The Greeks, living in a Mediterranean climate, value their siesta, especially during the long hot summers. In rural Crete, for the farmers and stockbreeders who make up a large part of the population, work in summer starts at sunrise and continues until the heat makes activity outdoors difficult, around 11.00 am to midday. There is then a long pause filled by drinking coffee, carrying out administrative tasks (shopping, going to the bank and post office, etc), and then lunch. This is followed by a siesta, until the heat of the day subsides and a few more hours of work can be done from 6.00 pm onwards.