×
×
homepage logo
LOGIN
SUBSCRIBE

Greek newlyweds stranded in NYC

By Staff | Jul 5, 2015

Newlyweds Valasia Limnioti and Kon­stantinos Patronis’ long-planned "dream trip" to the U.S. ended in New York City, where their three-week honeymoon quickly turned into a nightmare: Their Greek-issued credit and debit cards were sud­denly declined and they were left penniless.

"We were hungry, and I cried for two days," Limnioti said. "I felt homeless in New York."

The couple skipped a few meals before spending their last dollars on dinner at McDonald’s. Strangers from two Greek Ortho­dox churches in the city’s Queens borough came to the rescue, giv­ing them survival cash until their flight home to Greece on Friday.

The couple’s U.S. adventure started after their June 6 wed­ding in Volos, Greece, a port city several hours north of Athens.

Their coast-to-coast U.S. trip that took in Los Angeles and a Caribbean cruise "was the dream trip of our lives," Limnioti said.

They had saved for a whole year to pre-pay for flights and hotels, with enough cash left for both necessities and pleasures. Two Greek banks issued them cards before the trip – a Visa credit card and a debit card. In Greece, they generally pay in cash, which is preferred by busi­nesses, but they were told to have cards for the U.S.

"Everything was all right – then ‘boom!’ in New York," Limnioti said.

Their midtown Manhattan hotel asked them to pay a $45 sur­charge. That’s when their cards bounced. They paid with their dwindling funds.

Within days, the couple ran out of cash and "we couldn’t with­draw any money – zero," Limnioti said.

On Tuesday, in despair, they reached out to the Greek Ortho­dox Archdiocese of New York, which contacted the churches in Queens’ Astoria neighborhood.

The honeymooners were offered about $350 from the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox church and an­other nearby one, St. Irene Chrysovalantou.

"I said to them, ‘Don’t worry, that’s why we’re here,’ " said the Rev. Vasil­lios Louros of St. Deme­trios. "This is the church of Christ, and we always help people."

The money was with­drawn from the church’s bank account, "and that was it," he said.

In addition, an undis­closed amount came from a New York-based Greek journalist who hails from Volos.

The couple insisted they’d pay back the money but were told it was a gift, said Limnioti, speaking on her cellphone Wednesday from the American Mu­seum of Natural History.

She said relatives in Greece told them other Greeks abroad also were left penniless, including some patients in U.S. hos­pitals who cannot pay for medical care.

She said she’s speaking out "because we Greeks are a proud people, and I want the world to know that we are not in this situ­ation because we’re lazy or did something wrong."

Their financial woes won’t be over once they get home.

With banks closed, Greece faces a deep financial crisis. Greeks will vote Sunday in a referendum on whether to back more spending cuts, more tax increases and more negotiations with European creditors. A re­jection of such draconian measures could trigger a Greek exit from the Eurozone.

Limnioti, 36, is unem­ployed after the small business for which she worked failed. Her 39-year-old husband still has his job as a helicopter engineer for the Greek military.

But in every sense, the couple’s honeymoon is over, with a financial sword of Damocles looming over their country.

"There are only three things saving us now: our families, our friends and our God," Limnioti said.

Newsletter

Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.

Interests
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *