ATHENS
weekly
Weekly supplement by Insider Publications • www.insider-publications.com • No 120 • Friday, October 21, 2016
Don’t miss our latest issue celebrating the Good Life in Greece. Discover Insider’s pick of autumn-awesome islands plus all of our regular features on Art & Culture, Eating out, Diplomacy and City Life.
Galaxy
Sweet Mambo
The Invisible Circus
“Galaxy” – the latest work of Andonis Foniadakis - explores the universe’s creation and evolution in this vital new dance performance jointlyproduced by the Greek National Ballet and the Greek National Theater, November 3-27, at Rex Theater, Kotopouli Stage, Panepistimiou. Tickets €15, available from nationalopera.gr.
Get the adrenalin pumping at this energetic dance symposium showcasing many faces of hip hop culture, October 28-30, with proceeds to Smile of the Child. Displays across various Athens venues including Technopolis, Six D.O.G.S, and PassPort Kerameikos. Visit smilefestival.gr for details.
Take a fantastical trip to an illusory world of magic and dreams with Charlie Chaplin’s daughter – dancer and acrobat Victoria Chaplin – and her real-life partner Jean Baptiste Thierry, an acclaimed conjurer, in The Invisible Circus, October 20-23, at Pallas Theatre, Voukourestiou 5, tel: 210.321.3100, tickets from viva.gr or ticket365.gr
TRAVEL
Fave Five Half-Term Escapes
Sifnos terms of nature and culture. The island’s network of trials underwent a serious revamp last year by the ‘monopatologists’ at Paths of Greece and now number 19 way-marked and professionally-designed 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.
Greece in Autumn offers up a treasure trove of incredible outdoor holiday options from active adventures, archeological odysseys, winery tours, and family fun where you can sleep inside the walls of medieval castle towns. Amanda Dardanis shares her top picks for celebrating the Great Greek Outdoors. draped courtyards, overlooking the velCastle Adventure in Monemvasia Perched 300 metres above the sea – and vety-blue Mirtoon Sea, far below while you accessible only on foot through massive enjoy the hospitality of the town’s openbattle-scarred gates – the castle town of hearted inhabitants. Monemvasia has a “wow factor” to rival You’ll feel like you’ve traveled back in time hundreds of years to a whimsical lost Santorini. Stay in a beautifully-restored monastery world where there are no cars and barely within Monemvasia’s ancient walls (sev- an electricity cable or TV aerial in sight. eral of which date back to the 12th cen- TOP TIP: Many of Monemvasia’s shop tury). Explore the original pedestrianised owners will happily offer you a free glass cobbled streets where merchants and ar- of famous Malvasian honey wine or a detisans still sell their enchanting wares just licious almond cookie for you to sample as their ancestors did centuries ago. Hike when you enter their store. up to hypnotic Byzantine churches with frescoes dating back to the 13th century. Hike in Sifnos Or simply unwind in one of Monemvasia’s Still got island cravings? Sifnos has one many splendid cafes or bougainvillea- of the Aegean’s richest walking terrains in
Active Alpine Wonders in Kalavryta 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 water-
falls and rising finally to 750 metres above Sample legendary mezedes served all sea-level! along the seafront amid the fishing boats and yachts. Take part in another Volos culiNemea: Homer’s Vineyard of the Gods nary ritual at the tsipouradika – friendly litCombine culture and indulgence with an tle bars on every corner where you’ll feast Autumn excursion to Nemea, site of the on a dizzying array of “small-plate surprisfamed Sanctuary of Zeus (330BC), and es” such as cuttlefish with fennel, or spetwhere Heracles concluded the first of his sofai (sausages with peppers), washed down with ice-cold tsipouro – northern 12 Labors by slaying the Nemean Lion. Although it is Olympia that gets all the Greece’s answer to ouzo. Or take a scenic glory, Nemea too hosted its own revered bike-ride along the 10km network of wonancient games every two years and at the derful seafront bikeways. ancient landmark, one can marvel at the A mere hour away, lies exquisite Pelion. Bewonderfully-restored stadium, museum lieved to be the birthplace of mythology’s mighty centaurs, Pelion was also the site and temple. Verdant Nemea is also famously noted for purportedly chosen by the Gods for their its winemaking by Homer who called it Am- revelries and vacations! Mountainous peloessa: “full of vines” and today, the re- Pelion is an area of almost indescribable gion is still one of southern Greece’s most beauty that’s been likened to the famous Adirondack range of Upstate New York important wine producers. TOP TIP: Visit one of the many elite local (but without the strip malls and fast-food wineries open for tasting tours where you restaurants!). Enchanting alpine villages can sample Nemea’s most prized Agiorghi- hewn of stone and wood appear as if by tiko grape, cherished globally for its deep magic (some located at over 5,000 feet), red color and long velvety palate. amid ancient winding pathways, apple orchards and cascading waterfalls and streams. Hike or drive between these Volos & Pelion breathtaking Pelion Peninsula settleMountains, Myth and Meze Volos and Pelion. Two stunning neighbours ments, such as Ano Gatzea, Agia Triada that complement each other perfectly with and Argyreika and Milies, staying in eltheir mix of city and country, old and new, egant stone guesthouses fitted with fine antiques and fireplaces, while you sample energy and serenity. Lively Volos at the foot of Mount Pelion authentic mountain cuisine along the way. was the mythic home of Jason and his Or ride the famous Pelion tourist train that Argonauts. Today, modern Volos in the links Volos with fertile West Pelion in an exMagnesia region, is a thriving university ceptional 25km route, immortalized in the city, humming all-year-round with freedom, paintings of Giorgio de Chirico. character and life. (And what many say TOP TIP: Combine both destinations for is the best meze scene in all of northern an unforgettable Town and Country advenGreece!). ture.
TV THIS WEEK Berlin Station
Daniel Meyer has a clandestine mission for the CIA in Berlin: to uncover the source of the leak who gave information to a now-famous whistleblower named Thomas Shaw. Monday at 23.00 on OTE Cinema 4HD.
Deutschland 83
Martin continues being careless about revealing his cover identity. He changes his mind about quitting when the Government helps his sick mother. Thursday at 23.00 on OTE Cinema 4HD. Watch OTE CINEMA 4HD on OTE TV
CINEMA THIS WEEK
The Accountant
As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities and the body count starts to rise. With Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick.
Southside with You
Nemea
Pelion - Volos View
Monemvasia
UPCOMING EVENTS
Theatre
New York Met Live: Don Giovanni See Mozart’s profound masterpiece, Don Giovanni, in a live broadcast from New York’s Metropolitan Opera, October 22, at the Athens Concert Hall, Vas. Sofias & Kokkali, tel: 210.728.2333, tickets €25 from megaron.gr
Women of Passion An imaginary train ride with Greece’s fiercest female icons, Medea, Callas and Mercouri at To Treno sto Rouf, Constantinoupoleos St on Oct 22 and Oct 29 at 19.15 (in English). Tickets €12. 210.923.7076 or viva.gr
GASTRONOMY
Opera
Familly The Land of Dinosaurs Walk among prehistoric giants at this new interactive and educational exhibit to transport you back 65 million years with the largest animals that ever walked the planet. Ellinikos Kosmos, Pireos 254, tel. 212.254.0000, tickets € 6.
ART & CULTURE
ARTY at FORTY Admire two of modern Greek art’s most vital abstract voices as the Radisson Blu natural line while knitting colorful yarn acts as a filter, creating layers and yieldPark Hotel celebrates its 40th anniversary. ing a third dimension. An exhibition of two significant modern ed larger-scale projects that earned him Agopian has participated in numerous Greek artists - Yannis Spyropoulos and an admiring global audience. group exhibitions in America, China, Eozen Agopian – debuted on October Born in Pylos, Spyropoulos died in May Greece, France, Germany and Italy (with 20 to coincide with the 40th anniversary 1990, and in the same year, the Yan- the first exhibition “Paintings and works of one of Athen’s landmark hotels, the nis Spyropoulos Foundation and Life for on paper” in Michael Walls Gallery in Radisson Blu Park. the protection, study, presentation and New York in 1993 and the most recent Yannis Spyropoulos (whose work cover- promotion of the artist’s work was es- report entitled “Traverse” in Freedom ing the period 1954-1985 features) was tablished. Tseliou Gallery in Athens in 2015). one of the foremost exponents of ab- Meanwhile, the works of E. Agopian (cov- In 2014, she was the invited artist for six straction in Greece and his earlier piec- ering the period 2007-2015), belong to months in the Triangle Arts Association es often displayed the clear influence of the generation of ‘80. Fiber artist and of New York. Her purely abstract works P. Cézanne. lover of abstraction, Agopian uses equal- are in private and public collections in His oeuvre included qualities such as in- ly traditional painting media such as oils, Europe and America. tense light-shadow play; collage, engrav- acrylics, charcoal with colored thread ing a masterful weaving of materials and fibers and painted fabric cut to propose Modern Greek Art is on until December light; while in his later years, after being its own visual version. The purity of color 20 at the Radisson Blu Park Hotel, Leof. awarded the Venice Biennale, he creat- that distinguishes the thread acts as a Alexandras 10, tel: 210.889.4500. This page was produced, in its entirety, by Insider Publications and the INYT-Kathimerini does not bear any responsibility for its contents. Reproduction in whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, is forbidden except with the express written permission of the publisher. Although Insider Publications 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.
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Cafe Avissinia: An Athenian Treasure
Master story teller George Pittas has travelled all across Greece and culled Hellenic culinary traditions from every corner to present his comprehensive Greek Gastronomy Guide. Here, he pays homage to one of Insider’s favourite urban eateries, Café Avissinia, and its humble origins as a tea room in the heart of the flea market. Ever since I finished my studies in Par- watching all those craftsmen weaving is and returned back home in 1980, baskets, assembling furniture items, apAvissinias Square has been my favorite plying shellac paint right in the middle of place for a Sunday walk in Athens. How- the Square, teasing and cracking jokes ever, there was no place there to grab a on each other. bite or have a proper lunch. Thus, head- Ketty, a first-class cook and an unceasing to Plaka or Thission was the only so- ingly active woman, started serving ouzo, lution to satisfy one’s appetite. wine and exquisite mezedes (pl. for meze, In November 1986, I believe, after one Greek appetizers) in addition to tea. One of my Sunday morning walks, I suddenly day, Vanias with his accordion came saw something I haven’t seen before. Lo along. This thin tall guy, a traveling musiand behold, right across the junk shop of cian from Caucasus, used to mesmerize Athanassopoulos, two tables and a few everyone by his gaze and songs. His poschairs arranged near a narrow elegant ture resembled that of Yiannis Papaioanwindow with curtain tiers for keeping pry- nou, the legendary rebetiko musician. ing eyes away! I had to pinch myself as Café Avissinia had become an instituI quickly rushed into without a second tion in the party scene of Athens. It was thought. Café Avissinia, a narrow bright place, filled with paintings, decorated just like the French bistros in Porte de Clignancourt. Spic-and-span, this place was tastefully decorated to the smallest detail. I instantly introduced myself to Ketty, a bourgeois, native of Thessaloniki with a sonorous, imperious voice and an aristocratic imposing figure. I couldn’t wait to tell her how excited I was about the opening of this place and wish her prosperity. Ever since, I kept on visiting Avissinias Square again and again. I really enjoyed drinking my ouzo in the afternoon while
Chronicles the summer 1989 afternoon when the future President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, wooed his future First Lady on an epic first date across Chicago’s South Side.
official. On Sundays, reveling groups of friends would come here in their hordes to party, belly dance and dance zeibekiko. I believe I should remind our young readers that in the end of the 80s, there was no other place in the entire area of Monastiraki to party. Back then, Psyrri was nothing but a neighborhood with artisan and commercial shops. As years went by, Vanias, stricken with the so-called “cursed” disease, left us for good. Ketty, who had to move on, relied on other musicians, who have successfully managed to continue the merrymaking tradition in Café Avissinia since then. Currently, thirty years later, Ketty has handed over the reins to her son Nikolas, who expanded this venue to the place next door. The café soon took over the floor upstairs finally climbing to the terrace where Acropolis looks close enough to touch. Café Avissinia has been turned into a restaurant that serves savory exquisite dishes coming mostly from Macedonia. Ketty’s dishes are definitively the star of the show; pork with leeks and prunes, Avissinia-style cheese, eggplants prepared the rembetis’s way, cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, pork and veal minced meat and served with a velvety egg-lemon sauce, a dish prepared according to a famous recipe from Kozani, a region in the north of Greece, Thessaloniki style burger with Florina peppers sauce, smoked sardines on grape leaves, lamp with bulgur. On weekends, Manos plays his accordion and Pavlina sings with her heavenly voice without microphone and sound system; this rollicking atmosphere has nothing to envy from the old days. Café Avissinia, Kinetou 7, Avissinias Square, tel: 210.321.7047. For more articles like this visit www.greekgastronomyguide.gr