Summer is here and we are in the middle of a heatwave called Cerberus. About three weeks ago there were three deaths and one life-changing injury in northern Greece. In Perea, next door to me, a young Syrian dived off the jetty into the sea. He’s now paraplegic. Three older people were also pulled out of the water in Halkidiki and Kavala. It is unclear whether they drowned or suffered a fatal health episode in the water. In Hanioti on the first leg, a North Macedonian bar-casino owner was murdered in his hotel. Probably a contract killing.
From a contract killing to a more mundane level of murder, the twelve young football fans involved in the murder of Alkis Kambanos in February last year have been sentenced to at least 18 years imprisonment each. Seven were sentenced for murder and five for aiding and abetting. I predicted at the time that any verdict would be manslaughter, so the verdicts and the sentences have come as a surprise to me. Sadly, I don’t think the matter is over yet for Alkis’s family. There are bound to be appeals.
24th July. There is a Greek saying: Κόσμος καίγεται και το μουνί χτενίζεται, literally “The world is on fire and we’re combing our fannies.” And Greece is literally on fire. Corfu and Rhodes are being evacuated as I write. The “combing of fannies” part comes from a headline in www.voria,gr covering the grave news that bakeries in Halkidiki were hiking the prices of their products by 10 – 20%. I can’t imagine that forking out 20c more for a κουλούρι being a huge concern for Greeks faced with the possibility of their homes being burnt to the ground. And I’ve got news for www.voria.gr – Halkidiki always hikes its prices.
Back in Perea – a North Macedonian had to be rescued when his floating mattress carried him out to sea! At least nobody shot him.
4th August. Is the worm turning? Here in Toroni, I can no longer walk in a straight line from my home to the edge of the water. Restaurants and bars are taking over stretches of beach and putting shades and loungers in place. Renting a lounger and buying a drink are not cheap. We pay local taxes so why are we being denied access to nearby stretches beach? In a positive development, TV channels are reporting that there is growing Κίνημα της Πετσέτας or Κίνημα της Ξαπλώστρας, The Towel or Lounger Movement. In Paros Greeks have uprooted the shades and removed the loungers. Let’s hope it spreads to Halkidiki. Price-gouging is rampant here with some bar prices more expensive than London.