Documentaries - "Responsible" Tourism in Greece

Thanks JoLui.

I don't usually watch youtube but this might be worth it.

Thanks @JoLui. I haven't seen these ones yet. About the life on small Greek islands there is also the excellent series "Islands on the edge" on ERTFLIX (from Greek tv channel ERT) https://www.ertflix.gr/#/details/ERT_DS019413_E0
If the link doesn't work you will probably have to register first on ERTFLIX (it's free, only email and password is needed).

Yes Nicksy, I already have an account on ERTFLIX and I've already watched those. Thanks for posting the link.

The Greek photographer Aris Katsigiannis has also made some very moving short videos about the elderly on the islands.
See them here: (English subtitles)

https://www.youtube.com/@ArisKatsigiannis/videos

It's a slightly less glamorous view than those offered in tourist brochures, but it's part of my "favorite Greece." I hope it doesn't discourage new travelers to Greece :)

More about Eudaimonia on their website https://www.eudaimonia-tourism.org/

JoLui - Thanks for posting the documentary links ! Meeting people like the ones featured in these videos, and learning about their ways of life, are a big part of why I travel. Change is inevitable, of course, but I wish every culture and society would value and encourage the active preservation of some traditional ways of life so they are continued in future generations.

I must admit I was most struck by how hard life was for people on the Greek islands as recently as the 1960s. I think we need to be careful not to romanticize traditional life.

I read a lot of travel reports and stories on forums that focus on stunning museums, amazing sites, breathtaking landscapes, and beautiful beaches. However, what seems to be missing is the people . That has always struck me as a bit odd.

That’s why I believe these videos can help capture an important part of travel in Greece: People

So, don’t hesitate to connect with the locals

Nothing new, you might say, since that's exactly what Rick Steves recommends in his travel lectures.

BethFL: If I gave the impression of "romanticizing" the lives of the people featured in the documentary, nothing could be further from the truth. The lives of people who live traditionally -- and this is not only unique to Greece -- is hard. You can see it in their faces. But they describe times that have mostly disappeared in Europe (and beyond). I'm interested in their stories and their ways of life. I learn from visiting museums too, but conversations with people, especially those whose lives are very different from my own, stay with me much longer than visiting yet another castle, church, museum, bridge, etc. Not that I don't enjoy museums, but getting a slice of life from a conversation is one of the best parts of travel to me. 3-D travel instead of 2-D travel.

A fisherman interviewed in one of the documentaries talked about the baskets he wove, and said people are buying plastic baskets on the mainland now. His grown children moved off the island and did not learn the weaving craft. Of course this isn't a new story; it happens everywhere. Cultures -- their art, music, language, ways of life -- are delicate and too often lost in time. Documentaries like the ones JoLui posted make me want to pack my bag and take off again ASAP.

I have been a few times to some of the islands featured in the documentaries and saw some people I saw or met and even spoke to. Watching the documentary of Iraklia and hearing some complain about the ones coming to the island to open a restaurant or shop for only part of the year, I remembered something. I was staying for a week in May almost next to the restaurant of the chef who is in the documentary. I would have liked to taste what he is preparing was it not for 2 things:
1. the restaurant was not open. they were painting and preparing for the tourist season!
2. I have seen some of his prices and I'm sorry but I don't pay 19€ for soutsoukakia (meatballs) or 21€ for stifado (beef stew).
As a reference I take an award winning chef who has a taverna on an island in the Dodecanese. That's "Manolis' tastes" in Lipsi. If I stay in Lipsi for 4-5 days, I go at least 2 times for either lunch or dinner. Good food, normal prices and Manolis is always in for a little chat. https://manolistastes.com/
With the guy in Iraklia I had the feeling he was still in Mykonos when I heard him talking in the documentary.
Same for the guy with the accommodation. That place was also close to where I stayed the 1st time in Iraklia. However his price was nearly double compared to what I paid. So, not realy fitting for my budget.
The story of the bakery that closed I knew because I met the guy who took over the bakery from the old baker. I went there, asked for a bread and the response was: "Sorry, no bread. Only in high season." When I went back to Iraklia 1-2 years later he was gone. But during the 1st stay I learned quickly that you could order bread at Melissa's (the cafe - shop - ticket office - ....) and then it came from Naxos with the Skopelitis.

I absolutely love to stay on the barren islands and meet with the local people there. And it results often in very enjoyable conversations, meetings and experiences.
In Agathonissi for instance we went to the bakery but it was already closed. However they told us to go to the minimarket at the port. When we arrived there the lady said: "Ah you probably come for the bread." The had called her from the bakery to keep at least 1 bread because we would come for it.
And there are many stories like that on several of the small islands.

One of my favorite things is to get to know the locals either who I'm renting an accommodation from, at the local markets or just wandering around and maybe sitting on a bench and saying hello in Greek to another bench sitter.

Learning a few words or phrases in Greek gets locals to open up more.

Many will ask where I'm from and they'll say Oh, my uncle lives in Boston, my cousin lives in New York or I've been to America.

Once they find out my grandparents immigrated from Greece they really get more interested and the conversation gets better.

I've been fortunate to get to know a number of Greeks and many have been welcoming, courteous and helpful.

The "Old Greece" is long gone but there are still many areas that hold on to their traditions and way of life and that's what I seek when I travel to Greece.

Nothing wrong with the usual tourists sites or areas which is still a part of Greece but those out of the way areas are the real attractions for me.

Here's a video I made of where I stayed on Lesvos in the lovely town of Aggiasos.

The beginning is the best as three young Greek girls came out and started posing and talking to me in Greek. The rest is of the apartment I stayed at if you don't want to watch the entire video.

In America parents tell their children never to talk to a stranger let alone a strange man. In Greece the culture and lifestyle is far different where parents don't have to worry about their kids.

It also shows how welcoming and friendly locals can be even to a stranger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4k46UiMdMU&t=49s