In Athens ~ An Unexpected Greek Renaissance

A journalist from Travel + Leisure recently traveled to Athens to experience first-hand the revival of the arts scene. He shares with us his time spent in Athens, giving us a new perspective and discovering for the first time raki in outdoor cafes, open air cinemas, and ancient art in one of the city’s many art galleries.

“I started where everyone does, in the mythic Athens, the tourist Athens. But when I reached the Acropolis, I kept walking: past the stands selling archaeological schlock, past the spectators on Segways, into the park that surrounds Philopappou Hill. I took a seat on a rock ledge overlooking olive trees, where a few smart Athenians had strung hammocks to watch the sunset. Someone was playing a bouzouki. Someone else was practicing the trumpet. Everywhere there were ruins. The yawning sun cast the whole park in a strange sepia glow.”

“Soon it was dark. I was pleasantly drunk, wandering again. Every restaurant was flung open, the interiors empty, the tables and chairs spilled onto the street. You could not tell, based on the confusion of small plates arriving and departing, whether people were just starting dinner or almost finished. No one, as far as I could tell, had any intention of leaving.”

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