Athens

Above Attiki/Πανω απο την Αττικη

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A view of the Atikki landscape from the west of Athens. The first major storms have arrived, so this isn’t the view today. Maybε tomorrow the sun will make a comeback.

Η θέα της Αθήνας από τα δυτικά της . Οι πρώτες μεγάλες καταιγίδες έχουν φτάσει, οπότε αυτη δεν είναι σημερινή  θέα. Ίσως αύριο ο ήλιος θα κάνει μια επιστροφή.

It’s A Little Kitsch!/Είναι Λίγο Κιτς!

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A family walks by graffiti and merchandise.

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The place to shop when WW3 happens..

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Cover art of vintage records on the wall of a shop.

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Religious icons, Santa Claus, & jewelery all in one shop window!

Where ever you go in any city you are bound to see a few things that are little off. I  have seen some odd things during my walks in Athens. There are a few things that a tourist or even a local Greek would find ‘kitsch’ or odd and I love to capture these oddities with my camera..the stranger the better 😉

Greek Is Chic!

I love this shop window! Greek is chic didn't you know?

I love this shop window! Greek is chic didn’t you know?

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The very crowded Ermou St.

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A vendor selling the warm winter drink called ‘Salepi’ (σαλέπι). It is made from orchids and is mostly consumed in the middle east.

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A street vendor selling corn on the cob.

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The Byzantine church ‘Agia Kyriaki’ built in the 6th century.

A few street photos of downtown Athens where there so many things to photograph. Athinas street, Ermou and Monastiraki are some well-known and busy streets. On that day Ermou street was so crowded my friends and I gave up and turned around. We went down a quieter street for a stroll. It’s probably a lot more crowded now that Christmas is approaching.  Crowdy streets are a happy site for shop owners and street vendors, but only if people are buying and not just taking strolls like we were haha!

Strange Shops/Aσυνήθιστα Kαταστήματα

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Meat galore. Not for the vegan types!

Go green! Can't tell if it's real or fake foliage. Interesting nonetheless.

Go green! Can’t tell if it’s real or fake foliage. Interesting nonetheless.

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Crowds gather outside a deli shop.

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This shop caught me by surprise with its unusual decor.

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Croissants, all kinds of bread, and Greek ‘halvas’.

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The many brands of Greek honey.

In Athens, most of the merchandise is on the street so you don’t have to step into a shop to see what the store has to offer. It’s something you don’t see in many countries. Some of the items on display are really odd, like the wooden canes or the display case with the honey and alcohol on the wall of a shop. The shop with the sausages took me by surprise, that was a lot of meat! The shop attracted many people who were just walking by. Many were taking photos with their cell phones of the shops unique exterior.

View from Lycavettos Hill/Λυκαβηττός

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For my birthday last weekend,  I decided to head up the highest point of Athens. The highest point is Lycavettos hill a very popular tourist destination, but every able-bodied Athenian should try to make the trek up there too. The name ‘Lycavettos’ means ‘the refuge of the wolves’-‘lycos’ means ‘wolf’ in Greek (fortunately there are no wolves there now). In order to reach the top of Lycavettos hill you have to walk up the many steep steps from Kolonaki street. After climbing up all the steps you arrive at the base of the hill and there is a funicular that will take you to the top. I didn’t want to ride it since I wanted to take photographs and take in the view. It took about a half hour to get to the top-without breaks. I went in the late afternoon when the sun was going down and it was not a hot day-thank goodness.  Although, it’s a bit of a work out, the hill-top offers an incredible view of Athens. You can see the Parthenon and Piraeus port, and even some of the islands nearby. At the top of the hill is a restaurant, a theatre and the 19th century chapel of  St. George  where many weddings have taken place. When I got there a wedding had just taken place and the bride had just come out of the church.  By that then, the sun had gone down, and I couldn’t take any proper night shots. Time for a new camera..

I still like this one though:

Blurry night shot🙂

The Neighbourhood of the Gods/Η Γειτονιά των Θεών

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A woman walks by the graffiti.

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A view of Monastiraki square below from Plaka.

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Narrow cobble stone path in Plaka.

The neighbourhood of Plaka in Athens is nicknamed ‘ the neighbourhood of the Gods’ becaue of  its close proximity to the Parthenon.

It is a very touristy neighbourhood,  and it has so many hidden features. You can never take enough pictures while in Plaka. I read that settlers from the Cyclades built the neighbourhood which explains why the architecture is similar to the architecture of the Cycladic islands specifically from ‘Anfi’ from where the settlers came from.

Η γειτονιά της Πλάκας στην Αθήνα έχει το παρατσούκλι «η γειτονιά των Θεών», καθώς βρίσκεται πολύ κοντά στον Παρθενώνα.
Είναι μια πολύ τουριστική περιοχή, και έχει τόσα πολλά κρυμμένα χαρακτηριστικά. Δεν μπορείτε ποτέ να τραβηξετε αρκετές φωτογραφίες στην Πλάκα. Διάβασα ότι οι άποικοι από τις Κυκλάδες εχτίτησαν τη γειτονιά  και γι ‘αυτό εξηγεί γιατί η αρχιτεκτονική της είναι παρόμοια με την αρχιτεκτονική των Κυκλάδων, συγκεκριμένα από το νησί της«Anfi»  όπου οι έποικοι προέρχονταν.

Art-Athina 2014

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artshow2.jpgA slide show of some of the most intriguing and inspiring art works. My apologies for not jotting down the names of the artists.

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From the 15th-18th of May Athens hosted the annual ‘Art- Athina’.  Art-Athina is a contemporary art exhibition featuring Greek  and international artists.  It was a large exhibition that was held at a stadium (TaeKwonDo).  It was  interesting  seeing how Greek artists were expressing their opinions about the economic crisis in Greece through art. I left feeling very inspired and glad that there are so many people who are passionate about art in this monetary world.