Greek Crisis Leaves Honeymooners Without Cash

A Greek couple on honeymoon in New York have been left without any money after their government shut down its country's banking system.

Newlyweds Valasia Limnioti and Konstantinos Patronis had planned a "dream trip" to America that would take them coast-to-coast to Los Angeles.

But they have ended up stranded in the Big Apple and accepting handouts.

They had pre-booked their flights and hotels and intended to use bank cards to get cash for everything else from cashpoints.

Everything was fine until their Greek-issued credit and debit cards were suddenly declined and they were left penniless.

Last Sunday, the UK Foreign Office warned that credit card processing and withdrawals from ATMs involving the Greek banking system could be limited after the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras ordered the banks to close .

They remain closed until after a referendum on Sunday when Greeks will be able to vote on whether to accept a proposed bailout to prop up their ailing economy.

Ms Limnioti said: "Everything was all right - then 'boom!' in New York.

"We couldn't withdraw any money - zero.

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

The first sign they had that there was a problem was when their Manhattan hotel asked for a $45 surcharge and they were unable to pay it using their cards.

Then, unable to get any more money, they began to run out of cash.

On Tuesday, in desperation, they reached out to the Greek Orthodox church, which was able to provide $350.

A further undisclosed amount came from a New York-based Greek journalist who comes from the same town as the couple, Volos.

It has given them just enough to survive until they fly home this weekend. They were told the money was a gift but the couple insist they will pay it back.

While grateful, they are upset that so much planning has gone to waste.

They had saved for a whole year before their 6 June wedding in their home town, a port city several hours north of Athens.

In Greece, all bank account holders have been limited to withdrawals of €60 (£42) a day, although many ATMs are said to have already run out of cash.

No one is allowed to move money out of the country.

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

She said relatives in Greece had told her other Greeks abroad have also been left without the ability to access money, including some patients in US hospitals who cannot pay for medical care.