To think that people in Greece seem sad and subdued?

[OutofTyme]

I am on holiday in Rhodes. We normally go to Spain or Tenerife and I've not been to Greece since about 1998. It has struck me how downtrodden and submissive the staff are at the resort we are staying in. It has made me sad and I think it must be the result of the state the economy is in.

Has anyone else noticed this? I texted my bf in U.K. about it as he went to Greece a few weeks ago and he said 'well they just live a simple life' which annoyed me because it seems awfully patronising and suggestive of the fact that it doesn't matter because they're 'only' Greek people.

the majority of wait staff in Rhodes are Cypriot.
It's not that they are downtrodden or submissive, they just hate you for being English...:)

They don't seem angry they just seem very subdued...

Since when have Cypriot people hated English people? I know many Cypriots and they're the friendliest people I know.

We are not long back and found entirely the opposite! We found everyone really nice, chatty and helpful. We are home armed with a lot of traditional Greek recipes we were given after complimenting the food in various tavernas and restaurants. We could happily have stayed the entire summer it felt so welcoming. In comparison we were in Barbados a few years ago and it was bloody awful, dreadful undercurrent about the place, not in the least welcoming.

I think anyone who works in a tourist resort looks like this sometimes, it's called the "I hate this job but I need it" face. Obviously magnified to a greater extent in countries with less money, because they really do need the job. Unemployment in large parts of Europe is astoundingly high.

We were in Greece a few weeks ago and also found the opposite. So openly friendly and generous. We would spend an hour in a bar and the owners would hug us when we left! Two of our hotel staff had come to the UK for university and told us they returned to Greece because it's home and they love it.

Maybe they were polite and just found the UK to be miserable?

I wouldn't go that far but I do sometimes feel that the 'Cypriot hospitality' you hear about is rarely demonstrated. It's fine but it's nothing to shout about. Having said that I just came back from a weekend in Thessaloniki. I was worried as it's known for political demonstrations and I thought it would be full of really angry people but it was vibrant and lively and we got excellent service everywhere we went. Taxi drivers, hotel staff, shop staff even in Starbucks the staff were lovely. Different from Cyprus and Rhodes. I don't think it's all Greece. There was an air of optimism in general in that region.

But yeah, that was a dick comment from your BF. Greece isn't actually like Mamma Mia.

No, they are lovely and falling over themselves to help etc but they just seem too nice iyswim.

They are friendly and generous yes but too much so imo

We have been fairly often and it’s not something I’ve ever encountered.

We just spent two weeks in Kos, and thought it was very run down..People at the same hotel who had been to Kos before couldn't believe how much the island had changed. The people were very nice though.

Not at all, have lived in Cyprus, been to many Greek Islands and went to Rhodes for my honeymoon about 2 years ago. They went through tough financial times but Greek people like to keep themselves to themselves. Us British stick up like sore thumbs, we are loud, sometimes rude, and when we are on holiday we are ON holiday. Most Greek people just want to turn up to work, get paid, and go home. They aren't on holiday so don't show as much enthusiasm as we probably do. Even the children have to go to school for about 6am so that they can finish around lunch time before the weather is too hot and siesta is definitely a thing. It's just so much more relaxed.

Maybe the place you're staying at isn't a nice place to work or maybe the manager/shift supervisor/whoever is an arse? Greek people in my experience are friendly, hospitable and warm, but if I had to fetch and carry after a load of tourists all day, who probably don't treat them very nicely, leave dirty stuff everywhere for them to pick up, maybe I wouldn't smile much either? After all, clearing up after other people for 8 or 10 hours a day must be pretty shit. I find it odious enough to do that for my own kids!

I was in Zante last year and thought that too, I was also surprised it was so run down. Overflowing bins at the beach, rubbish by the roadside, that sort of thing. It was sad to see on such a beautiful island

" Since when have Cypriot people hated English people? "

since their island was occupied by the British who then sold the Greeks out to the Turks?

Anyway that is by the by. I found the waiters/shopkeepers in Rhodes to be lovely but then I had two little kids with me, which always goes down well.

..and Zante is a different story. All the smart people emigrated years ago after the earthquake and the place is awash with sewage. Horrible rude people.

I've been going to Greece since the early 1980s. It's always been run down, I used to think that was part of the charm though not any more. I don't think it's any different now though I haven't been to Rhodes recently.

This may be to do with the economy but there is also a lack of willingness to invest in infrastructure. Things like pavements and street lights require taxes. If you've been used to holidaying in Spain or Italy where they have beautiful promenades and parks you will notice the difference.

The Greek people on the other hand have always seemed the most genuinely friendly and hospitable of any tourist destination I've been to. (If you want to meet the most unfriendly try Croatia ).

I've always found Greeks to be warm , friendly and happy to help ( with the odd exception ).
They are genuinely interested in you, your family, your country.
Now I must state we usually go to quieter resorts, not the " lively" boozy nightclub ones.

There is a philosophy of Filoxenia-kindness/ hospitality to strangers.

Like anywhere if you are polite , say please and thank you ( preferably in Greek ) and respect local customs you will have the courtesy returned.

I go to Crete regularly and have no perception of this at all.

I think it's probably area-specific. My two cents: we visit Crete annually and have made friends with a few locals near Chania and (unusually) a 40-something Australian who fell in love with the island and relocated there. Work entails long hours, low pay (I can't remember what the minimum wage was now, but it was low), often working 6/7 days a week and generally in the demanding hospitality sector (which not everyone is cut out for). Public services have been badly cut. And the island partly shuts down over winter when the charter flights end, so you are stuck, probably unemployed, in a coldish and occasionally rainy place from end October to March. Doesn't seem like paradise then.

(And I have to add that in general I find people friendly and hospitable - I just think they lead quite tough lives.)

YABU

Where have you been going in Zante? We have been going there for 30 years and while yes, they are having issues with waste on the island it is beautiful there. The people are lovely!

There are some astonishing, sweeping and negative, generalisations on this thread! Honestly to tar a whole population of a country/island as anything is idiotic.

Rant over.

I love the Greek hospitality I've received and have lived in in the country for many years.