Athens overrated? Yes, and there's more such travel spots

By Leon Logothetis >>> Travel is a magical way to discover the sweet spots at the center of your soul. My many journeys help me leave behind life's stresses and immerse myself in new cultures and the wonderful experiences that such adventures bring.
My journey to Nepal, for instance, and the blinding snows of the Himalayas taught me the essence of survival. I felt the same magic again in the Galápagos, where I swam with black fin sharks, and once more during a magnificent journey across the Sacred Valley to the famed Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru.
I've been lucky enough to experience travel at both ends of the spectrum, from luxury to its polar opposite. And I've found great places -- and their polar opposites. In my TV show "Amazing Adventures of a Nobody," I travel on $5 a day so I must rely on the kindness of strangers. In my 31 years, I've traveled to more than 200 cities in 45 countries and have found a unique flavor in each. Most of the time. But there have been disappointments. For me, the clunkers had one thing in common: the quality of human connections I experienced. Using this as a measure of a place, I realized that some of the most beautiful and famous destinations were -- gasp! -- overrated.

With this in mind, I have compiled my list of some of the places that probably won't become part of my soul. Feel free to disagree; indeed, I expect many of you will. Or add your own places that you think are overrated. You can respond at latimes.com/overrated. And be sure to see what Los Angeles Times readers told us were their least favorite spots, on Page 4 and at latimes.com/overrated.

Here, then, are the Logothetis No Love Lost Destinations.

5. Athens

I thought long and hard about Athens, primarily because my heritage is Greek and my father will probably disown me when he reads this. But I will take the risk to spare you the torment.

Greece is a country of majestic beauty, its thousands of miles of coastline a wonder to behold, its islands oases of raw beauty and tranquillity.

Not so the capital city, population 3.9 million in the Athens prefecture. It's crowded and filled with smog (although that has improved slightly in recent years) and crazy taxi drivers.

Athens, of course, has the famed Acropolis, but its charms are blunted by the frenetic pace and emotion that seem part of everyday life here -- at least, the numerous times I've visited.