Athens Insider Winter 2018 issuu

the city magazine of

February 2018 #137 ISSN 1790-3114 EUR 4.50

the art of living Arts & Events • People • Culture • Business • Travel • Style • Food & Drink

BAR RESTAURANT

To subscribe, email: info@insider-magazine.gr www.athensinsider.com www.bonjourathenes.fr Athens Insider is published quarterly and its brand, logo and all editorial content is held worldwide by: Insider Publications Ltd. located at Ermou 13 166 71 Vouliagmeni, Greece Tel.: 210.729.8634 VAT: 099747145 E-mail: info@insider-magazine.gr Reproduction in whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, is forbidden except with the express written permission of the publisher. Although Athens Insider has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions it may contain. Athens Insider maintains a strict policy of editorial independence and preferential treatment is never guaranteed to advertisers.

Athens Insider ISSN 1790-3114 Code: 216548

publisher’s note I

s our reliance on technology to record and curate our lives hindering our memories, in all their poignant faultiness? Will the persistent prompt on one’s phone to anticipate and respond to the constant thoughts and images posted by everyone we know, and even those we don’t, form the basis of our future narrative?

Would fleeting snapshots on our over-stimulated social media, streaming into our brains through our devices, push away more fragile memories?

Do we have too much of the world with us?

Rather than suspend reason in the quest for meaning, might we perhaps, instead look around and see if we can’t find a little magic lurking in our midst? The response of illustrator Daniel Egnéus (whose design graces our cover) is to transport us into a magical realm, beyond digital overdose, by seeking the sublime beneath Athens’ gritty facades.

Apparently, a new New Age is on the rise, particularly among digitallyweaned millennials searching for a bit of ritual and respite. Life hacks believe that in 2018, we’ll be craving simpler, more meaningful connections - in our everyday lives, with the foods that we eat, the places we visit, the people we meet.

Towards that end, our new-look website athensinsider.com and magazine reflect those deeper values. Contrary to what our webmasters and SEO guardians might have us believe, we hope we will be brave enough to engage in communication that has nothing to sell.

The great pleasure of story-telling, and by extension, of being a reader, is the ability to step outside one’s cocooned world and dive into another as an interested outsider. We hope you’ll join us in vicariously experiencing the tales, the memories and the journeys of others and replace ‘watch and click’ with ‘listen and feel.’ •

Sudha Nair-Iliades www.athensinsider.com Find us on:

athens insider

3

www.athensinsider.com

Publisher Sudha Nair-Iliades Editor Amanda Dardanis Client Relations Krysta Foteinopoulou Graphic Design Ioanna Milopoulou Cover design Daniel Egnéus Accounts Dimosthenis Therianos Social Media Caroline Pateras Events Co-ordinator Anita Robert Interns Lucie Rochette-Montalieu, Will Feuer, Leo Nuovo, Emily Moliken Photos Maria-Irene Moschonas, Shutterstock, George Georgakakis, Marily Zarkou, Will Feuer, Gratisography Contributors in this Issue Diane Farr Louis, Ethel Dilouambaka, Holley Martlew, John Carr, Katerina Valoyianni, Will Feuer Founder Steve Pantazopoulos Legal Counsel Christos Christopoulos Printing Grafima Website and Digital Marketing Webolution Subscriptions Athens Insider published in English in Greece € 20, Abroad € 40 Bonjour Athènes published in French in Greece € 15, Abroad € 30 Both magazines in Greece € 40, Abroad € 90 (incl. VAT and postage) Also published in Chinese (Mandarin), Russian and Turkish.

contributors

Amanda Dardanis

A print journalist for over two decades, Australian-born Amanda Dardanis started out at News Corp Australia where she has covered specialist rounds from politics, tourism and entertainment. In London, she held senior creative roles at glossy titles including MarieClaire, Woman’s Own, and the Mail on Sunday’s YOU magazine. Since moving to Athens in 2009, she has written on Greece for international publications like The Times London, the Guardian UK and Australia’s Sunday Telegraph.

Ethel Dilouambaka

Brussels-bred, Athens-based polyglot with a Master Degree in Translation in her pocket, Ethel is an adventure seeker, professional shower singer and food enthusiast who enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling around the world, Instagramming and daydreaming with a good book in her hands. Want to see the world through her eyes?

Find her on Instagram at @ethel.di.

John Carr

Born in North Staffordshire, John Carr read sociology at Leicester University. He has been a Greek correspondent for the Associated Press, Wall Street Journal Europe, The Times of London and Vatican Radio since 1978, and dabbles in acting and choir-singing. He has published several books including, The America Capsule (2005), Sparta’s Kings (2012), The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-41 (2013), and the hugely popular Greekisms for Dummies (2016).

Will Feuer

Will Feuer studies Public Policy at the University of Michigan and specializes in journalism with a minor in Chinese Language and Culture. Studying for the semester in Athens, he has reported for Southeast Asia Globe in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and worked for the European Chamber of Commerce in Beijing as well as Dacheng Law Firm in Yunnan Province, China.

Diana Farr Louis

Diana moved from New York to Athens in 1972 and has since authored three cookbooks, Prospero’s Kitchen, Feasting and Fasting in Crete and, most recently, A Taste of Greece, a handful of guidebooks and travel books, and dozens of articles for publications in Greece and abroad. She has a monthly column called Eating Well is the Best Revenge on weeklyhubris. com and is a regular contributor to www.culinarybackstreets.com.

Holley Martlew

Dr. Holley Martlew is an archeologist who has worked extensively on Minoan and Mycenean sites in Greece and is co-director of the Armenoi Excavations in Crete. The main focus of her research was to use organic residue analysis to ascertain what was cooked or stored in ceramic vessels, and stable isotope analysis of human skeletal material to determine overall diet. This culminated in an EU-funded project Archeology Meets Science: Minoans and Mycenaeans – Flavours of Their Time and a series of international exhibitions the world over.

Katerina Vallogianni

Katerina has been a business editor and producer of business conferences for the last 18 years with extensive experience in the media, fashion and beauty industries. She was a guest lecturer at the Athens University of Economics and Business’ MBA programme on Fashion and is a jury member of the annual global advertising competition, Epica Awards.

Krysta Foteinopoulou

After studying Broadcasting and Journalism at the Univesity of Wolverhampton, Krysta has reported live for the Greek public broadcaster ERT and covered European affairs and business news for the privately-owned SKAI TV. She has also contributed to several Greek sites and is now the newest addition to the Insider Team.

5

contents

BUSINESS

54_This could be the Start of Something Big

Orange Grove is helping to plant Greek entrepreneurs on the world stage, one innovative start-up at a time.

56_The Big Think

Greece’s need for structural reforms and new leadership strategies goes under the microscope at the third Delphi Economic Forum.

58_Luxury under the Greek Sun Existentialist in Exile p.22

CULTURE

12_Top 10 must-see events at Athens Festival 2018

Greece’s luxury real estate market is about to take its rightful place in the spotlight, says global luxury realtor Barnes.

60_Built with Love

Design experts Stirixis Exclusive believe in transforming your property by creating an emotional connection with bricks and mortar.

From timeless Greek icons to Grammy award-winning pop stars, we single out Athens Festival’s unmissable highlights.

TRAVEL

20_Behind the Beards: Gilbert & George

Amanda Dardanis plots your perfect day’s escape in Athens’ ancient little sister “up north”.

Anarchic British design duo Gilbert & George mark the 50th anniversary of their creative collaboration with a typically lurid showing.

22_Existentialist in Exile

Sudha Nair-Iliades meets Daniel Egnéus, artistic nomad and ethereal chronicler of our city’s “warts and all” charms.

28_5 Lesser-Known Museums you should visit Ethel Dilouambaka rounds up 5 fascinating off-radar Athenian museums guaranteed to cure you of “ancient marble” overdose.

32_How We’ll be Living in 2018

We track the major global trends to shape how we’ll work, rest and play in the Year of Authenticity.

44_Affairs of the Art

Greek art champion Irini Vantaraki shares her favourite local art heroes and Athenian virtues.

46_Safely lost in translation

Master storyteller Jeffrey Siger plots murder and mayhem on the island of Tinos.

48_Second Time’s a Charm

The best-selling “Greekisms for Dummies” returns for an encore with twice the laughs.

50_A Vintage Affair

Will Feuer goes shotgun to capture the city’s antique car club showcase.

62_24 Hours in Thessaloniki - The Seattle of the Balkans

66_8 Awesome Winter Escapes for Half-Term

From active adventures to winery tours and thrilling archeological odysseys, Greece flaunts some pretty cool moves in February.

72_Diary of the Rethymnon Carnival

Archeologist Holley Martlew goes behind the frontlines at one of Greece’s most colourful annual carnival celebrations.

Cover image by Daniel Egnéus

5 Lesser-Known Museums you should visit p.28

STYLE

38_How 2018 is your Home?

Six of the year’s biggest interior decoration trends and style updates.

42_The Big Hair & Make Up Trends For 2018

Katerina Valoyianni shares the year’s best looks for hair and make-up.

FOOD & DRINK

New Taste Sensations p.90

76_Sweet Elixirs of Life

Encounter the ripe abundance of postcard-like liqueurs that celebrate Greece’s regional distinctions and heady ingredients.

80_Meals that Linger in the Memory

Food author Diana Farr Louis recalls the gastronomic highlights of her resonant taste journey both in Greece and abroad.

How 201 is your Home? p.38

82_How to do Lent in Greece

Your ultimate foodies guide to celebrating the 40-day Easter period in traditional Greek fashion.

86_Restaurant Reviews

Review of three newcomers in the capital: WooWoo, Frankie, L’ Audrion and Hoocut.

90_New Taste Sensations

Make a date with twelve of the city’s hottest new dining addresses that cater for every appetite, mood and budget. sections Arts & Events 6 Fast Lane 16 People 20 Culture 28 Business 54 Travel 62 Style 38 Food & Drink 76 Kaleidoscope 104

Arts & Events p.6

A Vintage Affair p. 50

athens insider

7

8 Awesome Winter Escapes p.66

February 8-March 10 NIKOS LAGOS Zoumboulakis Galleries

Acquaint yourself with the joyfully complex art of Nikos Lago in this solo exhibition, Withdrawal that alludes to children’s paintings and graffiti. This Athens-born artist, has studied and practiced both as an architect and at the Athens School of Fine Arts and his works appear in many museums and private collections in Greece and abroad. From 2008, he has been represented by Zoumboulakis Galleries in Athens and Tart Gallery in Zurich, Switzerland. Nikos Lagos’ pieces reflect an inner way of experiencing and remoulding reality and convey an alternative and highly interesting - perception of life with all its certainties, twists and contradictions.

Kolonaki Sq 20, www.zoumboulakis.gr

Until March 10 SHOOT THE WOMEN FIRST The Breeder Gallery

Navine G. Khan-Dossos’ solo exhibition is a provoking visual reflection on the role of women regarded by society as both perpetrators and victims of violence.

The violence represented is not merely physical, but embodies a wider threat to society by those who exist on the periphery of mainstream politics and culture.

Shoot the Women First was reputedly the direction given in the 1980s to members of West Germany’s elite GSG-9 anti-terrorist squad. It subsequently became standard advice offered by Interpol to other European agencies in the wake of the Baader-Meinhof, Red Brigade, IRA and other paramilitary attacks carried out by groups including female terrorists. KhanDossos’ works draw on a heterogeneous range of historical, ongoing and future scenarios.

Iasonos 45, 210.331.7527, www.thebreedersystem.com

February 25 PELOPONNESE WINE FESTIVAL Hellenic Motor Museum

Acquaint your palate with the outstanding wines that hail from the vineyards of the Peloponnese as one of Greece’s most popular annual wine festivals reboots at a new inner-city venue. The Peloponnese Wine Festival, staged by members of the Association of Wine Producers of the Vineyards of Peloponnese, introduces premium wines from the latest harvest - as well as those from previous years - to wine-lovers and the viniculture trade. Learn about the latest trends in experimental winemaking and bottling and elevate your grasp of the unique diversities and peculiarities of the Peloponnesian terroir. Entry is €5.

Ioulianou 33, tel: 210.881.6187, www.hellenicmotormuseum.gr

#CULTURE_events

arts & events Until February 25 FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE NEON at the Museum of Cycladic Art

Homelessness in all its spiritual and psychological forms is the theme of this evocative monographic exhibition by Mike Kelley, an influential commentator on American class and popular culture. Kelley sought to explore how we constantly attempt to create ourselves from our unreliable and unstable memories of our own past. Curated by Douglas Fogle, Fortress of Solitude brings together a range of seminal works from across the American artist’s career (1954-2012) in order to reflect on the uncanny psychological homelessness of the contemporary world.

Stathatos Mansion, Vasilissis Sofias ave. & 1, Irodotou St, www.neon.org.gr

February 25-March 11 ROMÉO ET JULIETTE Stavros Niarchos Hall

See Shakespeare’s classic romantic drama set to music in Charles Gounod’s popular five act opera, staged for the first time here by the Greek National Opera.

Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette - a favourite ever since its 1867 debut in Paris - is the first in a series of works to be presented by the GNO from the French repertoire over the next three years. This immersive and radiant performance (in French with Greek and English subtitles) involves the Orchestra, Chorus, Corps de Ballet and Soloists of the Greek National Opera. Tickets from €10.

Greek National Opera, Evripidou & Doiranis St, Kallithea, www.snfcc.org

A marvelous mosaic of stories that reflect life through the eyes of children and teenagers in different parts of the world. CineDoc Kids movie festival aims to inspire a young audience with fiction films and documentaries that travel from the North Arctic to India and from the Swiss Alps to Mars! Featured will be movies like “Sing” that won an Oscar for best short film, a Norwegian adventure film called “Operation Arctic” (Operasjon Arktis, 2014), and a Dutch comedy, “Little Gangster”. Movies are suitable for children aged from 8 years. Tickets €5.

Ambelokipi, Leof. Kifisias 109 (metro Panormou), tel: 210.721.1073, www.danaoscinema.gr.

athens insider

9

www.athensinsider.com

Until March 4 CINEDOC KIDS Danaos Cinema

#CULTURE_events

Until March 5 VINCENT VAN GOGH ALIVE Megaron Mousikis

More than 3,000 paintings, sketches and animated images of the great Dutch Master enliven Athens as part of a major multimedia exhibition seen by 10 million people around the world. The showcase redefines a traditional museum experience, displaying Van Gogh’s masterpieces in larger-than-life proportions (in a space of 1,500 m²), and using a vibrant symphony of light, sound and colour that effectively conveys the singular style of his game-changing creations.

Vassilissis Sofias & Kokkali, tel: 210.728.2333, www.megaron.gr

March 8 CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF Megaron Moussikis

Australian director Benedict Andrews gives Tennessee Williams’ classic inheritance drama “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” a twist for the Trump era by moving the action to the present in this latest National Theatre Live performance starring Sienna Miller (as Maggie), Jack O’Connell and Colm Meaney. Beamed from the Apollo Theater in London’s West End, this steamy production, which received rave reviews in the UK, is staged in co-operation with the British Embassy and the British Council Tickets are €15 (€8 reduced). The production is not appropriate for minors.

Vassilis Sofias and Kokkali, www.megaron.gr

Until April 29 ANCIENT CHINESE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Herakleidon Museum

Admire 90 remarkable objects from the ancient Chinese civilization such as astronomical instruments, plows and early seismographs. On loan from the China Science and Technology Museum of Beijing, the exhibition covers discoveries, Chinese innovations and aims to highlight the culture’s remarkable achievements across many different scientific fields.

Apostolou Pavlou 37 and Herakleidon 16, Thisseio, tel: 210.346.1981, www.herakleidon-art.gr

Until April 15 MONEY Museum of Cycladic Art

Explore money’s enduring symbology from the earliest forms of coinage to ancient Greek banking practices and the evolution of currency. Money: Tangible symbols in ancient Greece - in cooperation with the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection - looks at how, historically, coins have also been used to transmit ideas, status and propaganda.

Admission €8.

Neofytou Douka 4, tel 210.722.8321-3, www.cycladic.gr

#CULTURE_events Until May 13 KONSTANTINOS VOLANAKIS B. & M. Theocharakis Foundation

An extensive collection of poetic works from Konstantinos Volanakis, one of the most important representatives of the famous School of Munich, and considered “The father of the Greek seascape”.

Volanakis’ vivid and finessed paintings depicted his deep love for the sea and all that sailed on her. “His seascape and landscape painting have their own speech and counterpart in the history of art,” says exhibition curator Takis Mavrotas.

Vassilis Sofias 9 and Merlin 1, tel: 210.361.1206, www.thf.gr

May 4-19 3RD ATHENS STREET FOOD FESTIVAL Old Amaxostasio of O.S.Y

What does Athens taste like? Find out at the 3rd Athens Street Food Festival, a celebration of the city’s most popular “street delicacies” and many prized urban morsels from the kitchens of Europe, America, Asia and Africa, to be held over three long weekends in May. Across a total downtown space area of 4000 sqm, foodies can indulge all in the one place in a global feast of street gastronomy. Look out for the specially designed “Bars and Beverages” strip and separate pop-up bars for gin, tequila, wine, cocktails, smoothies and milkshakes.

Pireos and Ermou, Gazi, tel 210.963.6489.

athens insider

11

May 19 LARA FABIAN PLAYS ATHENS Faliro Olympic Indoor Hall

See world famous Belgian diva Lara Fabian perform her first English album for more than a decade and her greatest hits such as Je’Taime at a rare Athens gig. Fabian’s “Camouflage World Tour” promises to be an electric visual and audio experience, based on the star’s English repertoire.

For more information: 211.800.5141, www.wepromotion.gr.

Tickets from www.viva.gr Tae Kwon Do, Koumoundourou 22, Palaio Faliro, tel: 210.921.3310.

May 31 RELEASE ATHENS 2018 Plateia Nerou

A red-hot double bill as London Grammar and Rag’n’Bone Man headline the first day of Release Athens 2018. The much-loved indie-dream pop band London Grammar, fronted by the sensual vocals of Hannah Reid, will make their Athens debut, to be joined by one of the UK’s biggest chart toppers Rag’n’Bone Man, the “good giant” of soul blues and pop, who “swept the board” with his album “Human”. Pre-sale prices for the opening day start from €80.

Tickets from www.viva.gr or by phone on 11876.

Plateia Nerou/Water Square (open air), Falirou, www.releaseathens.gr

June 20-24 ART ATHINA Athens Conservatory

Join in a four–day celebration of the city’s artistic renaissance as Art-Athina 2018 opens its doors at a prestigious new cultural venue and with a new artistic director Stamatia Dimitrakopoulou. Not just another art fair, this sophisticated highlight of the Athenian art calendar brings together the most influential local galleries and international exhibitors under the one roof and should not be missed.

To find out more about exhibiting artists and galleries visit www.art-athina.gr Vasileos Georgiou B 17, tel: 210.724.0673, www.athensconservatoire.gr

#CULTURE_events

June 22-23 STING Herodion Atticus

www.athensinsider.com

One of the year’s hottest tickets as rock legend Sting performs live at the historic Odeon of Herodes to open this year’s Athens and Epidaurus Festival. The Newcastle-born singer-songwriter and activist last performed at the venue in May 1996 during his “Mercury Falling” tour.

As one of the world’s most distinctive solo artists, Sting has garnered 10 Grammy Awards, two Brits, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, a TONY nomination and Billboard Magazine’s Century Award.

He was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. Tickets from €66 from www.tickethouse.gr Areopagitou Dionisiou, Acropolis.

athens insider

13

Top 10 must-see events at Athens Festival 2018

1. Il Pomo d’Oro. Maxim Emelyanychev The Handel Mythology

Arias and duets from Handel’s mythological operas: Arianna in Creta, Hercules, Partenope, Semele, Il Pastor Fido, Teseo, Imeneo . Il Pomo d’Oro was founded in 2012 by virtuosos specializing in historically informed performances.

The orchestra performs operas and orchestral works of the Baroque and the classical period in a manner faithful to the style of the era in which a work was originally conceived. Il Pomo d’Oro has collaborated with many wellknown conductors, including its cofounder Riccardo Minasi, George Petrou, Enrico Onofri and rising talent Maxim Emelyanychev, the orchestra’s permanent conductor since 2016. The orchestra won accolades at the Echo Klassik Awards in 2016 for their recordings of Haydn for violin and harpsichord, as well as for the album they recorded together with young French cellist Edgar Moreau. Il Pomo d’Oro is an official ambassador of El Sistema Greece, providing music training to refugee children for free and regularly giving concerts at refugee camps around Greece.

WHERE: Odeon of Herodes Atticus WHEN: June 12 at 9pm

2. New Worlds - Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and friends

Actor Bill Murray met German cellist Jan Vogler on a trans-Atlantic flight. The two struck up a friendship. Being interested in each other’s artistic work, they came up with a joint project. New Worlds is a performance bridging the artistic legacy of America and Europe, and highlighting the fundamental values of American literature and music. During their travels, the two men also met cellist Mira Wang and violinist Vanessa Perez, also performing in New Worlds. Celebrated for his long and fruitful film career in Hollywood, Murray will play a role unlike anything he’s ever done before. The superstar comedian will perform pieces by Foster, Gershwin and Bernstein, in addition to reading excerpts from classic American poets and writers (Whitman, Hemingway, Twain), to the sounds of Vogler’s Stradivarius cello.

A fascinating crossover of music and literature by two great masters.

WHERE: Odeon of Herodes Atticus WHEN: June 19 at 9pm

3. ERT National Symphony Orchestra. Fête de la Musique

Works by Lavrangas, Rachmaninoff, Dvořák It has become an annual tradition: the ERT National Symphony Orchestra and Athens Festival will hold a concert at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, honouring the Fête de la Musique, the World Music Day. Conduction: Anastasios Symeonidis Soloist: George-Emmanuel Lazaridis.

Free admission.

WHERE: Odeon of Herodes Atticus WHEN: June 19 at 9pm

#CULTURE_what’s on

While the modern Athens metropolis continues to shapeshift and evolve like a living, breathing entity, the voracious Athenian appetite for cultural symposia remains an unbreakable connection between ancient and present times. Each summer, the Athens Festival serves as a prism to celebrate the great scope and timbre of this artistic compulsion – and this year’s line-up is no exception. From timeless Greek icons to titans of Hollywood, Grammy award-winning pop stars and thought-provoking cinema, we single out some of the festival’s most unmissable highlights.

Composer, singer, songwriter, actor, writer and activist, Sting is celebrated all over the world and has sold over 100 million copies throughout his long career, first as leading singer of the Police and later as a solo recording artist. Having won numerous accolades over the years, including ten Grammys, two Brit Awards, a Golden Globe, one Emmy and four Academy Award nominations, Sting will always hold a special place in our hearts.

WHERE: Odeon of Herodes Atticus WHEN: June 22, 23 at 9pm

athens insider

15

5. Calexico Live at Acropolis

Active for the past 20 years, Calexico – named after a town in the MexicoCalifornia borders and originally coming from Tucson, Arizona – have fans all over the world. An entirely new sub-genre, desert noir, was coined to describe the band’s idiosyncratic style, a blend of traditional Latin music influences (mariachi, conjunto, cumbia, tejano), country, jazz and post-rock. The hugely popular band will perform at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus for the very first time, presenting some of their biggest hits (Stray, Falling from the sky, Crystal Frontier, Missing, Splitter), along with songs from their newest, justreleased album, The Threat that Keeps us, released in late January.

WHERE: Odeon of Herodes Atticus WHEN: July 3 at 9pm

6. I Will Tell You a Story.

Nana Mouskouri

Nana Mouskouri began her singing career in Greece over 60 years ago and went on to become a world-famous star. The artist has given over 10,000 performances at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, from the Paris Opera, the Royal Albert Hall and the Berlin Philharmonic to Lincoln Center (New York), the Sydney Opera and Teatro Monumental in Chile and even theatres and stages in towns and villages around the world. At Athens Festival 2018, the celebrated artist will perform some of her best-known songs, including “Chartino to fengaraki” and international hits, such as White Rose of Athens, Á force de prier, Au Cœur de septembre and Le temps des cerises. Part of the proceeds will be donated to ELPIDA – Association of Friends of Children with Cancer. Mouskouri has been active in the organization since its inception in 1990. In 2017, she was named Artist for ELPIDA. The concert will be held under the auspices of H.E. the President of Hellenic Republic Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos.

WHERE: Odeon of Herodes Atticus WHEN: July 5 at 9pm

www.athensinsider.com

4. Sting

#CULTURE_what’s on

7. Bach meets Kennedy meets Gershwin. Nigel Kennedy

8. Carmen, by Georges Bizet.

Greek National Opera

Discovered by the great Yehudi Menuhin, Nigel Kennedy is one of the top violinists in the world and the bestselling violinist in the history of music; his recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons alone sold over 3 million copies. For the last 30 years, Kennedy remains a one-of-a-kind performer. The artist has covered several musicians, ranging from classical composers to Jimi Hendrix, has collaborated with music legends (Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Robert Plant and The Who), and has performed with some of the leading orchestras in the world. Kennedy is adored by his fans for his original body of work, his political views and his live, often eccentric and unconventional appearances. The performance Bach meets Kennedy meets Gershwin demonstrates his tour de force, establishing a dialogue between Bach (Kennedy has often performed his pieces for violin) and Gershwin, a contemporary jazz classic.

WHERE: Odeon of Herodes Atticus WHEN: July 17 at 9pm

9. Aqua Jazz Athens

In collaboration with the Jazz and Mediterranean Music Lab of the Ionian University Jazz meets the traditional music and instruments of the Mediterranean in a three-day music event, hosted by Athens Festival in collaboration with the Jazz and Mediterranean Music Lab of the Ionian University. A meeting of traditional music styles of the Mediterranean (Iberian Peninsula, Adriatic Sea, Greece, Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean) in the form of concerts, collaborations, introduction of new musicians, jam sessions and workshops drawing on the universal language of jazz.

The event will be split in three day zones.

In the morning, participants will be able to attend workshops and classes on jazz and Mediterranean instruments. In the afternoon, discussions and presentations will be held. In the evening, it’s concert time.

WHERE: Athens Conservatoire, Basement WHEN: July 10, 11, 12 at 9pm

The most popular French opera of all time, a symbol of love and freedom, is back at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in a Greek National Opera production, directed by the distinguished artistic director of the Göteborg Opera Stephen Langridge.

Langridge’s Carmen, first presented at the Odeon in 2016, is a modern, sharp take on the opera, relevant to our times, set in contemporary Europe, a continent of closed borders and poverty. Aided by Giorgos Souglidis’ impressive costumes and sets, Giuseppe di Iorio’s otherworldly lighting, and Tomas Bergman’s atmospheric projections, Langridge creates a contemporary yet also timeless universe for Carmen’s iconic story.

WHERE: Odeon of Herodes Atticus WHEN: July 27, 28, 29,3 1 at 9pm

10. Athens Open Air Film Festival

The collaboration of Athens & Epidaurus Festival and Athens Open Air Film Festival has become an annual tradition.

In 2018, the event will be part of Athens - UNESCO World Book Capital for 2018.

Three films focusing on the relationship of cinema and literature will be screened at the Festival. The Garden of Peiraios 260 and other parts of Athens will be transformed into open-air theatres.

WHERE: Peiraios 260 and other Athens venues WHEN: July 7 - 20

Ticket info available from May 8 on www.greekfestival.gr

ALEXANDER’S BAR The Alexander’s Bar, voted best hotel bar in the world by Forbes magazine and with the authentic 18th century tapestry, featuring Alexander the Great entering into Gaugamela, hanged by the radiant wooden bar, is the ideal choice for a cocktail and an impressive variety of brandies or select cognac.

ΜΗ.Τ.Ε.: 0206K015A0021500

OPERATING HOURS: 8:00AM - 12:00AM (LAST ORDER 11:30PM) DRESS CODE: SMART CASUAL TELEPHONE: +30 210 3330 787 GBRESTAURANTS.GR HOTEL GRANDE BRETAGNE A LUXURY COLLECTION HOTEL, ATHENS 1, VAS. GEORGIOU A’ ST. - SYNTAGMA SQUARE 105 64 ATHENS, GREECE

athens insider

17

Athens Book Festival: A new page for the city “I wanted to predict and measure the infinity of the unlimited universe with dots.

Dots. How deep is the mystery? Is there unlimited infinity beyond our own universe? By exploring these questions, I wanted to delve into this unique dot that is my own life.

One dot. A unique particle between billions.” Yayoi Kusama on Yayoi Kusama

Going dotty over Yayoi Kusama

Many consider that her colour-popping and dizzying creations influenced Andy Warhol and there’s little doubt that the flamboyant Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama was a forebearer of the Pop Art movement. The still-spritely 89-yearold with the signature flaming wig has exhibited hallucinatory works like Infinity Nets and her Dots Obsessions series (Kusama fetishized dots long before Damien Hirst populated the planet with his own versions). She has staged provocative art events in New York and elsewhere across the world (at the 1966 Venice Biennale she controversially hawked mirrored balls from her Narcissus Garden installation to passersby).

Now, Athens appreciators have the chance to immerse themselves in the magically eccentric world of Yayoi Kusama at a new installation staged by the Zoumboulakis Gallery to coincide with the publication of the Museum of Modern Art’s recent publication: Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity.

The book, written by Sara Suzuki (MoMA Curator) and illustrated by Ellen Weinstein, is a biographical title that depicts Yayoi Kusama’s vivid body of avant-garde work, her turbulent life, her obsessions, her illusions, her schizophrenic tendencies, her visions and, above all, the genius manifested by her tremendous talent.

Zoumboulakis has selected 7 of Kusama’s imaginative works to comprise their tribute.

See Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity from February 15 at the Zoumboulakis Gallery, Kriezotou 6, www.zoumboulakis.gr

Plastic gets kicked to the curb

It’s only been a little over a month, but already the new plastic bag tax has had a dramatic impact on Greek habits, with the number of bags being sold at the country’s supermarkets during January down by a whopping 80 percent compared to the same period in 2017.

From the first of January this year, Greece finally caught up with many other European nations with a new 4 cents per bag plastic bag levy imposed by the Environment Ministry - set to increase to 9 cents per bag as of January 1, 2019.

Unlike other EU dictates (the antismoking legislation springs to mind), the implementation of the extra charge for plastic bags has been surprisingly rigorous right across Greece - traditionally among the world’s most wasteful plastic bag consumers. Our guess is that the country’s budding environmental conscience is happily aligning with the average Greek household’s ever-present need to economise.

The Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA) has conducted surveys about the new plastic bag tax in supermarket chains, retail shops and other sales points, and has found that more than 2 out of 3 Greek households now opt for the solution of multipurpose bags rather than paying for a disposable plastic bag.

Additionally, there’s been an increase of over 5,000% in the sale of such multipurpose bags.

The IELKA survey also found that many clothing retail chains were opting to replace plastic bags with alternatives such as paper bags; while kiosks, laiki vendors and food outlets were largely still providing plastic bags to customers free of charge.

Books are back. Literature-lined libraries are the new heroes of Instagram. And this year, the written word will take centre-stage in Athens.

Our city is the Book Capital of the World for one year, from April 23, 2018 and will host a richly stimulating calendar of over 250 events, that will address a projected pool of one million visitors, aimed at making books accessible to all.

In tandem, Athens Insider is organising two high-profile literary events this year about books: one in June, themed around literature and food of displacement, to coincide with the hugely-popular Athens Refugee Food Festival, and one in late September, celebrating Greece’s fame as a muse for foreign scribes throughout the ages and featuring among the line-up, literary stars such as Victoria Hislop, Patricia Storace, Jeff Siger and Sofka Zinovieff.

Meanwhile, the official Athens World Book Capital program, Athens 2018 books everywhere, will bring together all major structures and stakeholders of the city along with select civic groups, creative initiatives and emerging businesses.

Expect a vivid and mobile patchwork of inclusive and innovative events across the city such as artworks, projections, walking trails, dance, cinema and workshops characterized by open dialogue between all.

Important foreign and Greek writers, experts and artists will participate in this prestigious European celebration.

Speech events and roundtables, always inspired by the book’s world, will broaden the public’s horizons, while public readings in unexpected spots of daily life will provide a welcome creative hiatus for us all.

#CITY LIFE_article

A State of Euphoria This summer, embrace the ancient Greek concept of “εὐφορία” (a blissful and well-balanced life) at a novel new holistic spa destination about to open its doors on the outskirts of medieval Mystras, about one hour from Kalamata.

Pitched perfectly for this era of deeper travel, Euphoria Retreat promises a transformative encounter through a melodic marriage of ancient Greek and Chinese philosophies and treatments, devised to help you lead a happier, healthier and more balanced existence. The spa will offer personalised healing programmes built around the fundamental elements of Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal, while also being rooted in modern medicine and science. Sign up for a signature seven-day transformational programme and dine during your stay on nutritionallyelevated cuisine served in the panoramic Gaia restaurant.Quite happy as you are thanks? Just go for the glorious backdrop (mountains, sweeping valleys and citrus groves) and the ravishing aesthetics.

At Euphoria, elegant curves of domes and arches blend within a soothing palette of yellows and golds, in a seductively modern re-boot of classical Byzantine colours and iconography.

fast lane

www.athensinsider.com

www.euphoriaretreat.com

athens insider

19

#CITY LIFE_article

Milos sets Sail One of the world’s most celebrated seafood restaurants, Milos, has taken to the seas.

In a new culinary venture that’s sure to thrill Milos’ more affluent fanbase, the global bastion of fine marine morsels has launched Milos at Sea: an opportunity to savour the gastronomic philosophy of Costas Spiliadis while exploring the beautiful coast of Greece and her islands.

All from the luxurious lodgings of a 113ft motor yacht.

The upscale gourmet experience, designed as a cultural journey to showcase the famous Greek mode of eating, drinking and living, can accommodate up to ten people for a minimum of seven days.

In the setting of a family meal at home (except by the sea!), guests make their own gastronomic choices from premium ingredients such as fresh sargos or tsipoura (white seabream and gilt-head bream) from Greek fishing boats, a variety of wild greens and vegetables from local farms, Santorini feta, honey from Kythera and extra virgin olive oil from Olympia, produced by Spiliadis’ sister. In between meals, choose from diversions including cooking lessons, wine and cheese tasting or fishing. There’s also a 16ft tender boat, wake boards and paddle boards, a twoperson kayak and snorkeling equipment on offer for those eager to work off their culinary exertions.

Milos has branches in Montreal, New York, London, Miami, Las Vegas and at the Athens Hilton.

For more information on Milos at Sea, visit www.milos.ca/restaurants/milos-atsea/ or email info@milosatsea.com

21

GILBERT & GEORGE THE BEARD PICTURES

#CULTURE_interview

THE BEARD PICTURES are violent, eerie, grotesque, lurid and crazed, depicting a dream-like world of paranoia, destruction and madness, coloured with strange sickly hues and smashed up, absurd landscapes.

and George alongside Gilbert Prousch. As students in the sculptural department at St.Martin’s School of Art, they launched their artistic careers with a performance entitled, Singing Sculptures, first shown at the Nigel Greenwood Gallery, London in 1970, and subsequently travelled the world. A performance featuring the pair standing on a platform with their faces painted gold singing Flanagan and Allen’s Underneath the Arches for eight hours, it introduced the world to walking, talking icons at work.

Best-known for their series of Pictures, including the Dirty Words Pictures, which documents street life in Thatcher’s Britain, the Naked Shit Pictures, images created with urine and faeces, the Son of a God pictures that took on the aesthetics of the church in order to comment on its practices, to the Jack Freak Pictures and The Beard Pictures today, essentially a series that reflects, relates and in turn, defines the changing face of Britain, they have built a portfolio of work that has mirrored and in part defined Britain and British art.

Gilbert & George take their places within THE BEARD PICTURES as intense, red, staring, empty-headed and sinister versions of themselves. Their eyes are shadowed and bizarrely prettified and

they seem to look at, into and through the viewer. They look possessed and stern, absurd, imprisoned, mocking and mocked.

In each picture they wear beards that are surreal and symbolic. Beards made of wire mesh, beards made of beer foam, beards made of flowers, beards comprising rabbits with snakes for tongues. Secular and sacred, the throwback emblem of hip millennial youth as well as a mark of religious faith, the beard is depicted in THE BEARD PICTURES as both mask and meaning: a sign of the times.

Needless to say, this is an artistic duo with their fingers firmly on the social pulse – not content with pretty pictures that contain little or no message.

Passmore says: “So-called intellectuals assume that artists are, by nature, antiestablishment. So they assume we use our work in that way. But we are not critical artists. We approach things head-on.”

Known for trashing contemporary artistic niceties in favour of intense symbolism, through THE BEARD PICTURES Gilbert and George turn history into a mad parade of a world gone mad, their mood shapeshifting between that of science fiction, lucid dreaming and Victorian caricature.

Far from being passive participants in the world around them, Prousch admits with obvious pleasure; “We do like to press a lot of buttons,” something anyone familiar with their work is aware of. “That’s the artist’s job,” Passmore continues, and he’s not fooling around. By playing with instantly recognizable motifs and themes that can be interpreted in a plethora of different ways, Gilbert and George are determined to highlight, rethink and – where necessary – ridicule terms, definitions and symbols. With a bit of dry humour thrown in for good measure. •

See THE BEARD PICTURES until March 6 at Bernier Eliades Gallery, Eptachalkou 11, Thissio (Hours: Tuesday-Thursday: 10:3018:30 Saturday: 12:00-16:00) tel: 210.341.3935 www.bernier-eliades.gr athens insider

23

www.athensinsider.com

T

he Big Beard might finally be on its way out as the compulsory millennial youth prop. But its potency as a cultural, secular or religious marker will always endure.

Anarchic British design duo Gilbert & George have cemented this all-pervasive hirsute legacy in their latest primal exhibition THE BEARD PICTURES. To mark the 50th anniversary of their creative collaboration, these two prodigious artists are bringing the show to Athens’ Bernier Eliades Gallery.

Gilbert & George view themselves as Living Sculptures. Like much of their previous artistic output, the 13 arresting works from THE BEARD PICTURES are based on manipulation of their own image.

Most are not altogether comfortable to gaze upon. THE BEARD PICTURES are violent, eerie, grotesque, lurid and crazed, depicting a dream-like world of paranoia, destruction and madness, coloured with strange sickly hues and smashed up, absurd landscapes. If they had a cinematic bedfellow, it would probably be Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.

“Our art has always been about death, life, sex, fear, money, race and religion.”

So says George Passmore, who makes up one half of notorious artist duo Gilbert

AN EXISTENTIALIST IN EXILE

#CULTURE_interview

Athens’ ‘in-your-face’ attitude and brutalist architecture finds its way into Daniel Egnéus’ wistful illustrations and sketches. The Swedish-born artist – who has worked for some of the world’s mightiest brands including Chanel, BMW and Time Magazine - morphs the city’s beauty, warts and all, into a contemplative, illusionary poem, says Sudha Nair-Iliades.

London, Berlin, Bologna, Rome, Milano and now Athens, Daniel claims his choice of city confounds his agents, but puts it down to him being in ‘existential exile.’

A glimpse into the man behind the artist.

ABOUT YOU It’s almost impossible to believe that you’ve had no formal art education or training… how did you find your way to drawing?

I’ve always been interested in art growing up. I draw mostly real things from real life.

The most trivial thing has its own poetic articulation and that’s what inspires me in my drawings.

Why are you such a professional nomad.. (and would you ever consider settling in one place)? What is it about a place that draws you?

For me, a good indicator of my current happiness quotient is when I can reflect in a romantic way on the place I live. I can feel that if I was sitting in a coffee shop in Bangalore, Mumbai or Beirut and just stepped out of my apartment and walked a few blocks away, it would be

like unwrapping a gift full of fascination of the unknown. As if you are being a spy or a ‘guest of reality’- to quote the title of Swedish author Per Lagerkvist’s book from 1925. I’m like Snoopy sitting on his doghouse daydreaming about meeting the Red Baron in a bar full of spies. Obviously these are the words of a bachelor.

Your clients include Haagen Dazs, Adidas, BMW, Pepsi Cola, Lufthansa to name a few. What was the most fun job you’ve done?

Chanel flew me down to Havana to illustrate the 2017 Chanel Resort Collection. Few do runway magic like Karl Lagerfeld. It was a joy to reproduce a collection, redolent of Cuban elements at the majestically baroque Paseo del Prado.

Do you have a favourite gig?

As you get older, you realise that illustrations for ads and magazines always disappear. Books stay. And I’m a book lover. Books are the fun projects. I get to know the writer. It’s a longer process and it’s more artistic. Among the most rewarding jobs I’ve done was for Neil Gaiman (one of the 50 best-selling authors in the UK). To illustrate the 4 books from his American Gods series, I spent two months on Syros, immersed in Gaiman’s world.

Which five artists and writers would you invite to your “dream dinner”?

Let’s include some dead ones as well.

It would easily be Evelyn Waugh, P G Wodehouse, Edward Gorey, Saul Bellow and Zadie Smith and we could probably talk about fur coats, cats and how to excuse oneself for having a horrible sense of orientation which I think I have in common (the only thing) with most of these people.

Photo by Maria- Irene Moschona

athens insider

25

You’ve illustrated several children’s books that have received both critical and commercial acclaim. Which children’s

www.athensinsider.com

D

aniel Egnéus’ ethereal, effortlessly sophisticated illustrations distill the faces, places and stray creatures he encounters everyday. They accumulate into a mellow and immersive social commentary on the quest for something profound in our urban lives.

Like his multi-layered art, Daniel Egnéus comes across as accessible yet deep, mysterious yet engaging. Perched on a bar-stool at a café on Ipitou street, Blue Bird (where he’s a regular), this selfconfessed daydreamer with no formal training in art, enjoys one of the liberties he wouldn’t have enjoyed in his native Sweden. Smoking over a cup of coffee. An itinerant artist, Daniel is quick to dispel any notions of being a Wodehousian Bertie Wooster-like character - indolent and rich. But like Wooster, he prides himself in being an ‘old-fashioned gentleman with a strong moral code’. During the course of our chat, he admits that “the lack of moral compass” in his professional dealings here in Greece, is perhaps, one of the few aspects of anarchic Athenian living that chafes against his Swedish upbringing.

Having spent the last 20 years in Prague,

characters marked your own childhood?

When you work for children you have to be so much more thorough. The faces and colours are especially important. I probably had very average taste in books when I was little because a lot of titles that are considered classics today I wasn’t too happy about. I didn’t even like Where the wild things are by Sendak. As an adult, I think it’s an amazing book.

My most vivid memories are from comics.

Asterix and Obelix, Tintin, Lucky Luke, Valerian and Laureline. I learned to read early and I remember thinking that children’s books were a bit dull compared to what my older sister read. She had the Marvel’s Fantastic Four magazines and Star Wars posters in her room (I was 6 years old in 1978) so that was way more exciting. The book that made the biggest impression though was a huge book from National Geographic Society with the latest photos of the universe and Life before Man illustrated

by Zdenek Burian.

What do you wish you’d known at 21?

That life is not always happening somewhere else. Sometimes you can just be satisfied with what you have. You abandon certain things and they won’t come back.

Any commissions you’ve done locally in Athens?

I did the 17 metre high façade for the

I’m like Snoopy sitting on his doghouse daydreaming about meeting the Red Baron in a bar full of spies.

Golden Hall depicting the four seasons.

Last Christmas, I did an animation film for Megaron Mousikis together with the very talented Animation Director Effie Pappa and animator Christos Papandreopoulos.

My exhibition at the Zoumboulakis Gallery a couple of years ago – 100 drawings from Athens - was a collection of sketches, illustrations and collages.

You mentioned that one of the things that would dissuade you from moving would be to pack your book collection. What would you try to salvage first in a fire?

I try to collect as many original editions as I can of the French and Anglo-Saxon Golden Age of illustration-era like Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham and Harry Clarke because I learned to draw from them. As well as Gustave Dore and Honore Daumier and the early Mad cartoonists like Jack Davis and Wally Wood. My Dad bought some Mad pockets in the States in the late 50’s when he was a sailor (one of my main drawing references as a kid was from early Mad). In a fire, I would save my first editions of Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination illustrated by Harry Clarke and Edmund Dulac’s illustrated edition of Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám and Don Quixote by Gustave Dore.

What books are you reading currently?

At bedtime I’m reading Philip Pullman’s

www.athensinsider.com

#CULTURE_interview

athens insider

27

wonderful The Book of Dust and in daytime, Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff which is pure social pornography, toe cringing lunch reading, and yes, it is entertaining!

What hangs on your walls?

As all artists I’m sorry to say I have too many of my own paintings. I simply don’t have enough art by other artists to fill my walls. I do have a lot of prints by a Greek printmaker named Manolis Angelakis (Tind Silkscreen).

ABOUT ATHENS When and why did you move to Athens?

I arrived here almost 5 years ago, mostly because I was so curious. I came here for a weekend and before I knew it, I had found a storage for my things in Milan and was googling for apartments to rent in Plaka. I usually move every six years. The Universe then throws something new at me!

Your dreamy depictions of contemporary Athens emit such a positive and playful energy. How would you describe the current artistic vibe of Athens?

I love that Athens is a bit more realistic and in-your-face. The beauty here is not remote, impenetrable. And the creative scene has really started to come alive more in the past couple of years.

What is it that fascinates you about cityscapes?

Some months I’m more captivated with buildings and graffiti, other months it could be people. I find Athens’ narrow little streets and the vibe around Athinas street very Balkan, very Oriental which is very different from the vibe you get in Italy or Spain. Athens is fascinating and messy! There is concrete everywhere and neoclassical buildings with patchwork fixtures next to this brutalist architecture.

Which area of Athens do you live in and what do you see from your balcony?

I must confess I live in a bubble, in Plaka, on a pedestrian street, and I see the Acropolis!

You seem to appreciate the freedom and rebellion that Athens offers. Which quality do you appreciate most about our city?

The fact that you can go to a bar and have a drink or something to eat at any hour.

And the bar basically shuts when you want it to! • To buy original illustrations by Daniel Egnéus, visit danielegneus.com or printsin.com

I can feel that if I was sitting in a coffee shop and I just stepped out of my apartment and walked a few blocks away, it would be like unwrapping a gift full of fascination of the unknown.

#CULTURE_interview

‘O God it’s wonderful to get out of bed and drink too much coffee and smoke too many cigarettes and love you so much’

www.athensinsider.com

Daniel Egnéus on Athens quoting from Frank O’ Hara’s poem, Steps

athens insider

29

5 museums lesser-known

you should visit

There is no denying that the Greek capital is filled with monuments, age-old landmarks and museums worth a visit, but if you find yourself in a bit of an “ancient marble” overdose, you’ll be glad to learn that there are fascinating museums to visit that have nothing to do with archaeology. Ethel Dilouambaka rounds up five Athenian museums that probably weren’t on your radar.

#CULTURE_city life

Criminology Museum

Located on the grounds of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the Museum of Criminology is one of the most underrated museums in the capital. Open to only an adult public and by appointment, the museum displays the history of crime in Greece, showcasing some of the most notorious cases from the 19th and 20th century. Organized in three main collections, such as the forensic medicine, toxicology and criminological collections, the museum serves unique research and teaching resources in various fields, including forensic sciences as well as several areas of sociology. If you are fascinated by the CSI tv show, you will surely relish this museum.

Mikras Asias 75, (grounds of the Faculty of Medicine - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), tel: 210.746.2445, 210.746.2406, 210.746.2418

Digital Museum of Plato

Dedicated to one of the greatest philosophers of all time, the digital museum of Plato is one of the newest additions to the Athenian museum scene. This super-modern and interactive venue is the first museum dedicated to philosophy in the country and is located on the archaeological site of Plato’s Academy in central Athens. Consisting of a series of physical exhibits and multimedia applications taking the visitor back to Plato’s era and focusing on his work, the museum is definitely a must-see, especially if you have a penchant for modern structures and buildings.

Alkmeonos 1, tel: 210.514.2138

Numismatic Museum

Numismatic Museum

athens insider

31

www.athensinsider.com

Housed in a stunning neoclassical mansion built in 1878-1880 – the former residence of German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann who contributed largely to the excavations of the ancient sites of Mycenae and Tiryns - the Numismatic Museum of Athens is one of Greece’s most prominent cultural collections. It holds a vast display of ancient and modern coins, lead stamps and medals and allows visitors to discover the rich coinage history of Greece since the 6th century AD. The museum building is equally interesting and features many architectural elements worth exploring. End your tour at the museum’s café where you can take a refreshing break in the lovely garden if the weather allows it.

Panepistimiou 12, tel: 210.363.2057, 210.361.2834, 210.361.2872

Athens Railway Museum

Are you a trainspotter in hiding? You are in luck. Athens has its own railway museum, the biggest of its kind in the country. Founded in 1978, the museum retraces the history of rail transport in Greece and includes a vast collection of items, including steam locomotives, old tramways and passenger cars, drawings models, instruments and tools and old uniforms. The recreational train in the courtyard is sure to go down well with the little ones but we are pretty sure visitors of all ages will be fascinated with this intriguing collection too.

Siokou 4, tel: 210.512.6295

#CULTURE_city life

Hellenic Motor Museum

www.athensinsider.com

If you are a vintage car aficionado or simply enjoy cars in general, you will certainly enjoy a visit to the Hellenic Motor Museum. This off-the-beaten track attraction is undeniably one of the most impressive automobile museums in the country and includes a collection of more than a hundred cars dating from the 19th and 20th century. Retracing the evolution of the automobile, the museum features rare and forgotten models as well as modern and contemporary specimens.

Young and old will enjoy this high-octane display set in a distinctive building near the National Archaeological museum.

Ioulianou 33, tel: 210.881.6187

athens insider

33

How we’ll be Living in 2018 Amanda Dardanis tracks the 21 major global trends that will impact on how we’ll work, rest and play in the coming year.

Unsettling times usher in new ways of thinking. A desire to take stock, re-invent, walk a different path. The buzzword for 2018, according to many of the world’s social commentators and futurists, is “authenticity”. It’s the backlash we had to have: against fake news, our overheated social media-dominated existences, and our disillusionment with those abusers of power who dominated last year’s headlines. In 2018, we’re craving simpler, more meaningful connection - in our everyday lives, with the foods that we eat and the places we visit.

athens insider

35

www.athensinsider.com

#CULTURE_article

WELL-BEING Good riddance to New Year’s Resolutions

We’ve finally accepted that we humans are a fickle and short-sighted bunch. So out with unrealistic 12-month pledges and in with setting ourselves achievable 30-day goals and challenges to galvanize us at regular intervals throughout the year instead.

We’ll discover the joys of Single-Tasking …

Scrolling through Twitter while you binge-watch Netflix? So 2017! This year, we’ll get to grips with our over-stimulated minds and realize that the more things we try to do at once, the less genuine joy or satisfaction we derive out of any of them. We’ll Do like a Dane and replace multi-tasking with single-tasking. It’s one of the central tenets of “Hygge”, the famous Danish formula for restoring balance, inner-peace and contentment. Mind you, Greeks, too, have always been masters at living in the moment.

… And commit to a Digital Detox

Tech’s addictive grip over all of our lives “will move from the fringes to the centre of conversation” this year as we reach inflection point, predicts media empress Ariana Huffington. Workplaces will start banning devices from meetings and restaurants during meals as distraction-free time becomes “the new ultimate luxury”. It’s hard to imagine mobile-obsessed Greeks embracing this shift with quite the same vigour though.

EAT Yia Yia’s recipes will be red hot

Recipes from our grandmothers will return to favour this year as foodies around the world wake up to the fact that dishes infused with history, tradition and meaning offer something that the latest food (or juicing!) fad never can. Greeks of course have always known this. It’s all about transforming everyday ingredients from the pantry into extraordinary and resourceful meals in the best humble tradition of Cucina Povera.

Deliverance is upon us!

Here’s another foodie trend sweeping the global restaurant industry that Greeks are already well ahead of the curve on: “off-premise” (aka home delivery). In the States, food outlets everywhere - from high-end to fast-food chains (such as McDonald’s) - have realized the need to offer their customers delivery if they are to arrest falling sales. Here in Athens, we’re seeing the next evolution of this trend with delivery-focused franchises such as Bullseye Burger (the new business venture for Simply Burger co-founder Aris Karey).

We’ll be ordering from “Functional Menus”

2018 is the year that menus step up their game. Health-obsessed Millennials don’t just want to know what they’re eating, but how it will benefit their bodies too so we’ll see more restaurants embracing this growing “functionality” trend. Expect elaborate menus spelling out whether the turmeric in your latte or the aloe in your smoothie is “gut-friendly” or merely “brain-boosting”! Healthy Mediterranean food purveyors Nice & Easy have been pioneers of this movement in Greece with menus filled with organic, fair trade and antioxidant ingredients and cholesterol counts.

#CULTURE_article

Less Insta-dishes

Happy days. If social forecasters are right, we’ll be less plagued by food bores on our Instagram feed bombarding us with every meal they’ve ever consumed at a restaurant (or made at home). In its place? A less is more approach with simplicity and purity in dining being valued over pretentious, fussy plates, ushering in a more meaningful relationship with the food we eat. Vegetarian tasting menus will also become a “thing”.

Chefs will be activated

Gastronomy becomes a conduit for change as more and more chefs turn activist to raise awareness for global and political issues surrounding food, waste and hunger through pop-up ventures and temporary collaborations. Greek diners too are displaying a strong appetite for cuisine with a conscience. The first Athens Refugee Food Festival, held last year and co-hosted by Athens Insider and the UNHCR, saw participating restaurants around the capital booked out solidly in support over five days.

LIVE & PLAY Your Home will get Smarter…

Advances in the connectivity between voice-activated technology and artificial intelligence will continue to transform our domestic spheres with more of us adopting virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Fast forward to the not-so-distant day when we’ll all be spared such mundane exertions as adjusting our own lights, turning down the thermostat, writing a shopping list or locking our doors when we leave the house.

… And we’ll get closer to taking our hands off the wheel

www.athensinsider.com

In Autumn 2018, Audi will make automotive history when it debuts the most advanced commercial self-driving vehicle yet (the 2019 A8 sedan re-designed with Level 3 autonomy). It’s doubtful whether owners will be legally allowed to hit the road with all the features enabled just yet. But it will be a closely watched test case for the automative industry world-wide as to what’s fair game.

athens insider

37

WORK A Return to Face Values

With studies showing that just one faceto-face meeting is as productive as 34 emails, corporations will continue to foster the importance of personal connections in the workplace this year. In other words, less telecommuting or remote working programs; more in-person meetings and video conferencing.

more companies adapting their office spaces to become more human-friendly with “respite zones” and “deep thinking areas”. Expect too to see elevated Google Café-inspired office eateries designed to encourage cross-departmental interaction, idea sharing and collaboration.

TRAVEL We’ll be going Deeper …

Big Businesses striving to stay two steps ahead of the pack will ask themselves just one question in 2018: “ What Would Amazon Do?”. The global titan has now become the byword for re-inventing traditional retail and service business models (think drone deliveries, crowdfunded Emmy award-winning television series and pioneering artificial intelligence products like Amazon Echo). “Our job,” says Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, “is to invent new options that nobody’s ever thought of before and see if customers like them.”

“Experiential travel” – interacting meaningfully with local cultures while on holiday - was the catch phrase of 20162017. But in 2018, the best dinner party anecdotes will revolve around “Deeper Travel” or “Transformational Travel”.

We’ll be drawn to innovative itineraries that help us to learn, grow and change – and basically, come back a different person.

To be on trend, book a Mexican Mystical Holiday to study the secret wisdom of the Maya, join a yoga and meditation retreat in a remote Andalusian village. Or sign up for a “voluntourism” break working with the homeless of Athens.

The Age of Appropriateness

… Getting more Active

What Would Amazon Do?

Post #MeToo and that Golden Globes speech from Oprah Winfrey, we’ll see a tidal shift of awareness about appropriate behaviour in the workplace as women feel more empowered to speak up and lobby for change.

Introducing the Happy Office

So, we got rid of all those fusty old-style cubicles. But then went a bit overboard with the open plan workplace - until we twigged that they were actually pretty noisy and unproductive. Now, we’ll witness

The traditional bucket and spade beach holiday is falling out of favour as more of us seek out active adventures such as wildlife and walking holidays or city breaks where we can become culture vultures and immerse ourselves in a buzzy urban hub, different from our own.

And Skilling-up on Holiday

If the only things you come back from you holiday with in 2018 are a tan and a few extra kilos, you’ll have missed the point. This year, it’s all about acquiring a

new skill while abroad. Gastronomy and wine tours, learn to sail holidays and other expert-led experiences will be the hot tickets.

More of us will become “Locovores”

The trend for responsible tourism is also gaining pace with more of us wanting to give back to the local cultures and economies that we visit. How? By staying in locallyowned accommodation or homestays over the big global chains; hiring local guides, dining in restaurants that source local produce and buying products from local artisans and producers.

Airfares will get trickier

The “pay-for-what-you-use” trend that has infiltrated the world of long-haul travel in recent years won’t be going anywhere in 2018. Across the board, we’ll be seeing more lower ticket classes to choose from. But with more rigid fare rules and conditions (such as no checked bags included in ticket price) as the major airlines move to compete with the new breed of long-haul budget carriers.

Your mobile will be king

A major travel industry growth trend to continue this year will be just how many of us book our major holidays on our smart phones instead of our computers and tablets. While on holiday too, our mobiles will be an essential reference tool and concierge – helping us to source good places to eat, what to see, local hikes, maps, museum times and so on. WiFi will become a compulsory requisite when choosing our accommodation. •

#CULTURE_article

www.athensinsider.com

But in 2018, the best dinner party anecdotes will revolve around “Deeper Travel” or “Transformational Travel”.

athens insider

39

How 2018 is your

?

home

Last year was all about rose gold metallics, exposed lighting and Millennium pink.

Here are six of the biggest interior decoration trends and style updates that will make their way into fashionable homes this year.

more colour-popping kithens With so much time spent there, who wants a monotonous all-white cooking space? Introduce a playful and energetic mood with bold colour touches through tiled splashbacks or kitchen accessories.

warm neutrals Home becomes sanctuary with a new emphasis on soothing neutral colour palettes such as beige, grey, brown and white, encouraging an unhurried interior life. Complement the “new calm� with simple furniture pieces.

#STYLE_trends

Wood, concrete accents, granite, and natural sunlight are some of the on-trend elements you can mix this year to create a minimal yet astonishing result. This elemental fusion will convert any sterile space into a warm and cosy cocoon.

athens insider

41

www.athensinsider.com

natural elements of harmony & balance

#STYLE_trends

glam dark woods

A retro glamour approach replaces monastic concrete finishes this year. Wood is one of the easiest and warmest of natural materials and comes in a variety of finishes, species and applications. From flooring to ceiling beams, wood is always a good solution for your home.

metallics

Rose gold metallics were the interiors story of 2017 - but this year we’ll see more earthy copper accents appearing in home interiors.

Copper – when applied sparingly, such as in a tiled or panelled effect, can inject a much-needed warming

majestic marble Luxurious, elegant and timeless – and in no short supply here in Greece! Put a modern spin on this ancient material by daring to introduce marble as an ornamental furnishing (not just on floors).

Marble is natural and durable and can deliver a surprisingly chic minimalistic result.

energy into any tired space.

Compiled by Stirixis Exclusive.

Stirixis Exclusive is the business unit of Stirixis Group, the internationally awarded strategy-through execution consultancy firm. Stirixis Exclusive creates unique living spaces, delivering functional and bespoke concepts based on exciting and novel design ideas to design your perfect living environment.

Their expertise stems from 22 years of experience and the delivery on time and on budget of more than 550 projects in 22 countries, specialising in private spaces including family residences and villas, modern city apartments, lofts, as well as vacation houses.

Stirixis Exclusive has offices in Athens, Bucharest, and London, but can support projects worldwide.

For more information, visit www.stirixisexclusive.com

athens insider

43

#STYLE_trends

The big hair

& make up trends for 2018

Rock legend Kurt Cobain inspires hair shades this year, while ultra violet – the colour of the year according to Pantone - will dominate our make-up bags, says Katerina Valoyianni.

Nirvana Blonde

We can thank Selena Gomez for re-booting the grunge blonde look. Her hair stylists say it was inspired by the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Expect this blonde – not uniform and darkened at the root – to be the true hue of 2018.

Boyish with Bangs

Major brands such as Moschino, Prada, Fendi and Tom Ford all featured the short boyish haircut with its vague, undulating decay in their shows, heralding it as the “hottest” haircut this year. Bangs will play a leading role in all other hair lengths too. Not sure whether your locks have the right texture for a fringe? Bring out the hair straighteners to achieve this on-trend look.

y r t o t u o y r fo s d n e r t p u e k a m 5 ltra Violet

eets but why not rple lips on the str pu g in pp ovement. po e se y, we can e Ultra Violet m Pantone. Alread who embodies th to g an in m rd wo co e U ac th , a, ar hann e colour of the ye the example of Ri Ultra Violet is th as well, following es ey on te let pa dare to use this th colour for a rizing products wi stu oi m ad ste in in d usher Less is Mwiollreshow the “heavy” contouring look the door an This year we e casual effect. . fresher and mor take over in 2018 led last year will ai ev pr at th ish er fin Shine On sh” in the face instead of the matte-caked or powd ni utral A healthy “fi , are replacing ne d colour blocking an ur lo Co . ar ye eautiful ll be one of the biggest trends of the style of the 80s.

Bright anigdht B bold colors wi as from the smudgy at’s an upgrade Dare to go br th ct fe ef n” lea th a “c ned with monochromes, wi k in 2018. Combi make a comebac s the face. os gl to lip ow d gl an ul e it erall youthf years, shin er v ov us o io an g ev ng pr in vi of gi ss s s, lo ck os G d lipsti y with gl textures and liqui year, lips get shin After the matte g the mood this in fin de is at th e-up the natural mak

Your essential global and local news source in Greece.

Subscribe today for just €5.88 a week for your first 8 weeks.

Enjoy uncompromising New York Times reporting that deepens your understanding of the issues that matter, and get high-quality national and regional coverage in Kathimerini English Edition – all in one essential package. Includes: ■ A 65% saving on the cover price

■ Daily newspaper delivery to your door

■ Unlimited access to NYTimes.com and apps for smartphone and tablet

Order today 210 480 8222 subsgr@ekathimerini.com

*Offer expires June 30, 2018 and is valid for new subscribers in Athens and Thessaloniki only. Hand delivery is subject to confirmation by our local distributor. Smartphone and tablet apps are not supported on all devices.

athens insider

45

t r a e h t f o s r i a Aff

...with Irini Vantaraki, art entrepreneur

#CULTURE_interview

Do you see yourself as an ambassador for Greek contemporary art?

I love contemporary Greek art and I closely follow the new Greek artists, with a genuine interest to promote modern Greek art around the world. My motto is: “Art has no borders”. I am proud to have been appointed a member of the Honorary Organization Committee of the International Thessaloniki Art Fair, an event in which Greek artists will present their works in numerous galleries in New York and other cities around the United States. As founder and Director of an art initiative Vandiri Art NYC which promotes Greek art in US, I’m in a unique position to promote young Greek talent. Other than my art projects, I’m also fairly busy as the Director of the Mission for the Orthodox Metropolis of Mexico, Central America and Caribbean Islands and I am currently responsible for a project very dear to my heart, the creation of a ‘Theological School’ in Havana.

Your exhibitions have revolved around Greece’s unique colours? What is it about the Athenian light that artists find so appealing?

In the stark light of the Greek sun, colours athens insider

47

become so pure and clear that they are almost audible. It is unique in the world. It has played a large part over the centuries in generating the Hellenic Spirit and Culture. Greece’s unearthly, spiritual, almost holy light are a passionate tribute to an extraordinary country. We are blessed to live in this singular corner of the earth.

Your all-time favourite Greek artists?

Most of the world is acquainted with our country’s ancient heritage but not many are really aware of Greek contemporary art. To me, the truly charismatic Greek artists are: Vassiliki, Angelos Panagiotou, Stathopoulos, Dimitris Nalbantis, Paschalis Angelides, Filopoulou and Stephanos Daskalakis.

Greek art champion Irini Vantaraki shares her favourite local art heroes and describes the powerful hold that both contemporary art - and Athens - has over her.

And your preferred emerging artists – Greek or international?

I believe that there are quite a few upand-coming Greek artists who can present significant work in the international galleries, such as Savvas Georgiades, Ignatios Mitrofanos, Elias Papanikolaou, Chyrssa Verghi, Nikos Moschos, Angelika Vaxavanidou and Caroline de Sossa. I will make every effort to support these outstanding artists in the United States and other parts of the world.

Art helps to deepen my existence and elevate my wellness.

Art to you is…

Art is a spiritual process which helps to deepen my existence, understand better the unseen world and elevate my wellness.

Can you describe a quintessentially Athenian sound, smell, taste and sight?

Walking in Plaka or around the Acropolis area is a rejuvenating experience full of inspiration and powerful emotions. I’d highly recommend a stroll here to take a moment to reflect on the beauty, the history and the vibrancy of modern Athens.

The most positive change in the art and cultural scene in Athens over the last ten years?

Contemporary art is now an integral part of offices and hotels, with hoteliers having a better understanding of the value art can bring to an experiential stay. This trend, which started in New York, has been a great achievement for our capital in the last few years. I must say that sometimes the beautiful street art of downtown Athens too leaves me speechless.

www.athensinsider.com

You were born in Melbourne and you’ve worked in New York. What brings you to Athens?

In Melbourne, I grew up in a very cosmopolitan atmosphere surrounded by interesting personalities from the Greek Diaspora. I was also surrounded by people engaged in the shipping industry, which gave me a different perspective of life.

For family reasons, I had to return to Athens for a few years, but I have also travelled extensively and lived in London and Switzerland where I first became better acquainted with contemporary art.

It piqued my interest enough to want to fully immerse myself in the art business. I moved to New York to be at the epicentre of the worlds of commerce, modern culture and contemporary art. In New York, I was fortunate enough to work with important Greek and American artists, organising events in Manhattan and the Hamptons among other places. The most significant moment was a collaboration with the Marlborough Gallery of New York, one of the world’s most prestigious galleries who represent the famous painter L.C. Armstrong. We jointly organized a captivating exhibition in Santorini last summer featuring Magical Realism paintings. I feel I’m now ready to bring my years of experience in the art world to Athens.

#CULTURE_book

Safely Lost in Translation

R

esearching a new murder mystery can be fun. Especially when it’s placed in Greece and you’re looking for the perfect spot to do the deed. Or find the corpse(s).

Deep blue seas, wispy white clouds, green-brown hills, blood-red blood. Yes, finding the site is fun. Mainly because it’s something you can do without confiding your purpose to a soul beyond your own.

Saying, “Hi, can you suggest the perfect spot for a dismembering moment,” is not likely to get you the same sort of warm response as, “Your spanikopita are the best I’ve ever tasted.” [Note: On the off chance that it does, take a hint from Sweeney Todd and dine elsewhere.]

I’ve taken to fading in among the anonymous tourists driving and hiking about Greece until the moment I come across that spot my deep, dark mysterious mind always told me must be out there.

Then, voilà, let the mayhem begin.

Having said that, sometimes plot elements can take hold of your mind that by their nature necessitate a far more adventuresome sort of exploration. Like when a little voice in your head says, “Hey, genius, why don’t you make the robbery of the millennium pivotal to your story.”

The trouble with imagination is that once it takes hold the most difficult aspirations turn irresistible To get to the point of all this, my fourth Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis novel, Target: Tinos, required a detailed understanding of security surrounding one of the least known treasures in the world—if you’re not Greek—in order to make the leap from reality to the impossible not that far.

To do that, I needed to speak to an insider, someone with intimate knowledge of the target. And so, I set off on my quest with a friend (let’s call him Sancho) who knew of such an insider (let’s call her Dulcinea).

My friend had read all of my books and knew I was working on a new murder mystery, but had no idea why I was interested in learning about the treasure.

“If Dulcinea wants to know the purpose of the meeting, tell her I’m an American writer working on a book about the hidden charms of Greece and could not possibly write such a book without including their priceless treasure.”

I had my questions and my approach all prepared and worked out in advance.

Sancho assured me that Dulcinea spoke perfect English because my Greek could not carry off the type of in-depth, subtle fishing expedition I had in mind.

“Perfect,” I once again learned, was an imperfect word. Dulcinea’s English was as perfect for getting around an English language country as mine was for ordering a gyro in Greece. Within thirty seconds Sancho was serving as interpreter. I told him to translate my questions and her answers exactly as they were spoken. He assured me he would.

I began with carefully phrased general questions of the type intended to make everyone comfortable. They would run on for several sentences, Sancho would nod and say four words to Dulcinea who’d give him a two-word reply, followed by a several-line editorialized answer from Sancho to me.

I was getting nowhere fast.

After ten minutes or so, Dulcinea suggested we leave her office to see the treasure that was the purpose of our visit. Let’s make the image simple: think breathtaking, spiritual, priceless and very portable.

As we stood in front of the treasure, I tried a few more subtle questions, all with the same result. So I switched to a different tack.

Me: “Where do you keep the treasure when it’s not on display?”

Sancho to Dulcinea to Sancho to Me: “In a safe over there.” She pointed to a twometer tall, cloth-covered rectangle.

I walked to the cloth, pressed my hand against it, felt the steel, moved my fingers to the hinges and then the handle. “Is it bolted to the floor?”

S to D to S to Me: “Yes.” I asked if I could take few photographs and Dulcinea said, “Yes,” a rare honour according to Sancho. I nodded and smiled to Dulcinea then began photographing the skylights, windows, doors, and floor.

Dulcinea said something to Sancho, “She wants to know what you’re doing. The treasure is over there.”

I said, “Sorry,” and quickly took a few of the treasure.

Sancho said, “Are you done yet?”

“There must be more security for the treasure than just that safe. Ask her.”

Sancho hesitated. “Just ask,” I said.

This time it was Dulcinea who gave the lengthy answer and Sancho four words back to me. “A lot, plus guards.”

“What time do the guards change shifts?”

Sancho said to me in English, “Are you out of your mind. Don’t you know what she’s thinking?”

“Just ask her.”

He did. Dulcinea’s answer was quick and guarded. “It varies.”

Sancho and Dulcinea looked like two bank tellers waiting for the masked man to hand them the note.

I smiled, “Can they be bribed?”

This time it was Sancho who went on for a full minute. Dulcinea smiled and held out her hand to me. She was thanking me for my lavish praise of her kind assistance and wishing me the best of luck with my new cookbook.

I’m still laughing. • “An Aegean April”, the ninth novel in Jeff Siger’s hugely popular Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis series, is out now. To read more about his back-catalogue of bestselling thrillers set in Greece, visit www. jefferysiger.com

#CULTURE_humour

www.athensinsider.com

While the rest of us soak up postcard-worthy island panoramas under the famous Greek sun, master storyteller Jeffrey Siger silently plots murder and mayhem.

Except for those times when he has to enlist the help of unsuspecting locals. Here, he recounts a comedic encounter while researching one of his best-selling thrillers Target: Tinos.

athens insider

49

#CULTURE_humour

second time’s a charm John Carr’s best-selling treatise on the comedic complexities of colloquial Greek is back for an encore with double the laughs…

S

o a new edition of my Greekisms for Dummies is about to see the light of day. Every writer likes to see his or her works taking on a life of their own, and I confess to some amazement that eleven years after I, with the help of Paul Anastasi, created the embryonic volume Your Eyes Fourteen: The Mad Greek Dictionary that was published by the now-defunct Athens News, the editors of Athens Insider still think the subject is worth your hardearned cash.

The exercise began as a whimsical foray into the peculiarities of Greek expressions and their humorous literal translations into English – a pastime among bilinguals that has a long and distinguished history. It was when I decided to inject some scientific rigour into the process, classifying by subject, ensuring grammatical parallelism of construction and adding my own etymological and Freudian tidbits, that I found I had a serious book on my hands.

Serious? Happily I can report that the first edition of Greekisms for Dummies has had two main reactions: doubling up with laughter and rolling on the floor. And it’s in the spirit of making people ever happier in these parlous times that the second edition contains more of the same.

It’s all part of the great global scholarly exercise into the nature of Greek. Ask anyone what Greek is, and you’ll get a number of answers, none of which will be particularly enlightening. My own view is that today’s Greek is a debased patois.

There was a time, I was taught, that the spoken tongue had its long and short vowel usages, as in English or Italian, and was arranged in order flow logically and

tunefully, as in the epics of Homer, whose recital must have been thrilling to actually listen to. The Greek of the New Testament, though of uneven quality, remains an ideal introduction to the nuances and power of Greek, and not just in the theological sphere. The biggest failing of today’s modern Greek is its attempt to resemble the looseness and practicality of English, which is a language built on completely different grammatical and syntactical (not to mention conceptual) lines.

Now, ahem, as Cicero might say, what has all this to do with Greekisms for Dummies?

Not much, actually.

But as Greek colloquial usage has happily survived all attempts to flatten its dangerous peaks, I am happy to present a second edition of Greekisms for Dummies that’s even better than the first edition, if that’s possible.

In fact, you have to be anything but a dummy to appreciate the scintillating humour, devastating insights and sheer joy of reading that awaits you. (That’s enough – Ed.) Those of you who were making sneaky plans to steal somebody’s copy after the first edition flew off the shelves, fear not. Your patience will be amply recompensed. And if you still can’t snag a copy, I’ll give you mine. •

GREEKISMS FOR DUMMIES Second Edition is available from Public and all leading international bookshops in Greece and on our website www.athensinsider. com for 9.99€

What do you do when you “do the duck”?

What happens when you become “billiard balls”?

These and a whole lot of other linguistic secrets of the Greeks are here revealed to the uninitiated.

The diligent reader who intends to spend some time in Greece and get under the skin of the local culture will be richly rewarded.

www.athensinsider.com

athens insider

51

www.athensinsider.com

VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE

A Vintage Affair

#CITY LIFE_article

www.athensinsider.com

Will Feuer goes shotgun to capture the annual spectacle of the PHILPA Antique Car Classic Showcase amid the capital’s concrete contours.

athens insider

53

T

he meandering curves of a magnificent, maroon ‘59 Alfa Romero usually captivates onlookers, but this January Sunday was no usual day in the heart of Athens. The exceptional automobile was just one among the crowd of remarkable jalopies queued by Kallimarmaro Stadium for the Friends of Classic Cars’ (PHILPA) annual display of vintage automobiles.

Despite thick winter clouds blocking out the sun most of the day, hundreds showed to marvel at the more than 80 cars and motorbikes born from bygone times.

Several rows of relatively ancient vehicles filled the cobblestone plaza. I could not stop running my fingers over their twisting, polished bodies – until keepers jumped to chastise me.

As chin-high owners revved their engines, snarls, rumbles and the thunder of wornout motors filled the air with a cacophony of sputters to the untrained ear. But to antique car enthusiasts, it was a rare symphony of the beat up and battered.

Manos Palavidis of PHILPA describes vintage car collectors as ‘passionate, meticulous individuals willing to dig deep into their wallets but also willing to get their hands dirty. They love cars, but love the story behind the car even more.’ He estimates that there are around 15,000 cars in Greece with historic plates.

Just their first event of the year, PHILPA will be back throughout the year to give Greece’s passionate vintage car owners more opportunities to display their prized possessions and for onlookers to get a glimpse at no charge. •

Save the date 21 & 22 April, Spring Rally, Spetses 1st weekend in June, Vintage Car Rally, Kea 13 to 16 September, International Rally, Chania 14 October, 15th Concours D’ Elegance, Marina Floisvos For more info, visit www.philpa.gr

www.athensinsider.com

#CITY LIFE_article

athens insider

55

This could be the start of Something Orange Grove, through its regular Squeeze pitching battles and incubator tools, is helping to plant Greek entrepreneurs on the world stage, one startup at a time.

A

s Greece discovers that economic recovery is not just a matter of Eurozone bail-out programmes and macro-economic correction but also of modernizing through innovation, creative young Greeks are asserting themselves as start-up entrepreneurs.

Orange Grove, Greece’s first start-up incubator, came about in an unusual way.

It was founded by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Athens, 4 years ago, with the firm belief that an unconventional approach was needed for Greeks to take a different look at economic opportunity.

Since then, Orange Grove has grown into a fully-fledged engine. It offers training, boot camps, a network of mentors and many international contacts. It has an Entrepreneur in Residence who advises start-ups: currently a young Dutch entrepreneur who co-founded a company that was acquired by eBay for 300 million dollars several years ago. Orange Grove is known for its many well-attended events.

Each quarter, it organizes a pitching competition, called the Squeeze. A jury of entrepreneurs, investors and business representatives from all over the world picks the winners out of the participating start-ups, with €25.000 of pre-seed funding as prize money.

“Greece needs a new mentality on the road to more competitiveness. In the end, as a Eurozone country, helping to recover the Greek economy is in my own country’s interest,” says the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Greece, Caspar Veldkamp.

According to Natasha Apostolidi, coordinator of Orange Grove, “Greek start-ups are still undervalued compared to their American and European counterparts. But the Greek start-up scene is rapidly developing, its young entrepreneurs are showing the way by cultivating an innovative, creative and competitive mindset that Greece so desperately needs.”

Big

I definitely believe Greece is ready for innovative entrepreneurship.

#BUSINESS_interview

What was the driving philosophy behind the creation of Orange Grove?

Orange Grove is an international incubator for young entrepreneurs. The aim is to help by providing them with a space where they can further nurture their talents: innovation, initiative, cooperation, flexibility. These are important elements that are very much needed - and often currently lacking - in order to create a modern and competitive Greek economy.

How did you get Orange Grove off the ground and what are its main spokes?

Thanks to the very positive and enthusiastic reaction of the Dutch companies in Greece, it was soon possible to raise a budget for Orange Grove. Heineken - Athenian Brewery - was the first company to agree and became our main sponsor. Soon many other Dutch companies followed and the list of sponsors, donors and contributors grew longer and longer. At Orange Grove we bring knowhow from the Netherlands and the rest of the world, in order to help our start-ups grow and succeed. We bring international speakers, organize workshops & bootcamps and our Squeeze pitching competition. We also have a voluntary mentor and coaching program, as well as our Entrepreneur in Residence program, through which experienced people from Greece and abroad, help our start-ups with their knowledge and expertise.

Greece needs a new mentality on the road to more competitiveness.

Do you think that post-crisis Greece is ripe for some new-world entrepreneurship? What are the key obstacles to setting up a startup in Greece?

I definitely believe Greece is ready for innovative entrepreneurship. If you take a look at the startups we have at Orange Grove, you will see smart, young, highly educated people, with great ideas, working hard to achieve their goals. That doesn’t mean it is an easy task to set up a business in Greece, especially a start-up. There are still many difficulties in the legal and taxation sphere, as well as when it comes to access to funding. Now with the new equifunds this is changing very fast. But there still is a gap, when it comes to angel investors, who are very much needed in the first steps of a start-up.

How can one become an Orange Grove member? What are the benefits of being part of the Orange Grove Community?

Depending on the capacity of Orange Grove, we have an open call approximately every 6 months. Start-ups that are interested in participating to the programme, can register through our website www.orangegrove.eu. Once selected they have the right to use the workspace, to participate in the workshops & bootcamps and they are matched to a voluntary mentor and coach. Orange Grove gives start-ups a lot of opportunities to network and thus meet people who can potentially help out in one way or the other. Orange Grove doesn’t ask for equity from its start-ups, only a small participation fee (details can be found on our website).

Highlights to look forward to this year?

We are working on a couple of very exciting initiatives for 2018. The first one is the upcoming Squeeze, on March 8th! We decided to organize this Squeeze on International Women’s Day and to give extra focus on female participation and leadership in entrepreneurship.

We will be having an all-female jury panel and various side events & workshops! Follow us on Facebook for all the details on the event program and ways to register (www.facebook.com/orangegroveathens). • athens insider

57

www.athensinsider.com

What are some of the most interesting pitches you have come across at your regular Squeeze competitions?

During every Squeeze, 8 of our best start-ups pitch in front of an international jury for prize money (€15.000 and €10.000). It is hard to choose only a few examples, but just to give you an idea, during the last Squeeze our two winners were Kontolixima and Foodakai, two start-ups we are very proud of, since they have been working very hard at Orange Grove.

Kontolixima (kontolixima.gr) is an online platform for purchases of kontolixima products. The term “kontolixima”, in Greek, refers to products in excellent condition near the expiration date, but which haven’t expired yet. More specifically, it acts as a nationwide facilitator linking companies that possess kontolixima products and companies that are interested in purchasing them.

FOODAKAI (www.foodakai.com) is an online system that allows easy access to all the global food safety information that a food company needs in order to manage the risk for all the ingredients that are used in its products. Using FOODAKAI a food company can identify the hidden and emerging risks for all its food products in an easy, reliable and affordable way.

#BUSINESS_debate

The Big Think As our institutions, from the media to local governments to banks, increasingly fail to meet society’s needs, and there is an erosion of common values and principles, undermining the public’s trust in leadership, the Delphi Economic Forum acts as a catalyst in rethinking many of the issues that plagues Greek society. If you’d like the status quo to change or, at the very least, debate the merits of structural reforms and better governance in Greece, the Delphi Economic Forum might be the place to be, says Sudha Nair-Iliades.

W

hat started off, three years ago, as ‘a mission committed to improving the image of Greece by engaging business leaders, statesmen, academicians, journalists and thought leaders to shape Greece’s global, regional, and industry agendas,’ the Delphi Economic Forum has emerged as a date to meet, bond, network, spark ideas and conversations, and perchance, find solutions to seemingly intractable problems, if not then and there, at least to place them firmly on the agenda.

Symeon Tsomokos, founder of the Delphi Economic Forum confirms, “The first edition was a response to the economic crisis and political turmoil here to promote Greece in the international markets, to explore options and solutions to make Greece relevant again.”

This year’s Delphi Economic Forum, from March 1 to 4 aims to identify the main global trends, assess their implications and review the resulting challenges and policy options confronting decision-makers of the wider Eastern Mediterranean

Region. It will also place Greece’s need for structural reforms and new leadership strategies under the microscope, for a new model of governance.

Yannis Thomatos, Vice-President of the Delphi Economic Forum adds, “We are now recognized as an influential regional Economic Forum. This year, we will have over 400 speakers, 150 of whom are coming from abroad, from the US, UK, France, China and Russia….so we’ve evolved into a truly international conference debating over 50 socially and politically relevant topics.”

I attended the first two editions and expected it to be a giant gabfest for the rich and powerful. Delphi, however, proved to be productive, intellectually stimulating and with some great networking thrown in too, for good measure. But what appealed to me, as I imagine what drives other attendees, is that the discussion is a lot about change, of a new model of global problem solving, co-operation and governance that not only holds vast potential but is already making

The hope is that the Delphi Economic Forum evolves from a think tank, into engendering communities to having an important impact in solving regional problems and enabling best practices for better governance. a difference in the region.

We’ve seen a fundamental change emerging regarding how global problems can be solved. New non-state networks of civil society, private sector, government and individual stakeholders are achieving new forms of cooperation, social change and even the production of global public value – addressing every conceivable issue facing humanity, from climate change, poverty, human rights, health and the environment, to economic policy, war and even the governance of the internet itself.•

#BUSINESS_special promotion

Reivent Revitalize Realize R you ready for a change?

2 & 3 March 2018 @Domotel Kastri Come and get a taste of what a Leadership Coaching workshop is all about!

Our workshops are: Highly interactive Exercise intensive Based on the Co-Active® Coaching Model The Co-Active® Coaching Model is a unique, innovative methodology which has just arrived in Greece for the first time!

It is like nothing you have seen or tried before. With this method, participants learn through experience.

At our free event, you can choose a 2-hour introductory workshop according to your needs. Whether you are a corporate executive (Manager, HR personnel, team member), a family business owner and/or family member, someone working in the educational system (teacher, administrator,) or simply (or maybe not so simply) a parent interested in personal development & enhancement of the communication between you and your children, or someone interested in personal development, then this event is for you!

All you have to do is simply take action now.

Contact us and reserve your spot at: W: www.leadershipcoaching.gr FB: https://www.facebook.com/leadershipcoachinginfo Instagram: @l_coaching Email: info@leadershipcoaching.gr

Make sure you BOOK YOUR SPOT TODAY. Places are limited. athens insider

59

www.athensinsider.com

Choose your respective workshop and learn from our expert facilitators!

We believe you are ready to learn: the skills, tools leadership dimensions and types of communication that apply to businesses like yours worldwide; while at the same time you will introduce yourself to the gift of personal development through the Co-Active® Coaching Model.

Luxury under the Greek Sun

Global luxury realtor Barnes have just opened a branch office in Greece as proof of concept that the country’s luxury real estate market is poised for excellent growth, says International President Thibault de Saint-Vincent Barnes.

#BUSINESS_interview

With volatility in the markets, fluctuating tax regimes and a fickle investment strategy (or lack thereof), investors have been cautious to invest in Greek real estate. How would you convince hesitant investors to sign up?

Investing in real estate, especially at the top end of the market, and with the option of the golden Visa (for non-EU buyers), all volatility factors play a minor role.

Of course, if we want a steady pace of investments, a stable tax regime is a vital prerequisite. However, now is the best time for someone to invest in Athens since the prices are still at a very good level, while at the same time, the market has started to increase. Prices have decreased up to 60% compared to 2009 and the quality of properties is excellent compared to any other market.

GLOBAL REALTY TRENDS AND GREECE Which emerging trends will shape real estate in 2018?

Living through the end of the global financial crisis, investors will explore more opportunities in dream places like Greece, where values are down but real value remains high. Buyers want transparency and exclusivity - two elements that formulate Barnes’ corporate DNA. Sentiment towards property globally has been very positive and real estate has been the biggest benefactor of geopolitical uncertainties such as Brexit. Do you believe the ‘safe haven’ perception of real estate will outlast most business cycles?

Real estate is first and foremost a unique market. But, as in all investment options, volatility is a factor. “Safe haven” athens insider

61

perception is a bit of a risky concept for real estate. An investment in Mykonos, or in Kolonaki, has a sense of security compared for example to investing in stocks.

Which parts of Athens currently offer the best value for quality for investors?

There are many properties in the northern suburbs of Athens and in the rest of Attica that offer very good value for money. In the northern suburbs, these are located in peaceful green neighbourhoods featuring modern architectural design.

As for wider Attica, we have many prime prospects, most of them by the seaside, with a privileged sea view and walking distance to the beach. Because these areas were mostly inhabited by Greeks, the prices have been influenced by the crisis and remain particularly low.

Investors will explore more opportunities in dream places like Greece, where values are down but real value remains high.

Buyers want transparency, exclusivity and a stable tax regime.

The best real estate opportunities in the islands are in Tinos and Kea, which have just recently been discovered by foreign purchasers and investors.

And in the Greek islands?

We believe that the best real estate opportunities in the islands are in the least known ones, such as Tinos and Kea, which have just recently been discovered by foreign purchasers and investors.

ABOUT BARNES In a highly competitive luxury real estate market, what does Barnes bring to the table?

Barnes International Realty is a global luxury real estate service provider with an international network of 85 offices and 700 professionals throughout the Americas, continental Europe, the UK, Asia-Pacific, and the MENA region.

We offer a broad range of professional and specialist advisory services to our sovereign, institutional, and private clients internationally. We are a global provider that focuses on meeting clients’ needs and offering exclusive services by building long lasting relationships.

What are the range of services you offer your clients?

For wealthy buyers looking for houses, apartments, seafront villas and countryside properties, the world is their oyster. It is up to us to provide our assistance and to offer a global service – going beyond a simple property hunt, including legal and tax advice, personalized guidance, various refitting, renovation and decoration services – in the city or region of their choice. Globalization is a real game-

changer, and that goes for the real estate industry too. Barnes is the one-stop shop for high-end real estate requests where, through a 360 degree approach, all clients’ needs are serviced.

Barnes is also strengthening its consultancy expertise for art, yacht and jet rental, vintage cars, architecture and renovation, partnerships with “family offices” and asset management banks, international lawyers, wealth diversification and optimisation, etc. Barnes calls on the services of specialists in each field, all of whom are leading actors in the luxury industry. • Barnes International Realty Greece, Kanari 18, Kolonaki, tel: 210.364.0100.

For information about these and other luxuries properties in Greece, visit www. barnes-greece.com or email greece@ barnes-international.com.

www.athensinsider.com

Do you think that Greece has been overlooked by international realtors despite its obvious charms as a luxury holiday destination?

Greece is a solid player as a luxury holiday destination. The geography, the opportunities and the value of offers are only some of the reasons for investing in luxury real estate here. Once you add the factors of weather and the charm of the people, then Greece becomes “the” place to invest. Athens is now on a par with other European cities with regards to entertainment options, population and vibrancy.

For most of us, creating a home is less about the building itself - its appearance or location - and more about the emotional connection and sense of comfort we’re able to create within it.

Stirixis Exclusive focuses on creating unique spaces in terms of design and functionality, such as urban residences, apartments and vacation houses. And while the property you currently live in might fall far from your ideal, even design experts agree that making a house a feel-good space is not about it being Pinterest-worthy, but about ensuring it reflects who we are and how we live our lives.

For Elena Athanassoulas, VP and Executive Director of Stirixis Exclusive, “Our design is a vehicle for expressing the client’s initial vision and creating a space that mirrors their character. A space won’t be your own unless you are aware of your emotional response to your surroundings. We work with unrivalled enthusiasm to analyze the needs and wants, and likes and dislikes, to create bespoke, high quality spaces.”

She adds, “Our architectural approach is based on the balanced blending of old-time classic and contemporary values, ensuring the endurance of the design.

Each design proposal is an innovative and original solution that combines the right selection of materials, furniture, textures and colors. We also optimize the fusion of the interior and exterior spaces, as integral parts of the building, creating a holistic experience. Our team of well-educated architects, project managers, interior designers and decorators manage the unique challenges of each project and deliver the desired result.”

At its core, the idea of what makes a house a home is rather primitive. From an evolutionary point of view, the notion of ‘home’ was about keeping warm and safe and having somewhere to gather and to bring up a family. We are socialised into our expectations of what home means – many of our most significant memories are created around our homes.

Bearing that in mind, Stirixis Exclusive designs urban spaces based on the concept of creating a habitat for its clients. The apartment functions as a sanctuary from the fast and demanding rhythm of everyday life in the city.

Among the downsides of building in Greece, regrettably, are ‘fluid deadlines and fickle budgets’. Stirixis Exclusive pride themselves on their two decades of experience at keeping the “big picture” and project objectives alive, ensuring continuity from design phase to implementation and delivering houses within deadlines and budgets.

Elena Athanassoulas concludes, “Transforming your dream into reality can be frustrating, but we make sure that it is not. We keep our eyes on your budget and your time frame. Most importantly, we keep your mind at peace.”

For more information, visit www.stirixisexclusive.com or contact info@stirixisexclusive.com or call +30 2106138312, +40 213021135 or +44 203 289 0870.

#BUSINESS_special promotion

“Our design is a vehicle for expressing the client’s initial vision and creating a space that mirrors their character.”

Elena Athanassoulas, VP and Executive Director of Stirixis Exclusive

You’ve bought your dream house in Greece but now the thought of making it a home is daunting. Transforming your dwelling into a feel-good space is not about it being worthy of an interiors magazine, however, but creating an emotional connection with bricks and mortar, say design experts Stirixis Exclusive.

athens insider

63

www.athensinsider.com

Built with Love

24 Hours in Thessaloniki - The Seattle of the Balkans

G

reece’s second capital is often cast in Athens’ shadow. But thanks to a brilliant “foodie scene” and prestigious events like the annual International Film Festival and Biennale of Contemporary Art, many now regard Thessaloniki as a culture and culinary stronghold every bit as vibrant as Athens.

Visit for the fantastic flavours alone. The Macedonian capital’s stormy history within the Ottoman Empire and the influx of Jewish and Russian immigrants has forged a richly varied gastronomic landscape. There are the celebrated fagadika (“little eating places”) with their inventive mezedes (every ouzerie boasts its own house specialty); the Politiki Kouzina (spicy dishes with a firm nod to Istanbul via ingredients like raisins and pine nuts); and the pre-eminence of buzzy waterfront psarotavernes (fish tavernas) serving produce hauled from the seafood-rich Bosphorus. Meanwhile, Thessaloniki’s kaleidoscopic market places – Modiano and Kapini - are a seductive tumble of scent, sound and colour. In places like Ladadika (the old Jewish quarter), olive oil storehouses have been converted into restaurants and bars, creating lively new dining dens.

A thriving metropolis with a college town feel (Aristotle University is among Greece’s largest), Thessaloniki’s youthful energy is another great drawcard of this city that was crowned European Youth Capital in 2014.

Then, there’s the still fairly new Thessaloniki promenade: a transformative 6km seafront promenade, built five years ago, that has turned this ancient city of café aficionados into a populus of early morning strollers.

The financial crisis has bred a new wave of DIY culture makers too. Especially in the old fabric markets of Bezesteni and the Valaoritou district with its neo-grunge art and retro bar scene – all of which has contributed to Thessaloniki’s comparison as: The Seattle of the Balkans.

Here’s how to make the most out of 24 Hours in this captivating urban hub:

Breakfast: the famous Thessaloniki “bougatsa”

Greeks don’t really “do” sit-down breakfast. So do like a local and grab a coffee and bougatsa (phyllo dough filled with cream, cheese or savoury fillings) or koulouri (Greek bagel) on the fly. Thessaloniki is loaded with fantastic bakeries.

We recommend Serraikon, not far from the main Modiano markets, and the Turkishinfluenced Hatzis on Venizelou 50 (for the city’s prized “trigona panoramatos” – triangular pastries - and the very novel chicken pudding “taouk kiouskou”).

Walk off your indulgences …

Athens’ ancient little sister “up north” has always been an intriguing alternative city, marching to her own beat. Insider’s Amanda Dardanis plots Get your Warhol on at the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary your perfect day out in Art this historic seaside port A 5-min walk away from the White Tower, you’ll encounter this world-class art hub where prolific international gallerist and collector Alexandros Iolas donated 30 works of that rocks a youthful global fame (Warhol and Akrithakis are among the permanent collection). vibe, along with some Next, take the short taxi ride to Aristoteleous neo-classical main square back on the old seafront. From there, weave your way through the kaleidoscopic open-air Modiano incredible flavours. … with a leisurely amble down the popular Thessaloniki promenade running along Megalou Alexandrou. This wonderfully-scenic boardwalk has themed micro-parklands (with names like Garden of Afternoon Sun and Garden of Alexander) and striking contemporary installations reminiscent of Barcelona. Make a selfie-stop at the famous Thessaloniki Umbrellas by Georgios Zoggolopoulos then continue on to Thessaloniki’s most recognised symbol The White Tower. Formerly known as the Tower of Blood, this civic icon was once a notorious prison and the scene of mass executions during the period of Ottoman rule. After Greece gained control of the city in 1912, its exterior was whitewashed, its interiors remodelled.

www.athensinsider.com

#TRAVEL_article

athens insider

65

#TRAVEL_article markets dating back to the 12th century, a seductive mesh of scent, sound and colour, dotted with exotic delicatessens in the city heart.

Lunch in Ladadika

Lunch is in the nearby old Jewish quarter of Ladadika where olive oil storehouses have been converted into atmospheric restaurants and bars, in a diverse culinary landscape. The best are the mezedopolio with their inventive menus of “little bites” and their injection of Anatolian spice (food is considerably spicier than in Athens – and cheaper! - thanks to centuries of Ottoman Rule.)

Two great Ladadika choices: Full Tou Meze (Katouni 3) where the exhaustive meze menu has 20 different types of cheese alone and Panellinion (Doxis 1) with its delicatessen aesthetic and regional specialties (leek sausages from Elassona, syglino from Mani, fig salads, oil-cheese from Lesvos).

Post-lunch: Historic Highlights

Walk from Ladidika through seafront Eleftherias Square – Thessaloniki’s prettier answer to Syntagma Square, up Eleftheriou Venizelou Street to the city’s most famous and holiest cathedral Saint Demetrius (Thessaloniki’s patron saint).

His bones are entombed for viewing in galleries under the church. From there, you can access a number of Thessaloniki’s other major historic sights on foot: the Ancient Roman agora; Turkish hamman; and the Palace of Roman Emperor Galerius (250-311AD), one of the most important monuments of late antiquity.

All things Feta

Make a special point of including Greece’s first Feta Bar - the marvelous Mia Feta taste shop on your walking tour (Pavlou Mela 14). Mia Feta is both temple to all things feta and a gourmet grocery emporium stocking dairy products from the owner’s dairy in Grevena, 180km from Thessaloniki. Mia Feta is what happens when a former wood artisan and gourmet dairy farmer team up. Wildly popular is the panna cotta feta with tomato marmalade and the feta with wild Greek truffles. There’s also ever-changing tasting menus at reasonable prices – think mushroom ravioli with thyme and truffles and zucchini pancakes with smoked pepper cream.

Relax with coffee or cocktails at Kastro (Fortress) Give your pins a rest and hail a taxi up to

the ancient fortress city of Kastro (where people still live and work behind its 4th century stone walls), 200m above sea level. The scenic Kastro café just outside the entrance has compelling views – in particular over the old Turkish Quarter of Ano Poli, where you’ll see some of Thessaloniki’s finest Byzantine churches and elegantly restored town houses.

Dinner at the madcap Ouzou Melathron taverna

A Thessaloniki trademark with a friendly neighbourhood (and non-touristy) feel back down near the old fabric markets of Bezesteni.

Ouzou Melathron has a dizzying menu of appetizers and rambunctious (often comedic) nightly live musical performances - everything from Greek folk music (rembetika) to neo-grunge. If you’ve an appetite for something more contemporary, try hospitable newcomer Charoupi, (Doxis 4, Ladadika) who serve up standout Cretan cuisine, such as fried rosemary rabbit with a sauce of grape must and puree of roasted eggplant, in a modern space that blends wood and metal.

If you still have energy, nearby Valaouritou Street is the thriving neogrunge/arty district largely responsible for Thessaloniki’s cool credentials. Nothing gets going until midnight; while on weekends, the merriment often doesn’t cease until 8 or 9am. Head for The Real Rocknrolla Bar (Valaouritou 31) or from May onwards, Fragile (Valaouritou 29) for its ace rooftop bar.

Where to Stay

www.cityhotel.gr City Hotel – a reviving four-star “urban nature design hotel”. Rooms cost between €80-100 a night. Great location, one block from the seafront and very close to the attractive main shopping boulevard of Tsimiski. The hotel’s spritely and fresh modern décor makes the perfect antidote to downtown Thessaloniki’s frenetic soundtrack. •

Full tou Meze

PHOTO BY D. POUPALOS - ARTWORK BY MMK DESIGN TEAM

IM P R ES S IVE COM EBACK AT SY N TAGMA SQUA RE

Syntagma Square, Athens, Greece. athens insider

67

Tel:+30 210 3352400• www.njvathensplaza.gr

8 Awesome Winter Escapes for Half-Term Greece may rule the roost in June and July ... but it’s also got some pretty cool moves up its sleeve in January and February. Here’s Athens Insider’s top picks for the looming half-term holidays - from active adventures, thrilling archeological odysseys, winery tours and family fun where you can sleep inside the walls of medieval castle towns.

Heavenly Pillars of Meteora

Meteora

Meteora, whose name means “suspended in space”, is the biggest and most significant family of monasteries in Greece after Mount Athos. Located in the flat valley to the south of the Pindos mountain range, in the wonderfully diverse region of Thessaly, it’s as if these UNESCO-awarded mighty monuments to the power of faith were carved there by the gods themselves.

Follow in the footsteps of the humble monks and hike your way around the incredible sights of Meteora and beyond: including the remarkable pre-historic caves of Theopetra, dating back to 130,000 BC. Base yourself in Meteora’s pretty hub of Kalambaka with its eye-catching Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin or in breathtaking Kastraki, nestled in the enticing shade of Meteora’s rocks.

TOP TIP: You could also spend several days on the move instead exploring the string of stunning alpine villages, fairytale forests and lakes that lie within just 1-2 hours of Meteora (places like Metsovo, Elati, Pertouli and Lake Plastiras).

#TRAVEL_article

Nafplio

Nafplio: Plaka-on-Sea

Proud and beautiful Nafplio, the capital of Argolis, was also the Greek-nation’s first capital, and nowadays is often cited as the Peloponnese’s most romantic seaside port town. You’ll love its balconies dripping with bougainvillea, majesterial Neo-classical mansions and wealth of intimate tavernas tucked away in charming side-streets.

The perfect ground zero for those looking to explore Argolis, Mycenae and Epidaurus, Nafplio is an Epicurean’s delight. Food, music and cultural life abound in Nafplio’s roomy Italianate piazzas and in its energetic maze of Venetian-style lanes – lending this gorgeous port town its nickname “Plaka-on-Sea”.

TOP TIP: Nafplio is rich in instagram-fodder: in particular, the island fortress of Bourtzi and the once famously impenetrable Palamadi Castle with its 999 step challenge.

Perched 300 metres above the sea – and accessible only on foot through massive battle-scarred gates – the castle town of Monemvasia has a “wow factor” to rival Santorini.

Stay in a beautifully-restored monastery within Monemvasia’s ancient walls (several of which date back to the 12th century).

Explore the original pedestrianised cobbled streets where merchants and artisans still sell their enchanting wares just as their ancestors did centuries ago. Hike up to hypnotic Byzantine churches with frescoes dating back to the 13th century. Or simply unwind in one of Monemvasia’s many splendid cafes or bougainvilleadraped courtyards, overlooking the velvety-blue Mirtoon Sea, far below while you enjoy the hospitality of the town’s open-hearted inhabitants.

You’ll feel like you’ve traveled back in time hundreds of years to a whimsical lost world where there are no cars and barely an electricity cable or TV aerial in sight.

TOP TIP: Many of Monemvasia’s shop owners will happily offer you a free glass of famous Malvasian honey wine or a delicious almond cookie for you to sample when you enter their store. athens insider

69

Monemvasia

www.athensinsider.com

Castle Adventure in Monemvasia

Sifnos

Hike in Sifnos

Can’t wait until summer to satisfy your island cravings? Sifnos has one of the Aegean’s richest walking terrains in terms of nature and culture. The island’s network of trials underwent a serious revamp recently by the ‘monopatologists’ at Paths of Greece and now number 19 way-marked and professionallydesigned routes – all interconnected – and stretching over a total length of 100km, (up from 65km).

TOP TIP: Hikers can choose from paths ranging from easy to moderate, including child-friendly trails, that take you to archaeological sites, functioning monasteries, hidden beaches and coves, traditional villages, terraced slopes covered in olive trees, Mediterranean maquis and juniper forests.

Active Alpine Kalavryta

Kalavryta

Wonders

in

Few locations can match the beautiful Peloponnesian mountain village of Kalavryta and its surrounding region as a complete, year-round destination. Outside of the ski season, there is still plenty of action to be had on the fir-covered slopes of Mount Helmos such as Hiking, Mountaineering, Paragliding, Rafting and Off-Road Adventures. Meanwhile, Kalavryta’s magnificent holy monasteries and the town’s haunting history, (the entire village was burned to the ground by the Nazis during World War II), plus its local wonders - such as the other-worldly “Cave of the Lakes” with its mysterious “Palace of the Nymphs” will strike an unforgettable chord.

TOP TIP: Kalyvrita also offers one of Europe’s most spectacular scenic train journeys, the 22km “Odontotos” rack railway (or “tooth train”), which winds its way through the Vouriakos gorge up into the mountains, through tunnels, over waterfalls and rising finally to 750 metres above sea-level!

#TRAVEL_article

Nemea: Homer’s Vineyard of the Gods

Combine culture and indulgence with a late Winter or early Spring excursion to Nemea, site of the famed Sanctuary of Zeus (330BC), and where Heracles concluded the first of his 12 Labors by slaying the Nemean Lion.

Although it is Olympia that gets all the glory, Nemea too hosted its own revered ancient games every two years and at the ancient landmark, one can marvel at the wonderfully-restored stadium, museum and temple.

Verdant Nemea is also famously noted for its winemaking by Homer who called it Ampeloessa: “full of vines” and today, the region is still one of southern Greece’s most important wine producers.

TOP TIP: Visit one of the many elite local wineries open for tasting tours where you can sample Nemea’s most prized Agiorghitiko grape, cherished globally for its deep red color and long velvety palate.

www.athensinsider.com

Sanctuary of Zeus

athens insider

71

Delphi

#TRAVEL_article

Dream of the Gods in Delphi

Nestled on the slopes of Mount Parnassos, overlooking the Gulf of Corinth and a cascading valley of silvery olive and cypress trees, Delphi is a strong contender for one of the most stunning landscapes on earth. (Not even the world’s greatest artists – Turner, Poussin, Claude – could capture its essence on canvas, although they certainly tried!)

In ancient times, this spiritual marvel, located 180km from Athens, was considered the centre of the known world – the junction where heaven and earth met.

Some go to this famous archeological site to breathe in Delphi’s captivating otherworldly beauty. Others to seek guidance and clarity – as the ancient Greeks did from the legendary Oracle of Delphi where the spirit of Apollo would grant advice on important matters through the medium of a swooning Pythia – or priestess.

TOP TIP: When in town, make sure to also visit the super-stylish alpine resort of Arachova, just 12km down the road from Delphi.

hewn of stone and wood appear as if by magic (some located at over 5,000 feet), amid ancient winding pathways, apple orchards and cascading waterfalls and streams. Hike or drive between these breathtaking Pelion Peninsula settlements, such as Ano Gatzea, Agia Triada and Argyreika and Milies, staying in elegant stone guesthouses fitted with fine antiques and fireplaces, while you sample authentic mountain cuisine along the way.

Or ride the famous Pelion tourist train that links Volos with fertile West Pelion in an exceptional 25km route, immortalized in the paintings of Giorgio de Chirico.

TOP TIP: Combine both destinations for an unforgettable Town and Country adventure.

Makrynitsa, Pelion

Volos and Pelion. Two stunning neighbours that complement each other perfectly with their mix of city and country, old and new, energy and serenity.

Lively Volos at the foot of Mount Pelion was the mythic home of Jason and his Argonauts. Today, modern Volos in the Magnesia region, is a thriving university city, humming all-year-round with freedom, character and life. (And what many say is the best meze scene in all of northern Greece!).

Sample legendary mezedes served all along the seafront amid the fishing boats and yachts. Take part in another Volos culinary ritual at the tsipouradika – friendly little bars on every corner where you’ll feast on a dizzying array of “small-plate surprises” such as cuttlefish with fennel, or spetsofai (sausages with peppers), washed down with ice-cold tsipouro – northern Greece’s answer to ouzo. Or take a scenic bike-ride along the 10km network of wonderful seafront bikeways.

A mere hour away, lies exquisite Pelion.

Believed to be the birthplace of mythology’s mighty centaurs, Pelion was also the site purportedly chosen by the Gods for their revelries and vacations! Mountainous Pelion is an area of almost indescribable beauty that’s been likened to the famous Adirondack range of Upstate New York (but without the strip malls and fast-food restaurants!). Enchanting alpine villages athens insider

73

www.athensinsider.com

Volos & Pelion: Mountains, Myth and Meze

Diary of the Rethymnon

‘Carnival in Rethymnon’, I had been told, is special. It shares a few things, like its huge parade, with other carnival cities like Venice, but in many other ways, it is unique - and by far the most important time of year for Rethymniots of all ages.

Rethymnon, an enchanting and history-loaded hub on the northern coast of Crete, has celebrated Carnival for more than 100 years. A Rethymniot called Eve uncovered a document in the town archive dated 1880, which mentions Carnival. Even during the dictatorship Rethymniots celebrated Carnival, which meant a lot to anyone who understood what life was like for Greeks during those dark days. 1993 was the first year there was a big parade.

I have visited Rethymnon in February many times, mainly for field surveys. I’ve seen huge statues of fantastical beasts, real beasts but outsize ones - a larger than life giraffe contorting itself in dramatic positions - 18th century carriages and hilarious clowns, clusters of giant mushrooms set up in plateas and at roundabouts.

But it was only last year when my work turned to the publication of the Late Minoan III Necropolis of Armenoi, during the last Apokries period, that I had time to spare, and to investigate what ‘Carnival in Rethymnon’ was all about.

What jumped out of the Rethymnon box of tricks changed my idea of the town and its inhabitants totally. What fun they have made their Carnival, a frolic with real flair, but it is also a ritual with a serious side. I heard the sound of lyra pierce the air as I walked slowly down the promenade by the sea.

In these colourful extracts from her photo journal, archeologist Holley Martlew goes behind the scenes to capture the pageantry, tireless preparations and deep community bonds at one of Greece’s most epic annual carnival rituals.

#TRAVEL_article

I heard the sound of lyra pierce the air as I walked slowly down the promenade byt the sea.

Carnival in Rethymnon is indeed like no other

Rethymnon is a member of the FECC, the Federation of European and Latin American Carnival Cities (which has 24 members in total).The town has its own tireless carnival committee of five whose main goal is to ensure that Rethymniots (and Carnival visitors) have fun on a grand scale and in many and varied ways. Every day and every night during the three-weeks of Apokries, they ensure that there is something going on.

One week, for example, is devoted to music and dance and includes musical strolls. When Deputy Mayor of Rethymnon, Pepi Birliraki, told me that musicians would walk around town playing Cretan instruments, the lyre and the mandolin, I was entranced. I closed my eyes and saw and heard them, and then one night a week later my dream came true. I was delighted when I heard the sound of lyra pierce the air as I walked slowly down the promenade by the sea.

There were Carnival bicycle routes where participants dress in costume. There were seminars for mask-making, makeup and costume production. Large numbers of people toiling together to build floats in warehouses on the edge of town.

A theatre night when Treasure Hunt teams present a play or a film explaining their themes. Being Greek, cooking for all the participants for all these evening events is very important too. No Greek must go hungry. The Carnival cooks would see to that.

All these activities lead up to the Grand Finale which takes place on the last Sunday before Lent. This is the Carnival Parade. In 2017, the town welcomed 1500+ visitors for the last 3 days of Carnival. Hotels, closed for the winter, re-open, including hotels outside as far away as Chania, and private homes take guests. In this way the whole area benefits outside the official tourist season.

Takis Chasikos has been the top designer in Rethymnon for a very long time, and since 1993 has devoted the first two months of each year to designing and making costumes for two main floats for the Carnival Parade. The themes are top secret until “The Day”. The minute I enter his workshop, he swears me to secrecy about this year’s theme.

Takis tells me there are 36 individual groups in the town in the throes of preparing costumes and floats. The members numbered from 100 to 400 and one team has 600 members!

Once inside the studio I am immediately handed a glass of warm rakimelo (raki with honey — delicious). Trays of finger food, savoury and sweet, appear on the table in front of me. I walk to the far end of the room and peer through large windows down into a sub-basement. Three women sit at a table making... what? Horns. Curved horns of goats.

They were copying the real skull and horns of a male goat.

Amazing.

The theme is “Fallen Angels”, a non-religious interpretation athens insider

75

www.athensinsider.com

Inside the extraordinary atelier of Taxis Chasikos

#TRAVEL_article

of a myth done for fun and designed to be carried out as a theatrical performance during the Parade. The story goes that someone has betrayed a good fairy and cut off her horns and wings so that she loses her power.

When I finish my glass it is quickly filled up again, and I eat three (small!) slices of walnut cake while I am given a fashion show. Afterwards we enter a workroom where there are people beavering away not just here - but on all 3 floors of the building. One hundred people cutting, painting, sewing, and of course, being Greek -- eating.

Giant wings are laid out on a table in one room. I touch a ‘feather’ to find it is made out of black foam. It is as soft as down.

Takis explains that he sources what he needs for his designs from all over Greece.

Everything is donated by individuals or companies whom he approaches. All the work on the costumes is executed by hand by members of the team. Without donations of materials and time, to produce such works of art would be impossible. The skeletons for the wings in front of me are made out of used bamboo canes that have been painted black. It will take 2,500 metres of foam to make all the feathers they need. They will also need ostrich feathers and the town of Seres has given them 1,500. Ten years ago, when their theme was a garden, they made 4,500 roses for the float!

Takis takes me upstairs to see his collection of masks and costumes from previous years. The room is full of the most fabulous costumes, costumes past and 2017 costumes in production. Every one is beautiful. But what astonishes me is the detail. The embroidery is exquisite.

Each costume and each mask are works of art; so imaginative and perfect that to me, each one, is near-priceless. Just like

Venice, I was tempted to say and then thought better of it. Takis Chasikos of Rethymnon could take on any costume designer in Venice and give him a run for his money.

Feasts and floats

From Takis’ atelier we visit a warehouse on the outskirts of town where the float makers are at work. It’s late, but Greeks party late and they work late; a national habit imbedded in their psyches since childhood, when as babes in arms, they linger at tavernas well into the night.

In front of the warehouse is a barbecue.

Men tended their chops. Smoke wafted into the night. I couldn’t resist the sights and smells. Armed with a big pork chop on a paper plate I go inside to be confronted by an enormous papier-mâché man, no ordinary man but a true Cretan with outsize black moustache. All kinds of things are being made — a skull with gold and white teeth, big black eye sockets, sporting a hat and smoking a big cigar; Superman; space creatures; clowns — many witty and funny things — but some also very beautiful.

The crews are given 2 weeks to make their floats and of course most of the work has to take place after hours when the working day is over. The warehouse we visited was merely one of many.

Costumes. Floats. The enormity of preparing for carnival each year begins to overwhelm me, but also the dedication of the town and the fantastic fun they are clearly having. •

Fun Fact Rethymnon earned its place in the Guinness Book of World Records last year for staging the largest treasure hunt game. On February 12, 2017, 1384 people competed in the 28th Treasure hunt Game of Rethymno, eclipsing the previous record holder, The University of Newcastle (England) who had 1001 participants. Each year the town of Rethymno holds a treasure hunt during Carnival and the prize is the honour of organising the next year’s treasure hunt.

Carnival in Rethymon in 2018 concludes on Ash Monday, February 19. On Sunday February 18, the Grand Parade of carnival floats takes place at 2pm; while the closing ceremony at 6.30pm comprises the Burning of King Carnival and a live concert and fireworks display.

athens insider

77

www.athensinsider.com

#FOOD & DRINK_article

sweet elixirs of life

Greece’s liqueurs are like postcards, boasting of regional distinctions and an intoxicating array of raw ingredients.

B

eautiful, old-fashioned bottles, traditional recipes from village and city homes, unique tastes. These are the characteristics of Greece’s unusual liqueurs. They are products that have stood the test of time, that have evolved out of the local flora, that are infused with authenticity. In Greece’s liqueurs, the country’s gardens, orchards and groves exist in every glass.

Many of these elixirs, now commercially produced, were once the exclusive province of the home cook. Many Greeks have fond memories of their mothers, grandmothers and aunts setting out tall stout bottles of brandy or tsipouro to which they had added apricot kernels, cherries and other seasonal fruits and sugar. The bottles spent a biblical 40 days in the sun, just enough time for the fruits to infuse the alcohol with flavour.

Getting a mouthful of alcohol-soaked cherries was a special treat. Country and urban cooks alike still make these drinks, but there is also an industry of artisanal liqueur producers who have helped develop both traditional and new beverages. Many of these drinks are tied to specific places.

LIQUEURS BASED ON TSIPOURO Honey-Lemon Tsipouro

One such drink, for example, is the honey-and-lemon enriched raki (grape distallate) found in the Cyclades, especially in Amorgos.

Cretan producers make something similar, called rokomelo, which is raki flavoured with honey. In Amorgos, one of the small Cyclades islands, a lemon-honey raki is produced at the monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa. It is called Lemontelo. Rakomelo and lemontelo are both made by infusing raki with herbs, spices, sugar and of course, honey and/or lemon.

While rakomelo is mellow and earthy, the perfect sip on a cold winter night and often served warmed, lemontelo is more aggressive.

The lemony aroma, from the zest and juice, imbue this liqueur with a well-balanced bitterness. It’s a great aperitif. One of my favourite ways to drink it is on the rocks with plenty of mint, almost like a mojito.

Fatourada Flavoured tsipouro is made elsewhere in Greece besides the Cyclades and Crete. On Kythera, off the eastern tip of the Peloponnese, one such drink is the fatourada, a local grape distillate flavoured with cinnamon and cloves and traditionally served as an offering to guests alongside the island’s well-known marzipan confections. It is an excellent digestive, especially after a rich dinner.

To make fatourada, sugar, cinnamon and cloves are simmered in tsipouro for several hours. The liqueur is then aged for several months. It has a pleasantly tart flavour and spicy, lingering aftertaste. It is great served with crushed ice.

It was probably only a matter of time before at least one Greek liqueur producer sourced ancient recipes for unusual quaffs. It was only a matter of time, too, before someone would want to take a turn making the mythic ancient nectar, the quaff exclusive to the gods and seminal ingredient in the ethereal ichor, a liquid that ran through godly veins alone. Homer compares nectar to red wine and Plato implores his symposiasts to “get drunk on nectar”. Nectar bestowed immortality and so was forbidden to man. Nonetheless, Athenaeus, chronicler of ancient gastronomy, mentions a recipe in the Deipnosophists: “… certain peoples in the neighbourhood of the Lydian Olympus prepare ‘nectar’ by mixing in the same potion wine, honey and sweet-smelling flowers.”

That recipe inspired at least one producer to make a contemporary nectar called Evoi Vakhoi, which is produced with aged Nemea red wine, honey and rose essence.

The drink resembles wine more than liqueur and has lovely tannins and distinct cherry-honey aftertaste. It pairs marvelously with blue cheeses, chocolate and dried fruit. athens insider

79

www.athensinsider.com

Wine Based Liqueur

FRUIT-FLAVOURED LIQUEURS Walnut and Cherry Liqueurs

The area in Greece with the longest tradition in producing cherry and walnut liqueurs is Pelion, specifically Zagora. In the last ten years, the art of making these traditional drinks was resuscitated by the Women’s Agricultural and Tourism Cooperative of Zagora.

Cherry liqueur (kerasi) in general tends to be redolent of cinnamon and cloves but also extremely fruity and pleasantly bitter thanks to the lively flavour imparted by the pips. Try any of Greece’s cherry liqueurs on ice with a soda spritzer.

Greek walnut liqueurs are decidedly exotic. They are made with fresh unripe walnuts and generally flavoured with spices such as cinnamon and cloves. The intense sweetness that is apparent at the beginning evolves into a drier sense of a mixture of alcohol and walnuts. It is an excellent digestive drink and pairs beautifully with fresh mint.

Almonds, cornelian cherries, oranges Almonds, cornelian cherries, orange liqueurs, typically a specialty of Drama, in northeastern Greece, are made by boiling the fruits and herbs for as long as it takes for them to infuse the water with their perfume. This aromatic water is then added to ouzo or brandy. The almond liqueur tastes of fresh green almonds and sweet almond syrup (soumada). It coats the palate like honey and it makes for a lovely cocktail, especially with ouzo. The unique, slightly sweet and sour taste of cornelian cherry liqueurs are reminiscent of cherry jam on the tongue, as though a whole forest of fruits unfolds in the mouth with each sip. Greece also produces orange liqueur, which tastes like orange peel spoon sweet with cloves.

KITRO (CITRON) LIQUEUR, NAXOS

The citron (Citrus medica) was first cultivated on Naxos in the 17th century and flourished until the 1960s and 1970s, when tourism made its cultivation obsolete.

But now there has been a renaissance not only in the grove but in the products made with this unusual citrus fruit. Naxos is not only famous for its citron spoon sweet but for its distinct liqueur, called Kitro (Greek for citron).

The fruit is harvested when its aromas are at their peak, from October until February and distilled together with the leaves, two to three times. Water and sugar are

sometimes added to the spirit.

Every sip is a sensory experience filled with the fruit’s strong, heady, intense, lasting aroma a little reminiscent of incense and flowers.

There are four different kinds of Kitro liqueur: white special (45 proof and 10% sugar), white super special (50 proof and 28% suga), green special (45 proof and 30% sugar) and yellow super special (50 proof and 30% sugar). These liqueurs are delicious in cocktails such as mojitos, martinis and caipirinhas.

Another well-known citrus liqueur is the mandarin liqueur of Chios. Chios is one of the few places left in Greece where an old, indigenous variety of mandarin still grows, and each spring, if you happen to be walking around the old Genoese manor houses in Cambos or elsewhere, the aroma is truly intoxicating. Chios’ mandarins are a far cry from the tasteless, pipless, tangerines and clementines that have flooded the world in the last few decades. The Chios mandarin liqueur is based on the extract produced by the traditional distillation of the fruit’s peel in stills. The drink has a certain “sauciness”, an astringency that comes from the peel, which is quite vivid and amazingly expressive. The fruit’s natural acidity balances perfectly with the liqueur’s sweetness.

Every sip is a sensory experience filled with the fruit’s strong, heady, intense, lasting aroma a little reminiscent of incense and flowers.

MASTIC LIQUEUR FROM CHIOS

The mastic tree “sheds its tears” only on Chios, near a few medieval villages. The valuable and expensive resin with its unique aroma drips down when the tree’s trunks and branches are slit. Mastiha is a well-known and exceedingly fragrant antioxidant that also lends its incense-like delicate aroma to various liqueurs. The liqueur is savoured chilled, with crushed ice, but it can also be added to various cocktails.

To make it, the resin is distilled together with alcohol. Nowadays, it is the most fashionable liqueur in Greece and has been lauded by famous chefs like Ferran Adria and Andoni Luis Aduriz.

TENDOURA LIQUEUR FROM PATRAS

Its origins date to at least 15th century Patras, which was ruled then by the Venetians. The liqueur’s name is derived most probably from the Italian world tintura meaning “extract, colour”.

The old denizens of Patras used to call it “moshovolithra”, meaning something fragrant, due to its intense aroma. It has always been savoured as a digestive.

To produce Tendoura, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, citron and mandarin peels are extracted into alcohol. After a few weeks, the alcohol is filtered, caramel syrup is added, then the mixture is diluted with water. It is set aside to settle for about two months. Tendoura has a deep brown colour and an explosive aroma and taste.

It’s beautiful, dense texture is reminiscent of sweet Greek syrup scented with spices and citrus fruits. It is savoured cold, with crushed ice, diluted with a dash of cream.

It’s also a great flavouring for coffee. • This article was first published in Greek Gourmet Traveler.

#FOOD & DRINK_article

81

Sometimes, the nostalgia is for the setting.

Meals that Linger in the Memory Food isn’t just fuel for our bodies. It’s the substance of life, bonding us through shared epicurean pleasures that anchor us to a place; a person; a moment in time.

In this resonant review of a gastronomic journey that has taken her across the world and across the decades, food author Diana Farr Louis recalls her own most all-time memorable meals both here in Greece and abroad.

R

ecently, a new friend and fellow writer, asked me to tell her about the ten most memorable meals I’d ever eaten. The question started my mind racing back over countless lunches and dinners, but as I riffled through the images stored somewhere in my taste buds, we turned the discussion to what makes certain meals stand out from the ordinary. After all, eating is an act we lucky ones perform on average three times a day, and remembering them all would not leave much room for anything else.

So what constitutes a memorable meal? Note that I didn’t say perfect. Is it the gastronomy, the skillful marriage of the finest ingredients with a technical expertise developed over decades on the job; or does the shock factor play a part as one encounters a dish under completely unexpected circumstance or in an unusual setting?

When we were young, growing up on Long Island, we didn’t eat out at all, so it was a great treat to have our mother take us to the Hamburger Express in Cedarhurst and then to the movies. Our burgers, cooked as each of us liked them, arrived on an electric train that circled the counter and stopped exactly in front of us, doubling the pleasure.

She took humble local ingredients and turned them into refined delicasies that would have made Epicurus weap with rupture.

Some years later, in my early teens, my mother would take me into Manhattan to shop at Bloomingdales (what a lovely, manageable store it was back then) and then across the street to her favourite restaurant, the Rex. The white-haired maitre d’, a short, round-faced gentleman, would greet her with a broad smile and they would exchange pleasantries in Italian as he showed us to our banquette seats.

The place was so dark you could hardly see the other tables even though the room was tiny. Without her asking, he’d bring her a dry martini, which she’d let me sip, and we would always order the same dish, frogs’ legs provençale. Tender, subtly redolent of garlic, and speckled with parsley, they were the best I have ever tasted. But of course the real treat was being alone with my mother and listening to her stories of growing up in Italy and her many admirers at a time when I despaired of having any.

Now fast forward several years to July 1960 and my first trip to Spain with my best friend Cynthia. After a few days in Madrid, we flew to Barcelona. There, besides the Gaudis, besides the Ramblas with their cafés and the handsome students that serenaded them with their guitars, was the seafood. We kept revisiting the fish market and its mountains of flamboyant, unfamiliar finny

#FOOD & DRINK_article

athens insider

83

plates with the grace of a prima ballerina, who used his extra-long chopsticks like fairy wands to fry and to serve. For high comedy, at the other end of the spectrum, Alexi’s attempts to grill prosciutto-thin slices of wild boar with his chopsticks on our radiator in a mountain retreat above Kyoto will never be surpassed.

In Greece, what do I single out? The first springy bite of fried kalamarakia (squid) at a taverna on Spetses in 1963, where the cook/owner, a certain Haralambos, stood in his grimy undershirt sweating into the frying pan but producing goodies.

Or the culinary magic executed by Chef Constantina Fakari at Santorini’s justly world famous restaurant, Selene, in 2009.

She took humble local ingredients such as white eggplant, fava (split yellow peas), and octopus, and turned them into refined delicacies that would have made Epicurus weep with rapture.

I can’t leave out the fried mussels of Thessaloniki, the assorted mezedes from the Aristotelion café there, the grilled and butterflied loutzos (a sublime fish) of Lesvos, or the steady diet of wild goat cooked a dozen ways in Samothrace, which caused minor eruptions of gout in us all, fishy extravaganzas on the lagoon at Aetoliko, lobsters on the beach in Skyros, our winter outings to eat the freshest of barbounia (red mullet) at Margaro in Piraeus…

But it’s the simplest of suppers that still shines in my memory. It came as a reward for persisting over a horrible rocky track on the southeast coast of Evia in the mid 70s. A Greek friend and I had set out with our kids to explore what lay beyond the lively port of Karystos. Someone had said it was wild and beautiful. We drove and drove until the light was fading, but we were reluctant to turn back. Surely we’d find somewhere to have a bite. We rattled and bumped some more and then spotted a cairn of beer cases piled on the roadside.

A taverna must be close. We crossed what looked and felt like a dry river bed and entered a forest of plane trees. Under them sat the eatery and a little house.

An older man and his wife came out to greet us, mystified but welcoming. Yes, they could feed us, and, moreover, they insisted we spend the night. It would be criminal to send us back to Karystos in the dark over that appalling road. We dined on the most wonderful fried eggs, tomato salad, and fried potatoes we had ever tasted and then collapsed . . . into their beds. With

the genuine hospitality so typical of rural Greeks, they gave up their rooms to us.

I think they may have slept in the barn.

That night I had dreams of lions roaring on the veldt. In the morning, they proved to be cows.

So what is it that keeps a meal so vibrantly alive? It has to be the company we share it with. I cannot recall a single lunch or dinner consumed alone, no matter how excellent, with any emotion except regret there was no one there to taste it with me. •

Diana’s Farr Louis’ newest book, A Taste of Greece: Recipes, Cuisine & Culture is available from Amazon. To read more articles like this from Diana Farr Louis, visit her blog site: www.weeklyhubris.com

www.athensinsider.com

and tentacled creatures, including an iodine-scented mollusc that looked like my index finger, nail and all. We did not dare try that, but after one attempt to eat a steak, so tough it might have come from the previous evening’s bullfight, we never touched meat again that whole summer.

Whether in town or on the Costa Brava, we dined royally on gambas ala plancha (giant grilled prawns), paella, zarzuela (Spanish bouillabaisse), washed down with pints of sangria; every meal a feast we never tired of.

The ensuing decade would expand my gastronomic horizons, as I spent the next summer in Italy, then that life-changing summer in Greece, and a year in Paris.

Next, I met Alexi Ladas, who would woo me with his war stories but whose passion for good food proved more enduring than his passion for me. While our marriage lasted, about five years, he delighted in taking me to wonderful restaurants as well as cooking splendid lunches and dinners. Eating with this sophisticated Greek taught me far more than I’d learned at Cordon Bleu. Whether we were feeding nostalgia at the no-frills Pantheon in Manhattan or seeking the divine at the Michelin-starred Le Pere Bise in Annecy.

And each experience was enriched by his talk of other meals or an attempt to analyse the dish so he could recreate it at home.

Writing this sparked off thoughts of a long-ago lunch in Geneva. I don’t even know the name of the place but it was near the train station and served but three dishes: an impeccable green salad, fried potatoes the size of two matchsticks, and a sauté of tender beef filet with a sauce of garlic, wine, and less identifiable ingredients. It arrived in a chafing dish and we practically licked the pan as Alexi tried to deconstruct it. Almost 50 years later, I can practically taste it.

Funnily, many of my strongest food memories were born on our trips to Japan.

One evokes disgust—the raw chicken restaurant—another fear mixed with wonder—the fugu place, where you risked your life eating blowfish prepared in innumerable ways; if the gall bladder has been nicked in cleaning, it releases a deadly poison into the flesh. This possibility appears to heighten the gustatory pleasure for some, but not for me.

I preferred the performance of the extempura chef to the emperor, who delivered ethereal shrimp and vegetables to our

How to do Lent in Greece

#FOOD & DRINK_article

With so many Lenten treats on offer, the 40-day pre-Easter abstinence feels more like indulgence than penance. Here’s Athens Insider’s guide to navigating Lenten dos and don’ts.

F

www.athensinsider.com

or Greeks, even fasting is all about food! In fact, it reflects the rich culinary repertoire of the country, relying heavily on seasonal veggies and the bounties of the ocean. Lent and other fasts dictated by the Orthodox calendar meant that until recently, Greeks abstained from meat for at least six months of the year – a far cry from the ‘meat-obsessed’ nation it has become today.

Preceding the most important festival on the Greek Orthodox calendar, Lent traditionally extends between Tsiknopempti (Smoky Thursday), when all remaining meats are grilled up for one final night of gluttony, and midnight on Easter’s Holy Saturday, when a Pascal lamb or kid is slaughtered and impaled on a spit above a slow fire for the morrow’s festivities while its entrails are boiled into a soup (mageiritsa), and eaten with dyed-red eggs after the Resurrection church service.

During the intervening 40 days, consumption of red meat, all meat by-products (cheese, milk, eggs) and fish with a backbone is strictly prohibited for practising Orthodox. Even olive oil and wine are rationed.

The rationale behind this strict fasting period is that the body must be cleansed, as well as the spirit, in preparation for accepting communion on Easter Day, to celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the dead.

These days, only the very devout follow the full fast, but most Greeks will refrain from eating meat on Clean Monday (the first day of Lent) and during Holy Week.

Nonetheless, the Lenten period heralds a cornucopia of tempting fresh salads, bean soups and stews, grilled shrimps and squid, steamed mussels, and rice and pasta dishes with seafood crowding onto the menus at restaurants and tavernas the length and breadth of the country.

athens insider

85

#FOOD & DRINK_article A few Lenten foodie terms and social customs you need to know:

Apokries

In Greece, the carnival, known as ‘apokries,’ literally translates as ‘away from meat.’ It is one of the most festive times and yet one of the least known to non-Greeks. Apokries lasts three weeks and four Sundays and takes place in the period just before the 40-day Lenten fast.

There are specific foods eaten on specific days during the whole Carnival period, the whole idea being that one slowly weans oneself off meat and dairy in preparation for a long fast.

Profoni

The first week is called profoni (or the announcement), because it used to be tradition to announce the opening of the Carnival season from a high point in each village.

Kreatini

The second week of Carnival is the meat-eating week. The meat-fest of Tsiknopempti, or “sputtering” Thursday, is so-called after the sizzling sound of meat being grilled. This year, Tsiknopempti fell on February 8.

Psihosavato

At the end of the second week is AllSoul’s Saturday, one of three days set aside during the start of Lent to honour the dead. Traditionally on All-Soul’s Day, kolyva, a dish made with boiled whole wheat kernels and decorated with pomegranate seeds, black currants, sugar, nuts and spices, is offered at the graves of the dead.

Tirini (also known as macaroni)

During the last week of Carnival, traditionally, meat is almost never eaten.

Instead, tables are laden with cheese and milk and eggs. Tiropita, or cheese pie, galatopita, or milk pie, creamy rice puddings and galaktoboureko are the dishes Greeks indulge in.

The last festivities of the carnival period culminate on that last Sunday, Tyrofagis Kyriaki (or Cheese Sunday), just before the start of Lent. Sometimes, the very last thing to be eaten is an egg, the first food with which the Lenten fast is broken 40 days later.

Kathara Deftera

Clean Monday (celebrated on February 19 this year) marks the beginning of Lent and the foods consumed on this

day contain ‘no blood’. So salads, fresh and pickled vegetables (tursi), shellfish, octopus, squid and the traditional Lenten flatbread lagana bread are enjoyed. Halva is the traditional dessert. It is customary to fly kites on this day.

The Lenten menu is crammed with such full flavours and inspired combinations that it promises to tempt fasters and nonfasters alike to fast away. Nistissima: A term one is likely to see scrawled across most menus refers to Lent-friendly dishes that are meatless, eggless and devoid of dairy products. Sarakosti: Also a term used to describe Lenten meals (referring to the 40-day period).

Get into the spirit of the ‘fast’ with a Lenten feast

During the Lenten period, diners who are avoiding fish will find plenty to enjoy with Lenten tables positively oozing with tastebud-tempting treats, culled from the tradition of abstention. A wealth of vegetable, grain, and seafood dishes abound and this meatless period offers the possibility to rediscover traditional recipes and cleansing customs.

Fresh from the net

Fish traditionally is not allowed, but all manner of shellfish are. Octopus, squid, and mussels are favourites, and there is a wealth of regional preparations for each, including deliciously aromatic octopus stews; squid or cuttlefish stewed with spinach; octopus cooked with short pasta; mussel pilaf; and much more.

The taramosalata, freshly homemade with the finest white fish roe and virgin olive oil is a traditional appetiser during Lent as are tangy sea urchin salads with lemon and olive oil dressing.

Cooked over a stove-top

Indeed, one of the greatest legacies of the Lenten table is the array of mageirefta or ladera dishes - these include preparations such as lentil and other bean soups, chickpeas stewed with onions, garlic and olive oil, white bean and giant bean casseroles perfumed with herbs, tomatoes, and greens.

Lenten desserts

Halva is by far the most popular Lenten sweet, and in Greece it comes in many versions either with tahini (sesame paste) and sometimes studded with nuts and raisins, or marbled with chocolate.

The home-cooked version is made with semolina flour, olive oil, water, sugar syrup and a sprinkling of nuts. •

The Lenten menu is crammed with such full flavours and inspired combinations that it promises to tempt fasters and non-fasters alike to fast away.

87

Woo Woo, Patriarchou Ioakeim & Ploutarchou.

For reservations, call 694.494.5471.

Wooing Athenians with tastes from the Far East If you’re looking for an authentic but not tacky, classy yet not pretentious, restaurant for your khimchi and miso fix, Woo Woo promises just that.

Seasoned restaurateurs Yiannis Morakis and Takis Didaskalou’s latest foray in a long line of extremely successful Asiantilted eateries around Kolonaki (Peruvianfusion Nikkei, Japanese-inspired Izakaya to name a few) transports you to Korean street markets and Thai food stalls with all the flavor, minus the grime.

“Woo Woo,” Takis insists, “is a familystyle, all-day restaurant with comfort food, designed for sharing.” The dishes are almost all wok-based, with Chinese, Korean, Thai and Japanese influences.

Chef Stamatis Skriapas (of Cavo Tagoo and Kiku) helms the kitchen and serves a small but satisfying menu geared to satisfy your Asian cravings – everything from the barbecued Korean-style grilled lamb chops to Chinese dim sums to the more refined Thai lobster ceviche with mango to that Japanese staple, calamari tempura with ponzu sauce – one addictive flavour bomb after another, oozing largesse and generosity.

Located just above Malconi’s, at the same venue that housed Cabaret for decades, at the intersection of the bustling Patriarchou Ioakeim and Ploutarchou streets, Woo Woo is a contemporary interpretation of Asian architecture and design with minimalist details. Asymmetrical bamboo light fixtures adorn its impressively high ceilings and even the landscaping is spot on.

Expect to pay around 11 to 18 euros for mains (except the pricier Black Angus rib eye) and between 3 and 7 euros for sides and desserts. Wash it all down with some inspired cocktails and live music (in this case, a delightfully pleasant surprise!). •

#FOOD & DRINK_review Frankie, Skoufa 42, Kolonaki, Tel. 210.364.7052, frankierestaurant.gr

Italian and Greek hospitality has much common ground. Now, the pioneering foodie entrepreneurs who brought Nice n Easy to Greece - Dimitris Christoforidis and Christos Athanasiadis - have opened a new venture that channels this harmony in the spirit of New York’s best “Little Italy” eateries.

With a cosy rustic aesthetic, nostalgic vintage mood and fulsome menu that manages to be both traditional and daring, Frankie, on the former site of Rosebud on Skoufa, is perfectly poised to capitalize on the current appetite for honest cuisine.

The style of the kitchen is inspired by those in central Italy. There’s a fragrant wood-burning oven on the ground floor and an open kitchen on the second floor that makes fresh pasta in front of you.

Employing the same farm-to-table sustainable cooking philosophy of Nice n Easy, Frankie’s menu is a tempting call sheet of old-world recipes and some reinterpreted Sicilian classics such as pasta bolognese with Barolo wine and truffle pecorino; buckwheat meatballs with peperoncino and parmesan; and black angus tagliata.

Frankie is open in the mornings to service the discerning Kolonaki Breakfast Club set with aromatic coffees and a moreish range of Italian snacks and authentic antipasti such as mozzarella, rocket and prosciutto on piadina - Italian flatbread - or squid with pesto, red quinoa and avocado.

Meanwhile, their open-faced sandwiches are the bomb! (we highly recommend the ciabatta with avocado puree, smoked salmon and horseradish).

Expect to pay between €13-18 for pasta dishes; from €9-14 for pizzas and €16-25 for mains. • athens insider

89

www.athensinsider.com

Frankie Goes to Kolonaki

Plateia Filomousou Etairias 3, Plaka Tel. 210.3241193

Introducing not just exquisite French fare, but a whole new revolutionary dining concept, that of a ‘cave à manger’, L’Audrion offers a fresh twist on the wine bar experience, where you can savour impressive wines and sample from deli-style food menus.

#FOOD & DRINK_review

When Marie-Laure Bocabarteille, (living in Greece since 2013 and loyal subscriber of Athens Insider and Bonjour Athenes), scouted around for a venue to showcase wines from her native France, Plaka wasn’t the first choice. But as all serendipitous coincidences, not only did Marie-Laure’s original idea of a wine cellar morph into a restaurant once she met Chef Alain Parodi, she set up base in the heart of Athens’ tourist district, instead of her initial choice of suburban Nea Erytrea.

L’Audrion offers a refreshing break from the plethora of tourist traps with mediocre offerings that abound in Plaka.

A combination of the names of MarieLaure’s daughters, Audrey and Marion, L’Audrion presents a stunning selection of wines that can be bought at house prices and a mouth-wateringly wide array of France’s finest charcuterie, cold cuts and cheese. Insider recommends that you stock up on the paté and homemade terrine – rustic France at its most authentic. If you’re peckish, the menu boasts of classic French bistro morsels: foie gras, beef tartar, boudin or blood sausages, escargots a la bourguignonne, pork with sour choucroute and, of course other Gallic staples such as succulent beef cheeks with homemade puree, and some less-French fare such as the absolutely delectable risotto with lemon zest and truffle.

Within just two months of opening, L’Audrion is packed to the gills, even on weekdays and their Sunday brunches are proving to be hugely popular. Marie-Laure hopes to pass on her love for the French grape through wine appreciation classes at the cellar with sommelier Georgios Marthalamakis on a regular basis. • athens insider

91

www.athensinsider.com

Join the French Revolution at L’Audrion

New Taste Sensations With more and more innovative and internationally-flavoured culinary ventures opening in the capital each month – and catering for every appetite and budget - Athens has never tasted better. We round up 12 of the city’s hottest new dining addresses for you to make a date with.

Italus

Don’t let the focus here on street food – Greek and Italian to be precise -mislead you. Here is an inviting gourmet hub, with the feel of an “indoor garden”, where you’ll stop by for a speedy caffeine fix but feel inspired to linger instead over chef Gabriel Nikolaidis’ sinfully good nosh or a relaxed after-work tipple. Highly-rated come Italus’ morning offerings of an open croissant with fried egg, avocado and feta, as well as the bagel with prosciutto and panino. The classic sweet cannolo gets a delicious do-over here, filled instead with beef from Drama, caramelized onions and cheddar. Pizzas meanwhile resemble a crispy double tortilla stuffed with a mixture of cheese and adorned with sausages, cheeses, eggs, whatever your heart desires. And we haven’t even started yet on how great the desserts are..!

Eleutherios Venizelos, Kallithea Tel. +30 210.951.2341

Italus

Flamingo Drinks & Food Stories

Mama Fuga – Holy Garden

This truly lovely garden oasis, lying discreetly in wait next to the Megaron, is a real Insider’s secret. Italian soul food is the star of the menu, thanks to chef Fabrizio Buliani who cooks what he knows best: ravioli, burrata, seafood, porcini mushrooms - all with joyful splashings of olive oil. Buliani’s collaborators are Xavier Misailidis (Holy Spirit fame) along with Ilias Marinakis, Diamantis Iliadis, and Stelios Raltos. You’ll find Holy Spirit “tikistyle” staples on the cocktail list, while satisfying cognac and rum tipples are also class pets.

Vasilissis Sofias and 1 Petrou Kokkali, Megaron, Ampelokipoi Tel. +30 210.7242979.

A much in-demand Pangrati newcomer that is charming foodies of all persuasions with its creative, fresh fare and light-flooded interior. Flamingo’s forte is the front end of the day: they serve excellent breakfasts, brunches and quick lunches (their gourmet burgers and egg variations rarely disappoint).

All at reasonable prices.

22 Effranoros st. Tel +30 211 410 4639

Flamingo Drinks & Food Stories

#FOOD & DRINK_review

333 Chef’s & Workshop Theme Restaurant

Witness Gourmet Athens’ multi-tasking prowess at this new proposition on international foodie hub Nikis Street. A chilled all-day hang for delicious “fusion cuisine” delights built on seasonality, under the helm of head chef Nikos Mikropoulos and his team of five accomplished chefs.

Wake up to the day with exotic indigenous coffee blends from Ethiopia or Costa Rica and a New Orleans beignet; brunch on pancakes or a ripper of a steak sandwich; while Happy Hour may see you imbibe on a cool cocktail enlivened with Grandma’s Jams from Ikaria.

33 Nikis st. and 3 Nikodimou st.

Tel. +30 690 752 6839

333 Chef’s & Workshop Theme Restaurant

Farma Bralou Steak Bar

A new farm-to-fork set-up where you can savour expertly-aged cuts (some for as long as 120 days) of premium cattle like Greek Angus Purebred, Limousin and Charolais. Take your pick from their top-drawer carnivorous stash and have it expertly-cooked at more or less the same price as they sell it at their Bralou Farm butcher in the same street. Not a big fan of the red flesh? Bralou also serves “exotic” poultry such as pheasant, partridges and quails. Meanwhile, your chosen protein fix comes with very moreish mash or fries.

12 Milioni and Irakleitou, Kolonaki, Tel. +30 210.364.5050

Reloaded: 42 Barstronomy

An updated downtown favourite that is every bit as good in the hands of its new resident mixologist Spyros Kerkyras.

Mainstream cocktail tastes are well catered for here, but the most fun by far is to be had by throwing yourself at the mercy of Spyros’ creative concoctions such as the Liza Banana ball (with Metaxa 12 *, pineapple and baked coffee, banana oil, coconut water, peanut butter powder and kefir-lam leaves!) or the White Truffle Negroni with Rosalio di Bergamotto bergamot, Tanqueray No10 Gin, dry vermouth, white truffle and Campari jelly, served with carbonated rimole chocolate and lemon pepper). Chef Stamatis Marmarinos holds his own with delicious classic bar food. (We cast our vote for the cheese tempura with honey, vegetable chips, and avocado cream).

3 Kolokotroni, Syntagma, Tel. 698.750.9709

Papillon Bistrot Athens

An ultra-appealing, all-day bar & restaurant venture that magnificently channels the bistro culture of Paris and New York from yesteryear. Papillon, in the northern suburb of Neo Psychiko, on throbbing Kifissias Ave, is no mere neighbourhood joint. The dishes are eclectic and satisfying (from the rich steak tartare and the duck papardelle with shaved parmesan to the potato gnocchi with grilled mushrooms and sweet gorgonzola); while both the service and attention to aesthetic detail and period ambience are impeccable (Papillon is the creation of Minas Kosmidis Architecture in Concept who made a retrospective study of European and American bistros from the Belle Epoque to Jazz Age).

Leave room for the lighter than air Gateau a la Nougatine!

Kifisias Ave. 242 & Solomou 1, Faros Psichikou Tel. +30 21 0674 4441

www.athensinsider.com

Papillon Bistrot Athens

athens insider

93

#FOOD & DRINK_review

Trap Mezen

Monsieur Cannibale

Pangrati’s considerable stable of gastrotemptations has been boosted with the arrival of Monsieur Cannibale – a modern cuisine offering that’s fast becoming a brunch champion (as well as a reliably good spot for dinner and coffees). Their creatively original cocktails and cut-above pizzas are earning them star reviews and a loyal fan base.

2 Profitou Ilia sq., Tel. +30 21 0752 6130

Monsieur Cannibale

A happy culinary union as the kitchen of Trap in Athens teams up with Volos-based MeZen, resulting in a melodic pairing of high-quality meze, Greek spirits and classic cocktails re-interpreted with Greek ingredients. The morning shift sees Trap function as a café, while from 1-7pm, happy hour ignites early with gourmet meze (think shark ceviche) enhanced by a light cocktail or zingy tsipouro. Sunday brunch is all about traditional Greek dishes with interesting tweaks (tomato beef stew sandwiches).

10 Othonos, Syntagma, Tel. +30 210.321.5561

Cherchez la Femme

Honest bites from the sea and land at great prices are the name of the game at this homey Greek bistrot with the welcoming vibe of yia-yia’s high-ceilinged living room. Chef Andreas Lagos’ succinct menu abounds with quality local ingredients from around Greece: traditional loukoumi from Syros, Naxian fried potatoes, meatballs and ladotyri cheese from Smyrni served with lemon marmalade. Imbibe on bottled tsipirou from Zacharia, Pyros, and Kardasi while you contemplate their scrumptious retro cake options such as the chocolate-baked Alaska with red berries.

46 Mitropoleos, Syntagma, Tel. +30 210.322.2020

7 Cactus Street Deli

A cornucopia of Greek delicacies that adds up to a culinary roadmap of succulent tastes and textures from different corners of Greece. At this popular Koukaki hangout, you’ll encounter an ever-changing menu of gourmet tarts, sandwiches and deli dishes to transform your brunch and lunch prospects. Here’s but a sampling: corn bread with caramelized onion, Evritania, Naxos Graviera & tomatini; meatballs with ouzo, mint and Syros Parsley Salad; or potato salad with prickly pear, sundried tomato and herbs. A lovely garden space completes the package.

7 Dimitrakopoulou st. Tel. +30 21 3045 2865

Crust Athens

What’s not to like about a venue devoted to the art of the perfect pizza? Crust elevates the world’s most famous street food with a thin and crispy base that’s the perfect companion to a well thoughtout range of toppings. Stay classic with their excellent Maggie (tomato sauce, mozzarella and cherry tomatoes) or the Bud Spencer (prosciutto, rocket and parmesan peel). Or go Full Flavour with the more inventive options such as the Foghorn (roasted chicken, coconut milk, marinated broccoli, sweet onion and parmesan) or the much in-demand Shroom with truffles, wild mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and parmesan. Crust also hosts regular music nights in their buzzy basement and is a welcome arrival for Psyrri’s high-octane night owls.

13 Protogenous, Psyrri, Tel. +30 210.325.7179

7 Cactus Street Deli

Hoocut, Pl. Agia Irini 9, Tel. 210.324.0026, hoocut.gr

It’s souvlaki. But not as we know it. The five chefs of Cookoovaya have teamed up once more to elevate Greece’s most famous “junk food” into a high-quality taste experience.

Hoocut, the new venture of Pericles Koskinas, Kleomenis Zournatzis, Nikos Karathanos and the brothers Spyros and Vangelis Liakos, opened its doors in buzzy Agia Irini Square just last month and is built on the same “wise cuisine” philosophy that has earned Cookoovaya its place as one of the capital’s finest and most engaging culinary experiences.

In a neoclassical space, the food entrepreneurs have created an open market with three adjoining elements: bakery, butcher’s shop and grocery store which all work together to provide the raw materials for the delicious charcoalcooked souvlakis and gyros that get prepared on a central heated table in the center of the store and wind up in your hand a little later.

In this sense, you get to witness the entire manufacturing process of your street food encounter: the making of the dough, the managing of the vegetables, the grilling of the meat (either chicken, pork, lamb or beef). It’s fast food that feels not the least bit hurried.

A final note on size. Bigger is not better here. Hoocut have pledged to restore Greece’s national dish, so often seen bursting out of its wrappings, to its purest form, “in the right size” and “in prime freshness with the finest cuts of meat” and enhanced with homemade sauces.

The end result? A street food fix that’s even better than the sum of its parts. • athens insider

95

www.athensinsider.com

Redefining the Humble Souvlaki at Hoocut

shopping

DEPT. STORES

DELI

JEWELLERY

Athens Metro Mall Vouliagmenis Avenue 276, Tel: 210.976.9444 Shops, cinemas and food Attica Panepistimiou 9, Tel: 211.180.2600 Home to an array of luxury goods Golden Hall Kifissias 37A, Tel: 210.680.3450 131 high-end (and high-street) stores for anyone with a passion for fashion.

McArthurGlen Building Block E71, Yalou, 19004, Spata, Tel: 210.663.0830, 210.663.0840 Designer Outlet Shopping Centre The Mall Athens Andrea Papandreou 35 Tel: 210.630.0000 Shops, cinemas and food

Arapian Evripidou 41, Monastiraki, Tel: 210.321.7238 Old-style butcher shop offering cured meats Bahar Evripidou 31, Monastiraki, Tel: 210.321.7225 Well-known herb haven Cava Anthidis Patriarchou Ioakeim 45, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.725.1050 Comprehensive wine and liquor wholesalers Cellier Kriezotou 1d, Syntagma, Tel: 210.361.0040 Kifissias Ave. 369, Tel: 210.801.8756 Syngrou Ave. 320, Tel: 210.453.3551 Stockists of premium wines and spirits Kostarelos Patr. Ioakeim 30-32, Tel: 210.725.9000 Great selection of cheese and Greek goodies Kylix Karneadou 20, Tel: 210.724.5143 Quality picks from the world’s best vineyards Marks & Spencer Food Ermou 33-35, Athens, Tel: 210.324.0675 Vouliagmenis Av. 85, Glyfada, Tel: 211.012.4968 Lazaraki 13, Glyfada, Tel: 210.894.3147 Pentelis Av. 23, Vrilissia, Tel: 211.012.5381 Miran Evripidou 45, Tel: 210.321.7187 Sausages, pastrami & cured meats Provence Posidonos 80, Tel: 210.898.1435 Gourmet French delicatessen Salamat Korinthias 24, Athens, Tel: 210.779.6766 Sorpresa Italiana Kiriazi 6-8, Tel: 210.801.7886 Authentic fresh Italian pasta, sauces, truffles & more Stefanidis Finest Foods Dimitrios Sq 13, Tel: 210.808.2191 Excellent European delicatessen Varsos Kassaveti 5, Kifissia, Tel: 210.801.2472 Milk products & patisserie Wine Garage Xenokratous 25, Tel: 210.721.3175 Browser-friendly cava with helpful service

Apriati Pindarou 29, Tel: 210.360.7878 Smartly designed jewellery for the young Elena Votsi Xanthou 7, Tel: 210.360.0936 Conversation pieces in gold and stone Fanourakis Patriarchou Ioakim 23, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.721.1762, Unique collection of animal and insect pins & earrings Folli Follie Tsakalof 6 & Solonos 25 Kolonaki, Tel: 210.323.0739 Greece’s high-street export stocks watches and everyday bijoux Omega Voukourestiou 2, Kolonaki Tel: 210.322.7682 Elegant boutique showcasing the brand’s timeless timepieces Van Cleef & Arpels Voukourestiou 1, Kolonaki Tel: 210.331.0319 The jeweller of the international jetset Bulgari Voukourestiou 8, Kolonaki Tel: 210.324.7118 Opulent designs in jewellery, watches & accessories Cartier Voukourestiou 7, Tel: 210.331.3600 Two floors of designs & timepieces by the prestigious Cartier maison Chopard Stadiou 2 & Vas. Georgiou Tel: 210.325.0555 Legendary time pieces and jewellery Ilias Lalaounis Panepistimiou 6, Tel: 210.361.1371 Fabulous gold designs by famous Greek jeweller Kessaris Panepistimiou 7, Tel: 210.323.2919 Wide range of luxury brand timepieces Marathianakis Karagiorgi Servias 4 (Stoa Kalliga), Tel: 210.362.7118 & 210.322.2424 Old-world shop known for its original & elegant designs Pentheroudakis Voukourestiou 19, Tel: 210.361.3187 Timeless pieces inspired by classical Greek design Zolotas Panepistimiou 10, Tel: 210.360.1272 Designs inspired by the ancient Greece as well as contemporary collections by designers like Paloma Picasso

VINTAGE

SPAS

BOOKSTORES

Anamnesia Athens International Airport Departure Terminal, Tel: 210 3533104 Matogianni, Myconos, Tel: 2289 079171 anamnesia.gr Acropolis Museum Shop 15 Dionysiou Areopagitou, Tel: 210.900.0911 Benaki Museum Shop Koumbari & Vas. Sofias Tel: 210.367.1045, benakishop.gr Forget me not Adriannou 100, Plaka Tel: 210.325.3740 forgetmenotathens.gr Greece is for Lovers Valtetsiou 50 - 52, Kolonaki Tel: 210.924.5064 greeceisforlovers.com Tongue-in-cheek souvenirs for the discerning traveller It’s all, oh so souvenir to me!

Concierge Athens, Ay.Theklas 8, Psirri, Tel: 213.036.9266 More than 50 Greek designers’ unique, new imaginative and unexpected ideas that re-define the souvenir ohsosouvenir.com Kori Mitropoleos 13, Monastiraki, Tel: 210.323.3534 Traditional & contemporary jewellery Museum of Cycladic Art Shop Neophytou Douka 4, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.722.8321-3

Amerikaniki Agora Athinas 30, Monastiraki 1st-2nd Floor Tel: 210 3217876 Bohbo Ippokratous 40 & Didotou, Exarhia, Tel: 210.338.9202 Gouadeloupi Protogenous 12, Psyrri, Tel: 697.852.3933 Like Yesterday’s Protogenous 16, Monastiraki Tel: 216.700.4810 Vintage clothes mainly from the United States Mofu Sarri 28, Psyrri, Tel: 210.331.1922 Vintage and contemporary style home décor and furniture Paliosintheies Protogenous 8, Psyrri, Tel: 210.656.0574 Vintage home décor and furniture Retrosexual Vintage Shop Aghias Eirinis 3, Monastiraki Tel: 210.545.1553 Great collection of merchandise ranging from the ‘20s to the ‘90s Sofita Iraklidon 35, Thissio Tel: 210.346.9904 Yesterday’s Bread Kallidromiou 87-89, Tel: 210.881.1233 Imported second-hand clothes; individuality guaranteed

Ananea Spa Life Gallery Hotel 103 Thisseos Ave., Ekali, Tel: 211.106.7400 GB Spa at Hotel Grande Bretagne Vasileos Georgiou 1, Syntagma Sq, Tel: 210.333.0799 Hiltonia Spa Vas.Sofias 46, Tel: 210.728.1000 I-Spa InterContinental Athenaeum Athens, Syngrou Avenue 89-93, Tel: 210.920.6000 Olive Tree Spa Hatzigianni Mexi 4, Hilton Tel: 210 724.4425 Orloff Spa Astir Beach Apollonos 40, Vouliagmeni Tel: 210.896.0028

Compendium Alikarnassou 8, Athens, Tel: 210.383.2139, 210.322.1248 Ianos Stadiou 24, Athens, Tel: 210.321.7917, 231.022.1113 Lea Books Sina 60, Kolonaki, Tel: 211.012.0547 Le livre ouvert Solonos 77, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.362.9703 Lexikopoleio Stasinou 13, Tel: 210.723.1201 Ouranio Toxo Perikleous 41, Ag.Paraskevi, Tel: 211.184.6771 Polyglot Akadimias 84, Tel: 210.330.0455 Public Karageorgi Servias 1, Syntagma, Tel: 210.818.1333 S. Karagiorga 4 & Lazaraki, Glyfada, Tel: 210.898.4300, The Mall and Golden Hall, Maroussi, Tel: 210.630.0410 Skoufa 3, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.338.7150 W H Smith Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos, Tel: 210.353.1080

www.athensinsider.com

SOUVENIRS

athens insider

97

partner hotels

Kallirois 32 & Petmeza, Neos Kosmos, Tel: 210.921.5353

ATHENS ATHENAEUM INTERCONTINENTAL ATHENS 543 rooms with renovated Deluxe rooms and suites. Dedicated business centre facilities and 3.500 m2 of extensive & flexible meeting space. New I-Spa and renovated gym. Award winning restaurants.

Syngrou 89-93, Neos Kosmos, Tel: 210.920.6000 ATHENIAN CALLIRHOE HOTEL 66 state-of the-art rooms, 15 executive rooms and 3 suites. The acclaimed Etrusco Restaurant serves top quality Mediterranean cuisine.

ATHENS ELECTRA PALACE HOTEL Located in historic Plaka beneath the Acropolis. Facilities include bar, restaurant, spa area with indoor swimming pool, business centre, garden and underground parking.

N. Nikodimou 18-20, Plaka, Tel: 210.337.0000 ATHENS HILTON 506 renovated rooms, two pools, convention facilities, business center, four restaurants, two bars and spa. The rooftop Galaxy Bar and Restaurant has gorgeous city views.

Vas. Sofias 46, Ilisia, Tel: 210.728.1000 COCO-MAT HOTEL COCO-MAT Hotel Athens is an understated luxury, design hotel that sits in the heart of Kolonaki and offers relaxing sleep, delicious homemade breakfast and selected services for its esteemed guests. 36 Patriarchou Ioakeim str., Tel: 210.723.0000 CIVITEL ATTIK A tranquil first-class business, sports and family hotel set in the leafy green suburb of Maroussi, with a swimming pool, conference facilities and spacious restaurant with terrace.

Eptalofou 13 – 15, Maroussi, Tel: 210.610.1000 CIVITEL OLYMPIC Right across the Olympic Stadium, it’s Superior Rooms and Junior Suites are fitted with modern amenities, from free minibar to free wifi internet access and interactive tv.

Kifissias 2A & Pantanassis, Maroussi, Tel: 210.680.1900

outdoor pool and sea views.

Agiou Panteleimonos, Vouliagmeni, Tel: 210.967.0000 CROWNE PLAZA Newly renovated, at a very convenient location attracts both business and leisure travellers.

Amenities include restaurant, bar, rooftop swimming pool, conference and business facilities, garage parking.

Michalakopoulou 50, Athens, Tel: 210.727.8000 DIVANI APOLLON PALACE & SPA Located seaside with a magnificent view of the Saronic Gulf. All rooms with balconies and sea views. Indoor and outdoor pools, boutiques, beauty parlor, business centre and spa.

Ag. Nikolaou 10 & Iliou, Kavouri Vouliagmeni, Tel: 210.891.1100 DIVANI CARAVEL Situated close to major tourist attractions with, rooftop restaurant and swimming pool.

Vas. Alexandrou 2, Kesariani, Tel: 210.720.7000 DIVANI PALACE ACROPOLIS Located at the base of the Acropolis and close to Plaka. Pool with bar, roof garden restaurant with Acropolis view.

Parthenonos 19-25 Makrigianni, Acropolis, Tel: 210.928.0100 GRANDE BRETAGNE This city landmark is part of Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

All 265 rooms and 56 suites are decorated with original artwork and antiques. Reception areas, ballrooms, roof garden with Acropolis view. Luxury spa, indoor and outdoor pools.

Syntagma Sq., Tel: 210.333.0000

COCO-MAT HOTEL NAFSIKA Located in Kifissia, the hotel offers an unforgettable experience thanks to COCO-MAT‘s unique sleep systems in its 22 guest rooms, power breakfast, bike ride and herb garden.

Pellis 6, Kifissia, Tel: 210.801.8027

HOLIDAY INN ATTICA AVENUE New five-star property on Attica Avenue linking Athens with the international airport. Stateof-the art conference facilities, restaurant, two bars, pool and fitness center.

40.2 km Attica Road, between exits 17 & 18, Spata, Tel: 210.668.9000

SOMEWHERE HOTEL A stylish and secluded Athens Riviera bolthole with 11 wellappointed rooms, set in the heart of the exclusive seaside suburb of Vouliagmeni with daily buffet breakfast, lounge area, elegant

HOLIDAY SUITES Elegant, all-suite hotel offering high standard accommodation.

Each suite provides guests with a separate living room and kitchenette.

Arnis 4, Ilissia, Tel: 210.727.8000

KEFALARI SUITES Turn-of-the-century hotel in Kifissia, part of YES! Hotels.

Themed suites with modern facilities.

Pentelis 1, Kifissia, Tel: 210.623.3333 KING GEORGE Situated in the heart of the city, it’s 102 guest rooms and suites are elegantly furnished and natural wood floors. Meeting & Conference spaces, restaurants with panoramic views.

Vas. Georgiou A’ 3. Syntagma Sq., Tel: 210.322.2210 LIFE GALLERY Modern architecture finds its expression in a minimalist designed building with discreet swimming pools, Zen gardens and ethnic elements. The hotel offers 29 spacious, luxury rooms, including 3 art studios and 2 suites and a spa and fitness centre.

Thiseos Avenue 103, Ekali, Tel: 211.106.7400 MELIÁ ATHENS Located in the heart of Athens with 136 luxury rooms, spacious dining areas, a modern health club and views of historic monuments.

Chalkokondili 14 & 28th Octovriou, Acropolis, Tel: 210.332.0100 NEW Designed by the Campana brothers, NEW, the latest venture of YES! Hotels has 79 luxury rooms, including 18 Studios and 6 Junior Suites. NEW Taste, is the Hotel’s innovative restaurant concept.

Filellinon 16, Syntagma, Tel: 210.3273000 NJV ATHENS PLAZA Boutique-style hotel with 182 rooms including 23 suites with breathtaking views of the Acropolis, ideally located in the heart of the business and shopping district within walking distance of Plaka.

2, Vas.Georgiou A’ St, Syntagma Sq., Tel: 210 3352400 NOVOTEL Located in the center of Athens.

Two Bars/Restaurants at outdoor Rooftop Pool & lobby area, play area, gym, free indoor parking, free Wi-Fi and panoramic view from the Roof Garden.

4-6 Michail Voda Street, Vathis Square, Tel: 210.820.0700

RADISSON BLU Set across from the lush groves of Pedion tou Areos park, this contemporary hotel is a 4-minute walk from Victoria metro station and 2.9 km from the Acropolis.

Alexandras Avenue 10, Athens, Tel: 210.889.4500

architectural charm. 16 ergonomically designed rooms and 5 loft suites. “21” Bar Restaurant for indoor and outdoor dining.

Kolokotroni 21, Kifissia, Tel: 210.623.3521

SEMIRAMIS YES! Hotel designed by Karim Rashid. 51 luxury rooms, 4 suites and 6 poolside bungalows. Ultratrendy bar-restaurant.

Harilaou Trikoupi 48, KefalariKifissia, Tel: 210.628.4400

AVA HOTEL & SUITES Luxurious apartments and suites in Plaka. Magnificent views of the Acropolis, Hadrian’s Arch and Zeus Temple. Short walk to Syntagma.

Lysikratous 9-11, Plaka, Tel: 210.325.9000

ST. GEORGE LYCABETTUS HOTEL Located in the upper part of Kolonaki, not far from the Lycabettus (Lykavittos) funicular railway. Excellent restaurant, Le Grand Balcon. Rooftop swimming pool.

Kleomenous 2, Dexamenis Square, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.741.6000 THEOXENIA PALACE HOTEL In an elegant neoclassical building, this hotel has a restaurant, gym, sauna and outdoor pool. Business centre, internet & conference facilities.

Filadelfeos 2, Kifissia, Tel: 210.623.3622 THE MARGI Boutique hotel with 90 spacious rooms and suites and great views to the sea and pine forests. Baku Restaurant offers a unique dining experience while Malabar and the Lobby lounge are perfect for a glass of champagne. Close to the lake, beach and tennis courts.

Litous 11, Vouliagmeni, Tel: 210.892.9000 ATHENS WAS Urban adventure, daring design, original architecture, energetic social hub and stylish comfort, AthensWas’ 21 rooms all feature verandas to take in a truly authentic Athenian experience.

Dionysiou Areopagitou 5, Tel:210.725.4871 TWENTY ONE A member of YES! Hotels.

Modern design and simple athens insider

99

MARILIA HOTEL An excellent choice for business and leisure travellers. 100 renovated rooms and suites with great sea views, meeting and banqueting facilities, outdoor swimming pool.

Ag. Nikolaou 13 Vouliagmeni, Tel: 210.899.0391 FRESH HOTEL Situated in the heart of old Athens within walking distance of the Plaka. Enjoy the Orange Bar, rooftop restaurant and pool.

Sophocleous 26 & Klisthenous, Omonoia, Tel: 210.524.8511 HERODION A mere 289 metres from the Acropolis and 85 metres from the Acropolis Museum. 90 guest rooms, Atrium restaurant and rooftop bar, Point a.

Rovertou Galli 4, Makrigianni, Tel: 210.923.6832 HOTEL ELECTRA Within walking distance from all archaeological sites, business and commercial districts. Includes bar, restaurant, lobby and meeting areas.

Ermou 5, Syntagma Sq., Tel: 210.337.8000 PERISCOPE HOTEL 17 rooms, 4 junior suites and a super-lux penthouse suite. Part of YES! Hotels.

Haritos 22, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.729.7200 PHILIPPOS Recently refurbished, all 50 rooms are well-appointed and comfortable. Within walking distance to the Acropolis.

Mitseon 3, Acropolis, Tel: 210.922.3611-4

GB Concierge recommends: Eat New: Farma Bralou Classic: Mani Mani Alternative: 42 Barstronomy Drink New: Toyroom Club Classic: Rock ‘n’ Roll Alternative: Barreldier Do New: Money. Tangible symbols in Ancient Greece Cycladic Art Museum Classic: Hellenic Cosmos Tholos Alternative: Withdrawal Nikos Lagos Zoumboulakis Gallery

www.athensinsider.com

SOFITEL ATHENS AIRPORT Airport hotel. Executive floor, business center and conference facilities. Two bars and two restaurants. Health club and covered swimming pool.

Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, Spata, Tel: 210.354.4000

A CATEGORY

COSTA NAVARINO The Westin Resort Costa Navarino Inspired by old Messinian mansions, its 445 deluxe rooms, suites, 123 with private infinity pools, offer access to an extensive common pool areas, and reflect Westin’s soothing aesthetic.

Navarino Dunes Costa Navarino, Pilos Messinia, Tel: 27230.95000 THE ROMANOS, A LUXURY COLLECTION RESORT 289 exquisitely appointed rooms and 32 suites with individual infinity pools. Traditional Greek design with contemporary touches.

Navarino Dunes Costa Navarino, Pilos Messinia, Tel: 27230.96000 EVIA THERMAE SYLLA wellness hotel Voted one of the ten best spas in the world, it has 101 rooms, 7 Suites and 1 presidential suite with an incredible sea view. 2 restaurants offer traditional Mediterranean cuisine Posidonos 2, Edipsos, Evia, Tel: 22260.60100 KAVALA IMARET HOTEL A masterfully-restored 19th century palace with 21st century luxuries set amid 3,000 square metres of tranquil gardens, with city and sea views. Highlights: lavish afternoon teas and an original hamam offering exotic bathing rituals and massages.

Pavlidou 30, Kavala, Tel: 25106.20151 NAFPLIO OPORA COUNTRY LIVING A classy countryside retreat with cosy French contemporary-style farmhouse accommodation, tenminutes from the attractions of romantic Nafplio. Outdoor infinity pool, fireplaces and kitchenettes in rooms, organic breakfasts and on-site olive harvests and wine tastings available.

Pirgiotika, Nafplio, Tel: 27520.22259 PARNASSOS ELATOS RESORT A sociable vibe, beautiful forest setting and excellent leisure facilities with 39 homes (including indoor pool and chic Club House) define this classic alpine resort, well located for the popular Parnassos ski centre.

Nature hikes, yoga workshops and family-themed weekends are also regularly on offer.

Eptalofos - Agoriani, Tel: 22340.61162 METSOVO THE GRAND FOREST Tucked away in a pristine pine forest strewn with walking trails is the Grand Forest retreat, located at a lofty 1,350 feet and prized for its state of the art wellness spa and the culinary excellence of chef Ettore Botrini’s menu.

Metsovo, Tel: 26563.00500 ELATOCHORI SEMELI A short 5 km from the ski retreat of Elatochori - enveloped by forests of beech, oak and fir trees offering stunning Mt. Olympus views - is Semeli Resort. Here, the smell of crackling wood, gourmet cuisine, après-ski pampering and designer interiors (Philippe Starck chairs and earthy Bukhara rugs) awaits.

Kehagia, Elatochórion, Tel: 23510.82996 SANTORINI MYSTIQUE Mystique is an 18 villa hotel, designed by Frank Le Fevbre.

Mystique, Oia, Tel: 22860.71114 THE TSITOURAS COLLECTION Art and hospitality are graciously combined in the unique backdrop of a dramatic landscape.

Firostefani, Santorini, Tel: 22860.23747 VEDEMA Vedema has 45 rooms converted from a 100 year old neo-classical captain’s house and a private swiming pool for all the suites.

Vedema, Megalohori, Tel: 22860.81796 SANTO MARIS Oia Luxury Suites and Spa Santo Maris offers exquisite comfort in its 42 suites, 2 sprawling villas, 4 swimming pools, spa and gourmet restaurant in one of the world’s best-loved destinations.

Oia, Santorini, Tel: 22866.00630

GALLERIES A. Antonopoulou Art Aristofanous 20, Psyrri Tel: 210.321.4994 Artzone 42 42 Vas. Konstantinou, Athens, Tel: 210 725 9549 Astrolavos Dexameni Xanthippou 11, Kolonaki Tel: 210.729.4342 Astrolavos ArtLife Irodotou 11, Kolonaki Tel: 210.722.1200 Athens Art Gallery Glykonos 4, Dexameni Sq., Athens, Tel: 210 721 3938 Bernier/Eliades Gallery Eptachalkou 11, Thissio, Tel: 210.341.3935 (The) Breeder Gallery Iasonas 45, Metaxurgeio, Tel: 210.331.7527 Ekfrasi Gallery Valaoritou 9a, Tel: 210.360.7598 Eleni Marneri Galerie Lebessi 5-7& Porinou 16, Acropolis, Tel: 210.8619.488 EMST National Museum of Contemporary Art Kallirrois Av. & Amvr. Frantzi street, Athens, Tel: 210.924.2111- 3 Gagosian Gallery Merlin 3, Athens, Tel: 210.364.0215 K-Art Gallery Sina 54, Athens, Tel: 211.401.3877 Kalfayan Gallery Haritos 11, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.721.7679 Kapopoulos Fine Arts Varis - Koropiou Av. 94, Koropi Kourd Gallery Kassiani 2-4, Athens, Tel: 210.642.6573 Skoufa Gallery Skoufa 4, Kolonaki, athens insider

101

Tel: 210.360.3541 Stavros Mihaliaras Art 260 Kifissias & Diligianni, Kifissia Tel: 210.623.0928 Thanassis Frisssiras Gallery Kriezotou 7, Athens, Tel: 210.364.0288 The Eynard Mansion Aghiou Konstantinou 20 & Menandrou, Athens, Tel: 210.322.1335 Titanium Yiayiannos Vas. Konstantinou 44, Pangrati, Tel: 210.729.7644 Xippas Gallery Sofokleous 53D, Athens, Tel: 210.331.9333 Zoumboulakis Gallery Kolonaki Square 20, Kolonaki Tel: 210.360.8278, Kriezotou 6, Syntagma, Tel: 210.363.4454 CULTURAL VENUES Athinais Cultural Centre Astorias 34-36, Votanikos, Tel: 210.348.0000.

Formerly a silk factory, this space has been converted into a large cultural centre B&M Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts & Music Vas. Sofias 9 & Merlin 1, Athens, Tel: 210.361.1206 Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Centre 48 Armatolon-Klephton st., Athens, Tel: 210.643.9466 Megaron Mousikis (The Athens Concert Hall) Vas. Sofias Ave. & Kokkali, Tel: 210.728.2333 Live concerts, operas and other performances Michael Cacoyannis Foundation Piraeus 206, Tavros, Tel: 210.341.8550

THEATRES Badminton Theatre Goudi, Athens, Tel: 211.101.0020 Gialino Music Theatre Sygrou 143, N. Smyrni, Athens Tel: 210.9316.101-4 Pallas Theatre Voukourestiou 5, Athens, Tel: 210.321.3100 SITES Acropolis is open daily and entrance, includes archaeological sites. Tel: 210.321.0219 Ancient Agora was the heart of ancient Athens - the focus of political, commercial, administrative and social life for centuries. Byzantine Churches. many churches dating from the 11th and 12th centuries are found around the city.

Noteworthy examples include: Agios Eleftherios, next to the cathedral on Mitropoleos Street; Kapnikarea, halfway down Ermou Street from Syntagma; Agi Apostoli, Agora area south of Stoa of Attalos; and Agia Triada (Russian Orthodox church) on Filellinon Street.

Churches are open to the public on Sundays and holidays, also usually for daily prayers 7am1pm and 4-6:30pm. Dress soberly when visiting.

Technopolis (Gazi) a 19th century gas factory turned major cultural centre for performing arts and installation works. Pireos 100 & Ermou, Gazi. Tel: 210.346.1589.

Hadrian’s Arch a Roman arch that marked the boundary of ancient Athens and the new city. Located at the corner of Vas. Olgas and Amalias Avenues. Lykavittos Hill is the highest point in Athens.

Take the teleferique from the top of Ploutarchou St. Odeon of Herod Atticus built in 161 AD, this is where the Athens Festival takes place. Accessible for €1.50 and open daily from 8:30am. Panathenian Stadium Kalimarmaro was the site of the first modern Olympics in 1896.

Located at Vassileos Konstantinou and Agras, across from the National Garden. Pnyx Hill here,

for the first time in history, every citizen could vote, giving Pnyx the name the birthplace of democracy.

Close by is the beautiful Old Observatory. Presidential Palace formerly the Royal Palace, this building is used by the President of Greece to host dignitaries.

Irodou Attikou Street. Stoa of Attalos shopping arcade built in the 2nd century BC and totally reconstructed in the 1950s. TuesSun 8:30am-3pm. Admission to the Agora and museum €3.50.

Adrianou 24. Tel: 210.321.0185 Syntagma (Constitution Square) is the heart of the city and the best spot for new visitors to orient themselves. The Evzones, dressed in traditional uniforms, guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Parliament. The changing-of-the-guard ceremony takes place every hour. Temple of Olympian Zeus once the largest temple in ancient Greece, its ruins lie just behind Hadrian’s Arch. Mon-Sun 8am-7:30pm. €2.00. Vas. Olgas and Amalias Avenues, Tel: 210.922.6330.

Theatre of Dionysus built in the 5th century BC is where the plays of Aristophanes, Euripides, Aeschylus and Sophocles were first performed. Tower of Winds the octagonal tower, representing the eight directions of the wind, was built in the 1st century BC by the Syrian astronomer Andronicus. Mon-Sun 8am-7pm.

Just east of the Ancient Agora.

Tel: 210.324.5220.

MUSEUMS Agora Museum Located in the Stoa of Attalos, Athens. Tel: 210.321.0185 Atelier Spyros Vassiliou Webster 5A, Athens, Tel: 210.923.1502 spyrosvassiliou.org Athens University History Museum Tholou 5, Plaka, Tel: 210.368.9502 history-museum.uoa.gr Benaki Museum Koumbari 1 & Vas. Sofias Avenue, Athens, Tel: 210.367.1000, benaki.gr Benaki Museum of Islamic Arts Dipylou 12, Kerameikos.

Tel: 210.325.1311, benaki.gr Benaki Museum, Pireos Pireos 138 & Andronikou, Gazi Tel: 210.345.3111, benaki.gr Byzantine Museum Vas. Sofias 22, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.721.1027 Hellenic Cosmos Foundation of the Hellenic world

www.athensinsider.com

see & do

Onassis Cultural Centre Syngrou 107-109, Athens, Tel: 213.017.8000 Stavros Niarchos Foundation Syngrou 364, Kallithea Tel: 216.809.1000 The Art Foundation Normanou 5, Athens, Tel: 210.323.8757

JUST FOR KIDS Allou Fun Park Kifissou & Petrou Ralli, Ag. Ioannis Rentis, Tel: 210.425.6999, allou.gr Children’s Museum Kydathinaeon 14, Plaka, Tel: 210.331.2995 Goulandris Museum of Natural History Levidou 13, Kifissia, Tel: 210.801.5870, gnhm.gr Greek Folk Art Museum Daily Karaghiozis puppet shows!

Kydathinaeon 17, Plaka, Tel: 210.322.9031 Museum of Children’s Art Kodrou 9, Plaka, Tel: 210.331.2621, childrensartmuseum.gr Summit The Wall Sport Climbing Center Ag. Athanasiou 12, Pallini, Tel: 210.603.0093, summit.gr

Tel: 210.485.1100 Speedex Seneka 24, 15klm AthinonLamias, Kifissia Tel: 801.110.0011 UPS 4klm Peanias-Markopoulou Av., Koropi, Tel: 210.998.4000

useful info

Pireos 254, Tavros, Tel: 212.254.0000 hellenic-cosmos.gr Frissiras Vlassis Museum of Contemporary European Art Monis Asteriou 3-7, Plaka, Tel: 210.323.4678 frissirasmuseum.com Goulandris Foundation Museum of Cycladic Art Neofytou Douka 4, Athens, Tel: 210.722.8321, cycladic.gr Herakleidon Herakleidon 16, Thissio, Tel: 210.346.1981 Apostolou Pavlou 37, Thissio Tel: 211.012.6486, herakleidon-art.gr Ilias Lalaounis Jewellery Museum Karyatidon & Kallisperi 12, Makrygianni, Acropolis.

Tel: 210.922.7260, lalaounis.com Jewish Museum Nikis 39, Plaka,Tel: 210.322.5582 jewishmuseum.gr Kerameikos Museum Ermou 148, Monastiraki, Tel: 210.346.3552 National Archaeological Museum Patission 44, Athens, Tel: 210.821.7724 Numismatic Museum Panepistimiou 12, Athens, Tel: 210.363.5953, nma.gr The Acropolis Museum Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, Acropolis, Tel: 210.924.1043 theacropolismuseum.gr The National Art Gallery and Alexander Soutzos Museum Michalakopoulou 1 & Vas. Constantinou 1, Athens, Tel: 210.723.5857

BUSINESS SERVICES AUDIOVISUAL OTE Video conference service 7.30am-10pm. Patission 85, Tel: 210.883.8578, 210.822.0399 Commercial Office spaces, Regus Tel: 210.727.9000 Global Business Services Tel: 210.876.4876 Kifissias Ave. 90, Maroussi COURIER SERVICES ACS Asklipiou 25, Kryoneri Tel: 210.819.0000 DHL Tel: 210.989.0000 Express City S. Trikoupi 71, Athens Tel: 210.821.9959 Geniki Taxydromiki Kifissou 14, Renti,

DRIVING SCHOOLS IN ENGLISH Trochokinisi Driving School 28th Oktovriou 126, Ambelokipi, Thessaloniki, Tel: 2310.729.092 Driving School Highway Amfitheas and Ag. Triados 30, 175 64 P. Faliro, Tel: 210.988.8098, 699.772.2777 Vlachos Bros 25th Martiou 20, Peristeri; Xenofodos 17, Peristeri; Afroditis 39, Ilion Tel: 210.574.4895, 210.576.9190 RELOCATION SERVICES Allied Pickfords Mourouzi 7, Athens, Tel: 210.610.4494 Athens Relocation Centre Zakynthou 10, Glyfada Tel: 210.965.0697 Attica Movers Syngrou Ave. 19, Neos Kosmos, Tel: 210 922 7221 Celebrity International Movers Kapodistriou Ave. 102, Nea Ionia Tel: 210 272 0106 Corporate Relocations Athens Ag. Saranta 32, Nea Erithrea Tel: 210.800.3510 Orphee Beinoglou 27th km Old National Road Athens-Korinth Location Elefsinia, Elefsina Tel: 210.946.6100 Octopus Relocation Services Ygeias 7, Marina Zeas, Tel: 210.459.9530 TRANSLATIONS / INTERPRETING Global Business Services Kifisias 90, Maroussi, Tel: 210.876.4876 IBS - International Business Services Michalakopoulou 29, Kaissariani Tel: 210.724.5541 TRAVEL AGENCIES Travel Plan Christou Lada 3, Athens Tel: 210.333.300, travelplan.gr Amphitrion Kyprou 46 & Ploutarhou, Dafni Tel: 210.900.6000, amphitrionholidays.gr TravelPlanet24 Karagiorgi Servias 4, Syntagma Tel: 211 107 9684,

travelplanet24.com Mid-east Travel Vas Sofias 105-107, Ampelokipoi Tel: 211.211.8888, mideast.gr CULTURAL INSTITUTES French Institute Sina 31, 10680 Athens Tel: 210.339.8600 Hellenic American Union Massalias 22, 10680 Athens, Tel: 210.368.0900 British Council Kolonaki Square 17, 106 73 Athens, Tel: 210.369.2333 Instituto Cervantes Mitropoleos 23, 105 57 Athens, Tel: 210.363.4117 Goethe Institut Omirou 14-16, 100 33 Athens, Tel: 210.366.1000 Onassis Cultural Centre Syngrou Ave. 107-109, 117 45 Athens, Tel: 213.017.8000 Instituto Italiano di Cultura Patission (28 Oktovriou) 47, Tel: 210.369.2333, 210.524.2646 EMBASSIES ALBANIA Vekiareli 7, Filothei, Tel: 210.687.6200 ALGERIA Vas. Constantinou 14, Athens Tel: 210.756.4191-2 ARGENTINA Vas. Sophias 59, Athens Tel: 210.724.4158 ARMENIA K. Palaiologou 95, Athens, Tel: 210.683.1130, 210.683.1145 AUSTRALIA Kifisias & Alexandras, Ampelokipoi, Tel: 210.870.4000 AUSTRIA Vas. Sofias Av. 4, Athens, Tel: 210.725.7270 AZERBAIJAN Skoufa 10, Athens, Tel: 210.363.2721 BANGLADESH Marathonodromon 119, Palaio Psychiko, Tel: 210.672.0250 BELGIUM Sekeri 3, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.360.0314 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA Hatzikosta 3, Athens, Tel: 210.641.0788 BRAZIL Vassilis Sofias 23, Athens Tel: 210.721.3039 BULGARIA Stratigou Kallari 33A, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.674.8105 CANADA Eth. Antistaseos 48, Halandri, Tel: 210.727.3400

athens insider

103

Tel: 210.674.4161 KAZAKHSTAN Imittou 122, Papagou, Tel: 210.654.7765 KOREA Messoghion 2-4, Athens, Tel: 210.698.4080 KUWAIT Marathonodromon 27, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.674.3593 LEBANON 6, 25th Martiou, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.675.5873 LIBYA Vyronos 13, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.674.2120 LITHUANIA Vas. Sophias 49, Kolonaki Tel: 210.729.4356 LATVIA Vas. Konstantinou 38, Athens Tel. 210.729.4483 LUXEMBOURG Vas. Sofias 23A & Neofitou Vamva 2, Syntagma, Tel: 210.725.6400 MALTA V. Sofias 96, Athens, Tel: 210.778.5138 MEXICO Filikis Etaireias Sq. 14, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.729.4780 MOLDAVIA Georgiou Bacu 20, Filothei, Tel: 210.699.0660 MOROCCO Marathonodromon 5, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.674.4210 NETHERLANDS Vas. Konstantinou 5-7, Mets, Tel: 210.725.4900 NIGERIA Streit 17, Filothei, Tel: 210.802.1188 NORWAY Hatziyianni Mexi 5, Athens Tel: 210.724.6173 PAKISTAN Loukianou 6, Evaggelismos, Tel: 210.729.0122 PALESTINE Giassemion 13, P. Psychico, Tel.: 210.672.6061-3 PANAMA Praxitelous 192 & II Merarchias, Piraeus, Tel: 210.428.6441 PERU Semitelou 2, Athens, Tel: 210.779.2761 PHILIPPINES Antheon 26, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.672.1837 POLAND Chrysanthemon 22, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.679.7700 PORTUGAL Vas. Sofias 23, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.729.0096 / 210.723.6784 QATAR Perikleous 2 & Kifissias Av. 212, N. Psychico, Tel: 210.725.5031

ROMANIA Emm. Benaki 7, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.672.8875 RUSSIA Nikiforos Lytra 28, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.672.5235 SAUDI ARABIA Palaiologhou 2 & Agias Annis, Halandri, Tel: 210.671.6911 SERBIA Vas. Sophias 106, Athens, Tel: 210.777.4344 SINGAPORE Aigialias 17, Paradissos Amaroussiou, Tel: 210.684.5072 SLOVAK REPUBLIC G. Seferi 4, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.677.1980 SLOVENIA Kifissias Av. 280 & Dimokratias 1, N. Psychico, Tel: 210.672.0090091 SOUTH AFRICA Kifissias 60, Maroussi, Tel: 210.610.6645 SPAIN Dionysiou Areopagitou 21, Plaka, Tel: 210.921.3123 SWEDEN Vas. Konstantinou 7, Athens, Tel: 210.726.6100 SWITZERLAND Iasiou 2, Evaggelismos, Tel: 210.723.0364-6 TAIWAN Marathonodromon 57, Psychico, Tel: 210.677.5122 Representative office THAILAND Marathorodromon 25 & Kyprou, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.674.9065 TUNISIA Antheon 2, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.671.7590 TURKEY Vas. Georgiou B’ 8, Athens, Tel: 210.726.3000 UKRAINE Stephanou Delta 4, Filothei, Tel: 210.680.0230 UAE Kifissias Av. 290 & N. Paritsi 2, Tel: .210.677.0220 UK Ploutarchou 1, Athens, Tel: 210.727.2600 USA Vas. Sofias 91, Athens, Tel: 210.721.2951 URUGUAY Menandrou 1, Kifissia, Tel: 210.361.3549 VATICAN Mavili 2, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.674.3598 VENEZUELA Marathonodromon 19, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.672.9169 VIETNAM Yakinthon 50,Psychico,

Tel. 210.612.8733, 210.675.3080 EMERGENCIES EMERGENCY NUMBERS Ambulance Tel: 166 Doctors SOS Tel: 1016.

They will issue an invoice to claim reimbursement from your insurer.

Ipirou 1, Athens.

Duty Pharmacies Tel:1434 Also check newspapers for listings.

Emergency Hospitals Tel: 1434 Fire Brigade Tel: 199 Forest Fire Tel: 191 Poison Hotline Tel: 210.779.3777 Police Tel: 100 Tourist Police Tel: 171 Coast Guard Tel:108 Air Police Tel: 210.964.2000 ROAD ASSISTANCE ELPA Tel: 10400 Emergency Service Tel: 104 Express Service Tel: 154 Hellas Service Tel: 1057 Interamerican Tel: 1158 HEALTH PAEDIATRIC HOSPITALS EUROCLINIC PAEDON Lemessou 39-41 & Aharnon 209, Kato Patissia, Tel: 210.869.1900 PAEDON AGIA SOFIA HOSPITAL Mikras Asias and Thivon, Goudi, Tel: 210.746.7000 PAEDON AGLAIA KYRIAKOU HOSPITAL Livadias 3 and Thivon, Goudi, Tel: 210.772.6000 & 1535 PRIVATE HOSPITALS CENTRAL CLINIC OF ATHENS Asklipiou St. 31, Athens, Emergency number 1169 or Tel: 210.367.4000, centralclinic.gr EUROCLINIC Diagnostic, surgical and treatment centre. Athanasiadou 9, Athens, (near Mavili Sq.), Tel: 210.641.6600 EURODENTICA Specialized dental care Patision 150, Athens, Tel: 210.866.3367-8 Alamanas 3, Maroussi, Athens, Tel: 210.619.5760-1, El. Venizelou 162, Kallithea, Athens, Tel: 210.956.5365 YGEIA Kifissias & E. Stavrou 4, Maroussi, Tel: 210.686.7000, ygeia.gr IATRIKO KENTRO (ATHENS MEDICAL CENTER) Areos 36, P. Faliro, Tel: 210.989.2100-20

www.athensinsider.com

CHILE Rigilis 12, Athens, Tel: 210.729.2647 CHINA Krinon 2A, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.672.3282 CROATIA Tzavella 4, N. Psychico, Tel: 210.677.7033 CUBA Sofokleous 5, Filothei, Tel: 210.685.5550 CYPRUS Xenofontos 2A, Athens, Tel: 210.373.4800 CZECH REPUBLIC G. Seferi 6, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.671.9701 DENMARK Mourouzi 10, Athens, Tel: 210.725.6440 EGYPT Vas. Sofias 3, Syntagma, Tel: 210.361.8612 ESTONIA Messoghion 2-4, Ampelokipoi, Tel: 210.747.5660 FINLAND Hatziyianni Mexi 5, Athens, Tel: 210.725.5860 FRANCE Vas. Sofias 7, Syntagma, Tel: 210.339.1000 FYROM Papadiamanti 4, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.674.9585 GEORGIA Ag. Dimitriou 24, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.674.2186 GERMANY Karaoli & Dimitriou 3, Athens, Tel: 210.728.5111 HUNGARY Karneadou 25, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.725.6800 INDIA Kleanthous 3, Mets, Tel: 210.721.6481 INDONESIA Marathonodromon 99, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.674.2345 IRAN Stratigou Kallari 16, Patisia, Tel: 210.674.1436 IRAQ Mazaraki 4, Psychico, Tel: 210.677.8276 IRELAND Vas. Konstantinou 7, Mets, Tel: 210.723.2405 ISRAEL Marathonodromon 1, P. Psychico, Tel: 210.670.5500 ITALY Sekeri 2, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.361.7260 JAPAN Ethnikis Antistaseos 46, Halandri, Tel: 210.670.9900 JORDAN Papadiamanti 21. P. Psychico,

Distomou 5-7, Maroussi, Tel: 210.619.8100 METROPOLITAN HOSPITAL Ethnarou Makariou 9 & El. Venizelou, N. Faliro, Tel: 210.480.9000 metropolitan-hospital.gr IASO Kifissias 37-39, Maroussi, Tel: 210.618.4000 MITERA Kifissias & E. Stavrou 6, Maroussi, Tel: 210.686.9000 PUBLIC HOSPITALS ASKLEPIEION HOSPITAL Vas. Pavlou 1, Voula, Tel: 210.895.8301-4 EVANGELISMOS Ypsilantou 45-47, Kolonaki, Tel: 210.720.1000 KAT HOSPITAL Nikis 2, Kifissia, Tel: 210.628.0000 Specialized trauma unit.

TZANNEIO Afentouli & Tzani, Pireaus, Tel: 210.451.9411-9 ENGLISH MEDIA NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES Athens Insider, the quarterly magazine for Greece in English The International New York Times carries the English version of Kathimerini RADIO Athens International Radio 104,4 Good Morning Athens at 10am, English programs at 11am, music programs on weekdays at 9pm, weekends at 1pm.

Peiraios 100, Athens, Tel: 210.341.1610 SCHOOLS GREEK LANGUAGE The Athens Center 48 Archimidous Street, Mets, Athens 11636 Tel: 210.701.5242 CELT Athens 77 Academias Street, 106 78 Athens, Tel: 210.330.1455 Greek House Dragoumi 7, 145 61 Kifissia, Tel: 210.808.5186 Hellenic American Union 22 Massalias str., 106 80 Athens, Tel: 210.368.0900 Omilo Greek Language And Culture Panagi Tsaldari 13 (4th floor), 15122 Maroussi, Tel: 210.612.2706 INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS St Catherine’s British Embassy School Sofoklis Venizelou 77, Lykovrissi

Tel: 210.282.9750 St. Lawrence College Anemon St, Koropi, Tel: 210.891.7000 American Community Schools of Athens Aghias Paraskevis Ave. 129, Halandri, Tel: 210.639.3200 Byron College Filolaou 7, Gerakas, Tel: 210.604.7722 Campion School Aghias Ioulianis, Pallini, Tel: 210.607.1700 German School in Athens Dimokritou 6 & Germanikis Scholis Athinon Maroussi, Tel: 210 6199260-5 Greek German School 25 Martiou & Vernardou, Vrylissia, Tel: 210.682.0566 International School of Athens Xenias and Artemidos, Kifissia, Tel: 210.623.3888 Lycée Franco-Hellénique Eugène Delacroix Chlois & Trikalon, Ag. Paraskevi, Tel: 211.300.9121 Scuola Statale Italiana Odos Mitsaki 18, Ano Patissia, Tel: 210.228.2720 UNIVERSITIES University of Indianapolis Ipitou 9, Athens, Tel: 210.323.6647 DEREE Gravias 6, Aghia Paraskevi, Tel: 210.600.9800 ALBA Graduate Business School Athinas Ave. & Areos 2A, Vouliagmeni, Tel: 210.896.4531 Business College of Athens Tatoiou 2 & Othonos 77, Kifissia, Tel: 210.808.8008 INTERNATIONAL KINDERGARTENS ENGLISH KINDERGARTENS The Cottage Kindergarten Psaron 74, Halandri, Tel: 210.682.7629 Early Learning Rizountos 53, Elliniko, Tel: 210.961.8763 Hopscotch International Kindergarten Ag. Triandos 93, Vari, Tel: 210.965.3985 Learning Steps Ath. Diakou 81 & Ydras 5, Kifissia, Tel: 210.620.5818 Melina’s Kindergarten Harilaou Trikoupi 16, Kifissia Tel: 210.801.2719 Peek-a-boo PreSchool Vougliameni, Tel: 210.967.1970 Peter Pan Lakonias 4-6, Voula, Tel: 210.895.9654

Prince Allen The English Nursery School Lysimahou 8, Vari, Tel: 210.965.6800 FRENCH KINDERGARTENS Au petit bonheur 50 Iraklitou, Glyfada, Tel: 210 9658 207 Les Alouettes Spartis 36 & Harilaou Trikoupi, Kifissia, Tel: 210 80 11 570 Mary Poppins 4, Kodrou, Filothei, Tel: 210.677.3803 Paramythia Cycladon 11, Glyka Nera, Tel: 210.600.3196 Play and Learn Kassaveti 22, Kifissia, Tel: 210.801.1428 GERMAN KINDERGARTENS O mikros Antonis Barbayiannis, Pallini, Tel: 210.603.2527 ITALIAN KINDERGARTENS Scuola maternal italiana de Atene Mitsaki 18, Ano Patissia, Tel: 210.202.0274 Il Mulino magico Troados 23, Ag Paraskevi, Tel: 210.600.3148 LIBRARIES American School of Classical Studies Blegen Souedias 54, Athens, Tel: 210.723.6313 Athens College Library Stephanou Delta, P. Psychico Tel: 210.679.8100 Benakeios Library Anthimou Gazi 2, Athens, Tel: 210.367.1027 British Council Library Kolonaki Sq. 17, Kolonaki Tel: 210.363.3211/5 French Institute Library 31 Sina St, Athens, Tel: 210.362.4301 German Archaeological Institute Library Pheidiou 1, , Tel: 210.362.0270 Goethe Institute Library Omirou 14-16, Athens Tel: 210.360.8111 Hellenic American Union Greek Library Masalias 22 (7th floor), Athens, Tel: 210.362.9886 Italian Archeological Institute Library Parthenonos 14-16, Acropolis, Tel: 210921.4024 Italian Institut Library Patision 47, Omonia,

National Library Tzavella 25, Syntagma, Tel: 210.382.0657 Nordic Library 7 Kavalotti St, Makrigianni, Tel: 210.924.9210, 210.924.9211 MONEY LOST OR STOLEN CREDIT CARDS AMERICAN EXPRESS Tel: 210.324.4975 DINERS CLUB Tel: 210.929.0200 MASTERCARD Tel: 00.800.1188.703.03 VISA Tel: 00.800.1163.803.04 POST Post offices operate weekdays 8am-2.30pm.

The main post offices in Athens are located at SYNTAGMA SQUARE and OMONIA SQUARE at Aeolou 100 and open weekdays 7:30am-8pm, Sat 7:30am-2pm, and Sun 9am-1:30pm.

PHONE Country Code: 30 City Code: 210 International calls first dial 00, then the country code.

To call from a Public pay- phone buy a phone card at the kiosks.

Prepaid mobile phone cards (SIM cards) are available for €5 at kiosks, post offices, mini markets and mobile phone company stores.

AIRLINES Aegean Tel: 801.11.20000 Air France - KLM Tel: 210.998.0222 Air Malta Tel: 210.965.2300-22 Alitalia Tel: 210.998.8888 American Airlines Tel: 210.361.3373 Air Taxis (Helicopter and plane charters) Tel: 210.938.4149 British Airways Tel: 210.353.0453 Continental Tel: 210.353.4312 Cyprus Airways Tel: 210.353.4100 Easy Jet Tel: 211.198.0013 El Al Tel: 210.934.1500-1 Emirates Tel: 210.933.3400 Etihad Tel: 210.324.1010 Iberia iberia.com/gr Lufthansa Tel: 210.617.5200 Olympic Airways Tel: 801.801.0101 Qatar Airways Tel: 210.950.8700 Singapore Tel: 210.994.2567 Swiss / Crossair Tel: 210.617.5320 Tunisair Tel: 210.969.6496 Turkish Tel: 210.988.5700 AIRPORT Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport Spata. Tel: 210.353.0000, 210.353.1000. aia.gr 24 HOUR VIP TRANSPORT SERVICE WSW Skycap Services at Athens Airport provides Meet & Greet, Baggage Hauling and Transport Service. Tel: 210.353.0100, skycap.gr. For info about the public bus lines please check our section public transport.

CAR RENTAL Ada Rent-a-Car Tel:210.322.0087 Arena Tel: 210.894.6883, 210.614.7400 Auto Union Tel: 210.602.0162 Avis Tel: 210.322.4951 Budget Tel: 210.921.4771-3 Europcar Tel: 210.924.8810-8 Hertz Tel: 210.998.2000 Michael Stamou Luxury Rentals Tel: 210.922.2442/43 Sixt Rent-a-Car Tel: 210.570.6895, 210.922.0171 athens insider

105

LIMOUSINES AAA Royal Prestige Tel: 210.988.3221 Astra Limousine Service Tel: 210.922.0333/807.9996 Convecta Travel Agency & Limousine Services Tel: 210.322.5090 Limousines Kacaya Tel: 210.323.4120 PUBLIC TRANSPORT Combined tickets for metro, buses and trolleys (€1,40) are available from metro stations and central ticket booths, valid within 90 mins of validation for all public transport - except the airport service, which costs 8€.

EXPRESS BUS from/to airport X93 Kifisos Intercity Bus Station Athens Airport Express.

Direct Connection to the intercity bus (KTEL) terminals KIFISOS and LIOSION X95 Syntagma – Athens Airport Express. Direct Connection to Syntagma Square at Athens city center.

X96 Peiraias – Athens Airport Express. Direct Connection to Piraeus central passenger port terminals.

X97 Dafni Metro Station – Athens Airport Express. Direct Connection to DAFNI metro station.

Tickets available at the Arrivals Hall; validate on board. Fare is €6 One-way travel time estimates**: X93 (65’ min), X95 (70’ min), X96 (90’ min), X97 (70’ min).

For further information dial 185 or visit oasa.gr, ametro.gr.

For info on trains visit proastiakos.gr HELLENIC RAILWAYS ORGANISATION Karolou 1. Tel: 210.529.7002, ose.gr ATHENS METRO Line 1 (Piraeus-Kifissia) 5ammidnight, Line 2 (Anthoupoli-Elliniko) 5.30am-midnight, Line 3 (Aghia Marina-Doukissis Plakentias) 5.30am-midnight Line 3 (Aghia Marina-Airport) 5.30am-22.52pm and 06.30am23.30pm.

The last itinerary is 2 hours later

on Friday and Saturday night than it is during the week. ametro.gr TRAM Tram itineraries are only from Syntagma to S.E.F (in Neo Faliro) and from Syntagma to Asklipio Voulas. From Monday to Thursday, trams operate from 5am until midnight and non-stop from Friday morning to Sunday midnight. tramsa.gr TAXIS Taxis from the airport have a flat rate of €35 to Central Athens.

Between midnight and 5am double tariff applies.

Note: If you suspect that you have been overcharged, you can call the tourist police on 171.

INTERCITY BUSES Terminal 1: Buses for Igoumenitsa, Ioannina, Kavala, Loutraki, Patra, the Peloponese, and Thessaloniki.

Kifissou 100, Tel: 210.512.4910-1, ktel.org Terminal 2: Buses for Delphi, Evia, Galaxidi, Karpenisi, Katerini, Lamia, Livadia, Thiva and Volos.

Liosion 260.

For KTEL itineraries all over Greece call 14505.

RADIO TAXI Enotita Tel: 210.645.9000 Ermis Tel: 210.411.5200 Ikarus Tel: 210.515.2800 Kifissia Tel: 210.801.4000 Piraeus Tel: 210.418.2333 Radio Taxi Glyfada Tel: 210.960.5600 There is a booking fee of €2 added to the meter, and a €3,40 + VAT for a pre-arranged meeting.

For PET taxis there is an extra charge of €5.

SEAPORTS Lavrio Tel: 22920.27711, 22920.22089 Piraeus Tel: 210.422.6000-4 Rafina Tel: 22940.22300, 22940.28888 FERRIES Ferries run year-round. For information on seasonal schedules

Superfast Ferries superfast.com Daily departures, Greece - Italy: from Patras and Igoumenitsa to Ancona and Bari Head office: 23-125 Syngrou Avenue & 3 Torva Street 11745 Athens. Tel: 210.891.9000 Reservations: Athens: 210.891.9130 Thessaloniki: 2310.560.700 Hellenic Seaways hellenicseaways.gr Tel: 210 41 99 000 Anek Lines anek.gr Domestic lines: 210 41 97 420 International lines: 210 41 97 430 Minoan Lines minoan.gr Tel: 801 11 75 000 YACHT CHARTERS A1 Yacht Trade Consortium Akti Themistokleous 8, Marina Zeas, Piraeus, Tel: 210.458.7100 Ghiolman Yachts Filellinon 7, Syntagma, Tel: 210.323.3696 Northstar Poseidonos 9 & Achilleos, P. Faliro, Tel: 210.988.4000 PGA Shipping Posidonos 61, P. Faliro, Tel: 210.985.9400 Seahorse Alkyonidon 83 (Marina), Voula, Tel: 210.895.2212 Seascape Poseidonos Ave. 29, Alimos, Tel/Fax: 210.985.8301 Valef Yachts Pl. Chatzikonstanti 2, Piraeus, Tel:210.451.2010 Vernicos Yachts Posidonos 11, Kalamaki,Tel: 210.985.0122-8

www.athensinsider.com

getting around

contact a travel agent or call the Port Police on 210.422.6000 From the Port of Piraeus Northern and Eastern Aegean Islands: Gates A & B Chios, Ikaria, Lesvos, Samos, Dodecanese Islands: Gate E Kalymnos, Kos Leros, Patmos, Rhodes, Saronic Gulf Islands: Gates G & E Aegina, Hydra, Poros, Spetses, Crete: Gate A Aghios Nikolaos, Chania, Iraklio, Kastelli (Kissamos), Rethymno, Cycladic Islands: Gates B, G & D Astipalea, Folegandros, Kimolos, Kithnos, Milos, Serifos, Sifnos: Gate B Amorgos, Donoussa, Ios, Iraklia, Koufonissi, Mykonos, Santorini, Schinoussa, Syros, Tinos: Gates G&D Naxos, Paros: Gates E6, E7

kaleidosc pe Flashback at The Blender “At a time when miracles are considered fantasies, it is a miracle to take courage from the still image.”

Glyfada’s contemporary art and social hub, The Blender Gallery, celebrates its fifth anniversary with Flashback - a retrospective showing of their favourite 16 artists, drawing as inspiration this notion from Manolis Anastasakos’ poem Freedom.

From the distinctive “hieroglyphics” of Dimitris Dokos, to the powerful but harmonious collages of Konstantinos Patsios.

The abstract landscapes of Alexis Avlamis meet the embroidery on canvas of Konstantinos Berdeklis, the abstract expressionism of Dimitris Dallas, and the characteristic technique from Dimitris Merantzas, whose photochemical paintings depict such vivid colour play.

Other participating artists include Johnston Foster, Bleeps, Mr Savethewall, Antonis Tsakiris, Taxiarchis Mermiris, Kron, Dionisios Fragias and Philip Tsiaras.

Antonis Tsakiris, The Drone Catcher, Ink on paper,ee 43x29cm

Nick Nikolaou, In Actun Ha, Photography in metal sublimation printing, Cenote, Tulum, 2018, 80x120cm

Antonis Tsakiris, Car Crash on the beach, 60x60cm, Oil on canvas

See Flashback from February 22 until March 31 at the Blender Gallery, Zisimopoulou 4, Glyfada, tel: +30 213.028.0597, www.theblendergallery.com Konstantinos Patsios, Opus Magnum, 160x120cm, Mixed Media

Johnston Foster, Lucky dog - installation, 84x122x122cm, Scrap wood, rug fringe, extension cord, carpet, dish scrubber, vinyl siding, glass marble, bike tire tubes, rain tarps, textiles, cargo, strapping, fire, hose, metal chain, metal hop handle, leather suitcase, mop has, assorted hardware, screws, wire, plastics, PVC rope

Dimitris Merantzas, Sunset/B1, 85x144cm, digital coloured adaptation of a photochemical painting

Manolis Anastasakos, The presence of the absence love, 200x150 cm, Acrylic and oil colours on canvas

107

www.athensinsider.com