Two weeks ago Twitter got a gift when Yanis Varoufakis posed for a Paris Match photo shoot which depicted the Greek FinMin living a not-very-austere looking lifestyle. While the pictures didn’t show Varoufakis being chauffeured around in any Rolls Royces, they did include one shot of what appeared to be a rather ostentatious picnic (with the Acropolis in the background) that contrasted starkly with the plight of the large number of Greeks who now have difficulty scraping together meals. It also came at a time when the government was actively considering borrowing money from public pension funds to make debt payments to the IMF and the ECB. At the time, we said [10] the following:
As the Greek people live in perpetual fear of financial ruin and are subjected, on a near hourly basis, to rumors about just what kind of humiliation they may be forced to endure next in order to insure that Christine Lagarde gets the money she needs to prop up Ukraine for another couple of months, Yanis Varoufakis isn’t about to roll over and allow his people to drown in despair. On the contrary, the finance minister apparently believes the best way to restore the faith is to show the Greek people just how good life could be.
One possibly fake middle finger kerfluffle and exactly no progress with European creditors later, we discover that Varoufakis has a vacation villa that he’s willing to rent for the bargain price of just €5,000/week. For those who are interested, here’s an idea of what you’ll get for your money.
You can enjoy a dip in this very austere pool…
[11]
...enjoy a game of ping pong on the porch...
[12]
...play foosball...
[13]
...and wind down in the evening while gazing out at the Aegean...
[14]
Bonus pic: check out this awesome light…
[15]
And with that we say again: “So Greece, as you face the possibility that your salaries will be suspended and your pension funds plundered, take solace in the fact that you can live well vicariously through your elected officials.”
More from iefimerida [16] (via Google translate):
Photographs of the interior and exterior of the house have been published in the social media of Yanis Varoufakis itself but also of his wife, Danae Stratos.
The couple especially enjoyed the home of 170 square, designed by architect Zambia Mars and has hosted a known decorating magazine.
The photos have been released on social networks provide an idea of ??the aesthetic in which the finance minister and artist wife have decorate their retreat.
In this luxurious and elegant home in Aegina designed by the famous architect Aris ham, Finance Minister says that she feels happy and complete:
"Whenever I'm here and I see the horizon, all come into their proper perspective."
Yes, the "proper perspective" which apparently is that even though a quarter of the Greek population is unemployed, nothing spoils a sunset viewed from a €20,000/month seaside villa.
And here's more from DailyMail [17]:
According to the official listing on Boutique Athens - who sell and rent luxury apartments - the picturesque villa boasts a home cinema system and offers free WiFi to the guests staying in its spacious five bedrooms.
The glass walls in the living and dining areas give fabulous views of the beautiful landscape and sparkling blue waters below.
Many Greeks do not have enough money to put food on the table. According to a recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 17% of the Greek population is currently unable to meet their daily needs for food. Approximately 30% are living below the poverty line
For the first time in generations doctors are seeing children and adults suffering from malnutrition. Officially 26 per cent of the working population is unable to find a job although in the poorest parts of Athens, unemployment has reached 60 per cent.
