But this is just a side note. After all, the impression from reading one of the guidebooks, in which the capital of the Greek state was presented so unpresentably, became the biggest disappointment during the trip to Athens. And, thank God, the only one. Although there were plenty of shortcomings to be found on the land of the ancient Hellenes. If you look at things through the eyes of our people, of course.
At the origins of European civilization
Even if Greece were not located in the zone of Mediterranean subtropics, which God himself intended to be a resort, endowing it with many elements attractive to any vacationer, the territory of Ancient Hellas would still be very popular. And the point here is largely that the civilization that arose on the territory now occupied by the Greek kingdom is quite rightly considered the cradle of European civilization.
If you have not yet forgotten the history of the ancient world, which you studied at school, you should know that Ancient Greece is a separate milestone in this section. A milestone that is integral and self-sufficient, but at the same time indispensable.
The first signs of the appearance of civilized man on the territory of Ancient Greece date back to very ancient times. The place where Athens is located, according to legend, received its first inhabitants around the 16th-13th centuries BC. Probably, it is not surprising that the city is simply oversaturated with monuments of ancient Hellenic culture, of which modern Greeks are extremely proud. Although, if we consider that since the heyday of that ancient civilization, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Bulgarians, Albanians and other peoples have swept across Greek soil with invasions, one can argue about the purity of the Greek race (as well as its rights to the heritage of the ancient Hellenes).
But be that as it may, the monuments of ancient culture that the Greeks are proud of, which the whole world admires, are located in Athens, and this is what gives the city an incredible flavor. Among modern buildings dressed in glass, the Acropolis hill with the Parthenon looks very picturesque. And the Temple of Olympian Zeus on Constitution Square harmonizes very well with the National Garden, the Parliament building and the Panathenaic Stadium.
Antiquity in Athens is closely intertwined with modernity, and for this alone the capital of Greece should be loved and appreciated. There is no other city like it in the world. I strongly recommend anyone who has not been there yet to visit. You will not regret it.
And, perhaps, the only feeling with which you will leave this city will be regret. Regret that you did not manage to see everything, to visit some places several times and enjoy what has proven to be beyond the power of time and the destructive impact of human activity.
There is no point in listing all the sights of Athens - you might miss something and present an incomplete picture of this functioning and densely populated open-air museum. But, probably, those who are interested in cultural and historical monuments are well aware of their presence and of their considerable number in the capital of Greece. As for those who are far from art, for whom Athena Pallas and the Athenian Plaka are identical concepts, even listing the most cherished places in Athens with extended comments will not help.
What makes Athens Athens
Athens owes its name to the goddess Athena Pallas - a virgin goddess revered as the goddess of war and victory, as well as the goddess of wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts. According to legend, Athena emerged from the head of Zeus - the main god in ancient Greek mythology - in full military attire.
According to another legend, when the inhabitants of the city, later named Athens, asked one of the main deities of Olympus to take patronage over them, a dispute arose between Athena and the god of the sea, Poseidon. To win the gratitude of the townspeople, Poseidon struck the rock with his trident, and a spring immediately gushed out (considering the mountainous landscape and hot climate - a more than worthy gift).
Wise Athena responded even more worthily - she thrust her spear into the ground, which turned into the first olive tree. The tree thanks to which Greece became famous - one of the world's largest exporters of olive oil and, naturally, of olives themselves.
After such a gift, the Hellenes did not hesitate any longer and accepted the patronage of Zeus's daughter, and in her honor the unique temple of the Parthenon was built on the Acropolis. 'Unique' - because there were attempts to build a similar one (for example, in the USA), but all the efforts of imitators ran into the secrets of the Parthenon architects, contained in the optical illusions of human vision, on the basis of which the temple's colonnades were built.
Athens is not without reason considered a seaside city, about the construction of summer cottages in which even patricians dreamed. In ancient times, the Athenians were known as leaders in the pan-Greek maritime union, which very successfully resisted the invasion of the Persians. By the way, one of the greatest achievements of the Hellenes, according to their descendants, is that the ancient Greeks were able to stop the advance of the Asians to the west, preserving the prerequisites for the development of Europe in the form in which it exists today.
But, despite the historical background and the abundance of beaches of hotels located right on the coast, Athens is not a seaside city in the pure sense. Greater Athens, which includes a number of suburbs, is. Athens itself is not.
But this does not prevent the capital of Greece from attracting lovers of sea recreation. The Saronic Gulf, on the shore of which back in the middle of the last century there were summer cottage settlements and the port suburb of Piraeus, well known in the sports world (it is home to the best football club in Greece, Olympiacos), is now within the city limits. On the map, of course, Vouliagmeni or Glyfada are still listed there, but in fact these are already the very Athens.
A city like the sun
Over the last fifty years, Athens has expanded very significantly. It has grown and prospered, and its population in Greater Athens now numbers five million.
A capital is a capital. It always attracts increased attention. Therefore, it is not surprising that delegations of settlers headed to Athens—both from Greek towns and from abroad. For example, from the USSR and Turkey. In short, the combined efforts significantly increased the population of Greece's main city.
And as the number of inhabitants grew, so did the amount of living space they needed. With modern high-rise construction technologies, it would seem no difficulties should arise. But... According to an established law in Athens, no building may reach the level of the Acropolis—this heart of the capital, its ancient cementing core, on and around which the most famous historical sites are located. Athens was built up with five- and seven-story buildings, low by today's standards, which forced the city to expand and sprawl across the valley.
The city, if you look at a map, resembles a sun whose rays lead from the center to the outskirts. They intersect with webs of small rays that create the overall picture of the city's transport network. This network is tangled, despite the seeming regularity of the city blocks.
Ground transport mainly moves through the center. Therefore, getting from one district to another is sometimes more convenient on foot, taking half an hour, than riding with transfers on public transport and arriving at the destination an hour later. True, for this you need to navigate the names of streets (which, for the most part, if they are present, are written in Greek) and their incredibly confusing numbering of houses. Or at least have a minimum command of English.
The Greeks, it should be noted, are very friendly people and are always ready to help. Even if they themselves do not know where the place you need is located, they will still point the way. How accurate it is is another matter, but you can be sure you will not be left without an answer. Therefore, you will have to stop almost every passerby to get complete information and draw the right conclusions.
As strange as it may sound, Athenians became acquainted with the metro only two years ago. Until the beginning of the 21st century, within the city there were surface analogues of the underground, but they resembled, rather, lines for suburban electric trains, and could not boast of branching.
Naturally, the Hellenes (they insist on calling themselves that, believing that the word 'Greek' is of Roman origin) are not familiar with the culture of behavior in the metro. Entry and exit from the car in Athens takes place in a completely arbitrary order. Moreover, those entering the car begin to move forward immediately as soon as the doors open. And those who intended to get out are still sitting in their seats at that time. The crush, you understand, is incredible. But this shortcoming can be forgiven to the Greeks. All the more so since the lack of skill in moving in the metro is complemented by the traditional Hellenic unhurriedness, laziness, and tendency to put everything off until the last moment.
Probably that is why traffic jams on the narrow streets of Athens, of which there are the vast majority in the city, are a frequent occurrence. Moreover, they are habitual.
The manner of behavior of Athenians on the streets is distinguished by rare carelessness. I have seen it myself; moreover, I have participated, succumbing to the general mood, in crossing an eight-lane highway in a place completely unsuitable for that. However, it looked less like a crossing and more like a hare weaving between vehicles. And a collective one at that.
Driving in this city is no easier than walking. A motorcycle or scooter can be considered the most universal means of transportation. On them, it is easy to maneuver both between cars parked in complete disorder on narrow streets, and in the traffic jams that quite often form on wider roads.
How the organizers of the 2004 Olympic Games, which will take place in Athens, intend to solve the transport problem is a real puzzle. Probably, the simplest thing would be either to evict half the residents from the capital for that period, or to build a new city and hold the quadrennial competition there.
At least, there is no lively construction activity in Athens, although many buildings are being restored and put in order. But the pace, the pace... It is very disconcerting. And God willing, by the opening of the Olympic Games in Athens, they will manage to build or restore at least two-thirds of what was planned.