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In front of a popular restaurant, a line of customers waits for taxis.
And wait. Most of the cabs are full.
That's nothing unusual in this city of 4 million people. But it's 2:30
in the morning.
Visitors to the Olympic Games may leave disappointed if they see Athens
only through the eyes of the typical tourist, who makes a beeline for the islands
after the obligatory visit to the Acropolis and the quaint but predictable
Plaka district.
To fully appreciate and discover Athens' many charms, do as the Greeks
do: Venture out into the neighborhoods, find the packed nightclubs, eat at
one of the innumerable restaurants tucked in the most unlikely places, or
see Hollywood stars under real stars in a romantic outdoor cinema.
The Greek capital is named for the ancient goddess Athena, whose
favorite animal was the owl. It's a fitting symbol for the city's
nocturnal nature, which often culminates in summer with a bleary-eyed rush
hour just before dawn.
As native Athenian Panos Demestiha observed: "Athens by day is
unlivable, but it's magical at night."
Athenians cope with notorious traffic congestion , strewn trash,
diminishing green space, ripped up and dusty streets and miles of drab
apartment blocks. City officials are using the momentum of the August
13-29 Olympics to fix some of these long-ignored problems and make city
life more bearable.
But the eclectic
neighborhoods and intense nightlife -- along with lounging in cafes or on
the beach -- show Athens to be more than its reputation as a sad modern
city with a glorious past.
More than ever, it's now easier to see the hidden Athens with the
extended subway system and new tram .
"In Greece, people have a quality of life. People here live
beautifully," said Otto Rehhagel, the German coach of the Greek national
soccer team that made history by beating incredible odds to win the
European championship on July 4.
(CNN) |
在一家生意不错的饭店门前，顾客们排着队等待出租车，而大部分计程车都已客满。
在这座四百万人口的城市，这种情况并不奇怪，然而，此时是凌晨2:30。
如果只是从普通旅游者的视角来观察雅典的话，冲着奥运会而来的游客们可能会失望而归。旅游者们通常会在游览卫城和精致优雅但略显平庸的波卡拉后，直奔那些岛屿。
要想充分欣赏和发现雅典的诸多妙处，那就入乡随俗吧：大胆走进邻近的街区，寻找熙熙攘攘的夜总会，选一家藏匿在最不可能的地方的馆子吃饭，或者找一个浪漫的露天电影院，在星空下欣赏好莱坞明星。
希腊首都是以古代女神雅典娜的名字来命名的，她最喜欢的动物是猫头鹰，这恰恰象征着这座城市夜晚的特色。破晓之前的夏夜，这种特色通常会在人们睡眼朦胧的时候达到顶峰。
雅典本地人帕诺斯·德默斯蒂亚说：“白天的雅典是不适于居住的，但夜晚的它是迷人的。”
雅典人需要应付声名狼藉的交通堵塞，遍地的垃圾，逐渐缩小的绿地，布满碎纸和灰尘的街道，还有绵延数里的色彩单调的公寓楼群。市里的官员们打算借助8月13日到29日的奥运会带来的动力来处理一些长期被忽视的问题，让这座城市的生活变得更舒适。
但是，汇聚精华的街区、充满激情的夜生活，舒适的泡在咖啡馆或躺在海滩上的美好时光都显现出雅典并不拘囿于它的盛名——一个有着光辉历史、透着忧伤的现代城市。
通过延伸的地铁网络和新开通的有轨电车，与以往相比，现在你更容易看到隐藏在雅典背后的故事。
希腊国家足球队的德籍主教练奥托·雷哈格说：“在希腊，人们的生活质量很高。这儿的人过着精致的生活。”7月4日，希腊国家足球队奇迹般获胜，谱写了欧洲杯夺冠的历史。
（中国日报网站译） |
Updated: 2004-08-04 14:34
