To Greek or not to Greek

This paper napkin at a Greek restaurant has a list of common Greek words and their translations in German. A handy tool perhaps for German and eurozone politicians who want Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to understand their proposals.

Germany has over 320,000 Greek expats, according to the Foreigners' register (AZR). Greeks make the fifth largest foreign community, following Turks, Poles, Italians and Romanians.

Greece has defaulted its 1.5-billion-euro debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and is spiraling towards bankruptcy. Greece's lenders, the IMF and the European Central Bank (ECB) want the government to agree to proposals for restructuring its labour market and pension policies.

Archpriest Sokratis Ntallis of the Greek Orthodox Church in Bonn says the number of suicides has risen ever since austerity measures were implemented. A study by the BMJ Online Journal says the number of suicides were highest in 30 years in 2012.

Greek cuisine is often in great demand in Germany, especially in small pizzerias like these. But the financial crisis in Athens means many expats keep their opinions about Athens to themselves.

Elena Aliki Papyrou of Greece is a translator living in Bonn for nearly ten years. Greece's people have been choosing corrupt governments in the past and need to be more discerning when it comes to selecting their leaders, she says.

Greek owners of Bonn restaurants are unwilling to speak about the crisis. The reason? They've lost clients when they spoke to journalists in the past. Obviously, it's tough to decide where your loyalty lies when it comes to making a living.

Europe without Greece is an impossibility, especially since several academics and intellectuals consider the country's ancient traditions to be the cradle of European civilization. The word "Europe" itself comes from the Greek word "Europa," a princess who Zeus fell in love with.