Tales from the Road

Driving in Greece can be quite interesting, as one never quite knows what is coming up next.  For example, you might have one of these in front of you.  Do you pass?  Not pass? What happens either way?



Ultimately, total belief in ones' navigator is essential.  It's also important to realize that while the Greeks have built the US equivalent of interstates, there is still a very strong regional - or even, might I suggest - city-state aspect to Greek life. Signage on the interstates (aka 'national roads') is in uniform colors, but the signs vary hugely.  It's rarely clear what the exit number is, how far an exit might be from any given location, or how much a toll might be from place to place.  Some exits are even forbidden, for reasons neither of us could figure out as the road seemed perfectly clear to both of us.



Don't be fooled by the cement dispenser to the right.  The exit was perfectly functional and we saw cars on it.  But whatever this place is, it's not to be accessed by this exit -- which, by the way, has no number.  There were also a number of places that were outright dangerous; can you think of any US highway with this much protection from random rocks falling down? I can't.



Once you got off the interstate, the local roads could be, well, interesting.  Here's an idea of what local upkeep is like when they think nobody cares about the road (ie, it only leads to archaeological sites and churches):



Overall, though, driving in Greece (as long as you stay off the Chromatodromos), isn't so bad. The speed limits are laughably low (in many places they are 20-30 mph, when in the US they'd be 50), but the Greeks make up for it by ignoring them.  There are speed cameras everywhere, but as best I can tell they were bought and installed in the early 2000's -- ie, if they still work they use film and they only bother to cite people traveling at insane speeds.  I can testify that actual Greeks ignore them.

One site I found listed a bunch of rules for driving in Greece, and I can definitely confirm one of them (#13):

When asking directions expect to hear something like: Go about 3 kilometers, take a right at the traffic light and ask someone else. Directions, no matter how precise always include asking someone else, thus increasing the possibility of being given the wrong directions. Make sure you have a map. A compass is not a bad idea either.

When we went to the winery, our host, Christos, was very clearly using this method and it worked perfectly well.  Of course, you have to speak more Greek than we do now to make it work.  But it's far from out of the ordinary - nobody he asked felt at all put out about the question of where is place X.

As a male US-trained driver, I'll note that one aspect of Greek driving is remarkably calming.  Passing is not a challenge to ones' masculinity.  Most roads are two lane, and everyone expects that there will be people who need or want to go faster than other people.  If you feel like going slow (and there is someone gaining on you), you just hug the side of the road.  They'll pass, and it's over.  Sometimes you're in a hurry, sometimes you're not. Everyone understands.  In the US, the whole issue brims with testosterone and passing is a huge thing.  In Greece, well, it just doesn't matter.  You'll pass some folks.  You'll get passed by other folks.  Either way, it's OK.  At times, I felt the whole thing was symbolic, but in the end decided it's really just about getting to where you're going at a speed you feel comfortable with.  In a country with roads of highly variable quality, this is a joy.