Before you begin reading this, can you please do us both a favour? Make yourself a frappe. It's quick and easy: first you need a shaker or a mini mixer, then you take two teaspoons of instant coffee, and sugar as you like it, mix them, pour the contents into a long glass, add two or three ice cubes and cold water, or milk if you prefer. Then sit back and enjoy the rest of this Postcard. As you drink your frappe, you'll understand why Greeks are so passionate about them.
In fact we Athenians are passionate about many things. Athens is a city ruled by passion, which sustains the idea that Greece is the land of the gods, and infuses the way its people relate to others. Athenians and for that matter all Greeks are as passionate about life itself as they are proud of their country and respectful of their history. The sense of history is in the air, in nature, in the sea, inside the people that love to recall their majestic past, and often do. History is everywhere around you.
Athens was originally built to accommodate two million people, but now almost half of Greece's population of ten million lives here. Its chaotic rhythm is in contrast with the easygoing life that Greeks love. On the one hand you see people and cars glutting the roads, on the other you see them enjoying their morning coffee in one of the city's hundreds of coffee bars. It's perfectly acceptable to do business over a coffee in a more comfortable, informal location than an office. As Aristotle, the great mathematician and philosopher said about the Greeks: ''Greek is not he who speaks Greek, but he who thinks like a Greek.''
Working in an office is considered a sacrifice for many Greeks, who would prefer to lie back on a sofa with a frappe. Nor is that difficult to understand, when you consider that the Athens sun greets you the moment you wake up, puts a smile on your face and welcomes you outside. The sun contributes significantly to our good mood and energy. This kind of attitude for life helps to understand the Greek spirit which, when coupled with a Mediterranean diet, will probably help you live longer and happier.
But in a big city like Athens not everything can be solved with such a laid back attitude. In Athens you will either lose your temper in the traffic or struggle to find a parking place. Time spent searching for a parking spot can take you anything up to an hour. Nor is driving easy in Athens; it requires patience and calm, concentration and the ability to make decisions and manage time.
Athens' notorious traffic jams have all been due to the improvements made to the road system in preparation for the Olympic Games. But it has proven to be worthwhile, because the result is that Athens looks refreshed and renewed, with the air of a city that can hold its own with any in Europe. No matter if the international press promoted the idea that things were left until the last moment, in the end what counts is that all tasks were accomplished. It's wonderful what Greeks can do when their efficiency is questioned. They have a national pride that is passionately defended. Furthermore, they can't stomach criticism, unless it is they that are doing the criticising.
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