From your first breath of the heavy, humid Athenian air until the last, you can't be sure whether this city belongs to the Orient or the Mediterranean. Most likely the two do not exclude but rather compliment one another. Athens is very noisy, dirty, colourful, contrasting and cosmopolitan.


In order to start liking it, you should be persistent and brave. It is also helpful if, in advance, you are armed with detailed insider informationabout the dark and sunny corners of the Greek capital. Because it really is Europe's New York City.

Here, crossing from one sidewalk to the other is like crossing the border between two completely different realms. From the commercial-touristic clamour of the souvenir vendours on the street, the countless cafés and taverns, the lanterns and musicians trying to outsing each other in the Monastiraki area, you could - with a frightening ease and just 12 footsteps, enter the world of economic emigration. If you absentmindedly stray from the endless tourist hoards or pursue your curiosity about that dark, deserted, stinky street, you may end up in a parallel and miserable reality.



While aimlessly wandering around the Plaka after a filling, typically Greek lunch, having window shopped along the store-lined Ermou street and gone with the flow of gapers at the spectacle-filled Adrinanou street, you are only a slight, disoriented turn away from the Atinas boulevard which looks like an American ghetto. As an external border of the European Union, Greece has attracted Africans, Asians and Europeans over the years, who came with the hope of a better life. But instead of blending in with the Athenian everyday life, they remained separated in dark, even though often central, areas of concentrated economic emigration.

Atinas is characterised by a stench and the small streams of dubious substances running along its pavements. They all come from the open air market which sells fresh fish and meat. At least here you can buy half a litre of bottled water for 30 cents and not for one or two euros, like in the tourist areas of Plaka, Monastiraki and the Acropolis.

Then comes Omonia square. There are countless ways to reach it, as it is right in the middle of the map - it looks like the city's belly button, with many important boulevards starting from it. It is also a transportation hub. But if you were to get mugged, get your bum pinched, get an indecent proposal or tricked into buying shiny trinkets, this would most likely happen at Omonia. It is the meeting point of all kinds of drug dealers, pimps and swindlers and their round-the-clock, noisy quarrels can not be avoided. We advise you to avoid this place unless you're looking for an exotic experience or hassles. If there is no way to go around it, try to look like a local - no maps, luggage, or asking questions to dubious characters.

The Stadiu boulevard starts from Omonia towards Syntagma – an obligatory tourist destination. Syntagmatos square houses the Parliament - an imposing neo-Classical building with a large marble square and a monument of the Unknown Soldier. During the day, the main attractions are the many pigeons and the soldiers who take turns guarding the parliament, dressed in typically Greek costumes. At dusk, teenage Athenians turn the square into a skateboarding arena and a hot spot for beer drinking and meetings.



Parallel to Stadiu is Panepistimiu, literally meaning university. The neo-Classical buildings of the Library and the University of Athens are here. The next boulevard over, Akademia, impresses with its glittering luxurious stores and the building entrances of a similar style. As a contrast, the parallel Solonos street is brightly coloured and dirty in a typical Athenian fashion. Its corner with Ippokratous street is known as a hangout for prostitutes in certain hours. The tangled, narrow streets after Solonos house the bourgeois neighbourhoods that are our favourite part of the city.

Tourists come here seldomly but the atmosphere and charm of Athens are precisely in this area. The Exarhia neighbourhood is wonderful for walks and delicious food in the small restaurants in the dead-end streets. The street for coffee and evening cocktails is Skoufa. Its sides are lined with stylish but unaffected and lively venues, competing for your attention. All of them packed.

On Monday and Wednesday afternoons, as well as on Sundays, all but a few grocery stores are closed. Besides, the siesta is an official and holy ritual. All decked out, Athenians come out for dinner in the taverns only around 10pm. Nightlife begins after that. At 1am on Friday and Saturday, the traffic along Athens's boulevards is similar to that in peak hours in many big European cities. If you intend to join them, make sure to bring along some fancy clothes, as the locals are quite vain and always made up and you would not feel too cosy in the crowds of hairdos, aromas, shiny shoes and symmetrically tucked-in shirts in immaculately ironed trousers.

While you're in Athens, don't miss the horta and fava salads. Greek salad heaven is also here - with extra olive oil and many olives. If you're a fan of aubergines, you'll love the cuisine here. They are served in all kinds of variations, including in Greek moussaka.

If you have more time on your hands, take the metro and go to Piraeus. It is an independent administrative entity, with a population of 1.5 million, but it is also considered as the port of Athens. The seaside taverns are here, offering fresh octopus, calamari and fish, accompanied by ouzo as an aperitif and retsina for the main meal. For digestion, take a walk along the marina, with its fancy yachts. If you have an extra day, after getting to know Athens, take the ferry from Piraeus to Aegina. An hour on the ferry changes the city scape to an island one. The main attraction here is the fresh octopus grilled at the market.

To women, we recommend that they come here with an extra, empty suitcase, because in Athens the stores with beautiful, affordable, good quality, famous or unknown shoes are at every corner.

All in all, a visit to Athens is a great way to put some colour into winter months. Warm, noisy, full of surprises, with a delicious cuisine and excellent ouzo.

This article is courtesy of the Bulgarian weekly Kapital.