The sun shines for more than 250 days a year
Known for the calm and sunny weather, Greece enjoys more than 250 days of sunshine or 3,000 sunny hours a year, all showing up in summer time!
Athens has one of the lowest crime rates for capital cities in the world
According to the statistics, Athens is one of the safest cities in Europe and perhaps even the world. Violent crimes are not a big problem in the city and the only thing you might need to worry about are the petty crimes such as pickpockets in crowded metro areas. This is not to say that serious crime doesn’t exist in Athens, but compared to other capital cities around the world, it is quite safe.
Greece has one of the lowest divorce rates in the EU
Greece is really well in terms of family stability on the European continent. Although their divorce rate is not the lowest, it is still comparatively low at 26 percent.
Athens Is record-breaking hot
On July 10, 1977 the Elefsina and Tatoi suburbs of Athens recorded a temperature of 48.0 °C (118.4 °F)—the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe by the World Meteorological Organization.
The heat isn’t just because of the city’s Mediterranean climate, though. Due to various human activities, Athens also experiences the urban heat island effect, further increasing its temperature compared to surrounding areas.
The first modern king of Greece was a 17-year old Bavarian prince
The 1832 Treaty of London made Greece a monarchy. Otto of Wittelsbach, Prince of Bavaria was chosen as its first King. He arrived at the provisional capital, Nafplion, in 1833 aboard a British warship and reigned from 1833 to 1863.
Mandatory voting
No one in Greece can choose to not vote. Voting is required by law for every citizen who is 18 or older.
The most common Greek dinning habits!
Starting with the time that Greeks usually eat, you should know that Greeks eat late! If you go to a restaurant before 9 pm, most likely it will be empty. Most Greeks will eat dinner around 9 to 10 pm. If they haven’t eaten a good meal for lunch, they may have a full meal. Younger generations usually eat their main meal at this time. It’s also the time Greeks go out with friends.
If a Greek invites you out for dinner or a drink, don’t EVER ask him to “split the bill in half” as Americans often do. Otherwise, your host might just snap the bill out of your hand and angrily pay it himself. Doing so is both embarrassing and insulting for Greeks.
When you go to a taverna, you should know that eating alone in a taverna is extremely rare, so a single person sitting at a taverna can wait a long time for the waiter to get his order. In Greece it’s very likely that a person alone is waiting for someone. And since waiters will find it impolite to ask for the order before all the guests arrive, diners might find it more difficult to get the waiter’s attention.
An other habit is the communal serving plates! Greeks often eat out of communal serving plates, so it’s considered normal in informal settings to spear your tomato out of the salad bowl rather than securing an individual portion. Sometimes in tavernas you don’t even get your own plate.
These are some of the most common Greek dinning habits that before going out, you should know about!
