While we were travelling in Athens, we were struck by the graffiti. It’s everywhere. Walls and buildings from street level to six feet up are colored with a wandering scrawl of tags, marks, and words. In the midst of the gritty background though, there are moments of beauty. Paintings that communicate something greater.
The first picture I took was actually beneath an ATM in Naxos. The rest were taken around the neighborhoods of Psyrri, Monastiraki, and Gazi in Athens. As we made our way to the Hammam in Psyrri, we started taking some photos. Later, we ate a wonderful lunch at Gostijo and started to talk to the owner or waitress about graffiti. First, the food there was amazing and a welcome break from taverna fair. Second, we were so welcomed and after talking with the owner or waitress for a while, she marked on our map additional streets where interesting graffiti marked the walls.
More pictures from our travels will follow. For today, enjoy the graffiti gallery and a side of Athens that isn’t temples and ruins.
