Speaking of Athens

Stories by SONJA MUSTAFFA

Ninety-eight percent of the population in Greece is orthodox Christian with a small number being Muslim.

Five million people call Athens home, making land scarce, so they build upwards, but no taller than seven or nine storeys.

We could learn from their public transport system. A ‚1 ticket allows you to use metro buses and trains for 1½ hours. The yellow taxis have two meters so that they can take two passengers from and to two destinations. Minimum fare: €1.20.

Traffic congestion in the city is reduced through a number plate system. The police can tell whether you are in the right place at the right time by your number plate.

The people are free with their smiles and greetings (wishing you kalime’ra in the morning or yia’sou for hello/goodbye), but a puzzled frown appeared in response to the Malaysian way of haggling. Although some of us succeeded in haggling in shops with fixed prices, this is not the norm.



There were shops having winter sales with discounts on clothes, bags and leather boots up to 60%. I even spotted a shop selling shoes for only €15 each. The souvenir must-have for Malaysians is a T-shirt from Hard Rock Cafe, which is on Filellinon Street near Syntagma Square. Boutiques like Louis Vuitton are on Voukourestiou Street and in Kolonaki Square. Plaka, where most of the tavernas are, is also a good place for buying souvenirs.

I appreciated the Greek cuisine, although some of my travel mates didn’t really fancy it. They resorted to the Malaysian staple Maggi Mee to satiate their hunger pangs.

Salad dressed with olive oil and sometimes served with feta cheese (a salty goat cheese) is a staple at every meal. I had delicious poached fish at a taverna in Plaka (an old part of Athens), exceptional vegetable soup in Kalambaka (central Greece), amazing roast lamb in Olympia and fried anchovies in Mycenea (Peloponnese), as well as voluptuous Greek yogurt with honey in Delphi (southern Greece).

A decent meal in Greece costs more or less €3-€10 i. e. subway sarnie with cold cut, spinach and cheese pie or fish. For a snack or brekkie on the go, try koulouria — it is inexpensive (30 cents-60 cents), shaped like a ring and tastes like a sesame-flavoured cross between bread and biscuit. It is sold by vendors on every street corner.

A place that loves its animals and treats them well is my kind of place. Greeks have a very humane system for homeless animals. They are vaccinated and spayed, but remain on the streets and get fed by caring people. They have a place in the sun! Kindness shown to them makes them gentle. This is something we can learn from the Greeks.

Courtasy The Star Online