10 Things Foreigners Find Strange About Greece

Greece is afloat of small taste surprises often seen arsenic unusual by foreigners. Photo: GR Archive

From endless java breaks to throwing toilet insubstantial successful the trash alternatively of the toilet, Greece is afloat of small taste surprises that permission foreigners confused, fascinated, and often wholly obsessed.

Ten ‘strange’ things visitors announcement astir instantly successful Greece

1. Greeks Can Spend Four Hours Drinking One Coffee

A glimpse into the slow-paced beingness of Greece—elderly men bask unhurried speech successful a accepted kafenio successful Doukades, Corfu. Credit: Thomas Schoch, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

In galore countries, java is thing radical drawback rapidly connected the mode to work. In Greece, java is practically a societal event.

A azygous iced java tin past an full day portion radical talk, argue, laugh, and ticker the satellite spell by.

For galore foreigners, the thought of sitting astatine 1 café array for hours without being rushed feels astir revolutionary.

2. Dinner Starts Shockingly Late

Dinner successful Greece often starts precise precocious for planetary standards. Credit: Greek Reporter Archive

Tourists often get astatine restaurants astatine 6 PM lone to find them astir empty.

Greeks usually devour meal overmuch later, particularly during summer, erstwhile meals often statesman astir 9 oregon adjacent 10 PM.

Island towns tin enactment lively heavy into the night, with children inactive playing extracurricular past midnight.

3. Everyone Sounds Like They’re Arguing

To outsiders, Greek conversations tin dependable dramatic, loud, and intense.

Hands determination constantly. Voices rise. People interrupt each other.

But galore times, cipher is aggravated astatine all. Greeks simply thin to talk passionately—even during wholly mean conversations.

4. Greeks Treat Guests Like Family

A Greek fisherman with a lukewarm smile. Credit: Greek Reporter

Foreign visitors are often stunned by the level of hospitality.

Restaurant owners whitethorn bring escaped desserts, fruit, drinks, oregon other nutrient “from the house.” Strangers whitethorn invitation tourists into celebrations oregon importune they devour more.

The Greek conception of philoxenia—love for strangers and guests—still survives powerfully successful galore parts of the country.

5. Toilet Paper Often Goes successful the Trash Bin

One of the biggest civilization shocks for tourists.

In galore older buildings and islands, plumbing systems cannot grip ample amounts of paper, truthful toilet insubstantial is thrown into a bin beside the toilet instead.

Almost each overseas visitant remembers the archetypal clip they brushwood this unwritten Greek rule.

6. Greeks Are Obsessed With Name Days

In Greece, sanction days tin sometimes consciousness adjacent much important than birthdays.

People named aft saints observe connected circumstantial feast days, receiving telephone calls, visits, and wishes from friends and relatives.

Foreigners are often amazed to spot full cafés oregon homes filled with guests celebrating someone’s sanction alternatively than their birthday.

7. Smoking Still Exists Almost Everywhere

Greece remains a state that loves smoking and contempt a alteration successful the fig of smokers, it inactive has 1 of the highest smoking rates successful Europe. Credit: Susanne Nilsson CC-BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Despite stricter laws successful caller years, galore foreigners are amazed by however communal smoking inactive is successful Greece compared to overmuch of Europe.

Visitors often announcement cigarettes astatine cafés, beaches, outdoor restaurants, and societal gatherings passim the country.

8. Greeks Have a Unique Relationship With Time

The Clock Tower of Poros. Credit: Greek Reporter

Schedules successful Greece tin feel… flexible.

A gathering astatine 7 PM whitethorn not really statesman astatine 7 PM. Ferries, household lunches, and societal gatherings often run with a much relaxed consciousness of timing.

Many visitors yet halt warring it and clasp what immoderate telephone “Greek time.”

9. Entire Extended Families Go Out Together astatine Night

A nighttime nine successful mykonos, Greece. Credit: Greek Reporter Archive

In galore countries, late-night cafés and restaurants are mostly for adults.

In Greece, it is wholly mean to spot grandparents, parents, teenagers, and tiny children each retired unneurotic astatine midnight during summertime evenings.

The streets enactment live for hours.

10. Greeks Constantly Talk About Politics

Politics successful Greece is not a quiescent subject.

Taxi drivers, café owners, grandparents, assemblage students—everyone seems acceptable to statement the economy, elections, history, Europe, oregon geopolitics astatine immoderate moment.

Foreigners are often amazed by however profoundly authorities is woven into mundane speech oregon however often radical instrumentality to the streets.

Bonus: Many Foreigners End Up Falling successful Love With Greece Anyway

A Greek fisherman offers caller watermelon to visitors connected Skiathos Island. Credit: Greek Reporter

Despite the chaos, noise, delays, and taste surprises, millions of visitors instrumentality to Greece again and again.

Because determination betwixt the late-night dinners, land sunsets, endless conversations, and overwhelming hospitality, Greece has a mode of making radical consciousness strangely astatine home.