ATHENS IS FILTHY!!! part 1

ATHENS IS FILTHY!!!
Part 1

Athens is filthy folks, probably the filthiest city in Eastern Europe. I´ve always wanted to visit the Acropolis and the surrounding neighborhood but boy was I in for a shock at what I saw. This was my first time in Athens, Greece and I decided to book a hotel near the center of the city right off Omonia Square. My friend suggested I take a hotel closer to the beaches but I declined because after all I´m  a city boy. Now in all honesty I have to say that the location of my hotel was good to take the subway or even walk to places like the Akropolis. So let me tell you about my trip.

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I arrived in Athens around 9ish. The view from the plane window was beautiful, as is the case with most cities, and the flight was cramped but good, as is the case with most flights. Take a look at the picture on the left:

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Customs was a breeze and I found my driver right away. When we drove into the city it was night and the weather was warm. The buildings were run down, the sidewalks cracked and there was graffiti everywhere. All of these elements are not such a big deal in and of themselves. It was the degree of filth and decay that caught my attention and seemed present throughout most of  the city. That was my first time in Athens but people have told me that it has always been that way. So I figure that the economic hardships have only fueled this status quo.

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Let me start with the positives. The weather is beautiful. Yes it does rain but chances are that you will enjoy one nice day after another. By nice I mean blue skies with white puffy clouds and warm temperatures that can be hot for all you city walkers out there. I was in shorts and flip flops almost everyday and the evenings and nights are just as beautiful.

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Another good thing about Athens is the prices as compared to other Western European states. If you go into some of the small shops, (not the larger department stores), you can find some very good deals on shirts, shoes and pants. I bought a nice button down shirt for 3euros. Back in Western Europe that same shirt would have easily cost 20euros if not more and in the US it probably would have cost 5-10euros. So you can find some very good deals on all kinds of things. I´ve seen some people travel with an empty suitcase only to fill it when they arrive and that might be a good suggestion for you. Keep in mind that the nicer parts of the city have higher prices like around the Akropolis. I payed 5euros for a strawberry daiquiri and it was amazing.

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The subway system in Athens is modern, clean and convenient. It doesn´t cover the whole city like Paris, France but it´s very nice. If you don´t feel like walking consider the subways as a good way to get around. It´s also cheap compared to most other cities. You can buy a 5 day pass for 9euros and travel it as often as you´d like within those 5 days. Here´s a picture of inside the subway at the Akropolis subway station.

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Now most people that know Athens and enjoy it stay to the south by the sea where the beaches are. It´s cleaner and has the feel of a vacation town and not so much a city. There are beaches, palm trees, restaurants and bars. It really is a better place to stay than inside Athens. You can drive down kilometer after kilometer of beautiful coast passing beach after beach. It´s very nice.

The most famous part of Athens, the neighborhood everyone intends on visiting when they arrive is the Akropolis. You can go to the top of the Akropolis but I found that to be a big disappointment. One thing that I found really nice was the Amphitheater. It faces south so it has sunlight most of the day and I heard they have shows in it too. Here are some pictures of the exterior:

What I liked most about the Akropolis wasn´t the Parthenon but the neighborhood around it. It´s very touristic but nice and clean. It´s a good place to have a meal and enjoy the nice weather and conversation. The food is good and weather is nice, of course. Here are some pictures of the Akropolis and neighborhood below:

So this is the end of part 1 of ATHENS IS FILTHY!!! blog. Click here for Part 2.