Associated Press cast the spotlight on one Greek couple in New York who suddenly went penniless when the July 5 referendum was announced, causing their Greek-issued credit and debit cards to be declined. The newlyweds Valasia Limnioti and Konstantinos Patronis had been planning their dream honeymoon for over a year.
“We were hungry, and I cried for two days,” said Limnioti after they spent their last dollars on dinner at McDonalds after capital controls were imposed on Greek bank accounts. “I felt homeless in New York.”
They reached out to the Greek consulate and the Greek church where they were given survival cash.
Back in Greece, the couple’s worries aren’t over. Limnioti, 36, is unemployed after the small business she worked for failed. Her husband, aged 39, is a helicopter engineer for the Greek military.