They're rich in ancient history, but poor in modern money. Pam Neville writes that the home of democracy needs our help.
Everyone wanted euros. They accepted credit cards in most places, but cash was king. The banks were closed. Greek people could withdraw a maximum of 60 ($100) a day from an ATM. Some ATMs ran dry, many ran out of 10 notes, which meant the de facto maximum was only 50.
It was not a problem for tourists. With a foreign card, we could withdraw as much as we liked. Only once did I experience an empty ATM on my July visit, but the machine around the corner obliged.
On the five Greek islands I visited, the locals were uniformly smiling and welcoming, but concerned and eager to talk about Greece's economic woes. To a man and woman - whether they had voted yes or no in the referendum on the bail-out - they said, "We don't know what will happen."
Now the bail-out deal has been signed and the banks are open, albeit with severe restrictions on money transfer and withdrawals, but people are still saying the same thing.