Officially it was all smiles. Under azure blue skies Greece looked good. It has just borrowed successfully from foreign investors for the first time in four years. And the economics are certainly more encouraging than they were 18 months ago when the German chancellor last dared venture this far south.
This was the story she wanted to focus on as she met Greek entrepreneurs and the man who did much to implement her vision of economic rigour, which Greece had to adopt to stop the eurozone falling apart: prime minister Antonis Samaras. "I firmly believe that after a very, very tough phase, this country harbours boundless possibilities still to be exploited," Merkel told the businessmen.
It was all a far cry from October 2012, when riot police clashed with protesters who compared her to Hitler. This time there were no "Get out Merkel" signs or demonstrators dressed in Nazi garb, or thousands denouncing the "mother of austerity" because Greece's fragile governing coalition, in its determination to welcome the leader, banned public gatherings – at least in Syntagma square – from taking place.
An attempt by trade unionists, leftists and state sector workers to demonstrate against policies that have ruined much of the country's middle class was kept in check by a security cordon around the capital. During her seven-hour stay – a visit that took place against the background of a bomb attack outside the Bank of Greece – 5,000 heavily armed police officers kept watch over the city centre.
That Athens is no longer hostile territory for Merkel cannot be denied – even if polls show the vast majority of Greeks still have a "negative view" of her.
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