23 December
2013 Last updated at 00:56 GMT
By Mark
Lowen
BBC News, Athens
With
predictions of growth in 2014 and unemployment down slightly, there is a
feeling of optimism from the government in Athens - but Greeks say they know there are
still difficult days ahead.
They come
just before sunset - those magical few minutes in which Athens bathes in a deep purple glow.
It is a
light I have never seen anywhere else. I often wait for it, looking out at the
late afternoon sun.
It sets
behind the Acropolis, where the ancient Gods were worshipped, glinting onto the
Aegean nearby. Rays dance across the
mountains.