The cover of last month’s Frommer’s travel magazine shouted “DISCOVER THE SECRET HOTELS OF GREECE.” No doubt whoever wrote the article did so before the current uprising.
We traveled to Greece several years ago and we still talk about our mega-marvelous adventures. We spent three days at the beach resort town of Puerto Heli. From there we visited wonderful coastal fishing villages where we dined on marvelously fresh seafood — with the emphasis on “fresh.” Seriously, they didn’t talk about the catch of the day, they spoke about the Catch of the Hour.
A six-night cruise took us to five different islands where each island had personality and character of its own. One island had windmills in every direction. On another, a herd of donkeys transported us to the top of the mountain. There was an island with an absolutely beautiful nude beach. The nudity was optional but photography was mandatory.
At the insistence of a friend, we drove to Mikrolimano for an exciting and fun dinner. With the kitchens on one side of the road and the tables on the other, we watched the servers — with their trays held high — dodge traffic. We sat waterside and were encouraged to toss our shells and fish tails in the ocean. The scraps attracted nearby fish much like popcorn does at Lake Mead.
That was then and Greece today is a lot different. It is a socialist nation and, in the words of Margaret Thatcher, “The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” The Greek government is broke and, as predicted, cannot pay salaries, bills and other expenses. The citizenry does not care. “We don’t give a damn where you get the money from. JUST PAY US.” Hence, the rioting.
Contrary to the rumors flying around, this will never happen here. After the U.S. has maxed-out all credit cards, all Washington has to do is push a button and print more dollars. The Greeks cannot do that. They are on the Euro.
Of course, printing more money to pay our bills will lead to payments with cheaper dollars and an astronomical inflation. Is that what we want? Wanting it or not, the way our government is overspending, it will happen here. Of course, that’s only my opinion.
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On a personal note, it gives me great pleasure to announce that Steven L. Gershbein, Esq. will soon be ordained as RABBI Steven L. Gershbein. The pre-celebration took place in our backyard at the Savor Café on Avenue P. From a simple sandwich to a terrific fish dinner, you will be gastronomically elated at one of Brooklyn’s best. My roommate, Carol, and I, are swelling with pride.
