Athens... Actually Apathetic

I had heard before hand about the de-romanticized, rather placid city that Athens had become. However, I couldn't simply leave it off the itinerary. Having just perused three Greek isles, I had already decided in my heart that this would not be a Return-To-Country (a place, like Japan, where I would return to in a heartbeat). Knowing this, Athens was a city on my list of "Places to Go" that needed to be crossed off.

To top off my already low expectations, my visit landed smack in the middle of the workers riots, in which the entire country was protesting the heavily indebted Greek government. The streets were packed with people and police, creating a rather capricious atmosphere laden with negative tension. I snapped one photo - and then, not wanting to be singled out in the mayhem, stashed the camera in my [always] oversized bag.

Now, I realize that guy was smiling.... but, trust me, this was a quiet moment.

I did manage to visit the Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus (or, what's left of it!), and visit a museum.

Protesters at the Parthenon

Temple of Zeus

Outside of this basic itinerary, everything extra was closed. The citizens of Athens marched the streets through all hours of the day - public transport was open only 10-4pm to allow people to congregate in the center. The last day I was there, all flights were cancelled from the Athens Airport - I was worried I wouldn't be able to get to London the following day. With the volcanic ash  still causing a bru-ha-ha, and now the riots, I was beginning to feel like my long awaited reunion with Stephanie, my BBFF (British Best Friend Forever) might not happen. I guess the stars were aligned in my favor, because that reunion didn't just happen, it Happened, with a capital H.