Ancient World meets New World. Athens. Greece.
Athens is for the culturally interested traveller in the Meditterrenean probably not as hot as Rome, Venice, Barcelona or Seville.
I think that is a bit unfair. So off I went to visit Athens for the first time after more than 30 years to see where the ancient world meets the new world.
During the 5th century BC Athens prospered immensely as a City Nation, mainly through trade. There was tremendous progress in natural sciences (eg Pythagoras) as well as philosophy (Socrates, Plato) under the reign of Perikles.
This is a striking example of old and new architecture in coexistence. An old church under a five star hotel block. Probably not everybody’s darling.
Athens is said to have one of the most vivid Graffiti scenes in Europe. Even in well-off neighbourhoods you`ll find whole street blocks sprayed.
The iconic Parthenon on top of the Akopolis hill used to be the “Treasury” of 5th Centurly BC Athens. They brought the Treasury here from an island in order to have control over City finances.
This is today’s Greek Central Bank. It was at the eye of the storm of the Euro crisis in 2011.
The Amphitheatre at the foot of the Akropolis hill, that is perfectly shaped and acts as a role model to theatre architecture up until this day, held more than 10,000 spectators and performed classic Greek drama.
The Parliament building on Syntagma Square is neoclassical. The change of guards every hours is a spectacle for tourists.
Roman Agora in the middle of the Plaka (Old Town). Agora was the general market place in ancient times.
The Akropolis Museum at the bottom of the Akropolis rock is a colossal hypermodern structure with a vast forecourt.
Inside the Akropolis Museum are thousand of artefacts, sculptures, statues etc from all epoches of Greek history.
The small Museum of Ancient Greek Technology is a gem. Amazing what the Greek have invented 2,500 years ago. Here the first coin machine to get drinking water.
Or on telecommunication. They had a very sophisticated way to communicate via a complex system of fire signals.
An alarm clock purely based on hydraulic principles. They could set the alarm with up to 15 minutes accuracy.
In the Old town – The Plaka – all life is outdoors. Small alleys with stone cobbled streets, and lots of restaurants and bars.
The majestic Cathedral with its square is a mystic place especially during night.
Food plays a vital part in Greek culture. What else than olives? There are many dozens varieties of them in alls shapes, sizes and colours.
Fresh fish at the market. I love fish markets. Even more so as prices here are roughly one third from back home. Seafood paradise.
Coffee culture was brought to Greece by the various Osman invasions. They had a unique way to cook coffee: in hot sand.
Mikrolimano is the picturesque yacht marina part of the big Piraeus harbour. Many restaurants and bars are lined up along the beach, to watch the sunset is very romantic.
Incredibly delicious red shrimp tartar. Sweet, juicy, melting in your mouth. My favorite shrimp.
Dorade: crispy on the skin side, tender and juicy on the meat side. That’s how it should be at a 1* Michelin restaurant (Varoulko).
What a great view from the rooftop terrace of my hotel, Electra Metropolis. A five star hotel in the best location at an affordable price.
I was intrigued by my experiences in Athens after so many years. The mixture of vibes of modern Athens with the tranquility of silent witnesses of past glorious times is a very charming combination.