It’s Not Too Late to See Greece’s Golden Age

This is where it began during the classical Golden Age of the great statesman Pericles, more than 400 years before Christ, when men such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle laid the philosophical foundations of Western culture.

Great temples in marble, magnificent statuary by Praxiteles, the poetic tragedies of Euripides and Sophocles, helped set Western art, architecture and theater on its path to the present.

But the civility, warmth and open-hearted friendliness of the Greek people is what sets Athens apart from many of the world’s great cities today.

Don’t be surprised if a taxi driver asks you to his sister’s wedding, a waiter to his son’s baptismal ceremony or a stranger drags you onto the floor of a bouzouki tavern for a go at dancing that would tire Zorba. It’s happened to us and, with luck, will happen again.

Athens isn’t the sweet-scented city of pure air that it was 30 years ago. Few cities are. But the Acropolis was built 2,500 years ago, and people chose to live at the foot of its hill 2,500 years before that. So come here and discover why the Golden Age never really ended.

Here to there: Fly KLM with one stop in Amsterdam, TWA or Pan Am with a couple of changes, or domestic carriers to JFK for a change to Olympic Airways’ nonstop to Athens. Several other foreign carriers fly from LAX with a home-country change.

How long/how much? Three days minimum if you hope to see most of what Athens has to offer, another day each for a boat or hydrofoil trip to nearby Poros or Hydra, a run down to Cape Sounion and its gorgeous Temple of Poseiden or to Delphi to see what the oracle has in store for you. Lodging is moderate in all but the deluxe hotels, dining moderate everywhere.

A few fast facts: Greece’s drachma was recently valued at .0075, about 133 to the dollar and unchanged from last year. Spring through June, and September until late in the year are best times for your visit. Bus service is very good, most leaving from Syntagma (Constitution) Square. Taxi rates are reasonable, and you never tip except on Christmas and Easter.

Getting settled in: The Athenian Inn (22 Haritos; $45 B&B; double, high season, $38 low, 10% off after the first two days) has just about everything going for it: small, totally Greek in decor and atmosphere, steps from Kolonaki Square with Athens’ finest shops. White stucco walls, hand-woven fabric on lobby furniture, breakfast only but several good restaurants nearby: Omorfo, Philippou and Je Reviens, the last a lovely garden affair and a bit French. the reception desk will steer you to them. A marvelous inn, excellent value, once a hangout for Lawrence Durrell.

Astor (16 Karageorgi Servias St.; $60 B&B; double) is just a block from Syntagma Square at city center, a modern place with moderate-size bedrooms and rather small baths. There’s a rooftop restaurant on the 10th floor that serves all meals, and the view of the Acropolis is spectacular, day or night.

Olympic Palace (16 Filellinon St.; $62 B&B; double) is just inside Plaka, the old section of Athens at the foot of the Acropolis. It too is modern and fully air-conditioned like the Astor, with a cool marble lobby, bright dining room with lots of windows, the desk staff friendly with a good command of English.

Regional food and drink: We always advise visitors to shun international dishes and go for the gusto of simple Greek preparations, a good example being the rustic salad of cucumber and tomato chunks laced with black olives, slivered onions, feta cheese, olive oil and oregano. We never pass this at lunch or dinner.

Seafood that has never seen a freezer is endless, a new dish for us being lovloudi tis thalasas, a Greek-type paella with mussels, squid and shrimp flavored with thyme, all on rice.

Meals always start with mezes, appetizers such as tzatziki of cucumber, yogurt, garlic and olive oil blended into a paste that you scoop onto Greek bread. Taramosalata is another dip made of red carp roe, bread, oil, lemon and garlic. A glass of the anise-flavored ouzo with a splash of water is the perfect partner for mezes.

And, of course, there are the old standbys of lamb or beef souvlakia roasted on a spit, moussaka casserole of eggplant and ground meat, plus marvelous stuffed vegetables. Wash it all down with good Greek wine, either plain or the resin-flavored retsina.

Moderate-cost dining: A 10-minute cab ride from mid-city takes you to the “little harbor” of Microlimano and a lineup of a dozen seafood restaurants along the quay. Argo is one of the best, with tables under canvas. You’ll find fried shrimp at $6.50, squid for $3 and a huge Greek salad for 50 cents. A catch of the day will probably be a little more expensive, mezes numerous and good, attentive service and a relaxed atmosphere.

Lengo (22 Nikis St.) in Plaka is a regular stop for us, having a very small and very cool patio. Inside it’s a bit over-decorated. Specialty is lamb a la grec for $4.50 and a variety of grills. The salads are so good that some diners order them as a main course. There is good retsina wine for $3.50 a bottle. The background music of Greek ballads is very soothing.

Gerofinikas (10 Pindarou St.) may have the most varied selection of fresh seafood in Athens. It’s in the Kolonaki area. Reservations are a must, and you still may have to wait as they take too many on weekends. Prices are on the high side for “moderate,” but the fish and shellfish are prepared beautifully and, when not too crowded, dining at Gerofinikas is pleasant and soul-satisfying.

Going first-class: Hands down for the best in town is Hotel Grand Bretagne (Syntagma Square; $150-$228 double), every inch a luxury establishment in the grand manner. Glorious views of the city and Acropolis from upper rooms, fine dining room, its G. B. Corner the publike meeting place for Athens’ elite.

Restaurant Dionysos has two of the most scenic locations in the city, opposite the Acropolis entrance and at the top of Lycabettus Hill. There’s live Greek music at both, and full menus that aren’t all that pricey.

On your own: First stop has to be the Acropolis, and get up there early before a horde of tour buses arrive and the sun takes on a nasty bite, say about 8 a.m. Or go on a moonlit evening. Visit the Acropolis Museum where the original caryatid maidens of the Erechtheum have been placed to protect them from the weather. Have a look at the nearby Theater of Dionysus and Odeon of Herod Atticus, surely if the late-summer Festival of Athens is going on.

Back in town, allow an hour or so for the magnificent National Archeological Museum. And lovers of icons shouldn’t miss the Benaki and Byzantine museums.

For lighter fare, “go bouzouki” in the tavernas of Plaka or in the seaside town of Phaleron. But the most fun for summer visitors is the nearby town of Daphne during its wine festival. Catch a bus in Syntagma Square, get off and pick up a glass at the park, then wander around drinking wine of all the Greek vintners, free.

Daphne has dancing by folkloric groups from all over Greece, good food for a pittance, and the bus ride back to town is poli plaka, which means plenty of fun and a movable song-dance fest for everyone aboard.

For more information: Call the Greek National Tourist Office at (213) 626-6696, or write (611 West 6th St., Los Angeles 90017) for a brochure on Athens, list of hotels, map of Greece and booklet of travel tips for the country.