I managed to visit the building site again today and get some updated photos. It was a case of using an anchor and dodging the dust storm cause of the high winds, but I succeeded.

The foundations are finished, and they have almost finished moving the earth and doing some backfilling. Don’t ask me. I’m just the one who pays the bills. Well, along with my brother.

On the way back I stopped to take a photo of something that should never have been allowed to happen, but hey… this is Greece and things ‘happen’…

To explain: there is, on all our documents and contracts, an access road which runs along two sides of our property. This is considered a ‘country/farm road’ or something in Greece. I will call it a country road…

So… this is the start of the country road today:

If you wore full protective gear, rock climbing boots and wielded a very sharp machete, you might be able to get through there. But forget car access, not even a donkey cart can get through with the huge walls the property owners built on either side.

I mean, are you kidding me???

‘Let’s build huge walls that go to the very last millimeter of our land so no one can take ANYTHING from us. After all, we have a road – this part of the country road was opened up… who cares about others down the line? Let them eat cake.’

And beyond those walls (even the buttress of a wall which seems rather unnecessary unless its sole purpose is to close off access, which is most likely is), they’ve tossed rocks and rubble on the path so that nothing can get through. Ever.

I know. I tried walking it once. At great personal risk.

What used to be a country road, accessed by foot and donkey in my grandfather’s youth, the only road to get to the beach back then, is now rendered useless. So, we no longer have public road access to our property.

Till now we’re driving in through a neighbouring block, temporary access… for how long, who knows, I don’t know. I’ve applied to the municipality to open up/clear part of the road further down where someone has built a house and has cleared a section to his place. We need to go from there till our property, giving access to another 3 properties… not just us.

When I asked at the municipality about opening the old country road from the beginning and informed them that walls had been built, a very friendly woman informed that ‘Oh, they’ve built walls? We cant/wont open the road.’…

HUH? Is it a recognised road HISTORICALLY or is it not???

Yet, apparently, when my closest neighbour on that side asked about opening a road a long time ago (she is currently doing what we’re doing and using temporary access through her brother’s land) she was told she already had the country road therefore did not need another way in…

Sigh.

It’s Greece after all. What can I say? If you know the right people, are willing to cut corners and do a little creative fudging, you can do almost anything you want. Sure, things are changing, the government is trying to crack down on everything, especially every single cent you might make, but the cheating and slight of hand continues…

z