One of my opinions has 54,000 non-member reads. For the life of me I can't think why.......the title...
One of my opinions has 54,000 non-member reads. For the life of me I can't think why.......the title maybe?
Member since:08.10.2000
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I'd been to Athens before, but not since 1973 so I was fully expecting a lot of changes, and to a greater extent I was right.
For example, I was probably amongst the last tourists to be allowed full access to wander all over the famous Parthenon on the Acropolis hill. Since then it has been fenced off and variously concealed behind one piece of scaffolding or another, and is rumoured to stay that way for decades.
I remember that summer of '73 with some trepidation - it was damned hot to be in a city and the traffic was truly awful, with blue fumes from two-stroke 'pop-pops' everywhere.
Since then, cars have got a lot cleaner, but regrettably more numerous. Of course, going there in the October half-term holiday helps with the air-quality too!
WHERE IS IT?
It's the capital of Greece and lies in the province of Attica along with its seafront neighbour, Piraeus, the gap between them having 'healed up' since I was there last, and the metro takes 20 minutes from central Athens to the port area of Piraeus. Getting to Athens from southern England takes anywhere between 3.5 to 4.0 hours depending on flying conditions, so there's a hint of the 'long haul' to the flight, complete with movies. Greece has never been 'big' on railways so it would be a real labour of love to get there by train.
The newer Athens International Airport is a lot slicker than the old Kalamaki on the coast, but its new location feels a long way from town (more like London to Gatwick) as even our unhindered return taxi ride took 40 minutes. Fortunately, the outer tendrils of the Metro and a new Airport Express line connect you to the centre, the latter running down the centre of the motorway for several kilometres.
THINGS TO DO
Acropolis
- Probably the most famous and obvious of Athens' antiquities, is the Acropolis (high city), famous for its Doric temple, The Parthenon, which as I said before is no longer available for scrambling all over. It does indeed seem that there will be restoration work here for years to come, so getting a shot without some modern day machine in the picture can be tricky. Of course, the Acropolis hill isn't just all about The Parthenon. For a start, there are The Caryatids, that line of classical ladies holding a roof up with their heads, as if still waiting for their husbands to come back from a tool hire shop with Acro-Jacks and RSJs.
As you can see, I don't take my culture too seriously.
If you want to see a much more intact Doric temple, that didn't get half blown apart when in use as a gunpowder store, get off the Metro at Thission and pay 4€ to enter the old Agora (market area). If nothing else there's a magnificent view of the Acropolis from here, and hardly a crane in sight! The temple is in quiet gardens, the tranquillity of which is only broken by a whistle blowing, followed by
'Come out of there!' in English every time someone strays onto something they shouldn't. This is remarkably easy to do, as it's not obvious where you shouldn't be treading sometimes. It's a curious sight to see a modern metro train snaking its way to Piraeus past the structure.
Of course, the 2004 Olympics put Athens back into everyone's consciousness, but if you don't want to trek out to the new Stadium area to marvel at new buildings, why not visit the 'old' stadium, host to the first Olympics of the 'modern' era, i.e. 1896? This is a slim horseshoe shape of a building, designed mainly for the 100 yards dash and throwing things from the blunt to the sharp. Nonetheless, it seems to fit better in its central location, and 100-odd years of Athenian traffic pollution have toned it in nicely.
If it's a view over the city you want, forget the Acropolis, it's not that high, but Mount Lycabettus is. Fortunately, there's a 'funny-cular' railway to the top, although the 30 minute wait is not so funny. I always like my cable cars, and in particular my cables to look reassuringly new, and this one doesn't disappoint, although one slight let down is that it's in tunnel all the way up.
At the top, there's a small church, a restaurant with 'views over the city' prices and a café. The view from here is much more dramatic, and even looks down on The Acropolis which is not that far away. Be prepared for a lot of steps though - even getting to the base station of the cable car involves several (and I do mean several) flights of stairs from the main street at Vassilissis Sofias (Metro stop - Evangelismos).
Since Athens is a largely 'low-rise' city, the view appears to be an even carpet of mostly white buildings with the streets dividing them up. Detaching yourself for a moment, it's alarming to consider all that infrastructure down below, water mains, phone lines, sewers, electricity supplies and to muse on their fragility compared to how much they are depended on..
Another tourist magnet is the Guard ceremony outside the Parliament Building, famous for its Evzones, the Greek guards with pom-poms on their shoes and a nice line in ballet tutus. Under no circumstances cast aspersions. This would be tantamount to calling the SAS a bunch of nancy-boys in a Herefordpub and you do so at your own risk. Some of the assembled crowd are Greeks don't forget.
The Archeological Museum is well worth a visit and this can be found on 28th October Street, which runs parallel to 3rd SeptemberAvenue. Whatever happened to the 7 weeks in between is anyone's guess (yes, I'm joking). The museum deals with all the eras of civilisation to have been found in the current Greek domain, not just the bits we were told about at school whilst 'doing the ancient Greeks'. Keep hands and elbows off anything that looks remotely like it needs polishing otherwise you'll get told off you naughty person. Outside the museum is as good a spot as any to catch the sight-seeing tour bus of which I'll speak later.
We also went to The National War Museum, also near Evangelismos metro station but were perplexed by the sight of pre-school children being dragged around in groups, although they did at least find the caricatures of Hitler and Mussolini funny. What else they made of it is anyone's guess.
The museum is free entry and on about four galleried floor. We started at the top and worked down. The most alarming aspect was the decided 'anti-Turkish', and in the Cypriot Room, 'anti-British' tone of the displays, which given the new age of 'all being Europeans' was disappointing. They say it's the victors that get to write history, but now I'm not so sure.
I'm not quite sure why the National Greek War Museum sees fit to have an annexe dedicated to Cyprus, a separate sovereign state - how would it be if a US museum had an annexe for Britain?
If you've time, I'd also recommend a visit to the port area in Piraeus. There's a real buzz to the place when you get there, and it still feels very 'Greek' as opposed to cosmopolitan. If you find the bustle too daunting take a trolley bus (yes, them!) to Microlimano (Little Port) for a quiet waterside lunch. You really do need to go into an eatery as there's no public waterfront promenade - it's all bagged by restaurants.
If general meanderings are your forté, the Plaka district, reputed to be the oldest part of the city is still very picturesque, having been largely pedestrianised. Yes, it's full of browsing tourists these days, but since you are one, you can't really complain.
Predictably, easting out here involves saying 'no thank you' a thousand times as various waiters try to entice you in. Of course, being October at the time, waiters outnumber tourists so this may not be such a problem when the place is heaving. Be suspicious as many such places are not that good, and I make a rule never to go into anywhere that has fading colour photos of dishes. However one or two, notably Byzantino gets a lot of local custom too, with prompt if a little brusque service.
Whilst on the subject of food, I have never, ever, had to complain about tepid Greek food, which so many travellers hold up as a shining example as to why they stick to chicken and chips instead of that 'oily foreign stuff'. They are missing so much.
Wander too far in The Plaka and you'll find yourself in Monastiraki instead - there's nothing wrong with that. This is an equally pleasant area for strollers. Do bear in mind that everything and everywhere I'm talking about could be made unbearable by the heat if you visit in high summer.
One restaurant (Baďraktaris) we frequented about 4 times there, had pictures of the owner with a selection of famous and worthy Greeks, although Prince Philip isn't among them, innit?
I was somewhat puzzled to be ushered inside most places, instead of being seated outside, but it soon becomes apparent why. Those sat nearest the thoroughfare are pestered constantly with a barrage of 'iffy-looking' items for sale. I had to smile - last year it was sports socks, this year, it's headbands with an LED headlamp. Just what you need when eating by candle light, and wow, what a fashion statement, especially for fans attending a retrospective of Torchy, The Battery Boy!
Wandering around Monastiraki at night is fine, if you keep your money where you can feel it, and you'll be rewarded with the most staggeringly-beautiful view of The Acropolis, flood-lit from below.
Probably our most memorable meal was at a side street café in central Athens which we had previously read about, and then not realised we'd stumbled upon. (BarbaYannis - Emmanouil Benaki Street).
It had plenty of authentic Greek atmosphere, i.e. no ambience, fluorescent lights, a high ceiling and a radio commentary on the latest match! We sat down and waited a while until it dawned on us that this was the place with no menu. Just as this thought process was sinking in, over came the waiter - "You want eat, you come now", ushering us over to the 'fish and chip shop' fitments.
This is where some knowledge of Greek, in particular food items came in handy.
Pointing to the meatballs and saying 'Έιναι
Pictures of Athens in general
Athens From Mt Lycabettus
κεφτeδeζ; ;" (Einai keftedes - Are those meat balls?) helps, otherwise you'll have to decycpher such delights as 'lamp chopes' or 'Tsikken oven-stylee' as described by the cook. Note - the Greek question mark looks like our semi-colon. Being armed with the vocabulary that comes with 20 years of frequenting Angelo and Maria's Greek restaurant in Ealing was finally paying off! Well, it must have worked because we got what we asked for! Wine was straight from a barrel on the bar, and served in aluminium half-litre beakers. Don't ask for types of wine, unless you meant "is it red or white?"
If you fancy making use of the bucket and spade, take a modern tram from Syntagma Square to the resort of Glyfadha. I went there 30 years ago, and although already a resort, I could only get my bearings by the one remaining old building, a church. The locals love the place and aspire to live there, but once you've seen one row of 'prestige' shops, United Colours Of Benneton, Lacoste etc. you've seen them all. As with all such places, malls etc, you begin to wonder where the locals actually get to buy anything useful that isn't a fashion item or shoes.
I obviously can't do full justice to a tour guide of Athens as I was only there for four whole days, but even so, we packed a lot in, both via the eyes and mouth, it has to be said!
GETTING AROUND
Much of Athens' infrastructure got a real shot in the arm from the 2004 Olympics and for a city with such good public transport, it's perplexing to see Athenians clinging to their bloody cars in such huge numbers. The Metro consists of three colour-coded lines and is very easy to navigate. The trains are larger than London's actual deep level 'tube' cars; more like the District Line. It's clean, spacious, uncluttered by advertising and not too stuffy. Station names are also 'westernised' so that for example, Μονaστιράκι is sub-titled Monastiraki. Oh joy of joys (not) - mobiles work down there! However, the Hellenic equivalent of "Hallo! I'm on the train!" isn't half so annoying when you can't follow it.
A visit to certain of the Metro stations is like a visit to an archaeological museum. Wherever the excavators came across a site of historic importance, they've done their best to incorporate the findings into the structure of the station, hence at Monostiraki, you'll find a Roman conduit exposed with a raised walkway for you to inspect more closely without touching. They say today's cities are built on the rubble of yesterday's and at Evangelismos station, there's complete wall of strata exposed behind plate glass showing the different levels of civilisations; Christian tombs, Roman wells, ancient water courses etc.
Yes, a ride around the Metro can be very educational, and possibly the best 3 € worth in Athens. That's all a day pass to the entire Metro, tram and bus system costs. Don't forget to have it validated on first use at a ticket barrier thought - failure to do so can lead to a fine of 60 times the flat fare and with its being so cheap, it would be churlish to try and cheat the system.
Also representing excellent value for money is a ride on the 'hop on, hop off' sightseeing bus (Route 400). This costs 5 € but includes the 3 € day pass for the rest of the system so if you make good use of it, the value for money is astounding. The only downside is that the sightseeing bus is only a normal single-decker, not the more usual open-top double-decker.
As a bit of a transport fan, it's good to see my old mate the trolley bus in full swing. Some of these are brand spanking new, so Athens' commitment to them is obvious. Some of them are a kind of hybrid, capable of operating without wires. I witnessed a trolley bus lowering its poles, right in the centre of Omonia Square, and then move away down 3rd September Avenue, to the sound of a diesel engine. Athens is yet another city to rediscover trams, and a limited network links the outskirts of Piraeus to central Athens at Syntagma Square and the seaside resort of Glyfadha. Apparently the track is a bit lumpy in places, as it was hurriedly finished in time for the Olympics, although I'd had the best part of a carafe of 'house white' when I tried it so any instability could have been down to me.
Most buses have rolling destination displays inside showing the next stop, although you do have to be able to read the Greek alphabet for this one. I can read Greek, although some, nay most of it is still "all Greek to me" after I've read it!
Getting around Athens on foot is pretty easy as with one or two notable exceptions it's not very hilly, and even then, the steepest hill (Lycabettus) has a funicular to get you to the best view over Athens. My major beef would be the state of the pavements (sidewalks) - these vary from spacious and smooth to narrow and ankle-breaking. They also serve as impromptu motor cycle parks which means stepping out into the road a lot. Athenian drivers will stop at traffic lights but don't be surprised if they are no respecters of the actual stop line - they edge forward towards pedestrians crossing in a most intimidating way. I don't recall seeing one solitary pedal cyclist in central Athens and now I know why.
I couldn't in all honesty call Athens 'disabled-friendly', although given the state of the pavements in places, it's a wonder anyone is able-bodied for long! This is especially true at night as side streets tend to be lit from overhead in the centre, so, thanks to the many parked cars, the pavements are frequently plunged into darkness by their shadow.
Thankfully, you don't seem to run a high risk of 'treading in something nasty' though. Dog-walkers don't seem to be much in evidence.
Yes, the buses 'kneel', Metro trains usually load at the exact platform height and yes, some Metro stations have lifts as well as escalators, but like London, there's no universal 'disabled-friendly' facility. You still have to 'mind the gap', as some Metro stations were built on curves in less enlightened times.
WHERE WE STAYED
Our hotel for this stay was The Art Hotel, Marni Street. This was a short walk to the central Omonia Square, and therefore close to the Metro. I've written about this separately so I won't dwell on the fact except to say that the rooms were good, if a little small, and the people were wonderful. The walk back to the hotel at night involved short one-sided conversations with a lot of young ladies standing on street corners, but there was no menace to the enterprise, which brings me to…
A SAFE PLACE?
Like anywhere prone to getting crowded, it pays to know where your wallet is, especially after dark but on the whole, Athens seems to be a largely low-crime-rate city where you can relax a bit. Unlike some cities further east, say Istambul, you're not forever being invited inside shops, and most of the leaflets being handed out are for the information of Greek-speakers.
The biggest threat to your safety would be the traffic, or rather Athenian drivers. They seem to park where they feel like it, and not with much precision either. Anywhere that isn't the obvious centre of the road will do it seems, and you can score more points by blocking the pavement entirely making pedestrians walk out and around.
From a health point of view, asthmatics may find the air quality in the city centre distressing, as my wife will confirm. Even I noticed it, as the previous week I'd been recovering from a bad cold, with only the residual cough to get rid of. Being in Athens set back my progress to being totally cough free for all the time we were there.
CONCLUSION - THE 'GOING BACK?' FACTOR
Yes, I'd go back as we really didn't see that much of what the city is famous for, but not for a while. I had hoped to find it more 'foreign' like it used to be, but TV coverage of Paula's marathon in 2004 had already disabused me of this notion, there being not one single Greek sign that wasn't also translated into English to be seen.
However, as my wife says "So many Greek islands, and so little time".
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Advantages: Centrally placed with reasonable room rates. Nice staff. Well furnished Disadvantages: Area never totally quiet - get a room at the back. No immediately obvious disabled facilities
BNibbles 28.10.2007 (30.11.2007)
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