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Article: An Olympics gold rush; How to join the boom in Athens before the Games return 'home'.
- Article from:
- The Mail on Sunday (London, England)
- Article date:
- August 24, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: CLARE SMALES
Athens, venue for the Olympic Games a year from now, is the oldest city in Europe and the birthplace of democracy and civilisation with a history stretching back 7,000 years.
Many of its suburbs are calm and peaceful with beautifully restored 19th Century mansions, and it is easy to escape to the surrounding mountains and beaches.
But central Athens is a different story. The fabled Acropolis may dominate the skyline, but the city is largely an ugly sprawl of six-storey concrete apartment blocks, hurriedly built to house the growing population, which now stands at 4.5 million.
It is also home to two-thirds of ...