THE THOMS SUNDAY TRAVEL SECTION
Athens Greece gets a lot of bad press and usually from travel people who should know better.
I love Athens.
As I write this, friends are in Greece sharing photos with me, and I am so there with them.
Do I ever tire of seeing the Acropolis?
You know what? I don’t. I do not climb up to the top every time I am in the city. But you can’t escape seeing it.
You can see it from just about anywhere.
And it looks different throughout the day.
No, I do not tire looking at it.
Is There Anything to Do?
So what do I do if I’m not climbing the Acropolis?
There are some great museums.
The Archeological Museum has one of the best collections of ancient sculptures and artifacts in Europe. It and the Acropolis Museum I consider world-class museums.
The Benaki Museum is in the family house near Syntagma Square. Here they have Greek works of art from numerous centuries. The collection has become so large that the rest of the pieces are in seven other locations around town.
And there are museums for Cycladic art, Byzantine art, jewelry, folk music, and a numismatic museum. So museums can keep you busy until you cannot fit another fact in your head.
But something I like to do in Athens, and every other village, town, or city I visit, is lose myself. On purpose.
I scope the place out first and know what areas I do not want to get in. But those are about my only boundaries.
Then I go for an Athens walk.
Sometimes I stand in the middle of the square. Not going left, not going right. I just let the city take me.
Why would I do such a thing? Come, let me show you.
Walking Athens.
In Athens, I often start near Syntagma Square.
I could go east, look at Embassy Row, the Benaki Museum, and the upscale neighborhood behind them.
Or south through what were the royal gardens and are now open to one and all. The Olympic Stadium and the massive Temple of Zeus are this way.
North would take me towards the National Library. I would be passing museums to a bank, history, the city, and Greek costumes along the way.
But today, I’m heading for the Plaka, the oldest part of town above ground.
First, let’s see the older parts underground.
In a brilliant move, while they were excavating for the subway line, the city has an idea. They put an intelligent display in the new subway station.
Behind the glass, you can see the many layers of Athens, starting with the most recent at the top.
As your eyes travel down, you see where Athens sat during the Byzantine times. Below that the Roman, then ancient Greek, and finally prehistoric Athens when the area was a necropolis. Around the 11th-century B.C., this area would have been outside the city walls.
Not everything is in its original place, but the depth from the top is accurate. It is fascinating to see how the city keeps building upon itself. Some of the 30,000+ items they uncover are now in displays around the station. The best part? This section of the station is free.
Outside the station, hiding in the corner of the park is part of an ancient Roman aqueduct. Before you get too excited, it is pieces of terracotta pipe. No fancy Roman arches two or three levels high. Still interesting to think its from 600 B.C. or earlier.
And We Are Walking.
From Syntagma Square, all roads on the west side lead to the Plaka. Which one do I choose? it depends on if I am looking for sweet or savory. WHAT?
If I take the street on the right, there is a little chocolate shop that makes their caramels.
A block of the square on the left is a little grocery that still roasts coffee and nuts. In this case, pistachio nuts from the island of Aegina. I am not a fan of nuts. It’s not an allergy; I don’t like them. Possibly a texture thing. Every time I am in Athen’s (or Aegina), I am eating these pistachios.
With substance in hand, I set off on my mighty adventure.
I take it upon myself to taste test some of the few older cafes and tavernas along the way.
Architecture on My Athens Walk
Along the way, I may see more examples of Athens building around or above other structures.
There’s something from the Byzantine period. That seems to have a Middle East flare to it.
That has to be from the 1800s and look at the garden.
There are some, and I will say it, ugly buildings from the 1950s – 1980s. This period was a time when cement was plentiful and cheap, and there was a demand for housing.
Can we look past the cement and see the other structures?
And then there are those darn Greek and Roman ruins.
You can’t swing a gyro without hitting something thousands of years old.
The “kewl” thing about many of these sites is that tourists have no idea they exist.
The locals pass them every day on their way to the store or to meet friends for coffee.
So that leaves the whole place to me.
A few have admissions, but many are free.
A Day in The Life
The city market is in the Plaka.
There is a section for fish, produce, and across the street meat and cheeses. Yes, people still shop here.
There are a few tables and chairs where you can eat, but I like to nibble while I navigate.
Neighborhoods on my Athens Walk
If I get near the Acropolis, I may explore the charming community of Anafiotika, hiding in plain sight.
Between the Plaka and the Acropolis, this maze of streets and stairways contains charming tavernas, homes. And a whole new perspective of the Acropolis.
Or I go west and walk through the Agora where I always see something that “wasn’t there the last time”. It has only been there for 3000+ years.
A five-minute walk from the Agora entrance is Kerameikos (ce ɾa MI kos). Kéramos is Greek for pottery clay.
See any English words for pottery that might come from that?
This area, which was outside the city walls, was where the potters would work.
But there is much more. It also contains a part of the Themistoclean Wall, (478 B.C.) You can see the ruins of two city gates, the Dipylon and Sacred Gate. The Pompey, (500 B.C.) was a building for preparing sacred celebrations, and there are burial monuments of wealthy Athenians. Also, there is an archeological museum just for the site.
I cannot tell you why the Greeks built so many ruins, but they are fascinating and plentiful in Athens.
Walk from Hadrians Arch to Syntagma square on the sidewalk on the right (east) side of the street. You’ll trip over a small section of a Roman bath.
At The End of an Athens Walk
There are numerous places to grab something local and refreshing to drink.
Maybe it’s the oldest bar in Athens.
Maybe some Greek meze (appetizers) to balance my significant loss of electrolytes on this strenuous Athens walk. It could happen, why take chances? Then I sit back and reminisce.
No two Athen walks are ever the same.
Can you start to see why Athens is such a great town?
Visit the Acropolis, and Parthenon and the great museums. But save one day for losing yourself.
Will you join me for an Athens walk?
Read more about Athens.
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“Do you ever wish you were somewhere else, walking down a strange new street? Where would you like to get lost?”
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“Rouen France” Continued on Page T3 “Taste Crete” Continued on T11