Alternative Athens

Through the eyes of a local, we tell you about the real capital of Greece. Hint: its nothing like Paris

- Georgie Bradley

A strange thing has happened since we all started living on the Internet: it has become cliché to post travel tropes on Instagram. Passport! (cc: a sparkle of gelish nails); “Take my hand” on a strip of perfect Maldivian sand, #blessed (#barf); caramel legs on a beach; holding up The Eiffel Tower, pushing The Leaning Tower of Pisa and drinking authentic coconut water through pursed lips in Koh Samui! It’s not trinkets we take home, it’s photographic evidence, because let’s face it: photo, or it didn’t happen.

As far as Instagrammable cities, Athens doesn’t fit the criteria. Most Greece-bound travellers skip the capital and head to the aesthetically-approved islands of Mykonos or Santorini instead. Indeed, findings from a UK-based home insurance company confirmed that 40 per cent of people under the age of 33 (us millennials again) choose their holiday destination based on the number of verified ‘gram opportunities.

For a country that has endured crisis and chaos since the economy fell to its knees over a decade ago, the islands have managed to weather the storm summer upon summer. In fact, you’re likely to question: “What crisis?” as you’re wedged on a beach thronged with holidaymakers far and wide. The city however, as with most cities in the world, is where the national narrative tells a different story – most would say, the real story of painful austerity measures, mass unemployment, taxes spilling out of people’s ears (paid or unpaid) and civil unrest with no signs of relief at this point.

Athens is a concrete monstrosity. When you fly into its airport you see very little land – only what looks like tightly packed Lego pieces on top of each other. If you arrive at night, it looks like a series of unbroken gold chains.