A Romance Writer in Greece

Travelers enjoy the view on the Greek island of Hydra

I recently returned from a tour of Greece and several Greek islands. The region would be a wonderful setting for a romance novel. I'm not sure if the heroine meets a working-class guy or someone wealthier. While so far I have written more down-to-earth heroes, the yachts and fancy speed-boats I saw in some harbors bespoke of unimaginable wealth. It might be fun to visit a mansion on a remote, Greek island.

Greek harbor at Mykonos with its luxury yachts

My overall impression of the Greeks is they are very warm and friendly people who welcome tourism and tourist dollars. They are proud of their country and heritage and happy to show it off. I met a woman named Ioanna. She grew up the daughter of a shepherd in a little Greek village. The family was not a poor one, since, unlike some of the neighbors, they always had food to eat. Nevertheless, her father did not even own a pair of shoes until he was eleven or twelve years old. He was a bit of a philosopher and loved to talk. A simple statement like, "There's cinnamon on my coffee," could set him off on a thirty-minute philosophical treatise.

Due to the Greek austerity measures imposed by the European Union, the Greek response is they are already hurting. For example, the price of bread has skyrocketed due to inflation. But the Greek attitude is of people who have survived worse. A search of the various occupations by foreigners in Greek history, including, but not limited to, Nazis during World War II and a 400-year occupation under the Ottoman Turks. Ioanna says the Greeks have gotten used to a rare period of increased prosperity in recent years, but the deep-down attitude to the austerity measures is, "What are they gonna do, take away our shoes?"

Life will go on. As someone who recently finished Robert Reich's best-selling economics book, Saving Capitalism, I suspect I was more worked-up about the forces behind the austerity measures than Ioanna.

I like the Greeks' laid-back attitude regarding time, now that I'm used to it, even though Ioanna says it makes important projects hard to finish, evidenced by a host of half-finished and abandoned buildings found in various parts of the landscape. If you buy so much as a cup of coffee or bottle of water at a Greek restaurant, you can stay there indefinitely. It's considered rude to bring you the bill before you ask for it. In Greece there is rarely any rush. Afternoons were sleepy, and meals and nights ran late. Naps at times were almost required.

Greek cafe on the lovely island of Samos, birthplace of Pythagoras

Another Greek expression I liked is, "New Day, New Rule." Traffic rules, for example, including traffic lights, stop-signs, and even sidewalks are only suggestions. It's important to take care when crossing the street. Drivers won't deliberately kill you, but it's important to make sure they see you and to watch for traffic at all times. Two-way traffic on ancient, narrow roads that would only be one-way at home are something I got used to. I don't have the requisite nerves of steel to actually drive there, however.

Physically the landscape, at least in summer, is more desert than I expected, mostly rocky, barren, hot and windswept. The sky and sea are unbelievably blue with the ocean a variety of shades, depending on location, depth, minerals in the water, and weather. Sunsets are often gorgeous, reminding me of Greek myths where Apollo's chariot, the sun, sets in the western ocean.

Windswept Greek countryside from Mycenae; note the tourists in foreground to give the view scale.

Greek sunset from the rails of a cruise ship

Beautiful colors of the waters off of Crete with deeper water dark blue in the background

I am a Classicist. One surprising aspect of my Greek vacation was how much more comfortably I embraced modern Greek, both its written and spoken forms, than other members of our non-Greek-speaking tour group. All I've ever heard from my professors is how different ancient and modern Greek are, especially in pronunciation. And my ancient Greek, acquired through the passive process of reading ancient texts by authors such as Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, and the Greek playwrights, is extremely rusty. Nevertheless, I found the Greek alphabet totally familiar (if "mispronounced") and could not only pick out words and phrases on signs but even words in conversation. The vowels, especially, have changes so much, it must be very challenging for Greek children to learn how to spell it. I feel much less intimidated now and plan to acquire more Greek before my next trip.

I found a delightful book, An Octopus in My Ouzo, to read on my way home. The author, Jennifer Barclay, also writes a blog by the same name. I'm too tied up with friends, job, and family here in the U.S. to run away to a Greek Island, but I enjoyed escaping (through the author's eyes) to the remote island of Tilos. The book's not a romance, unless Greece, itself, is the object of romance, but the setting, food, relationships and lifestyle made the book a great read. Opa!