Light years away

I am in Athens, since last night and the first walk in the city that I grew up and lived for a huge part of my life, had to be with a camera on my hand :)

Not only because I haven't been here for while and I kind of missed it but also because I am walking in one of its most beautiful and historic parts!

Thissio - Monastiraki - Agora is one of my favorite routes in Athens and the day was just brilliant for taking pictures!

Join me in the heart of Athens :)

Right after the metro station in Thissio, I took Adrianou street which is one road above the famous flee market of Monastiraki. I have written a post about that market in the past but today I preferred the sunny pedestrian of Adrianou with the wonderful view on archeological sites and the Acropolis of Athens itself (another major historical gem of the city that I have told you about, in another post).

Anyway been so close to the flee market means many random street vendors selling all kinds of used stuff, like that Lubitel Russian camera, above!

Next stop is Monastiraki square. More vendors, more people more ancient history! This is a noisy, vibrant part of the city that I like a lot. In just one neighborhood you can grasp all the aspects of the city. From the ancient glory, that goes thousands of years back, to the violent modernizing of the seventies and the kitsch business opportunities that flourished with the coming of tourism.

It is interesting in a surreal way how the place around ancient Agora (meaning market in Greek), has become a vivid market in our days. Of course the ancient concept of a market is light years away from the contemporary consumerism but still, even as a namesake, I find it charmingly ironic :)