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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) |
在一家生意不錯的飯店門前，顧客們排著隊等待出租車，而大部分計程車都已客滿。
在這座四百萬人口的城市，這種情況并不奇怪，然而，此時是凌晨2:30。
如果只是從普通旅游者的視角來觀察雅典的話，沖著奧運會而來的游客們可能會失望而歸。旅游者們通常會在游覽衛城和精致優雅但略顯平庸的波卡拉后，直奔那些島嶼。
要想充分欣賞和發現雅典的諸多妙處，那就入鄉隨俗吧：大膽走進鄰近的街區，尋找熙熙攘攘的夜總會，選一家藏匿在最不可能的地方的館子吃飯，或者找一個浪漫的露天電影院，在星空下欣賞好萊塢明星。
希臘首都是以古代女神雅典娜的名字來命名的，她最喜歡的動物是貓頭鷹，這恰恰象征著這座城市夜晚的特色。破曉之前的夏夜，這種特色通常會在人們睡眼朦朧的時候達到頂峰。
雅典本地人帕諾斯·德默斯蒂亞說：“白天的雅典是不適于居住的，但夜晚的它是迷人的。”
雅典人需要應付聲名狼藉的交通堵塞，遍地的垃圾，逐漸縮小的綠地，布滿碎紙和灰塵的街道，還有綿延數里的色彩單調的公寓樓群。市里的官員們打算借助8月13日到29日的奧運會帶來的動力來處理一些長期被忽視的問題，讓這座城市的生活變得更舒適。
但是，匯聚精華的街區、充滿激情的夜生活，舒適的泡在咖啡館或躺在海灘上的美好時光都顯現出雅典并不拘囿于它的盛名——一個有著光輝歷史、透著憂傷的現代城市。
通過延伸的地鐵網絡和新開通的有軌電車，與以往相比，現在你更容易看到隱藏在雅典背后的故事。
希臘國家足球隊的德籍主教練奧托·雷哈格說：“在希臘，人們的生活質量很高。這兒的人過著精致的生活。”7月4日，希臘國家足球隊奇跡般獲勝，譜寫了歐洲杯奪冠的歷史。
（中國日報網站譯） |
Updated: 2004-08-04 14:34
