Staying with the Athens city center motif in this post, with pictures from one of the main, narrow streets passing through the maze of the "historic triangle" of Athens with a West-to-East direction. Kolokotroni Street is named after Theodoros Kolokotronis, one of the main heroes of the Greek war of independence of 1821-29, who happened to leave in a house on this street (Kolokotroni St. & Lekka St.) towards the end of his life.
Just like its quasi-parallel "Karageorgi Servias / Perikleous / Athinaidos / Agias Irinis" Street (see previous posts), this is a street dominated by textile shops and small eateries. Together with the rest of the "historic triangle" (see a map of Athens neighborhoods here), it has gone through a relative renaissance in the past 4 years, turning from a dangerous place to pass though after sunset, to somewhat of a nightlife (and daytime) hub. To get a feel of this area see the photos and read the legends below them. Enjoy!
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| Bobbins and textile reels behind a shop window; Kolokotroni St., Athens, Greece |
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| Tie store; Kolokotroni St., Athens, Greece |
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| Fabric rolls, at 58 Kolokotroni St. & Nikiou St., Athens, Greece |
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| Cars moving up at Kolokotroni St, during an August noon; Athens, Greece |
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| Orange juice machine and various snacks, in one of the many small eateries dotting Kolokotroni St. in Athens, Greece |
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| A blackboard for a traditional coffee-shop / mezedopoleio, at Kolokotroni St.,... |
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| ...leads you into this cool and peaceful little arcade, and the entrance stairs of a building. |
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| Barley Cargo, a beer pub that has been around since 2012, at the corner of Kolokotroni & Karytsi streets; Athens, Greece. |
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| Another entrance to a secret spot, with some hidden stores offering... |
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| ...coffees, drinks, hot dogs, music and second-hand clothes, harmoniously hanging in there. |
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| Last but not least, the rear side of the Old Parliament Building, at the corner of Kolokotroni & Stadiou Streets; Athens, Greece |
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| The back entrance of the Old Parliament Building (1875-1935), now hosting the National Historical Museum; Athens, Greece |
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My family stayed at Hotel Carolina at peninda pende Kolokotroni Odios in 1977. The hotel was owned by two black American brothers from North Carolina. We loved the hotel. It was a great place from which to walk to Syntagma, Monastiraki, Omonia, and the Acropolis. Thank you for awakening fond memories.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the memories Keith. I just happened to walk at Kolokotroni St. today as well. Besides the narrow sidewalk it's such a colorful street, with so many "openings" to other little streets and alleys in the old city center. Thanks to your post I discovered that Carolina Hotel still exists today!
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