Even on my first visit to Lindos, I noticed the countless pubs in old captains’ houses. But we didn’t have time for a night shift. This time we didn’t have time for sightseeing, we only came here for the nightlife. Check in at the hotel, down to the old town and into the night!
How did the crisis in Greece actually start? Not even the Greeks could explain it to me. Over-engineering, over-bureaucratisation and a good measure of wastefulness were certainly involved. But how the hell can you drive an entire country so hard against the wall in such a short space of time?
Our first pub is hosting a British wedding party. I don’t want to interrupt, but Uli has a quick drink. We storm in. The barman pours well, the DJ has fun, we are black spots in a dream of white. The British don’t like Germans. Especially not when they’re having more fun at their own wedding than the bride and groom. We are politely asked to leave. The barman mourns his great love from Munich.
Joining the EU definitely brought Greece many advantages at first: subsidies, more stability, lower inflation and more investment. However, this did not last long. Subsidies were reduced where unprofitable. With EU accession, Greece expanded its already gigantic bureaucracy (20% of all working Greeks are civil servants!) even further, making it even less productive. Investors were deterred by this and an impenetrable jungle of laws.
Our second stop is an ingenious restaurant in the centre of the old town of Lindos: At Stefany’s, we dine on a roof terrace with a view of the Acropolis of Lindos. The food is excellent, the wine good, the service courteous and the prices reasonable. We feast our way through the menu and make a plan: ten bars should be worthy of us. Before we go, I quickly flatten a slight cough from kiting and A/C with cough syrup.
Greece is the inventor of democracy. No other country had a higher approval rate for the European constitution. But democracy no longer works in Greece. It is ineffective, corrupt and rotten. The Greeks no longer know who to vote for next, no one is an option, they say. Everyone has lied, cheated, falsified.
The Captain’s Bar is located in an old, richly decorated house right at the foot of the Acropolis. A drunken Brit with heavily tattooed arms sits at the bar in true style. The keeper brings me a Greek coffee with ouzo. At the back of the bar is a complete ship’s bridge complete with bunks. What they are needed for remains a mystery to me. All the bars in Lindos close at one o’clock.
A typical sequence of road signs on Rhodes is 80, no overtaking, 60 overtaken, 50, 80 overtaken, 50 overtaken, no overtaking overtaken, 50 – all in a 300 metre stretch of road. Nothing demonstrates Greek over-bureaucratisation better. This complete idiocy of the rules leads to absolute ignorance: travelling 30% faster is the absolute minimum. Below that, you run the risk of being rammed by a tuned motorbike. 50% plus is good behaviour. From 100% plus you can put a taxi sign on the roof.
Yanni’s Bar was on our list of recommendations. The ouzos are flavoursome, the olives are big, the DJ is happy that someone is finally dancing (it wasn’t me!). Classic rock attracts people, here at last not only is the atmosphere great, but the pub is also reasonably full.
The kiters are also suffering badly at the moment. A few days ago, Greece passed a law declaring kitesurfing illegal in general. Only on specially designated – and therefore leased – beaches is kitesurfing still permitted. As a result, kite schools have to pay rent and all kiters have to pay entry fees. It is wrong to pay for wind! It should not be compulsory to pay extra fees for kite storage! That’s a load of rubbish! Kiters! Sign the petition!
The Four’O Bar welcomes us with clean electronica. The ouzo remains the best of the whole evening. Uli once again pleases a DJ. The floor slowly starts to turn. I haven’t smoked a fag in two days. The cough is getting worse.
Only God knows all the Greek laws. I don’t think even he does. At least the Greeks don’t know them. Not so tragic. The police are often lenient when they know a law that is unknown to citizens. Compulsory helmets, for example. The only exception: this law, which only allows tradesmen to transport more than a certain number of screws by car. This is strictly penalised. However, the statements about what number of screws is still legal vary considerably.
The Roses Bar plays really good house music. A little quiet, unfortunately. Lindos is small and narrow, the sound is really well distributed. It’s slowly getting hot. A cool ouzo provides relief. British women are always good for a laugh, especially when they try to make themselves “fit to go out”.
Allegedly, the collapse of the Greek state only came about because of the guarantees that the state gave for the banks damaged by Lehman Brothers. Was that really the 100 billion euros that the EU gave Greece as a loan? And now another 100 billion euros? For the fact that the next general strike is about to convey a willingness to help itself?
The Icon Bar is pure style in white leather and glass. The doormen all take their job very seriously. Each door is a two-stage lock. No one gets in or out with sound. Another ouzo… dance…
Hellas, quo vadis? I have no idea, I can’t find any reasons. I see that the poor are getting poorer. I’ve hardly met any rich people. The others pay 1.90 euros for a litre of Super.
Ice Bar…Romanian DJ, dancing Brits, more ouzo…then two more bars whose names I forget. The Antico, a neo-baroque design temple, follows at the very end. The music has already stopped, but some disgraceful bloke gives us the tip that only one bar in Lindos is open after one o’clock. We dutifully follow the tip until there’s nothing left to do.
The next day is dedicated to death. Up to the Acropolis in the midday heat. I almost collapse. Blame it on last night’s ouzo. By the evening I have to admit to myself that it’s more likely to be a nasty flu. It knocks me to bed in Rhodes Town for 24 hours with a high temperature and keeps me awake for over 30 hours in a row on the journey home with a constant cough and sweating. It’s only when I get home and take some strong codeine drops that I can finally sleep again…
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.