Tuesday 15 December 2015

A stroll around Athens



We went to Athens yesterday, our first visit since we arrived in Greece last week.  We got off the bus at Makriyanni and walked through the streets of Plaka which seemed incredibly quiet after the summer.




This is the Melina café, named after Melina Merkouri.



 
Some of the cafes were quite busy with people enjoying the sunshine
 
 

 
but the tavernas were empty
 
 
 
 
as it was too early for lunch.
 

 
 





We came across this graffiti on one of the walls of a public building:

'And they came back, with their shiny new vehicles, intending to collect more taxes. As they disembarked they felt that they were walking on cotton wool, rather than solid ground. What they encountered were haunted eyes and hands that were holding stones. Many of the vehicles remained there. Those that departed never came back. Never....'




You can't walk far in Athens without coming across antiquities - this is the ancient Angora




and this is the entrance to the Roman Agora.



 
The old Mosque which is a folk museum nowadays
 
 

 
Pandrosou Street which is full of tourist shops
 

 

 
a Byzantine church on Ermou Street
 

 

 
 
 

 
the new H&M shop on Ermou Street looks truly spectacular
 

 

 
the view from the first floor
 
 
 

 
the old part of the building 
 
 

 
an old street organ with the organ player dressed appropriately
 
 
 

 
higher up on Ermou Street we came across this lot
 

 

 
who were advertising Windows 10.

 
 


Ermou Street was really busy. We have been told that November was an awful month for businesses but December seems to be picking up



 
A salepi seller - as the sign says it's a drink made out of orchid roots. I have to confess that I have never tried it
 
 


Finallly, a koulouri seller. Koulouria are yummy and Ken always buys one when we go to Athens.



4 comments:

  1. I'm with Ken: I love koulouria, but in my day the seller used only to have a pole with them stacked. Far fewer people around with spare cash in those days, I guess.

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    1. Koulouria are really big now, Olga. Not only are there lots of street sellers around, selling large quantities like the one in the photograph, but bakeries sell them too. But somehow, they always seem to taste better when bought from the street. I love them too, but have given up eating wheat so I can't anymore. What I miss the most though, is tiro- and spanakopites - now, that is very difficult.

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    2. Oh yes, I miss those pites too. It must be even more difficult for you to have them near you regularly. At least I don't see them any more. I just savour my memories.

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    3. That's it, Olga. I don't miss them in the UK but here, is another matter - they're everywhere....

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