Magazine - 01/08/05

Since its founding 3,000 years ago, the city has displayed a rare gift: the ability to rise from the ashes, time and again. Destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC and burnt by the Romans in 86 BC, it was ransacked by the Herulians in 267 AD and the Goths in 396 AD, raided by pirates throughout the Middle Ages, occupied by the Turks in the 16th century, and bombarded by the Venetians in 1687. And yet, somehow, despite deep and frequent wounds, Athens has always recovered.

The most recent 'attack', however, has been the most damaging. Ever since the 1950s, the city has suffered from uncontrolled urban sprawl. Trapped between the sea and the mountains, the 4.5 million inhabitants of the most eastern of all Europe's capitals were suffering from record levels of air pollution and an antiquated infrastructure. Luckily, the chance to host the 2004 Olympic Games has given Athens the opportunity to take charge of its own destiny once again.

Athens has, of course, built and upgraded venues for the Games: the Olympic Stadium now has a spectacular roof designed by the Catalan architect Santiago Calatrava. In the last few years, the city has also benefited from new transport projects: a new tram line down to the coast, a new airport (Venizelos) and a new high speed toll motorway (Attiki Odos) linking the airport to the city in 30 min and by-passing the city with a peripheral ring road.

But the most spectacular of the projects is the Athens Metro underground system that has transformed the daily lives of residents, carrying 530,000 passengers a day. That's 193 million a year! Thanks to the Metro, the pollution levels that were harmful to ancient statues, as well as to modern lungs, are dropping fast. In an imaginative combination of technology and archaeology, the Metro has put on display some 30,000 objects that were unearthed during the excavations. Take time to look at the stylish marble and granite stations at Monastiráki, Acropolis and Síndagma.

But the real transformation is taking place elsewhere. In the heart of the city, over 2,500 ugly signs and advertising billboards have been taken down. Careful renovation has freshened up Omonia Square, Vasilissis Sofias street (where most of the museums and embassies are situated) and the Acropolis. Over 10,000 trees and 600,000 flowers have been planted along walkways that now link popular archaeological sites. Along the way, you can stop for a glass of pine-scented retsina or aniseed-flavoured ouzo. Far from the traffic, you can stroll past the ruins, the Temple of Zeus to the Psíri district and the Academy of Plato at the Kerameikos: one of the finest walks in Europe!

Luckily, despite the rattle of pneumatic drills, the traditional Athens still survives: Monastiráki Square in the old Turkish quarter; the central market; the pretty ochre and pink houses that line the lanes in the Pláka district; the hill of the Pnyx, with its delightful view of the Acropolis; Mount Ymittos, famous for its honey bees; and the tiny whitewashed chapel of St George at the top of Lykavittos. This hill, the highest in Athens and best scaled by cable car, has stunning night views over the city with its twinkling lights.

Back in the modern city, stroll the boulevards that link Omonia and Síndagma (the city's two main squares), window shop at the chic boutiques along Ermou (Hermes) Street and Kolonaki, the most affluent part of town. Finally, before setting off for the Aegean Islands, it's worth popping down to the port of Piraeus, with its cacophony of car horns, shouts of ice cream and iced coffee vendors. Evocative names are on every street corner: Paros, Chios, Naxos, Santorini. But, there are also Venice, Haifa, Alexandria, Istanbul, Marseilles, Barcelona and Izmir, all names that remind us that our Western European civilisation was born right here on the shores of the Mediterranean.

 

The Greeks started a literary tradition with the Odyssey, a masterpiece that still fascinates us after 2,800 years. With the Acropolis, they gave us architecture that is timeless, balanced and harmonious. The Upper Town (the literal translation of Acropolis) sits perched on a rocky outcrop, 156 m/500 ft high, overlooking the Lower Town. Contrary to popular belief, the Acropolis itself is not a monument, but a collection of buildings dating back to Mycenean times, 2000 years BC. Built of white marble, the most famous remains date back to the fifth century BC: the Propylaia, the Temple devoted to Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and the Parthenon.

Before you do anything, climb the steps of the Propylaia to the Acropolis as soon as it opens at 8am. Walk in the footsteps of the priests of Athena on the Sacred Way, wonder at the Erechtheion, with its caryatids (columns carved like figures), then visit the Acropolis Museum (it will open in new premises below the site in 2006) to see four of the five original caryatids. The fifth is in the British Museum.
 
Above all, admire the Parthenon. Over the centuries, it was converted into a mosque by the Turks and bombarded by the Venetians; statues were removed by Lord Elgin. In 1975, restoration began. The first objective was to halt the deterioration to the stone caused by exhaust fumes, but more problems became apparent. Many were caused by renovation a century ago: rusting from iron supports, broken stones, the wrong cement. Despite the on-going repair work (and it is impossible to hazard a completion date), the site still inspires awe. One visit is never enough: you should see it at different times and from different angles, by day and by night.