Around Plaka

Two weeks ago we decided to go and see Carl Bloch's lost masterpiece which was being exhibited in Athens, according to the Guardian

The bus dropped us off in Syntagma Square, by the Houses of Parliament 

and we started walking down Metropoleos Street

the bread they sell in this bakery must be good, given the queue.

we soon arrived at the Cathedral

the square at the front

the building of the the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation started in 1842 and was completed 20 years later. Workers used marble from 72 demolished churches to build the cathedral's immense walls

by the steps

I love the simplicity of the stained glass on the door

Next to the cathedral this chapel is to be found

It looks very old and the vaulted ceilings are stunning

We made our way into Plaka

we could see bits of the Acropolis through the gaps in the buildings

some of which are gorgeous

Pandrosou Street was fairly quiet - it's a different matter in the summer when all the tourists descend

mural outside a Muslim coffee shop

We turned left and started going uphill towards the Acropolis and the Pavlos and Alexandra Canellopoulos Museum

A recent article in the Guardian  describes how Plaka has been discovered 'by developers, avaricious investors and global real estate firms' who are posing an existential threat to its existence. 'On the back of the tourist boom, entire buildings have fallen prey to the short-term rental industry and Airbnb. The few shops that have held out are, like residents, on the brink of extinction. The reality now is that residents are leaving and not only because laws are being violated; the crowds, the noise, the chaos have made their lives unbearable'. 

The article points out that Plaka is 'one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the western world. Few neighbourhoods in Europe have been lived in as continuously as Plaka. Nestled on the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, its mansions and two-storey buildings, wrapped around the Agora and other archaeological sites, it is an area that has been inhabited since neolithic times. For Greeks the quarter is not just a window on the classical world but an unbreakable link with antiquity'.

We got to the steps that are full of the bars and cafes

It was cold that day but the heaters made it possible to sit outdoors

I've always been tempted to sit here, but there are waiters hassling you and as a rule, I refuse to sit somewhere where they hassle passer-bys

We finally got to the top and we could see the fortifications around the Acropolis

Just below the 'Sacred Rock' as it's called here sometimes, the Old University - the first university of the Independent Greek State after the  400-year old occupation of the country by the Turks. The University was open from 1837 to 1941.

From here, a view of the Acropolis

 

and an extended view of the city of Athens ahead

a tiny Byzantine church, the Church of the Metamorphosis of the Saviour

the walkway in front of this house





is made of glass so that one can see the ancient ruins that were discovered during the excavations

We had arrived. The Pavlos and Alexandra Canellopoulos Museum

but on no! the exhibition had finished a month ago - that was not mentioned in the Guardian, and I should have checked of course, before setting out. A great disappointment

We continued walking around the area, in the direction of the Fisherman's Old Tavern, where we were going to have lunch

down a different set of steps

a gorgeous neo-classical building, so chararcteristic of the area

which is also a museum, part of the Museum of Greek Folk Art -  'The House on Panos Street - Man and Tools: Aspects of Labour in the Pre-Industrial World'

Soon after we had arrived at the taverna, The Old Fisherman's Tavern

which is big, four different buildings. We chose this one

and went into this room, a cosy one where two walls are made of glass

which afforded us good views - of the side street where another of their buildings is and where two people were sitting outside despite the cold

as well as an excellent view of Lycabettus hill.

We had a delicious lunch and then moved on

Next to the taverna is the small church of St John the Theologian which dates back to the 11th century AD. The date was confirmed during maintenance work when a copper Byzantine coin form the tine of the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komninos (1081-1118 AD) was found on the ceiling of the church. 

Like other Byzantine churches of that time, the masonry follows a system in which the contrast of white stone and red brick is the pattern. Above the door and the window there are small arches topped with pediments. We could not go in as the church was locked but during the maintenance work some frescoes were disclosed, which, without being of a great artistic value, remain important, as very few can be found in Athens that date back to the 12th century.

Some gorgeous restored neo-classical buildings on our way

another, much bigger church

This is a hamam, a Turkish bath - very few still around

Plaka is all narrow streets

some tourist shops around here

painted wooden penises - who buys these things?

I love walking around these narrow lanes

We had entered the tourist area

I love what they have done with the liquor bottles here

a square full of restaurants and bars

This gorgeous building used to house the Fryssiras Museum - it never opened again after the pandemic, and I miss it.

Look at that iron gate!

Just gorgeous

Past another favourite taverna

and we had almost reached Syntagma Square where we would take the bus home. It had been a good day, despite the Prometheus disappointment.