Sugar cravings

Athens is a place to simply walk and marvel a thriving combination of history, tradition and style as they mingle with all aspects of urban life. And what a better way to explore all these intangible elements than watching the Athenian life going by while spending hours of leisure and relaxation at the coffee spots -a trend for locals- scattered around its vibrant streets north to south, complemented by sugar loaded flavors. From traditional ice cream scoops and authentic Italian gelato recipes to irresistible baklava pieces, kantaifi and nougats, and from family run pastry shops and park cantinas to museum garden cafes and high-end patisseries, Athens hosts a mouthwatering display of sweet treasures, definitely worth experiencing.

By NENELA GEORGELE, KATERINA VNATSIOU

Greek DeliGhts

Baclavas Nuts, almonds, cinnamon, cloves and syrup. One of the most popular pastry desserts.

Diples Deep fried honey rolls served with nuts.

GalaktoBoureko Another popular sweet. A pie filled with custard and then doused in vanilla syrup.

Glyka koutaliou Various Greek fruits preserved in thick sugary syrup. They come in small jars and are an ideal gift for friends back home. Halvas A fudge made with sesame seed paste, sesame oil and sugar. It is offered as a dessert in many tavernas, after the end of a meal.

loukoumaDes Deep fried little doughnuts served with honey, syrup or ice cream.

ryzoGalo Rice pudding made of rice boiled in milk, sugar and vanilla, sprinkled with cinnamon. You can find it in dairies and super markets.

Arte Athens

A delicious display of colors and flavors of authentic Italian gelato with a twist of Greek tradition. Try the cream with wild cherries or the chocolate sorbet and definitely the crushing Catalino with its three layers of salty caramel. 16 Tripodon Str., Plaka, artegelato.gr FB: Arte Athens, Insta: @arte_athens

Kaggelis

For more than 40 years this pastry shop has been supplying Athens with amazing, always fresh and with the best raw materials sweets. In its shop windows you will find all the favorite Greek traditional and modern sweets, such as pastes, cakes, ice creams, while its macarons are also famous. 37 Chloes Str., Zografou, +302107756729

Le Greche

This is one of the most famous ice-cream shops in Athens. Here you are going to try pure, absolutely fantastic handmade ice cream in many flavors. It’s probably the most tasteful ice cream you have ever taste. You should definitely try it. 16 Mitropoleos, Syntagma, +302167006458/456 Mesogeion, Agia Paraskevi, +302100101617/220 Olimpionikon & Lykourgou, Neo Psychiko, +302130416299/ Flagstore +302167006416

Madame Fraise

The first ghost pastry shop of Athens was set up by two exceptional and well-traveled pastry chefs who make amazing desserts, classic but also modern, while some of them are even sugar-free following the plant-based philosophy. You order them through Wolt app or through take away. 225 Ymittou Str., Pagkrati, +302114186086

Sweet Alchemy

The pastry chef who has changed the face of confectionary in Greece, Stelios Parliaros, studied art and pastry-making in France. Author of eight books, since 2008 Parliaros has hosted the weekly Greek TV show “Sweet Alchemies”. He has rightfully earned the title of the top Greek chef pâtissier.

Varsos

With a history that dates back to 1892, Varsos pastries have grown many Greek generations. Enjoy your breakfast surrounded by the lavish greenery of its garden and explore memorable sweet flavors of traditional pastry, such as “galaktoboureko” or the “rizogalo”, or croissants filled with chocolate and nuts. A unique array of ice creams gives your taste buds an extra thrill. 5 Kassaveti Str., Kifisia, +302108012472, varsos.gr, Fb: varsoskifisia, Insta: @varsos_ kifisia_1892

Zuccherino

Here you will find every dessert you have ever dreamed! Cakes, ice creams, pastes, many sweets without sugar, always fresh, with an emphasis on raw materials. Zuccherino has many shops around Athens, but you can see and order the desserts through their eshop: zuccherino.gr, +302109830869 In an increasingly industrial era, Athens is not what one would call synonymous to nature. On worn out roads, scorched by car fumes and petrol bombs, it often feels like all that’s left of Athenian nature is a citrus tree here and there, evening primroses, some battered pine trees and a few poplars. But the truth is—not all is lost. While it might be true that Athens has fewer sweeping natural gardens than ever, it would be incorrect to suggest that there is no greenery at all. Instead, we have observed a kind of evolution in the presence of this greenery—in the place of traditional forms of nature, we’ve seen a rising number of restaurant, cafe and museum gardens, as idyllic as any natural grove could possibly be. Let’s take a trip down the different museum and restaurant gardens in Athens, refreshing our memories with some of the classics and discovering the beauty of other hidden gems.

By SreeShA GhOSh

Café & restaurant B&e Goulandris

Foundation An urban garden hides between the ground floor and the first floor of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation. The atrium of the B&E Goulandris Café-Restaurant is an oasis of greenery in the heart of the city where you can enjoy creative Mediterranean cuisine with a twist. 13, eratosthenous Str., Athens

Café at the Kerameikos Building Complex (Museum of Islamic Art)

The fresco in this colourful and lively atrium is handcrafted by Navine G. Khan-Dossos, an artist who drew inspiration from Athens’s palm trees. A feel- good environment, perfect for a quick coffee break. Mon-Wed-Sun 10.30- 17.30, Thu-Sat 12.00-20.00, Tue: Closed. Thissio, 22 Ag. Asomaton & Dipilou Str., Monastiraki, +302103251311, benaki.gr

Numismatic Museum of Athens

The Numismatic Museum houses one of the greatest collections of coins, ancient and modern, in the world. The museum itself is housed in the neoclassical mansion of archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann (known for his excavations in the ancient cities of Troy and Mycenae, later acquired by the Greek State and used to house the Greek Supreme Court and later on the Numismatic Museum), and the garden is located in its gorgeous courtyard, just a couple steps from Syntagma Square and the House of Parliament. A true oasis of serenity, removed from the busy city centre of the Greek capital, the garden is in full bloom —of both flora and ancient Greek statues. On a sunny day, consider grabbing a drink at the cafe in the garden— if you do go, you should absolutely stay until later in the evening for the stunning views to come. Also, consider

keeping an eye on their events calendar as the Numismatic Museum organizes jazz concerts at the garden from time to time! Syntagma, 12 Eleftheriou Venizelou, +302103632057 For the most updated information, please visit: www.nma.gr or www.facebook.com/ NumismaticMuseum.Athens

Benaki Museum Café

A meeting point for the cultural crowds, one of the most popular museum cafés of Athens. Promises of unforgettable romantic afternoons with a view of the Acropolis. Wed & Fri 21:00-17:00, Thu & Sat 09:0024:00, Sun 09:00-15:00. Closed on Mon-Tue. Evangelismos, 1 Vasilissis Sofias & Koumpari Str., Kolonaki, +302103671000

Byzantine and Christian Museum Café

The Byzantine and Christian Museum resides in the Doukissis Plakentias villa—its Duchess is long gone but her home and her gardens still stand in grandeur. The gardens of the Byzantine Museum are small escapes from reality, littered across seating areas under fruits trees or near aromatic herbs and fountains. Tour the three archeological exhibitions in the gardens and take a journey across ancient Athenian history and art—from the Well-Cistern that depicts how Athens was supplied with water from ancient times to the present, to Paradise, which talks about Byzantine concepts of the afterlife, and the River Ilissos that paints a picture on the development of the fluvial landscape on the banks of the Ilissos from antiquity to modern times. See the birds chirp, the flowers bloom, the trees sprout, the kids run and so much more in the Byzantine Gardens. If you’re looking for a cool afternoon drink, you can also drop by the cafe-bistro Illisia. Evangelismos, 22 Vasilissis Sofias Av., Kolonaki, +302132139517 For the most updated information, please visit: www.byzantinemuseum.gr/en/gardens/

Café of the National Archaeological Museum

Located inside the Atrium, the café houses 700 plants referred to in Greek Mythology, so it offers a great combination of an Ancient Greece flavour with some exhibits of botanical interest. Mon: 13:00-20:00. Tue-Sun. 08:00-20:00. Victoria, 44 Patission Str., +302132144891

Cycladic Café

A modern secret garden right in the heart of Athens ideal for a break with a touch of Mediterranean cuisine. Mon-Wed-Fri-Sat 10:00-17:00, Thu 10:0020:00, Sun 11:00-17:00 Free WiFi. Evangelismos, 4 Neofytou Douka Str., Kolonaki, +302107228321-3

Goulandris National History Museum Garden

The Goulandris Natural History Museum is located in the elegant suburb of Kifissia and is home to zoological, botanical, marine, rock, mineral and fossil specimens, aiming to teach all those that come into contact with it about the animal and plant kingdoms and the interaction of ecosystems in Greece and the rest of the world. The museum itself is an enjoyable experience for all—but even more so is the gorgeous garden around it; brimming with over a hundred different varieties of plants, bushes and trees, it’s the perfect place to kick back and let nature envelop you. Accompanying the garden is an equally wonderful cafe, run by Dimitris Skarmoutsos and Dionysis Alertas whose food tastes just as good as the flowers look. 13 Levidou Str., Kifisia, +302108015870 For the most updated information, please visit: www.gnhm.gr/en

National Archaeological Museum Garden

The National Archaeological Museum is a “must-see” destination for any visitor arriving in Athens—but little is it known that its gardens are actually as impressive as the museum itself. A showpiece in their own right, and renovated in 2016 so as to look like an ancient peristyle courtyard, the gardens were transformed into one of the most aesthetically pleasing exhibits in the museum, boasting native Greek species like cretan dittany, for example, that does not grow anywhere else in the world. According to legend, Aphrodite used the same herb to heal her son Aeneas after he was struck by a spear in the Trojan War. The gardens are heavily influenced by Greek mythology—each of the plants in the garden tells a tale, or rather has a story that can be found on specially placed signposts or on bookmarks that visitors can take away as a souvenir. 44 Patission Str., +302132144800 For the most updated information, please visit: www.namuseum.gr

Kapodistriakon, Kostis Palamas Building

Τhe neoclassical Kostis Palamas, erected in 1857, serves and operates primarily as a cultural centre, hosting cultural events, conjectural exhibitions, lectures addressed to small audiences, round tables, book presentations, symposiums and more. Kapodistriakon is a restaurant in the building, popular amongst Athens University students, for anything from a romantic date to a business meeting—and when you’re surrounded by the exquisite marble table and flowers beds all around, you feel like you’re a million miles away from the bustling city centre. 48 Akadimias Str., Athina, +302103688711 For the most updated information, visit: en.uoa.gr