The New York Times – 36 hours in Athens

After years of dreadful press that defined Athens as a broken-down capital prone to fiery riots, the city’s self-confidence and creativity are stirring again. Enterprising young fashion and graphic designers are opening shops celebrating the classic lines of ancient Greece and the anarchic wit of modern times. In reviving city squares, there are new restaurants and cafes serving native delicacies like Cretan sausage and sheep’s milk yogurt with preserved quince. The five-year-old Acropolis Museum is consistently rated one of the top museums in the world, and the National Museum of Contemporary Art is set to move into a new building later this year. Even rough times have silver linings.

Greek Wine and Cheese | 9 p.m.

A low-key but excellent wine bar, Heteroclito celebrates the Greek vineyard, which has been growing in body, flavor and international respectability. Grab a table outside and order a glass of Melissokipos, a white from Crete, and the excellent Greek cheese platter (8 euros), with aged dry anthotiro (a goat’s milk cheese) from the Cretan city of Chania and smoked, spicy cow’s milk cheese from the northern city of Naoussa.

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