Dencentralized 2018 has come to an end but I still had a day to tour the city. I had already purchased tickets for the hop on hop off bus tour of Athens and this morning I was raring to go!

After waiting 40 minutes for a bus that was advertised to run every 20 minutes I gave them a call. The lady on the phone very nicely explained that the buses run 364 days a year but that today they were cancelled because of a protest that would be taking place in the centre of the city! It would be too dangerous she added!

Here you can see the police getting ready just in case there are clashes!

As I walked back from the Acropolis many of the intersections wer blocked by these riot ready buses!

Several of the attractions had similar sign posted on them.

I found this information here at Garda.com:

Event

"Demonstrations are planned in Athens on Saturday, November 17, to mark the anniversary of the 1973 Athens Polytechnic student uprising. According to local reports, thousands are expect to march from the Parliament building to the US Embassy and stage rallies at the National Technical University of Athens building on Patission street. 

Authorities announced that the Megaro Mouskis, Evangelismos, and Syntagma metro stations will close beginning at 15:30 (local time) and traffic in the city-center will be restricted on Saturday.

 An additional 5000 police personnel as well as drones and helicopters will be deployed to Athens to secure the march route. 

Clashes between demonstrators and security forces cannot be ruled out."

Context

As many as 10,000 people marking the anniversary of the uprising against the military junta marched peacefully through Athens in 2017. Following the march, clashes broke out during the evening hours after demonstrators threw petrol bombs at security forces, who used tear gas to disperse the crowds. The event has become a point of convergence for anti-government protests against austerity measures imposed as a condition for economic bailout packages in recent years.

Did I Still See Some of Athens?

I still managed to walk around the historic area of the city and visit the Acropolis and the Museum. It was a little eerie walking past all of the riot police on my way back to the hotel and since I was advised to be out of the area before 5 pm I made sure to do so!

What I did see was very interesting and enjoyable!

I do plan on returning to Greece with my family on another occassion so I'll make up for whatever I missed on a future occasion.

Thanks for following me on my travels and I look forward to sharing my adventures with you. 

Until next time,  

@kus-knee (The Old Dog)

Let's Succeed Together!