Experiencing Beauty Amidst Conflict

After a long train to Frankfurt and flight to Athens, my friends and I arrived exhausted at six in the morning to the port, Paereus, ready to explore the island, Santorini and all of its beauty. However, arriving to the port we realized that boarding the high speed ferry to Santorini may not be an option. A line of about 20 protestors blocked the ramp to the ferry and despite the hundreds of travelers that held their tickets in hand and waited to board the ferry, the protestors successfully prevented any ferries from leaving the port that day. The groups of protestors were composed of men and women of all ages and they held signs and chanted rhythmically in Greek. At times, heated verbal and physical conflict would erupt between locals and protestors. My friends and I decided to tour Athens for the day and return to the port in the morning. Shouts could be heardfrom our hostel throughout the day and the protest lasted fifteen hours at the port.

Strikes in Athens were sparked by an announcement made months ago by the Greek Prime Minister, George Papandrea. His announcement included the new measures that he and his government issued to cut Greece's deficit and "abide by the conditions of joint EU IMF bailout". (http://www.petergreenberg.com/2010/05/05/deadly-riots-strike-in-greece-athens-in-chaos/) Thus, Greece would potentially need to be aided outside of the European union or in addition to the International Monetary fund as opposed to receiving aid only internally. According to news reports, the decisions

made by the Prime Minister has resulted in significant wage cuts along with a three-year pension freeze for all public workers along with increased taxation on select products. Peter Green discusses the o

verall sentiment of Athens workers in his report on the strikes, suggesting that "ordinary people are being made to pay for the crisis." Furthermore, the European Union is experiencing great pressure as a result of the policies concerning cohesion and convergence that now relate specifically to Greece's current state.

A great paradox unfolds from all of the politics and regional and international tension that is associated with the unrest in Athens. Greek Prime Minister stated an increase in the tourism industry as one of his goals for the country. However, the British Foreign office issued a travel warning to Britons and furthermore, three bank employees

have been killed in Athens and four buildin

gs were burnt to the ground in this capital city of Greece. Thus, an increasing wariness of traveling to Greece has largely hurt its tourist industry and thus its economy, making the effort of the strikers a contribution to the further disintegrating economy of Greece.

IMF Statement regarding Greece

BBC Question & Answer regarding Greece in Debt and its future

After arriving safely to Santorini I literally caught my breath stepping off of the ferry as I was surrounded by sparkling blue water and whitewashed houses built into the hillsides. The entire weekend

felt like a dream and the scenery was so surreal I honestly felt like I was I was watching a movie or

someone else's life. Tourism in Greece makes up 17-18% of the country's GDP and it employs more than 850,000 people. (Informational page about the geography of Santorini) Each delicious seafood restaurant where we ate offered menus that were only listed in Greek and in English. Road signs were listed in English and ATM banks also only offered services in Greek and

in English. It was immediately clear that Santorini directed its tourist services to English speaking travelers. While in Santorini, my friends and I had the time of our lives. We rented ATVs to travel around the island and saw the different beaches that had different colors of sand as a result of the volcano, we rode donkeys up a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean, watched the most famous sunset in the world at Oia and ate delicious fresh seafood and Greek salad.

I kept thinking to myself, while in Santorini, about the strikes and their devastating effects on the Greek economy. It seems like such an immense tragedy given that the natural geography of the country attracts its tourists and that the country

along with the European Union are struggling right now due to its current political and economic state. Witnessing the strikes in Athens firsthand and then experiencing all of the wonders that Greece has to offer, truly opened my eyes to how interconnected Euro-Zone countries essentially are, despite their cultural, economic and geographical differences.