Just wrapping up my stay in Athens and my location could not have been better. I’m literally within two short blocks of the Acropolis (pictured from my apartment), immediately south of the dominating outcrop and Parthenon temple. From my neighbourhood of Makrygianni I can walk virtually everywhere in central Athens, an area encompassing the city’s oldest neighbourhood Plaka (north of the Acropolis), Syntagma, where the Parliament is located, the vast national gardens via Hadrian’s Arch, the traditional downtown with department stores and theatres, the upscale Kolonaki shopping enclave, the university district and then west around the Acropolis itself. Slightly east is the Mets neighbourhood and the first modern era Olympic (1896) (Panathenaic) stadium recreated from an ancient one and built all in marble. I can easily walk to a voluminous number of museums, from the national art gallery, the city’s vast contemporary art museum, a jewellery museum (one block away), Benaki Museum of Greek Culture, Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments, National Archaeological Museum, Onassis Foundation (actress Tilda Swinton recently put on a one woman show) and more. You can even walk to, and then walk up or catch the funicular train, to Athens’ highest point, Lycabettus Hill.
Three blocks down my street is Filopappou Hill, where you can observe great evening sunsets looking out at Piraeus and the Saronic Gulf (photo) with ships at anchor waiting to dock. This neighbourhood, a combination of small hotels and residential apartments, has dozens if not hundreds of cafes, wine bars and restos. Indeed, the entire city is filled with places to eat, most with outdoor patios and most extremely well frequented, every day of the week. Athenians, like most Europeans, love to dine out but the vibe seems more intense here. Not only are streets chock a block with eateries, the number of patisseries and sweet shops is phenomenal, some the size of small grocery stores with every variety of torte, cake, mousse, cookie, donuts, baklava, mini pies, sweet bread, and chocolates (photo of Christmas choclates window display below). The sweets are delectable, so much one could get fat if not careful. The other great thing about central Athens is, in summer (it’s 65 F as I write Dec. 13), you can catch a tram three blocks from my apartment and take it all the way down the Attica Peninsula or “Greek Riviera.” Just spot a beach and hop off; no need for a car. And, yes, it gets HOT here in summer. Another retail quirk is a few blocks away, among innumerable leather shops, is ‘Stavros Melissinos, The Poet Sandal-Maker,’ who famously (and the store more than advertises this) made sandals for A-list celebs like The Beatles and Jackie Onassis.
Other Athens observations: There are a fair number of people (10-15 per cent), post-Covid, still wearing medical masks, especially on transit.....You don’t put toilet paper down the toilet here (the sewer system can’t handle it) but in a tight lidded trash can and empty at the end of the block in a street bin.....Like other European cities, narrow streets in the central city predominate and are largely pedestrian filled, even on the most unpleasant days (last weekend the temp dropped to the mid-50s if you can imagine). But unlike orderly and anal North American cities motorbikes are everywhere and mingle with pedestrians, and even the odd car (mostly for deliveries) makes it up “pedestrianized” streets. I can just imagine the conniptions if this occurred back home.
- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller
