When we first floated the idea of visiting Europe in early 2015,
our first desired destination was Greece. We’ve been to Europe twice but have
not travel to the Balkans yet. We looked forward to seeing the beautiful white
and blue domed houses depicted in travel photo. When we put Greece as the first
country to touch down as part of our Europe tour, anxieties trickled in about
the situation in Greece. We were bombarded with news about the financial crisis
and the refugees. When news came about the ATM withdrawal limit, we questioned
our sanity in going there. Athens seemed chaotic on news but when we googled
about the situation, it didn’t seems so bad. Travelers raved that the chaotic
news depicted was overrated and it was still safe. It was true! Been there in September 2015 and
loved it!
Oia on Santorini
We did not encounter anything out of the ordinary. Travelers still
throng the Acropolis and we have to jostle with the busloads of tourists for
the best position to take selfies in Oia, Santorini. Of course, locals living there would
be affected by the situation but as travelers, we can do our part for Greece’s
economy by not avoiding Greece. To some extent, the tourism industry
is affected. We believed it should have been more crowded at the tourist
attractions we visited. We were gleeful not to have to elbow anyone to take
photo in some places. However, on hindsight, we realized
the hardships the locals must be experiencing. Restaurant owners, guesthouses,
gift shops, taxi drivers, all tourism related businesses were affected by the
drop in visitors. It’s a sobering fact. Think of their families who are
depending on tourists as livelihood. We couchsurfed in Athens (Oops! We should have supported local guesthouse) and got to talk to
our hosts about how they were coping. We also chatted with our tour guide when
we signed on for a free walking tour. The amazing part through all these craziness in
Greece is the unbreakable spirit of the Greek. They still carry on with their
daily lives and showed us their best hospitality. The scenery is still as
breathtaking and you’ll miss out a lot by bypassing this great destination.
Changing of guards at Syntagma Square, Athens
Parthenon, Athens
Santorini
Santorini
Lefkes, Paros
Here’s
what you can do to be prepared:
1)
Read up on the news before traveling there. When you’re there, keep abreast of any
new development. Check the internet for news whenever you’re connected. Or do
it the lazy way, ask the staffs of your guesthouse, the shopkeepers or even the
locals.
2)
Find out the contact and address of your embassy. You’ll be surprised when you
might need their assistance. We did! However, it was not due to being stuck in
a protest or because we can’t withdraw money from the ATM. Athens was safe,
really! It was due to the spirit of Greek hospitality that caused the Singapore
Embassy to offer their assistance to us! That’s another story.
3)
Have enough cash. It’s actually not a problem for foreigners to withdraw cash
from ATM but since regulations can change anytime due to the political turmoil,
we made sure to have enough anyway. Credit cards are still accepted but don’t
expect to use them in small souvenir shops or cafes as they do not have such
service in the first place!
4)
Get travel insurance. We usually get one when we travel, hoping that the
airline will bump us to the next flight and we can indulge during our holiday
on the airline’s and insurance’s compensation. Alas, it has not happen yet.
So with these, just enjoy your Greek holiday.
The worst you might encounter in Greece is the shock of finding out you can’t
flush toilet paper!
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