Sign in with Facebook"Clash of two worlds" Athens by Crift
Athens Travel Guide: 4,403 reviews and 10,114 photos
I am very much anxious about the future of my city of birth. It is changing so rapidly that I had no problem leaving the neighborhood of my childhood and give my old family house to the buldozers... Nothing reminded me of my old "gitonia" (neighborhood)... the trees were gone, the quiet was gone, the narrow roads filled with playing children are now dug up to accomodate the new Athens tram.
There was a period during the 60s (I am 42, btw) that Athens felt very much made in the measure of humans. The small local grocery shops run by friendly faces, that you could call by their first name, were still around and they were not exiled by the monstrous supermarkets. Everyone knew everyone else and that was -mostly- a good thing... The beach was a 5 minute bike ride from my home and that included the stop at the local ciosk for ice cream and soft drinks. The only thing polluting the Saronic gulf at those days was the US 6th fleet. Now all this is gone...
And will never come back. The ugliness rushed in... Building frenzy with no planning whatsoever! People left the countryside in order to make a better living in the big city. Those people never really loved Athens. They never considered it home. They thought of it as the place where they work and make money. They never realised that their children and grand-children and grand-grand-children will also live and die here. Until it was almost too late.
Today, Athens is like a huge, enormous contruction site... The Olympics gave this city a chance to change some really wrong things about itself. My car is covered in dust from the public works no matter how often I clean it, and that's a general problem in Athens these days. Dust! But I suppose that is only temporary.
I dunno, really! Athens will probably become another hard, impersonal metropolitan center where there is no room for the very-Greek "laidback" way of life that we are all used to... We will become more bariccade behind heavy timber, ultra-armored safety doors to shut outside our neighbors and their curiosity. "My home is my castle" is the motto that creeps inside the Greek mind nowadays.
So, maybe it's time for me to move to a greek island or something.
Reviews (14)
Win celebrations
Sports & Outdoors
(1)
The tourists who were in Athens during the Euro 2004 semi-finals and finals witnessed the greatest celebration ever!... more travel advice
Spices and herbs
Shopping
(3)
A feast of aromas and flavors... Everything from the strong and aggressive taste of pastrami to the finest scents of the... more travel advice
Open air EVERYTHING!
Local Customs
(1)
In the summer, everyone spends a good amount of their time in the outdoor cafes. No wonder coffees are so expensive in... more travel advice
Taxis around the city
Transportation
(1)
ALWAYS consult the rates when you get into a taxi. ALL taxis are obliged to have the fare/rate card hung somewhere too... more travel advice
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Comments (16)
Hi Manos, thanks for great high-quality Athens tips! Maybe we´ll meet on the slopes of Cape Sounion :-)
Thanks you Manos for all these wonderful tips. As I am getting into planning for May 2007 and the EUROMEET I am reading a lot and your pages are great! Cheers from Frankfurt... Claudia
Very interesting and useful tips. Although I'm going on a package tour, I still hope to see some less 'touristy' places.
Hello Manos! Great page full of nostalgy. It is so sad that things change especially when they change to worse. Now that there is a chepa airline flying to Athens I will be there and visit the real Plaka. Happy birthday from Finland, Sini
thanks for the tips and warnings.
nice homepage and Athens page:) Excelent information!!! regards from Brazil!!!
I love your commentary- I haven't been to Greece since 99', and spent most of my time in Crete. I miss it terribly and after reading your pages and looking at the pics- I am ready!
I love Ouzerias! I know a great one in Terpsithea called Santorinas! Want to go together one night? VT meeting anyone??:)
Lovely page and information the island of Hydra looks a really beautiful place.
Dhistikhos phile aftei dei ei zoei estin. Nevertheless, I hope that upgrade will never deprive -AT LEAST- Greek isles of its ever beauty and lovely Greek taste that always attracts all guest.A lover of Greece, Sayed by name...