No one, whether painter, photographer, housewife or schoolboy, can fail to be stirred and moved by the “sacred rock,” dominating and imposing itself over the centre of the city – the heartbeat of a city, where, in ancient times, many of the myths of Ancient Greece were born. Surrounded by newly pedestrianised streets, The Acropolis is once more a haven of peace, amidst the hustle and bustle of the country’s capital.

Plaka
Nestling at the foot of the Acropolis hill, lies Plaka, the old quarter of Athens. Again, newly pedestrianised, it is vibrant with colour and activity, light and shade. Narrow streets – some, only one donkey wide, tree lined squares with cafes and tavernas, old churches, whitewashed houses, ancient monuments, archaeological sites – Plaka has a myriad facets.

Glyfada
A beautiful coastal resort, some 10 miles from the centre of Athens, Glyfada boasts broad tree lined avenues, excellent shopping facilities and a breathtaking variety of tavernas, restaurants, bars and cafes. It has two magnificent Orthodox churches and a number of yacht marinas and beaches.

STREET SCENES

Street Markets
Greeks still buy fresh produce, usually at the local “laiki” or street market, where the stalls are shaded by brightly coloured awnings and umbrellas. Local farmers and traders proudly show off their fine displays of virtually every type of fruit, vegetables and flowers, as they try to attract the passing housewives (– and housemen!-) with their cries. Stalls selling rolls of cloth and curtain material, reminiscent of an English market of 50 years ago, abound, many of them Russian owned. Gypsies add to the local colour with their vans and lorries parked nearby, selling carpets and rugs.
The clothes stalls offer some of the best bargains in Europe.

Pavement Kiosks
Not only in Athens but throughout Greece, a colourful and unique feature of virtually every street corner is the pavement kiosk, or peripteron, selling sweets, cigarettes, chocolates, ice cream, cold drinks, newspapers and magazines. . Very often their displays, cool cabinets and magazine racks have spread far beyond the confines of the kiosk.

Coffee Shops
The coffee shops, or kafeneion, are similarly part of the traditional street scene. Here the men folk escape from domesticity to drink Greek coffee, play cards or backgammon but above all to discuss and converse, their lively conversations accompanied and animated by adamant gestures and arm waving, as they stress the importance and correctness of their view. It is in the kafeneion that philosophy is advanced, politicians are put in their place and the world’s problems are solved.


THE ATHENian COAST

For over 50 miles, from the commercial ferry port of Piraeus to the magnificence of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, the coastline offers ever changing vistas. The port itself is a hive of activity, with brightly painted hydrofoils ( Flying Dolphins ) and express Catamarans, as well as the large car ferries which service the islands.

Only five minutes from the ferry port is the picturesque harbour of Mikrolimano, lined by fish restaurants and tavernas and backed by the colourful houses built on the hill at Castella

A few miles down the coast at Kalamaki, is Marina Alimou, the largest yacht marina in Greece, with over 1800 berths, housing opulent mega yachts, and luxurious sailing yachts. Hundreds of masts vie with each other to reach the sky, matched only by the towering lift cranes and transporters, which in seemingly wobbly fashion, somehow manage to hoist these large vessels out of the water and put them back again.

From Glyfada to Cape Sounion, the coastal scenery becomes ever more picturesque – rocky headlands, inlets, cliffs, bays and sandy beaches, all of them bordered by the emerald and turquoise colours of the sea.

Sounion  
On a rocky peninsula, projecting into the sea, at the south-east tip of Attica, the ancient Athenians erected a temple in honour of Poseidon, god of the sea. Built on the summit of the cliffs, which rise 60 metres from the sea, it truly merits its description by Homer as a sacred place. It becomes awe inspiring, when the sea is transformed into a blaze of colour, as the evening sun slowly sinks behind the distant mountains of the Pelopponese.