As Ariadne and I head into the home stretch of our 15 trip through Greece we are starting to see some of the impacts of the crisis. You may recall that in our tourist bubble things have been great - but things were also pretty good when we ventured outside of that bubble. During our visit to my mom's home region of Messinia - which is not a tourist destination by any stretch though it has some great sites and beaches - we found ATMs full of euros and stores and shops full of food.
Here in Nafplio, an incredibly charming coastal town that like Crete should be on every itinerary if you visit our motherland, two merchants asked me to pay with cash instead of credit cards. Both offered discounts for paying with euros, and both said Greek banks are starting to warn store owners they may run out of money if a deal is not struck soon. The American banks behind my credit and ATM cards will reimburse the Greek banks instantaneously according these store owners; Greek banks will not do the same to local merchants out of fear.
We head to Athens in 24 hours so may see more signs of the crisis soon. But for now, other than two merchants asking for script, Greece continues to function and be the greatest of destinations.
Να' τα πουμε! - Athan
Here in Nafplio, an incredibly charming coastal town that like Crete should be on every itinerary if you visit our motherland, two merchants asked me to pay with cash instead of credit cards. Both offered discounts for paying with euros, and both said Greek banks are starting to warn store owners they may run out of money if a deal is not struck soon. The American banks behind my credit and ATM cards will reimburse the Greek banks instantaneously according these store owners; Greek banks will not do the same to local merchants out of fear.
We head to Athens in 24 hours so may see more signs of the crisis soon. But for now, other than two merchants asking for script, Greece continues to function and be the greatest of destinations.
Να' τα πουμε! - Athan
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