I read that building a metro in Rome is a logistical nightmare because of the amount of archeological sites and artifacts discovered when digging. I imagine it’s also the case for Greece, so congrats!

About time. When I was there last year, I did what I usually do in such places: stay near the train station and walk everywhere. Greece is getting better but it can’t go fast enough. Mediterranean cities often have amazing potential for livability because they tend to be super dense. But alas only a few of them are actually livable, because of the car scourge.

Thessaloniki was also suffering from the second-city problem. Emerging countries will splash out on a prestige metro for their capital, which is invariably a huge success and thus makes their other cities seem car-choked and horrible. Istanbul and Taipei spring to mind. In Athens the metro still needs a few more lines but it has already made such a difference.