Dispatch, Greece: After violent protests

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Travel Weekly contributing editor Felicity Long has been traveling throughout Greece with Celestyal Cruises. This is her last report; read her first, second and third dispatches.

Dispatch, Greece: After violent protests

What a difference a few days make. The scene at Syntagma Square in Athens on Friday, July 17, was so serene that the only jostling came from other tourists trying to snap pictures of the guards in front of the Parliament building.

It's hard to imagine that just two nights earlier, demonstrations against the new bailout deal between Greece and the European Union had turned violent, with some rioters tossing petrol bombs at police.

"Most of those arrested weren't even Greek," sniffed Natasha, our guide to the Acropolis, who labeled the rioters "anarchists."

While she diplomatically declined to divulge which side of the referendum vote she favored, her focus was more on how future economic woes might affect archaeological projects around the city.

Dispatch, Greece: After violent protests

Her concerns echoed those of Maria, our guide to the prehistoric village of Akrotiri in Santorini the night before. She lamented that all excavations had ceased on the project since the crisis began in 2009.

"The banks are supposed to open Monday (July 20) ... at least we hope so," Natasha said, a prediction that dovetailed with what we had heard reported in the media.

What is less clear is how soon the limitations on how much cash locals can withdraw from ATMs will be lifted, although, as we had experienced on the other islands, we visitors had no trouble withdrawing money.

My daughter and I were less successful in using our credit cards in the Plaka shopping district, however, with shopkeepers apologetically explaining that there were taxation issues that prevented them from accepting plastic. They were willing to accept dollars, however, and because of the favorable exchange rate, the prices were attractive.

Curious about how the crisis had affected the operations of Celestyal Cruises, with whom we had been sailing all week, Nicholas Filippidis, director of product development for North America, said, "We haven't seen any cancellations, and we are seeing new bookings at a fast pace. We anticipated that we would have a 25% increase this year, but it looks like it will be more."

As to whether the company experienced issues obtaining supplies, like fuel or food, he said the vessels have other supply destinations, including Turkey and Cyprus, and that none of the cruise line's money is tied up in Greek banks.

Meanwhile, the embattled prime minister's attention was diverted from the financial crisis to an eruption of several fires on the outskirts of Athens on Friday, exacerbated by strong winds and hot summer temperatures.

The fires were severe enough that we were able to see the smoke from the Acropolis, but as of Friday evening there were no service disruptions within the city itself.

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