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TRAVEL BLOG

3.14.08

TripAdvisor to Athens: Dirty Isn’t Sexy or Cool, Unless You’re London

Athens is tied with Rome as the third dirtiest city in Europe, according to a survey by TripAdvisor. If the survey had been done this week, however, Greece’s capital might have made first place. Garbage collectors have been on strike for days, as part of a nationwide union protest against government pension reforms.

The garbage hills are not quite mountain-sized yet, as they were last year when the city landfill was overflowing. But the rot is stinking up the early spring air and prompting breathless television reports declaring the streets “apocalyptic,” a la Naples. Striking workers are even pelting police with the garbage during demonstrations.

It sort of the ruins the mood when you’re out for a $10 (and climbing) fancy coffee at an outdoor cafe.

Sadly, Athens didn’t make any good TripAdvisor lists, i.e. best cuisine or most romantic. The cleanest city was apparently Zurich, though it was also voted one of the most boring. But clean doesn’t always mean boring: London was voted the dirtiest city, but also the city with the best nightlife.

Photo by Joanna Kakissis.

Posted by Joanna Kakissis • 3.14.08
Categories: Weblog • England • Greece • London

Permalink • Comments (2)

COMMENTS

I visited Athens briefly in 1999 as a stop on a Mediterranean cruise and found it to be a huge and sprawling city. Sure, the Parthenon is spectacular but the rest of the city is just plain ugly. Would I go there again? Probably not.

By on 3.16.08 at 06:15 PM

Yuk, nobody takes pleasure in visiting places that are flooded by trash.

By on 5.16.08 at 03:30 PM