Yassou*

February 12, 2026

"There are two kinds of people. Greeks, and everyone else who wish they were Greek."

- My Big Fat Greek Wedding

As our trips have gone, the journey here ranks among the the most grueling of our adventures.  The flight involved 3 connections and some 16 hours in the air in total.   With modern air travel it seemed simple enough.  However, on our second leg in New York the plane had maintenance issues resulting in time on the tarmac, returning to the gate, deplaning, several hours of uncertainty using an app (their are no humans anymore), finding a new plane, missing connections, and eventually arriving in a cramped commuter plane.  I blame Trump.  I have never reason to do that,  he just seemed like a good focus of antipathy for the long ordeal.

However, we made it.  We were greeted with cool temperatures and a light rain.  A taxi sped us along through the wet streets to our hotel.  We pressed our faces looking trough the rain drop stained windows at our new location.  We passed busy narrow streets, random old ruins, and,  despite the rain, busy restaurants and shops.

Our taxi driver spoke broken English, but wanted to go out of his way giving us a tour as we drove on.  We were so tired, we passively listened as he pointed out various sites we were passing in the dark wet streets lit only by street lamps.  At first, it seemed ridiculous.  It was dark outside.  However,  his earnest passion broke through and it proved to be a charming introduction to the city.

We ate dinner at a roof top restaurant atop our hotel.  There, lit up in ethereal grandeur  in the rain rose the Acropolis.  It was crowned with the Parthenon wonderfully lit , gleaming white against the dark sky.

We both slept hard, but well.  It was time to get started.

A few facts from our friend Cliff Clavin to provide some background to the next two weeks - Take it away Cliff -

Thanks Glenn Hold my beer please…… It is said that Greece was made by the Creator when he threw a bunch of rocks over his shoulder.  It is a peninsula at the southern end of the Balkan countries about the size of Alabama. It is also surrounded by over 2,000 islands about half of which are populated.  The largest being Crete.  Others are no more than rocky outcroppings jutting out of the sea.  About 80% of the industry here is tourism or service related.  More people visit Greece every year than the entire population of the country.

It is said that the gods Poseidon and Athena competed over who would be the patron of the city.  Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle won by offering the olive tree, a renewable gift that had many uses.  So the city was named Athens in her honor .  About 3 million people live here which represents about 1/3 of the population of the country.  Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world.  It’s founding dates back 3,400 years.

And for reasons that are not clear, it is covered in feral cats.

There is so much here to explore, far beyond the scope of this pitiable blog.  It is helpful to remember that just about everything we hold precious in the Western world started here.  Art, theatre, poetry, philosophy, medicine, and democracy to name a few.  When the titan Prometheus gave mortals fire and thus the ability to create like the gods, it was here he lit the flame.

Promethias

Thanks Cliff…

So we begin.   Like most of our trips we started off in the best way possible with a walk.  Like the sun at the center of the solar system, the hulking mass of the Acropolis is the dominant feature in this part of old Athens.  All of the surrounding neighborhoods circle around it and just just about everywhere offers a view.  It turned out to be a beautiful day.

Athens had the unfortunate history of being one of the most polluted cities in Europe.  Car congestion, narrow streets, dirty heating oil, and general neglect led to the city having choking air and soot everywhere.  About 30 years ago there was a move to change all of that with good success.  Pedestrian only districts were created, cars rerouted, better quality heating oil, and other general policies lead to the bright clear downtown area we see today. It is not Japan by any means, but it is pretty nice.

We made our way to Syntagma Square.  Here in the old palace of a 17 year old Bavarian Prince lies the country’s parliament.  It is the seat of the government flanked by various support agencies and international embassies.

Syntagma Square

The Grecian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier lies here guarded by Enzone Guards.   Despite the guards flamboyant uniforms complete with pom pots in their shoes, they are considered elite troops with a venerable history in the fight for independence from the Ottomans in the 19th century.

Directly West runs Ermou Boulevard.  This high end shopping area used to feature local stores.  Today, high end brands have invaded much to the chagrin of the locals due to increased prices.  But, it was busy with shoppers but not packed like we were warned it could be.  In fact, in general the crowds were light everywhere in this heavily touristed city.

Right in the middle of the street lies this small Eastern Orthodox church built in 1000 AD!  This was the Church of Kapnikarea.  The dichotomy of the medieval building against a modern shopping center could not be more stark.  Inside was a classic coptic church square layout with stunning ancient mosaics that stretched from floor to the roof.

Church of Kapnikarea

In this area were a number of Greek Orthodox churches (80% of the country worships this way) with supporting squares and parks.

We found Adrianou Street.  This is the heart of old town or “The Plaka”.   During peak season the lane is choked with meandering crowds of tourists.   As such, the street is lined mostly with cheap souvenir shops and T shirt outlets.  But still among the tourist schlock the houses and atmosphere were charming.

Yes, the mother was near by

At the end of the street we found Hadrian’s Arch.  Around 146 BC the Romans conquered this area.  Instead of sacking it, the Romans fell in love with the culture and architecture and in the ultimate act of cultural appropriation made it there own.  Many of the surviving ruins are in fact Roman as they attempted to add on to the city and make it more Roman.  The Emperor Hadrian was a particular fanboy of Athens and commissioned this arch to show the divide between old Athens and the new Roman city he planned to build in his name.  It is blacked in parts from the years of pollution.

Next door to it lies all that remains of the Temple of Zeus.  A project 700 years in the making Hadrian would finally finish it.  The size of the pillars is deceptive in the photo.  They are 54 feet tall and when completed it would house a football field!   A statue of Zeus, one of the wonders of the ancient world, sat at one end.  Not to be out done, and equally massive stature of Hadrian sat at the other.

From here we climbed part of Acropolis hill and entered the narrow lanes of the cliff side neighborhood of Anafiotika.   If you look at pictures of Athens you will inevitably see shots here.  It is about as instagram worthy of side streets as any you will find.  I would find it challenging to live here full time trying to go in and out of the city.

The area was built by refugees of the tiny Cycladic island of Anafi who came to Athens looking for work after the Ottoman war.  Thus the houses retain an “Island” vibe.   Today, mostly rich Athenians own property here as a cabin away if you will from the city below.

The sun starting getting low in the sky and it was time to make our way back to our hotel.  These sights along with some spectacular local food made our first day a very good one

*Greek for "hello"