A city to either hate or love: ATHENS

Athens is a crazy city, full of contrasts: new and old, modern and old-fashioned, decay and renovation. It's hectic, it's loud, it's dirty, and, at the same time, highly creative, interesting and fascinating. Despite of the many economical and political crises in the last years, the city is always coming back. 

On the right photo we were approaching Piraeus, the harbor town of Athens on the coast. Later, we took the streetcar to the Starvros Niarchos Cultural Center (top below), to the beaches and to Piraeus. The harbor town is still another world, ranking #4 among Greek cities on its own.

 

It's an exhausting, wearing-out, tiring city - due to the traffic, the condition of the pavement, the hills to climb. In the course of the six days we've visited, we walked almost 90 km (56 mi) and used the modern subway and streetcar extensively as well. 

Above: Exarchia and some old stores,,,

What's interesting to us is not so much the Plaka - old town - with the Acropolis (which we visited again, of course, alone because of the views being offered!) and other archeological sites anymore. We rather checked out the new up & coming neighborhoods with a high creative potential. As students of archeology we've spent hours (or days?) in each museum and on each excavation. 

Parthenon and Theater of Dionyssos above

On the Northern slope of the Acropolis is Anafiotia (photos below), sort of an "illegal" settlement by Cycladic workers in the middle of the 19th century. Though at the edge of the touristic Plaka, it has it's own decadent flair:

 

Above: Plaka at night & Koulouri vendor 

Some of the neighborhoods to watch are Metaxourgio, Psirri, Thissio or Neos Kosmos, Mets and Pangrati. The murals there are just fantastic, and, also, more and more new fancy stores, restaurants, cafés and bars are evolving. Same for hotels: the old, shabby (though cheap) hotels are past, now there are (still affordable) new boutique hotels and apartments, a far cry from your usual standard hotel. 

Metaxourgio - Mural & our fav restaurant, Seychelles

Psirri (above) and Thissio (below) - murals

One of our favorite neighborhoods is the area around the huge central market, a big hall for fish and meat and many stands selling veggies, fruit and olives outside, plus stores for all kinds of dried goods, nuts, honey, but also for household items, garden accessoires, etc. 

 

Souvlaki in Metaxourgio (left) and Noctua Beer in Gazi Souvlaki - the "national snack"

 
For museums: Of course, we re-visited the Archeological Museum, one place where we spent more time than at any other place in Athens to study the sculptures especially. A copy of the Venus type I wrote my dissertation about, was also waiting to see me again. 

The new Goulandris Museum for modern/contemporary art was a highlight and always a good choice is the new Acropolis Museum.

Goulandris museum (left) and Onassis Cultural Center (right). For the first time we visited the Athens Cemetery with famous Heinrich Schliemann's gravesite, or, rather "temple" (below).

Two main squares of Athens are Platia Omonia and Syntagma. That's also, where the Parliament is located and where the famous change of guards takes place. On both squares Christmas trees were set up:

Not far from the squares spreads the spectacular market area, with its Central Market Hall in the center, surrounded by vendors and little shops. Each Sunday there is a large flea market in Monastiraki (below).

 

And, eventually, here is some more "artwork" of all kinds plus some "still life":

 

Old and new ,,, farewell to Athens!