Athens

The gritty underbelly of the modern city provides a counterbalance to the ancient sights, which need no introduction.

Athens feels like a city still remaking itself after the Greek debt crisis and the years of austerity that followed. Yet there’s also a sense of rejuvenation, as new wine bars and restaurants bring fresh confidence to Greek food and drink.

The traditional places remain in abundance, but the city appears increasingly comfortable adding to its culture rather than merely preserving it. It feels like the beginning of another creative chapter for a place that has already done more than most to shape the modern world.

There’s a softer, less performative relationship with its past than in its obvious rival, Rome. The main attractions simply appear without much pomp or ceremony, often glimpsed between narrow, graffiti-covered streets.

There’s a realism to Athens, good and bad. It’s exciting, lively and impossible to understand in three nights.

I left wanting to return and look closer.