Whisper House Press

The Athens leg of my 2017 trek left a bad taste in my mouth. It may be that I was coming off a two-week stint in the islands and the big city is hotter, dirtier, and generally (though not always—ahem, Santorini—) more expensive than those islands. That’s how cities are, though, and I don’t think it quite fair to blame a thing for being an instance of its type. I was determined, this year, to give the city another shot.

We spent three nights in Athens so far, and there’ll be two more before this trip is over. Those three nights and three days did turn me from a hater into a so-so, fair-to-middlin’ guy on Athens, but I haven’t completely turned the corner into really loving the city. The main thing is that it feels, as Rome does, like a tourist-heavy ancient city, and that’s not really my jam. What I mean by this description is that expensive name-brand shops are plopped down beside important buildings and monuments, gimmicky and completely unrelated-to-their-surroundings shops line some streets, and the restaurants in particular are forced to serve a specific (read: rich, entitled, demanding) clientele (their menus reflect the expectations to which that group, by and large, holds them).

The good news is that it’s fairly easy to spot when you’ve drifted into a heavily touristed area. The bad news is that drifting more than a block or two out of it means the pickings are slim, and the garbage is piled high. And everywhere in this city in the summer, temperatures continue to soar. Even accustomed as I am to temps in the 100s (over 38C) because I live in the desert, my son and I hid indoors between about 11AM and 8PM. (This choice was reinforced when the Greek authorities wisely closed all outdoor attractions from noon to 5pm, which is probably underestimating the hours of most intense heat.)

But let’s say you find that sweet spot: the edge of the tourist area, but shy of garbage-city. There you’ll still confront pickpockets and harassers, as well as shopkeepers who—sour on the creep of tourism into their neighborhood—will not greet or even acknowledge a foreign customer beyond accepting payment and counting out change (this happened more than once this trip and last trip).

It’s just not an ideal place for a visit, in my opinion. That said, the kids seem to have a lot of clubs and bars to attend. I wouldn’t know about that side of the city.

I’d still like to visit when the weather is better (say, October through April or May at the latest). I’d give it another go. It’s not a bad place to visit, and one must acknowledge the unbeatable ancient ruins of a city 3,000 years in the making. It’s just not great. (My feelings about Rome are approximately the same.)

Heading to the islands next. Those are completely different story for me… I’m setting out with high expectations! More to come.