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Show EZZ3T i V- - 5 : ' : . .. . : ;i frtps! i- ? : . i n- - . . Y tij c4- k V & T r ?: II ii i t K i Mil mil I Ct:v: - till I . S., (. ftitw wm MIMM Left to right, Carolyn Fouse, Mary Moore, Shelly Bohan, Georgine Crosby and Mary Wagner On the road with Shirley Smith In Athens Virtually everyone who travels to Greece visits Athens, whether it be a few hours stop on a cruise ship, a couple of days stop to make arrangements to go to the islands or as a destination in itself. Now to me, Athens is one of those cities you either really like or really dislike, and a lot, I think, depends on the attitude with which you approach the city. I happen to like Athens very much, but granted, there is much to dislike. The city is not beautiful in the way of say, Paris. A good share of the buildings were constructed in this century and are almost unanimously uninteresting. It is not clean as for instance Zurich. Athens is, in fact, said to be the world's second most oolluted citv after Tokvo. Its' traffic is not polite in the manner of London, for example. Streets are frantically busy, horns are ceaselessly honking and pedestrians gamble life and limb at all hours of the day and night. But, if none of that bothers your do a little exploring and I think you, too, will find yourself wanting to return again and . again. Unless you're on a package tour, you'll need to find a place to stay and my recommendation is the new Clare's House at 28 Souvolou St.; a 3 story pension tucked away on a residential side street, a 10 minute walk from Constitution Square across from the lush and maze-like National Garden Here for $12 - $14 a night you'll have a clean and quiet double room, breakfast in the morning and a roof top terrace with the Acropolis as a backdrop. Just a few blocks away is a spot few tourists bother to visit, one of the most beautiful cemeteries in Europe with tombs the size of small houses, sculptures and statues, stone paths and shade trees. Here somewhere in the myriad of small streets is the tomb of Henry Schliemann who, with his Greek wife Sophia, unearthed the legendary city of Troy. If you have read Irving Stone's "The Greek Treasure," you will want not only to search for Schliemann's grave but to see for yourself the Iliou Melathron, the grand home the wealthy and rather egocentric Henry built on Panepistimou St. just two blocks off Syntagma (Constitution) Square. Now shuttered and abandoned the house can be viewed at leisure with an iced coffee at Zonar's or Floca's, the two famous outdoor cafes directly across the street. Stop for a while in the middle of the day and recreate in your mind's eye the beauty and peace of this 19th century mansion. Move back to Syntagma Square and walk uphill on Vasilissi Sofias street to the Benaki Museum, containing the personal collections of wealthy Athenian Antoine Benaki. Presented lock, stock and barrel to the state in 1931, this beautifully proportioned building, once Benaki's townhouse, contains an amazing array of ancient Greek and Roman art, Byzantine, Moslem, Chinese, Coptic and Western European Art, plus jewelry, historical souvenirs, Greek regional costumes and assorted brie a brae. Having fulfilled your culture quota for the day, take yourself, when night falls, into the Plaka. Wander about for a bit watching this, the oldest section of Athens, come alive for the night. Sit, perhaps, at a tiny table under a tree in a square and sip an ouzo, then continue your walk, ignoring the doormen beckoning you into dark and expensive tavernas, and head for "Souvlaki the Best" at 20 Mnisikelcous St. In case you wonder just what is Souvlake, you have but to read the restaurant's card: -Pieces of meat in a stick with pipers, onions, tomatoes between pieces of meat and gookinjE one. Natural charcoal grill with origano, said, lemon, chips, salad, tzatziki and - seasons vegetarians." Wash the above down with a bottle or two of red Demstica wine finish you meal with karpuzi (watermelon) Metaxa brandy and Greek coffee and you'll wonder why anyone ever said they didn't like Athens. |