| The City of Athens
Population: 4.000.000
Telephones Services: (003) 210
The area of the city of Athens is 40 square Kilometres and the area of
greater Athens is 428 square Kilometres.
Athens the
capital of modern Greece began as a small fortified village as
far back as 3,000 B.C. Built on top of the Acropolis hill, its
first name was Kekropia, after its mythical founder, King
Kekrops. Later, when the goddess Athena won the city in a
competition with Poseidon, she gave it her name. Today, the
ancient home of Socrates and Pericles boasts a population of
four million.
Modern Athens can be a confusing place with its narrow streets and
urban sprawl. To appreciate the city, simply wander off the
main thoroughfares onto the side streets. Outdoor markets
reminiscent of Turkish bazaars, courtyards and gardens shaded
by vines and jasmine trees, Byzantine churches and the
occasional stunningly beautiful ruin are reminders of the
city's turbulent past and its dynamic present.
Athens is
now truly cosmopolitan in its culinary choices. Though you
probably won't visit the land of baklava and moussaka to eat
wienerschnitzels and Polynesian, at least you know it's
available. Lunch is closer to 2 p.m. than to noon, and no one
thinks of starting dinner before 9 or 10 at night.
 In the Greek
tradition, most merchants shut their doors during the
afternoon to eat and rest through the day's hottest hours. The
city returns to life at dusk, though, when the evening sky
serves as the perfect backdrop for the glowing Parthenon and
lively music floats from the tavernas and jazz clubs to the
streets.
From Athens,
visitors can explore Attica's seaside resort towns strung
along the Apollo coast, watch the sun rise over the Temple of
Poseidon and, from Attica's main port town, Piraeus, hop
ferries to nearly all of the Greek islands. |
