‘Sin City’

Have you ever watched the movie Sin City? That dark, hopeless city, full of evil doers sends out the breath of despair all the time. On the night we arrived in Athens, Sin city was my first impression of the city.

Narrow and interlaced streets sit closely side by side. The buildings are not as high and delicate as we imagined. In Chinese architect, Jiyuan Tang’s words, “the economic downturn makes the whole city seem pretty bleak.”

Along the streets from Monastiraki to our hostel, trees are bare and seem almost dead while there are many cruel-eyed cats strolling around those old and shabby houses. There is a surprisingly amount of graffiti in different colors and styles. Although some of this graffiti is cute and interesting, the majority of it is really scary. It really is like a scene in Sin City.

We met a friend of those graffiti artists, John Lewis Buchan, who told us that some of the artists did the graffiti to express their discontent about the politics and economics of Athens, although the majority of those artists just want their colourful graffiti to add more energy to this holy city.

 ‘Holy City’

However, as we stayed in Athens longer, we found out that it is not a ‘sin city’: the holy city is still holy.

 Ancient architecture stands erect among those modern-day buildings. You cannot only see some of them at a distance but also encounter some of them on a casual corner. It is really an amazing experience to think how ancient people built them and to feel the thousand years’ history of those buildings.

The most famous of ancient architecture, the Acropolis, was built on the mountains thousands of years ago which is now in the centre of Athens. It was the origins of Greece culture. If you stand on the top of the mountain, you can see the whole of southern Athens. It is really gorgeous because all those white and yellow buildings compose a spectacular scene in front of you.

Nowadays, it has been a little bit ramshackle and is being repaired, but it is still standing there telling everybody that Athens has its character and a rich history which should be respected.

Maybe different people will get different impressions of this city, Athens. But no matter what they think, I really love it here.

 1. Old City of Edinburgh

In the old city, there is a lot of ancient architecture. Some of it is gothic and black in colour which makes the city of Edinburgh seem a little scary. In spite of this, the old city is really beautiful.

2. Calton Hill

At the top of Calton Hill, there is some Greek architecture which was built by Scots as a scenic spot to attract tourists. It is now a famous place to go where you can look down over the whole of Edinburgh.

3. Glasgow

In contrast to the ancient architecture of Edinburgh, the modern architecture in Glasgow has made the city famous around the world.

4. Loch Ness

There is a famous movie called Loch Ness Monster which is based on the story of the monster in Loch Ness. But if you go to Loch Ness, you will find the lake is very calm and the views around the lake are very beautiful.

5. Isle of skye

You will get the chance to see the most beautiful clouds in the world here, but will be accompanied by an annoying strong wind. If you are a shutterbug, please do not forget to take your camera as there is lots of beautiful scenery to take photos of here.

6. Railway track to Hogwarts

If you are an enthusiastic fan of Harry Potter, how can you miss to the scenery of the railway journey to Hogwarts? The journey to Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies was set in Scotland and is green in summer which makes it a beautiful sight.

 7. Oban

After visiting all that scenery, why don’t you visit a small town in Scotland to have a rest? Oban should be your choice. It is a small town with peaceful scenery. It is a perfect choice for the end of your Scotland trip. Don’t forget to eat the fresh fish and chips here!