Well, it arrived – eventually. I received a call to tell me if I could submit my UK licence by Wednesday, July 16th, I would receive my Greek driving licence on 17th. Trouble was it was already 16th July and I was 120km away in Halkidiki. I wanted to get it over and done with, so I drove home. I also wanted to check the house and our mail. Sure enough, the licence was available on 17th. From submission to issue, the process took about 10 weeks.
A number of things have irked me. For example, the expiry date is mid-May 2028, whereas my 73rd birthday falls in early June. Moreover, I can now only drive a car or a moped. I think vans are out. The delay was exacerbated because I was in the UK in June, and although I kept my Greek SIM open, no calls were coming through. I asked my wife to call ΚΕΠ (Citizens’ Service Centre) to find out what was going on. Yes, they had been trying to contact and wanted to know if I wanted to have a tricycle included in the licence. If so, it would require further documentation. Stifling a laugh at the thought of me on a tricycle, my wife guaranteed that I would not require this added flexibility. The final source of irritation – and this always gets to me – is fucking Athens again. Why does everything emanate from Athens?
I hate to sound like those expats who negatively compare the host country with their own country, but a little decentralisation would be good for the country. In the UK, the DVLA is in Swansea. The Department for Work and Pensions is in Newcastle. Why can’t Greece’s equivalent of the DVLA be in Larisa, Ioannina or Kavala? End of rant.
For all the hassle you can undergo in Greece, there are always compensations that lift your soul. This is a little bay between Torini and Tristinika. Beautiful and uplifting for me but… The wooden structure was in the news last week. The authorities shut it down for a host of violations. If you zoom in, you’ll see the owners even have a satellite dish. They must be in deep shit because they were taken to Agios Nikolaos and detained.
