Greece, Battered a Decade Ago, Is Booming - The New York Times

It is one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies, and while investors and tourists are flocking to the country, memories of austerity measures are still fresh for Greeks. By Liz Alderman Liz Alderman, who writes about economics, reported from Athens. She has widely covered Europe’s financial crisis and the aftermath. Paris Skouros pointed toward the sky outside his office in Athens on a recent weekday. In the past six months, four high-rises had sprung up, built by Greek and international builders to be sold for use as tourist rentals, foreign real estate investments and company offices. Farther afield, a fresh crop of new buildings dotted the horizon. Greece’s financial crisis almost ruined his firm, Skouros & Sons, an elevator company. Years of harsh austerity measures imposed by international bailouts had been wrenching, Mr. Skouros said, as new construction ground to a standstill. But now an economic recovery has barreled in. “During the crisis, we just wanted to survive,” Mr. Skour

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