Think of the perfect vacation in Greece. Would it involve strolling through Athens to gaze upon the Parthenon and various antiquities in museums? How about picking grapes at a vineyard and learning about the process of making wine all the while sampling the wares? Or walking along a white sand beach on one of Greece’s Mediterranean islands? How about riding a horse on that beach instead?
It all sounds nice… But who would actually consider going to Greece right now? Isn’t Greece in the middle of a financial crisis? Riots? Crumbling infrastructure? Corrupt Officials? ATMs empty of cash? This may be the picture most people have of Greece, at least those who read a newspaper, watched television, or were aware of the global happenings in the wake of the 2008 recession. True, the years following the Recession were not easy on Greece. Things got hard, times were bad but time has a funny way of healing all wounds, and a lot of time has passed since the start of Greece’s debt problems in the 2000’s.
I found myself with a group of friends traveling through Greece mid 2018. The 9 day itinerary was a bit unorthodox for a week long trip to Greece. Athens for 3 days, 2 days using the small mountain town of Leonidio as a base, and 4 days on and around Mount Olympus. There were no riots, the ATMs worked, we did not have to bribe one official, and most… not all of… but most of the infrastructure was in excellent shape. We experienced diverse swaths of the country. From the Capital City, the coast, a couple of small mountain towns, and the top of the tallest mountain we saw and experienced it all (excluding the island paradise, which I assume were and still are island paradise)

Leonidio a small mountain town

Aegean Sea

Coastal Road

Mountain Road

Athens, the concrete clad capital, holds some of the most well known and well preserved pieces of architecture in the “western” world. The Parthenon, the Agora, and the Temple of Hephaestus. Ancient works of marvelous marble architecture, all against the out of place backdrop of modern concrete apartment buildings. A slightly more modern location in the city is the Syntagma Square. A lovely public space strewn with trees, Benches, fountains, and the occasional hunger strike. A nice location for a family picnic or a lazy afternoon of reading. Visiting in 2018 it is hard to believe this was the location of multiple protests and riots as the Greek government imposed new taxes and rules in an attempt to fix its financial quagmire. The reason the Syntagma Square was the site of protests and riots most likely had to do with its very prestigious neighbor, the Old Royal Palace. This building houses the Greek Parliament…enough said.

Acropolis

The Agora

Temple of Hephestus

Syntagma Square

Parliament

The infrastructure, at least in regard to the arterial roads, was quite good. We put these roads to the test as we zipped between Athens, Litochoro, Leonidio, and back to Athens. Passing along narrow coastal roads, and steep mountain passes with hairpin turns. The highways and tunnels were well maintained, no potholes, no faded lane lines, guardrails. Shinny toll booths collecting what seemed to me to be exorbitant tolls. Many hours were spent on these highways maintained by European union money. The passing motorists being gently reminded of the generous contributions of the EU’s maintenance contributions by plaques bolted to every toll both.