A DAY IN ATHENS.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 February 1924, Page 4

A DAY IN ATHENS.

(I3v K.c;. in Sydney Raper)

One could spend quite a while in Athens rambling around what is left of the Acropolis, anil at the many temples and theatres that are gathered close liv : but perhaps an Australian on his first visit would rather see some of the modern sights. Tito cafes of Athens are a source of abiding delight to a visitor. For one tiling you may ■spend ltaif-a-day there for a few shillings. one drink an hour is considered a lair thing by the proprietor, and you can sip and contemplate and quiz the patrons and passers-by in perfect ease and comfort, and amid the most pleasant surroundings. One recalls how he burned with murdered hate at the coarse remark of the barman at some high-class Parisian cafe, “Drink up or get out.” Probably cafe life is more in evidence in Athens than in most Continental cities. There appeal's to be a larger proportion of idlers than usual, who have solved the supremely important problem of how to live without toil. And yet Greece is not a rich country—if is simply a question of brains every time. At night the cafes are at their host, and the writer heard some of the finest part singing imaginable-—com-munity singing is at its top there —all male voices, of course. The different uniforms of the Greek army would puzzle anyone but a dressmaker—they include a sort ol Highland costume, kilt and till—and finish with boots with a ball of wool at the toe —one of the mysteries of Greece. Right in the centre af the city is the famous Hill of Mars, a rock rising almost perpendicularly like our Post. Office tower, and a painfully steep climb brings you to the Russian church at the summit, but the view is worth the trial. Alino.it at your feet are Piraeus and Salamis, and the ships ride at anchor side be side in the stream like cabs on the bank—very few berths are available. Athens lies about seven miles from Pireaus. with which it is connected by tin electric railway. Sydney may follow suit some day. By the way, it was from this Hill of Mars that Paul delivered his famous oration, “\o men of Athens.” One of the sights of Athens i- the magnificent. Stadium not far from the Royal Palace—surely one of the plainest Royal Palaces to be seen in Europe—Copenhagen runs it for a close second. Built entirely of pure white marble the Stadium encloses a play area not far short of our cricket ground, and would probably seat one hundred thousand i>oople. As there is no covering overhead the audience, on a clear sunny day, would get a tip-top sun baking. The building was •riven to the citizens by a wealthy Greek, who made his pile in Alexandria.