Athens...underwhelming

Arrived in Athens in the wee morning hours after a very delayed flight from London. The hotel is glorious, but I got the impression, once leaving its beautiful walls, that tourists are a burden that Greece must tolerate, and only just tolerate.
The beaches of the Greek Riviera are stunning, but Athens itself, while offering many historical sites that you gaze at in awe, the rest of the city is a mix of crumbling ruins. Dilapidated buildings and modern cosmopolitan structures with branding of name brands. Beggars are everywhere, even approaching cars stopped in the traffic for a few Euro. It is a city of opposites, with gracious people who are happy to assist, while many who inflate prices and are openly rude to the tourist. Kind of a European version of Noumea, that anyone who has sailed to the Pacific port will agree.Read more