Might I Suggest - Winter 2016

Might i suggest?

Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens & King George, Athens Concierge Services

Read about: Christmas & Family Activities

Shopping & Winter Sales in Athens

Melomakarona Recipe

Culture & Music in Athens

FAMILIES Christmas Factory the biggest Christmas Bazaar of the country

For a forth year in a row, the the biggest Christmas Bazaar of

Technopolis City of Athens

A thrilling theatrical

100, Pireos str.

adventure for travelers

118 54 Gazi - Athens

of all ages…

the country!

Totally enchanted by the Festive period, allow us to welcome you in a fairytale scenery full of joy and happiness. Visit the festive city of Athens and allow us to journey you to the finest Christmas feelings.

Visit the Christmas Factory >

The exciting Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne is returning to the stage of The Megaron. A musical-theatrical performance for young and old alike, featuring a big cast with action and humor, live music and video sequences.

Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall, Vass. Sophias & Kokkali - Athens 115 21 3, 10, 17 December 2016 / 15:00 4, 11, 18 December 2016 / 11:30

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FAMILIES

Christmas Factory of Athens is

Around the World in Eighty Days

Peter Pan on Ice in Faliro Olympic Indoor Hall (TAE KWON DO HALL)

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FAMILIES

Peter Pan, the beloved hero of all children, visits Athens for a single performance on ice with the famous Russian Ice Stars.

A huge ice rink that sparkles with fairy dust will cover the arena of Taekwondo, welcoming Peter Pan, the Tinker Bell, Captain Hook and all the wonderful characters created by the imagination of the author J. M. Barrie. From the London chimneys and the house of the Darling family to the pirate Captain Hook and the camp of Tiger Lily, the show is a magical journey back to the Neverland, a world full

of energy, fun, music, beautiful sceneries and dazzling dance moves beyond logic: frantic spins, stunts, fencing, flaming hula hoop-all performed with absolute precision and synchronization by the Russian Ice Stars, the crème de la crème of Russian ice dancers.

For the first time in Greece, this great production comes to Faliro Olympic Indoor Hall with all the necessary equipment, props and an 800sqm ice rink, allowing viewers to watch the show at 360 degrees.

This way, young and old friends of Peter Pan will be able to enjoy the performance to the fullest.

The group of Russian Ice Stars consists of sixty leading dancers, many of whom are distinguished on a national, European, world and Olympic level. Especially for the spectacular choreography of Peter Pan on Ice, the team collaborated with the Italian choreographer Cavalieri Giuseppe Arena, the artist who choreographed the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Turin in 2006, while the original music is produced by the Italian composer Silvio Amato.

Gymnastirio P. Falirou Aeroporou Aristoteli Moraiti, Athens, Greece 09 December 2016 - 18 December 2016

Book your tickets >

The Snow Queen CHRISTMAS AT THE CONCERT HALL, Stegi Grammatwn & Texnwn

Ballet in two acts based on the well-known fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen

Music: P.I. Tchaikovsky, Anatoly Lyadov, Anton Rubinstein, Edvard Grieg, Jules Massenet Dramaturgy: Aniko Rekhviashvili, Oleksiy Baklan Choreography: Aniko Rekhviashvili Set designer: Stanislav Petrovskyi Costume designer: Nataliia Kucheria Lighting designer: Igor Samarets

Stegi Grammatwn & Texnwn 17, 18, 21, 23, 26, 28 DECEMBER 2016 16:00 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27 DECEMBER 2016 20:00 18 DECEMBER 2016 12:00

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FAMILIES

The Snow Queen – 16 exclusive performances at the Concert Hall

Giselle

The Barber of Seville

is returning to the Greek

the most famous Italian comic opera

National OperA

at the greek national opera

Giselle, one of the Romantic period’s most famous ballets with dreamlike music by Adolf Adam, is returning to the Greek National Opera choreography by Irek Mukhamedov, based on Marius

Giselle is a turning point in the history of ballet. Although it had been forgotten in Europe for many years, in the early 20th century it began to resurface in the repertoire of large ballets. The role of Giselle, dubbed ‘the Hamlet of ballet’ is even today a major challenge for classical ballerinas. For the countless fans of dance, Giselle never ages because it is a work which shines a bright light on deep emotions, such as love, envy, betrayal, madness and above all describes an immense love that manages to overcome death to protect life itself.

PREMIERE 16 DECEMBER 2016 16, 17, 18, 21, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31 December 2016

Rossini’s work The Barber of Seville, the most famous Italian comic opera, returns to the Greek National Opera in Francesco Micheli’s subversive production which was first presented with great success during last year’s artistic period.

with her aged protector Doctor Bartolo, who intends to marry her himself.

A production featuring an entirely Greek cast, aimed at young and old alike, which is ideal for opera beginners.

With the Orchestra, Choir of the Greek National Opera

The Greek National Opera production, which was also staged with great success last winter by the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, brings Figaro’s tale into the digital age, and sheds light on Rosina’s world which lies somewhere between dream and reality.

FAMILIES

FAMILIES

Petipa’s classic version.

A moonlit forest. Transformed into ghostly spirits (Willis), the souls of the girls betrayed by their lovers while waiting to marry come to take revenge. They drag any passing man away, forcing him to dance with them non-stop until he falls down dead. They also take Albrecht who has regretted his decision to abandon Giselle, but Giselle intervenes propping him up until dawn comes when the Willis lose their power.

Then having forgiven him, she returns to her grave leaving him inconsolable.

The work needs no introductions. The lively, witty and particularly melodic music goes perfectly with a series of comic scenes as the barber Figaro helps the Conte de Almaviva marry the lovely Rosina, who lives

Learn more >

PREMIERE 18 FEBRUARY 2017 18, 19, 22, 24, 25, 26 February 2017 3, 5 March 2017

Olympia Theatre At 20:00 (31/12 at 19:00)

Olympia Theatre

Akadimias 59-61, 10679 Athens,

At 20:00

Panepistimio METRO Station

Akadimias 59-61, 10679 Athens, Panepistimio METRO Station

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MELOMAKARONA RECIPE honey Christmas cookies

Christmas time fills the house with the pleasing aroma of freshly baked cookies.

In Greek homes, center stage in the cookie department belongs to melomakarona. They are the quintessential Christmas cookie for Greeks, a concoction flavored with orange, lemon, cinnamon, cloves, and honey.

There is some evidence that a version of these cookies originated in antiquity.

Melomakarona are also called phoenikia, and the latter word

suggests that they probably originated with the Phoenicians, a seafaring people who lived in regions of Asia Minor and were antiquity's best known traders. Etymologically, melomakarona is comprised of the words meli+makaroni. Meli means honey in Greek, which fits, since the cookies are dipped in honey. Makaroni or macaroni, is a word of Greek-Latin origin, whose root means a doughy substance, or a substance which is kneaded or macerated. Therefore, in its most basic form the word melomakarona means a piece of dough which is dipped in honey.

INGREDIENTS Main ingredients ☞ 1 1 ⁄2 cups light olive oil or 1 1 ⁄2 cups corn oil

☞ 1 cup beer (or more) or 1 cup orange juice (or more) ☞ 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon ☞ 1 1 ⁄2 teaspoons ground cloves ☞ 2 oranges, zest of, grated ☞ 1 cup sugar ☞ 2 cups fine ground semolina (cream of wheat or farina) ☞ 6 cups flour

Syrup ☞ 1 1 ⁄2 cups sugar ☞ 1 1 ⁄2 cups greek thyme honey ☞ 1 cup water ☞ 3 ⁄4 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Put the corn oil, butter, beer (or orange juice), cinnamon, cloves, orange peel and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until they are thoroughly blended.

Sift about one cup of flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt and blend into the oil mixture.

Add the semolina, a cup at a time, into this mixture.

Add enough of the remaining flour, a cup at a time, until you get a rather firm dough (you may need a bit more or less than the amount of flour mentioned in the ingredients list).

☞ 1 ⁄2 teaspoon baking soda ☞ 1 ⁄2 teaspoon baking powder ☞ 1 teaspoon salt

Use your hands to do the mixing, as an electric mixer will be useless after the first two or three cups of flour have been added.

Roll the dough into cylinders, about two inches long and one inch in diameter, flatten them with your hands, and place them on cookie sheets that have been greased with a little olive oil.

Bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit for half an hour.

Remove the cookies from the oven and pour hot syrup over them.

Lay the cookies out in a rimmed baking pan large enough to contain them and pour the hot syrup over the cookies, sprinkle them with the chopped walnuts and let them soak overnight.

(Alternatively, if you do not have enough rimmed baking sheets to accommodate all the cookies, you can dip them in batches directly into the hot syrup - keeping the syrup at the lowest possible simmer - and allow to soak in the syrup for 8-10 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon).

For the syrup: mix the sugar, honey and water, and bring to a boil.

Cook on low heat for four minutes and skim off the foam that forms on top.

The next day put them on your prettiest platter, sprinkle each layer evenly with the finely chopped walnuts and wrap with plastic wrap (or put in an airtight container) and serve.

MELOMAKARONA RECIPE

MELOMAKARONA RECIPE

☞ 1 ⁄2 cup butter, at room temperature

RECIPE

SHOPPING Shopping in athens

Athens has got shopping spots for all tastes, offering unique

SHOPPING

bargains. How could you resist?

Amongst the great high streets of the city pedestrianized Ermou is definitely the one that stands out with an abundance of shops belonging to well-known clothes franchises, as well as historic Greek businesses. The bottom end of Ermou is Monastiraki. Don’t miss out on a walk in its flee market. There you will find clothes, shoes, accessories, leather goods and the world famous Greek leather sandals. On Sundays, there’s a bazaar with collector’s items such as books, old coins, vinyl records and antique furniture. Also, take the opportunity to walk around the gorgeous picturesque antique shops of the street.

Go on to the colourful Central Market of Athinas street, as well as the alleys along Evripidou, Apollonos and Praxitelous Streets, full of the aromas of spices and cured meat products. Athenians choose to buy produce for their everyday needs there. Besides the famed Varvakeios meat market there is a market for fish, vegetables and other Greek products in a large variety and at excellent prices.

Walk in the opposite direction away from Ermou and you’ll find Kolonaki, one of the most salubrious neighbourhoods of Athens.

No wonder the biggest fashion designer studios have gravitated there, specifically on Voukourestiou Street.

Enjoy the Winter Sales in Athens!

Monday, January 9th 2017 – Tuesday, February 28th 2017

CULTURE & MUSIC National Museum of Contemporary Art The First Contemporary Art Museum In Greece

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens (EMST) began its operation in 2000. Permanent home of the Museum is the former Fix brewery on Syngrou Ave., the reconstruction of which was completed in February 2014. The building occupies 18.142 sqm. on a 3.123 sqm surface.

From September 30th, 2008, EMST was hosted in sections of the building of the Athens Conservatory, while from 2003 until 2008 it was hosted in the new building

of the Athens Concert Hall. It had also presented exhibitions and events at the Athens School of Fine Arts and in the public space.

The Museum’s collection is formed around a very important nucleus of works by Greek and foreign artists, such as Stephen Antonakos, Constantin (Dikos) Byzantios, Vlassis Caniaris, Chryssa, Mona Hatoun, Gary Hill, Emily Jacir, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Nikos Kessanlis, Jannis Kounellis,

Shirin Neshat, Lucas Samaras, Costas Tsoclis, Bill Viola, a.o, which is constantly enriched.

The new building will dispose two and more of its floors, for the presentation of its permanent collection, while it will also have spaces for temporary exhibitions, conferences, events, educational programs for children and adults, a library, a project room, a media lounge etc. It will be equipped with a cafĂŠ and a restaurant.

Kallirois ave. & Am. Frantzi str., 11743 Athens - Greece

Read the history of the Museum building >

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

Located 4.5 km south of the center of Athens and on the edge of Faliro Bay, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center is perhaps the most significant cultural, educational and environmental project undertaken in Greece. Conceived in 2006, the SNFCC is a private-public partnership and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s largest single philanthropic gift ($854 million/ €617 million).

As a pioneering initiative, the SNFCC regenerates and enriches the surrounding urban fabric of local communities and enhances the image of the city as a whole.

Its environmental, social and economic impact is especially welcomed during the current difficult social circumstances.

Covering an area of 28,000 m2, the new premises of the Greek National Opera can only be compared with the most modern opera houses in the world. The high aesthetics, state-of-the-art acoustics, as well as the installations of the Main Stage (1400 seats) will bolster a highcalibre artistic program. Furthermore, the Alternative Stage (400 seats) will become a hub of research and creativity in the field of education, community and contemporary artistic creation, with special emphasis in all forms of the musical theatre.

The National Library of Greece with its new 23,000m2 building will house the existing collections of the NLG, serving the needs of researchers (National Research Library), as well as the general public (National Public Lending Library). The National Research Library will hold over 4,500 manuscript codices from the 9th to the 19th century and a rich variety of important historical documents and archives. A Lending Library, bolstered by a significant book collection and other media, will include separate areas for adults, teenagers, and children and will offer a wide range of educational and cultural programs.

The Stavros Niarchos Park covers 85 percent of the SNFCC site and it is fully accessible to people with physical disabilities. The park’s landscaped paths are designed with a gentle grade upwards that leads to a summit 32 m high, atop of the building that houses the GNO and the NLG, and offers spectacular views of the sea, the Acropolis, the whole Park, and the surrounding neighborhoods. The Park features a total of 1,450 trees, 280,000 shrubs, ground covering plants and grasses, endemic to the Mediterranean.

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

(SNFCC)

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

With a length of 400m, width of 30m and depth of 70cm at the edges and up to 140cm in its center, the Canal forms a continuous surface of water. It represents the city’s symbolic reconnection to the sea, and also functions as a recipient of rainwater, ensuring the site’s flood protection. It is supplied with seawater, which is filtered and then returns to the sea in a continuous flow.

SNFCC Opening Hours: Stavros Niarchos Park 06.00-20.00, Agora, Lighthouse, Running Track 06.00-00.00, Visitors Center 09.00-22.00.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation will hand over the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center to the Greek State in early 2017. During the transition phase, the Foundation continues its mission to introduce the project to the public through a daily and dynamic program of free public events that offers visitors an opportunity to experience SNFCC’s programmatic potential, and its place as an urban destination for everyone. All the events are made possible through the exclusive support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which is presently in charge of the project, until the completion of the delivery process to the Greek State.

Through these programs that, combine athletic, educational and artistic activities, the Foundation seeks to engage the public in an open dialogue about the SNFCC and to build substantive relationships that will continue during its official operation by the Greek State, the rightful owner of the project.

View the SNF Events >

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

The Energy Canopy is a marvel of construction and engineering. The Canopy measures 100x100m, is supported by 30 metal columns, which weigh a total of 4,700 tons, and is covered by 5,700 photovoltaic panels, producing 2GWh of electrical energy per year its highest point is at 46 meters. The canopy’s geometry and white hue create the optical illusion of a very light structure, suspended above the SNFCC.

Events at the SNFCC Yannis Moralis - Christos Kapralos: Friendship in Life and Art

Yannis Moralis and Christos Kapralos first met and became friends at the Athens School of

They met again in Paris, where they eagerly explored modernist movements while remaining true to their classical values. In 1939, they returned to Greece, where they continued to pursue their dialogue with classicism throughout the German occupation. In the 1950s, each of the two artists developed his own personal version of modernism: Moralis his funerary paintings and Kapralos his bronze sculptures, produced by adopting the lost-wax casting process. These sculptures would bring him international recognition at the Venice Biennale in 1962.

SNFCC - Lighthouse Exhibition duration: Wednesday September 21st – Sunday December 18th 2016 Free Admission.

View the SNF Events >

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

Fine Arts.

A selection of 18 bronze sculptures by Kapralos will go on display, alongside a small retrospective exhibition by Moralis.

A total of 50 masterpieces by Yannis Moralis from his substantial donation to the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutzos Museum and from private collections trace the artist’s evolution from his early career to the classical abstraction of his last works.

The two artists – eventually neighbours on the island of Aegina – never ceased to pursue a contemporary dialogue with Greek antiquity.

Hybrids: On the borderline between Art and Technology (AT Stegi Grammatwn & Texnwn)

Artworks, workshops and performances in a new media show which transcends the boundaries separating art from scientific

Want to see science meet art? Technology, activism and pop culture proceed hand in hand in this new exhibition staged by the OCC in collaboration with Ars Electronica, the innovative research and new media cultural centre from Linz, Austria.

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

research.

Hybrids explores the concept of hybridism—the mixing of different media and idioms to create new forms of artistic expression. Artworks, workshops and performances in a new media show which transcends the boundaries separating art from scientific research. Putting the postin digital art today at the OCC.

Can a work of art create new forms of energy? How would you represent your digital persona in this socially networked world of ours?

Stegi Grammatwn & Texnwn Exhibition Hall Exhibition duration: Wednesday November 8th – January 15th 2017 12:00-21:00

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Digital Wednesdays

Moskov-Selim

The Internet is Dead. The Internet is everywhere.

by Georgios Vizyinos

Which is why it’s nowhere.

(AT Stegi Grammatwn & Texnwn)

(AT Stegi Grammatwn & Texnwn)

Our Digital Wednesdays for 2016-17 will take Hito Steyerl’s article “Too much World: Is the Internet Dead?” as their starting point for an exploration of how art is

Stegi Grammatwn & Texnwn

responding to the issues posed by our constant onlineness and the creation of a hybrid reality between the physical and the digital.

“Moskov-Selim” talks about the need for acceptance, and the loneliness of one deemed ‘crazy’ by society.

his eternal enemy. Upon his return home, he lives in isolation. He is relieved when he shares his story with a Greek soldier, who wants to listen to him.

Digital Wednesdays is an OCC initiative which seeks to acquaint the public with trends in art and theory related to digital and internet art, the relationship between art, science and technology, and the multiple ways in which the three spheres interact.

ith the late-eighteenth-century RussoTurkish wars as a background, the last novel of Georgios Vizyinos tells the story of a Turkish soldier. Rejected by his father, he seeks recognition and justice in battlefields.

A brave soldier wounded in battle, he is not given the medal that is deservedly his. Instead, it is awarded to a deserter.

However, his faith is not shaken. When, after many years, he finds himself in Russia as a war prisoner, he is surprised by the humane behaviour of his enemies. He realizes then that his fanaticism and hatred were unjustified. His need for tenderness and justice is unexpectedly reciprocated by

Moskov-Selim talks about the need for acceptance, and the loneliness of one deemed ‘crazy’ by society. It is the story of the antihero encountered in the ‘glorious’ history of each country. The narration is shared by the productions’ actors; their bodies and voices become one, bringing this wonderful text to life. A deeply antiwar piece with an intricate depiction and analysis of the hero’s psychological world, it deals with the anguish linked to matters of identity and with the continuous defeats, exemplifying the wealth and complexity of the Greek language.

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Stegi Grammatwn & Texnwn

Exhibition duration:

Exhibition duration:

NOV 2016 – MAR 2017

12 NOV 2016 - 9 APR 2017

Free admission

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C U LT U R E & M U S I C

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

From our clock and mobile phone to our car and radio, most of the devices around us are constantly online. And so are we.

The Internet is so deeply rooted in our lives that, though we no longer even notice it anymore, it’s changed the way we view the world.

Let Me Tell You a Story...

(AT Stegi Grammatwn & Texnwn)

Athens Named World Book Capital FOR 2018

By UNESCO

For a second year, this Christmas,

Stegi Grammatwn & Texnwn Exhibition duration: 23 DEC 2016 - 4 JAN 2017 17:00-20:00 Children 5-8 years old with their grandmother or grandfather

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The city of Athens was chosen for the quality of its activities, supported by the entire book industry. The proposed activity program includes meetings with writers, translators and illustrators, concerts, thematic exhibitions, poetry readings and workshops for publishing professionals.

The aim of the program is to make books accessible to the city’s entire population, including migrants and refugees. Members of the Advisory Committee also praised Athens’ cultural infrastructure and its expertise in organizing international events. The programs promoted by Athens range from events for writers, translators, illustrators, concerts, exhibitions as well as promotion of poetry via readings and workshops. Athens is the 18th city to be named the World Book Capital by UNESCO.

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C U LT U R E & M U S I C

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

the Onassis Cultural Centre brings grandmothers, grandfathers and their grandchildren closer to each other, in a workshop of narration and illustration.

The UNESCO director announced recently that Athens is the World Book Capital for 2018.

Architecture of Western Libraries From the Minoan era to Michelangelo (1600 BCE- 1600 CE)

The exhibition is organized into five sections corresponding to library as its architecture was influenced by the intellectual and cultural criteria of each historical period.

Visitors will thus be able to see versions of the library in the Greek world, the Roman era, the Byzantine Empire, Western Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Each section is documented through texts, architectural plans, maps, photographic material and original engravings from the 15th century and later. The exhibition also includes models of the School of

Athens Benaki Museum Exhibition duration: 01/12/2016 - 08/01/2017

In addition visitors will be able to see depictions of the monastic libraries, as they evolved since Christianity was adopted as state religion in the Eastern and the Western Roman Empire. Finally, the exhibition highlights library architecture in the Italian Renaissance (mid-15th century), with special emphasis on the logic behind the design and arrangement of the Vatican Library, the Marcian Library in Venice, the library of Malatesta in Cesena and the Laurentian library of Florence, created by Michelangelo Buonarroti.

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C U LT U R E & M U S I C

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

the evolution and changes of the

Aristotle, the Lyceum and Plato’s Academy and reconstruction drawings of the monumental libraries of the Roman era, such as the libraries of Octavia and emperors Trajan and Hadrian.

Hannah Williams & The Affirmation

White Lies at iera odos

“Late nights and Heartbreak”

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

C U LT U R E & M U S I C

James Graham - Keyboards Jai Widdowson-Jones - Drums Adam Holgate - Guitar Adam Newton - Bass Liam Treasure - Trombone Sam Massey - Trumpet Tom Taylor - Baritone Saxophone

Main Stage - GAZARTE:

Iera Odos 18-20,

32-34 Voutadon Str.- Gazi, Athens 11854

10435, Athens, Greece

Saturday, December 17th 2016 at 21:00

Saturday 03 December 2016

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