Small groups of protesters began gathering outside the parliament building in Syntagma Square, Athens, at around 9.30am. An hour later there were a couple of thousand people, mostly old men, but some younger students.

Click image to enlarge (Paul Rogers/The Times)

They gathered beneath a small stage to listen to anti-capitalist and anti-government speakers.

Click image to enlarge (Paul Rogers/The Times)

Men with facemasks of the main characters in this economic crisis got onto the stage with jeers from the crowd. They were thrown dog biscuits and ushered away to cheers.

Click image to enlarge (Paul Rogers/The Times)

I went back to the hotel, which is in the square, to send some early pictures for the website, and by the time I came back half an hour later the crowds had disappeared to be replaced by commuters late for work and immigrants selling umbrellas in the rain for five Euros.

Click image to enlarge (Paul Rogers/The Times)

While the city was quiet, I took a taxi to the north of Athens to have a look at the main Olympic complex from the 2004 games. Many of the facilities were built at a cost of billions of Euros for the games, and few seem to be used now. The main stadium is used for football now, so we park up at the nearby velodrome which has been mothballed.

Click image to enlarge (Paul Rogers/The Times)

As I walk round the site, it’s clear that the areas around the stadium have been left for nature and the graffiti artists to go to work.

Click image to enlarge (Paul Rogers/The Times)

It’s sad to see the infrastructure of the games in such a state. Some of the original signs are still visible, directing the long-gone visitors to cafes and toilets. I peer into the velodrome where I watched Chris Hoy win a gold medal seven years ago. There’s movement in the gloom, and suddenly I see a lone cyclist peddling down the straight. There’s no lights on, and its bit surreal watching him practice.

Click image to enlarge (Paul Rogers/The Times)

I take a few frames through the glass and head back to see if the anarchists have taken over the city centre, passing riot police on the way.

Click image to enlarge (Paul Rogers/The Times)