Go Citybreak:Athens is a place where a glorious past meets an edgy present. Don't be put off by the modern Greek drama, says Lorraine Courtney– enjoy the wonders of its past
THE FINANCIAL calamity of the past few months is like a classical tragedy. Social unrest, strikes, spiralling debt and worsening recession are illustrating our newspapers’ front pages. And after years of sunny self-indulgence, the final act of this Greek drama remains a long way off.
But by historical fortune and ancient accident, Athens is brimming with world wonders and makes for an excellent city break. The Olympic Games in 2004 meant that the city was mightily spruced up; and nowadays despite financial woes, it’s a place where a glorious past meets an edgy, exotic and stylish present.
The beating heart of modern Athens is Syntagma Square. It is bordered by hotels, the Greek Parliament . . . and a McDonald’s. Have your camera at the ready for the changing of the guard, outside the parliament building. The famous Evzones, wearing their skirts and pompom clogs, stride past the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the hour. Ernest Hemingway called these soldiers “fighting men in ballet skirts” and their elaborate skirts or “foustanellas” contain 400 pleats – one for every year of Ottoman rule.
Jumping back a millennium or so, make for the labyrinthine streets of Plaka. This area is the oldest continuously inhabited town in all of Europe. Buildings go back at least a thousand years and what lies beneath goes back even further. This is the traditional Athens of bouzouki fame, the place to hunt for the perfect worry beads (known as komboloi) and wander the narrow streets. It is littered with chapels and churches from Byzantium's Golden Age and its bustling markets, ouzeriesand little eateries are other remnants from Ottoman times. Order a sweet Greek coffee and settle into a spirited game of backgammon with the locals.
The interiors of the small, domed Byzantine churches are exquisite: all glittering mosaics and flickering candles. The miniature Old Metropolis church on Plaka’s edge is something very special. Also known as Panayia Gorgoepikoos (this translates as the “virgin who answers prayers quickly”), its outer walls are festooned with reliefs that date from the 4th century.
Of course, the Greek capital is crammed with classical delights. First and foremost the Acropolis is unmissable if only to discover, as Freud did, that it exists “just as we learnt at school”. The name translates as “high town” and its sheer scale, audacity and resonance are simply mind-blowing. The Temple of Athena Parthenos – to give the Parthenon its full title – has become a symbol of a certain kind of civilisation. Designed by Iktinos, this Doric masterpiece is composed of some 13,400 blocks of Pentelic marble, and is a work of mathematical wizardry.
Amazingly, there’s not a single straight line in the whole structure. You see Iktinos subtly imitated the curves and swirls of the natural world in an almost subliminal visual illusion.
At the foot of the Acropolis you can see the Theatre of Dionysos, where the great Greek tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and company premiered. Then there’s the Agora, the ancient marketplace, where the city gossiped and conducted its business. The National Archaeological Museum is the largest museum in the land and its treasures range from the Cycladic civilisation right through to the classical and Roman periods. Unforgettable is the exquisite golden Mask of Agamemnon, the death mask of a Mycenaean king.
THE NEW ACROPOLISMuseum is another must-see. It is something of a crystal palace designed to protect the priceless artefacts that it houses. Shaded glass shields the antiquities from sunlight and porous concrete walls show off the works of ancient art beautifully. The most controversial display is that of the veiled plaster casts representing the Elgin Marbles that remain in the British Museum.
Greeks are hardened night owls and when the air is sultry and cool the city comes out to play. Nobody dines before 10 o’clock and it’s definitely worthwhile experiencing an authentic Greek taverna. Guests sit at long wooden tables usually covered in blue chequered tablecloths. Flamboyant chefs dish up epic portions of mezedes (appetisers) like grilled octopus, stuffed red peppers, flaky feta cheese pies, butterfly-grilled sardines and the ubiquitous tzadziki (a tangy sauce made of yoghurt, cucumber and garlic). Downing a shot or two of ouzo, the cloudy Greek firewater, is mandatory. After dinner, the exotic strains of the bouzouki start up and it can often evolve into a fevered, bacchanalian affair. It might be a cliché but it’s fun.
If you want to escape the city’s bustle then Delphi, the navel or centre of the world in Greek mythology, is spectacular. The site has been pulling in the crowds since the days of Homer. In ancient Greece there was no religious authority more powerful than the resident Oracle who used to utter famously ambiguous answers to questions. Battles were waged, voyages undertaken and business conducted, all based on her prophecies. The setting on rugged Mount Parnassus is hauntingly beautiful and there is something intensely spiritual about the place.
Athens’ sunny climate means that it’s truly a year-round destination. High summer can prove sweltering though, so perhaps it’s best to avoid July and August. The balmy days of spring and autumn are ideal, or you could plan your visit to coincide with midwinter’s halcyon days.
There’s a myth to correspond with these days of spring-like weather in January. Alcyone, the daughter of Aeolus, king of the winds, was married to Ceyx. When Ceyx drowned, Alcyone was so distressed that she flung herself into the ocean. Out of sympathy, the gods changed the loving couple into a pair of kingfishers. And so Aeolus restrains the winds for a few weeks each January, so that his daughter can build her nest and lay her eggs. Back in the city go to Thissio for a nightcap. This part of Athens city has buzzing bar life. You see, post Olympics, the city named for a goddess who was created from the mind of her father Zeus has been born again. You’ll get the feeling that it just might be worth staying for more than a long weekend.
Go thereAer Lingus (aerlingus.com) flies from Dublin to Athens. British Airways (ba.com) flies to Athens via London Heathrow.
Where to stay, where to eat and where to go
5 places to stay
Baby Grand. 65 Athinas Street, 00-30-210-325-0900, classicalhotels.com/baby grandhotel. The decor here is definitely unique and playful. The check-in desk is a Mini Cooper convertible with piped birdsong. The rooms all feature graffiti-like etchings that range from the Smurfs to creepy crawlies. Room rate from €86.
The King George Palace.3 Vassileos Georgiou A Street, 00-30-210-322-2210, classicalhotels.com/king georgepalace. This hotel does a nice line in five-star opulence. Interiors are all velvets and raw silks, gilding, marble and sparkling chandeliers. Frank Sinatra was a regular. Doubles start at €232.
Ochre Brown.7 Leokoriou Street, 00-30-210-331-2950, oandbhotel.com. Only 10 minutes from the Parthenon, minimalist-cool with stylish rooms, this hotel is the perfect retreat after a day pounding the pavements. Doubles start at €153.
The Pentelikon.66 Diligianni Street, 00-30-210-623-0650, pentelikon.gr. Radiating a quiet kind of glamour, this neoclassical manor dating from 1924 is utterly traditional in style, with dark wood, swagged drapery and sweeping views over Athens. Doubles from €165.
The Periscope.22 Haritos Street, 00-30-210-729-7200, periscope.gr. Perfectly located with a unique rooftop periscope giving dazzling views over the Athens cityscape. You can also do this while lying down as there are aerial photos of Athens attached to every bedroom's ceiling for sweet Grecian dreams. Room from €125.
5 places to eat
Cafe Avissinia.Kinetou 7, Avissinia Square, 00-30-210-3217-047, avissinia.gr. All dark deco and floral wallpaper, with first floor views of the Parthenon. You can lunch here on dried barley bread with tomato and goat's cheese or a verdant salad.
Daphne's.4 Lysikratous Street, 00-30-210-322-7971, daphnesrestaurant.gr. This restaurant occupies a gracious neoclassical villa with an interior garden area. The food is superb: a fusion of traditional and nouvelle Greek. Try the meatballs in ouzo-laced tomato sauce.
Gefsis Me Onomasia Proelefsis.317 Kifisias, 00-30-210-800-1402. Translated this means "flavours of designated origin" and yes the food is beyond fresh and thoroughly authentic. Think fresh-grilled sardine fillets and fava beans drenched in mint-lime sauce.
Platanos.4 Diogenous Street, 00-30-210-322-0666. Serving since 1932, this restaurant dishes up unpretentious and unreconstructed Greek dishes like lamb with artichoke. Sit out on the bougainvillea-covered terrace, sipping the home-made retsina.
Varoulko's.80 Piraeus Street, 00-30-210-522-8400, varoulko.gr/uk/varoulko.html. Chef Lefteris Lazarou gained the country's first Michelin star for Greek food. Drop in for sumptuous seafood dishes like cuttlefish risotto or patsa, the working man's tripe soup.
5 places to go
The Parthenon. Dionysiou Areopagitou, 00-30-210-321-4172, culture.gr. The entire hill is the Acropolis, the 5th-century BC temple to Athena Parthenos is the Parthenon. Don't pick up any stones – remember the tourist arrest in 2004?
National Archaeological Museum. 44 Patission Street, 00-30-210-821-7717, culture.gr. This museum is crammed with rooms and rooms of sculptures from 700 BC to the early Byzantine era. Most stunning is perhaps the haunting 14th-century BC golden Mask of Agamemnon.
National Museum of Contemporary Art.Vas Georgiou B 17-19, 00-30-210-924-2111, emst.gr. This museum occupies the site of Greece's first brewery and has multiple exhibition spaces, shops and restaurants.
The New Acropolis Museum.Acropolis, 00-30-210-923-8175, newacropolismuseum.gr. This is the repository of finds from the Acropolis. Don't miss the veiled plaster casts meant to represent the Elgin Marbles. The originals are in the British Museum which refuses to return them.
Delphi. Marvel at the mystery and beauty of the site chosen for his temple by Apollo himself 3,000 years ago. There are several bus connections daily and the trip takes three hours.
Hot spotFor the best night-time panorama, head for the Galaxy bar (Vassilissis Sofias 46, 00-30-210-728-1000) on the Hilton Hotel's top floor. You can gaze at the floodlit Acropolis while sipping a ridiculously expensive cocktail.
Shop spotThe Plaka district is perfect for picking up traditional worry beads, rugs and ceramics. For jewellery, visit swanky Voukourestiou Street – it's lined with stylish silver and goldware shops. At the other end of the scale, the huge bazaar in Monistiraki is worth a visit if only for people watching.