Heather's travel tales 2023: July 10 - 11 a Cook’s tour of Athens through my eyes

After a few days of tripping around Athens and in particular doing the rounds of the Acropolis and then the museum, we were a bit ruined-out - and feeling a tad ruined ourselves actually! So I thought instead of boring you with yet more ancient ruins, which seem to spring out at you at every corner, that I’d give you a wee ‘Cooks Tour’, an impression of Athens through my eyes – with maybe just a couple of ruins, sorry!

This is an amazing city with many, many layers of civilisations, destruction and rebuild going back millennia. The current Greeks can’t keep up with it so it seems. Today we visited Hadrians library and both the Ancient and Roman Agoras (using our multi-day ticket bought to visit the Acropolis).

Hadrian's library - there's not much left of it

One of a the few remaining columns from the Church of St Asomatos

AT the siter of the Church of St Asomatos, my eye was caught by a lovely column, one of a line, which had weathered showing the intricate pattern of its grain - a living stone.

The Athens Metro runs through many of the city's ancient ruins

The Stoa of Attalos

The Stoa of Attalos was reconstructed on the original foundations in the early 1950s and currently houses the Museum of the Ancient Agora.

By then I’d had it and wanted to see the now stuff. So we had lunch somewhere in the wonderful tangle of tiny streets before heading for the large undercover Varvakios Agora via streets that were alternately dedicated to one sector of trade or other - building, mechanical, fabrics etc. By the time we reached the markets it was late in the day - market-wise, but there was still plenty to see. I stopped and chatted with a guy dissecting an ox tongue and attachments; a handsome piece of meat. This was in what I reckon was the offal section - heads and tripe and other internal ‘delicacies’. I chatted to a few stall holders them knowing full well that I wasn’t buying but they were happy to chat - mostly. Remarkably there were still loads of fish and other marine delights all still looking fresh. The market was surprisingly clean and vastly different to what I remember from 40 years ago when it was all ‘open air’ (today it’s mostly in glass cases).

All manner of things to tempt including dried sea sponges.

Sideritis, also known as ironwort, mountain tea, and shepherd's tea, is known for its
use as herbal medicine. The species are abundant in Mediterranean regions

A ‘street apartment’. Well set up and well known, obviously accepted by local authorities.

A Greek charcuterie. Absolutely sensory overload walking through this place filled with cured meats.


On the footpath this man was selling snails. Home grown possibly!

Along the street from where we’re staying, dodge the gratings and you come across steep stairs going into the ‘dungeons’. This cafe occupied the corner under the road. It’s a bit steep for me otherwise I’d investigate. Lots of interesting fried fish smells float up those steps.

The fabric centre with rows of fabric stores. Under the shops down steep steps the tailors work busily.

Tourist tinsel corner. This small stretch of road was decked out with flowers and colourful decorations - a Mad Hatters tea party affair attracting the crowds.

The meat markets. Bottom R an interesting selection of offal.

The meat markets. I reckon they take turns doing ‘butcher’ stuff to entertain the tourists. Interestimng cuts of meat including offal and at one stall a beautifully skinned cow head with eyes staring out at passers-by. Weird but fascinating.