More than sea and sun

The historic Athens district of Plaka was almost deserted on a recent visit. Many shops were still closed and my joy at seeing a tourist couple in their mid-20s strolling around holding hands was so great I was tempted to welcome them and ask how they were enjoying themselves. Almost…

Athens is just weird without tourists. The Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, Monastiraki, Thiseio… When will they bring Athens back to life? When will we hear the exotic notes of Chinese, Italian, French and Russian in our streets again? When will the sound of the bouzouki resound around Plaka again? Where are the Americans to devour Greek gyros and souvlakia with such relish?

At a recent press conference given by Kyriakos Mitsotakis from the holiday island of Santorini to herald the opening of the tourism season in Greece, one foreign journalist commented that he was having trouble focusing...