the cuisine however is lousy.
9
I am moving my family to Athens starting the day after tomorrow. We’ve been planning this move from the time of the height of the economic collapse. The husband and child will live in a place, for nearly free, that is a step up from the overpriced tenement we occupy in New York for which we pay an absolute fortune. Granted, I will continue to work my servile job in NYC, but what is the game changer in this scenario is that my family will not be paying an astronomical rent. Sure, Athens has a lot of improving to do, but NYC has no where to go in terms of positive change when it comes to rent rates. New York is forever stuck with this curse. Athens has the ability to rise from the ashes. That’s why we will be there when it does.
34
Not so much. Kind of dumpy and had to feed way too many stray dogs.
9
I love Greek history, art, philosophy, food, and people but Athens has always seemed like an even more chaotic version of Rome so I have not ventured there...yet. I hope to go someday as well as to the islands. However, based upon what was said toward the end of the piece, Athens isn't getting raised on my priority list. The comment was made that Athens isn't like New York, London, or Paris and was negative about those three cities. Since those are three of my favorite cities in the world perhaps Athens truly isn't for me.
9
Beautiful nuanced article. Athens is indeed interesting and wildly creative, if not ‘beautiful’ in the Paris sense. There is an energy, particularly out of the historic center that is compelling. I do worry a little about the economic gains from tourism which can be a fickle blessing and can pull a culture away from its roots and from the remarkable, quirky things that make places like Athens so beguiling in the first place. It is my hope that talented Greeks who have left for work in Germany and other European capitals will return and participate in building out a durable thriving society with a sustainable range of good jobs. Thank the gods and goddesses for the creative people who hung in there and were instrumental in Athen’s re-generation.
15
This article thrilled me. I am neither young nor thin enough to enjoy the bars and hangouts described in the article but I am so happy to read that, once again, Athens has bloomed like a Spring flower.
I first arrived in Athens in late 1973, shortly after the overthrow of the US supported Junta and lived there for several years. 1974 saw a resurgence of the arts and everything creative that I've never witnessed since. As non-Greeks Greece remains in our family's blood and we return every year to a city and country that remains unique in its character and love of life.
Thank you for revealing this ever wonderful place.
25
Lovely article, beautifully written, it inspires you to travel to Greece. As one of the readers stated, thousands of citizens have lost hope in the America (mis)led by Trump, with his vitriolic attacks on immigrants and hatred for our allies. This article restores our faith in community-based enterprises and love of life. Congratulations to the young people to work together in Greece in order to create change!
19
Humanity at its best. And worst. The toxic social mentality in Greece, where so many want "the government" (read: someone else) to do things for them and "the rich" (read: someone else) to pay for them, has got to change. Disgusted Greeks have fled. I hope the the self-styled anarcho-marxists stay there and have a ball.
12
I was in Greece at the same time as the author of this article. Although I love food, jewelry, and contemporary decor, They do not add up to culture.I do not understand why this article is in a section called the cultured traveler. There is nothing about culture here. Greece is the cradle of western civilization. It is home to the Parthenon on the Acropolis probably The most important architectural construction since 500 BC P.It has a glorious ruins to prove it. It has an amzing archaeological Museum with many relics that luckily were not stolen by the other European countries that looted Greece with impunity in the 19th and 20th centuries. And it has my favorite, the Museum of Cycladic art, whose charming 4000-2500 BC figures have influenced scores if not hundreds if famous American and European artists. Plus me.
19
NYT trying too hard to be young and hip. The opening photo of the Acropolis from the Acropolis Museum was spectacular.
10
Not sure what is “hip” about crowds, unemployment, drugs, corruption, “volatility”, and uncollected garbage on the streets...pass
9
When I was young a very long time ago, if you were a beautiful young American or Australian or Englishwoman, or you were a good looking young man, then doors would open for you everywhere from London to Paris to New York. Or if you had money. Or status. Or you knew the right people.
Humans are driven by millions of years of biological evolution by sexual selection to compete with other humans for access to scant resources. Money, houses, mates, fame.
Some are more successful than others, pair off, get married, make money and babies, perhaps divorce, remarry, produce more kids — until one day, it's all over. The female human drive to reproduce evaporates almost overnight and the Bardoesque sex kitten is now a granny in her sixties with her gaze fixed on the next generation but one.
And as forever, the next bright young things replace those who were once bright and young and are now old and grey.
All I know for sure is that things are much worse today in London, Florence and Paris for young people than when I was young. Much, much worse. And Berlin has now become almost unaffordable too.
8
Wow, another myopically bright-eyed travel article serving up the idea that gentrification can save Athens, Greece, and the world. From the ashes of an economic crisis rises a new phoenix: hipster art galleries, bars and restaurants for twenty-something year olds! Vibrant indeed.
35
You really missed the soul of Athens. You missed its history.
You did, however, give a wonderful travelogue of Athens today, but through the lens of someone who can afford to see it as a playground.
Athens survived the colonels; it survived a foisted monarchy; it survived the Germans; and we can go back as far as you like. Athens, as a synecdoche of Greece, is never what Europe wants it to be, and Athens could care less. Life is just too short, and politics just too ephemeral, though it can hurt.
What makes Athens remarkable is that it never stops being Greek, despite the rest of the world expecting something else.
41
I just spent 4 days in Athens, 40 years after my last visit. While I saw some of the hip places, I mostly saw a graffiti covered city with obvious economic problems. I simply had to look at the shops where average Athenians shopped to see how poor many are. (I had just been in Thessaloniki- the difference was striking. Thessaloniki being vastly more pleasant and having much better food.)
As for the food, it is overwhelmingly mediocre. Greeks spend a lot of time in their innumerable cafes, where the food is the equivalent of what you'd get in an average bar. True restaurants are much less common. I went to one Michelin Notable with very un-notable food and another, not far from the Acropolis, with quite good food. I wouldn't think of having sushi in the average Athenian Japanese restaurant and their other Japanese items were beyond forgettable.
Whole areas are devoted to the worst tourist tat. In,was I wanted luxury goods in shops near Kolonaki, there was nothing interesting to buy and no interesting shops.
Yes, the new Acropolis museum is wonderful but, overall, I am telling friends to spend no more than 2 days in Athens.
9
Possibly two days too long. Then again, Delphi is worth the trip. Then again. as crazy as Istanbul might be it's a lot more interesting and cosmopolitan, and the people are more friendly than Athens. Then again, except for the occasional terrorist. But then I don't think I'll be going back to either soon again.
3
Ah Thessaloniki! The jewel unknown.
7
We seniors spent 12 days there last spring in an AirBnB in Athens and LOVED the city and most of all, the people. Everyone we met was friendly and welcoming. They all helped my wife learn the proper pronunciation of "Thank You".... the first word she learns wherever we go! We visited 13 countries(the college student way, despite our years) and Athens was among the friendliest cities we had the pleasure of spending time in. The sights, history and food was amazing also!
22
Forty five years exactly after my first arrival in Athens, clearly a very different city than Charly writes about, her experience still tugs at my heartstrings. Through all its history past and present, the city, the people, the spirit captivates us and forever remains in our hearts. Call it youth or the Greek ethos, it was and remains transformational. I’m still connected to those friends, and although life has sometimes interrupted by yearnings, I go back whenever I can.
14
i used to visit athens frequently but only briefly before flying off to mykonos and turkey. even ten years ago athens did have its pleasures. was especially fond of dining and drinking in the kolanaki district and thought the benaki museum quite fine. but viewing your photo coverage i now feel far too ancient for the decadence of greece - i do not think i'm seeing anyone above the age of 30...and they are all enviably thin.
6
You can't be too thin or too Greek.
8
My sincere thanks to Charly Wilder for her outstanding report on Athens in the perspectives of economics and culture. My sincere congratulations go to Greeks for their resurrection from political turmoil and economic disasters over the last ten years.
It is a great encouragement during a time the United States government is in chaos under Trump administration, which has turned the world order upside down and treats friends as foes. To most people’s surprise Trump praises dictators and authoritarians from time to time.
The report is just like a gentle breeze in a hot, lazy summer afternoon.
Checking the wiki report on prime ministers of Greece it tells the difficulties Greeks have been facing. Six prime minister had been replaced. The current Prime Minister, Mr. Alexis Tsipras, serves two terms.
Reading Mr. Thomas Friedman’s “Greece’s Newest Odyssey’, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/opinion/12friedman.html, written back in May 2011 at the highs of economic challenges Greeks were encountering, we can tell the worst time for sure is over in Greece. A vibrant Athens has returned. And better Greek economies are on the horizon.
15
In Greece, ouzo. Not raki.
5
huh? I've had raki many times in Greece... in fact, restaurants often give a little complementary raki after dinner
8
Not only ouzo in Greece,but also raki,tsikoudia and tsipouro! Gia mas!
In Greece there is ouzo,raki,tsipouro,tsikoudia and rakomelo to taste! Gia mas
12
NYT 2010. Friedman from Athens
'Athens
For a man whose country’s wobbly finances have kept the world on edge for months, the Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, evinces an Obama-Zen-like calm. He is just back from meeting fellow European Union leaders, who decided to try to stave off a Greek meltdown and an E.U. crackup with a show of overwhelming force — committing nearly $1 trillion to support the economy of any ailing member state. But over a lunch of Greek salad and grilled fish, Papandreou makes clear that he knows that the deal with the E.U. was not your garden-variety bailout-for-budget-cuts. No, if you really look closely at what it will take for Greece to mend its economy, this is actually a bailout-for-a-revolution"
“We’re going to bring in best practices from Europe and around the world to reform this country,” says Papandreou. “It is difficult, and there will be protests, and people will feel bitter, but it will be one of the most creative times Greece has gone through.”
Comment to this article , 2010, from Athens, Greece
MSKAP Athens, Greece May 12, 2010
George Papandreou's "official" car may be a Prius Hybrid but his "unofficial" car is a snazzy Bentley convertible which I saw he and his wife get out of last week as they arrived for dinner at the same restaurant I was at. So much for the "revolution" of the Greek way of thought...
---
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/opinion/12friedman.html
7
You are absolutely right, sir. This is a farce and the comment above you from Taiwan is just another of those farce believing partisans who read the NYT and have no rational thought nor directly observable data, as YOU do!
1
Neoliberal gentrification does not make a city reemerge. I know this NYT still clings to this belief but a few trendy cafes and art galleries to make the traveler feel like every cutting edge neighborhood is SoHo does nothing to remedy the deep social and economic blight that has beset the country.
61
Not true
In the middle of the "economic meltdown" I drove around extensively, through many Athens neighborhoods at the working class edges of the city. Having grown up in Athens half a century earlier, what impressed me most was the numerous signs for ballet lessons in working class neighborhoods! Growing up I knew of one school for ballet for Athens youth, and only for a few upper middle class kids. Now they were EVERYWHERE.
Also there were all those little museums with free programs for kids. And state sponsored neighborhood hungouts for the elderly.
Finally I walked into great little restaurant in a non-fancy part of town with high quality food for not much money (rather common in Athens) but impressive slick new modern design. When I inquired how long ago had this restaurant opened, because I did not remembered it from previous visits, I was told it was only their second week. New business were not supposed to start in the middle of an economic depression, but somebody forgot to tell these guys.
There were signs of vibrant life everywhere BEFORE there were reports about economic recovery. I conclude broken economy does not necessarily affect quality of life. Broken economy simply may mean that it is bad for billionaires who cannot extract wealth from the local economy.
27
Beautifully written, thank you.
10
The Greeks gave the world the concept of democracy. The Greeks withstood the Turkish occupation from 1453 until 1821. When the Greeks threw off Turkish rule, NO EUROPEAN power helped them. Everyone talks about the Armenian genocide. Greece suffered the same fate after WWI. Greece protected a huge Spanish Jewish population until the Germans wiped it out. Greece has long protected the eastern border of the EU. Greece is one of the few places in Europe I would actually like to the visit. The others are Portugal, Italy and Spain (known in northern Europe as the PIGS countries).
31
Terrific. Another city with generic hip new neighborhoods with generic hip new bars and generic art galleries.
It's Athens, but it could be City X. Just change the names. That's what it's come to.
The writer should know that for some travelers, hip=plague.
44
Don't worry - there's still plenty of old and lame places to visit. I find the purpose of this article is more about the resiliency of the people, and the "can do" attitude to reinvent itself when the cards are stacked against them.
21
What a delightful story to read. And supplemented by some equally nice readers' comments. A big ευχαριστώ to all of them.
The first time I was in Athens was as a naive 18-year old who had hitchhiked there from Luxembourg in May 1969 in order to learn more about my Greek roots (my maternal grandparents were from Greece). I remember being disappointed by the architecture of the city, and even more so by the city's service as the cradle of democracy, as it was then under the thumb of a military junta. I will never forget the conversation I had with a rather liberal minded Greek military officer in which I expressed that disappointment. His riposte was to the effect that a citizen of a nation then in the process of bombing and killing foreign people who lived 10,000 miles away from America and who wanted to rule themselves had no business lecturing Greeks about democracy and freedom.
The history of Athens is a subject that should be part of the required curriculum of every US high school. For it teaches us some much-needed lessons about the best and worst of past human behavior: from Athens's glorious Classical Age intellectual and artistic achievements; to its misguided imperialism and resultant unraveling as a Mediterranean power; to the destruction of much of its Classical greatness by barbarian invaders Christians and Muslims; and finally to its role symbolizing democracy, especially in these increasingly undemocratic times.
15
As I looked at the photograph of the "art" at the Breeder gallery, I learned a lot about what passes for art and culture in this new hipster Athens. When I visit Athens next I will definitely focus on the antiquities. The contemporary art culture (if this photo is a good example) would bore me to tears.
34
Anyone planning to vacation in Greece now
should consider this:
Tons of garbage continued to pile up on the streets of Athens Tuesday as efforts got under way at the capital’s main landfill in Fyli in northwestern Attica to repair a crack on the side of the dump and prevent a collapse. Deliveries to the landfill have been put on hold as authorities try to solve the problem. Meanwhile, several days of heavy rainfall have worsened the situation. Municipal officials indicated Tuesday that an extension to the Fyli landfill will open by Thursday, though it will take at least a week to gather the thousands of tons of trash that have piled up on the streets. [Eurokinissi]
11
I just returned from my first trip to Greece (June11) and I was captivated by the history and the people. In a weird coincidence nearly a dozen random friends had Independently also planned travel to Greece this summer.
We happened to be in Athens for their first Pride parade which was followed by a grand concert in the public square in front of Parliament. It was a joyous night of music and the streets were filled with people of all ages.
The magnificent Acropolis museum tells a compelling story of the history of looting and pillaging of antiquities over millennia. The Aegean waters of the Cyclades have somehow managed to remain preternaturally pristine (even with the onslaught of cruise ships) as were the streets of the islands. Even port water was Chrystal clear.
On the islands (Folegandros and Naxos) we met many entrepreneurial citizens starting businesses, working in tourism and education. They were all well versed on Greece’s financial troubles and transparently took responsibility for much of the issues. They were mindful of their responsibility as citizens to own it and fix it. They are the proverbial Phoenix rising-perhaps because of their troubles.
11
Yes, there was a delay with garbage pick up due to an unexpected problem at the main landfill and, yes, it was unpleasant for a few days around trash collection bins, and, yes, there was the added misfortune of some heavy rain. Much to my surprise and satisfaction, though, the issue was resolved within a few days (with, BTW, areas popular with tourists being given first priority). By the time you chose to provide us with your warning, the issue has been resolved, so not sure of the point.
14
If I were Athenian, I would not believe in this ‘recovery’ either.
Falling unemployment is partly due to years of brain drain: about half a million highly qualified working-age citizens have left this country of 11 million – and yet unemployment STILL stands at 20% after almost a decade. GDP has fallen by a third since 2010 – it may have stopped falling, but the standard of living is still a far cry from the early 00s. Meanwhile, it’s become extremely difficult to find affordable housing in central Athens (and other touristy areas) due to the Airbnb boom; Russians, Chinese and Lebanese are buying up Athenian real estate to get golden visas; and starting a business remains maddeningly complicated and time-consuming. Professionals and businesspeople battle bureaucracy and outrageously high taxation while the public sector has lost none of its bloat.
Athens may have become trendy these past few years, but the economic realities on the ground are still dire.
26
This story reminds me of New York City in the 1960's. New York had Soul. Clubs that stayed open late and you could drink at 18, Ethnic Festivals where everyone was welcome, free concerts and plays in Central Park. The city that never slept. It was funky and exciting at the same time. You could be an adult as a teenager. Well worth the visit for a young person.
6
We are planning our third visit to Greece in five years. Always spend a week or so in Athens. The tourist areas are humming, carried along by the determination, flexibility and talent of Greece's young people. As with Eastern European countries after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the generations that will never recover are the middle-aged and seniors.
7
I traveled Greece and the western coast of Turkey in the fall of 1993 for ten weeks by my self. Didn't have the money for a rental car, so I used public transportation: busses, trains, ferries. I had a marvelous time hitting some of the best and many of the lesser-known archaeological sites. Wrote a journal and published it under the title Oedipus on a Pale Horse. I returned with my son for three weeks in the fall of 2009. That time we had a rental car. Much different experience. It had changed considerably, but so had I. Can't imagine the changes since the years of austerity. Pleased to hear that the tourists have returned. Marvelous place, marvelous people. The cornerstone of Western Civilization.
13
I visit Greece once a year. On my last visit at least two small business owners complained of having to pay taxes close to 60% of revenues. Despite that, they were upbeat about the future, and the crushing tax burden did not seem to inhibit their willingness to socialize and to party. The Greeks do know how to have a good time. . .now if they would just cut back on their tobacco usage and their propensity to throw their butts wherever.
14
Go. Snake your way up the hill to the Parthenon and feel your place in the great parade of humanity. Stand below the stone women shouldering the porch of the Caraytids. Then visit the real thing just below, at the beautifully done Acropolis Museum. Over mezzo and a crisp white wine on the Museum's roof, decide for yourself where Greek's objects of antiquity belong: there or in the British Museum. Wander down the path to the ancient Angora and the temple of Hephaetus. Soon, you'll realize that we owe much of what's best in our civilization - from theatre to the Olympics to democracy itself - to the Greeks. Best trip of my life.
51
So very true, it is sad that more people do not appreciate the debt Western society owes to Greece. And, with 2,000 years of fall-out, the rest of the world as well.
10
Lovely travel piece but hardly an examination of reality. As the author partied with Afroditi, "as we sat on the roof terrace of the villa she shares with her partner, Anthony S. Papadimitriou, president of the business and public benefit wing of the Onassis Foundation." Yep. I bet Greece looks pretty good from way up in the refined air of European aristocrats. The Onassis shipping industry pays very little taxes. They claim that they employ people and that is enough support! For decades the rich have robbed the Greek people as their beloved country turned into a playground for Europeans looking for a cheap vacation along with the inevitable Euro-trash that flock to the newly "hip." Ask the average Greek, the one without the invitation to an Onassis Foundation party, how well they are faring under the new cultural revival of Athens. Step out of the galleries and hit the streets for reality. Ugh. I really hate reading about the nostalgic romps of aging travelers who leave out the raw side of the story as they eat sushi at a restaurant with a Zagat rated chef. To quote a feckless aristocrat, whose villa was bought with money stolen from her countrymen, is not a shining testament to the nobility of Greek culture. Do the Onassis folks help refugees looking for asylum in Europe? Now there is a travelogue I'd like to read about. The rich directly helping the poor. A cultural center that cares about people not plastic bowls nailed into a gallery wall. The poor eat from those bowls.
132
Brilliant comment! However and sadly, the have and have not is not exclusive to Athens or anywhere else. And while I couldn't agree more that a fancy soiree is not indicative of a broadly shared Athens, there does seem to be some improvements for the small business, art and cultural offerings from recent lows in ability for creative entrepreneurs to succeed. Austerity debts have improved and if the unemployment has lowered, well then at least things are moving in the right direction.
Come to NY! The rich getting richer here is practically a spectator sport!
16
This is a terrific article. Travel journalism at its best. And a reminder of the incredible resilience of great cities. They seem to always come back.
11
Hi, as a fellow journalist in Athens now having to decide if to move here, I greatly appreciated your piece. I am in between Berlin and Athens at the moment just like you were. I just left Delhi after 4 years. Undecided as where to put my feet down now. Message me on Facebook if you can, I could do with some advice. Thanks
1
"as one of Europe’s most vibrant and significant cultural capitals."
Lol
12
Raki is a Turkish drink ....ouzo is Greek .....
3
What the Greeks call Raki is not the same as your Turkish national drink. When I was in Crete last summer, every restaurant and grocery store had their own homemade version of Raki, and it was served, gratis, in chilled carafes, often with a side of watermelon, after every meal. A nice touch!
3
It's Greek allright, part of the legacy of centuries of Ottoman rule (cf. Greek vs. Turkish coffee) and the seems to be something of a generic term for various kinds of spirits. Sometimes but not always the same as Turkish raki. Also, ouzo and raki are quite different though sometimes surprisingly similar. Either with or without anise, Greek raki is said to originate from Crete. It's also known as tsipouro on the mainland and often made domestically as moonshine. Tsipouro sans anise can be similar to a nice, smooth grappa, but it can also be rotgut.
That’s not true. Raki in Greece is different from Raki in Turkey, although they use the same word. You could say ouzo in Greece is the same as raki in Turkey though.
6
Adore Athens. My favorite city in the world. In a few short years I will retire and plan to spend more time in Athens and the Aegean.
6
Charly Wilder is surprised that art thrives in run-down, politically riven Athens.
We must remember that the Weimar Republic also had a blossoming of culture. I am afraid that our planet, given the proclivities of its most active, media-savvy leaders, is in for some very hard times.
(By the way, there was always an Acropolis, or Akropolis, Museum, and its renovations were largely completed by 2001, the last time I visited Athens. I spent a week or more in Athens -- a city I am very much at home in -- almost every summer from 1978 until that year, and I always made it my business to go there, when I arrived, and just before I left. The museum hadn't just "opened" in 2009.)
8
The NEW Acropolis Museum opened in June of 2009 and this June they are celebrating the 9th anniversary of the museum's opening I was there in 2012 and it is spectacular.
4
Yes, it has. The museum now called the Akropolis Museum was established in 2009, has absolutely nothing to do with the tiny, dark predecessor, and is celebrating its ninth birthday according to their own website, which suggests they do not count their own age any different than the author of the article.
http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en
2
"Europe’s first left-wing government" in 2009? As a Frenchman having elected Mitterrand in 1981 and Hollande in 2012, I jumped up out of my chair. They certainly weren't far left, and I have been disappointed with both of them, but they were elected on a left-wing platform. I only speak of France, but you should also do some research about other European countries who definitely had left-wing governments long before Greece.
17
Portugal has elected leftwing governments repeatedly since their 1974 revolution. The Scandinavian countries usually have left-wing governments.
6
The country needs to tackle it's growing environmental problems, which unfortunately are made worse by the growth in tourism. These include air and water pollution, overfishing and deforestation, degradation of coastal zones, loss of biodiversity, and increasing municipal and industrial waste.
25
I'm an Athenian, and I don't know quite what to make of this article. The actual economy is worse now than it was during the first five years of the crisis. The low-budget, hipster boom hailed by the writer and her friends (all writers in Greek equivalents of the Village Voice) has been happening on and off since at least 2011, so it's not really new. It all took a big hit back in 2015, and the situation is starting to stabilise only in the recent months. To spin this into a huge success story is an affront to actual Athenians.
106
Yes, exactly. The perception that the economy is on an upswing is completely off the mark. The taxes keep rising for the poor and middle class each year, and the elderly population gets cuts to their monthly pensions as well.
10
Great article. Few people travelling in Athens get to experience it the way it meant to be. Like locals do. I've travelled all over Europe and Asia, lived in London for a few years and now living in Tokyo. Athens, my home town, is my second favourite city for all the endless nights I enjoyed in my 20s. My favourite city is Tokyo for all the endless nights that will define my 30s! If it only had a hill like Athens to enjoy the sunrise :)
7
"Unemployment, which peaked near 30 percent in 2013, is below 20 percent and falling, and the economy is growing faster than the European average."
Good Lord. In 2010, unemployment in the United States hit a high of 9.9 percent and that was awful. The fact that unemployment in Greece is twice that today and it's being celebrated as a recovery makes me wonder what life is like in Greece beyond the glittery tourist attractions.
47
The last time I was there was in 1974, and I have to go back to that special city.
I will be back.
6
My relatives in Athens are still vastly underemployed and barely making it. One cousin with an architecture degree is working as a lounge singer, while another is a poet. Both are barely making a living and have cut off a lot of communication from us because they are ashamed of how far they've fallen.
53
I have no doubt these memories matter greatly to the writer but many of us would prefer just to read about Athens.
41
That's what Trip Advisor is for. One of the most enjoyable parts of travel journalism is learning about a place from a more personal perspective.
4
I will be there in 2 weeks. Very much looking forward to it.
2
Athens is a wonderful city. I have visited twice, and used taxis to travel to Delphi and to nearby coastal cities for day trips. Most of the people I encountered were happy to have foreign visitors and were proud to show off their city and country,
4
Ah Charly, did you ever talk with a cab driver? Or only the "creatives" who are opening bars and art spaces in defunct businesses that used to serve neighborhoods, not drinks to drop-in tourists? I just returned to NYC from Exarchia, a neighbourhood featured in the article, where I live part of the year. Only near the end of her piece does Charly mention the economic problems that still plague Athens and Exarchia. On the square a bookstore has replaced a butcher, cafes for residents have closed, a fancy bar has opened, and Greek kids cruise for drug deals provided by immigrants. Some of the vibrant night life Charly sees there is young Greeks buying beer at the kiosk and sitting and drinking on Themistocleous because they couldn't afford the prices of bars or even the old cafes. One night I returned to my home and found four young shirtless men sitting on my steps. I asked them if this was the beach, and one said the night was now the Greek beach. The impressive cultural monuments Charly mentions touch the lives of very few Greeks, the economic and cultural elites she hangs out with. Yes, tourism is up, but it's a contingent economy. "No more cruise ships in Istanbul," a Frenchman living there told me. "Insurers are nervous." When global conditions change, many of the bars mixing the exotic cocktails Charly mentions will close and "cultural" skimmers like Charly will travel elsewhere for their sushi.
63
Beautiful piece, I usually skip on long articles but this one was exceptional. It also made me want to move back, I’m one of those who migrated because of the crisis. Happy travelling to those who want to visit it, keep your mind open and you won’t be disappointed!
P.S. The mainland can be extremely interesting, don’t limit yourselves only in Athens and the islands.
13
My husband has been working in Athens for a year commuting to and from nyc. I moved over three months ago with my two young children. We have loved our time here. We live in the south near the sea. People are friendly and seem hopeful; however they acknowledge that life isn’t wonderful yet with regards to the economy. The elderly in particular were referenced (I have seen more disheveled elderly residents here than I care to admit. They aren’t homeless; just starving, destitute and forgotten. It is terribly sad). The Greeks I have met state that “the government can tax us and take from us, but we will always have our country’s beauty and weather, that they cannot take”
But what is truly mind boggling to me is the beauracracy and striking the takes place. There have been at least 20 public transit strikes since I have been here. I hired a woman to clean who is jobless and has expressed her despair several times to me; it took her 4 hours to get to my apartment due to strikes. It should have taken 25 minutes. Another day she could not get here at all. There are people who want nothing more than to work and it is impossible for them to do so.
Come to Greece! Athens is dry, hot, and dusty, yes. But it is not dirty, unsafe and boring. The people are friendly, they love children particularly babies, and the food and produce is incredible. The Cyclades are of course beautiful. The Peloponnese are less crowded and stunning.
40
I shall be there in about four weeks. Apparently all the Greece is doomed hyperbole from about four years ago proved exaggerated.
5
not correct. The country has been living off additional debt fundings. The germans have thus far refused to renegotiate greek debt; despite assurances it would if Greece would undertake austerity / structural changes. The country has sold off many of its most prized national assets but still languishes under a mountain of unsustainable debt. Capital controls have not yet been undone. Capital flight is still significant. Yanis has it right. Greece is ultimately a debtor's prison.
18
I'm a Greek-American who travels there often. i was just there 2 weeks ago. Their is no hyperbole. The austerity measures crippled people including my father whose pension was cut FOUR times- FOUR. Talk to "everyday Joe" when your there & lmk how you feel after that.
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Greece is still 'doomed' in that a significant number of people suffered - and are still suffering - due to few opportunities. Chinese and Russian and Arab investment is coming in and changing Greece for the worse in the long term-- buying up ports, islands (creating ugly barren concrete tourist zones - such as in Rhodes - which is terrible for those who really love Greece) -- and is an implicit invasion which will threaten the security of the country (and Europe) in the long term. it is yet another occupation of Greece in its long history of being occupied. Just because there are lots of tourists suddenly infesting the country doesn't mean the country is doing well. Parts of Africa have lots of tourists - and are run by terrible dictatorships.
6
My husband and I spent two wonderful weeks in Greece two years ago driving around the Peloponnese peninsula, ferrying to three islands, and spending some time in Athens. The peninsula was lovely as were the islands, of course, but the big surprise was Athens and the Greek people. I had expected the Greeks to be angry at the world due to their economic crisis but instead found them to be very warm, friendly, and helpful. Old men playing checkers on a corner in Athens gave us directions when we were lost. The same with an elderly woman in the mountains of the peninsula when we were hopelessly lost during our drive. The workers at our hotel and every restaurant we visited were warm and hospitable. When we had to scramble to find a hotel in Athens due to a cancellation of our flight and plans to spend the night in Hydra dashed, a young man on our ferry (who happened to have waited on us at a restaurant in Mykonos the day before and happened to be on our ferry) offered to put us up at his parents' home in Athens. We found Athens to be fun and the Monastiraki neighborhood in particular to be quite lovely. And the Athenians and the rest of the folks in Greece to be such lovely folks. I hope to and look forward to returning to Greece and its islands many time more. It is a beautiful country filled with warm and helpful folks.
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Athens is the birth place of western civilization and democracy.
Its' remaining ancient sites should be as sacred as any site visited by Christians, Muslims, Jews or any other religion.
It should also be a mandatory site to visit for all western elected pols. especially from the US to remind them of what was started there, democracy, that is so precious to us.
Also, places like the Middle East should also be a mandatory visit site for all western pols. to visit to see the horror story that happens when you forego democracy and let dictators and/or religious groups into the gov't.
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paul…...all true. I've been to Europe many times, one time to Greece about 15 years ago.
Athens plus paros, where friends had a place, and anti paros.
when my Japanese wife and I arrived, from north America, we headed to bed so we wouldn't fall asleep in early evening.
when we ventured out it was dusk. as we turned the corner from our hotel, we looked up and the acropolis was lit up. it looked ethereal--like it was suspended mid air over the city.
I could feel the hair on my arms and back of my neck standing up.
it still happens when I think of it.
I looked at my wife, pointed up and said, 'that's the reason for many of my beliefs'...…
unfortunately, the usa/cia backed yet another right wing coup in the cradle of democracy in 1967.
13
No it is not about “letting dictators and religious groups into government” - it is about what the West did to them - the borders drawn by the French and the British to produce weak polities, the subversions and the secret and not so secret wars foisted on them by the Americans often in the name of Freedom and Democracy ..... that is how the dictators and the religious extremists got in - after their civil societies had been ruined. And of course, the right wing dictators such as the Shah of Iran foisted on them by the Anglo-Americans who overthrew their left-leaning, nationalistic democratically elected governments.
7
Thru brupic, I had the same experience when I visited the acropolis. It was like a religious experience. Without classical Greece we would much more be likely (USA) like the horror story in the Middle East or third world countries in Africa and other parts of the world where dictators or religion rules.
“Places we return to, where we put down roots, but not strong enough roots to hold us — places that change us, that we haunt and are haunted by.” This is #Athens
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My friends who live in Athens have always defended Athens, yet seem to complain about the way of life there. Pollution is so bad that the government instituted an odd-even license plate program to prevent Athenians from driving every day. Rico and Nika then bought two cars -- one with an even-number plate and one with an odd-number. Success! They can drive every day now.
They told me that most people work until 2 PM -- which is the time we met for lunch at Thespis in the Plaka. The old city is vibrant -- a great place for pedestrians to stroll, shop and eat at a table on the grass (under a fig tree).
We spent two hours there enjoying mezedes, keftedes, taverna salad, dolmades and moussaka. A group of local students at a nearby table sang folk songs which we applauded. They sent us a bottle of Retsina and we sent them a tray of pastry. It took a half-hour to hug everybody goodbye. Niko and Rica thought at the time that too many Greeks were retiring too early (55 years old) and this was a major problem. I don't know if that's it but I suspect it's one of the contributing factors. There seems to be a lack of energy or enthusiasm...
From Athens I traveled to Rome -- it's was bursting with activity as usual. They were cleaning the Trevi Fountain again, as they do with all their monuments (every ten years). The heavy scaffolding around it didn't stop the massive group of tourists from tossing their coins.
An interesting tale of two cities...
27
Very interesting point, when it comes to ancient European cities its Rome vs Athens. But it is impossible to compare those two cities. I have been to Athens for a week just a week ago. I completely understand your point. Rome is the chess club, and Athens the student party. But I can only recommend to see both places to learn and understand the root of a culture.
2
Most people work longer than that, and the average retirement age is 62. It's all fun and games when you visit tourist hotspots like Plaka and Monastiraki, but the residential and financial areas of the city are quite different.
5
New rules for civil servants have them working until 4 or 5 pm. with no siesta. I know because my relatives live there.
1
Lovely article, colourful and personal with flashes of the past, present and hopefully the future.
16
Nice article. Thanks. :)
An ancient Greek tradition and one that conitnues thru today here in modern Greece is "philoxenia", meaning literally "friend of a stranger." In practice it's offering kindness, generosity and help to a visitor to Greece. I'm glad the writer of this article got to experience one of the best things things our country has to offer...
49
I am in Athens at the moment and your piece is spot on. Thanks for highlighting what is happening in this amazing city.
22
If you've been to Athens, did you like it?
For me, this question is a litmus test. If you found the city to be dirty, ugly and nothing more, you didn't deserve to go in the first place.
As a Greek American who loves the city, I'm the first to stress that Athens is hardly a conventionally beautiful city. But if you open your eyes, you'll see endless opportunities for discovery. And open your mouth, too -- because the food can be FANTASTIC.
63
Not "conventionally beautiful?" Who gives a whit. Paris and Florence and San Francisco do not have the Acropolis and Parthenon keeping watch over them. Athens and Greece are my favorites in the world.
5
Kind of how I feel about Naples.
1
I didn't find Athens at all dirty or ugly, but I did find the men consistently rude and chauvinistic, like your comment. I don't care about passing any such test.
2
I am a Greek-American- I was raised in the States but have been living in Greece for 12 years now.
This article is lovely, yet a bit myopic for my taste.
It's true that there are an incredible amount of intelligent, motivated, creative young people here. I am a professor here and I have connected with and been inspired by many of my students. I'm glad that the author celebrates the positive and life-affirming spirit within Athens.
However, the crisis is so far from over...my God...I don't have enough space here to describe how many people I have come across, interviewed, etc...who have amazing ideas, potential and work ethic- yet the taxes and bureaucracy make a realization of their dreams impossible.
I'll offer one example- I interviewed a small team of engineers and business professionals who invented an urban bicycle that won awards all over Europe- but they were straining to stay afloat in Greece. The government processes made it almost impossible for them to continue.
Yes, there are community minded people within Greece, but unfortunately there is still a HUGE percentage of people here who have a very selfish mentality- every man out for himself...it's very disappointing.
My husband and I are moving back to the US b/c it's too difficult to live a secure, middle class life here anymore. We own our apartment, both work, and yet the uncertainty, instability, and outrageous taxation makes it impossible for us to stay and enjoy this beautiful country.
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