens alphabet. Second mistake , latin alphabet based on Kimis(a small city in Evoia island ) alphabet and not Corinthian . Corintians were dories and people from Evoia were iones .
I spent a couple of days in Athens two years ago. I had a great time in those two days. That said, I wouldn't live in Athens. I found the quieter areas of Greece and especially the islands to be much better places to live daily life. I studied Greek for about 3 months before going to Greece. It was enough to help me get by.
25 years ago, I studied Greek before going there and was disappointed at the few opportunities I had to speak it until I stayed in small villages on Crete. Then I had amazing connections with the local elders. Crete was also where I finally braved renting a car, and I am happy I survived the experience, including almost being run off the road by a trucker. I suspect he wanted to put this long-haired female foreigner in her place, but I won by holding my side of the road, forcing him to move back onto his side. Because I was traveling solo, I was often given the worst hotel room or restaurant table or service at a shop. I spent over a month there and would enjoy returning to Crete, but not particularly anywhere else. The food was amazing!
Great story! 😊
When driving in Greece, it essential to keep your head on a swivel. But, that is nothing like mainland China. The Chinese drive insanely: traffic rules are treated like they are optional, while honking is mandatory. When riding in a Chinese taxi, it is best not to look out the front window or the side windows or the rear window if you scare easily or have a weak heart.
You should have gone to the monasteries in Meteora. Built on large rock formations with views thousands of feet above the valley.
I did not go to Meteora because I had learned that the culture was very prejudiced against a woman traveling alone, and I wasn't interested enough to take a tour there. I visited many other ancient sites, though, and solo hiked to a remote monastery in the hills on Crete, where I was able to visit with one of the monks and purchase a bottle of the wine they make. There were many doves around the monastery, and on the return hike, I picked up a few to make a cat toy for the young son's kitty that lived with the local villager who hosted me in her home. @@grepora
I visited Crete many times and I was also connecting with elderly people very quickly. We started to bring them use clothes back in the 80 ish and I rember the airlines didn’t charge for extra weight but very thankful let us take all those big pale clothes donations for the village people..
How did you understand the Cretan accent and idioms though? Even we, mainland Greeks struggle to understand them sometimes, especially if they speak fast.
lived there in the early 70s. i have a love-hate relationship with the country. since then ive traveled there 7 or 8 times. in most places; small restaurants, and tourist spots, people speak english and are nice. in the 70s no traffic because no one had a car or if they did, on sunday they drove to the country and spent the day in a field gathering plants and herbs from the landscape (a big all-day picnic).. travel home was tedious. now puntas are everywhere and greeks are still bad drivers. if i could do it all over and i'd have a degree in the classics, know my history even better and would eat all the olives i could find... hmmmm. most greeks in the neighborhoods are nice with friendly helpful people. you didn't mention Piraeus (?), but it has very nice areas around the old/ancient harbor. views of the harbor that is surrounded by parks, walkable streets for strolls, restaurants/backgammon entertainment. lots of people enjoying the sweet life. One very nice thing about greece is there are always people on the streets enjoying life. that is hard to find in america.
Probably you are not travelling a lot . Greeks are in the list of top 5 drivers in Europe.
I've been to Greece many times. It's my favorite place in the world. Athens is great for a few days but long term not so much. The islands are another story. There's lots of folks there that speak English. I know 20-30 words of Greek which is plenty to get around....and the locals appreciate the effort. All that said, never go to Greece in July/August...way too hot and too crowded. The best time is May/June or Sept/Oct.😎
Thanks for sharing!
@@AmeliaAndJPGreece is a favorite place of @GabrielTraveler .
@@EvaOwenOhhhh he doesn't know...
Greek language is a more advanced language that’s why some people find it “difficult” . Pavements in Athens are terrible, parking is a huge problem , just like traffic. Stores were closed for a specific reason so you guys should have done a research before visiting, don’t expect the world to adjust to your needs . Stay open minded and don’t judge people and cultures according to your own standards.
We were there last January, and I totally agree that the lack of crowds was a big selling feature. The weather was great for that time of year. Bright sunshine and low teens (Celsius). I didn't find too much culture shock myself. Maybe we hit upon more than average number of English speakers. The quantity of empty buildings was surprising. And for anyone thinking of making the trip, Smile Restaurant near the museum! We still talk about going back there!
On another note, we may take a run at learning Greek. Cyprus is apparently offering a faster track to citizenship if you can get to a halfway decent level of Greek. Wish us luck!
Athens had a bad reputation when I backpacked across Europe in 1987. It was called a concrete jungle by the guide books. Most people didn't stay long, preferring to head down to the islands, but this was in summertime. I went up north and climbed Mt. Olympus. It's more of a steep walk than a climb, and it's not that hard. It's my favorite moment about visiting Greece.
I bet that was cool!
Athens remains an ugly and inhospitable city, stuck in the 80s with subpar public transport and nonexistent room for pedestrians, cyclists or anything of the sort. Although I was born there I would never go back to live there. The quality of life can be sub-par in many cases. Lack of green spaces and cleanliness is the top complaint from residents and visitors alike.
Greece has a few mountains named Olympus. I think you climbed the wrong mountain.
Me and about 30 others, I guess. Strange we all got it wrong.@@michaelhatzigeorgiou470
It is a concrete jungle. That is why nobody who has money lives there. The Greeks live in the suburbs.
As a Greek I am really glad to read all these nice comments about Greece coming from foreigners. Thank you guys! 💙🤍💙
Love 💙to Greece from Croatia ❤️
As a Greek I am so happy to read all those positive comments. Thank you.
When I travelled around Greece, I must say that I felt the most at home there of all the European countries I visited. That stated, I agree about the language difficulties - we asked a taxi driver to drop us off for a cruise ship, and he dropped us off about two miles away somewhere at that enormous port, and it was incredibly frustrating not being able to be able to communicate what we needed, so we ended up walking the two miles with our heavy luggage. We seemed to have the most trouble with language in Greece of all the countries we visited. But I did love Greece, and especially Athens and Rhodes.
Surely pointing to a spot on the map would have solved this.
Hahahaha everyone speaks English in greece . Even the last grandmother in a mountain village . Because of tourism.
Perhaps your taxi driver wasn't greek....
I'm 70 and re-learning Greek at my age would be painful. When I was around 8 years old, we had a family next door (a couple until they divorced, then just the husband, their 3 children, and the husband's mother who was 100% Greek). Grandma (Yaya) was trying to teach the 3 kids (2 girls a year younger than me and 3 years younger than me, and 1 boy almost a year older than me) and me Greek - I picked up the language better than the kids but I have forgotten all I learned since Yaya passed away in 1978.
Every place in the world has pros and cons. I can name many cosmopolitan cities in the US or Europe with scary neighborhoods I would not dare to even cross through.
If you’re thinking of retiring in Greece you need to consider the lifestyle you want. What you’re willing to compromise and what not.
Athens is a dense city. It offers exceptional cultural experiences beyond the classics practically every day of the week there are multiple attractions, many of which are free!
Fantastic organic food, great transportation, low cost of living and proximity to sea and mountains and uber friendly people are some of the positives.
If the city center is not appealing opt for the areas outside of the city center. They are newer with great accommodations wider streets, better transportation and wider sidewalks.
In other words you can live in one of the suburbs with new developments & comfortable accommodations and enjoy the city center by taking a short 20-30 min trip on public transport or hop on a ferry to visit the islands.
Or, you can live in a quiet town 40 minutes away which will feel like a village.
And most Greek people speak at least one foreign language but they need some encouragement as they are embarrassed to lead the conversation as their skills may not be perfect!
As for the language, it is different with 24 letters where some of the letters sound different, a small effort and learning some common phrases and basic words will surprise you how far it will take you. I remember visiting Portugal, I was expecting to sound like Spanish, was I wrong! After a week of effort acquiring the sounds and learning a few words it opened up so many doors! It’s not that hard. A small effort is very rewarding.
Thus, like any place in the world if you’re planning to move it’s important to identify what you want, conduct the appropriate research and temporarily test-drive the area before committing!
Hope it helps
Found the Greek.
One thing I wish you would cover is noise levels in the places you stay. We have been living in Central America for a couple of years and have found that it is very difficult to find a place to live where someone doesn’t play their music much too loud and usually with the bass note turned up to ridiculous levels. This seems to be a cultural thing. If it’s one thing that drives me crazy is trying to sleep while a neighbor is playing their stereo or TV loud! So, when you mention places you have stayed, please mention if you had to deal with anything like that. Also, mention if the culture seems to be prone to this behavior or not. Thank you.
Latin America is noisy. We've talked about that for years. We haven't experienced anywhere near the same amount of noise in Europe so far and we're in our 5th country.
@@AmeliaAndJP That’s great to hear about Europe because my wife and I are hoping to relocate to Italy, France, or Montenegro this spring.
Thanks for bringing this up. I'm in South America and can't do the noise anymore......looking around.
Elite soldiers that wear pom-poms on their shoes 😂 😂 😂
A cheap alternative would be Argentina. I was there for three months and never heard the noise like in the 7 months I was in Mexico. Argentina is 85% European heritage so that may account for a cultural difference from much of Latin America.
I "visited" Greece in 1973 as a participant in a NATO exercise.
I recall the Aegean sea's amazing turquoise water that was so clear I could see fish from the helicopter as We flew along the coastline.
I recall how undeveloped it was, especially considering Greece is the "cradle of Democracy". I would have thought Kavala would be more developed.
I recall villagers greeting us with handwoven baskets of fresh-picked olives.
I recall shepherds guiding their flocks of sheep up and down the hills.
And, I recall the worst hangover I've ever experienced. I never, ever, again, touched a drop of Ouzo....
Great story! Thanks for sharing! Ouzo is dangerous! 🤢
Thank you for your very interesting recollections!
Nun muss Ich lachen....
And sooo much has changed since 1973! While nature remains unchanged and the people are welcoming, the country has modernized with advances in all areas. Following 13 years of financial crisis today is ranked as the 50th strongest economy in the world.
@@user-xv9vn9si4g,
WONDERFUL!!
While I would like to revisit Greece, I'm hoping to celebrate My 71st birthday in Rome, and then visit Sao Pedro, Maderia, Portugal, which is the birthplace of My papa and His sisters.
I wish peace and prosperity for You and Greece.
JP- About those olives you ate ... if you are ever in a situation like that again, take the olives and wash them copiusly in water to remove most of the salt prior to eating. Same thing with feta cheese (I know that sounds strange, but the cheese will stay intact and tasty). This is what Greeks do at home. All that salt is just to keep the product from going rancid while being stored.
Great suggestion! 👍
I loved Athens it was amazing. The food the people. Wonderful.
The best part about Athens being full of cats is that there are barely any mice! Speaking as a Greek who moved to the US and experienced a culture shock with the prevalence of mice in houses in Boston, NY and DC.
Other points:
Agreed about the store hours. They aren't flexible or consumer friendly.
Agreed about the graffiti.
I understand the language might be difficult to learn, but you have to remember that latin which is the basis of most Western European languages and Greek are actually pretty close; even the alphabets aren't that different if you study their evolution. So, while I understand that written Greek might look perplexing - and I have a similar issue with Russian- I bet that if you study the alphabet for a bit, you will start picking up a ton of things. You will also find many more English speakers than certain other countries. An underrated reason why is because foreign films and TV shows aren't dubbed.
Although I hear a lot of people complain about Athens being a concrete jungle -and it certainly is in certain places more than others- I find it lively. There are tons of places where you can chill out late out night without feeling unsafe and I as a night owl appreciate that.
I live in the USA can’t wait to move back !! The kindest of people! Winter is my fave season
@@phillipbanes5484 bzzzzzzz incorrect!
@@phillipbanes5484cry babys
@@phillipbanes5484I think they meant getting back to Greece.
The kindest people? Are you sure?
Naxos and Chios are large, but lack the crowds and clogged streets of the more touristy islands. Crete is like it's own country. It's one of the largest islands in the region, has two international airports and a University hospital. It also has (arguably) the best food in Greece. They can grow bananas, avocados and are pretty self-sufficient. I would go to Athens as a tourist - but would choose to live on an island that has decent infrastructure that isn't particularly attractive to Insta models!
The intricate detail on the ruins is amazing!!!
The Acropolis was intact until 1687 when the Turks stupidly stored gunpowder in the Parthenon during the Morean War which caused an explosion when a shell hit the building
and the venetians did a number on it as well.
Interesting but I feel the video title is a bit misleading. Portugal is a country, while Athens is a city. So perhaps the point of comparative reference should be Athens and Lisbon? Presumably living in Athens is not the same as living in any number of smaller Greek cities or islands, just as living in Lisbon is not the same as living in Porto or Madeira.
We changed the video title earlier but forgot to change the caption on the thumbnail to match the new angle so thanks for the reminder.
So true!
A city is not the country! Far more a neighborhood is not a country
Wow! It seems you two are shadowing me. After rainy Porto you were in Athens for New Year (judging from the fireworks) at the same time I had dinner with my family at a nearby restaurant at Abyssinian (Ethiopian) square a football field distance from Monastiraki.
I have been following your channel for a few years so that I can learn about exotic Ecuador. Your observations about Athens are spot on. Too much traffic and no easy parking.
However, you missed the main upside: within a 2 hours drive you can go (snow) skiing or in half hour at the beach. You can also take a fast ferry to the nearby islands and in an hour or two you can have dinner in spectacular scenery. That is the main drawback of my Texas hometown: very few places to drive on the weekends. But my time here is up, see you next week in Texas?
I was definitely curious about Greece! It looks so beautiful there - So happy to hear your take on it ✨
thank you for a great video! I will be retiring to Greece in about a year so I enjoyed hearing your perspective. Fortunately, I speak Greek and have family there so I will not experience the same "culture shock"! Thank you again for sharing your experience!
Greek is harder to learn than Romance languages. According to the European Language Center, foreign languages group into five levels of difficulty for English speakers:
Category I: 23-24 weeks (575-600 hours): 23-24 weeks (575-600 hours)
Languages closely related to English:
Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish.
Category II: 30 weeks (750 hours)
Languages similar to English:
German
Category III: 36 weeks (900 hours)
Languages with linguistic and/or cultural differences from English:
Indonesian, Malaysian, Swahili
Category IV: 44 weeks (1100 hours)
Languages with significant linguistic and/or cultural differences from English:
Albanian, Amharic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Finnish, Georgian, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Icelandic, Khmer, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Mongolian, Nepali, Pashto, Persian, Polish, Russian, Serbian Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Taqaloq, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Xhosa, Zulu.
Category V: 88 weeks (2200 hours)
Languages which are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers:
Arabic, Cantonese (Chinese), Mandarin (Chinese), Japanese, Korean.
Yes, Greek don’t belong to Romance languages. But the Greek Alphabet is identical to Latin [as the Latin derived from Greek alphabet!] therefore is not difficult to be learned.
Also in Greek, the writing system is simpler than English as “you write as you speak”. We don’t have “no sound letters” as English have e.g light =lite. Greek: ΦΩΣ = fos. So you don’t deal with difficult pronunciations.
On the other hand. Greek have extensive vocabulary and more difficult grammar.
An interesting point. Greeks easily copy the pronunciation of Latin languages (vowels lagua/s) as Italian, Spanish than English {consonat lang). However English is widely spoken in Greece.
I had asked long ago our Filipino subcontractor if he had learned greek after living 8 years here in Athens, Greece.. His answer was ..”not ,here in Athens almost all people under 50 years old are speaking English .. so I don’t need so”
I find it very odd that they put Romanian in the same group as Spanish. Although the structure of Romanian is Latin based a lot of the vocabulary is taken from Slavic and other roots so the amount of recognisable words is less than with Spanish. Eg 'he is a rich man' = Sp 🇪🇸 'es un hombre rico' 🇷🇴 'este un om bogat'.
And it still has a dative/genitive case unlike any other language in Category I. eg 'o prietenă bună' = a good friend (f) / 'unei prietene bune' = to or of a good friend (f).
@@nontasxen6556
αυγή = aVgi
Αυτή = Afti
Αίολος - έωλος = τρέχα γύρευε 😝
@nontasxen6556 Truth, yes, Greek pronunciation is exactly like in Spanish & Italian
Athens is my most favourite city in Europe. I visit it twice a year. Greetings from Finland. ❤
I was just there this past November..cruise..Spent 2 days after the cruise...i would love to return to explore more...My favorite Island was Mykonos....loved it..
I learned New Testament Greek in seminary and found it practically useless in Greece even though I can read a good bit of it as the pronunciation is completely different. Having said that, we found no shortage of English speakers in Athens and, especially, in Santorini. We really liked Greece.
Yes. Religion is useless.
I would imagine the New Testament was written in ancient Greek language?
The Greek pronunciation that usually is teached in western countries (erasmian), is totally wrong- never spoken like that. The New Testament was originally written in koine Greek that had already , almost the same accent as modern Greek.
The pronunciation they teach you is totally useless. The new testament Greek is understandable for most modern Greeks. They had to teach you the pronunciation WE use.
You also fell into the Erasmian trap, nothing new
Great vid. Thank you !
Love Greece! I spend a few weeks there and loved! The food, the architecture, the museums, the history, the transportation and the people was very friendly, BUT certainly the language barrier is a huge issue.
I disagree. Most people in Greece speak English.
Crete is sunny with a gentle breeze today. 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
I love Crete. It is one of my favorite places in the world.
Good video. I was there many years ago in the summer, the heat was insufferable. Besides the wonderful history, I remember the heat being around 110 F & the amount of honking from cars was insane. I had so many heat headaches there. I did enjoy my time in the island of Crete, where it was much more relaxes & had cooler temperatures.
My wife's family is from Crete and we raised our kids in the Greek Orthodox church so the language is not that big a deal (it's actually quite a bit easier than other languages to learn, once you get past the alphabet). We have been to Greece many times and have to agree with you on Athens - it like New York City in that it's nice to visit once or twice but now is a place to be avoided. There are many places on the mainland and the islands that I could certainly live comfortably - in fact, I have a couple of years till I retire and we are seriously considering living there at least part of the year. Interesting that you didn't discuss the housing costs?
Awesome video, thank you for sharing!
Thanks for this helpful info, I've been curious about Greece as a possible slow travel destination.
From this video, i liked Athens very much. Liked the way this city looks.
I’m Greek living in California for forty years. I went back last summer after 17 years. I think Greece right now is a great place to live. Athens is a big city with not much space. It doesn’t represent what the country is. I think you guys are a little too sensitive.
This video is specifically about Athens. We wanted to visit during the low tourist season, but our channel focus is about living places so that’s what we talk about. And we would not want to live in Athens. There are lots of other places in Greece that would be much better for living.
Thank you for visiting and reviewing my country. Your comments are honest and accurate!
Thank you too! You have a lot to be proud of! Your country is amazing!
Thanks for the content of your videos.
Glad you like them!
Thanks for the good words for Greece
Thank you guys. Really appreciate that you mention the positives AND negatives. Keep up the good work.
Bumpin' up the algorithm by being honest. Rare on YT
Im from Greece, I live in Athens and I have to say that this was a very good introduction to the city. Many bravo from me!
Thank you very much!
Great Video thanks for sharing!
I've been to Corfu - and didn't want to leave. ❤
Hmmm, thank you for this. I know I would have too much anxiety in the pedestrian situation
No cars on Hydra island. You could also pick a place in a historic town center (such as Skopelos island) where people park on the outskirts and you walk home. There is such a wide variety within Greece. With 227 inhabited islands, there will literally be something for everyone.
We found Greece very affordable. It's beautiful. Some locals were very rude to tourists. I was also pick pocketed on the train/metro to the airport. I feel that I could still live there compared to the US.
really helpful video, I have looked at other Athen tourist videos. you provided the good and the not so good with a quick view of the city. ps I appreciate your positive friendly style as well.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I had the same thing happen to me in Cuenca. I was given a $5 bill with a slight tear, as change at a popular restaurant in el centro. I tried to use it for two days and no one would take it. Finally someone told me to go to a bank, I went to my bank, and they wouldn’t accept it. They told me to go to the Banco Central, for a clean $5.
Give it to a panhandler, they have more than enough time to do the running around
Ancient Greek History is fascinating and this Video is very helpful .
I would agree with JP concerning all the cons . I'm not a City kind of guy and the Language Barrier would leave me feeling like a perpetual "Tourist".
Great info , Thank you .
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for an attractive and informative video. I liked very much your honest comments, especially for people like me who haven't been there.
Great video,thanks
There's a British journalist who used to work on Athens' English language newspaper who wrote a book titled "How to Learn Greek in 25 Years" . . .
😂
I spent a few days in Athens a few years ago. I got food poisoning so bad that I went to the hospital. The hospital was dirty and very scary. Glad i.made it out alive. I found the city dirty with too many motorcycles.
Very dirty and full of graffiti and not the artsy type. Just nasty
Well you don’t visit us again, as we are so busy already, with turists. You can use your “clean” hospitals in your country, wherever is that.
@@issith7340 why is it so hard to accept someone’s unfortunate experience and instead you are attacking the guest of your country?
What happened to FILOXENIA?
Instead seek to improve the service so nobody has as bad of an experience again and the country and its citizens retain a great reputation which brings more visitors and investments.
Don’t shoot yourself in the foot.
@@user-xv9vn9si4g cause these people would never ever say a good word about anything but their country. I know them pretty well
@@issith7340 they are speaking out. This is your opportunity to understand, empathize and express your opinion without aggression. Your opportunity to influence them, to see it your way.
There are many more who love Athens but don’t bother to speak. If you’re passionate about it mellow down and politely explain. Punching yield a counter punch, leading to extremism. Nobody wants that.
At the end of day, it’s their opinion, their feelings, not yours and that needs to be respected.
Hope you guys have checked out other parts of Greece, will look forward to any videos.
glad you guys are doing ok.........thanks for the videos!
Thank you! I agree that the language barrier would be too much of a culture shock. We now live in Portugal. I am taking the required basic Portuguese language classes in case we want to become citizens but I am very grateful that English is spoken a lot here. You can easily get by with basic Portuguese and almost everyone under 45 years old speaks English. We really love our little international village Nazare, home of the famous Big Waves.
Everyone under 45 years old also speaks English in Greece and also other foreign languages
I would love to see you guys get to Rhodes, or maybe Corfu or somewhere like that when it gets warmer
We live in Greece and love it! We chose to leave Athens and go to Thessaloniki because our Greek friends expressed to us that it is less populated and a great place to settle with a growing family. I loveeee Athens but Thessaloniki feels like home. We have been learning Greek since we made the decision to live here seasonally some time ago and over the years we organically picked up common phrases... but we're still very much learning! Love it here.. very family oriented, proud and community minded people that have embraced us and helped us on our journey.
Great video!
As a Greek, i find your point(s) of view to be incredibly precise!
If you spend enough time in Greece and more importantly, if you let yourselves dive in the Greek mindset, you'll undestand why everything is how it is.
Then, Greece will unfold all of it's beauty to you.
Watching what US or UK have turned into, i realize i want to stay here forever.
My spouse is Norwegian, and loves it here.
Love you guys, thanks for sharing!
Athens isn’t the prettiest Greek city😅 It used to be just 200 years ago a small village before it became the capital and was developed with no thought to aesthetics. Because of the expulsion of Greeks from Asia Minor and Pontus and other Mediterranean countries during the last 200 years Athens had to be quickly developed to house a quickly growing population… These apartment blocks you see were built as a temporary solution but have now become a part of Athens. Luckily athens is going through lots of new development projects like the Ellinikon which once it’s finished will be the largest coastal park in Europe…
Also since Greece was never a colonial power like other European countries such as France Italy or the UK. In short, because the Greeks have never violently subjugated other nations. Such grandiose architecture that one may find in Paris, Rome or London has been financed exclusively by shedding the blood and looting the wealth of natives in far away lands.
Also pre World War II Athens was much more beautiful with aesthetics in mind which was unfortunately mostly destroyed…
@@albertjimeno5315 plaka is one neighbourhood that retains neoclassical architecture. While it may be beautiful it’s filled with rubbish and spread paint. Much of the area is completely dilapidated from decades of mismanagement and overtourism….
Great video as always!! Do Cyprus next please!
Love your videos. Very informative. I love Greece especially the islands. Wherever I go I learn some very rudimentary words and phrases to somewhat get by. It really helps.
We do the same thing 👍
Good job folks! Very inter taning the way you explaining. ✅
If I recall there was a summer Olympics in Athens in 2004. It was extremely hot during the games. Amelia and JP may change their mind when high tourism and summer heat come together. Large crowds would deter me.
I am Greek and live in Athens. I still face culture shocks
so were did you get your culture, from the internet? You don't really make sense
Same here
Nah, it's a city that is too crazy even for the locals themselves.
It's a deep-down anarchist mentality actually, where you can do as you judge wright, as long as it's not a grave crime.
Park your car , have a LOUD party at the rooftop until sunrise ( but don't forget to invite the neighbors! ), or even(!) don't pay for your bus ticket, if you don't have the money.
You get the idea, chances are you won't be facing grave consequences - if any at all.
Now, what happens is: some people are taking advantage of this freedom, doing utterly idiotic stuff, not thinking of the one next to them. That person then is called a mal*ka commiting mal*kies.
Some times the mala*ies are so severe that it's a culture shock even to us!
Great job. Thank you.
Athens is not an easy city to live in. Some love it, others don't. It's loud also. But there are more places. The Peloponnese may be more to your liking. The area around Porto Cheli is sometimes called the Greek Saint Tropez. The former king of Greece used to live there. Sean Connery used to also, and it is whispered that a certain V. Putin has a hideout in the vicinity. Opposite is the island of Hydra where Leonard Cohen, his muse Marianne, and their hippy friends used to hang out. Although it was a lot less expensive back then.
Learning any language, including Greek has it's challenges but if you are planning to move to and live in a foreign country then the language can't be the reason not to live there. You should make an effort to learn the language wherever you move. The Greeks also appreciate it when you try and learn Greek and will help you, I've been told that isn't always the case in other countries. Nice video though and glad you enjoyed Athens over all.
Parking is a issue but i live on the far end of the Athens Riviera and its lovely out here and the sea is very welcoming
Yorgos, my cousin from Pagrati, Athens drove us to Cape Sounion 2 years ago, and the views and vistas were stunning! I believe we passed through the Athens Riviera, if i'm not mistaken. We want to pass through again this coming summer, but want to stop at a scenic area where we can dine at a seaside restaurant there. Any suggestions would be appreciated? "Yia sou, kai na sai kala. Efxaristo polli."
Greetings I would suggest two or three places in Varkiza the one is Alkiomides on the seafront with lovely views of Varkiza further down is Katsalorizo and even further but on the beach is a very popular sea food restaurant which all the locals go to called NAOB it is normally fully booked and packed over the weekends so I suggest booking and reserving a table @@AudiophileTubes
Great video!
Great job. Your video looks great 👏. I like your balanced and informative videos. Yes, I can live and would enjoy living in Greece. A great culture and wonderful people. Thank you and keep it up. 👏🙏😀❤️
Thanks so much! 😊
Amazing place but maybe would live some other place in Greece
Yeah, Naxos would be a great island to live on. Cheaper and better food than Athens.
Interesting take.
The museums are fantastic.
The pollution was extreme in late October.Concrete jungle,yes.
I have friends who were there vacationing there, in Greece, for the American winter. They are not financially restricted by any means. He had a heart attack, was taken to a hospital and they would not admit him waiting for financial information. During the wait he passed away while waiting in an ambulance for over an hour. I will not go to Greece due to my advanced 60’s age even though I’m in fairly good health.
That’s horrible! 😢
I had a very different experience related to illness and being in Greece. I arrived in Athens, not feeling terribly well, and I was due to get on a boat to Mykonos the next morning early. My alarm went off, and I knew I was not feeling good. I got on that boat and Slept, i had my cell phone in my side pocket which slid out and I didn’t notice it and left the boat, now without my cell phone. I checked into my hotel and went immediately to bed. I was very sick and stayed in my room most of the entire week. I was so weak. I had a hard time just walking the small amount I needed to to the restaurant to eat. I eventually contacted my sister via my iPad as she is a physician, and she said if I did not feel better, I needed to go to the emergency room when I got back to Athens because I could’ve developed an embolism in my lung with the flight. The people at the hotel really encouraged me to go to the local clinic which I felt badly about because at the time Greece was going through terrible financial time, but they said no it’s no problem. It’s free and it’s available to anybody. So I went to the clinic and they whisked me right in to see the doctor ahead of other people, it appeared. Now I have to say the shelves were Barren and the doctor I saw I was a doctor that Set broken bones, not an internist, aND my problem was difficulty breathing high fever, feeling very sick, etc.. He suggested I go to the urgent care clinic across the street and I did a full workup. I got all my results right away. I got prescriptions and got started on medicine and I started feeling better the next day. Now that did cost money but I submitted it to my insurance company in the USA and they did pay for it. Everybody at the hotel was so sweet, especially my housekeeper who would still come every day to clean and they all were very concerned about me. On the day that I left, I wrote a letter to the manager of the hotel, saying that his staff is wonderful, and they all deserve raises.I had one night left in Mykonos which I could enjoy and the next day I went to Athens I had another night and I went out in the nightlife was incredible and it goes on until six in the morning it appears. I definitely want to go back. I felt like I was short changed. by the way, when I got back to the ferry, I inquired if anybody had found a phone and they went to this area where they keep lost items and sure enough my phone was there. Somebody had turned it in! I had no expectation that I would ever get that phone again, and here it was waiting for me. That really impressed me
I had an emergency in Greece last November. They took care of me for free. The health system is not the best, but nobody dies in the street. I see that happening in the US if you don’t have insurance.
@@pbohearnI left my phone in a cafeteria in Paros. They sent it to me with the next boat to Piraeus.
@@michaelhatzigeorgiou470hahahaha 😂liar 🤥
I’ve found no problem with the language barrier, most speak English and if they don’t, they try to find someone who does. It’s an amazing place, but you are correct about the drivers, and graffiti.
Unfortunately many European cities have graffiti. Even Dublin
The amount of graffiti and vandalism in Greece is unprecedented
Beautiful touring & informational video! I don't think I would want to live in Athens, or learn Greek. But visiting would be wonderful!
It’s great for a visit. A month in Athens was too long for us. Maybe if we had stayed in an area where English was more common it would have been better.
English is largely spoken in Greece as a foreign language. In fact, it’s part of the education system to pick a foreign language English, French, German are most common. To be fair, in how many US cities can walk in stores and expect to see labels in French, Swedish, or people to speak Portuguese?
I was at the Acropolis in mid December '73 and there was no one there. It was about 65 degrees and sunny:) There were very few cars. I don't remember any signs in English.Glad I went when I did. You ate 5 pounds of olives??? Wow
Very accurate video. Congrats from Brazil.
The store closings are general in Euro, where the small store & workers wrights are valued. They are not advertised because it seems like plain common sence
My Greek background neighbours visited two years in a row for about a month each time in 2021 and 2022. Both times one family had a medical issue requiring hospitalization and both times the healthcare they received there was pretty awful according to them, and they speak Greek.
really sorry to hear about that. One question. Did they pay anything for their hospitalization?
I’ve travelled all over the world and have felt the most at home in Greece. But in Greece I spent most of my vacation in small towns in the Peloponnesus. Athens…good for a few days at most. I did lol when you said you couldn’t live in Greece because they spoke Greek.