{"id":155,"date":"2005-11-15T09:28:15","date_gmt":"2005-11-15T09:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.acg.edu\/web\/observer\/?p=155"},"modified":"2012-10-02T09:30:47","modified_gmt":"2012-10-02T09:30:47","slug":"monastiraki-the-multicultural-center-of-athens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.acg.edu\/web\/observer\/2005\/11\/15\/monastiraki-the-multicultural-center-of-athens\/","title":{"rendered":"Monastiraki, the multicultural center of Athens"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The shop owner stops at the exit of his store and studies the crowds. \u201cI love it. I never get bored, even on the slow days,\u201d said Nikos. \u201cThe people are so colorful. They\u2019re fun to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is a weekday at Monastiraki square. The Acropolis looms overhead as Athenians and tourists mingle and assemble into groups to watch street musicians perform their daily show.<\/p>\n

From the square, several winding streets branch out in every direction. Running along the streets, vendors spread out their blankets or stands and present their wares.<\/p>\n

Nikos gazes at the landmarks that rest in the corners of the square: an eighteenth century mosque \u2013 a relic of Turkish rule \u2013 and the monastery of Panayia Pantanassa. The monastery was built in the tenth century and served as a meeting place for townspeople. Its magnetism attracted thousands of people that spread throughout the local city streets.<\/p>\n

The monastery\u2019s magnetic appeal has taken a contemporary turn. Today, Monastiraki has become the multicultural center of Athens, inviting both locals and tourists to partake in its various attractions.<\/p>\n

The central square and the flea market draw thousands of people daily. The neighborhood located west of Syntagma square is the most visited neighborhood of Athens. It is a hub for tourists, shoppers, and collectors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt never fails to amaze me how many different people walk through these streets,\u201d said Stellios, Niko\u2019s brother who owns a jewelry store on Pandrossou street.<\/p>\n

Most people head straight to Pandrossou, home of the famous flea market. The narrow passageways harbor the small stores. People jostle and push for a view of the clothes, souvenirs and art.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people who come into my store are tourists looking for pieces that are typically Greek,\u201d said Stellios, who speaks French, English, Italian, and German.<\/p>\n

As people stroll through the narrow streets, blending with the multinational crowds, a wide selection of stores is revealed. Old coin stores, stamp and print shops, and mini-army-surplus stores where actual machine guns left over from the Nazi occupation are on display.<\/p>\n

On Sundays near Avissynias square, the heavy bargaining congests the narrow passageways.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can find anything you\u2019re looking for. It\u2019s a collector\u2019s heaven,\u201d said a comic book collector. \u201cI come here every Sunday, and I always walk away with something.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The shop owner stops at the exit of his store and studies the crowds. \u201cI love it. I never get bored, even on the slow days,\u201d said Nikos. \u201cThe people are so colorful. They\u2019re fun to watch.\u201d It is a weekday at Monastiraki square. The Acropolis looms overhead as Athenians and tourists mingle and assemble […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.acg.edu\/web\/observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.acg.edu\/web\/observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.acg.edu\/web\/observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.acg.edu\/web\/observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.acg.edu\/web\/observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/web.acg.edu\/web\/observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159,"href":"https:\/\/web.acg.edu\/web\/observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions\/159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.acg.edu\/web\/observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.acg.edu\/web\/observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.acg.edu\/web\/observer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}