Overview of Athens

I have just got back from three weeks in Greece. 

Part of Athens and the Akropolis from Lykavitos Hill

The first few days were spent in Athens, and I climbed the steep rocky hill called Lykavitos in the centre of the city each morning before it got too hot. This hill is mentioned in The Boy with Two Heads four or five times. There is now a small church on top and two restaurants, as well as a modern open air theatre. 

The Panathenaic Stadium, Athens,
from Lykavitos Hill

From the top you can also see the Panathenaic Stadium. It was just a small valley at the beginning of my story in 432BC. The Ancient Greeks turned the valley into a wooden stadium some years later and marble seats were only added 329BC. It was renovated in 1896 for the first modern Olympics. 

The pedestrian crossing where Suzanne is hit by a motorcycle is this one:








I was excited to be back and visiting my old haunts, but the city was strangely quiet as it prepared for the repeat election that took place yesterday. Life has changed drastically since I lived there. No one has the money for frivolities, like eating in tavernas and nipping down to the beach in the car. The people are dispirited and tired. Even hope seemed in short supply.