Athens

For many visitors to Athens, the day will be given over to the past (visits to museums and archaeological sites), while the night will belong to the present (evenings in tavernas, or at performances of classical dramas or modern Greek dancing). A 19th century French traveller, when asked why one bothered to visit Athens -- then a sleepy provincial town of no particular distinction. One may come to Athens because of what it was, but one will leave with memories of what it is: a unique and exhilarating city where, if one listens carefully, one can still hear the strains of the bouzouki through the blasts of amplified music in the Plaka, and the click of worry beads beneath the cacophony of traffic.