Weekly supplement by Insider Publications • insider-publications.com • facebook.com/insiderpublications • No 98 • Friday, February 26, 2016 EXHIBITION CHILDREN AND WAR
MUSIC MAYBESHEWILL
Paintings created by children living in conflict-stricken areas of Syria and the Donbass region of the Ukraine are the subject of this timely exhibition at Fyodor Dostoevsky Cultural Society, Koletti 14, Exarchia, until February 28.
Cult British instrumental band MaybeSheWill, who built a global following with their staunch DIY ethos and self-recording mantra, will stop in Athens on their farewell world tour, on Thursday February 25, 9.30pm, at Fuzz Live Music Club, Patriarxou Ioakeim 1, 210.345.0817, fuzzclub.gr
NO NANNY REQUIRED! Sunday Brunch at St George Lycabettus Remember what Sundays used to be all about? Before the little people came along? Long lazy brunches over the weekend supplements. Uninterrupted conversations with good friends. Well, now you can relive those halcyon days each Sunday. Those clever folk at St George Lycabettus Hotel in Kolonaki have started serving a killer Sunday brunch spread, with a side order of free childcare.
Traditionally the domain of taxi drivers and old men in kafenia, the komboloi is enjoying a revival among a strung-out younger generation, reports Amanda Dardanis mous pals. Older kids can lounge about on super-sized bean bags, play on gaming stations, shoot pool or watch wide-screen movies (just like they do at home really!), while you get to relax with a glass of wine, a coffee or a meal, right on the pretty Glyfada beachfront. Meanwhile, younger ones can burn off their excess energy in the outdoor kids’ play park or toddler enclosure. The sprawling Balux leisure complex (open from 9am3am daily) is cleverly designed as a chilledout private residence, divided into lounge,
UPCOMING EVENTS
TV THIS WEEK
HOMELAND
Athens Clue
Load them up with goodies such as pancakes, mini-burgers, fruity puddings, and an irresistible chocolate fountain. Then, while you tuck into your second plate of canapésized eggs benedict, smoked salmon, and gooey pastries, the qualified staff of Nannuka.com will whisk your little darlings off to a separate activities and crafts station, or a supervised children’s movie screening elsewhere in the hotel. Leaving you utterly free to relax and enjoy the giddy views from the top-floor La Suite Lounge (and that chocolate fountain!). The Buffet runs from noon until 4pm and costs €20 for adults and €10 for kids. Kleomenous 2, Kolonaki. Tel: 210.741.6000, www.sglycabettus.gr AS GOOD AS GOLD Village Cinema Gold Class
St George Lycabettus
Village Gold Class
LIKE HOME – ONLY BETTER Balux House Project Right in the heart of the Athenian Riviera is the Balux House Project, an absolute gem of a place that resembles something Richard Branson might have built to entertain his fa-
Your treasures will relish the chance to play VIPs for the day at their own private screening of their favourite flick at Village Cinema Gold Class, surrounded by friends (and armed with popcorn). Athens’ 2 Gold Class cinema venues, (at Village Faliro and The Mall), each house two 36-seater luxury auditoriums furnished with super-sized la-z-boy loungers where you can have movie snacks, refreshments, and even meals, delivered by a waiter while the movie screens. Select their most-loved superheroes or animated feature films from a back catalogue of movies – it’s just like Netflix – then choose your preferred
Balux House Project
PETER LINDBERGH See Monica Bellucci and other ravishing portraits by acclaimed German-born photographer Peter Lindbergh – famous for his iconic black and white images of women – and that 1990 Vogue cover of Naomi, Cindy, Christy et al – at the Gagosian Gallery’s solo exhibition until April 23, Merlin 3, gagosian.com
MUSICAL
screening time. Admission price is €20 per child (for between 12-19 children); and €13 per child (20+ children). Parents can either accompany their charges inside – or relax outside in the private VIP Gold Class Lounge with some movie treats of their own! To enquire into a private Gold Class screening, contact Nikoleta_Patsollari@village.com.gr (sales department) or phone 210.270.4854. MIND THE TRAP Athens Clue Tick tock, you’re on the clock. Will one hour be long enough to retrieve the petrified dragon eggs given to Daenerys Targaryen as a wedding present and escape from the far away shadowlands of Asshai? Hell no. Or just possibly yes, if you all work together. This Game of Thrones-inspired Dragon Quest is just one of the sticky situations your teens could find themselves in at Athens Clue - an adrenalincharged live escape experience that’s fast gaining popularity across the capital. How do you play? A group of players (usually between 2-4 or 3-6) is locked in a room with a unique mission to escape from the mysterious space by using all the hidden clues scattered around them. Riddles, puzzles, keys and a countdown time all add up to a thrilling and intellectually-stimulating adventure, that’s perfectly-pitched for restless teens – and fun-loving adults. Athens Clue is open Monday-Friday (14.30-23.00) and SaturdaySunday (11.00-23.00). A new Glyfada branch (Ksanthou 3) has just joined 2 city locations in Syntagma and the Hilton area. Other imaginative escape room scenarios include: CSI, Illuminati, Cabin in the Woods, Prison Break, Taken, Monster, Mission Impossible and Zombie; while tickets range from €12-15 per player. Laughter is guaranteed. Escape is not.Tel: 210.321.1121. For more information, e-mail info@athensclue.gr, or visit www. athensclue.gr
GREEK LIFE
PHOTOGRAPHY
CHARITY MASKED CHARITY BALL Who doesn’t thrill to the thought of locking eyes with a mysterious stranger at a masked ball? Live the seductive fantasy at the Anglican Church’s Masked Charity Ball, Friday March 4 from 7.30pm at beautiful Aegli Zappiou. Tickets €55, includes buffet, wine and live music, black tie or carnival costume, tel. Lynne Stavrou 6938 325088 or lynnstav@gmail.com
VICTOR/VICTORIA The popular Broadway hit Victor/Victoria, based on Blake Edwards’ 1982 film, debuts at Pantheon Theater, February 19. Penniless soprano Victoria disguises herself as a man named Victor who becomes the toast of Paris by entertaining as a female impersonator, and attracting the attentions of a Chicago mobster. Tickets from €15-45, Pireos 166, Tavros, pantheontheater.gr
Film Festival
Check out “Before I Die”, the liberating new show of social Activist Candy Chang, whose bold public art projects are touching communities across the world one city at a time. Chang’s work is a reminder about what really matters to people as individuals or societies. Onassis Cultural Centre, Syngrou 17, sgt.gr
library, study, games and conservatory areas, to encourage the “all-day hang”. In summer, there’s also an aqua park of inflatibles ideal for teens and pre-teens. They’ll never want to leave – and nor will you! 58 Posidonos Ave, Asteras Glyfadas complex, Athens. Tel: 210.894.1620, www.baluxcafe.com
FAMILY FUN
HELLO YELLOW BRICK ROAD Playmobil FunPark Kick boredom to the curb for the under 10s at the enchanting Playmobil FunPark in Kifissia where happy hours will whizz past. Watch them become consumed with turning their favourite building blocks into epic creations! The entire world of Playmobil unfolds in front of your children’s eyes in specific themed areas where they can engage with exciting assembled structures such as Pirates, Princesses, Firefighters and Vikings – and then construct their own fantastical kingdoms, under the supervision of Playmobil staff. Mum and Dad can take some timeout in the smart on-site café. Good luck though trying to resist your wee one’s pester power on the way out at the well-stocked Playmobil shop! Playmobil is open MondayThursday from 10am-8pm (entrance €8) and Friday to Sunday 10am-9pm (entrance €9). Amaliados 4 & Kalavryta, Kifissia. Tel: 210.800.0018, www.playmobil.gr
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE Rossini’s comedic masterpiece, Barber of Seville, staged by the Greek National Opera, comes to the Olympia Theater from February 13-28. The opera is directed by Franceso Micheli; with tenors Antonis Koroneos and Dimitris Kassioumis alternating as Count Almaviva, and sopranos Vassiliki Karayanni and Mina Polychronou as Rosina. Tickets range from €1560, Academias 59-61, nationalopera.gr
EXHIBITION CANDY CHANG
Idol Pleasures
The Hills of Athens are alive with the Sound (and Sight) of Music this week as the world’s biggest music documentary festival, IN-EDIT, rolls into town for the second time. Don’t miss the chance to be reunited with two much-missed fallen icons –Amy Winehouse and David Bowie. Both feature as part of this year’s brilliant 5-day IN-EDIT line-up. Oscar contender “Amy”, directed by Asif Kapadia, about the turbulent life and career of the late Amy Winehouse, screens February 28 at 10.45pm. Through archival footage and personal interviews, Kapadia captures a very different Winehouse from the one we thought we knew – and also poses vital questions about the price of fame and celebrity.
Traditionally the domain of taxi drivers and old men in kafenia, the komboloi is enjoying a revival among a strung-out younger generation, reports Amanda Dardanis Meanwhile, 2010’s thrilling “The Sacred Triangle: Bowie, Iggy & Lou”, follows the intertwining paths of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed during their lean and hungry years between 1971-1973, as all three faced creative struggles to forge their legacy. The movie plays February 26 at 8.15pm. We’ll bring the popcorn, you bring the tissues! IN-EDIT Greece 2016: Athens Edition is on February 24-28 at Cine Astor, Stadiou 28. For more information about this year’s line-up, visit: www.astorcinema.gr or www.in-edit.gr Tickets are available from Public, Media Markt, Reload or online at www.viva.gr and www.public.gr
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Feeling tied up in knots about a major work deadline? Fretting about unpaid bills - or passing your driving exam? Don’t worry. Just reach for the komboloi. It’s a sound as intrinsic to the Greek way of life as blaring car horns or the jangle of a bell around the neck of a recalcitrant goat. The rhythmic click-click-clicking of busy beads on a string. Meant to soothe the soul and sweeten the passing of the hours. We live in a vexing age. No longer is this famous cultural icon just for taxi drivers. Or silver foxes, whiling away an afternoon with an ouzo, under the shade of a plane tree. Komboloi – or worry beads - are now being adopted by a strung-out younger generation. Perhaps this newfound affection is simply ironic. Or maybe, a longing among millennials in these pressurized times to reconnect with simpler days. It’s a bit of both, I suspect. The trend is so pronounced, it’s caught the eye of the Guardian UK, who put it down to the stresses of a crisis-wracked generation. A Greek-Canadian acquaintance in her late 20s has just semi-ironically taken up the bead twirling habit. As a New Year’s resolution, she’s vowed to quit cigarettes and claims that toying with her newly-acquired, ruby-red komboloi when she’s out socially, helps to keep a lid on nasty cravings, by keeping her hands gainfully employed. ‘I’d have taken up knitting if I could. But I don’t have the nerves or the patience
for it!’ she laughs. ‘Too many dropped stitches. Also, komboloi are perfect for the winter months because all that fidgeting keeps my hands warm!’ Others find that the hypnotic metronome rhythm of the komboloi is akin to a meditative state. It helps to block out the white noise of modern life, promoting mindfulness, and bringing clarity to unresolved issues. In recent years, many young hands have also taken up the begleri (those half-worry beads you see everywhere on an open-style straight string) as a komboloi alternative. It’s become a sort of mandatory fashion accessory for those restless types who just can’t sit still. But many prefer the authenticity and circular purity of the real deal. Also, flicking those beads around reportedly has physiological benefits as well. According to acupuncturist principles, the repeated action stimulates the areas of the fingertips which induce well-being. A cultural cousin to Catholic rosary beads (Buddhists and Hindus have the japa mala), the komboloi might have begun life as a prayer counting device for the monks of Mount Athos. But to most Greeks, they no longer carry religious significance. The modern Greek word komboloi derives from kombos (knot) and logio (collection) or the verb leo (say). It’s said that it’s short for the phrase: “in every knot I say a prayer“. Today, this much-loved cultural motif exists
Allison and Carrie exchange potent memories in this week’s bombshell episode, while Quinn’s plans change. Mondays at 21.50 on Foxlife.
THE WALKING DEAD
During a supply run, Rick and Daryl cross paths with a new survivor revealing a whole new world outside of Alexandria. Meanwhile, Carl recovers from his injury. Mondays at 22.45 on Foxlife. Watch FOX on OTE TV
CINEMA THIS WEEK
SPOTLIGHT
The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child abuse and cover-up within its local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Church to its core. With Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams.
BATMAN V SUPERMAN
Batman takes on Superman, while the world wrestles with what kind of hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor.
in everything from those cheap plastic knock-offs one sees everywhere in Plaka, to traditional amber, carob beans, coral and bone, all the way to expensive bespoke versions in semi-precious stones. Choosing your perfect Komboloi: Go for one where the beads are strung on cord, preferably silk, rather than a metal chain. Although it’s common to see metal strung komboloi these days, they do lack traditional authenticity and the beads have the added disadvantage of being worn away or “filed” down by use. Run your hands through the beads and listen to the komboloi’s “voice” – or the sounds that the beads make when they tap, tap, tap. Play them gently in order to really hear their song. Finally, make sure they feel “right” and that the colour speaks to you. After all, the two of you are going to be spending a lot of time together! Insider Recommends Komboloi artistans, Kombologadiko, have branches in Glyfada, Kifissia, Nafplio, Thessaloniki and Kolonaki – and sell over 500 handmade versions, ranging from traditional amber, coral shell, ebony, horn and bone – even sugarcane fruit scented with incense. Prices range from between about €30-€900. Buy online from www.kombologadiko.gr Both the Benaki Museum gift shop, Koumpari 1, 210.367.1000 (www. benakishop.gr) and the new Museum of Cycladic Art online shop (www.cycladic.gr) sell exquisite handmade pieces. Visit the world’s first Komboloi Museum in Nafplio, Staikopoulou 25, (tel: 275.202.1618) http://www.komboloi.gr/ for your one-off collector’s piece.