Wednesday 6 June 2007

Truth or Dare

Truth:
Greece has always been a nightmare for drivers. Fast driving, no respect for signs, double parking, driving the wrong direction on two way streets.
Apparently lately the government is really trying to change this. However there is a long established mentality in the heads of my fellow citizens that is making that extremely diffucult. A simple example, instead of obaying the law of drink-driving, the smart greek drivers drink and then the drive through the areas that they know the police never tests for "alco-tests". That might mean that they add an extra hour on the original journey time, just to feel free to have as much drink as they feel like. Now that is the essence of freedom!
Not long ago, a friend of mine was stopped by the traffic police at 2am on a Saturday night in a Thessaloniki main road for the traditional test. SHe was found clean. She only had drunk fizzy drinks. The officer in charge, instead of just letting her go, or thnking her and letting her go, he had a go at her.... Why shuch a young girl is not having fun on a Saturday night? It's wrong for her not to drink at all!!!!

Dare:
Obviously the approach of greek policemen has changed since then. They do not care about the citizens social life. On the contrary, they are trying to enforce the law even it means that they will disrrupt the citicents eating habbits. In this case the incident involved double-parking. The driver was just about to get coffee and breakfast but there was no parking space in sight. Hunger is not illigal yet by the greek traffic law. However, an out-of-duty policement (who says that in Greece people are lazy and do not work over time?) told the driver to forget about the cheese pies and the coffee and to take his car, as he was blocking the traffic. Of course the driver agreed, he only asked for some time to go and get his breakfast. He wasn't planning to stay there the whole day anyway.... There are so many nice things to do in Greece on a Sunday. The impatient policement judged that this man who prioritizes cheesepies and coffee before the well functioning of the traffic on that specific greek road was public danger... so he shot him.

Have you ever seen more dedicated policemen than the greek ones?

For reference:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6720099.stm

So I believe that Greece has become a paradise for drivers. All the evil habbits of the past are now being erradicated... Only when you go beware. Do not buy cheese pies whenever you feel like it.

Try double parking in Greece... if you dare!

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