Tag: culture

5 things that are totally the norm in Greece…

…but would blow your mind in the UK!

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I know (and love) how part of going away to other countries is adapting to new cultures and seeing how other people live. Some things that happen overseas, that seem completely normal in situ, are actually totally bonkers when you transfer the concept to UK life.

  1. Not flushing toilet paper down the loo
    If you’ve never been to Greece I can imagine this one coming as something of a surprise. Basically the sewage pipes aren’t big enough to cope with…er…bodily waste and paper, so standard practice is to put your loo roll in the bin. Whatever you’ve done with it. Pretty gross, but it strangely becomes the norm!
  2. Shower cubicles
    Shower areas  in Greek holiday apartments can range from a tiny shower tray with a flimsy curtain to a drain in the ground and no shower screen. Shower holders are unusual so it’s a balancing act between stopping the shower hose from spraying everywhere while you lather shampoo in your hair.
  3. Wine – price, service and glass size
    Local wine is ridiculously cheap in Greece. We paid as little as 3 euros for half a litre (that’s about £2.50 for the equivalent of two large glasses in a pub in the UK – I was in my element). It’s served in a jug; sometimes glass, but sometimes a bashed up tin one like you used to get water from in the school canteen! Wine glasses are tiny tumblers. Which means you end up feeling incredibly naughty / like a hero because you’ve had 8 glasses of wine with dinner.Wine in a metal jug
  4. Free stuff
    From free crisps and nibbles with every drinks order, to water melon or dessert after a meal, to another jug of wine or an after dinner spirit, the generosity of Greek restaurateurs knows no bounds! And who doesn’t like free stuff?Free watermelon
  5. Cats wandering around restaurant tables
    There’s many hashtags on instagram dedicated to Greek cats as they are a prevalent feature of the mainland and the islands. They wander freely around the streets, on the beach and in restaurants, lingering by tables for scraps from tourists who can’t resist their cuteness. These pics are actual cats in actual restaurants from my recent holiday in Finikounda. The little ginger guy climbed up the table to steal our bar snacks!

It’s all part of the charm of the country. In case I haven’t mentioned it in previous posts, I love Greece!

Let me know if you’ve been, would like to go, would hate to go – tell me your Greece thoughts 🙂

Thanks, as always, for reading! x

Top of the Travel Pops for 2015 – Marrakech

According to TripAdvisor’s Traveller’s Choice Awards, Marrakech is top of the tree in this year’s must visit destination list. I went to Marrakech in June 2012 and it’s certainly an assault on the senses. It feels like “real” travelling, it’s a totally different culture and the people there have a totally different approach to everyday life.

We “cheated” in some ways – we stayed outside of the centre, in an all inclusive resort, the Riu Tikida Garden. The reasoning behind it was that we wanted a holiday, not just a city break. Therefore we wanted to lie by the pool, relax, eat and drink in hotel surroundings with the option to dip in and out of the centre of Marrakech as we chose. Set in acres of stunning gardens, everything was green and immaculate.

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It turned out to be a good choice. The centre and people can be quite overwhelming and, although I expected it, I don’t think husband was prepared. I’ve been to Tunisia (albeit many years ago) and have experienced the “in your face, follow you down the street, try to physically grab you” approach that some locals have with tourists. He didn’t expect it to the extent you experience in the old quarter. He is less tolerant than I am (!!!) and doesn’t like to feel his personal space is being invaded.

Also, with the souks, they can be very claustrophobic and enveloping. There often isn’t an obvious and immediate way out, and with the heat and petrol fumes (traders will drive vans through the centre) it can be quite a heady and sickly atmosphere.

Having said that, Marrakech is definitely something to be experienced, and I truly believe we had the best of both worlds. We were just 3km from the medina, pennies in a taxi, and went exploring at our leisure.

In the daytime Marrakech is crazy hot, and being a conservative country it’s a good idea to cover legs and shoulders (for girls). The traffic in the centre is mindblowing – we saw mopeds with babies in baskets on the front, loaded with 4 people at a time. People using donkeys and rickety carts made from odd wheels and bits of wood. No sense of pedestrian safety, road safety or awareness. Definitely a place to have your wits about you!

The medina is dominated by the Koutoubia Mosque. Calls to prayer happen from here – haunting and far reaching across the city.

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The centre is fairly green, with lots of palm trees and rows of horse and carriages for tourists to take a tour of the city.

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The souks are shabby and shambolic, higgledy piggledy and maze like.

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This man carved wood with a lathe and his feet. He made jewellery, chess pieces and ornaments. Fascinating.

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The Bahia Palace is a well preserved royal palace with intricate mosaics, royal tombs and walled gardens.

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We visited a traditional apothecary where natural medications and treatments were demonstrated. We felt kind of obliged to buy something! (there’s a lot of that in Morocco) and ended up with rose cream, orange oil and nigella seeds (none of which we ever used when we got home!)

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At night the square is alive with sights and smells. Street food traders cook all manner of delights, drawing in punters with calls of “Asda price” and “cheap as chips”. They have the Western patter! But at night it feels slightly more intimidating – dark, smoky, full of groups of young men in the streets. That’s not to say it’s unsafe, but it certainly feels different.

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Am I glad I went? Yes. It was an experience and I want to see the world; warts and all. Would I go back? Possibly. But it would be without husband, as he’s adamantly against it!