Today was a self-discovery walking tour day starting from our hotel. It wasn't about shopping, or listening to a guide. It was about taking our surroundings in and getting oriented.
We like to stay in hotels located city center to rely on walking as much as possible. Often city centers, wherever we have been, are fairly metropolitan, meaning there is no distinct culture standing out. This is true for Athens without a doubt. They largely speak English in the shops and eateries. Although, along the streets we mostly hear Greek being spoken around us. Crowded, very crowded. Motorcycles will come onto the sidewalk without warning to cut forward in the narrow cobblestone stopped traffic lanes. Most places we went into played American Christmas music and there were posters of 1980s rock bands pasted on the outsides of shops. They have Korean BBQ, Starbucks, Adidas, Toys R Us (I know, right?), Foot Locker, and fusion eateries like Grexico Burrito Tacos. There were no blaring ads for gyros or falafels. We have yet to see baklava anywhere.
So, what makes up the essence of Athens? Ruins. Lukemada. Olives. Ouzo. Feral cats.
The streets are well over crowded. There is a New York vibe within a Russian-esque atmosphere. They seem to be working hard to cater to tourists, especially American tourists. I wouldn't say the workers are happy about it though. There is skepticism and negativity seeping outward from what seems like an unnatural form of hospitality. I had hoped for a confidence in the collective culture that would exude pride in their rich history and traditions. Instead, upon first glance, the culture seems like a private club where outsiders are not welcome. I imagine Greece has long been suffering and what I feel coming off the streets is the weight of a depressed economy trying to hold onto their identity amidst waves of various immigration into their country.
Side Note: Traveling with pseudo-adults (aka teenagers) means zero phallic symbols, sexual references, nude postcards went by without comment. And Greeks are not ashamed of human sexuality, so there is an abundance of fodder for them.
I'm learning that teens are only pretending to be innocent.
Ruins are a large part of the Athens identity. The Acropolis/Parthenon looms ever in the distance as if keeping watch over the city. Ruins spring up between buildings, alongside train tracks, tucked unassumingly along walkways with very little fanfare. One such fenced up area had a placard explaining the location's significance and how the only funding coming in to keep up its care was coming from private American sources. The feral cats and graffiti were more of a spectacle than the ruins themselves. It is possible that American sponsored spot (not captured by photo due to hands full with gelato) will one day be fully excavated in order to capitalize on the city's passion for it's growing shopping district filled with largely American interests. Other areas with ruins collect fees to walk amongst them like the ancient library we stumbled upon, pictured below.
Feral cats rule Athens. They seem to keep watch over the ruins. They probably serve a dual purpose of rodent control. They are abundant but not seemingly a nuisance (if they were the Greeks may pay more attention to them). They are just always there giving tourists something to muse about.
During the day, the street vendors are abound with redundancies. The stores are packed with Greek bargain hunters. And the outdoor cafes are overstuffed. We woke too late for a formal lunch, and instead took part in a pizza snack and gelato hour (which happens to be all waking hours of the day). There were as many ice cream/gelato shops in a 4 block radius as Starbucks, McDonald's or gas stations in America. These were our first food experiences in Greece.
Travel Note: The weather is much like Corona, CA in winter. About 55 degrees. Shorts are manageable during the day for the warm blooded members of your group.
And if you walk past the city square enough, at least one child will ascend the graffiti laden structual art, which seems popular to do amongst the teens meandering through here (purell hand wipes are essential after this, be prepared):
If you squint you can see the Acropolis high on the hill in the background.
Travel Note: Starbucks seems to be the only public WC and in there you will find an escalator leading to Best Buy, first stop and pose with the statue at the foot of the escalator, and then realize it's not the same kind of Best Buy as in the states, then move on.
Our dinner was identified by James on Yelp. We get there with two families waiting outside the outdoor seating area. Twenty minutes pass before the now growing crowd is greeted by the madame manager. Every 15 minutes a group is seated while the others stand outside the patio watching those before them sit, order, eat, leave. Every seating comes with bread, olives, and a shot of Ouzo for each adult. Ouzo is an interesting choice for cleansing the pallet and stripping the throat, leaving a rawness the food later seems to heal. It's an unapologetic Greek experience we were grateful for at the end of a long day searching for the essence of Greece.
Enthusiasm restored, we went searching for desserts to bring back to the hotel room. Fischer stayed behind at the hotel, where we made a pit stop, not interested in walking any further. Meanwhile, we made our way to Lukemades, a hip eatery specializing in a traditional dessert of the same name that has a history dating back before the time of Aristotle and the Olympics (in the states we have been lucky to have access to a Greek burger joint that gives out Lukemades with orders, but here in Greece they are so much better from the proverbial source).
Tomorrow we look forward to spending time outside the city center to get a better understanding of the historical aspects of greater Athens from a tour guide. Antio! (Goodbye)
