Why we love the Greeks!

Nia Vardalos and John Corbett got loved up in My Big Fat Greek Wedding
The Weekender

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Greece may be feted as the cradle of western civilisation: inventing the Olympics, boasting classic poets, artists, philosophers, architects and writers galore, but our tastes here at

This is London

We want to celebrate Greece in our own special way, so we've dug out 10 of the more unusual reasons why we just love the Hellenic Republic...!

  • They won Euro 2004 — when nobody expected them to
  • The kind people of Ayia Napa and other Greek tourist hotspots have generously given us a place on which to maroon our wayward teenagers once a year
  • Feta cheese. It's great, and lasts in the fridge for ages. Oh, and we also like taramosalata, tzatziki, kleftiko, baklava...
  • My Big Fat Greek Wedding showed us just how to do a genuinely funny culture-clash romcom.
  • Plate-smashing is an incredibly effective way to alleviate stress - whether you're at a Greek party or not!
  • Countless islands mean that holiday choices are more or less never exhausted for us sun-seeking Brits.
  • Shirley Valentine gave a whole generation of British women the hope that their very own Greek god would kiss their stretchmarks.
  • Mysterious laundrette owner Mr Papadopoulous is the only EastEnders character who holds any sway over Pauline Fowler.
  • In typical laid-back Greek fashion, the organisers of the Athens 2004 Olympics are keeping the world on tenterhooks with their not-quite-ready stadia and facilities...
  • The toga-style dresses that are set to become a summer fashion staple thanks to Troy, are great for covering a multitude of sins.

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