Athens is probably not the first city that comes to mind when considering sustainable tourism. It is also true that Greece is generally still many steps behind other big European cities when it comes to recycling, sustainability thinking and environmental awareness, but that does not mean that Greece and Athens have not taken many positive steps in the correct direction in recent years.
When I was called upon to write this post for a co-blogger and her website Reformtravel.se, I had to admit that I had to think things through a lot to in the end get a text that could serve as an “eco guide” to Athens. However, it became more than a post, it became an eye opener for myself as well. However, I am glad that I was given the space to research this as I myself have now become more aware of these more environmentally friendly alternatives, and will have it in mind a little more when I propose Greek and other European destinations on my own website.
Especially after the severe economic crisis that hit Greece, the country may not be as rich when it comes to the general urban economy, but Greece is definitely – in my eyes – one of the richest countries in the world if you look at what is being produced here. Olive oil, olive wood, marble, nuts, oranges, lemons, actually all kinds of fruits and vegetables as well as salt, sugar, dairy products, cotton and fish. The list is endless, and all this exists because of the abundant sun that almost always shines on this little country and the very fertile soil we are walking on down here.
In my untrained eyes, Greece could be a world champion in sustainability if proper political but also cultural measures were taken in the right direction. We have both sun and wind enough to use to create renewable energy and all products in the world for the population to live on locally produced and healthy food. Unfortunately, it takes a while until we see big changes at a full scale, but as I said earlier, some organizations and companies are taking small but important steps in that direction.
HOTEL STAY
When you arrive in Athens you are probably first struck by a very organized chaos. Many cars, buildings of different shapes and colors close to each other and people from all parts of the globe sharing streets and alleys. What you are sure to discover, after that first chaotic impression, is of course Athens’ incredibly beautiful and historic city center. The majestic Acropolis Rock, where the Parthenon Temple stands heroically for over 2,500 years and Athens’ historic “old town” Plaka, which surrounds the Acropolis area, cannot be overlooked.
In addition to an environmentally friendly and “nature-based” hotel, the hotel I recommend as an accommodation is also built just opposite this phenomenal antique decoration. This means that if you choose to stay there you will be able to drink your coffee every morning on the balcony, looking out at one of the world’s oldest monuments.
“Coco Mat Athens BC” as the hotel I suggest to you is called, was built by the company “Coco Mat” which started in 1989 the creation of fantastic and hypoallergic bed mattresses of coconut palms and other, only, natural materials. This hotel is one of five similar hotels with the same concept – “Sleep on nature” – which has opened in Athens in recent years.
Wood, linen, handmade tiles, stone and glass. Wherever you go in this beautiful facility, you see natural materials and you are greeted by the sound of running water. The first impression you get when you enter through the hotel’s large glass doors is that you are close to nature. A beautiful trail with wooden ducks moving their wooden wings as if they are flying, runs all the way in a spiral-like shape from the lobby and right up to the hotel’s beautiful roof garden. This gives movement and life to the otherwise relaxed and quiet surroundings that are like candy for the soul for someone who has come here after a busy day in the multimillion city of Athens.
The floor changes from large stone slabs to thick glass sections where one can see ancient ruins looking downward as a reminder of the greatness of this ancient city. This is also what sustainability as a whole means to me personally. To preserve and learn from what has been and move forward with the goal of improving the new.
As I said, the concept here is “Sleep on nature” and you feel it as soon as you set foot in your hotel room. Wherever you look, you will encounter a fantastic interplay of the natural materials used. The rooms are built just like that to showcase everything that Greece produces in its finest form and everywhere there are little references to what materials are used, why to save water when showering, and so on. Every little detail, everything from the crusts you can eat for breakfast to the skin care products and the towels that are waiting for someone to use them in the bathroom, are chosen with care and great environmental awareness.
But “Coco Mat Athens BC” is not only a delight when it comes to the rooms. The hotel also offers a herb garden where the hotel’s chefs get all their herbs to cook the good food they serve based on locally produced ingredients. It was created as yet another small attempt by “Coco Mat” to give Athens city center more green spaces. It also offers me a little help to skip to the next title in this post: activities and attractions, as you can rent a bike completely built in wood and take your own tour of the city or choose one of six different group tours arranged. Be careful though, as Athens’ streets are built for adventure for cyclists (joke aside!).
ACTIVITIES & ATTRACTIONS
Athens is a huge city shared by over 5 million inhabitants, half the population of Greece! Unfortunately, the city has not been a major tourist destination until the last ten to fifteen years I would say, when it became modern to visit big cities under the title “urban tourism” and not just islands and beaches during the summer months. Because of this, Athens is not a city with an incredible number of interesting art museums etc, but because of its rich history, the Athens and Attica area in general, are probably one of the world’s largest “outdoor museums”.
As the weather is usually nice and pleasant here, it is probably one of the most interesting things to visit as a tourist in Athens, and what is better for both body and bud than a good walk up ancient cliffs where you also actually learn something about the world history. Find and visit the Parthenon Temple on the Acropolis cliff, the Ancient Roman Agoran in the Thissio area, the Lycabettus cliff which has one of Athens most beautiful views and also the Poseidon Temple a little outside Athens in Sounion if you have thought about taking a nice day trip! I can promise you that even if you only take a quick stroll through the city center, you will encounter at least ten such sites with archaeological finds and smaller and larger temples that you can visit for only a small fee.
I have also written many times about another place in Athens that is worth one or more visits. Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center Foundation (SNCCF) in southern Athens (Kallithea) is a huge park to which both the Greek National Library and the Greek National Opera moved to as it is brand new and has much better premises. The center is built on 210,000 m2 and the park on 30,000 m2. It was the Stavros Niarchos Foundation that funded it all, but they donated everything to the Greek state, the center, the park and everything that belongs to it.
The first impression you get when you enter the area is that it feels like a sanctuary. There are very open spaces, it is green and many families come here to spend a few hours and let their children run free, either on the large lawn in the middle of the park or in the playgrounds. The park that surrounds the large and very beautiful glass building is a “Mediterranean park” where olive trees, lavender and herbs such as oregano and rosemary are allowed to grow year round. The plants are planted with a plan so that each month the park has a new color as different flowers turn out at different times. The park area also has an impressive “canal” that will give the impression of being an extension of the sea. This year, for example, a spectacular fountain show was held for classical musical masterpieces, and exhibitions and shows are organized here almost every day with different content.
The new opera house, which is now located in the large glass building, which in itself is an architectural masterpiece, is not only used for opera performances, but here there are combined. musicals, concerts, theater and ballet performances. It is a very modern building which, according to SNCCF’s website, has world-class acoustics and a stage that is very flexible, which means that many types of performances can take place there. The opera has more purposes than just performances. Among other things, they want to spread and teach culture to people who do not usually attend operas or other cultural events. There is also here a stage for children to attract a younger audience and to encourage future generations to get involved. They organize children’s performances, educational programs and age-specific seminars together with activities that the younger ones may find fun.
The National Library, which is under the same roof, also wanted to change its focus, from having mostly been directed to researchers, they now want to capture the public and give everyone access to the books. There are different departments for adults, teens and children and the library also organizes events and different seminars for all ages. The National Library is 24,000 m2 in size so there is plenty of space.
Both the Opera and the Library are under the grassy roof that you can actually walk on from the park and which leads up to the central building. You hardly notice that you are on a roof when you walk on the small road leading upwards. Apparently, the grass and the plants that grow on the roof mean that the air conditioning system inside the Opera and Library do not have to be on as much during the year. Something that shows that the building is also built with the environment in mind. If you feel like coming to a green area and relaxing a bit away from the traffic then this is a great place to visit … and, it’s free!
AND NOW SOME FOOD
The last part of this “mini eco guide to Athens” that I tried to create, is one of the most important things for me on a trip. Food. For me it is one of the very best ways to experience a culture and WOW what food culture we have here in Greece!
I think you are all familiar with a good gyros or a fresh tzatziki but the truth is that Greek food culture is so much more than that. For me, who lived many years alongside my Greek grandmother, Greek food is largely vegetables, herbs, beans and olive oil cooked in many different ways. When I was still studying and living with my grandmother we ate meat maybe once a week and not because we did not like it, but because the Greek soil gives us so many good and useful ingredients that we did not have to eat meat and generally speaking, Greek cuisine is based on just that. Vegetables and olive oil.
There are many smaller tavernas and restaurants that offer locally-sourced / locally-produced Greek home cooking and lately a number of vegetarian or vegan options have also “popped up” in Athens’s inner city.
I can highly recommend the vegan restaurant “Avocado” as a good choice if you want to eat both Greek and international good food based only on vegetables. The restaurant is very centrally located near Syntagma Square on Nikis 30 and only a ten minute walk from the hotel “Coco Mat Athens BC”.
“Avocado” started with just sustainability and healthy food in mind and is today one of Athens’ top retaurants. Here you get a nice welcome, good food, freshly squeezed juices and coffee and everything is created with locally produced, eco-logical ingredients. I promise you that you will not leave this place hungry!
SOME FINAL THOUGHTS
Every culture, and to that extent, every country, has its way of looking at and interpreting nature. Although the ancient Greeks were nature worshipers, that part of Greek culture disappeared in modern times as other values grew stronger. Values like quick profits and easy money. However, more and more people around the world, but also in Greece and Athens, are beginning to understand that nature is not something that can continue bein destroyed “for free” in favor of fast money. A price will be paid. That is why it is more important than ever to think about the sustainability of the environment in everything we do. Each small step is summed up to something big.
Athens and Greece have many such steps to take but we are moving towards the right direction and I expect a big change in the coming years. We must learn from what has been and aim for something better. Thank you Hanna and Reformtravel.se for making me look a little deeper, for making me discovering things. Not only about my beloved city of Athens, but also about myself!
A tip! If you want to find out more about Eco-friendly tourist destinations and guides to cities and places all around the world, then visit Reformtravel.se!
