Venturing forth from my hotel room (did I mention it was white?) I started to explore the city. The main street adjacent to the hotel is Ermou, the main shopping mall in town. I went down this then left into the border of Monastiraki and Plaka districts, old Athens. Despite the many tourist shops the region has a lot of charm. I got my first glimpse of the Acropolis. Heading up the roads I enjoyed exploring in among the narrow lane ways and past houses and tavernas.
I walked back down to Monastiraki and passed by the entrance to the ancient Agora, now closed for the day. Somehow I ended up in the second hand/antique furniture market region.
Dinner was disappointingly just a burger and local beer, too tired to stay up too late. Walking up Mitropoleos. To my hotel I passed four police on two motorbikes with a couple of them smoking. Seconds later a few metres up the hill I saw a man sprinting down the road, pursued by two more police motorbikes. As he weaved in and out of to avoide them he ran straight into the original four police who enthusiastically joined in to help their colleagues. It didn't look like his night!
Thinking that was enough excitement for one night I turned into Voulis where my hotel was only to be confronted by about 20 police in full riot gear with helmets and shields! They were busy putting on gas masks and appeared to be waiting to confront a disturbance in Ermou. Not wishing to get caught up in any riot on my first night in town I made a tactical withdrawal past them into the entrance of my hotel.
Not sure if anything eventuated outside as I slept soundly. The street seemed normal the next morning so maybe it was just another Athens night.
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