Athens in Contrast

How do you grow a major metropolitan city when you have to navigate some of the world’s oldest architectural ruins? How do you build new infrastructure when every dig in the garden produces relics as much as 5,000 years old?

Athens is a bucket list destination for anyone who enjoys mediterranean cuisine, ancient history, sculpture, and art. Walking around the preserved and yet-to-be found remnants of ancient lives is hypnotizing. But Athens, like other ancient cities, has contrasting views depending upon your perspective.

Traveler’s view: A traveler will visit Athens to see the relics, eat the food, shop at the stores, and experience the ancient history. A traveler will see the white-washed alleys and bougainvillea of some neighborhoods as they pose for the best shot. They will queue for access to lay their eyes upon the ancient ruins and get that Instagram backdrop.

The Acropolis is the hill upon which Athens was built. Using the highest vantage point was a defensive technique used by civilizations around the world and across cultures. One ticket allows visitors to see the amazing sites of the Parthenon, Old Temple of Athena, Erechtheim, Theater of Dionysus, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Temple of Athena Nike, The Propylaea staircase, the Alter of Athena, etc. It is recommended to begin the day early on the Acropolis before the heat and crowds. We recommend going early so you have time to visit the lesser-known northeast slope of the Acropolis which also facilitated processions and secretive rites toward The Aglaureion cave. Walking along this portion of the acropolis had a different energy away from all the tourists. Additionally, there is an elevator on the back side for access to the acropolis.

According to the World Population review, Greece with all its islands, has a population of 9,897,115. The metropolitan area of Athens claims 3,156,620 people with 650,000 residents in the city proper. Thessaloniki, the second-largest city, has around 1million people in the metropolitan area. This means that 42% of the country's population lives in these two cities.

Though Greece has 21 properties inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list, the most famous one is the Acropolis of Athens. The Acropolis is the hill upon which visitors can see the ancient citadel with a history of inhabitants before 3000 BCE and a political powerhouse since 1700 BCE. Other UNESCO sites are listed on our Greece page. There are many other amazing things to see in Athens too.

Resident’s view: A resident sees the waves of tourists as bread and butter for their lives but feels exhausted from them every day. A resident will see the ruins with pride and annoyance in the same breath. Yes, being Greek makes them part of the bigger world picture as ancestors to the Gods, but they also want to live in a modern city with the ability to choose their own pathway to a better life.

Due to the way the city of Athens had to grow around the archeological sites and stone foundations of a respected ancient world, there are many narrow alley ways. Some of them have been painted white, a common cooling technique in hot climates. There are many hills to climb in the city, and several have beautiful stone stairways and bougainvillea vines which seem to grow from the tiniest dirt hole left behind to create contrast. Residents and business owners even paint the sidewalks to look like stones in some areas.

A construction project in Athens isn’t just a quick task. Past work by archeologists has identified the stratification of cities like Rome and Athens and they’ve mapped the layers of civilizations. It has been a common trend in human history around the world to destroy a city, cover it up, and rebuild on top of it. Therefore, archeologists have tried to map the layers of the older urban landscapes to help construction teams know the depth at which they can dig before hitting ruins of another era. However, in a city like Athens, historical surprises are common. This can make construction timelines significantly longer than other parts of the world. In Athens, you can even watch live archeological digs.

As with any large city, there is plenty of street art. Some of them are insanely cool, others are just tags. One street artist even created multiple faces around town. Like a scavenger hunt, this character shows up in odd places.

The city of Athens has a quirky street in the Monastiraki neighborhood. Lit up at night, we walked through Alice’s Wonderland with bars and restaurants offering a near overload of sensory input.

Because we are observers during our travels, we must mention all the facts of Athens.

While walking around the city, we observed several people who were under the influence and not managing their day well. In doorways, alleys, and squares, they were present in our life without being present in their own.

In cities, it is common for panhandlers to position themselves near crowded metro stations. A woman, who looked to be in her 30’s was sitting on cardboard near one station and did not seem unusual at first, until you see that she has no hands or feet. Cut off in the middle of the forearms and calves she did not appear to be there by choice, more like she had been placed there. Sometimes she was awake and asking for money, other times she was sleeping. This woman touched my core. It felt like she had a “handler” who placed her there and took the money she reaped, when instead she needed a caregiver to help her care for herself.

As with any city, there are big crowds in some areas and fewer in other areas. In Athens, morning is the time the city wakes with workers bustling about. It has more crowds in the evening and fewer in the heat of the day 14:00-17:00. Popular historical sites will have longer cues, but lesser-known sites can be peaceful. Considering mobility and crowds, some sidewalks are very narrow, forcing crowds to step into the street. Many sidewalks have uneven surfaces which can be a challenge with mobility. Hills are steep. The incredible marble streets are beautiful but can be slippery even in dry weather. Sturdy shoes are recommended by all who visit.

Taking a food tour allowed us to get a feel for the city while sampling some of Athen’s most famous foods. The tour we took was small with about 10 people. The guide had four shops to visit. She helped us understand the food, the city, and some cultural etiquette. When asked how the Greeks manage the pits in the olives, she said they can be spit into a napkin, spit onto a fork, or simply taken from the mouth with our hands.