Other cities are bigger, other cities are more famous, some other cities are even older, richer or more important. When you think of Athens, you think first of all of the famous Acropolis, this architectural masterpiece from antiquity that towers on a hill high above the city.
And for the next time you may think at a loud and dirty town at the mediterrean sea. But the Greek capital has much more to offer than this piece of world cultural heritage, which today is a memorial to the invention of democracy by the ancient Greeks. And is has more to show as dirt and big town desert.
After our hike through the Enipeas Gorge (read here) and the climbing of the giants of the Olympus and the visit at the Oracle of Delphi now follow me on the rest of the path south the coast line.
But for just as little as the Acropolis defines Athens today, the democracy of the ancient Greeks had little to do with what is understood by it today. Women and strangers were not allowed to take part at the time. A small blemish that is often kept secret. Likewise, many travel guides conceal what other highlights the pulsating metropolis Athens has to offer besides the Acropolis.
Athens, which is preceded by the prejudice of being a dirty, noisy and hectic city, is full of splendid sights that are all waiting to be visited and explored. So why always go to London, Paris or Rome? Accommodation is still affordable here, even in the city center, with a touch of the exotic hanging over everything, because the Greek letters are as foreign to most visitors as Egyptian hieroglyphics.
In a sea of houses
Four million people live in the sea of houses that stretches from the Acropolis in the mountains to the Saronic Gulf. The modern Olympic Games have taken place here twice, but none of them can be seen any more. In return, the cradle of European culture turns out to be a Mecca for amateur archaeologists, it turns out to be a center for Greek startups, the capital of street art and an exciting location for unusual observations.
For example on the Athens Central Market. It's really not for the faint of heart and a challenge for vegetarians or vegans. Here everything that could run or fly lies and hangs dead on the counters. In full beauty like a pig's head or cut to fit like the entire beef half. The choice is unbelievable and overwhelming, but the same goes for the fish. The Greeks love to eat and they turn shopping into a science. Accordingly, the fruit and vegetable department on the other side of the market is not smaller, only the barkers are even louder.
A marked full of spices
The shops around the market are packed to the ceiling with spices, nuts, feta, honey, herbs, wine and much more. On to the Exarchia district, the student district and the trendy meeting place for alternative Greeks. The neighborhood was created in 1880-1890 and was named after a grocer.
Today it is characterized by cafes, taverns, pubs and house walls painted with graffiti. Real artists leave their mark everywhere, but also painters who can do nothing. Exarchia has the liveliest nightlife south of Thessaloniki, a dance on the volcano especially in the years after the great financial crisis.
Here they are used to stubbornness: in 1973 the Athenians started their uprising against the rule of the military junta here, which was ended bloody, in 2008 the 15-year-old Alexandros-Andreas Grigoropoulos was shot by a police officer here, which led to great unrest throughout the country.
Endless street of the flea market
Meanwhile, the casualness of life and a good mood are back, luxury shops are also making good sales in Athens and Monastiraki Square, below the Akrópolis, is not only a popular meeting point and junction of the metro, but also the beginning of an endless street of flea markets. If you found Ermou and Athina in the big shopping streets because they are really expensive, look here.
The street leads to the old town district of Plaka, in the vicinity of which there are many archaeological sites and ancient places such as the Agorá, the Hadrianus Library and the Roman Forum. In the Archaeological Museum alone, which is mainly dedicated to Greek antiquity, 11,000 objects from all regions of Greece are on display.
The old royal castle
Right here is also the seat of the Greek Parliament, heavily besieged and at home in the old royal castle. The building, like almost all old buildings in Athens in the classical Greek style, was built from 1836 to 1842 by the German architect Friedrich von Gärtner.
In 1909 the castle was badly damaged by fire and the king moved into the presidential palace. In 1935 - after the monarchy was abolished - the parliament took over in the building in front of which the tomb of the unknown soldier is located. The monument was inaugurated on March 25, 1923 - the day of Greek independence. On the sides there are excerpts from Pericles' funeral oration.
The tomb is guarded by Evzones in traditional costume, which ensure a never-ending influx of visitors. The reason for this is not obvious, but tampered with the soldiers' shoes: their footwear is decorated with a huge bobble, which gives every parade a funny touch.
Soldiers with bobbles
Every Sunday at 11 a.m. there is a big changing of the guard in the Evzones accompanied by the military band as a big parade. The strange costume of the soldiers is called Fustanella and has been worn since the War of Independence from 1821 to 1830. The white skirt has 400 folds, which stands for the years of Turkish rule. But nobody knows what the pompons mean.
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