Living on Greek Time

Greeks seem to have no sense of urgency everything will happen in its own sweet time.

Some people may say their relaxed lifestyle is laziness, no, not at all, they just know how to live the best life, enjoying every minute, they get things done without the worry and stress of clock-watching.

 

Who needs a watch?

 

On hearing the shepherd and his sheep passing by our house this morning I realized that I know approximately what time it is without having to look at the clock.

What do the shepherd and his sheep have to do with the time?

They pass by at the same time every morning at about a quarter past nine.

 

 

I hear the shepherd making his strange whistling sounds and hear the tinkle of the bells which hang around the sheep’s necks.

 I know it’s a quarter past nine!

 This got me to thinking about other moments of the day when I know the time without the aid of a clock.

 Sunrise at this time of the year is half past seven.

The first thing I do every morning is to open the shutters and let the day flow in, by the height of the sun I know, more or less, what time it is.

 

 

This is the time MGG (My Greek God) gets up.

I am usually up before him so, while making my coffee, if I hear him moving about, I know it’s half past seven, he’s a creature of habit!

 In summer I leave the beach at half past one.

  I hear the church bells of Saint Marina’s ringing from Loutraki.

 They only ring once a day at one o clock!

 When I hear the bells I know I have just enough time for one last dip in the sea and time enough to dry off before heading home.

 

 

Sometimes on my way back home, through the open window of a house, I hear the theme tune of the two o clock news.

This means that I am late!

We eat lunch at two o clock.

 

 

Flexi time: whenever whatever

 

In general, Greek people are amazingly laid back, especially when it comes to the time.

 If they arrange to come and visit you they are likely to say:

 ‘I’ll come in the morning” or ‘I’ll come in the afternoon’

This could mean any time between nine and midday in the morning and five and eight in the evening.

 They don’t actually specify a time.

 This means having to be ready for them early on and then waiting about for hours!

One of my favourite instances of Greek time awareness is an answer you may receive from older Greek workmen.

When asking them how long a job is likely to take, you could very well get the reply:

‘Two cigarettes’

This means the job will take as long as it takes to smoke two cigarettes.

When you ask a Greek the time more often than not they will round things up to the nearest hour or half hour; if it’s twenty past ten, the might say:

 “It’s half past ten”

 MGG does this, it annoys me no end but it’s one of the endearing traits that make a Greek a Greek

 

 

I’m becoming ‘Greeker’!

 

 More instances of knowing the time without a clock are when I’m down in the town and see the school children waiting for the bus to take them home:

 It’s about a quarter to two.

When I accompany MGG to his local coffee shop, I know when all the older men start leaving, it must be nearly two; they’re going home for their lunch.

 

 

If we stay there for a while and I notice the same old men returning I know it must be about five o clock.

They’ve had their lunch, had their siesta and are back for their afternoon coffee.

 Again, when I see men heading home from the bakers with the day’s bread under their arm, it must be nearly two; lunch time!

 

 

Sunset, one of the most beautiful times of the day, happens now around five thirty, we see it setting over the bay of Loutraki every evening.

 

 

I don’t know why I still wear my watch, I really have no need for it at all.

Oh, sorry, must leave you here, there’s the postman.

It must be half past eight!