What is it really like "on the ground" in Athens right now?

[porsena]

I was in Athens on Oct 9 with Constellation. I walked to the Piraeus metro stop, passing lots of garbage, caught the train to Victoria station and walked to the National Archaeological Museum, which was open and free (Sunday), returning the same way. Aside from the garbage, everything looked normal to me.

[Mxmom242]

According to Marinetraffic.com, the Navigator of The Seas detoured to Malts today (Was scheduled to be an at sea day). But last week RCI went to Athens. Be flexible!

[TLCOhio]

Here's a breaking news story from Athens.

 

From the National Public Radio (NPR) within the past hour this morning, they have this headline: "Greece: Emergency Powers To Tackle Garbage Strike" with these highlights: "Greece is using emergency powers to order garbage crews back to work, as an escalating campaign of strikes by public servants and other unions against austerity measures has crippled services in the troubled eurozone member. Socialist Prime Minister George Papandreou issued the civil mobilization order Tuesday, on the 17th day of a collectors' strike that has left piles of rotting garbage around the Greek capital. Unions are planning a general strike Wednesday and Thursday — grounding all flights and halting most public services — and plan to try and disrupt a vote in parliament to pass the toughest austerity measures since Greece's financial crisis began two years."

 

Full story at:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=141453287

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 44,644 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Motorcycle Gma]

My daughter, bless her heart, was suppose to leave for her Greek honeymoon (10 days on two islands & Athens) today. All flights were cancelled due to an air strike. Can anyone over there confirm what is going on? She has rescheduled her Tuesday flight to Thursday, hoping all will be well. HELP!!

[Fblack]

My daughter, bless her heart, was suppose to leave for her Greek honeymoon (10 days on two islands & Athens) today. All flights were cancelled due to an air strike. Can anyone over there confirm what is going on? She has rescheduled her Tuesday flight to Thursday, hoping all will be well. HELP!!

 

 

While the airport may open, the 48 hour strike is still scheduled for October 19 and 20th. She should arrange for a private driver from the airport. The Ferry's were shut down recently by the strike. And it's anybody's guess who strike and on what day.

[nick_arch]

Our main problem here in Greece during the last two years is over the edge speculation on whats going on when things are different in reality.

 

My suggestion is to base less on international news information and more on information from people that live in the places we are talking about, when this is possible. Things are changing pretty fast sometimes.

 

The strike has been called over yesterday, way before posts here and in a myriad of other external sites saying "strike is still on". Strike has been changed to a 12 hours stoppage.

 

http://www.eeeke.gr/index_files/ENGLISH_HOME.htm

 

Some cancellations or merge of flight-codes are taking place.

 

Flights are going to operate normal after midday on Wednesday October 19th.

Flights on Thursday October 20th are also going as normal.

 

All passengers are strongly suggested to contact with their airlines to check on exact time of departure, especially in the case of some flights reaaranged a bit earlier.

 

Main problem we will have here in Athens today will be airport open, flights running as normal but having transportation issues.

 

I have posted an as humanly possible thorough post in Trip Advisor:

 

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g189400-i194-k4890423-October_19th_2011_Athens_Airport_transportation-Athens_Attica.html

[nick_arch]

Don't misunderstand my post above please. I am not referring to any of the posters in here.

 

All i am trying to say that on strike time, things change pretty fast.

 

We had 6 strikes during 2011.

In all of them air traffic controllers announced participation, which at the end was changed to a limited hours work stoppage, all times except once.

 

During the last two weeks we had infinite posts in Trip Advisor from people asking what to do with their air tickets. Judging by the experience of the past, we were extremely hesitant to propose anything, with all air carriers, very justified, following a "wait and see" policy.

 

Yesterday, around 1pm, with atc's insisting they will go to a 48 hrs strike, both domestic carriers, Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air cancelled all their flights. This was a sensible choice since most European flights that should return by midnight were due to start leaving in half an hour or so.

 

Two hours later, after domestic carriers had cancelled their flights, atc's announced they will not strike but stop for 12 hours.

 

You can understand the mess caused.

 

Domestic carriers and all internaitonal airlines that have cancelled their flights, had to issue new announcements to reinstate their flight itineraries and contact all passengers who had seen their flights cancelled or rebooked or rearranged to get them back at their original flight plans.

 

-------------

 

This is a huge mess we are dealing here and, most of it, is overblown out of any proportion.

 

Most enquiries we get in TA have absolutely nothing to do with reality.

 

For example, tt would be stupid to say we don't have a grabage strike, for the last 10 - 12 days. You can see some piles of garbage at the neighbourhoods, still, nearly all garbage have been collected by tourist areas. Any way you see it, we do have a garbage collectors strike and, even if this not being annoying for visitors, it is annoying for us leaving here.

 

Nevertheless, besides the real dimensions of the whole thing, we also receive questions in TA which have nothing to do with reality. Many people are asking us if the atm's have money ( lol, of course they have ), or if food is served in the restaurants ( yes! ).

 

This is a troubled country but not Roland Emmerich's 2012 blockbuster.

 

Just to keep things into perspective and some real dimensions.

 

------------------

 

Other than that, and this has nothing to do with a traveller's experience, we have an ongoing strike on tax services, which drains out public funds and an ongoing refusal of many people here to keep paying taxes, simply because they have no money left.

 

Despite all the "drama" going on in international media, we have a real drama to face here. A visitor will not catch any view of it, except the ocassional disruption. I understand many visitors see their travel itineraries disrupted, still we have people that have no money to eat.

 

This should be a concern not only for Greeks or politicians but for visitors too.

 

Why?

 

Because a country is a lot more besides the always stunning scenery, the ancient sites and the photogenic setting. It's more than the ability of its troubled people to offer decent service under the most difficult personal conditions. Someone should try to have alook behind the curtain and see how life is for real people.

 

Otherwise, Disneyland is a far more nicely set place to visit.

 

Keep in mind this is not only Greece we are speaking about. Half of the European countries are seeing their budgets crippling already.

 

Other than that, Greece is always extremely photogenic, extremely welcoming and hospitable. Under these conditions we had a +10% raise in tourism arrivals and a +85 in tourism income. Trip reports we get in TA are very good, even for Athens, many of them focusing on the fact that things are totally different than those presented internationally. Except the ocassionally disrupted itinerary. Severe disruption may take place from time to time, and this is undeniable. This happens 5 - 6 times a year for time windows anywhere from 12 hours to 24 hours. I also underline the same thing: only real and severe disruption for an international visitor is an atc's strike. This is something that is impossible to overcome and happens for 48 - 72 hours per year, affecting appx. 1% of the flights. It is a small number but disruption does not count on numbers when you are stuck at an airport. More or less, travel pland are disrupted in the same number, around 1%.

 

Besides all the drama and the ramifications, i urge people to take all international media reports with a grain of salt. Not because they are partially innacurate. But because real dimension of the things is not the "dramatic" footage you see in your cable tv or your monitor. This applies to a limited time and an extrmely limited part of the city while islands are quiet as always. Real dimension is we already have a countrywide +25% unemployment and around 2,000,000 people, more than 20% of the country's population, under poverty line. That includes kids or elder people that have nothing to do with the "Greek deficit" every news channel is talking about.

 

Should it care? Yes.

 

Will you see it? Nope. Definitely not.

 

All i am asking is to keep a tiny corner in your brain about it. Things are not always shown in their real dimensions in the news.

[pacaduli]

I have gained so much insite regarding the unrest in Greece, because of your very informative scripts. Your taking the time and effort to post on these boards truly shows your attempt to educate others.

Reading between the lines, I can also feel the stress of the situation.

I hope that things settle down soon for you!

 

I was wondering if you can answer me this...

What is the likelyhood of strikes of any kind occurring on the weekend?

Of course, I ask because I will be arriving to Athens on a Saturday, and boarding ship on Sunday. I know others who will be arriving by cruise ship to Athens, and will need to get to the airport for their flight out, on a Sunday.

Thanks for any info!

[TLCOhio]

From the Financial Times in Europe within the past half hour this morning, they have this headline: "Strike shuts down Greece before austerity vote" with these highlights: "Tens of thousands of striking Greek workers marched to parliament on Wednesday to protest against fresh wage and pension cuts due to be approved by lawmakers ahead of this week’s European Union summit. Members of the communist-led union, Pame, led the protest, carrying red flags and shouting criticism of the latest measures imposed by the EU and International Monetary Fund programme. The 48-hour strike called by unions representing about half the Greek workforce attracted much higher participation than previous anti-austerity protests, which were mainly attended by public sector workers. Private banks, shops, cafes and supermarkets, which normally stay open for business during strikes, were closed along with government offices, schools, museums, ancient sites, and passenger shipping services."

 

Full story at:

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/dee75858-fa29-11e0-8e7e-00144feab49a.html#axzz1bE6sCLeS

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 44,766 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[iancal]

Nick:

 

Thanks very much for your interesting comments and background information.

 

We can go on line (and we do) at any time and get reports from the BBC, Reuters, etc. It is great to get insight from a local vs. the a media report.

 

We have travelled to many places where some group or agency has warned tourists not to go. At one time not too many years ago tourist were advised to avoid the Miami area because of drug violence and the number of murders.

[eadien7]

This is a troubled country but not Roland Emmerich's 2012 blockbuster.

 

Just to keep things into perspective and some real dimensions.....

 

 

All i am asking is to keep a tiny corner in your brain about it. Things are not always shown in their real dimensions in the news.

 

 

Nick -- make a great point about keeping it in perspective, people see a news story about something occurring in the city and because the info is so vague on location, it leads you to think it is the entire city.

 

I hope to be able to visit your city next month - and spending some money to help the economy, but if not -- there will be another day. It is a minor inconvenience to me based on what you folks are going through. Either my ship will be rerouted to another port or I'll have a sea day to relax. You on the other hand will on TA and CC posting information for the next set of travelers.

 

I appreciate all of the information you are providing!!

[Fblack]

Personally, I expect the strikes and protests to last a lot longer than 12 hours. Maybe a few Unions like air traffic controllers, but the vast majority of others will continue until long after the vote in Parliament set for October 20th or later.

 

10/19/2011: Biggest Strike Yet Brings Greece to Halt

 

The 48-hour walkout by Greek workers on Wednesday and Thursday has been dubbed "the mother of all strikes" by leading Greek daily Ta Nea. These are the biggest strikes since the debt crisis began in the country almost two years ago. By noon on Wednesday, thousands of protesters were ringing parliament as part of massive demonstrations against the latest raft of austerity measures — measures that parliament is expected to pass this week.

 

The strikes have shuttered government offices, public services, shops and even bakeries. Taxi drivers walked off the job, as did air-traffic controllers (though they shortened their work stoppage from 48 hours to 12). Hundreds of riot police have cordoned off the area around parliament, the target of Greeks' anger over new measures that include further salary and job cuts in the public sector, a controversial new property tax, and slashes to pensions.

 

 

 

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2097268,00.html

[pacaduli]

I think credit is due you, for posting news clips on the Greece situation.

I read nick's posts and see it from a citizens perspective.

Then I read your posts and see what the world news is reporting...both are intriguing and worrisome. I truly appreciate that you take your time to keep this thread updated.

 

And I have viewed pic's from your travels on other threads! MOST enjoyable!

 

Thanks to both!

[cruiseluv]

One thing is to strike, another quite different is to riot and engage in acts of violence such as those occurring in Athens today.

[Motorcycle Gma]

Nick, I too want to express my sincere thanks for all you do here and on TA. We are concerned about your country and I feel for your people. I had a very nice visit there in September 2010. People were nice and I didn't see any strikes or unrest. The trains ran from Piraeus to Acropolis. I even took a cab ride from a very interesting cab driver who spoke 6 languages and returned me safely to my ship.

 

It is scary what is going on in Europe, the Middle East and even here in the US. If our politicians don't do something soon, we're going to be in the same position as you.

 

My daughter is ignoring the media and going on with her honeymoon plans. Thanks for all the updates everyone!! Happy travels everyone -- wish I were going on a cruise soon. :)

[OCruisers]

This is of interest to many of us.

 

Thanks to all who post and keep us updated!

[nick_arch]

FBlack, sorry, i was not clear.

 

What i meant was that the atc's participation in the strike has been called off, while the strike was / is still 48 hrs for all the rest of the unions.

 

So, we had people that based on the general frame of the 48hrs thought their flight was cancelled, while their flight was flying.

 

Strike is still 48hrs for most of the unions, with flights operating normally though and transportation operating pretty normally.

 

----------------

 

Updated on the on-ground situation.

 

Yesterday it was the start of the 48 hrs strike that continues today too.

All sites and museums were closed, except the private museums. This was the first time through the last 20 years i remember, that the big majority of commercial shops closed too, as cafeterias too, at least in the very center. Tourist shops and restuarants were open.

 

A massive peaceful demonstration took place from 11.00am till appx. 6pm. This was a demonstration aginast a new austerity bill, the 5th in a row, that shrinks salaries in public AND private sector another 25% and raises taxation appx. 10% - 40% more.

 

Very intense clashes took place in limited parts of the square, between far leftist groups and the police.

 

You can see a map with Athens attractions, the area where the demostration sprawled ( red ), the area which police cordonned off ( light red ) and where the clashes took place ( purple, zoom in please ) here:

 

Click here for map please - Link to Google Maps

 

The area around Syndagma Square looked pretty rough but if you walked 5 minutes away to Monastiraki area or Acropolis Museum are it was business as normal.

 

----------------------

 

Today is the second day of the 48 hrs strike. Shops are expected to be open but museums and ancient sites are expected to be closed. Private museums, like the Acropolis Museum are expected to be open.

We expect a massive peaceful demonstration again, starting from 9am and completing sometime at late afternoon.

 

Typically we also expect clashes between police and some groups somewhere between 1pm and 4pm.

 

------------------------

 

Tommorow will be business as normal with no visible traces of the 48 hrs strike.

 

The bill? It will probably pass.

[nick_arch]

We have two kinds of strikes:

 

a) First one is the "general" strike. A general strike is announced for some time, usually 24hrs or more rarely 48hrs and 5 - 6 times per year. These dates are announced as a "strike" by a large "umbrella" union that is some kind of regulatory union, above each separate one. These strikes cannot be deemed illegal and, 99% take plAce on Wednesday. Or on Thursday or evem more rarely on Tuesday.

This kind of strikes is the "general" strike you all see in the news. It is usually acoompanied by a midday march - demonstration that will typically end with some kind of clashes around Syndagma Square.

A more or less typical pattern exists for these midweek strikes. They are midweek, usually Wednesday, usually 24hrs. They affect everything public empoyees are employed, meaning public museums, ancient sites, schools, tax services etc.

They also affect at some extent public transportation ( metro for example ). On these days, weirdly enough, transportation runs normally, so demostrators can commute to the center and back.

Since the start of the year, we had 37 - 38 Wednesdays. If i am correct, 6 of them were a strike day.

 

Most disruptive thing that can take place on these days is participation of atc controllers in the strike. They consistently announce a participation that last minute is change to a limited hours work stoppage.

 

b) We also have all the separate unions that can go to strike on their own. This has no pattern, may be deemed illegal and postponed sometimes. No pattern on day really, but i'd say Sunday is the less likely day for some strike to take place, since it's weekend. Saturday is also weekend, so i doubt any union would go o strike, simply because when you have a strike, main aim is to go to the according demosntration. No one will go to demonstrate if it's Sunday.

 

During the last year, we did have some strike action on Sunday. If i am correct, taxi drivers went on strike on a Sunday, while atc's also went on strike once for 4 hours. We also saw a quite disruptive taxi strike for 12 contninuos days which naturally extended in two weekends.

 

I don't remember a Saturday strike as far as i can personally remember, except the recent taxi strike.

 

So, some patterns exist, meaning large scale strikes, 5 -6 times a year for 24 or 48hrs, on Wednesdays or Thursdays ( these being the strikes you always see on intl media ). More rarely independent strikes anywahere in the week, but i 'd dare say that statistically, it's not probable you 'll see them on a Sat or Sun.

 

Of course, these are only statistics. I dare say that if this kind of action continues, we can say that Saturday is the least probable day for a strike. Future, depending how things go for Greece, may reveal different kind of action, of longer duration, still present is that strikes have a vague pattern with alternatives to exist. It needs some kind of flexiblity and, when you are in ahotel, some help from the hotel reception to arrange these alternatives.

[TLCOhio]

I think credit is due you, for posting news clips on the Greece situation. I read nick's posts and see it from a citizens perspective. Then I read your posts and see what the world news is reporting...both are intriguing and worrisome. I truly appreciate that you take your time to keep this thread updated. And I have viewed pic's from your travels on other threads! MOST enjoyable! Thanks to both!

 

Appreciate the nice and kind comments from our Southern California friend on my posts and pictures. Nick has done a great job in giving the important, realistic report from on the scene in Athens. That large city of around five million people in Greece is very, very large. Just like in New York City or London, what happens in one segment of town or shows on a TV news screen is not fully representative for all areas of the city. As a student of history, it is sad to these events happening. We will all hope for the best.

 

THANKS! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 44,831 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[TLCOhio]

Look forward to learning more details from Nick and how things are recovering in Athens.

 

From the AP and CBS News within the past hour this morning, they have this headline: "Greek civil servants plan new strikes next week" with these highlights: "Greek unions on Friday threatened further strikes next week, a day after parliament approved new harsh cutbacks to secure international loans despite protests and riots that left one man dead and nearly 200 injured. Ilias Iliopoulos, secretary-general of the Adedy civil servant union, insisted the new law 'will not be implemented.' Greece's main private sector union, GSEE, was also planning new strikes. 'We plan long-running opposition to ensure that the crippling cutbacks imposed by our loan-shark creditors are not enforced,' said GSEE board member Stathis Anestis. European officials have already admitted that a second bailout for Greece, agreed to in July, is not enough to prevent the country from bankruptcy, and this discussions this weekend will focus on ways to increase support for Greece."

 

Germany and France are still trying to figure out their next steps on what they do with Greece and other "bail-outs" that might be needed for that country, plus others in Europe. Sadly, this "issue" is far from over and done.

 

Full story at:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501369_162-20123661.html

 

THANKS! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 44,981 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[nick_arch]

Well. . . as expected, things were surreal at Syndagma Square but more calm if you walked out a bit.

 

Today, it's business as normal. With Happy Train running around, you had a rough time to understand this is the place where pictures all saw took place.

 

October 20th 2011, a very big demonstration took place in front of the Parliament, since a new austerity bill was being voted.

 

The crowd sprawled on Syndagma Square, roads around and perhaps two - three blocks around.

 

As i posted before the demonstration, clashes we were expecting to happen took place indeed, i dare say more violent from last times. Once more Syndagma square was the scene of all this mess while 10 minutes away Acropolis Museum area and Monastiraki area were relatively peaceful.

 

Destruction of private property was in the menu once more. I think it's the 4th time in 2011, Grande Bretagne Hotel and King George Hotel see their marble stairs stripped from marble.

 

--------------

 

Today, things in the center around Syndagma square are peaceful. It seems illogical that all this action has exhausted after 6 - 7 hours. I walked at Syndagma Square at around 11pm yesterday, where even 4 hours later, all you could see were crews cleaning the square. Despite the fact that traces of destruction of property were more than obvious, this morning was business as usual everywhere, except the ferries that are still on strike.

 

All tourism related businesses or services ( including ancient sites and museums ) in Athens were running normally today as if a magic wand swept the city.

 

Bill? It passed with 153 / 300 votes.

 

Spirit of people? Thinking what future holds.

 

Future strikes? My assumption is that we will go on a phase where some strikes will take place here and there, in sectors that don't affect tourism business. I don't think we will see another "general" strike or serious disruption for 4 - 5 weeks. Next march most probably at November 17th 2011.

[artbcpa]

We are in Athens today and there are no strikes. All the attractions, the port, and the airport are open. There are still piles of trash on the streets, but we have had a perfectly wonderful day in Athens. We highly recommend the driver and the company we used. He could not have been prouder of his city and took us to places that were not even scheduled on our tour, including the most fabulous Greek lunch.

 

The company's name is Find Taxi (http://www.findtaxi.gr) and our driver's name was Spyros.

[TLCOhio]

Well. . . as expected, things were surreal at Syndagma Square but more calm if you walked out a bit. Today, it's business as normal. With Happy Train running around, you had a rough time to understand this is the place where pictures all saw took place. Despite the fact that traces of destruction of property were more than obvious, this morning was business as usual everywhere, except the ferries that are still on strike. All tourism related businesses or services (including ancient sites and museums) in Athens were running normally today as if a magic wand swept the city. Future strikes? My assumption is that we will go on a phase where some strikes will take place here and there, in sectors that don't affect tourism business. I don't think we will see another "general" strike or serious disruption for 4 - 5 weeks. Next march most probably at November 17th 2011.

 

Great to hear the good report from Art & Ellie from being there in Athens. The detailed info from nick_arch continues to be very helpful. Now the focus is on Brussels and the Europe finance ministers trying to bail-out Greece and others.

 

From the Guardian this morning, they have this headline: "EU could source bailout funds from Asia and the Gulf" with these highlights: "The EU could tap sovereign wealth funds from Asia and the Gulf in order to boost the financial clout of its main vehicle to bailout eurozone countries suffering debt distress and prevent contagion spreading. Finance ministers from the 17 eurozone countries are discussing the option of creating a 'special purpose vehicle' for the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) in order to boost its current €440bn (£383bn) lending capacity. A strictly confidential report from Greece's 'troika' of debt inspectors warns that the banks will have to accept 60% losses or 'haircuts' if governments were to limit their second bailout to €109bn. It says Greece could require €252bn in support between now and the end of 2020 and, in a worst case scenario, this could rise to almost €450bn."

 

From Reuters and a London newspaper, they have this headline: "How Europe can stave off a crisis" in a column/analysis by former UK Finance and Prime Minister Gordon Brown with these highlights: "It was said of European monarchs of a century ago that they learned nothing and forgot nothing. For three years, as a Greek debt problem has morphed into a full blown euro area crisis, European leaders have been behind the curve, consistently repeating the same mistake of doing too little too late. For three years it has suited leaders across Europe to disguise Europe’s banking problems and, citing the blatant profligacy of Greece, they have defined the European problem as simply a public sector debt problem. In 2011, no one continent on its own can reignite the world economy. Only 40 percent of manufactured goods and even less investment may come from Europe and America, but they still consume 55 percent of the world’s goods and services. So today there is a precarious balance between producers and consumers."

 

This is an interesting column that raises many significant questions for how these challenges get "fixed" for both the short and long term. Some will say Brown left the UK bankrupt, making his opinion worth less. Maybe he has learned some lessons from those problems. Many good questions and issues to consider.

 

Full stories at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/oct/22/eu-bailout-funds-asia-gulf?newsfeed=true

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2011/10/21/how-europe-can-stave-off-a-crisis/

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 45,032 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[terrya]

we just arrived home after 3 days in Athens. Departed 10/17. We had a very good time; stayed near Plaka. There was transit strike when we arrived - had to rely on expensive taxis. The Acropolis and other historical sites were closed but we still managed to see from outside. There was tension in the air as the protestors were marching near Parliament. No violence yet. Now it sounds awful - more than just the piled up garbage we saw. It was the end of 19 days we had in Europe so we had seen enough ruins and sites and just spent time enjoying the Plaka and talking with Greeks. We were tired with didn't have high expectations of Athens. We did love walking around the Olympic stadium and it's audiotour. So I'd advise to postpone travelling in Athens until it's safer and quieter. If that's not possible, be careful; spend lots of time in Plaka. Also the Acropolis Museum is fabulous! We did a 3 hour walking tour in Athens and liked that. Take guided tours if possible. Best wishes on your journey.

[TLCOhio]

we just arrived home after 3 days in Athens. Departed 10/17. We had a very good time; stayed near Plaka. There was transit strike when we arrived - had to rely on expensive taxis. The Acropolis and other historical sites were closed but we still managed to see from outside.

 

Hi Terry, Great info from you - try this link it is brilliant !

http://livingingreece.gr/strikes/

We are going on the 6th Nov to meet up with the QEV on the 8th so scanning those dates.As this is a changeover date Cunard must be getting nervous as there are loads of flights connected with this date!

 

Glad your Athens visit worked and that you were able to adapt under challenging conditions. This above noted weblink from another of these CC Boards has an amazing amount of details on what has been happening and that is upcoming. It can be very helpful to those planning visits there. I am sharing with others on this posting.

 

From Reuters newswire in the past half hour, they have this headline: "Sarkozy yields on ECB crisis role, pressure on Italy" with these highlights: "European Union leaders made some progress toward a strategy to fight the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis on Sunday, nearing agreement on bank recapitalization and on how to leverage their rescue fund to try to stop bond market contagion. But final decisions were deferred until a second summit on Wednesday and sharp differences remain over the size of losses private holders of Greek government bonds will have to accept. French President Nicolas Sarkozy backed down in the face of implacable German opposition to his desire to use unlimited European Central Bank funds to fight the crisis. Instead, the euro zone may turn to emerging economies such as China and Brazil for help in underpinning its sickly bond market."

 

Also, from an AP writer, the Christian Science Monitor has this morning this headline on this very good analysis: "Europe debt crisis: Some fixes will take years" with these highlights: "Fixes for the deeper problems that plague the monetary union will remain on their to-do calendars for years to come. The turmoil over some eurozone governments' excessive debt has exposed flaws in Europe's 13-year-old monetary union that are more complicated than Greece's admittedly disastrous decisions to spend and borrow too much during good times."

 

This week, things are more focused on the bigger Europe challenges and not as much about Greece, directly.

 

Full stories at:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/24/us-eurozone-idUSTRE79I0IC20111024

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2011/1024/Europe-debt-crisis-Some-fixes-will-take-years

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 45,261 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474