Lazy? Not around here.
I was out for a walk yesterday at 6.30, and on my travels I saw something that, at first, I thought was unusual. Yiannis from Lefteris kafeneion was coming down the hill towards me in a bobcat. Not seen that before. A wave, a kalimera, and onwards and upwards. It did make me think about how hard people work around here. Take, for example, his kafeneion. The patriarch of the family is always there setting up when I cross the square in the morning even when I go out at 5.00, as I do in the height of summer. His son works for the council, I believe, hence the bobcat because he was working to clear a section of beach by what used to be Kamaris in Pedi later in the morning, and that’s also why you see him driving the fire truck. His daughter-in-law works in a shop in Yialos, and with the grandmother, looks after the house and family. His eldest grandson comes to the café later to take over and run it through the day, afternoon and evening, until his father puts aside the bobcat after work and comes up to the village to take over running the café to give his son a break. His (the patriarch’s) middle and youngest grandsons work in restaurants on double shifts that may not finish until well after midnight and also come to the café to cover certain hours when they can. Remember that this kafeneion is also often open until well past midnight, and very often you’ll find the family outside their café, around the family table together or with friends, and the grandsons, strapping late-teens/early 20s lads, with their grandmother, shelling beans, or helping with the fishing lines, catching up with the family between shifts.
I just thought I’d mention that so when you hear people say the Greeks are lazy, you can point them this way and tell them to get a grip. And talking of hard work, here are a few images from that walk, with a couple showing you how the civil engineering project is going.
