Mark & Jen's 'Around the World' Travel & Photography Blog

It was with financial fear and trembling we set foot into Greece a few weeks ago. Coming from Turkey (where months before I had selfishly cheered Turkey’s denial into the EU, fearing I might have an early Euro encounter), the dreaded Euro was finally upon us.

I admit, I have known only a world that has wanted my dollar. How quickly times change. A few months ago, a teller at a bank in Israel mustered a smile while handing me a few shekels — “Sorry, but your currency is in the toilet.” In Egypt — begging children, starkly aware of prevailing exchange rates, chanted “Euro, Euro” as we passed. There was no mention of dollars.

Our first visit to a Greek ATM was met with disdain. The lowest withdrawal offered was 350 Euros. I tried. “Over your daily limit”, it mocked. I resigned to ‘Other’, keyed in 300, and walked away with six small, paltry Euro bills. My mind drifted back to the good times in Laos where it took twenty minutes at the money changer just to count all the dirty and decrepit notes I received.

Church on Lycavittos Hill / Parthenon at the Acropolis / Panorama of Athens from Lycavittos Hill (left: Panathinaiko Stadium; right: Acropolis)

It was to my frugal delight that upon reaching the Acropolis there was a small sign printed on the gate, “Admission Free Today”. Was this the Greek version of April Fool’s day? For the past year, anything proffered as free has always (without exception) been a con, a rip-off, or worse. As people streamed past the gates, we ducked our heads and followed, fearful someone would change his mind and we’d be out the $38 we had just saved. (Which we later spent on sandals made by the famous Athens poet-sandalmaker, who has outfitted the likes of the Beatles, Jackie Onassis, Sophia Loren, and most importantly, now — us.)

Like college students buying Mac ‘n Cheese in bulk, so we’ve been living large in Greece. Trying to press olives we found on the ground into our own olive oil (it doesn’t work, by the way), clandestinely grabbing fruit from trees (did you know orange trees have thorns?), debating between the cheap, and the really cheap crackers at the supermarket — we, along with a sparse number of other Americans we have met, have come up with all manners of trying to afford our European travels. But, somehow, when you’re booking a hostel with shared bathrooms for $83/night (Munich)… you start to think things are changing.

Athens, Greece: Temple of Hephaestus at the Ancient Agora

Skimming the headlines, it’s hard to ignore the fact that people all over the world are being affected not just by the weakening of the dollar, but also by the inflation of basic food stuffs. North Korea appears on the verge of a massive famine; mass numbers of people are adding grass and tree bark to their diet. The price of rice has risen drastically in recent months, causing families that purchase almost only rice simply to purchase less. What are you going to substitute? (Potatoes haven’t been warmly received.) Riots over food prices and shortages have broken out from Mexico to Haiti to Niger to Egypt to Bangladesh. And some argue this is only the beginning.

Traveling certainly opens one’s eyes (and wallet) to the “world out there”. While CNN clips display complaints over the rising costs of fuel in the US, often unsaid is many already pay (and have paid for some time) $8+/gallon for gasoline. (Of 141 listed countries, 72% pay more than in the US.) Almost everyone we encounter, travelers and locals alike, want to know who will win the next presidential election (as if we, as Americans, have special prophetic insight). The common theme that has emerged over the past year is that many — from Asia to Europe, from rich to poor, and from educated to uneducated — believe America to be at the center of a growing identity crisis. The question that lingers — is America oblivious to what so many others we meet take as fact?