One of the most disappointing things I have experienced during my current visit (and we have been coming for 30 years and are here for three years from 2007 renting a house) is the huge amount of rubbish and trash at the sides of the roads and down mountainsides.

I know Greece has always been littered with rubbish, but never has it been so bad. Surely all those plastic bottles should be recycled and there needs to be a good clearup campaign. If I could vote I would certainly search out policies to make the area clean and nice to visit.

Halkidiki is still a wonderful place, and there are loads of wonderful people here, most of whom I am sure do their best to keep the place neat and tidy, after all who wants to come on holiday to face tons of trash !

I realise over 30 years the tourist trade has grown hugely, but this is not all down to tourists, and of course there are loads of Greek tourists here.

In the Athens News last week there was a letter from a Greek man who now lives in London. He had treated himself to a 50th birthday visit to his homeland and he said it was the saddest visit of his life. In his words he said 'what has happened to this wonderful country, them seem to treat the forests as their own personal garbage areas'. Much as I want to stick up for Greece, I am afraid I have to agree.

Please at least all visitors make sure you take your trash home with you, or put it intoa trash bin of which there are many about. Clear up your own small area of beach. Anything to help preserve and restore this beautiful area. At least the tourist beaches get cleaned up, any trash left on the non tourist beaches is left for others, like me, to clear up. I am sure a lot is flotsam but last night a one litre whisky bottle on the beach, I think that is just pure laziness.

This is not a condemnation of Greece, Halkidiki or Greek people, just a reminder that something needs to be done to make the area a constant source of holiday interest.

Thanks

WELCOME BACK

Nice to see your back on line or are you in Internet cafe` ;lol


hope you settled in OK Jane and doggys Ok.


been home 4 months and i can still taste the keleftiko and gyros.


yaimas

Jeff Kay and Boyd

Nice topic Jane!
Tourists are tourists... and you can not change this kind of behavior in people. It is something we, first of all, learn (or not) from our parents. I suppose the government and environmental institutions should deal with the matter. And... Europe? I have no further comments but I might get back to you on this after I see it with my own eyes

you only have to look outside Pefkohori in the forest along the beaches.there is a very good camp site but they all use the forest as it is free.The rubbish piles up all summer.It is a real eyesore not to mention the smell and the vermin.
This is all from the local tourist from the towns and cities

I recently heard that when there is a big concert on in Siviris, and all the posh people are expected to attend, there is a clear up between Kallithea and Siviris to make it all look nice.

My question is, why can't they clear up the roads all season long. Surely tourists are the lifeblood of this region and some get fed up of seeing rubbish about.

The road on our side of Kassandra between Mola Kaliva and Siviris in particular is absolutely awful. Such a load of rubbish lying at the side of the road. The town councils, or whatever the Greek alternative is, should make sure some of the tourists money goes into creating a clean and pleasant holiday atmosphere. The blue flag beaches are renowned here, but the forests, roadsides and camp sites are full of rubbish.

I love Greece and I want to see it looking nice and clean again. This is not a Halkidiki problem only, we have encountered it all over Greece.

On the subject of Halkidiki though, over the now burnt out mountain road from Skioni to Hanioti, where there was once one dumping area over the edge, I notice there are three more now. No trees to hide it all either.

On our beach yesterday I cleared up a dumped lilo, plastic bags, various bottles and cartons. And this beach is only used by very few people, lately (and I am not pointing blame) there have only been Czec people from the local hotel using it. All the Greeks in the main have gone back to Thessaloniki, there are a few other people like us who are here longer term and that is it.

It is not only the problem of the dumped rubbish on this beach, if the plastic bottles, lilo, bags etc go into the sea they are very dangerous to turtles and dolphins who mistake them for jellyfish.

dear Jane, I agree with your observations. Many years ago I wrote to the major of Sarti, now part of Sikià dimarkìa, for the problems in the place of Kavourotripes. If you don't know the place imagine the finest part of Halkidiki and, I suppose, of Greece, country that I know very well.It's different from the others parts of the peninsula , like the finest places of Sardinia here in Italy.But " elèftero camping". You cannot imagine.In Kriti in the eastern part there is the beach of Vai with a lot of palms. The beach is regulated for a maximum of people in a day, by payment. It is a resource.The same shoudl be for Kavourotripes. And , attention!, closed to these fantastic beaches there is the " dimotikò" camping of Platanitsi with basic facilities but in a wonderful place. So if they want make something of fine they are able. Greece is a fantastic country with ligths and shadows but there are a lot of reasons to visit or stay in this country. Reasons not only " touristic". But remember this. Greece in the last years is much growed and for their hard works the Ellenes now know a period of prosperity.You know that they have 2 or 3 jobs, mainly in black and don't forget the Ellenes in the wordl and until little time ago the only poor in Greece were the institutions and the governement. Have mind for example to the greek militar expense and the greek people is very expert not to pay too much of taxation.Next year I'll be in Stockolm for the reason that they will give me the Nobel for Medicine. Why? Don't believe? I discovered a new disease in Greece. This one. If you tell to a Greek the word " fòros" ( taxation) he has immediatly a dangerous " allergic dermatitis".Of course almost the same here in Italy.But Greece, her people, her history, her ancient " politismòs" are so great that we always must say " Thanks" for all what Ellada gave to the humanity. Ciao Beppe