32S Route 39. ATHENS. Hotels.
fording a survey of the olive-groves and the N. part of the plain
of Athens. The station is at the foot of the Temple of Theseus,
at the lower extremity of the Hermes Street. — Fares 1 dr., 75 1.,
45 1. — Trains every hour between the Piraeus and Athens, but
on his first arrival the traveller will find a carriage preferable.
Athens.
Hotels. "Hotel d'Angleterre, "Grande Bretagne, "des
Etrangers, all in the palace square. Hotel de la Couronne, and de
l'Orient, both in the ^Eolus Street. R., B., D. etc. 12 fr. per day. —
The traveller is recommended not to attempt to dine at any of the numer¬
ous restaurants as they are generally very dirty, and the viands unin¬
viting.
Cafes numerous, but not very attractive. The coffee is prepared in the
Oriental manner and imperfectly cleared. Charge at the smaller cafes-
(y.uqxfiEiaia) 10 lepta per cup; at the Cafe de la Grande Bretagne
(in the palace square) and the Cafe de Luxembourg (near the n).ujciu
T^b' 'Ottoi'oias, or Place de la Concorde) 15 1. At the Cafe arjz dipuiui
'E).).ddos ('of beautiful Greece') coffee with milk and bread 35 1.
Confectioners. Salon's {.uxaQonluoreiov (i. e. confectioner's shop) at the
corner of the Stadium and ^Eolus Street. Coffee 20, chocolate 60, ices 30 1.,
all good; also 'lucumia' and the celebrated honey of Hymettus (iiih), with
or without wax (/tpi). Lucumia (3 drachme per oka of 2'|2 lbs.) and honey
(2 dr. per oka) also sold by Pavlid.es, in the iEolus Street. French spoken
in both these shops.
Bookseller. W i 1 b e r g, Hermes Street (Photographs; Tauchnitz edition).
French German and English spoken , and information readily afforded to
strangers.
Newspapers (tyy/iegi'dEc), sold in the streets at 5 and 101., will be read
without difficulty by those who understand ancient Greek, and the discus¬
sions about modern" affairs in classic diction will be found entertaining.
Language. The colloquial dialect, unlike the written language, cannot
be understood, even by the most profound Greek scholar, without long prac¬
tice. Pronunciation: tj, v, oi., £(■ and i all like the English e, «i and e
like a, ev like ef, av like ahf, ft like v. <)' like the th in thus, tl like the
th in think. The aspirate is not pronounced. — The most common ne¬
cessaries have lost their ancient Greek names: thus bread ipoiiil, wine ttguoi,
water vepd. How much does it cost: ndaov '/.ooti^ttl The attention of wai¬
ters is attracted by axovoov (listen) or iXafror (come). A light for a cigarette
qiunid. No is S/i; but the most expressive negative is the slight raising
of the head and eyebrows termed by the ancients avctrtvuv. Not is Sir,
yes rat (pron. nay) or iidhoia. Jloney XQ-ijtuaa, I have ixoi etc. The nu¬
merals are the same as the ancient. - The ordinary traveller, however,
who limits his excursions to Athens and the immediate environs, will ge¬
nerally find French, Italian, English and even German (at the hotels) suffi¬
cient for his purpose.
Antiquities, genuine, but expensive, at 'La Slinerve' in the jEolus
Street, opposite the Chrysospiliotissa church. 3Iany are still found annually
in the classic soil of the city and its environs.
Money: 1 drachma = 100 lepta = 90 centimes. Pieces of one and five
drachmes (the latter termed "OftwrES) are however rare. The most common
coins are 5 and 10 lepta pieces, C/Scii't/j eg or pieces of 95 lepta, and francs
or lire at 110 lepta. Sicilian' dollars (ftidevu) are universally current
at 5 dr. 70 1., old Bavarian, Saxon (or Polish) and Austrian dollars at 5 dr.
80 1. , Spanish, Bolivian, Peruvian and Slexican dollars at 6 dr., shillings
at 1 dr. 40 1.; even Turkish coins are sometimes encountered. —Banknotes
of 10, 12, 25, 30 and 100 drachmes are everywhere received at their full
value. — The French monetary system, to be introduced in 1870, will put
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