Athens – Notes

Some random notes I took during my very first trip to Athens.

As we drive into Athens from the airport, the first thing that strikes me, apart from the traffic and the reckless driving around us, is that the streets are lined with trees heavy with big ripe oranges.

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We sit in a café as a cover of “Seabird” comes up on the stereo. A song that is so connected to our trip to Portugal last year. This version is by Babeheaven and from this moment on it's constantly playing in my head while we walk the streets of Athens.

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As we arrive at a restaurant in the evening, the welcome was reserved at first, but later we are given free beers, raki and heartfelt goodbyes. As we leave, the crew is dancing behind the bar, singing along to greek songs.

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My favourite part of the Akropolis is that large parts of it just feel like a huge construction site. A hammer and nails left out on some old stones, men climbing around on scaffolding. The cranes stand still, but look ready to lift heavy pieces of marble. Parts and pieces of crumbling stones lie laid out around the Parthenon, numbered and sorted like oversized puzzle pieces.

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The beer here is served in ice-cold glasses, just like back in Tokyo. It’s not the only thing in Athens that reminds me of the Japanese capital. I take a mental note to put glasses into the freezer when we are back home.

Caffé Freddo medium-sweet is the perfect pick-me-up during long days of walking the city streets.

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As we leave a wine bar they play “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots“ by the Flaming Lips. I keep humming the tune while we walk back to the hotel.

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There are cats everywhere in Athens. They don’t look feral but seem well-fed and taken care of. I read somewhere while they are in fact strays, the inhabitants of Athens see them as part of their community and take care of them. We keep seeing little shelters built for them and bowls of food everywhere. One evening as we walk home, we encounter two cats sleeping on tiny beds in the window of a bookstore like little kings. On our last evening, we spot an elderly woman feeding cats in the evening sun.

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I envy the city for its mild February climate and its inhabitants for being able to grow monsteras, rubber trees and large cacti on their balconies. I shed layers of wool as we sit outside in the sun and collect the first freckles of the year.

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Close to the old Olympic stadium as we walk down an alleyway lined with orange trees; the air smells of freshly squeezed orange juice.

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The Cranberries’ “You Can Go Your Own Way“ hums from the speakers inside the restaurant, outside a garbage truck passes with a loud rumbling noise; the guys standing on its back fly by laughing – as if someone choreographed their movements to the song.

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We drink Greek wine that tastes like delicious, ripe tomatoes.

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As the plane ascends taking us back to Zurich, I wave goodbye to a sea of white buildings hugging green hills at dusk while the Mediterranean lies calm beneath us.

— February 2023