65. Stopover in Athens

In winter there are less ferry from Piraeus to Paros and the one in the early morning doesn’t connect with the arrival of my plane. I have to stop over in Athens. Before leaving Austria I learn that a 48 hour ferry strike is scheduled to start the day of my arrival. Luckily I can book a very nice hotel called Attalos right in the center and near Plaka, the old town.

My hotel is located near Monastiraki Metro station, a traffic hub with lines going to the airport as well as to Piraeus harbor. It’s a very lifely place because it is the entrance to the Plaka, to the Flea Market and the roads leading up to the Acropolis.

My room in the Attalos hotel is on the top floor with an incredible view over Athens and the Acropolis. It also boasts a restaurant at the very top from where I can take those pictures while sipping a cold Mythos beer.

On the first day I can only look at these ancient ruins due to arriving rather late. On the second day, however, I take an evening stroll thru the Plaka and up to the Acropolis. I walk up to the famous Odeon of Herodes Atticus, said to be the birthplace of the antic Greek drama. On the way I meet a nice Frenchman, playing lovely Baroque music on his various recorders. He stands there every evening earning good money part of which he spends to feed the numerous stray cats. I think they are kind of holy on the hill of the Acropolis. I saw them being fed in many other places.

On the way back, the light and the skies are getting quite unreal. It’s like “Alpenglühen” in the mountains when the setting sun is tinting the peaks red. Looking down on the city I realize that Athens is the only metropolis I know that has no high-rises.

I also explore the Plaka which surrounds the hill. It’s touristy but in a very low keyed way [might be different in summer]. Narrow streets, nice Tavernas and street music! It’s a bit rundown but in a rather charming way. Like many old towns in Italy. Still functional but keeping the character alive that has been built up during the centuries.

On my last morning, there is this incredible cloud show in front of my hotel balcony. The heavens above Athens! With cloud formations changing by the minute.

After breakfast I explore the region toward Sytagma, a famous square where the National Assembly is located. Ermou Street connects Monastiraki with Syntagma. It is a shopping lane and pedestrian area with all the brands which make me wonder in what country exactly I have landed the shops being interchangeable. But there are still some regional distinctions like this restaurant or the local organ grinder.

And churches everywhere. I have not been in any other country with so many churches as there are in Greece. It is a distinct national characteristic. But the church in these pictures did strike me as something different. It had a different feel to it. Upon entering I found out that it was the major Russian church of Athens. It’s funny, I grew up in the Russian zone in Austria after the war and though I never learned language, I can recognize it immediately. There also was a bunch of Russian kids playing hide and seek inside the church. I liked that. One wouldn’t expect it looking at the rather austere and daunting outside.

Now I am a little cheating. These pictures are from a later visit to Athens but they fit in quite well. Again, I stay at Attalos hotel. It’s Saturday afternoon and the market is still at a full swing. It’s five minutes’ walk from the hotel up along Athina Street and another reason why I like this area. The indoor market in the old building sells fish, meat and dry goods. I buy some excellent Pastrami from a local farmer whose products are protected by this Icon where the devil seems to be under control.

But the real pleasure is the outdoor market with fruit and vegetables. The prices are quite amazing. Three Kilos of tangerines for 1 Euro is not bad. When I ask the owner who looks a little skeptical at my camera if it is ok to take photos, he says yes, but only if he is allowed to kiss me. I agree and I get a kiss on each cheek which is quite normal among men in Greece. I take it as a distinction.