As our story in the March issue of National Geographic shows, the modern, high-profile clash across the width of Europe of the two great cities of Berlin and Athens, and everything they represent, can sometimes look like an exercise in elite realpolitik—​the maneuverings of politicians dealing with the backwash of high finance and the grand strategy of European unification.

But at a human level, it can also bring subtle pressures to bear. Irini Paicos's Greek family has been living in Germany, in Berlin, for generations, and she and her husband, Sterios Anastasiadis, a corporate lawyer, continue to divide their time between their northern and southern homes.

From their Greek home, in the center of Athens, Irini talks about how her family's