"Plaka" a Athens Travel Page by athena10x

Arriving in Athens for my 13th journey was just as exciting as all the times previous.
Over the last 7 years I have come to know Athens like it is my home away from home.

I choose to stay in Plaka because it is the bubble of tourist fun. But you can still live like an Athenian even with all the tourist herds walking the streets.

It takes a little time to get to know the streets because they are not as straight forward as other modern cities. But walking off the beatin path brings about a sense of adventure and unique people in their greek syle.

new hip places have sprung up behind the monistriaki area where the young people stay up drinking and walking the streets to the wee hours of the night.

I still feel like I can walk the streets of Athens at 2-3 o'clock in the morning and mostly only worry about the stray gangs of street dogs more than the people.

Athens has changed since the Olympics and joining the E.U. I think times are a little hard for the people who loved their drachmas. The cost of food is far beyond what I would pay at home. And now the hotels that were $25-40 per night are now $65-75 per night. Thus long gone are the 2 week stays in Athens.

I think at times the merchants miss the days when American tourists would come and spend all their money right up until their last days. Now we all watch our money a little closer because it's value is so low.

But I recommend spending a couple of nights there just so you can look up and see the Acropolis from a casual walk down the street.