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| Tourists in Greece: 'Don't tell the cook we're German' | Tourists in Greece: 'Don't tell the cook we're German' |
| (about 14 hours later) | |
| In the cafe outside the palace of Knossos in Crete, a family of tourists are wary of revealing where they’re from. According to legend, Theseus once slew the Minotaur in the ruins next door, and should the truth out itself, the Bayer family perhaps fear a repeat. | In the cafe outside the palace of Knossos in Crete, a family of tourists are wary of revealing where they’re from. According to legend, Theseus once slew the Minotaur in the ruins next door, and should the truth out itself, the Bayer family perhaps fear a repeat. |
| “Maybe we should pretend we are from Spain,” says Candy Bayer, before admitting to the Greek waiter that they are, in fact, from Germany. “Oh, don’t worry,” laughs the waiter, Alex. “Politics is not for us. It would be like if I had a problem with someone’s dad, and I blamed his children.” | “Maybe we should pretend we are from Spain,” says Candy Bayer, before admitting to the Greek waiter that they are, in fact, from Germany. “Oh, don’t worry,” laughs the waiter, Alex. “Politics is not for us. It would be like if I had a problem with someone’s dad, and I blamed his children.” |
| Still, Bayer leaves nothing to chance. “Don’t tell the cook,” deadpans the online salesman, “that we are German”. | Still, Bayer leaves nothing to chance. “Don’t tell the cook,” deadpans the online salesman, “that we are German”. |
| On a political level, relations are tense between the Germans and the Greeks. Germany is seen by many as Greece’s chief tormentor, the biggest obstacle to debt relief. The German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, is a particular figure of hate. A Greek poster recently described him as sucking the blood of Greece for the past five years. | On a political level, relations are tense between the Germans and the Greeks. Germany is seen by many as Greece’s chief tormentor, the biggest obstacle to debt relief. The German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, is a particular figure of hate. A Greek poster recently described him as sucking the blood of Greece for the past five years. |
| Related: Eurozone ready to start formal talks with Greece over €86bn bailout | Related: Eurozone ready to start formal talks with Greece over €86bn bailout |
| But little of this venom appears to have deterred German tourists. “There’s a big frustration here, and when you’re frustrated, it’s human to see the fault in others,” says an undaunted Valeria Tovarci, another German tourist wandering through the ruined palace. | But little of this venom appears to have deterred German tourists. “There’s a big frustration here, and when you’re frustrated, it’s human to see the fault in others,” says an undaunted Valeria Tovarci, another German tourist wandering through the ruined palace. |
| Indeed, despite the wider political drama, Germans continue to place their towels on Greek sun-loungers in droves. The number of German holidaymakers in Greece last year was already at an all-time high. According to the German Travel Association, as well as the country’s biggest tour operator, Tui, the levels in 2015 are even bigger – especially in Crete. “Compared to last year we have a plus,” says Tui’s Kuzey Esener. “The trend is going upwards, demand is going up.” | Indeed, despite the wider political drama, Germans continue to place their towels on Greek sun-loungers in droves. The number of German holidaymakers in Greece last year was already at an all-time high. According to the German Travel Association, as well as the country’s biggest tour operator, Tui, the levels in 2015 are even bigger – especially in Crete. “Compared to last year we have a plus,” says Tui’s Kuzey Esener. “The trend is going upwards, demand is going up.” |
| Some are, however, coming with trepidation. “I haven’t liked to speak German here because everybody will look,” says Roman Hajdavor, an 18-year-old student from Dortmund queuing to enter the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. “I don’t think the Greek people like German people so much because of [the chancellor] Angela Merkel.” But Hajdavor needn’t have worried. Not just because he can speak a different language with his family – they are originally from Russia – but because Greek antipathy is against Germany’s politicians, not its people. | Some are, however, coming with trepidation. “I haven’t liked to speak German here because everybody will look,” says Roman Hajdavor, an 18-year-old student from Dortmund queuing to enter the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. “I don’t think the Greek people like German people so much because of [the chancellor] Angela Merkel.” But Hajdavor needn’t have worried. Not just because he can speak a different language with his family – they are originally from Russia – but because Greek antipathy is against Germany’s politicians, not its people. |
| Greek people don’t hate another country’s people. It’s not their fault | Greek people don’t hate another country’s people. It’s not their fault |
| Even for Giorgos Tzanakis, a Cretan who proudly recalls the island’s resistance against the Germans in the second world war, the anger isn’t personal. “We remember the war,” says Tzanakis, a driver who ferries tourists around the island. “They destroyed Crete then, and now they want to destroy our economy. But the Greek people don’t hate another country’s people. It’s not their fault.” | Even for Giorgos Tzanakis, a Cretan who proudly recalls the island’s resistance against the Germans in the second world war, the anger isn’t personal. “We remember the war,” says Tzanakis, a driver who ferries tourists around the island. “They destroyed Crete then, and now they want to destroy our economy. But the Greek people don’t hate another country’s people. It’s not their fault.” |
| Ioanna Papadopoulos, a German resident with a German mother and a Greek father, is uniquely placed to comment on the reception Germans receive in Crete. “The Germans sometimes make jokes [about her dual nationality],” she says, making her way through the grounds of the palace of Knossos. “But there’s been nothing here.” | Ioanna Papadopoulos, a German resident with a German mother and a Greek father, is uniquely placed to comment on the reception Germans receive in Crete. “The Germans sometimes make jokes [about her dual nationality],” she says, making her way through the grounds of the palace of Knossos. “But there’s been nothing here.” |
| Nevertheless, some German tourists have taken it upon themselves to apologise to the Greeks for their government’s lack of solidarity. When waiters at Cafe Bar Mezzo in eastern Crete came to clear the table of some Germans recently, they found more than just tips. At the bottom of the receipt, the visitors had written: “Sorry for our government!” | Nevertheless, some German tourists have taken it upon themselves to apologise to the Greeks for their government’s lack of solidarity. When waiters at Cafe Bar Mezzo in eastern Crete came to clear the table of some Germans recently, they found more than just tips. At the bottom of the receipt, the visitors had written: “Sorry for our government!” |
| For some Germans, a visit to Greece has helped create more empathy for the Greek struggle. Sipping on a bottle of Mythos beer, Bayer says: “In Germany we only look at the TV, and we don’t know the people – we only see the screen.” His wife, Ute, a nurse, picks up the baton: “Some Germans think the Greeks only go to the taverna. But here we look at how they look – and they work hard.” | For some Germans, a visit to Greece has helped create more empathy for the Greek struggle. Sipping on a bottle of Mythos beer, Bayer says: “In Germany we only look at the TV, and we don’t know the people – we only see the screen.” His wife, Ute, a nurse, picks up the baton: “Some Germans think the Greeks only go to the taverna. But here we look at how they look – and they work hard.” |
| Related: Why is Germany so tough on Greece? Look back 25 years | Dirk Laabs | Related: Why is Germany so tough on Greece? Look back 25 years | Dirk Laabs |
| A few ruins away, near the remains of the throne room, 18-year-old Berliner, Sarah Akopova, is also sympathetic. “It’s difficult when you walk past the luxury hotels, and then you see a big line in front of the bank, and people can’t get money from it,” she says. “I don’t understand the people in Germany who say we can’t give money. This country needs money, and we can give it.” | A few ruins away, near the remains of the throne room, 18-year-old Berliner, Sarah Akopova, is also sympathetic. “It’s difficult when you walk past the luxury hotels, and then you see a big line in front of the bank, and people can’t get money from it,” she says. “I don’t understand the people in Germany who say we can’t give money. This country needs money, and we can give it.” |
| Akopova’s student friend, Valeria Tovarci, feels Merkel has already done a lot for Greece. But the trip has dispelled some of the uncertainty she had before her arrival. “I was sceptical of coming,” says Tovarci, also 18. But after landing, “actually I was overwhelmed. The food and the people are so good and so nice.” | Akopova’s student friend, Valeria Tovarci, feels Merkel has already done a lot for Greece. But the trip has dispelled some of the uncertainty she had before her arrival. “I was sceptical of coming,” says Tovarci, also 18. But after landing, “actually I was overwhelmed. The food and the people are so good and so nice.” |
| Back at the cafe outside, Alex the waiter jokes that it’s not the Germans who should be worried. “Actually the ones who should be most afraid are the Macedonians,” he says to the Bayers, in a nod to the fallout between Greece and its northern neighbour. “They often say they are from Croatia.” | Back at the cafe outside, Alex the waiter jokes that it’s not the Germans who should be worried. “Actually the ones who should be most afraid are the Macedonians,” he says to the Bayers, in a nod to the fallout between Greece and its northern neighbour. “They often say they are from Croatia.” |
| The view from Germany | The view from Germany |
| Kostas Papanastasiou, 78, is preparing for another long night at Terzo Mondo, his Greek taverna in the west Berlin district of Charlottenburg. He’s often up talking until the last customer leaves, usually after 2am. For him, and for all the Greeks in Germany, it has been another exhausting week. | Kostas Papanastasiou, 78, is preparing for another long night at Terzo Mondo, his Greek taverna in the west Berlin district of Charlottenburg. He’s often up talking until the last customer leaves, usually after 2am. For him, and for all the Greeks in Germany, it has been another exhausting week. |
| “There’s a newspaper here in Germany that shows [Alexis] Tsipras lying on his stomach with a boot in the small of his back,” he says of the Greek prime minister. “On the boot is written Europe. That’s how I see it. Europe is breaking us. | “There’s a newspaper here in Germany that shows [Alexis] Tsipras lying on his stomach with a boot in the small of his back,” he says of the Greek prime minister. “On the boot is written Europe. That’s how I see it. Europe is breaking us. |
| “If the Germans really wanted to help they have a historic experience of that,” says Papanastasiou, who came to study in Berlin in 1956 and founded a Greek society to help Gastarbeiter (migrant workers) arriving after him. | “If the Germans really wanted to help they have a historic experience of that,” says Papanastasiou, who came to study in Berlin in 1956 and founded a Greek society to help Gastarbeiter (migrant workers) arriving after him. |
| “When Germany was on its back after the war in 1953 it was helped financially,” he says. “Three years later I was in Berlin in the middle of the economic miracle. Then the Greeks came to Germany for work.” | “When Germany was on its back after the war in 1953 it was helped financially,” he says. “Three years later I was in Berlin in the middle of the economic miracle. Then the Greeks came to Germany for work.” |
| Now it’s happening again. The new generation of Greeks who have arrived in Germany since the start of the crisis are just as exhausted. | Now it’s happening again. The new generation of Greeks who have arrived in Germany since the start of the crisis are just as exhausted. |
| “I probably wouldn’t have started learning German if it hadn’t have been for the crisis,” says Oikonomidou Maria, 31, coordinator of the Helenic Society in Berlin. “A lot of us have just had enough of the whole thing.” | “I probably wouldn’t have started learning German if it hadn’t have been for the crisis,” says Oikonomidou Maria, 31, coordinator of the Helenic Society in Berlin. “A lot of us have just had enough of the whole thing.” |
| “Our hearts are in Greece,” she says. “But I get furious when I look at my people, who are scared of the future, I just feel shame and embarrassment. What are they supposed to do? I’ve faced discrimination here in Germany, I’ve had to defend my country to people here.” | “Our hearts are in Greece,” she says. “But I get furious when I look at my people, who are scared of the future, I just feel shame and embarrassment. What are they supposed to do? I’ve faced discrimination here in Germany, I’ve had to defend my country to people here.” |
| It’s intolerable that Schäuble is threatening Greece with Grexit … I’ve lost all pride in my country | It’s intolerable that Schäuble is threatening Greece with Grexit … I’ve lost all pride in my country |
| Sanatana Soilemetzidou, 35, a PhD student who has lived in Germany since 2008, is also furious. “About the deal, I feel rage and anger because one man, Alexis Tsipras, is acting on behalf of a whole nation,” she says. “He’s going to destroy it, there’s no doubt about that.” | Sanatana Soilemetzidou, 35, a PhD student who has lived in Germany since 2008, is also furious. “About the deal, I feel rage and anger because one man, Alexis Tsipras, is acting on behalf of a whole nation,” she says. “He’s going to destroy it, there’s no doubt about that.” |
| “It’s a pity after the big oxi (no) that the Greek people voted for,” says Soilemetzidou. “But we are falling down anyway. There’s no good choice, but we’ve taken the worst one. Or if I may say it, we were forced to do so. It’s a power game, not solidarity. When something doesn’t work you don’t push further. I’ll be protesting not just against the German government but everyone who wants to kiss their asses. There are a lot of them.” | “It’s a pity after the big oxi (no) that the Greek people voted for,” says Soilemetzidou. “But we are falling down anyway. There’s no good choice, but we’ve taken the worst one. Or if I may say it, we were forced to do so. It’s a power game, not solidarity. When something doesn’t work you don’t push further. I’ll be protesting not just against the German government but everyone who wants to kiss their asses. There are a lot of them.” |
| And the protesters, at least in Berlin, are getting angrier with each passing day. | And the protesters, at least in Berlin, are getting angrier with each passing day. |
| “The police took my poster away at last night’s protest because it compared the German government to criminals,” says Wassilia Fotiadou, 56, a Greek teacher who has lived in Germany since she was a child. | |
| “Now they’re investigating me, but I’m not the one who’s breaking the law. They’re the ones trying to set up a European dictatorship. Grexit would only be a catastrophe for the Greek banks and expensive for Europe, but it’d be better in the long run for Greek society.” | “Now they’re investigating me, but I’m not the one who’s breaking the law. They’re the ones trying to set up a European dictatorship. Grexit would only be a catastrophe for the Greek banks and expensive for Europe, but it’d be better in the long run for Greek society.” |
| Sympathy among Germans for the Greek plight is also growing. Dr Holger Bau is the German cofounder of Respect for Greece which, since 2012, has been collecting donations for Greeks who need medical treatment but don’t have health insurance. | Sympathy among Germans for the Greek plight is also growing. Dr Holger Bau is the German cofounder of Respect for Greece which, since 2012, has been collecting donations for Greeks who need medical treatment but don’t have health insurance. |
| “This humanitarian crisis is completely catastrophic and some Germans are finally seeing that,” says Bau. “It’s intolerable that Schäuble is threatening Greece with Grexit, even if a temporary one. I’ve lost all pride in my country.” | “This humanitarian crisis is completely catastrophic and some Germans are finally seeing that,” says Bau. “It’s intolerable that Schäuble is threatening Greece with Grexit, even if a temporary one. I’ve lost all pride in my country.” |
| Bau and Fotiadou will be among those protesting outside the German parliament during Friday’s debate on the latest bailout deal. But not all Greeks in Germany blame Merkel and Schäuble. | |
| “Over the past five months we’re beginning to understand why tragedy, comedy and drama were invented in Greece,” says Christos Marazidis, the spokesman for Ellenis, a Greek society in Munich. | “Over the past five months we’re beginning to understand why tragedy, comedy and drama were invented in Greece,” says Christos Marazidis, the spokesman for Ellenis, a Greek society in Munich. |
| “It’s Syriza that have got us into this mess, but at least Tspiras at the last minute kept Greece in the euro,” he adds. “It’s not the Germans. If only Syriza would have reached a deal earlier, they wouldn’t have cost us another €11bn (£7.6bn). But if you get three Greeks in a room you’ll have six different opinions on that.” | “It’s Syriza that have got us into this mess, but at least Tspiras at the last minute kept Greece in the euro,” he adds. “It’s not the Germans. If only Syriza would have reached a deal earlier, they wouldn’t have cost us another €11bn (£7.6bn). But if you get three Greeks in a room you’ll have six different opinions on that.” |