Athens 4/17 June 11 a.m. “Yesterday afternoon at 2 p.m. we arrived in Athens. […] A beautiful sight. The violet hills in the distance are enchanting. […] Late in the afternoon we took a walk in the main streets. A very, very beautiful city – completely European, of the French or Italian type. I liked the uniforms of the officers very much; both the officers and the soldiers have the appearance befitting them […].

The only drawback is the lack of shade on the streets (due to their width and the low height of the houses), which means it is impossible to walk under the strong June sun between 10 a.m. and, I imagine, 5 p.m. […] The thermometer at 7:30 a.m. 77 degrees (25°C), at 11:30 78 degrees (25.5°C), at 1 p.m. 80 degrees (26.6°C).”

During his first trip to Greece, from June 13 to August 5, 1901, the thirty-eight-year-old K.P. Kavafis begins to write in English a “diary of events.” In this interesting and little-known text, he ends up, despite his initial intention, recording not only details of his daily life, which even include changes in temperature, but also his impressions of Athens during the Belle Époque.

Through the poet's walks in the urban center and in the then suburbs like Faliro, Piraeus, and Kifisia, a picture of Athens at the beginning of the twentieth century is revealed, showcasing the rich social life that includes personalities such as Polemis, Iakovidis, and mainly Xenopoulos, who would meet the Alexandrian poet and play a crucial role in establishing him in modern Greek letters.

This edition includes two texts written in 1891 by K.P. Kavafis about the marbles of the Parthenon, which remain relevant to this day.