To Wander in Athens

I see him once a year, more if I’m lucky. He meets me at a small hotel near the Acropolis, elegant as always, sporting olive green trousers, a crisp shirt, English suede brogues, and an olive kerchief. His bearded face smiles. He pushes my suitcase into the small, mirrored elevator and I follow him. 

My bag is so heavy it looks like I have bite-marks on my shoulder. Luggage bites. I shouldn’t have brought so many books. Here I am in Athens with my father. I show him the present brought him from Spain: a chunk of manchego cheese. We hear a car stop outside and peer over the balcony. Daisy has arrived.

An hour later we are wandering around the Acropolis. We see a man singing on the street and Daisy stops to talk to him. My father shows us the city with an ice cream cone in one hand. He delights in pointing out the narrow streets, old neon signs, hidden corners, and fashionable bars. We stop in a subterranean spot, The Speakeasy. I order a gin & tonic with white peppercorns and a slice of grapefruit. More drinks, more stories. Dinner follows. We feast at Tzitzikas & Mermingas. After a digestive stroll to the hotel Daisy presents us with chocolates from Fortnum & Mason. My father leaves, manchego in hand.

The next day Daisy and I visit the Acropolis Museum. She marvels at the vertigo-inducing glass floors. We pause in front of a statue of Aphrodite. Her stone face is stained with copper eyelash tears.

I want to visit the Classic Car Museum but there isn’t time. Soon we are on the boat, perusing the 60s pulp paperbacks Daisy brought from London. They are obscene and hilarious. Together we devour the hours.

A QUICK GUIDE TO ATHENS (PART TWO)

Visit The Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, the classic car museum, and the Benaki Museum.

If you’re exploring the Acropolis, make an evening of it and walk to the fantastic gelateria La Greche, have a cocktail at Speakeasy (address: Lekka 12, Syntagma), then have a bite at Tzitzikas & Mermingas.

According to my Athenian friends here are some fun Athenian areas to walk around in:

Koukaki (artistic, good for nightlife, close to Plaka and the Acropolis.

Mets (hip bars and restaurants. Check out Hotel Chelsea.)

Petralona (cool cafés)

Here are some other semi-secret bars...

There are lots of hipper places to stay but if you want somewhere friendly, basic, and clean, in a convenient neighborhood the Acropolis Select Hotel is good.

You can read about my last trip to Athens here.

The view from the ferry.

Walking in Athens

                                     

The glittering sea rippled under the wind. We approached thistle land and landed with a thud. My father met me at the airport, in an elegant collared shirt, linen trousers, and suede brogues, topped off with sunglasses he’s had since the 70s, oblivious to the intense heat except for a blotting of his white brow.

He drove me to the Acropolis in his 80s Renault. We climbed the slippery white marble stairs, so soft and smooth I was tempted to pet them. Tourists felt the same and reached out for the columns for a historic stroke, despite the “Do not touch” signs. My father told me how he visited the Acropolis as a boy and back then you could sit on the steps. In the ancient amphitheatre dancers rehearsed below the endless steep stairs. Music drifted up to the crumbling temples. The cream columns glowed golden in the twilight.

Next he showed me a little abandoned building nearby that resembled a Japanese teahouse. It used to be a café. It still had the mood of a place you could spend hours in, resting your feet on the uneven marble floor in the warm Athenian evening. We noticed two half-drunk champagne flutes and the remains of a picnic on a table.

We walked past the outdoor movie theatre to Psirri, dipping into narrow streets, people watching and pausing to admire boxy old cars, guessing the make as we got closer. One street had cables or ropes strung up and down it, as if the houses on either side were loosely laced together. The ropes were decorated with a random assortment of chandeliers and old lamps.

We went for dinner at Omorpho in Kolonaki where I devoured potatoes seasoned with oregano, followed by garlicky tsadziki, fried zucchini balls, and green beans in a fragrant tomato sauce, gently spiced with a dash of cumin. My father drank wine in a small glass, poured from a small tin pitcher. For dessert, we ducked into a pastry shop and bought two miniature chocolate cakes with rich, gooey insides.

It was nearing midnight so he drove me to the boat. He deposited me inside the ferry with hugs and kisses and a wave. Goodbye Athens.

YOUR QUICK GUIDE TO ATHENS

Walk around Psirri (there are lots of nice little bars in the neighbourhood) and Plaka.

Visit the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum; check out the traditional costumes at the main branch of the Benaki Museum on Vassilas Sofias Ave. 

Watch traditional Greek dancing nightly at the Dora Stratou theatre by the Acropolis. 

Eat In Kolonaki. There’s Athenian food at Omorpho on Xenokatous Street. While you’re in the neighbourhood nibble on a little chocolate cake at the French-named sweet shop on  (Patriarchou Joachim Street about half way down towards Kolonaki Square on your right.) At Hatzi's try the cake soaked in honey syrup topped with buffalo milk clotted cream. There is one in Kolonaki and one in Sytagma. Of course there are other delicious places too. If you have any suggestions leave them in the comments section...