ATHENS
weekly
Weekly supplement by Insider Publications • www.insider-publications.com • No 110 • Friday, July 29, 2016 A World Not Ours
Carmen
The Oracle of Dodona
A moving international exhibition about the refugee plight on an island at the heart of the catastrophe, A World Not Ours, runs August 5-October 15 at Art Space Pythagorion, Samos. Curated by Katerina Gregos, including works by Pulitzer-prize winning Yannis Behrakis, schwarzfoundation.com
The gypsy heroine defends her freedom to choose her lovers in this timeless famous French opera, staged by the Greek National Opera, with music by Georges Bizet, performed July 24-29, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Areopagitou Dionisiou, greekfestival.gr. Tickets from €15-100.
Acropolis Museum presents a new thematic exhibition, devoted to the oracle of Dodona, until January, that explores Greece’s oldest oracle, its functioning, its role and importance in the ancient world, while examining our eternal human need to predict the future. Dionysiou Areopagitou 15, 210.900.0900.
CITY LIFE
Cine Paris, Kidathinaion 22, Plaka Tel: 210.322.2071, 210.324.8057 Urban legend has it that it was a Greek hairdresser who named the outdoor cinema after her beloved Paris where she had spent a few years. Cine Paris briefly functioned as an indoor and out-door cinema and then closed down in the late ‘60s for almost 20 years before re-opening again in 1986. It has been regaling movie fans since with Greek and international hits and to date, Cine Paris is by far one of the most popular cinemas in the city. Located in the Plaka, it is a beloved of tourists and Athenians alike and has retained its magical old-world charm.
Fave Five: Summer Cinemas
Starry Starry Night. Nothing defines a Greek summer as poetically as open-air cinemas do. Open from June to September, Maria-Irene Moschona rounds up five of her favourite al-fresco movie houses. Every neighbourhood has one. Some as old as the history of cinema. Perched on a rooftop with a view of the Acropolis; others, more recent entrants, right on the water set to the music of sailboat masts swaying in the summer breeze; still others surrounded by perfumed gardens that fill the sultry evening with the quintessential Greek fragrance of orange blossoms and jasmine. With over 60 open-air cinemas to choose from in Attica alone, open each
UPCOMING EVENTS
Exhibition
The Equilibrists A celebration of bright young Greek and Cypriot artists that captures the fragility of our times in The Equilibrists, organized by the New Museum, New York and the DESTE Foundtion with Benaki Museum for DESTE’s 33rd anniversary until July 31. Tickets €8. Peiraios 138, tel:210.345.311, benaki.gr
year from June to September, it is a Greek summer tradition that is truly alive and well in the capital. Having survived the crisis and real-estate developers, summer cinemas with their director’s chairs and their compelling aroma of crackling popcorn are still a haunt for the young and old alike. Most families visit en masse – grandmothers with a few mezedakia wrapped for ever-hungry grandkids, babies in strollers, pets on leash, young parents who can keep their children distracted enough to sneak in most of the movie, teens in large pareas – the open-air cinema is a truly democratic space, open to all. What’s more, open-air cinemas let you sip on a frappe, knock back a couple of beers, snack, lick ice-creams and even smoke while propping up your feet on the seats ahead. But for most cinephiles, its appeal lies in the possibility of catching reruns of blockbusters in two evening shows. Keeping the open-air cinema tradition alive
Cine Flisvos, Parko Flisvou, Palaio Faliro, Tel: 210.982.1256 For a fun evening by the sea, Cine Flisvos at the Flisvos Marina is a great open-air option where you can have a long walk on the marina’s promenade admiring the yachts before grabbing some popcorn and settling in to watch a movie. While it might still be daylight and the surround sound might be more children’s natter and parents shushing them than Dolby, it still makes for a very convivial evening. An added plus is easy parking and several after-movie drinks and dinner options in the Flisvos Marina complex.
Forum Focus on Europe The Hellenic American University hosts the first international conference on “Europe in Discourse: Identity, Diversity, Borders” at the Hellenic American College (HAEC) and the French Institute in Athens, 23-25 of Sep. tel: 210.368.0072, www.europeindiscourse.eu
GASTRONOMY
When Did Beer Appear? We know Greeks were one of the first cultures to produce wine, but just how early did beer come on the scene. In her Insider series on Food and Drink in Greek Archeology, Holley Martlew investigates This has been one of the riddles of early Greek civilisation -- until recently when state of the art scientific analyses were applied to the pots of the Minoans and Mycenaeans. Particles seep into all clay vessels that are used for eating and drinking. Luckily, largely due to the Greek climate, many of these chemical signals have been trapped inside ancient pots and have waited patiently, for millennia, to be discovered. The project Archaeology Meets Science, which started in the mid-1990’s and continues to this day, has the unraveling of these ancient secrets as its main objective. Whether or not the Minoans and Mycenaeans drank beer was one of the questions uppermost in the minds of archaeologists for two reasons.
is the Athens Open Air Film Festival which runs until 30 September. In its sixth year, the festival offers free cinema and cultural events and runs at different venues in the centre of Athens, open-air cinemas, at the distinctive Aghia Irini and Metaxourgeio squares, courtyards and pedestrian zones. The festival premiered this year with Purple Rain in tribute to the recently-deceased pop icon Prince. Other events this year include screenings of classic films, special avant- premières, concerts and interactive events and street performances. (For this year’s programme, visit www.cinemag.gr)
First, because what was drunk at the dawn of Greek civilisation is one of the most intriguing questions one can ask. And second, because nothing had ever been discovered that pointed to beer production such as pots or residues or frescoes, it had become accepted that in the Bronze Age, when beer was known to have been a popular drink in Egypt and the Levant, early Greeks probably had not drunk beer. It is always more fun to overturn a long held view, so those of us involved in the scientific work had hoped to find evidence for beer, but no one had any idea whether this would be possible. The answer remained in the lap of the gods. Scientific results cannot be made to order. There was no clear path to follow. What
Astronomy Stargaze at Thiseon Observatory View the celestial wonders of the summer sky as the National Observatory in Thissio opens for evening tours every Wed, Fri and Sat in July and August (except for 7-18 of Aug). Peer through the 8m dome of the Doridis telescope. Entry €10, Lofos Nymfon, Thiseio, tel: 210.349.0036, astro.noa.gr
we were going to find depended on each and every individual pot we chose. All that could be done was to test potsherds from likely sites and to keep fingers crossed. The site of Myrtos Phournou Korifi however was a likely subject. It was a village in southern Crete, the final destruction contexts of which were quite early, 22002150 B.C. Finds from the site had added a great deal to the understanding of Early Bronze Age agriculture. A raised oven and a quernstone were found in situ in Room 20. A fragment of a pot stand had impressions of barley and wheat, and as such gave indirect evidence that these cereals were grown at the site. On this basis samples from several storage vessels were submitted for analysis. Samples from two large storage vessels, both nearly 70 cm. high, one of them from Room 20 cited above, gave results of wine and a barley product. The presence of a barley product was not strong enough for the chemists to argue exclusively for barley beer. We were told there were three possibilities. The first was the use of the vessels for gruel or beer; the second could have meant that unfermented barley had been added to wine; the third possibility was a mix of beer and wine. But archaeologists and chemists always err on the side of caution. The presence of barley in such vessels makes a good case for concluding that Minoans were indeed making beer before 2000 B.C.
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Dexameni, Dexameni Square, Kolonaki Tel: 210.362.3942, 210.360.2363 So named after the cistern that it sits on that once supplied water to all of Athens, Dexameni square is a cool, green citysquare with an open-air cinema that has an island-like look and feel. With whitewashed cobbled pavements, labyrinthine alleys and cascading bougainvillea, it is remarkable how quickly the landscape changes from rushed and uberchic Kolonaki to rustic and laid-back Dexameni. No better venue to lounge in deck chairs and take in a movie with friends and family than Dexameni while a few hens scurry by. Complete with little tables to rest your soft
drinks and nacho trays on, Dexameni is a great setting to spend a lazy, hazy, crazy summer evening. Cine Thisio, Apostolou Pavlou 7, Thisio Tel: 210.342.0864, 210.347.0980 Built in 1935, Cine Thissio remains the undisputed queen of open-air cinemas. Voted by CNN’s Hoishan Chan as ‘the best movie-theatre in the world for being as interesting as the movies it shows’, Cine Thisio is a hot favourite both among film distributors for movie premieres as well as among cinephiles for watching re-runs. With a majestic view of the floodlit Acropolis, this outdoor cinema is located on Apostolou Pavlou street in the Thisio district, just a few hundred meters down the pedestrian path from the ancient Herodus Atticus theatre, which also opens in the summer for quality cultural events. Get a popcorn, watch a movie but also take in the beauty of the low summer moon and the heady fragrance of the Greek summer. Cine Ria, Afroditis 8, Varkiza Tel: 210.897.0844, www.cineria.gr Al fresco cinema near the seaside adds an extra summer garnish at this bright and breezy garden cinema in central Varkiza that’s one of the southside’s loveliest. The cafe also offers a decent range of movie snacks and beverages.
TV THIS WEEK Outcast 1
Kyle and Allison revisit their past; Rev. Anderson gets carried away during Remembrance Day. Monday @ 23.30 on Fox.
Walking Dead 6
Morgan makes a sacrifice in order to save Carol. Meanwhile, Rick and the group travel to the Hilltop with an ailing Maggie, as the confrontation with Negan looms near. Saturday @ 22.40 on Fox. Watch FOX and FoxLife on NOVA, OTE TV, Vodafone, CYTA
CINEMA THIS WEEK
Ghostbusters
Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and subway worker Patty Tolan band together to stop the otherworldly threat. With Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon
Bad Moms
When three overworked and under-appreciated moms are pushed beyond their limits, they ditch their conventional responsibilities for a jolt of long overdue freedom, fun, and comedic self-indulgence. With Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell