Athens, Greece - September 2007

Athens Recap'

The Good

• The Acropolis at sunset
• Eating my first souvlaki and sampling home cooked food
• Airconditionned public transport (Ken, my man...learn from this will you!)
• Discovering frappe
• Meeting old friends and talking till late
• Living at night

The Not So Good

• The pollution and the traffic
• Taxi drivers (excuse me but queuing would make it a lot easier!)
• The mushrooming of American restaurants which are supposedly trendy (?)
• It's not all that cheap (how can you live on 800 Eur a month when a drink costs 7 Eur?)
  
• The heat (near 30 C in September!) - one could argue that one!

Athens, Greece September 2007

I arrived in Athens at 2h30 in the morning, having spent 4 hours dreaming about the men's Greek volleyball team which so happened to be seated around me on the plane. My introduction to Greece couldn't not have been better. That was until I heard my name on the speaker phone as I was waiting for my luggage. Never a good sign.

I was lucky enough to be staying with a friend in Piraeus for the length of my stay. There is no better way to discover a country than by staying with a local. Piraeus is the largest port in Europe and is situated just outside the city of Athens. It is a working class neighborhood where (I have been told) a lot of displaced Greeks, resulting from the 1923 Lausanne Treaty moved to following their expulsion from Turkey. For what it lacked in grandeur and sophistication it more than made up for with character and soul. One night, M took me out to the BEST hole in the wall fish taverna in Pireus. We ate like queens, feasted on giant gambas, fish, greek salad and white wine for less than 30 Euros. We were surrounded by local people and roaming dogs looking for food. It was a truly enjoyable experience both in its simplicity and genuine good food.

The next days were spent exploring the city. Athens is a sprawling city with over 4 million habitants. Most of the architecture is concrete based, with an odd mixture of old and new. The result can be eyesore. But there are a few gems. The old Turkish district ("Plaka") remains charming and authentic. It's amazing to know that this little neighbourhood lies in the center of the city.

"Plaka", Athens

I couldn't miss the opportunity to see the Acropolis. Although the ant-like formation of tourists that sprawled around this memorable monument did make me think twice before doing the "tourist thing". But I gave in agreeing that "it had to be done!".