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Anti-war protests have filled Greek streets and plazas over the past few days. Protests became a regular event outside of both United States and British embassies. While the largest protests have been in Athens and Thessaloniki, many Greek cities saw protests of varying sizes.

Greece is adamantly against the war in Iraq, but the possibility of Turkish incursions into Iraq is concerning some politicians, particularly after recent setbacks in the Cyprus unification talks.

What's the Effect on Travel: If you have business at the embassies, call ahead. Normal operating hours may be interrupted. The website for the United States embassy in Athens is www.usembassy.gr. It is located at 91 Vasilissis Sophias Avenue, Athens 10160, Greece, Telephone: 30-210-721-2951. The phone number from abroad is 30-210-721-2951; in Athens, drop the 30.

There is also a consulate office in Thessaloniki: American Consulate General 43 Tsimiski , 7th Floor GR-54623 Thessaloniki E-mail : amcongen@compulink.gr Web : http://www.usconsulate.gr American Consulate General Tel : 003 2310 242 905,6,7 Fax : 003 2310 242 927 Public Affairs Fax : 003 2310 242 910

In many cases, larger demonstrations will be announced well beforehand. Your hotel may be able to tell you what areas to avoid. In Athens, virtually every protest involves Syntagma Square.

Why Is Greece So Anti-War?There are many factors for this, as there are worldwide, but Greece's recent history provides several reasons specific to Greece. During the Cold War, in an apparent effort to keep Communist influences out of Greece, the United States backed "the Colonels" whose repressive regime led to the November 17th massacre of protesting students in Athens, as well as many other abuses. Although Greek and Turkish relations have improved in recent years, the Cyprus problem still looms between the two countries, and Greece is uneasy over the prospect of increasingly close US-Turkish ties. As Greece celebrates its Independence Day March 25th, when Greek patriots finally won freedom from the Ottoman Empire based in Turkey, these feelings are underscored. A Tip for the Wise Traveler:

In Greece, politics (and many other things!) are routinely debated much more vigorously than they usually are in the US. Bear this in mind before deciding the Greeks at the next table are genuinely angry at you. The majority of Greeks have Greek-American relatives and are warm to American travelers even while eschewing American policies.