Driving (cars) in Greece 
Driving (cars) in Greece
Broad topic that caused much ink in virtual forums, especially the GDR. I will venture to give my opinion, after all he is worth that of others, I still made some thousands of miles in 20 trips ...
You do not drive the same way on the ring road of London and a county Larzac? Well it's the same in Greece, we must RESPOND.
The Greek drivers: There are basically two kinds of drivers in Greece: first category of facias who speed without visiblity and double (in this category attention to trucks) and others who run very slowly, especially because they have over-aged vehicles (see for example the many pick up that used to carry anything). I set aside the donkeys and herds of goats or sheep which are not moving too fast. Pour ces derniers attendre patiemment qu'ils veulent bien dégager la route. For those waiting patiently they want to clear the road.There sometimes arises the question: why drive so fast and then go to work the coffee and do nothing? Every year I have witnessed many stupidly risky overtaking in blind corners and I saw an accident! St Christophos (if Christopher said so) must be very present, so you must be very careful if you arrive in front of one of these
Other drivers: I noticed that another class of drivers could be dangerous in Greece: Foreigners who move as if they were still at home (and that goes for the French). So those Germans who believe their highway or those tourists who do not know the use of the right lane (see below)
Right lane: On many roads there is a Greek band right in France we would call an emergency stopping lane, then no it is not used to that! When driving at low speed and a quidam wants to pass you, it is fashionable to keep as close to right as possible when riding on the tape if the condition of the road as possible (sometimes the right lane is poor condition) to be overtaken and personally I add a shot to right turn signal to let me know as a tourist friendly and slow. If you do not flip you will receive a call lights or sounding the horn, that is normal! Similarly if you are pressed by extraordinary, adopt this way and you will see it works.
Speed Limit: they are purely theoretical, and nobody respects them. Warning just sometimes found on major roads while police patrols YMMV. If you meet or not, on small mountain roads I advise you to drive slowly to see in advance the Troux or pebbles especially in spring after heavy rains in summer repairs have been made and it goes better My only encounter with the traffic police has been on the side of Ioaninna for a routine check and they have been very friendly, talking English, French police never seen as friendly.
Mountain roads: be careful, there are many, Greece is very mountainous. We must be careful for holes larger or smaller stones that have tumbled down the hill to stop in front of your car (see pictures of the site to Lefkada and Naxos ). Tip: drive slowly and enjoy the scenery. I note that on these roads it is common to find double blind morons (sorry it's almost always Greek) both with trucks or buses. Tip: drive slowly and do not follow them closely. More often the mountain road narrows even when addressing a village and crossing the aforesaid problem is sometimes when meeting, but in these cases it always manages even a small step back on the edge of a precipice I do not like
Athens is the horror of driving and parking. Do not venture outside as the main highway that leads to the airport, you get lost (it happened). Take the subway.
Parking: A Greek it stops when it wants to, just about anywhere, so do not be surprised in the parking places in principle not very practical for that. The habit was to put the "warning" before stopping and this habit is changing towards the use of flashing. A good habit is to close the driver's side mirror to avoid the inconvenience (I always do).
Roads: some are in perfect condition, as obviously the new network built for the Olympics, others are good but are a lot of stones when they pass in the mountains, especially during rainfall. For secondary roads beware they shrink when passing through a village, especially in the mountains, sometimes we can not pass a vehicle and must be reversed, it's always very good and there is often someone to help you . Finally there are dirt tracks, which are very distressing when it is ventured by mistake or to save time without 4X4, I recommend avoiding the most of these tracks if you do not know the right car for free.
In summary: I do not want to end on a bad impression: For a few years (20 trips) as I travel to Greece, I made a few thousand miles and you too will leave you with no problem. Drive safely, that you help looking at the scenery, you adapt to the way they drive you will see that in fact they are pretty cool: it is rare to see drivers s'engueuler as in France, as everybody did a lot of Silly things it becomes the standard
