Athens: Love as Chimera, a Valentine's Self-Guided Audio Tour on your Phone

The tour begins conveniently near the Acropolis Metro Station, outside the new Acropolis Museum. The impressive brick edifice before it is the Weiler Building, that served as a military hospital in the 19th century. It was here that Michalis Mimikos, an elegant military officer and doctor came to work to discover Marie, the love of his life, on her deathbed, following her jump from the Parthenon. Then we cross Plaka to reach Ermou Street, the busiest commercial street in Athens, where we read about the escapades of Rudolph Meyfarth, a bookbinder-turned-art dealer who spent his fortune on expensive presents and dresses for his European girlfriends, only to see them all abandon him for younger men. In Psyri, we will stand before an empty lot and try to imagine the fragrant lemon trees that once charmed Lord Byron as he pursued the three daughters of his housekeeper. And, finally, only a short metro ride away, we will discover the true modern face of Athens in Mousio, a typical residential area that once reverberated to the tunes of Attik’s love songs, inspired by his passion for a blue-eyed brunette who loved him and then scorned him. Love is indeed a whimsical god.

To take this self-guided tour you will need the app on your iOS or Android device.

HIGHLIGHTS
• See the Weiler Building, where Marie asked her boyfriend to go on living, despite her own demise; he committed suicide the same night.
• Walk along Ermou Street, where 19th-century Athenians were amused watching the elderly bookbinder Meyfarth parade his latest fling.
• Visit the location of the residence of the Maid of Athens, the charming girl who inspired Lord Byron to write one of his most beautiful poems.