Historic... Ugly... Metropolitan... Modern... Old..Noisy... Charming... Place to live... Dirty... Vibrant...
Κλεινόν Άστυ (pronounced klinon asti; this phrase was used in the ancient times to call Athens as Glorious City) Whatever tag you put on Athens we guess you are right. We cannot really give you a description of Athens since we, the residents, we cannot really tell how life in Athens is but we all agree to a point. It blossoms with life. We have the privilege to live in such a historical city. Well pretty much of the words such as Democrasy, Drama, Theatre, Philosophy, Symposia, Agora were born in this town some 2500 years ago so we are not exactly the new kids on the block. Unfortunately there were many breaks to that great civilisation and you will be right if you tell us - standing on a top of a nearby mountain - that it does not look so great or so friendly when you try to cross the buzzy streets or try to find your way through the omnipresent cars, motorbikes, tables of cafeteria, garbage and people.
But hey then why live in such a chaotic city? Well just the fact that you enjoy abudant shunshine and in 20 minutes from Synatagma Square you will be at the beach and then take a short brake of 2-3 hours just for coffee and then enjoy amazing food and stay up to 6 o' clock in the morning partying at Psirri, Gazi, the Coast or alternatively spend the night watching a play in the ancient theatre Herodeio or listen music to the various festivals that take place around the year. Well Athens is not the mess it used to be... New pedestrian streets have circled the historical center and the public transports network has been renovated for the Olympic Games of 2004. If you still cannot stand Athens (who does?) you are always in the hub of transports. Just pick a ship from Peiraeus and start island hopping or take a bus to the amazing mainland where you can escape in byzantine monasteries and castles, discover local festivals or just escape your adrenaline by going skiing, rafting, mountain biking or any other activity you can imagine. Whatever we can say to you about Athens it will never be enough because Athens does not always look nice at first sight but everyone regrets to leave after spending some months here and always looks forward to coming back again and again...
Looking forward to see you in Athens |
