ATHENS INSIDER Autumn 2018 issue no 140 by Insider Publications

December 2018 Year 18 #140 ISSN 1790-3114 EUR 4.50

athens insider DECEMBER 2018 # 140

the city magazine of

Past is Present Arts & Events • People • Culture • Travel • Style • Food & Drink

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Publisher-Editor Sudha Nair-Iliades Graphic Design Roula Koronaiou Cover illustration Daniel Egnéus Accounts Dimosthenis Therianos Social Media Caroline Pateras Interns Emily Howard Photos Yiannis Varouhakis, Richard |Bellia, Panos Kokkinakis, Angelos Giotopoulos, Shutterstock Contributors in this Issue Amanda Dardanis, John Carr, Karine Ancellin, Nicholas Pisaris, Diana Farr Louis, Alexia Amvrazi, Diane Shugart, Emily Howard, John Zervos, Isabellea Zampetaki 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. 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.

publisher’s note 18

years ago, Athens Insider published its first monthly magazine. While it has taken a lot of pig-headed stubbornness and late nights to get here, what hasn’t changed much since that first issue, is the ambition of the magazine: to surprise and amuse, provoke and enlighten, and inform and inspire at the crossroads where style and substance meet. Our cover evokes the gritty resilience of the Athenian stray, which we, as underdogs in the dog-eat-dog world of publishing, know only too well. This is a celebratory issue in which we riff on the kinds of stories and ideas that intrigue us, and, we hope, you. We speak to Sofka Zinovieff on her extremely timely and resonant book that echoes the #Metoo age, we follow the bold new renaissance of defunct parlour games as Athens gets its first Pinball Museum, we have a piece about an odd little neighbourhood in Athens, one about the man responsible for capturing the most eloquent images of rock and roll history, a story on the transformation of the deeply personal house of Paddy Leigh Fermor into a writer’s retreat, and a feature on the beautifully painted ceilings of a poet’s residence in Plaka. French philosopher Pascal Bruckner dispenses morsels of Parisianstyle wisdom on Western guilt and Islamophobia and the issue is bookended by four lady diplomats pondering the role of gender in diplomacy. In the nearly two decades we’ve been around, the one lesson we’ve learnt is that substance is open to the present and the past, and it is that which endures, and that which we aspire to. As always, and hopefully for a long while going forward, we hope you enjoy the magazine. •

Kales yiortes!

Sudha Nair-Iliades

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Athens Insider ISSN 1790-3114 Code: 216548

contributors Daniel Egnéus

Award-winning Athens-based Swedish illustrator Daniel Egnéus most recently won the prestigious Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire 2018, le Prix Wojtek Siudmak for his illustrations in Neil Gaiman’s American Gods series. Daniel has been shortlisted for the The Kate Greenaway Medal 2019 for distinguished illustrations in children’s books. He illustrated Rod Stewart’s latest album Blood Red Roses and his dreamy fashion portraits hang in Pharell Williams’ swanky new club in Miami. A self-taugh artist, he counts iconic brands such as Apple, BMW and Chanel among his clients.

Amanda Dardanis

A print journalist for over two decades, Australian-born Amanda Dardanis started out at News Corp Australia. In London, she held senior creative roles at glossy titles including Marie-Claire, 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. She was the editor at Athens Insider for three years and is currently the online editor at This is Athens.

Emily Howard

Emily Howard is a History major at Reed College interning as a writer and assistant at Athens Insider during her semester abroad. She spends her summers working with children at a YMCA camp in New Hampshire and most recently was a Leadership Fellow focused on improving ethnic and racial diversity and tackling issues related to gender and trans-equality. Her interests include travel, international relations, politics, and writing about all of it.

Anna Roins

Athens Insider’s book reviewer Anna Roins is an Australian lawyer and freelance journalist based in Athens who writes articles on social and community issues. She is also a regular contributor to AUTHORLINK, assigned to conduct interviews with bestselling global authors.

Diana Farr Louis

Diana Farr Louis was born in the Big Apple but has lived in the Big Olive (Athens, Greece) far longer than she ever lived in the US. She has contributed to almost every English-language publication in Athens, particularly The Athens News. She is the author of two cookbooks as well as Athens and Beyond, 30 Day Trips and Weekends, and Travels in Northern Greece and more recently co-authored 111 Places in Athens you can’t miss with Alexia Amvrazi and Diane Shugart.

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).

Isabella Zambetaki

Isabella has been a regular contributor to The Greek Star, 2Board and Qatar Airways’ Oryx magazine and tourism editor for B2B Hotel & Restaurant magazine. Her writing has been awarded by the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers’ Association. Isabella is also a conference producer for HospitalityNext and HospitalityNow events and is part of the Greek Tourism Awards steering committee.

Karine Ancellin

New-York born and raised Karine Ancellin is a professor, writer, translator and founder of the Poets Agora, an initiative that has ‘the idealistic insolence of thinking that poetry holds in its midst the wisdom to enlighten grim times.’ She has lived and worked in Africa, France, Belgium and now, Greece. Her interest in studying multi-culturalism led her to do her Ph.D on ‘Hybrid identities’ at the Vrije Universiteit of Brussels. She has an MA (with Honours) in Literature from the Charles V Institute of Paris VII-JUSSIEU.

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New Year’s Day

CULTURE What to do in Athens _6 Music, art and festive fare in Athens this holiday season. A gripping Byzantine saga_19 John Carr’s book on the Byzantium’s battle for survival. 3 Warming Winter Reads _22 Escapist books to tide over your holiday blues. Holiday snaps_88 Instagrammable pics from a century ago at the Benaki.

PEOPLE Putney: A modern-day Lolita set in Greece _16 Sofka Zinovieff's disquieting book, Putney, walks into the uncomfortable eye of the #MeToo storm Thinking Aloud with Pascal Bruckner_20 The French philosopher speaks at length on identity, guilt, democracy and the elusive Western quest for happiness at Costa Navarino. Richard Bellia: Between Rock and an Art Place_24 Reflections on Richard Bellia’s legendary career as a rock and roll photographer. Women in Diplomacy _30 Four lady ambassadors speak on glass ceilings in the patriarchal world of diplomacy. Embracing Hope through Art_72 Manon Kanaroglou on the evocative power of art to draw refugee children to share stories. CITY LIFE There will always be Psyrri_34 Nicholas Pisaris makes his Psyrri come alive. Psyrri’s under-the-radar sites_38 Six fascinating spots in Psyrri as featured in 111 Places in Athens you shouldn’t miss

contents 58

Lofty inspirations_45 A storied, neo-classical home in Plaka with exquisitely painted ceilings serves as inspiration to aspiring bards. Its never Game Over at the Athens Pinball Museum_46 A shrine for avid gamers. Paws for Thought_76 This holiday season, adopt a stray and gift yourself cuddles for a lifetime.

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FOOD & DRINK In the name of the Holy Father and the Holy Spirit_70 Eleni Kefalopoulou culls secrets of wine making on Mount Athos Christmas sweets_78 Christmas cleaves Greek society into two clans: those who prefer the crunchy intensity of melomakarona and those who swear by the buttery bite of a kourabie. Where to Dine in Athens … Right Now!_84 Insider reviews newcomers Papillon and K Grill. Cover illustration by Daniel Egnéus

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TRAVEL Picknicking like Royalty_50 Once the summer palace of the Greek royal family, Tatoi Estate is now a popular Sunday destination for Athenians. Live the life that Paddy did_52 Writer’s retreat, cultural salon, museum showpiece - the Paddy Leigh Fermor House in Kardamyli is set to open its doors as a luxury boutique hotel. Cosy Winter Wonderlands_58 Stylish ski resorts, historic hamlets, quaint alpine escapes: Greece is awash with irresistibly inviting winter retreats In the wilderness _66 Explore the savagely beautiful landscape around Lake Plastira and the awe-inspiring Meteora.

Arts & Events

What to do in Athens

Compiled by Emily Howard

National Theatre Live: Antonios and Cleopatra

WHAT: The National Theatre Live program successfully brings Athens yet another masterful production broadcast from the Olivier Theatre in London. This time with Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo at the helm as the iconic star-crossed Shakespearean lovers attempting to navigate romance and betrayal with great empires and armies at stake. WHEN: December 6 WHERE: Alexandria Triandi Hall, Megaron, Athens Concert Hall Vass.Sophias & Kokkali For ticket information contact Tel. +30 210 7282333 or visit megaron.gr

Crete: Emerging Cities WHAT: The island of Crete is the largest Greek island as well as an immense vessel of ancient history and culture. The Museum of Cycladic Art offers an intriguing exhibit complete with artifacts brought from the island itself, some freshly excavated, and tracks the rise and fall of three major cities: Aptera, Eleutherna, and Knossos. Museum director Professor Nikos Stampolidis says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This exhibition is about cities that no longer exist, erased from memory, save perhaps for their name, which persists, often corrupted.â&#x20AC;? WHEN: Until April 30 WHERE: Museum of Cycladic Art Neophytou Douka 4, 106 74 Athens, Vasilissis Sofias & Herodotou 1, +Tel +30 210.722.8321-3, cycladic.gr

#CULTURE_what’s on

Shakespeare, Cinderella, Broadway – the world’s greatest stories and songs are flooding Athens this December along with a myriad of exhibitions and collections that will make this holiday season fly by.

Yannis Moralis Exhibition

WHAT: Multifaceted in his talents and boundless in his creativity, the late Greek artist Yannis Moralis’ work elevated him to be one of the most celebrated figures in the 20th century. This expansive exhibition at the Benaki Museum will explore his groundbreaking artistry over the course of several decades in a variety of mediums including paintings, sculptures, architectural commissions, record covers, and book illustrations. Witness his progression and development as an artist from now until May.

The Benaki Museum explores Yannis Moralis' groundbreaking artistry as one of the most popular artists of 20th-century Greece: pioneering painter, talented print-maker, gifted set designer and inspiring academic teacher.

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WHEN: Until May 1 WHERE: Benaki Museum Pireos 138 Athina 118 54s, Tel. +30 210.367.1000, benaki.gr

Leonardo Da Vinci – 500 years of Genius WHAT: An immersive, four-month exhibition celebrating the genius of Leonardo da Vinci offers a journey into the spirit of the Italian artist. Athenians can plunge into the brain, heart and soul of a 15th-century man who would circle his multiple interests like a predator, along with his ideas, his lucid observations and bright achievements. An exceptional painter, sculptor, engineer, biologist, inventor, musician, architect and a philosopher, the four-month exhibition at the old OSY Train Depot in central Athens, is an immersive audio-visual experience developed with the assistance of the Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Rome and the Lumiere Technology Institute in Paris.

Opera Nights at the Winter Garden WHAT: The Winter Garden City Lounge provides the perfect setting for evenings rich in beauty both atmospheric and auditory with their weekly Opera nights. Enjoy the sophisticated and luxurious ambience of Athens’ finest hotel. The series will begin with a one-of-a-kind duet and take place each Thursday evening until late December. The Winter Garden City Lounge has created a specially designed menu and a magical experience in tune with the changing seasons. WHEN: Until December 27 WHERE: Hotel Grande Bretagne 1 Vasileos Georgiou A, Syntagma Square str, Athina 105 64, Tel: +30 210.333.0000, gbrestaurants.gr

WHEN: Until March 30 Monday to Friday (13.30 to 23.00) and Saturday (10.00 to 23.00). Admission is €15 for adults; €12 for children. WHERE: OSY Train Depot, Pireos and Ermou 105 53, Gazi, Tel. +30 210 427 0638.

Christmas Meet Market

WHAT: There’s nothing better than sipping a warm drink and shopping for gifts for your loved ones, especially when there are hundreds of different choices in one festively decorated market. Local merchants will be selling their goods all weekend long at the Christmas Meet Market. There’s even a solution for the kids being towed along in the form of a sensory playground created in collaboration with the Children’s Hellenic Museum. Spoil your friends and family with perfect gifts and enjoy yourself while you’re at it; music, gifts, food, drinks and good tidings are waiting. WHEN: December 15th (11am-11pm) and 16th (12pm-10pm) WHERE: Athens Conservatoire Tel: +30 210.362.4707, 17-19 Leoforos Vasileos Georgiou B’ & Rigillis, Athens 106 74

Mappemonde: #CULTURE_what’s on

George Lappas

WHAT: Citronne Gallery inaugurates its new space in Athens with an exhibition dedicated to George Lappas, Mappemonde. Housed in a landmark 1960’s building on Kolonaki’s bustling Patriarchou Ioakeim street, the gallery’s inaugural exhibition revisits George Lappas’ stunning presentation of Mappemonde at the Sao Paulo Biennale. One of the most significant works of Greek post-war sculpture, George Lappas’ Mappemonde traces the map of the world as a sculptural narrative and draws on experiences from his own life.

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WHEN: Until February 28, 2019 WHERE: Gallery Citronne, Patriarchou Ioakeim 19, Kolonaki Tel : 2107235226, info@citronnegallery.gr

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Christmas Theatre WHAT: The most wonderful time of the year will be brought to life with twinkling lights, music, and color in the largest and most majestic theater in Athens. These spectacular performances will transport you to great cities each with their own style of celebrating the holidays. The performances shine and spread the festive spirit with a joy that will leave you smiling well past New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

Labyrinth Exhibition

WHAT: Jewels that glitter with the essence of great civilizations adorn the Benaki in Elena Syrakaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hand crafted jewelry exhibition. The talented designer used her years of study in Minoan and Mycenaean culture to design breathtaking contemporary jewelry made from archaeological fragments from the time period. These unique pieces put a modern twist on ancient myth. WHEN: Until December 16 WHERE: Benaki Museum of Greek Culture Tel: +30 210.367.1000, Koumpari 1, Athina 106 74, benaki.gr

WHEN: Until January 6 WHERE: Galatsi Olympic Arena Tel: +30 211.770.1700, Veikou Ave 137, christmastheater.gr

Russian Avant Garde Traditions Exhibition

WHEN: Until January 15 WHERE: Iris Gallery Tel: +30 210.724.1580, 12 Antinoros Street Athens, www.galleryiris.com

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Benaki Museum | 1 minute Athens WHAT: The Benaki will redefine the images that flash through your mind when you think of the city of Athens. Approximately 100 different film competition entries attempt to define and explain Athens in just 1 minute. The fusion of these creative works into one collection offer a vivid glimpse of this magical city from the imaginations of dozens of individuals.

11 WHEN: Until January 5 WHERE: Benaki Museum Tel: +30 210.367.1000, Pireos 138, Athina 118 54, benaki.gr

Cinderella at Megaron Mousiki WHAT: A delightful twist on the beloved classic, this astonishing ballet version of Cinderella will be a hit with children and adults. The iconic Monte Carlo Ballet bring to life this age-old tale with gorgeous modern choreography and music by Sergei Prokofiev. Set in a gorgeous mansion and brimming with imaginative drama and breathtaking dance, Cinderella will never be quite the same. WHEN: December 21-29 WHERE: Megaron, Athens Concert Hall, Vass. Sophias & Kokkali, Tel: +30 210.728.2333, megaron.gr

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WHAT: The Russian Avant Garde was an enigmatic and astoundingly creative movement that transformed artistic expression around the world. Alexander Lozovoy is the remaining living artist that can be considered a member of this movement characterized by political urgency and radical creativity. The Iris Gallery hosts this exclusive look into a pioneering mind. Lozovoyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work consists of revolutionary techniques and materials including birch bark and musical compositions. For the work of a radical and perspective changing artist hailing from a place and time now frozen in history this art collection is not to be missed.

Broadway musical at SNFCC WHAT: The golden age of Broadway is alive and well at the SNFCC. Athensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; most talented performers revive highlights from beloved musicals including Kiss Me Kate, West Side Story, and The Sound of Music. The Musicians of Camerata â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Friends of Music Orchestra, along with Haris Andrianos, Ioannis Kalyvas Nadia Kontogeorgi and Myrsini Margariti will take the stage for a reduced price courtesy of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for one night only.

WHEN: December 17 WHERE: Stavros Niarchos Hall Tel: +30 216.809.1000, Leof. Andrea Siggrou 364, Kallithea, for ticket information visit ticketservices.gr

14 Imperial Apartments of Qianlong Exhibition

WHAT: History enthusiasts will swoon at this incredible opportunity to view over 154 historical artifacts from the Qianlong Emperor, the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty in China. The Acropolis Museum hosts the display that usually resides in the Forbidden City in Beijing and details the complex and pivotal history of the Emperorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political and cultural contributions to China over his six decades of rule (1736-1795). Clothing, trinkets and furniture illustrate a long and vibrant life from the very highest of positions in Chinese and world history. WHEN: Until February 14 WHERE: Acropolis Museum 15 Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, Tel: +30 210 900 0900 theacropolismuseum.gr

WHAT: The Athens Biennale is not your average exhibition. Comprised of four buildings filled to the brim with art installations at times lovely, mystifying and even horrifying (one particular installation caused two audience members in London to faint at the sight), dozens of artists take a hard look at the world surrounding them and transform it to reflect their mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye. The title ANTI appropriately conveys the radical and revolutionary minds able to take an abandoned room and transform it into something never before seen. WHEN: Until December 9 WHERE: Various venues in Syntagma For more information visit, Tel: +30.210.523.2222 anti.athensbiennale.org athens insider

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ANTI: Athens Biennale

Image of the Woman in Modern Greek Painting WHAT: Oft ignored in Greek society even today, Greek women stake their place in art with this exhibition that focuses on their portrayal in Modern Greek art over the past two centuries. Greek artists ranging in age and background present portraits of women and families that trace the evolving roles of women in Greece over time. WHEN: Until February 3 WHERE: B. & M. Theocharakis Foundation 9 Vassilissis Sofias & 1 Merlin Tel: +30.210.361.1206 thf.gr

16 The Artist on the Composer WHAT: This exciting collaboration between Greek National Opera and NEON produced a fascinating dialogue between the visual arts and the opera. The live performance utilizes auditory and visual effects inside an opera house empty of all props and costumes. A twist on a classical art form manifests in a creative deluge of sight and sound.

WHEN: January 5-February 10 WHERE: Stavros Niarchos Hall Leof. Andrea Siggrou 364, Kallithea, Tel: +30 216.809.1000, neon.org.gr

Sofka Zinovieff

Putney, a modern day Lolita partly set in Greece

#CULTURE_interview

Karine Ancellin meets Sofka Zinovieff, whose latest book, Putney, set in Britain and Greece, walks into the uncomfortable eye of the #MeToo storm while questioning the free-spirited interpretation of consent and control in the '70s. A compelling novel by Bloomsbury, Putney has received critical acclaim and has been featured on several bestseller lists.

In her timely novel, Putney, Sofka Zinovieff examines the facets of suffering and resilience through a work of fiction that delves into child sexual abuse, as it happened at the time, and as the characters reminisce 40 years on. When our conversation took place this summer, Sofka Zinovieff had just returned from London for her book launch, and Putney had received excellent reviews. Understandably, it offers a subtle and nuanced alternative to the righteous populist generalizations on this delicate contemporary issue. The white and blue hues of Patmos Island modulated our discussion. She revealed how this idea came to her: “Funathens insider

nily enough, I had started writing Putney before the #Me Too jamboree movement began, so it wasn’t as a result of that. They came out alongside each other. There was obviously something in the air, in the Zeitgeist. I think partly it was seeing in recent years how many prosecutions there were relating to cases of child sexual abuse in the past, partly it was learning about how many of these are not straightforwardly understood.”

Putney offers a subtle and nuanced alternative to the righteous populist generalizations on the delicate contemporary issue of sexual abuse.

Intrigued by Putney’s atmosphere that oscillates between the London spirit of post-sixties creative irreverence of young Daphne’s family, and the contemporary British debate on permissive behaviors, I asked the author if it connected with her own experience: “There was that part of the 1970s culture when anything goes, liberation, flower power, sexual liberation, and the way people just didn’t think about abuse, or what underage sexual relationships meant, in the same way we do now. I can see it because I was brought up in Putney, in that area of London; I was a teenager there, in a milieu very similar to Daphne’s. Putney is not my story, not my family, but I wanted to base the novel physically in an environment that existed and in the area of Putney where I grew up - by the river, with the Railway Bridge.

The Bohemian lifestyle is also similar to the family I grew up in.” The author’s non-committal, non-judgmental tone is the part of her craft that best renders the contradictions and ambiguities contained within the tantalizing question of child sexual abuse: “I’m very keen on looking at grey areas. I find fascinating to penetrate the mind of the “bad person” and to try find out how he is feeling about this, how is he justifying it, what’s it doing to him. My anthropological training has really helped me with this work. As an anthropologist you have to suspend your judgment and allow for other people’s beliefs and for other people’s way of doing things which may well not be how you like to do things but it is the way they believe is right, so I know that if you look around the world, in some cultures you will see children getting married at that age, you see people having more than one partner, there are different ways of approaching sexuality. I’ve come across quite a lot of people who have been fluid in their sexuality. I think that Ralph cannot be called homosexual, he just has a strong sexual appetite, and he was interested in males as well as females but on the whole, younger males. In the English education system you hear so many stories of boys who have had love affairs or sexual affairs when they are young. Then it can be something that stops completely when they leave school and become involved in women, or it can be a thread running through their lives, there are so many ways, we are quite keen on label-

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utney brilliantly articulates three perspectives within two different time frames, first during the 1970s; adolescent Daphne’s innocent voice accompanies Ralph’s infatuation of her, until she becomes a mother herself. Then, years later, Jane, her best friend of old, prompts her to rethink her teenage “love” with the famous British composer, Ralph. Set between London, Athens and the island of Aegina, Sofka Zinovieff’s ability to cleverly express the complexities of her characters stem from her thorough experience of both cultures, as she explains: “I’ve been very lucky, firstly, having been born in London, with Russian heritage, I already felt a little of an outsider which is a great benefit for a writer. Then, coming to Greece as a student, it was a place that fully resonated with me. I learned about myself as well as learning about the country. Then I also lived in Rome for 5 years and in Moscow for a year and a half. These stays helped give me the ability to come and embed myself somewhere new. Greece is my adopted home, my husband is Greek, my children feel themselves to be Greek, just as much as they are British, if not more. They were born in England but they spent their formative years living here, in Greece. So, as the mother of Greek daughters that is a kind of lovely way to be pulled in and rooted to a place.”

ing somebody’s sexuality but throughout much of history it has not had such a clear cut label.” If one scrapes the palimpsest of the overlapping stories in Putney the reader can trace the author’s cultural grounding in classical music and literature: “one thread has to do with Innocence and Experience. It’s not by chance that Ralph composes songs based on William Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience.’ There is a play around this child who could be nothing but innocence. I am also playing dangerous games of innocence; I am allowing Ralph to portray himself as having had a sort of innocence. Many people in that era allowed themselves to think, “We’re in Love what could be wrong with this?” So, I really wanted to run out the romance. I have Ralph groom the reader, so that the reader is seduced as well. That is why quite a few people find the first part of the book difficult to stomach because there is a lot about Ralph’s feeling of “love,” even though he is grooming and abusing a child, and at the same time we read thirteen year old Daphne’s feelings of “love” even though she has been groomed, and its more the obsession of a young girl, that an older person should not be allowed to act on.” Aesthetically, I read the descriptions of the skies as echoing Turner’s relation to the elements refracting human vulnerability and wondered if it was a deliberate style in Putney: ‘the Mandarin Clouds’, ‘the Milky Sunshine’, ‘sky turned Graphite grey’, “Yes, from the beginning when Ralph goes for the first time to Barnabas road, it’s cloudy as if the sky had a hangover, so the sky keeps coming back as a somewhat direct reflection or implication on people’s mood, playing with symbolism.” Since Putney probed such a sensitive issue, I was curious to know if some of its readers, amongst whom the Greeks, imagined she had betrayed them when writing about Greece, but Sofka Zinovieff retorted: “Funnily enough it hasn’t happened. It was something I was really waiting for when I wrote the ‘The House on Paradise Street’ because I understand the sensitivities Greeks often feel when an outsider writes about them, or their history, or their way of life. Greeks often get upset and feel that the outsiders have got it wrong, or that they have been denigrated or that they were portrayed unkindly. So, I was absolutely braced, especially as I tackled the Greek civil war, one of the most sensitive issues. Greeks among themselves,

let alone in their relationships to outsiders, have not thrashed that out fully yet. It is very much a work in progress. I would say it is interesting that after national traumas, or in view of Putney, personal traumas, these things are often dealt with much later. These subjects can be too sensitive, for writers as well as for the general public, therefore it takes a sort of settling down of things to be able to recognize what has happened and see it in a slightly cooler light.”

When I spoke to Sofka Zinovieff in July, we were still under the shock of the devastating fires in Greece, so I also wanted to know how she had received the news: “It’s a terrible time and, of course, as with many tragedies, I think it brings up a lot of anger as well as sorrow, because we have to ask all the unpleasant questions. Some people have said that it was biblical, or an act of God. As in London last year when we had the Grenfell tower-block fire, there was a lot of anger, involving who was

There was that part of the 1970s culture when anything goes, liberation, flower power, sexual liberation, and the way people just didn’t think about abuse, or what underage sexual relationships meant, in the same way we do now

to blame. Probably there are things that can be improved, people have said lack of planning, defective access, lack of coordination, that sort of thing. Over time, there has been so much suffering. The country hasn’t had time to get back on its feet again, it’s just been one thing after another with war, occupation, dictatorship, famine, fires, of course, the financial crisis, but the crisis is by far the first time Greece in its modern history has been knocked down really low, and had to pull itself up again. Greeks are amazing survivors, they have horrors inflicted on them but they pick themselves up and create life once more.” • Putney(Bloomsbury, 2018) is available for sale on amazon.com and at leading international bookstores. sofkazinovieff.com

Book_review

A mediaeval Greek dynasty saga A fascinating read on an oft-ignored facet of Greek history – the role of the influential Komnene dynasty in the Byzantium’s battle for survival. John Carr’s latest work, published by Pen and Sword, is as engaging as it is enlightening.

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diaeval times. The dynasty of the Komnenes in the eleventh and twelfth centuries waged simultaneous and long-term warfare against both the Muslims in the east and south, the Normans in the west and various pagan tribes such as the Bulgars in the north. This warfare nourished leaders like the tireless and fabled Alexios I Komnenos, equally at home on the battlefield and in the comforts of the palace at Constantinople. There is his fascinating daughter Anna Komnene, the author of the acclaimed Alexiad and power in her own right, who was not above employing a form of sexual torture as revenge against a politically uncooperative husband. There is Andronikos I Komnenos, one of those rulers to whom the term monster can be applied without exaggeration, yet who held the utmost fascination for women. There’s even a chapter on the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons who fled the Norman conquest of England in 1066 to serve Alexios I as a devoted personal guard. History isn’t just about ideas and trends and what revisionist theorists define as “process.” As John Julius Norwich, the doyen of modern Byzantinists, asserts, history is as much about people as processes. Carr, schooled in journalism, follows this model in that the people aspect is brought out more. The motives of Alexios I, Anna and others are personalized to a degree that some scholastic purists may find misleading. But reading this fine book leaves us with little doubt that this mediaeval Greek dynasty all but ignored by the West has given us the ingredients of a very good and fastpaced read.

The 224-page hardback, graced with colour plates, is a good, fast-paced read that casts a torchlight into a little-known nook of Greek history.

The Komnene Dynasty: Byzantium’s Struggle for Survival, 1057-1185. Published by Pen and Sword www.pen-andsword.co.uk. Available at all leading international bookstores in Greece and on amazon.co.uk

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n case you were all wondering why our very own John Carr has been absent from these pages lately, the answer is that he has been doing some “serious” writing for a change. This past half-year saw the release of his latest work under the Pen & Sword imprint, “The Komnene Dynasty: Byzantium’s Struggle for Survival, 1057-1185.” Its title may be a tad on the dry side, but the 224-page hardback, graced with colour plates, is a good, fast-paced read in the Carr style, casting a torchlight into a little-known nook of Greek history and coming up with material worthy of several historical thrillers (not to mention soap operas). After the initial obligatory period of infatuation with ancient Greece common to almost all writers in this clime, Carr has looked deeper into Greek history. “The Byzantine era still hasn’t really received the recognition it deserves,” he told this reviewer. “In fact, the Byzantine, or Late Roman, Empire lasted 1,100 years – longer than the whole span of ancient Greek history. In my research I came up with astounding human interest material.” The pages bulge with it. On another level Byzantium had the dual task of keeping alive classical Greek culture and language along with Christianity. The two did not always agree. But somehow the balancing act was kept, which is why, in Carr’s view, “modern Greece owes far more to Byzantium than it does to some Western mental construct of what ‘ancient Greece’ actually was.” And true, it’s a refreshing change from the diet of “Homer, Plato and Co” to read about what the Greeks were doing in me-

Thinking Aloud with

Pascal Bruckner

In his open-collared crumpled linen shirt, Pascal Bruckner is the model of a modern French intellectual whose Gallic appeal is still at work at 70. His eloquent opinions have provoked controversy and endless debates on identity, guilt, democracy and the elusive Western quest for happiness. A few of his views culled from his conversations with Isabelle Schmitz and Sudha Nair-Iliades at the New York Times Athens Democracy Forum at Costa Navarino.

n Western guilt towards Islam:

In An Imaginary Racism, Islamophobia and Western Guilt (2017, Grasset), the French intellectual addresses the problematic of political correctness through the term of Islamophobia, “a weapon of mass destruction”: he claims that under the pretext of non-discrimination of Muslim people, any questioning of the beliefs and practices of Islam is unpronounceable. To strike a faithful is a crime. To discuss an article of faith, of a doctrine, is a right. To confuse the two constitutes an unbearable amalgam. Are not these precautions of language and these delicacies of treatment due to Western guilt and the weight of its colonialist history? Certainly, the feeling of Western guilt is real, but it should not make us lose our critical mind. The best that we can wish for Islam is not “phobia” or “philia” but a benevolent indifference in a spiritual marketplace, open to all beliefs. But it is precisely this indifference that the fundamentalists want to eradicate.

Agree to disagree - the sign of a civilised society:

The sign of a civilized society is its ability to disagree in a civil way. Finding our critical mind to analyze coldly the situation of the current world, to emerge from the realm of emotivity and anathema to enter into the comprehension of the real, was the point of view defended by Bruckner.

Trump and he US Presidential elections:

Mark Lilla in his book, The Left Identity attributes Trump's election to the errors of the American left, especially to the ideology of diversity responsible for the inability of the liberal message to unite the American people. This point of view developed by Lilla does not seem irrational, argues Bruckner: Trump is himself only a counter-product of the American political correctness he replies with the politically

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Greece will always be, for me, a pilgrimage to the root of civilization, to the dawn of humanity.

Pascal Bruckner in conversation with the New York Times' Roger Cohen

On Globalisation and multiculturalism:

“We have abandoned the momentum and energy of the Enlightenment. What we are left with is a reflection of a grey, chiaroscuro version of it. This is the twilight of European civilization. Something is slowly dying in our nations and, unless we wake up, we will disappear.”

On civil liberties and democracy:

“Sometimes in our attempt to protect democracy, we actually end up undermining it,” Bruckner said, adding that the only way to stop the appeal of far-right parties in Europe is for mainstream parties in power to take the necessary measures that will deprive ultranationalists of their arguments. He said that following the Charlie Hebdo and Bataclan attacks, French citizens have felt closer to security and police officials. athens insider

On the burdensome expectation to be Happy

In his book Perpetual Euphoria: On the Duty to Be Happy, Bruckner acknowledges that happiness is a notoriously difficult concept to pin down. We can take it to mean wellbeing, contentment, joy and pleasure, as well as several other definitions, but whatever it entails, it's a philosophical topic that dates back to the very beginnings of the discipline.

For the ancient Greeks, happiness was synonymous with the good life. To be happy was to fulfil a harmonious role in an ordered society. Christianity replaced happiness with salvation, a life of denial for the promise of eternal bliss after death.

It was the Enlightenment that returned happiness to earth. Most famously, the American Declaration of Independence guaranteed the right "to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness". Bruckner suggests that with nothing standing between ourselves and happiness, other than our willingness to grasp it, there is a moral compulsion weighing on us to be happy – and it's precisely this social pressure that makes so many people unhappy. "We should wonder why depression has become a disease. It is a disease of a society that is looking desperately for happiness, which we cannot catch. And so people collapse into themselves."

On Greece

Greece is the embodiment of beauty, tragedy and light. It is the idea of the Greek miracle as expressed by the ancient philosophers. And it is also modern Greece, whose unaffected beauty is an illustration of the world and of humanity. It will always be, for me, a pilgrimage to the root of civilization, to the dawn of humanity.

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direct, even the politically abject. Are elites ready to hear this “wake up call” and get out of sterile rhetoric that may have blinded them?

Escapist

Winter Reads For avoidant bookworms, Anna Roins suggests you look no further than these three gems to tide over your holiday blues. The relationship problems fraught by each character in these books will pale into comparison to yours, and you will be singing Auld Lang Syne with smug superiority in no time!

ost people look forward to the holiday season as a reason to go out with their friends at the drop of a Santa hat, or to travel home to spend time with their beloved families; eating too much, drinking too much and sleeping on the couch (well, we do in our family) and generally not caring at all if they don’t fit into their work clothes come January. Some people, however, have a hard time of it during these months, and for most of them, it’s because the flaws in their relationships are amplified when forced to spend more time than usual with people you probably love but not sure you like, set against a mammoth media ploy to make you feel something that you don’t. For those avoidant bookworms, I suggest look no further than these three gems to tide you over, where the relationship problems fraught by each character will pale into comparison to yours, and you will be singing Auld Lang Syne with smug superiority in no time.

The Summer Wives: A Novel (William Morrow, 10 July 2018) Beatriz Williams

inally, and for some more island warmth while bearing the crisp winds in wintery Athens (and for those not travelling to Australia) there is The Summer Wives: A Novel (William Morrow, 10 July 2018). This was also an instant New York Times best-seller by author, Beatriz Williams whose fascination for Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the islands located near the Long Island Sound were among the inspirations for her latest historical novel. This story follows the triumphs and misfortunes of the inhabitants of ‘Winthrop’ island off the coast of New England - a rarefied and idyllic setting which is home to both the posh families who have summered there for generations who sound like the Kennedys and a yearround population of Portuguese fishermen and domestic workers. The main characters include an actress returning after several years with secrets in tow, her irrepressible stepsister and a manly local fisherman loved by both and intertwined within the plot are complex relationships that connect all the characters. The writing is gorgeous, and you will lose yourself completely in its Great Gatsby-esque style and tone if you haven’t fallen unconscious in a heap with too much eggnog and other naughty niceties. You can find these books on Amazon and read interviews with the authors on Authorlink

#CULTURE_city #BOOK_review life

The High Tide Club: A Novel

The Christmas Sisters

(St. Martin’s Press, 8 May 2018) Mary Kay Andrews

(HQN, 25 September 2018) Sarah Morgan

o get right into it, The Christmas Sisters (HQN, 25 September 2018) by Sarah Morgan is about the lovely Suzanne McBride who is dreaming of the perfect Christmas in the snowy Highlands of Scotland. Her three adopted daughters are coming home for the holidays, and she can’t wait to see them, but tensions are running high (don’t they always?) Will this new togetherness teach the sisters that their close-knit bond is strong enough to withstand anything – including a family Christmas? USA Today bestselling author of romance and women’s fiction, Sarah Morgan, has sold over 16 million copies of her books and is a 3-time winner of the prestigious RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America. She has this to say about the Christmas Sisters, to give you an idea of what to expect, “Family relationships invariably come with extra layers of complication, and as a writer that’s fun to explore.” In other words, hold on to your sleigh bells.

holiday reads athens insider

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he next on my list is referred to by some (everyone) as the ‘Queen of the Summer Beach read’ (which for our Aussie readers who are travelling home for Christmas, will be right up their alley), Mary Kay Andrews and her book, The High Tide Club: A Novel (St. Martin’s Press, 8 May 2018) was an instant New York Times best-seller. The setting is on a barrier island along the coast of Georgia in the United States and is just as distinct a setting as the Scottish Highlands above. It’s about struggling single mum and lawyer, Brooke Trappnell who is summoned by a ninety-nine-year-old heiress, Josephine Bettendorf Warrick to help her locate and make amends with the heirs of the long-dead women who were her closest friends, the girls of the titular, ‘The High Tide Club’. She also enlists Brookes help to protect her island and legacy from those who would spoil her land. Along the way, you discover secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved murder like extra candy-cane thrown into your Christmas stocking when it was looking a bit puny to your parents.

Between Rock and an Art Place

When you hear the phrase rock and roll, the image that appears in your mind is probably one that Richard Bellia took. Born with the gift of artistry, Bellia has used his eye for passion and talent to photograph dozens of iconic rock musicians in a groundbreaking career spanning almost 40 years. Richard Belliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legendary career as a photographer chronicling rock and roll musicians at their candid, acidic best were part of an exhibition organized by Muse Constant in Athens in October. Sudha NairIliades in conversation with Richard Bellia.

The Stokes

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Guns n' Roses

Bellia notes that “his first love was music, it just seemed cooler to hang a camera around one’s neck at a concert. It looked like you had something to do.” He truly did focus on the music, somehow managathens insider

ing to produce sound in visual form with each click of his film camera, a medium he would use throughout his career despite the advent of digital technology. The signature style and obvious love filtered through his lens and elevated him to be one of the most prominent and celebrated rock photographers of our age. The exhibition that premiered in Athens in October, focuses on Bellia’s 2016 publication, “Un Œil Sur La Musique 1980-2016 (123 ISO)”. The immense collection consists of 1000 images, 800 pages and the bliss and black and white surrealism of David Bowie mid-belt, Nirvana lingering on a London street corner, and the passive slink back to reality of a stage post-punk show, with discarded guitars lying face down and sweaty band members picking up equipment. The organizer of the Athens leg of the world tour of the exhibition, Constantine Zouganellis observes, “Bellia’s photographs have a singular quality of capturing the mood with an unusual perspective, perpetuating the great story of musical legends to live on. We are chuffed that he has chosen Athens as his first stop.”

Richard Bellia used his personal ties with musicians to record the vivacity and the spirit, the joy and the rage that poured out of these powerful artists.

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e captured the rise and fall of such legendary musicians as The Cure, Nirvana, The Velvet Underground, The Rolling stones, Lana del Rey, and on and on. Born in France in 1962, Bellia dabbled in amateur photography before finding his calling at a Cure concert in London in 1980. He couldn’t have found it a better time; this was the beginning of a rock renaissance and it was happening in London. Writing for several different European music publications over the decades (including the iconic weekly music magazine The Melody Maker), the photographer developed relationships with the musicians he photographed and used these personal ties to record the vivacity and the spirit, the joy and the rage that poured out of these powerful artists. Today his own work as an artist is in the spotlight, with the photography exhibition ‘Richard Bellia: An Eye on Music’.

Nirvana

The exhibition and the book serve as a testament to life on the road of a legendary photographer who not only captured the history of music and the musicians that influenced countless lives, trends, ideas and thoughts, but also illustrates what it felt like to really be there, ‘to eat, sleep and breathe music.’ I met Richard Bellia twice – once over lunch at Nolan’s and at a masterclass at Pallas theatre as he spoke animatedly to a group of young photography students. He is dressed on both days in scruffy black sweatpants and a hoodie, unshaven. Yet, what you remember about Bellia are his eyes. They light up when he describes each shot – its almost as if he relives the concert, feels the adrenaline rush – often humming a tune from the band as he describes the process of capturing the perfect shot. His high-octane energy is infectious. He peppers his talks with anecdotes in his thick French-accented English. The audience laps it up. And, just like that, you realise that Richard Bellia is as much rock royalty as his famed subjects. You were just 18 when you took your first picture of Cure at a concert in Lux-

Henry Rollins

embourg, after failing to make the grade as a chef. That represented a fateful moment that was to define the next four decades of your life. Did you imagine that you’d end up being feted as a rock and roll legend yourself? I don’t see myself that way! I was just a gawky, music-loving kid with a camera. It was never a planned career move. The English have an expression for it - to get carried away. I saw the British rock band The Cure perform live and my photography career was a result of letting myself get carried away. But I’m still a reasonably good cook and make a mean coq-au-vin! Would you describe yourself as a selftaught photographer? I am largely self-taught though I took a couple of classes at my high school club in Longwy and free photography classes run by the local municipality. What characterizes your style? I am pretty fast. The speed with which one attacks one's subject is primordial. I always believed that it was important to capture the moment very quickly rather than spend time to stage a perfect shot…

How would you describe a good photo? It invites you to stare at it for a long time and to observe a thousand details. It is emotions… it is different for a fashion catalogue where everything is perfect and beautiful - the models, the clothes, the setting - and you keep clicking until you capture that perfection in your photographs too. Then there are photographs where you hope to capture something fleeting and to still convey that beauty. Do each of your photos resonate to a personal moment? Most. They often refer to my personal stories and milestones. I still remember being backstage taking pictures of The Cure. I had just arrived in London, without a dime in my pocket. It was very cold, and I really wanted to make it as a photographer. The first film that I held in my camera – well it produced that evocative shot of a vulnerable Robert Smith aka the Godfather of Goth resting his chin on the table. Those first images of The Cure depict the band as light-hearted and relaxed – not the brooding, heavily made-up musicians you saw on stage. Was it important for you to like the mu-

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sic of the bands you covered? I loved The Cure’s music instantly. It was the time of The Sex Pistols, U2, Simple Minds and Wire, but The Cure were by far the coolest and the most interesting. I still listen to their music and still find it really excellent. At first The Cure didn’t have their photos on the record sleeves, so they were the kind of band that you would like without knowing what they looked like. Even when they were playing on stage they wouldn’t play with much light. So, there was always this distance between The Cure and their audience – which provided me with the perfect opportunity to present them to the world my way. So, describe what it felt like being on tour in the eighties - was it sex, drugs and rock n’ roll all the way? Not for me personally. I introduced myself, took my images and left. There were times I regretted not hanging around for the parties. It’s not as if a rock band invites you to film when they’re getting high or when hanging around with their groupies. But of course, the drugs and orgies were all around. AC DC

The exhibition and the book illustrate what it felt like to really be there, “to eat, sleep and breathe music”. Bellias’ eloquent photographs captured the history of music and that of musicians who influenced countless lives, trends, ideas and thoughts.

Surely you must have your share of insider stories – of wild parties and of TVs being hurled off hotel rooms? The only photographer who got that close to any of the rock stars was Robert Frank who’d negotiated a deal with the Rolling Stones to film them onstage, backstage, and in intimate situations that hardly anybody would want to be filmed in! He unsparingly portrayed the Stones on tour in 1972 filming an orgy in an airplane cabin, hotel-room doldrums, spikes of heroin, card games, make-up sessions and only occasionally playing some music!

Your biggest regret? Missing a candid shot of Iggy Pop at a pub in London! Sonic Youth were at the pub after a concert and they announced that their good friend Iggy Pop would be joining them. I was six metres away from the stage, at perfect distance to get some splendid shots, but in my hurry, I didn’t place my film correctly. I regret that to date! Your favourite photo? Maybe one of Iggy Pop. And then one of James Brown.

Pretenders athens insider

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The meeting that has intimidated you most? Paul McCartney.

Robert Smith, Cure

“I was cold and penniless and really wanted to make it as a photographer. The first film that I held in my camera – well it produced that evocative shot of a vulnerable Robert Smith aka the Godfather of Goth resting his chin on the table”.

The photograph you’re proudest of? I want to answer like French football legend Just Fontaine when he was asked about his best goal, and he answered, "the next one". You never worked in digital? My photos have all been taken using silver film, mostly in black and white, often in a medium format with a Hasselblad. I had a digital Leica, I loved it. I worked for two years in digital before I realized that the photos were less beautiful. As I'm a little stupid, it took me two years to realize. It is an absolute waste of time. They call me the Analog Mafia - there is no debate: the digital cannot in any case be as beautiful as the film. This is your second trip to Athens. You followed The Cure when they performed at the Herod Atticus in 1985 for the Athens Festival. What do you remember of Athens and how has it changed since? Athens has this sense of rhythm which is

at once chaotic and laid-back. I had that feeling in 1985 and I feel it as I sit here watching the traffic go by. The Cure concert stretched over four nights. It was extremely hot and people were a bit edgy…. On our first evening, there was a major government reshuffle and riots broke out. So, in some ways nothing has changed!

Worth every gram of the 5.7 kgs his book weighs, this is a must-buy for any true devotee of music. Bellia’s work – a startling collection of intimate backstage shots, striking portraits, live performances and historical ephemera, all shot in vivid black and white – includes rare shots of acts including David Bowie, Genesis P. Orridge, Joe Strummer, Erykah Badu, Nirvana, Manic Street Preachers, Paul McCartney, Radiohead, James Brown, Elliott Smith and John Lydon. The book is available at Ianos bookstore, 24 Stadiou Street and richardbellias.com

Afrika Bambaataa

#PEOPLE_ Diplomacy

Should we be talking gender in 2018?

From l to r : H.E. Ambassador Shamma Jain, H.E. Ambassador Kate Logan, moderator Dr. Haris Vlavianos, H.E. Ambassador Kate Smith, H.E. Ambassador Charlotte Sammeli, President of the American College of Greece, Dr. David Horner

PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS WORLDWIDE

• 85% of ambassadors are still men and get more high-profile postings. • Only 23% of parliamentarians are women • A mere 27% of judges are women • Appallingly only 15% of corporate board members are women

Four lady ambassadors advocate the case for diversity and gender-balanced diplomacy. While notoriously guarded old boys' networks are giving way to more open workplaces, a lot more needs to be done, they argue.

sked in 1933 whether the diplomatic service should be opened to women, British ambassadors of the day chorused their disapproval: it was ‘inadvisable’, ‘unthinkable’ and, even, ‘criminal’!

The four accomplished women representing their countries in Greece, Ambassadors Kate Smith (U.K), Charlotte Sammelin (Sweden), Shamma Jain (India) and Kate Logan (Australia) might have a good laugh at those archaic judgements of their professional competence, but admit that while progress has been made, it has simply not been enough. Speaking on “Women in Diplomacy – Challenges and Opportunities for Women in Public Life” to a roomful of eager young public affairs students at the American College of Greece, the diplomats engaged the audience with a mix of personal stories, irrefutable facts, practical advice and humour to make their case for gender-balanced diplomacy. These indicative figures and dates prove that a whole generation of capable women were effectively lost to diplomacy. Which in turn translates as a dearth of role models for women who wanted to enter the foreign service.

1987: First British woman ambassador appointed. 1972: the date until which a married woman diplomat had to choose between her career or her marriage. 1946: The year until which the appointment of female diplomats was forbidden because the UK Foreign Office feared endangering British prestige abroad.

Ambassador Kate Smith (UK) Ambassador Kate Smith noted that she had never encountered gender-based bias or challenges as a woman diplomat and credited her positive experience to the strength of British institutions. She elaborated her point by adding that when she was posted to Tehran as Deputy Head of Mission in 2005, her gender was not an issue.

One way that we can really develop female leadership is not just by developing our own careers but to work for the reform and improvement of institutions which enable that female leadership to flourish and thrive.

H.E. Ambassador Kate Smith

Ambassador Charlotte Sammelin (Sweden)

While Sweden consistently scores top marks in the EU on gender equality, highest female labour market participation and female representation at policy making positions, it has largely been due to a concerted strategy to give equal opportunities to men and women to shape policies.

H.E. Ambassador Charlotte Sammelin of Sweden athens insider

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Growing up in the seventies, Ambassador Charlotte Sammelin of Sweden noted that she was lucky to study and work in an environment that encouraged womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s empowerment. Her grandmother had dinned the idea of economic independence so when she chose a career in diplomacy, it meant hard choices and a lot of juggling to make it to her position as ambassador today. A few key reforms in her native Sweden that marked the way for gender quality at the workplace and for a better work-life balance include six-month paternity leave for men, a well-established child care system, and a flexible work culture.

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Ambassador Shamma Jain (India) For Ambassador Shamma Jain, the glass ceiling in the Indian Foreign Service was due to rigorous competition and limited positions rather than gender bias at the workplace. 250,000 students compete each year for 9 seats through an extremely tough entrance exam to get into the Foreign Service. The year Ambassador Jain sat for her exams, there was only one other woman candidate who made it.

My experience in Cote d’Ivoire when a Civil War loomed and later at the UN Security Council has convinced me that women are much better at instinctively taking on more responsibilities, having peripheral vision in resolving conflict and at promoting peace on a global level. Jain pointed to one discriminatory policy in particular that bothers her: female Indian diplomats are expected to wear six-metre long saris in their day-to-day duties, while their male counterparts instead wear modern suits!

H.E. Ambassador Kate Logan

H.E. Ambassador Shamma Jain

Ambassador Kate Logan (Australia) On a lighter note Australian ambassador Kate Logan jested that in Greece she was usually mistaken to be an Ambassador’s wife or had had more than one incredulous “So, you’re the Ambassador” thrown her way. Growing up in Australia, where the foreign ministers for the past twenty-five years have been women, gender is rarely noticed, and almost never brought up. Her ten-point practical guide for young, aspiring diplomats revolved around identifying role models, normalising gender roles, calling out bias and encouraging ‘male champions of change’. Ambassador Logan states that despite concerted efforts and affirmative policies, gender disparity is still an issue – from the media to corporate boardrooms and in Parliament, women still lag in representation. Her solution: speak a language businessmen understand; appeal to the bottom line.

If you can’t persuade employers or policy makers on logic to have a more inclusive workplace, persuade them on productivity and profit grounds. Diversity is a necessity in today’s complex and challenging world, not an optional extra – it makes for better decision making, better outcomes

There will always be Psyrri

#CITY LIFE

Psyrri Insider Nicholas Pisaris has the ultimate guide on the storied Athens neighborhood and reveals the charms and quirks of this underappreciated area.

purchased my flat in 2001, and Psyrri has changed a great deal since then. I likened it to TriBeCa in NY; it had light industrial and some retail by day, but it was a section of Athens where Greeks came to party at night and on weekends. The only quiet evenings were on Mondays. At the time Gazi was developing, and many art galleries were moving there as rents had increased in Psyrri. During the crisis years, Psyrri was dead even on weekends and it became a ghost town. With the great increase of tourists in Greece and the opening of new bars, lounges, restaurants and business in the past couple of years, the neighborhood has undergone a post-crisis renewal.

Community I would recommend Psyrri over other central neighborhoods for many reasons: cost wise, it is less pricey than Plaka or Kolonaki. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also livelier than other central Athens neighborhoods; the community is vibrant and tight-knit, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not uncommon for the nightlife to carry on until the early hours of the next morning. My neighbours are owners of bars, restaurants, and tavernas, and are a friendly lot who are eager to help you in every way possible.

Partly due to its ghost-town past, Psyrri is less touristic than other central Athens neighborhoods such as Plaka and Monastiraki. Despite this, Pysrri is indubitably in the heart of Athens, and its central location has huge benefits. The proximity of the Central Athens meat, fish, vegetable and fruit markets is one, not to mention the weekly flea market that takes place on Ermou Street through the Abyssinian Square to lower Adrianou Street. The proximity of the Abyssinian Square makes buying used or antique furniture in off-the-beaten-path shops and basements an adventure.

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Centrality

Bars There is a plethora of them in Psyrri. The one I recommend is Cinque Wine Bar which also serves food. It is owned by Gregory and Evangeline Prassas, whose son, Nikita, a graduate of the American Farm School, is currently studying oenology. The Prassas family are most knowledgeable about wines and can recommend wines for all palates. Cinque is considered #1 Wine Bar in Athens by TripAdvisor and is located at Agatharhou 15, in a building on the corner of Agatharhou and Lepeniotou. Reservations are definitely recommended as it is packed; open from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Restaurants

lthough there are many in Psyrri and it seems that several new ones have opened on Apostolou Navarhou, my favourites are the following: Oineas, on Aisopou, a narrow lane between Taki and Kateskaki Streets where the decor includes a bar, brightly lit behind the bottles on its shelves creating a lovely panorama of colors together with vintage advertising posters on its walls. Dining is both inside and outside with a friendly staff and delicious food. A unique starter is the cheese pie (tiropita), not wrapped in the tradition phyllo dough, but wrapped in cadaifi dough. Three to an order and large enough to be shared. Lithos, also on Aisopou on the corner of Navarhou Apostolou and Lepeniotou where

dining is primarily outside except during the winter — also terrific food and friendly staff. I Taverna Tou Psyrri (Tavern of Psyrri) on Aghios Demetrios Street off of Iroon Plateia, a good, old fashioned taverna where the daily specialities are encased behind a glass wall and each dish is explained by the staff. Dining is both inside and out in a quiet garden accessed by the rear door of the tavern. Po Boy on the corner of Agatharhou and Lepeniotou Streets with traditional southern cooking, owned by the same owner as Mama Roux in Aghia Irini. Little Kook’s Café, a most unique establishment on Kateskaki Street near Aisopou Street, it serves wine, teas, ice creams and cakes and is decorated in over the top fashion. Its Halloween and Christmas decorations are splendiferous and Greek natives plus tourists descend on the area taking photos of the exterior decor.

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Museums Art galleries While some may still exist in Psyrri (most moved to Gazi when rents were raised in the early part of this century), the Alibi Gallery on Sari 12 Features street art and emerging artists is well worth a visit. Tel. No. is 6978 173 554. The adjectives I would use to best sum up Psyrri’s unique spirit are original, creative, entrepreneurial and definitely different and fun. I cannot think of living in any other part of Athens and am so glad I ended up here. In Psyrri, as in many other athens insider

neighborhoods in Athens, your best security are your neighbors as they know who belongs there and who doesn’t. You might lose a bit of privacy, but it is a security measure whether you want it or not, and I relish it.

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To my knowledge, there are two in Psyrri, the Jewish Museum off Assomaton Street which I have never visited, and the which is the jewel in the crown of all of the Benaki Museums — a must-see in a Greek Neo-Classical building on a corner on Assomaton Street.

places in Psyrri you shouldn’t miss

Diana Farr Louis, Diane Shugart and Alexia Amvrazi map out their six fave under-the-radar spots in Psyrri. Excerpts from 111 Places In Athens That You Shouldn’t Miss.

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All about worry beads, a unique Greek tradition

‘There’s not a home in Greece that doesn’t possess at least one set of beads. And they are one tradition that is exclusively ours. In other parts of the world, beads are associated with prayer and religion, but here they are used solely in order to relax, to relieve stress, for luck.’

ot long ago a man twirling worry beads was a common sight – on the street, in a café, on the train. Today, the smart phone seems to have taken their place. But Vasso Mahaira, owner of this beguiling shop, assures us that they will never go out of fashion. ‘There’s not a home in Greece that doesn’t possess at least one set of beads. And they are one tradition that is exclusively ours. In other parts of the world, beads are associated with prayer and religion, but here they are used solely in order to relax, to relieve stress, for luck.’ According to Mrs Mahaira, prayer beads originated in India when an initiate made a string of 108 seeds to remind his teacher of the order of his prayers. The custom spread to the Muslims, who cut the number to 33, and to the Catholics with their rosaries. Although some say that a monk on Mount Athos introduced prayer beads to the Orthodox, Mahaira maintains that they weren’t seen in Greece until the Ottomans took over and that Greeks copied the habit from the Turks, but lengthened the string to give them room to play. Greek beads have no fixed number but it must be odd, and a multiple of four plus one, strung on silk closed by a larger bead curiously called a papas or priest, with or without a tassel. The shop’s collection contains hundreds of beads, ranging from plastic for €5 to expensive creations made of amber, ebony, coral, wood, bone, antler, ivory, resin, apricot stones and more. They represent the passion of Vasso’s late husband, Elias Saridakis, who from a child was entranced by the sight and sound of cool street guys whirling them in Psyrri. Choosing worry beads is like selecting a crystal: feel them, play, rub them, smell them, listen to the music of the beads. Pick the natural material that speaks to you aesthetically and emotionally. Its positive energy could reduce your own addiction to your smart phone. Address Agion Anargyron 13, Plateia Psyrri, Athens 10553, +30 210 3243012, www.kobojewels.gr Getting there Metro to Monastiraki (M 1 & M 3), and a 10-minute walk Hours Daily 10am – flexible, 7 – 11pm; closed only for Easter and Christmas Tip: Around the corner from the square, Karaiskaki is a unique street hung with dozens of different kinds of lamps.

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To Kompoloi tou Psyrri

To Koulouri tou Psyrri Bakery Sesame rings, the bread of memories

‘T

o Koulouri tou Psyrri’ logos emblazoned on the trunks of scooters whiz round the city taking stacks of fresh-baked bread rings to street-corner vendors. They are a contemporary twist to the familiar sight of the koulouri seller pushing his cart through the streets. But mechanising delivery to street-corner koulouri sellers is the bakery’s only update to the enduringly popular snack it began making in the 1960s. The koulouri, of course, is much older than this unassuming enterprise in the heart of Psyrri. Dating back to the Byzantine Empire, the sesame-encrusted bread ring was originally associated with the cities of Constantinople and Thessaloniki. The association with Thessaloniki is still strong across Greece, except in Athens where local preference is for a thinner, crisper koulouri. But the technique is the same and the secret is in the starter, or prozymi, and wood-burning oven that draws out the nutty sweetness of the sesame seeds pressed into the surface.

The mark of a good koulouri is its aroma – not just while in the oven but hours later. Baking starts long before dawn, infusing the dewy morning air with the smell of freshly baked bread. Still warm, the rings are stacked, loosely packed, and despatched to selling points around Athens.

Address Karaiskaki 23, Psyrri, Athens 10554, +30 210 3215962 Getting there Metro to Monastiraki (M 1 & M 3) Hours Daily 7am – 1pm Tip: Reward yourself for snacking healthily: pick up reworked vintage jewellery or other gifts at the Kartousa Gallery (Taki 9).

Through the 1980s, it comprised the customary Greek breakfast for office workers and snack for school kids, eaten with a foil-wrapped wedge of processed cheese. Today it’s often eaten plain, ever-popular even as the city bursts with shops selling far fancier baked goods. A koulouri keeps well in a bag or backpack, a satisfying and nutritious energy boost on a day of sightseeing. Vendors are on many city centre streets or you can stop by the bakery in Psyrri. No need to ask directions: just follow your nose.

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The Handlebar Bicycles pets and cool customers

reece’s first cyclists’ café was created soon after the opening of a bicycle shop (Vicious Bicycles Athens or VCA) next door, during a time when Athenians left their expensive-to-run cars in the driveway and hopped onto bikes instead. The feel-good factor of getting more exercise, becoming part of a growing community and getting through often congested city traffic at higher speed, while discovering mindopening side-street shortcuts became a booming antidote. While the bike-shop owners worked on fixing bicycles, customers hung around outside chatting and sipping takeout coffee or a beer on a street ledge, so it made perfect sense to take over an abandoned kafeneion next door and transform it into The Handlebar, a buzzy café-bar that right up to today continues to be an ‘institution’ for cyclists – and more. The cosy miniature interior has vintage and rebel touches, with walls that are half lavender paint and half yellow bricks, a minimalist black-tile bar lined with metallic stools and a few tables outside; its warmth comes from the crowds that fill it up. Originally, the lively spot on almost invisible tiny Melanthiou Street had a widely cherished menu centred on indulgent English-style brunches and vegan / vegetarian specials, but today due to financial restraints it serves only smoothies, juices, coffee, Greek herbal teas and plenty of beer, all at very accessible prices. Its motto is partying and pedalling, and it hosts weekly events such as Punk Wednesday and DJ sets every Friday that crowd the street with dancers. Cyclists gather to plan events (fewer today than in the past as, despite the creation of bike lanes in various parts of Attica, the city is generally too unsafe for cyclists and the trend has dipped significantly) and discuss their hobby, but with its extremely friendly and familial ambience the space welcomes every variety of customer.

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Address Melanthiou 8, Psyrri, Athens 10554, +30 211 4093002, www.handlebar.gr | Getting there Metro to Monastiraki (M 1 & M 3) | Hours Daily noon – midnight | Tip Less than 10 minutes’ walk away on Karaiskaki Street is The Impact Hub, an ideal spot to spend the day working in a quiet, communal space and connecting with creative or business professionals (€10 for the day).

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Limba, A smashing time in Athens

y now there are a multitude of bars and clubs where you can get wrecked in Athens, but until recently there has been no establishment where you are welcomed to go on a rampage, and then walk away as if it never happened. Limba, a basement business in the heart of Monastiraki, is a modern-day allegory for the pent-up exasperation that Greeks have amassed during a long period of biting financial crises, alarming regional wars and terrorism, bad presidents and jaded love. It exemplifies a deepseated compulsion for that furore to be released, ironically in a private, organised, financially viable way. For some it is simply an atypical destination for a lark. Upon arriving, the client peruses a menu to satiate a seething, or otherwise just whimsical disastrous intent. Starting with prices from a handful of euros and reaching to over 100, the menu choices are set by how many out-of-order objects / symbolic technological victims one may opt to smash to smithereens. They include old computer monitors, mobile phones, TV screens, bottles and crockery. After select-

ing a ‘package’, the client is asked to don a protective body suit complete with helmet, visor and a double layer of gloves. There are two soundproof rooms to choose from, both painted in a deliberately uncouth way to resemble either a living room or a DIY workshop, and in each, a selection of weapons of mass destruction, such as baseball bats and iron rods, are laid out.

Limba’s manager offers the client two luxuries – the choice of music (classical and traditional Greek are the most popular by far), and the freedom to take as long as necessary. Regulars here fit the mould of life-crisisangst stereotypes: middle-aged business persons, 30-year-old women, teenagers

and tourists just out for a laugh. The owners are ecologists, and make sure to recycle every single remaining fragment after each booking. You could say that they recycle everything twice - the first time by making broken, useless objects ideal for breaking.

Address Pittaki 6, Psyrri, Athens 10554, +30 698 1373351 Getting there Metro or HSAP Electric Railway to Monastiraki (M 1 & M 3) Hours Tue – Sun 5 – 10pm Tip: Monastiraki is a hub of social, gastronomical and cultural activity, including the Flea Market, the Athens Cathedral and the city’s best souvlaki joints. Combine your Limba visit with a drink, food and tour.

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Address Eschilou 28, Psyrri, Athens 10554, +30 210 3216409 Getting there Metro to Monastiraki (M 1 & M 3) Hours Mon – Sat 10am – 9pm Tip: Continue your experience of idiosyncratic Athens by having breakfast in bed at Spiti Mas, a café-bistro on Navarchou Apostoli Street (five minutes’ walk) modelled on home living.

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Remember Fashion Original cult designs loved by A-list rockers

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emember is a cult fashion store that you can’t easily forget. Its entry stairway sets the tone as it’s splattered with graffiti slogans like ‘public apathy’ and ‘we are ruled by none’. It was opened in Plaka in postjunta Athens (1978) by eccentric artist Dimitris Tsouanatos, whose original designs immediately appealed to Greek youths fuelled by the desire to break out of a sombre traditional mould and express themselves through their style of clothes. At the time, the punk movement was also starting to yell itself into being, making the store even more alluring to Greek customers seeking to connect with a more Western sense of assertiveness. The 1980s fashion continues to be a running theme in the designs even today, but Tsouanatos’ overall love of creative youth culture and music has heavily coloured his work – tones of New Wave, Rock, Metal, Rave and Electronica music genres are visible. Almost everything in the shop, from T-shirts with painted faces or original photos to Elvis-style gold lamé jumpsuits or studded-leather-strap S&M gear, as well as accessories like hats, shoes and jewellery are his original designs. Tsouanatos, who is also an accomplished sculptor and painter and has published three poetry books with his own collage artwork, has become a cult figure among artists in Greece and around the world. Most pieces are one-of-a-kind or made (in recent years also by his son) in small quantities, and this too pleases individuals who enjoy a unique style. It’s fascinating but not by chance that the shop is regularly visited not only by local artists and fashionistas but even Hollywood A-listers like style icon Chloë Sevigny, the cast of Orange Is the New Black, Lana Del Rey and a multitude of rockers like the Ramones, Scorpions and Debbie Harry. Photos of all customers, famous or not, are saved in stacks of photo albums you can leaf through.

W Avli Taverna Possibly the best meatballs in Athens

ith its slender metal door masked by graffiti and its name barely visible on the pistachio green rectangle above it, this hole-inthewall eatery looks like it doesn’t want to be found. And yet, when you walk through it into this former courtyard – or avli – the welcome will be warm. Takis, the owner, started as the delivery boy in the 1980s when this was just a coffee joint that catered to the shopkeepers in the area. Even the blue doors and shuttered windows lining this narrow courtyard led to workshops which turned out belts, plastic tablecloths and shoe leather in the days when Psyrri had more ‘red lights’ and tiny factories than trendy cafés, tavernas and galleries. When his boss died and the shops gradually shut, Takis slowly expanded the menu to include food, starting with sausages and chips, but continued to fry and simmer in the alley until a few years ago when he installed a three-burner stove in the mini kitchen / pantry. He loves to cook but now leaves that to his assistants whom he’s taught to make extremely tasty traditional dishes, from omelettes with pastourma to cabbage rolls to just about the best keftedes, Greek meatballs, we’ve ever gobbled. Crispy on the outside, minty and tender on the inside, they’re incredibly moreish. But Avli’s fans also relish the eccentric atmosphere, the faded clippings and adverts on the walls, the mismatched plastic ‘cloths’ on the round tables, the old-fash-

ioned café chairs and the plump cats sitting on them, the garlic / chilli pepper braid dangling from a drainpipe, as well as the vintage pop music purring from the radio, not to mention the prices. The only time it’s likely to be empty is right after it opens. Then it slowly fills up with duos or groups of friends, Greeks and foreign residents – and friendly chatter fills the courtyard until after midnight. Takis’ affection for the place is catching. • Address Agiou Dimitriou 12, Psyrri, Athens 10554, +30 210 3217642 Getting there Metro to Monastiraki (M 1 & M 3),Hours Daily 1pm on Tip The exotic spice souk of Evripidou Street is just one short block away.

111 Places In Athens That You Shouldn’t Miss by Alexia Amvrazi, Diana Farr Louis and Diane Shugart, with full-page photos by Yiannis Varouhakis, is available at most bookshops in Athens and online at to Lexikopoleio

Lofty inspirations The storied Koutzalexis House with its exquisitely painted ceilings offers a poetry residency for aspiring bards in May 2019

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he neo-classical building rises on the crossroads of Diogenous and Mnisikleous Streets, a few metres away from the small yet charming “Platanos” Square. The square was a meeting ground for many well known foreign and native writers, poets, and artists, as well as intellectuals and politicians of the times; amongst them Kostis Palamas, Angelos Sikelianos, George Seferis, Odysseas Elytis, Philip Sherrard, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Lawrence Durrell and Henry Miller. The three-story home has an original core dating from the Ottoman period. In 1833, the present day semi-basement level already existed, and was probably the ground floor of an unadorned structure of simple lines and traditional elements of form, until the edifice was sold by the Vrizakis family in 1836 to the brothers Alexios and Ioannis Koutzalexis, who in the following years, through to 1868, added two additional floors, conferring a neoclassical style to the structure that it retains to this day. The building first housed the Naval Ministry in 1837, and has since changed owners several times, serving primarily as a residence. Around the 1960s, the upper floor was reconstructed and decorated by the renowned Greek painter and scenographer, Yiannis Tsarouhis, to become home to the ‘New Wave’ music boîte “Ταβάνια” (Ceilings), whose name was inspired by the refined 19thcentury decorative paintings that grace them. The ceilings suffered extensive damage during the earthquake of 1999, and underwent a thorough restoration by Mariza Aggelopoulou and Dimitri Fresey (Verdigris Architectural Painting), in the year 2000. The current owner and co-founder of A Poets Agora, Angela Lyras host regular poetry readings at the house. In May 2019, the house will be open to a three week poetry residency. For more information, visit, apoetsagora.com

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#CULTURE_city life

A shrine for avid gamers and competitive types with a taste for the old, the Athens Pinball Museum hopes to bring back the nostalgia and recharge the Athenian public's love of this pastime. Panos Bitharkas speaks to Sudha Nair-Iliades on why he believes pinballs are here to stay.

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t all started when Chrysanthe offered her husband Panos Bitharkas a Dracula pinball on his name day – August 15, 2017. A year later that gift morphed into the Athens Pinball Museum, hosting 107 pinball machines from 1957 to 2007! It was reliving that sensation of being in a pinball arcade that prompted Bitharkas to devote his energy to creating the museum. He exudes enthusiastically, “I wanted these beloved machines, that were such an intrinsic part of my generation, to be accessible to all. Something about the feel of the spring-loaded plunger in our sweaty palms and the sounds of the table's guts was so powerful, that I felt I had to share it with other gamers out there.” For someone who until then was engaged in the renewable energy sector, that meant scouring warehouses, abandoned garages and cellars for pinball machines and renewing them with new fittings - bigger speakers, larger digital screens displaying fancy graphics, as well as technological innovations such as Bluetooth integration. All the pinballs were sourced in Greece, so there is real local history attached to these machines. “Sourcing the machines was like entering a time capsule”, notes Bitharkas.

A pinball museum might seem like an unlikely place for a quick postwar history lesson but it really shines a light on the cultural, social and political phenomena of the time, while celebrating the past and future of this unique recreational pastime.

And that’s what it feels like as you step into the Athens Pinball Museum. The first piece you see is the engraved showcase of the mysterious princess-goddess Panthera on a collectible retro-pinball from the ‘80s (one of the fifty-six remaining in the world). Pinball machines may seem like something from history, destined for pop culture museums and tall tales. But in fact, pinball is making a comeback, and it’s not just for afterschool hangouts anymore. A pinball museum might seem like an unlikely place for a quick post-war history lesson but it really shines a light on the cultural, social and political phenomena of the time, while celebrating the past and future of this unique recreational pastime. Pinball was influenced by the culture of each period but also shaped it – both in terms of topicality and technology. These beloved machines chronicled films, music, pop culture, sci-fi quests and space travel in a fun, interactive way and captured the zeitgeist of its time. At the Athens Pinball Museum, gamers can go on a ride with the

first space monkey relive old Indiana Jones classics, revisit The Who’s pinball-themed rock opera turned film Tommy and experience the timeless appeal of Star Wars and the Addams family. The Athens Pinball Museum is part pinball parlour, part museum and part event venue. In other words, it’s a place where you can play, compete, or just hang out around the game of pinball. Bitharkas hopes to organise tournaments to draw pinball enthusiasts from all corners of the country and introduce membership cards for children. Plans are also afoot to create a customised pinball on Ancient Greece. The pinball machines here don’t operate with coins. You pay a one-time fee of 10 euros and can play all day long. “I wanted to untie the pinball from the concept of gambling and keep the game story clean.” So what draws people to play these seemingly antiquated games, especially when mobile phones offer free ones just a button-push away? “The need to seek out a more tangible, mechanical pastime, is the immediate response.”

For Bitharkas, The Addams Family Gold pinball remains his favourite in the whole collection. “We found the Addams Family Gold pinball, in Crete in a dire condition, retrieved from an abandoned tavern with stickers glued all over it.” Based on the 1991 movie starring Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston as the married couple at the center of a strange family, The Addams Family pinball game has a quirky aesthetic that closely aligns with the spooky vibe of the film. It still stands today as the best-selling pinball game of all time, with more than 20,000 units sold. The game featured plenty of next-gen features, such as a moving mechanical hand (Thing) that picked up balls, an enormous number of scoring modes and new dialogue recorded by the film’s stars specifically for the game. But the real reason for its success was that it had great game play. With well-placed ramps and shots leading into each other naturally, The Addams Family nailed the simple things, and virtually every game since has taken design cues from it.

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“It’s an entertainment device that can’t be replicated. While video games are fun, you don’t get that same tactile action that you experience with a pinball machine. It’s a way to relive your childhood for our generation,” Bitharkas says, “but younger people are also getting into it as are the really old.”

and bells that ring when you rack up points, or the music that invites players to the games. Or maybe it’s the memories of friends made and fun had around pinball machines in years gone by, or the promise of meeting new friends and competitors that appeals to generations of fans.” Clearly, pinball is proving to be as timeless as rock-and-roll; even teenagers are seeing the appeal of the ancestors to video arcades. There’s something for everyone. In fact, it’s a great venue to host birthday parties for young teens – there’s also a gift shop and a café-snack bar at the museum. When you hear the word pinball, it is no longer just the dusty old machine in the corner of the basement; a renaissance is underway, with a fun element of sport thrown in for good measure. •

Since its opening in September 2018, the oldest player at the museum so far has been a 93-year old. Reflecting on the success the museum has had in the two months since its opening, Bitharkas observes, “Maybe it’s the lights that flash

Athens Pinball Museum, Dionisiou Aeropagitou & Makri 2 (next to the Acropolis Museum and Acropolis Metro station) Working hours Open 7 days a week from 9am to 11 pm including Sundays!!

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Picnicking like royalty Once the summer palace of the Greek royal family, Tatoi Estate is now a popular Sunday destination for many Athenians.

et on the southeastern slopes of mount Parnitha, Tatoi Estate is a huge complex of early 19th century buildings, but also boasts vineyards, olive groves and thousands of acres of green areas of great natural beauty. On any sunny Sunday, families equipped with bicycles, strollers and picnic baskets visit the estate to play, relax and explore its abandoned buildings. Even though entry to the Tatoi Estate is allowed, its main gate remains locked. This means that you will have to make your way in through a big hole in the

chain-wire fence. Things could be more straightforward, but the beauty of the estate is worth this inconvenience.

Remnants of a lively farming community

Once past the beautiful guardhouse at the main gate, stroll down the cypress-lined road towards the area known as “the great field”. There, a number of buildings await to be explored. Emblematic among them is the cottage that once housed the estate’s dairy that looks as if straight out of a fairytale. The high quality butter pro-

duced here made it the preferred choice of the finest hotels then, including the prestigious Hotel Grande Bretagne. Near the dairy you will find the horse stables and cowsheds, where royal carriages and vehicles –including three Rolls Royce cars- are now locked up. In the wider area, you can look for the estate manager’s house, a winery, a hotel built to welcome royal guests, a building for the officers of the royal guard and several workers’ cottages.

The royal villa and gardens

If you are willing to walk a bit further, you

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Exploring the estate by bicycle

When King George bought the estate in 1872, he envisioned creating a sustainable community based on livestock farming

and agriculture. The infrastructure that he built included wells, an irrigation system, mills and bridges. He set about making the estate financially viable by putting certain areas under cultivation, mainly with vineyards and olive groves. If you wish to get acquainted with the wider area of the Tatoi Estate, its 90 kms of unpaved forest roads, some of which pass by artificial lakes and stone bridges, can be explored by hiking or bicycle.

Where to lay your picnic blanket

One of the most popular picnic areas is that of the so called “great field,” close to the new cowshed. The olive grove is an alternative choice for those seeking more privacy.

How to get to the Estate

The Tatoi Estate is 15 kms away from the centre of Athens. To get there, you need to drive up the National Highway and exit at Varibombi junction, after Kifissia. Turn right at Tatoiou st. and about 3 kms further, turn left at Leonidas’ restaurant. Go past Thea and Agios Merkourios tavernas and when you reach the olive groves, park your car and look for the estate’s gate. If visiting on a Sunday, try to be there by 11.00 as parking can be an ordeal. You can visit the Tatoi Friends Association webpage www.tatoi.org for maps of the estate, information about its history and photos of its buildings. Friends of Tatoi also run excellent guided visits - info@ tatoi.org.

PHOTO: Angelos Giotopoulos

Look for the semi- circular marble staircase and the grotto below it. It was there, right by the marble lily pond, that the royal children would take their classes in the summer time. Also interesting to know is the fact that the nearby kitchens of the royal villa were connected to the palace through an underground passage athens insider

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can also explore the royal villa. Its original version was built by Ernst Ziller who described his creation as being “GreekSwiss” in style. The villa was rebuilt in 1884, this time in imitation of one of the Russian Tsars’ neo-Gothic residences in the great park of the Peterhof Palace. In the villa’s garden, which is laid out on three levels, look for the semi- circular marble staircase and the grotto below it. It was there, right by the marble lily pond, that the royal children would take their classes in the summer time. Also interesting to know is the fact that the nearby kitchens of the royal villa were connected to the palace through an underground passage.

Live the Life

that Paddy did

Writer’s retreat, cultural salon, museum showpiece … the charmed life of the Paddy Leigh Fermor House in the Mani is about to embark on one of its most colourful incarnations yet, as it prepares to open its storied doors as a luxury boutique hotel, writes Amanda Dardanis

n Greek mythology, the Elysian Fields were a land of perfect happiness that lay at the end of the Earth - a final resting place for the souls of the virtuous and the heroic. Patrick “Paddy” Leigh Fermor would be the first to admit that his libidinous appetite for life often landed him squarely in unvirtuous terrain. But heroic? Certainly. The decorated British writer, author of cherished travel tomes A Time of Gifts and Roumeli: Travels in Northern Greece, loved to live dangerously. One of his most recounted episodes was disguising himself as a shepherd named Michalis in Crete during the second world war in order to daringly kidnap a German general. More than anything, Leigh Fermor was a

restless romantic with wanderlust in his veins. There’s a perfect Greek word for it. Leventeia. It translates to “charm, generosity, high-spirits, an agility of mind, body and action, a readiness for anything.” But in the end, it was the remote Greek village of Kardamyli, in the southwest Peloponnese, that literally stopped this erudite wanderer in his tracks. It was a coup de foudre. Paddy had found his own Elysian Fields. And that’s where he stayed almost continuously until his death in 2011, aged 96. To Joan, his wife-to-be, an accomplished photographer who remained by his side until her own passing in 2003, he wrote of “crescent-shaped beaches” and “a world of utmost magical beauty … thick with

Leigh Fermor was a restless romantic with wanderlust in his veins. There’s a perfect Greek word for it. Leventeia. A readiness for anything.” But in the end, it was Kardamyli that literally stopped this erudite wanderer in his tracks.

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#TRAVEL

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In this reclusive utopia, Paddy and Joan built their dream house on a rugged cliff that tumbled down to a peacock-blue bay, flanked by stone arches, light-filled annexes, olive groves and cypress trees

magnificent olive treesâ&#x20AC;?. Later, in his definitive Mani: Travels in the Peloponnese, he would wax lyrical of green transparent waters and off-duty fishermen sitting under mulberry trees, watching the sun sink over the monumental mountains that sealed Kardamyli off so tantalizingly from the rest of Greece and gave the village its splendid isolation. (These days you can fly in to Kalamata airport and take a twisty road over the Taygetus range). It is through such romantic imagery that Leigh Fermor made both Kardamyli and the untamed Mani peninsula internationally famous. In this reclusive utopia, he and Joan built their dream house on a rugged cliff that tumbled down to a peacock-blue bay, flanked by stone arches,

light-filled annexes, olive groves and cypress trees. They fashioned their home from peach and russet-hued limestones, gifted to them by locals who still referred to him fondly as Kyrie Michalis. It was here that the cultured couple passed countless summer evenings in the swoon of conversation and wine, moonlight and warm air, in the company of the intellectual and artistic elite who happily made the trek to visit them. People like Nobel prize-winning Greek writer George Seferis, Nancy Mitford, the English painter John Craxton and the Prince and Princess of Belgium. In 1996, Patrick and Joan bequeathed their beloved estate to the Benaki Muse-

#TRAVEL

“In order to see its soul you need three lives. One for the sea, one for its mountains and one for its people.” Paddy Leigh Fermor on his beloved Mani

Fermor’s bequeath, the Benaki will collaborate with Aria Hotels, a sophisticated hotel and villa company that offers authentic retreats in restored, historic Greek properties. From 2020, people can rent the villa throughout the summer period in parties of between two to fourteen people. More specifically, there will be five guestrooms, each including a bedroom, an independent workplace (equipped with basic office equipment) and bathroom. Three of the guestrooms will be in the main house where the bedrooms are connected by an arched colonnade, an intentional echo of the Greek monasteries that Leigh Fermor had visited. The fourth guesthouse will be located in the studio where he used to work and write; and the fifth, at the secondary stone house. To foster sociable interactions in the tradition of the Leigh Fermors, there will be communal spaces such as the main living room that has coffered Ottoman ceilings and ogive fireplaces inspired by Paddy’s Eastern travels. Outdoors, scattered amid the lush gardens, there will also be several scenic sitting areas - some punctuated by serpentine pebbled patterns designed by the great Greek artist Nikos Ghika. (Insider has been told that rates will range from €300 a night for the individual houses including breakfast, concierge and cleaning, and use of the outdoor pool - and from €2,200 per night for exclusive use of the entire villa.)

Now in an exciting new chapter, the idyllic Maniot retreat is preparing to open the project allows literary lovers the thrilling prospect of walking in Leigh Fermor’s actual footsteps. Every day, well into his 90s, he would descend the cylindrical staircase that drops down from the garden to a private beach below. From there, he would swim hundreds of metres to the nearest islet, Meropi. Then, after losing himself to his creative endeavours in his studio for several hours, he would fully embrace the Mediterranean siesta to prepare for the late nights that invariably lay ahead: “The afternoon is the time for real sleep,” he wrote. “Into the abyss one goes to emerge when the colors begin to revive and the world to breathe again about five o’clock, ready once more for the rigors and pleasures of late afternoon, the evening, and the night.” With the current appetite for experiential holidays, Aria say they’ve received substantial interest in the guesthouses, with several bookings already confirmed. “It doesn’t get more authentic than staying in the preserved and restored home of someone who loved Greece and everything that Greece represented,” says

In recent years, members of the public have also been able to take guided cultural tours of the 9-acre residence with its gargantuan library of 5,000-plus books (even the bathrooms have bookshelves) and its fascinating insights into the life of one of the 20th century’s finest and most charismatic travel scribes. But now in an exciting new chapter, the idyllic Maniot retreat is preparing to open as a luxury boutique hotel for three months of every year. As part of the Leigh athens insider

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um with the express wish that after they’d gone, it would host intellectuals and scholars who sought to work in an inspiring environment, in one of the loveliest properties in Greece.

Gareth Zundel, of Aria’s parent company the Libra Group. “He’s iconic both among Greeks and Brits. This house is the embodiment of what an authentic holiday experience should be - because here you can live the life that Paddy did.” Careful renovations and repairs are well underway. Overseen by the Benaki Museum, architects Maria Kokkinou and Andreas Kourkoulas and electrical engineer Pandelis Argyros (whose father designed the property’s secondary house in 1969) are preparing the notable estate to receive paying guests while still preserving its look, feel and spirit. Interior walls have been replastered using the same technique as the Leigh Fermors to retain the same rough texture. New roof tiles now lie underneath the original ones (salvaged from Peloponnesian homes destroyed by earthquakes) in order to preserve the distinctive ochre, red and yellow tint. Electrical and plumbing systems have been replaced, and central heating and air-conditioning installed for the first time. Doors, window, shutters, stone lintels and the wooden beams of two pergolas

have been supplanted with exact copies of the old ones. Meanwhile, much of the couple’s furniture and other items are being restored by the museum’s conservation department and will be returned to their original place before the opening. And what of Leigh Fermor’s much-envied book trove? It’s currently being catalogued by the Benaki’s library staff who will return a selection to the house to be made available to guests as a small lending library.

Paddy Leigh Fermor had been searching for two decades to find somewhere in Greece that spoke loudly enough to him, to compel him to settle there. In this magical corner of the world, he finally found a place as magnetic as he was.

The stars aligned. Kardamyli had been immortalized in ancient times by his beloved Homer in the Iliad, when Agamemnon offered up the “citadel of Kardamyli” to Achilles. Now, it is Leigh Fermor himself, this unforgettable chronicler and adventurer, who has assured Kardamyli a place in modern history. For those lucky enough to secure a booking at this enchanting bolthole where so many stories still reside within its sun-baked walls, be warned, it may be the start of a very long love affair with the Mani peninsula. In the words of the man who knew it best: “In order to see its soul you need three lives. One for the sea, one for its mountains and one for its people.” •

To book a room at the Patrick Leigh Fermor House, visit www.patrickleighfermorhouse.com

NEW YEAR’S EVE EVENT AT SOFITEL ATHENS AIRPORT WITH LIVE MUSIC Luxurious gourmet buffet dinner, in a cheerful festive environment with live music from Vassilis Konstantinidis, The Idols and DJ in modern rhythms. Sofitel Athens Airport - Callisto Ballroom 31 December 2018 | Start Time 22:30 Price per person for the Dinner €56 For children up to 12 years old €28 (All taxes and unlimited consumption of wine, beer and soft drinks are included) Information / Reservations: 210 35 44 030 Sofitel Athens Airport - Athens International Airport - 190 19 Spata

Cosy Winter Wonderlands

Greece is not just a summer romance. From stylish ski resorts and historic city hamlets to quaint alpine escapes, mainland Greece is awash with irresistibly inviting winter wonderlands. As the evenings close in and temperatures fall, trade balmy beaches and long lunches by the sea with luxurious lodgings in dramatic locales where you can be as active â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or as indolent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as your wintry heart desires. Insider shares five of our favourite cosy winter retreats. Let it snow!

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ELATOS RESORT & HEALTH CLUB Arachova All hail the Queen Bee of the Arachova winter whirl. Yes, there may be newer, more-boutiquey arrivals in town now. But they just can’t compete with this well-bred favourite: Elatos still retains its crown for fashionable Athenians who love the sociable vibe, beautiful forest setting and excellent leisure facilities (the Club House boasts a fabulous indoor pool and a terribly chic lounge bar with cinematic views that wouldn’t look out of place in Val d’Isère).

Nestled on the woody slopes of Mount Parnassos, Elatos is a village of classic and spacious wooden chalets, catered to by friendly and accommodating staff, and well located for the popular Parnassos ski centre.

Tel: 223.406.1162-3, elatosresort.gr

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Social scene aside, Elatos also organises a raft of active alpine adventures and wellness experiences year-round, such as nature hikes, yoga workshops and family-themed weekends. All of which makes this Arachovian institution a joy to experience whenever the weather outside is frightful. Or pretty much anytime really.

IMARET | Kavala In the heart of historic Kavala, in northern Greece, exists this masterfully-restored palace that seems to have arrived straight from a fairytale â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but with enough 21st century luxuries to satisfy any modern sybarite (think Bvlgari toiletries and Molton Brown candles). Built in 1817 for Mohamed Ali Pasha, Imaret is a rare monument to late Ottoman architecture and is set amid 3,000 square metres of tranquil gardens and majestic arcades, with heady views over city and sea. Indulge in the neglected ritual of afternoon tea served in original Haviland-Limoges porcelain. Settle in with an enriching tome on art, travel or history in the impressively-stocked library. Or treat winter-weary spirits to an invigorating interlude at the Imaretâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original hammam where you can recreate 18th century bathing rituals such as flower and spice baths and massages of exotic oils or fruit and nut scrubs. Tel: 251.062.0151, imaret.gr

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Mohammed Ali, founder of the Egyptian dynasty (that ended with Farouk) wanted to give his birthplace something to improve the lot of the residents and gave them the choice of having a poor house or a new port. The fishermen didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want change so the Imaret was built. It is now a masterfully-restored boutique hotel that seems to have arrived straight from a fairytale.

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THE GRAND FOREST Metsovo

In winter, the enchanting village of Metsovo looks just like a painting. One of Epirus’ most popular tourist drawcards, visitors immediately fall under the spell of the town’s balconied mansions, stone drinking fountains and snow-blanketed squares. Tucked away in a pristine pine forest strewn with walking trails and picnic nooks, and towering over all this loveliness, is The Grand Forest retreat. Here, the simples pleasures of an alpine escape are as elevated as your lofty location (1350 feet actually). The culinary genius of chef Ettore Botrini has been enlisted to create a menu that reflects Metsovo’s rich gastronomic traditions and delicious local produce. Meanwhile, the luxurious Fontus spa, named after the Roman God of Springs, has built its state-of-the-art wellness treatments around revitalizing local herbs. Which makes Grand Forest a perfect destination for those seeking a detox holiday too (although frankly, in Gourmet Metsovo, that seems rather a waste!). Tel: 265.602.9001-4, grand-forest.gr

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Behind the vast and ancient plane tree in Agia Paraskevi village square, a 19th century mansion facade conceals a delightful English country house within, complete with Blue Willow crockery, library and rose garden. This charming 8-roomed hotel is a labour of love for Greek-English owners Christos (the chef) and Claire, who are welcoming, attentive yet discreet hosts. After breakfasting on free-range scrambled eggs, hike down to Damouhari through glorious chestnut forests, then head back for a G&T in the conservatory. Cap it all off with a candle-lit dinner of locally-derived seasonal morsels in the elegant dining room where a piano tinkles through hushed conversations. Tel: 242.604.9930, lostunicorn.com athens insider

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THE LOST UNICORN Tsagarada, Pelion

SEMELI RESORT Elatochori Legend has it that Zeus was so besotted with the bewitchingly beautiful Semeli that he transported her onto the slopes of the Pieria mountains (miles away from her native Thebes) so that he could admire her from atop his throne on Mount Olympus. Named after the legendary princess, Semeli, perched 1050 metres high on the Pieria mountains, enveloped by forests of beech, oak and fir trees offering mesmerizing views of Mt.Olympus and the unspoilt Thermaic Gulf below qualifies as a bucket-list getaway. The smell of crackling wood, gourmet cuisine, aprĂ¨s-ski pampering and designer interiors (Philippe Starck chairs and earthy Bukhara rugs), lend Semeli a warm, inviting vibe. A mere 5 kms away from the ski resort of Elatochori, here is a great way to spend a guaranteedly white Christmas while slaloming down the slopes. Outdoor options range from a leisurely walk in the forests to water rafting at the Enippeas gorge and hiking, trekking and rock climbing on Mt. Pieria and Mt. Olympus. The ski centre at Elatochori is among the newer and better-organised winter sport venues in Greece. For the culturally inclined, Thessaloniki is little over an hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive away; the royal tombs of Vergina and archaeological finds at Dion and Pella are about 45 minutes away. Tel: 235.108.2996, semeliresort.gr

OPORA COUNTRY LIVING Nafplio

From the utterly perfect landscape of Opora Country Living, you’ll look down upon the cobalt sea and red-tiled roofs of Nafplio and breathe the sigh of the deeply contented (and the faintly smug). That’s because you’re among the lucky few to have discovered this gorgeous and classy haven that opened just one year ago. Enveloped by olive groves and orange trees on 30 acres, Opora has an exclusive rural feel, but is only 10 minutes from the stunning castles, Italianate squares and cosmopolitan delights of romantic Nafplio. Your lodgings? Century-old former olive oil warehouses that have been converted into beautiful French contemporary-style stone farmhouses, equipped with handy kitchenettes, Coco Mat beds and cosy fireplaces. Enjoy a hearty organic breakfast of Greek pies, omelettes, pancakes, home-made yoghurts, honeys and jams on your peaceful private terrace while you plan the day’s assaults. Perhaps some on-site wine tastings, olive harvesting or beekeeping workshops. Or a jaunt to epic Epidaurus just 30 minutes away. You’ll be charmed by Opora’s many hospitable touches (such as gifts of family-produced olive oil to take home). Your only regret? It being too cold to take the plunge in the ravishing outdoor infinity pool. Tel: 275.202.2259, oporacountryliving.com

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Into the wilderness Isabella Zampetaki presents the savagely beautiful landscape around Lake Plastira and suggests a trip to the awe-inspiring Meteora for this holiday season. Lake Plastira:

Surrounded by green hills, fjord-like peninsulas and the vertical slopes of Mt. Agrafa, Lake Plastira is an artificial lake, close to Karditsa (around 320 kms from Athens) in an area of great natural beauty. A destination for all seasons, Lake Plastira offers a plethora of possibilities in terms of activities to explore the Lake and its surrounding environs. The most popular experience is that of driving along its west side and towards the dam at its southern edge. There, you can walk the rim of the dam and catch a view of the canyon through which the river Tavropos meanders down to meet the Acheloos river. An alternative experience for sports enthusiasts is that of riding a bicycle along the lake or to go horseback riding near it. If you are into water

sports, rent a canoe or water-bicycle and explore some of the 24 square kilometers of the Lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface. The Neraida ski center, just a few kilometres away, is a winter-sport destination with basic facilities that welcome younger skiers. A drive around the lake and its sleepy villages, where signs of life are limited to smoky chimneys and raucous hens, can also be combined with a visit to nearby monasteries, such as that of Panagia Pelekiti. Some interesting facts about the lake itself is that the decision to create it was taken in 1959, after a series of major floods in the area. Previously, during World War II, part of this plateau had been used as an airport base and it was here that the first allied-forces airplane landed in August 1943.

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Top Must-5 experiences at Lake Plastira and Meteora

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Taking in the view of the Meteora monasteries as seen from the top of other rock pillars. Crouching through the 14th century kitchen of the Great Meteoron and the tunnel that takes you through the rock and towards the monasteryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entrance. Driving along the west side of Lake Plastira, towards the dam. Horseback riding and archery near Kryoneri. Haggling at the Saturday livestock market at Mouzaki, where you can bargain for a pig at 70 euros!

The valley of Meteora, less than an hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive away, is one of the day trips worth making while staying in the area of Lake Plastira. Meteora, a flock of monasteries perched on tall sandstone rock pillars suspended between heaven and earth, is a landscape that simultaneously inspires utmost serenity and awe.

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Meteora: a flock of monasteries perched on sandstone pillars

The six monasteries that are still active today were built in the early 14th century to protect monks from Turkish raiders seeking control of the fertile valleys below. The traditional way to access the monasteries was by net, hauling up people and goods alike, or rope ladder. This should make the steps that one has to climb today seem less of an ordeal. The best monasteries to visit in order to get a feel of what 14th century monastic life was like are those of Varlaam and Great Meteoron. At Great Meteoron, one can see a traditional fully-equipped kitchen and the Varlaam monastery features a gigantic barrel used to store drinking water, as well as a nursing home with an intricate heating system.

There are a great number of hotels around Lake Plastira, but Montanema Handmade Village is the most recent and most interesting accommodation option. In order to reach this village-like complex of stone and wood houses, one follows an easy 3km dirt road that winds its way among tall evergreens on a slope of Mt. Agrafa. Montanema nestles in a dramatic landscape, surrounded by rocky boulders, overlooking a canyon and the red-tiled rooftops of Anthochori village. One can enjoy this breathtaking view both from Fournia restaurant, which serves oven-baked dishes made with local products, and Irema café, where the fireplace crackles all day long. What adds to Montanema’s special charm is the extensive use of upcycling: anything from old trunks and square marble sinks to chairs from old tavernas were restored and used to furnish rooms and common areas. The owners’ environmental concerns come through in their preference for natural and local products and their way of doing things: local wines are served in the restaurant, handmade bars of soap are offered in the bathrooms. Even the fireplace is lit in an environmentally friendly method. What makes Montanema resort’s experience truly genuine are the seasonal activities offered: trekking in the woods and collecting flowers that grow in the winter or learning how to make feta cheese and savoury pies. And during spring, the weather is just perfect for hiking to the nearby waterfalls and picnicking under cherry blossom trees. • Montanema Handmade Village, Anthochori, Limni Plastira. info@montanema.gr, Tel: 24450 45220 athens insider

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Montanema, a village in the woods

In the name of the Father and the Holy Spirit Athens Insider’s wine expert Eleni Kefalopoulou goes where no woman has been before and culls secrets from the esoteric monastic cellars of the Holy Mountain. It took several years of research and no doubt endless glasses of wine to come up with this remarkably documented book on the history and millennia-old traditions of wine making on Mount Athos

ome say each glass of wine is unique. In its history, consistency, and the nuances of taste and smell, nothing can or will ever be quite the same. Eleni Kefalopoulou shares this singularity with her literary subject, as well as the setting in which she writes about the ancient and globally popular beverage. Her book, “Mount Athos Wine: The History of Wine Making in the Holy Mountain” is the only book ever to have been written about the history of viticulture and wine making in Mount Athos, or the “Holy

Mountain”. This mountainous peninsula in northeastern Greece has been home to twenty monasteries and closed off to women since antiquity. This made Kefalopoulou’s aim of researching and describing the unique nature of the wine production there, a practice that has been ongoing for over a thousand years, all the more difficult. This array of challenges did nothing to deter Kefalopoulou’s writing, and with the help of film-director-photographer Aris Fotiadis she created a magical, fascinat-

ing, and yes, unique, book. “Mount Athos Wine” is a journey made of of photos, anecdotes, and the history of how monasteries, wine, and the Holy Mountain itself evolved together over centuries to create a distinctive atmosphere and viticulture. Konstantinos Lazarakis, member of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Masters of Wine, writes that “If there’s one place on earth where wine is self-evidently woven into the culture, the spirit and the soul, then it’s the Holy Mountain. You might say that merely the fact that

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The link between viticulture and the monasteries that created it is tangible in the book; not only do the monks rely on wine for commercial reasons, it is also a necessity in their diet and lifestyle.

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The four years of research and, one can assume, wine drinking, have resulted in a book at once complex and knowledgeable in its descriptions of wine making and yet completely readable. Eleni Kefalopoulou writes with grace and affection toward the wine and of her memories of the monks of her childhood. Her work is extraordinary in its content and its creation by a woman barred from the mountain itself, yet with a personal history intertwined with it.

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the Holy Mountain has embraced wine as it has demonstrates the complex nature, the multi-dimensional significance of wine.” He lauded Kefalopoulou’s work as something that should have been created years ago.

“Mount Athos Wine: The History of Wine Making in the Holy Mountain” is available in English and Greek here: www.winewitheleni.com/mountathos-wine/

#PEOPLE

Embracing Hope through Art Manon Kanaroglou, founder of ‘Helping Hands with Refugee Children’ speaks to Athens Insider on the evocative power of art to draw children to share stories of their war-torn homelands

Tell us a bit about HHWRC. You launched this initiative twenty years ago, long before the refugee crisis headlined news cycles. What prompted you to work with refugee children that long ago? In 1995, I founded along with educators of Southbank International School, the London International Gallery of Children’s Art (LIGCA) using the premises of Southbank International School in London to house children’s art from all over the world. Major artistic ventures over the course of the past two decades “Sand Colours”, “Holding Hands” “Reflections of Home” and now “Togetherness Through Time” have increased public awareness of the status of refugees in Greece.

You've described refugee children as wise storytellers as they have no borders or walls in their minds. A big part of HHWRC’s objective to collaborate with local schools has been to open up young minds and sensitize them to the realities of children of young children fleeing their homeland. In an effort to reach a wider audience and to inform the public about the challenges faced by refugee children in Greece, the paintings and reflections of the children and students who were involved in the “Holding Hands” project in 1998 were published in a bilingual book in both Greek and English. A book which reflects the Togetherness Through Time project of November is forthcoming. Local schools in Athens were integrally involved in all

three major ventures and sensitized teenagers to the reality of these children who left their homelands under tragic conditions.

Joy, laughter, and happiness are not contingent on the possession of expensive toys and technological devices.

Why art? What is it about a drawing that reveals so much more of childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience? Three major artistic projects over the course of the past twenty years have underscored the importance of artistic expression as a means by which it is possible to exchange feelings, ideas, and hopes without the use of words. By holding out a helping hand, smiles appear on the faces of children and their self-confidence is enhanced, and friendships are formed.

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Could you elaborate on the recent HHWRC event, Togetherness through Time at the BBEM Museum in Lavrion? What can be learned from refugee children? Joy, laughter, and happiness are not contingent on the possession of expensive toys and technological devices. A small sandbox filled with sand, Playmobil figures, and sand toys can trigger imaginative stories and provide the stimulus for relating childhood stories from oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homeland.

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What has been one of your most rewarding experiences working with refugee children over the past twenty years? Asrin, a thirteen year old girl, had not spoken since arriving in Greece although she had spoken normally prior to leaving her country. When she saw a painting of another refugee child, she started shouting in her language the story of what she imagined the painting was about. She started to relate her own traumatic story. Asrin had witnessed the death of a member of her family who had had his throat cut and was bleeding to death, while no one could approach him to help.The following day, she started to speak, not only in her own language, but also in Greek which she had learnt while at the refugee camp.

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Brightly colored marking pens and large canvases provide the means by which children can sketch drawings of the boats that made it possible for them to depart from war torn homelands to the safety and security of Greece.

How would you capture the spirit and ethos of Holding Hands with Refugee Children in a few words? The poignant refrain of “One World to Share” in my estimation, accurately sums up the spirit of Togetherness through Time

We’ve got one world to share, let’s share it. One world to share, it’s not yours or mine. We’re all special, we all have lives to live. Songs to sing and stories to tell. (Reprinted by permission from Grumpy Sheep Music)

How can one work with HHWRC? What are your current initiatives in Greece? Future projects? HHWRC is a legally recognized non-profit organization. To find out more about our activities email us at contact@hhwrc.org or leave a message on www.hhwrc.org

Three major artistic projects over the course of the past twenty years have underscored the importance of artistic expression as a means by which it is possible to exchange feelings, ideas, and hopes without the use of words.

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Since 1993, Pita Pan offers high quality, juicy Greek souvlakis, pitas, skewers and plates, based on traditional recipes with an elegant, fresh Pita Pan “twist”! Pita Pan restaurants are located in lively neighborhoods, all over Athens, with beautiful verandas, friendly staff and great table service. Ideal for casual dining with family, friends, for business lunches or for a fast-and-furious delivery. PANGRATI: Iofontos 33 & Alkimahou 24, +30 210 725.2525 N.PSICHIKO: Penelope Delta 31 & Sikelianou, +30 210 671.3511 AG. PARASKEVI: Ag. Ioannou & Giavasi 1, +30 210 600.1604 ATHENS METRO MALL: Vouliagmenis Avenue 276, Metro Ag. Dimitrios 93

Nine Lives Greece

Some paws for thought Stuck for a Christmas present idea? Adopt a stray and take home a new family member. Guaranteed licks and cuddles for a lifetime!

e’re getting all warm and fuzzy again for the holidays. Meow is the best time of year to think about giving a loving home to animals who linger at shelters or on the streets waiting for families to take them in. As someone who took in a Greek stray 12 Christmases ago, I can only vouch for the lifelong gratitude and affection of a once- abandoned pet. Athens has its fair share of strays and an equally dedicated army of volunteers and non-profit organisations who rescue, neuter and rehome stray animals. If you’re looking to adopt a furry friend, here is a list of organisations doing remarkable work in caring for our four-legged friends.

Nine Lives Greece is an extremely active network of volunteers who work zealously to trap, neuter and rehome stray kittens. Nine Lives spayed 1700 cats in 2017 alone and nurtured some 450 street cats through daily feeding programmes and veterinary care. To adopt stray or abandoned cats and kittens, contact: ninelivesgreece@gmail. com; ninelivesgreece.com

Greek Animal Rescue (GAR)

Active for the past thirty years, Greek Animal Rescue is a UK based registered charity that has been supporting animal shelters throughout Greece, sterilising dogs and cats, and rehoming Greek strays all over Europe since 1989. To adopt a pet, contact: info@greekanimalrescue.com;

Hellenic Animal Welfare Society (Filozoiki)

Filozoiki works actively with municipalities all over Attica in treating, sterilizing and rehoming strays as well as in organizing educational and media campaigns. It also has an animal ambulance service that picks up ailing and injured to treat them at their clinic in Koropi. If you’d like to offer a stray a home, contact: Tel: 210 602 0202; info@filozoiki.gr.

Save a Greek Stray

SAGS runs a shelter that runs from 9am to 5 pm fully equipped with a clinic for first aid, neutering, vaccination and temporary hospitalization, offering a safe haven for strays until a loving home can be found. SAGS organized the first Pets Festival in October this year at Marina Floisvos to encourage Athenians to adopt strays. To take home a pet, contact: Tel: 22950 35612, saveagreekstray.org

Illustration by Daniel EgnĂŠus

#CULTURE_city life Society for the Protection of Stray Animals, SPAZ

Possibly the oldest organization dealing with strays in Athens, SPAZ organizes sterilization and medical care for stray dogs living in Attica and assists dogs and cats to find their forever homes. Give a loving home to a stray and contact:Tel: 210-965-8103 spazgreece.gr/spaz

Second Chance Animal Rescue Society, SCARS

A recently founded animal rescue organization that rescues, spays and neuters and rehomes dogs all over Europe. To offer a home to a furry friend, contact: info@scars.gr

Fazoo

Adopt a cat or dog from Fazoo from their shelter at Markopoulo and give it the love that it so desperately needs. You will have a friend for life and will have helped to take yet one more animal off the street. Fazoo neuters, micro-chips and offers up to date medical documents and adoption papers. All you need to do to take home a pup or a kitten is to contact: Tel: 6982977330, 6986791593; huppydogs@yahoo.gr, fazoo.gr

Stray.gr

An association taking in stray animals with the aim of rehoming them. It is always on the lookout for temporary foster families for animals until permanent homes can be found. Adopt a pet by contacting info@stray.gr, facebook. com/stray.gr, Tel: 6947 421521 after 5pm

Choose your pet via the Athens Municipality's database which contains details of the stray animal (photographs, serial number tag, medical history etc) or visit the stray shelter at Markopoulo on Saturdays from 9am to 2pm. All you need to do to adopt a stray is to submit a simple adoption form, a statutory declaration form (available at all kiosks) and a copy of your identity card. Contact: Tel: 210 527 8014 or 210 527 8009, 1595 (Citizens Helpline) or email: adespotaath@cityofathens.gr athens insider

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City of Athens' Stray Shelter at Markopoulo

Two Classic Greek Christmas Sweets Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not Christmas in Greece until the zacharoplasteia start piling mounds of melomakarona and kourabiedes. And it cleaves Greek society into two clans: those who prefer the crunchy intensity of melomakarona and those who swear by the ethereal, melt in the mouth, buttery bite of a kourabie. By Diana Farr Louis

Both sweets have long and improbable histories that are tied up with their etymology.

ore traditional than Santa Claus or the Christmas tree, two scrumptious biscuits are indispensable additions to the Greek holiday table. Platters piled high with nutty brown melomakarona and snow white kourabiedes form part of the festive fare of virtually every Greek household, ready to be offered to any guest who happens by, invited or not. Or nibbled by family members at any time of day. You might also find honey-sprinkled di-

ples (sheets or coils of feather-light fried pastry), silver-wrapped marrons glacĂŠs, and mountains of clementines for color, but melomakarona and kourabiedes are the main attractions, the yang and yin of Christmas delicacies. Not surprisingly, they also have fans, similar to football teams. My husband prefers the crunchy intensity of melomakarona, while I find them too sweet and can become ecstatic over an ethereal, melt in the mouth, buttery bite of a kourabie.

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na hy ery

Kourabiedes, which are essentially shortbread, may consist of nothing more than butter, flour, and sugar. The version we are most likely to find on the Christmas table is enriched with the addition of crushed almonds, brandy, and eggs, and covered with a thick dusting of confectioner’s sugar. But some recipes call for crushed walnuts, cinnamon or vanilla, orange blossom or rose water, and even olive oil instead of butter (which would make them acceptable to observant Orthodox who fast before Christmas). Every recipe agrees however that the cookies, wheth-

What’s in a name? These cookies by any other names would taste as sweet, but maybe knowing more about their origins will add to the pleasure of that first bite. And why enjoy them only during the holidays? Bakeries stock them all year round now.

er round, flat, crescents, leaf-shaped, or bracelets, should be baked until they are barely coloured. Whiteness is essential, even if a slight ‘tan’ can be concealed by the powdered sugar, which usually ends up powdering your chin, nose and clothes. The white is considered symbolic of good fortune and happiness. But what about the name? A little research brings up a tangle of sometimes conflicting information, for this sweet is found all over the Middle East and the Balkans and thought to originate from Tabriz, Iran. Some sources say that Gurabiah (also Ghraybeh or Ghorayebah), as they are called in Arabic, comes from the word “gharib”, which means “to miss or yearn for”, or even “to swoon,” so that they are often heart-shaped and referred to as “Lovers’ shortbread.” Others say that the Turkish “kurabiye” comes from two words meaning “dry” and “biscuit.” Both sound valid. One thing all versions have in common is that they are offered as favours during weddings and christenings and served at holidays, be it the end of Ramadan or Christmas. They may be flavoured with cardamom, as was the fashion in Jewish communities in Iraq, pistachios as in Gaziantep, where almost every sweet contains the green nut, or even covered with gold leaf for the delectation of the Ottoman sultan’s court (and some very wealthy Turkish families even today). Regardless, they always have a festive connotation.

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Both sweets have long and improbable histories that are tied up with their etymology.

The same cannot be said for melomakarona, which have a coarser texture and are always made with olive oil, flavored with spices, orange juice and brandy, and sprinkled with chopped walnuts. In fact, they seem to be derived from a very ancient, Greek custom associated not with joy and renewal but with death and funerals. Andrew Dalby, the noted food historian, says that Makaria (also the name of the goddess of blessed death, variously described as a daughter of Hercules or of Hades), was the meal, the dinner of the dead, served after a funeral in ancient Greece. Small oval breads, perhaps the forerunners of melomakarona and shaped like them, were also eaten then. As you may surmise, “makaron”, whose root means a doughy substance, found its way to a much more common food, macaroni or pasta, too. Nowadays, with the prefix “melo” meaning “honey”, these biscuits, which are often dipped in honey syrup, have lost all connotation of mourning and sadness and rightfully claim their place at the festive table. Nevertheless, anyone fluent in Greek would know that “makaritis” is a term that means “beloved departed” and that “kourabies” is slang for a coward or fraidy-cat. But if you’d like to make your own, I offer this recipe for melomakarona from my book Feasting and Fasting in Crete. Kourabiedes, being more delicate and often calling for clarified butter, are harder to get right. These are actually the only melomakarona I like, since the cookies are stuffed with walnuts rather than merely sprinkled with them, and because they are utterly delicious without syrup, which I find cloying.

For the dough

about 450 grams (3-4 cups) all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 240 ml (1 cup) olive oil 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking soda diluted in 120 ml (1/2 cup) fresh orange juice 60 ml (1/4 cup) brandy grated peel of one lemon Sift the flour with the baking powder into a bowl. In a larger bowl beat together the olive oil and sugar with the electric mixer for 3 or 4 minutes and then beat in the other liquids adding the grated lemon peel at the end. Slowly stir in the flour until a soft dough forms. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth and malleable. Add more flour if the dough seems sticky. Cover with cling film and set aside to rest for about 30 minutes.

Walnut filling

1/2 kg (1 lb) walnuts, coarsely chopped 3 heaping tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg Mix all these ingredients together with your hands or a wooden spoon to distribute the spices evenly. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Pinch off a walnut sized piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Make a hole in it with your thumb and fill it with some of the walnut mixture. Close the hole and place the ball, which should look like a small egg, onto an ungreased cookie sheet. When all the dough has been shaped into biscuits, bake for about 30 minutes or until golden.

Syrup (optional)

150 grams (3/4 cup) sugar 120 ml (1/2 cup) honey 120 ml (1/2 cup) water 60 ml (1/4 cup) brandy Boil these ingredients together for 3 minutes, skimming off the foam. Dip the biscuits in the syrup when it has thoroughly cooled or the next day. Sprinkle finely ground walnuts and roasted sesame seeds on top. Makes about 2-3 dozen, depending on how large you want them.

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Papillon:

A jazz bistrot with an enviable wine cellar! Papillon, a new-ish arrival in Psychiko promises old world charm with unhurried meals, an exhaustive wine list and bluesy music all day long. Great for leisurely lunches and post-work drinks.

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The dishes here are refreshingly different too with novel entries to pique your curiosity and homey comfort foods tweaked ever so lightly to meet exigent millennial standards. Choose from an eclectic and satisfying menu that’s ideal for sharing from the Veal Carpaccio or Asparagus salad with pecorino for starters. Gor mains, opt for the moreish Australian Black Angus Rib-Eye chargrilled on a Josper Oven, or the perfectly braised Canard a l’Orange or the potato gnocchi with wagyu beef bolognese. Whatever you choose, you’ll want to leave room for that lighter than air Tiramisu and delectably sinful apple crumble!

Reservations: Tel: 210 6744441 papillonbistrot.com, Kifisias Ave 242 & Solomou 1, Psichiko.

Drop by after work for a cocktail and tasty nibbles, book ahead for a romance-filled evening, or come with a bunch of girlfriends to croon along to jazz standards – Papillon’s sundry spaces, both intimate and public, allow you to set the tone for the evening. athens insider

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apillon Bistrot, the new all-day bar & restaurant in Psychiko, magnificently channels the heady jazz-bistro culture of Paris and New York from yesteryear. Reflecting aesthetic sensibilities from the Belle Epoque to the Jazz Age, Papillion is the perfect stage for decadent unrushed meals and a spot of nostalgia. With high ceilings, retro wall finishings and attention to period detail, it has a sepia-tinted feel-good quality that is immediately inviting. Playing on Papillon’s bluesy character, ‘Jazz the 2’, a talented duo, rearrange jazz staples and swing anthems from Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Michael Buble and Amy Winehouse among others every Wednesday evening from 9.30 p.m onwards.

K Grill

Small appetites not welcome here! The Kastellorizo Group, long a standard bearer for all things seafood, venture into their second meat restaurant in Voula. Not just another run-ofthe-mill souvlaki place, the menu at K Grill is anything but ordinary. They take the art of grilling seriously here so expect succulent meats and Greek skewered specialities with a touch of sophistication. Stop on by and bring your appetite! This is a place that lets you bite off more than you can chew.

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n restaurant years, 35 is an eternity. Few businesses make it that far. Times change. Tastes change. The Kastellorizo Group though have managed to mark three decades of serving the freshest of seafood to generations of exigent Athenians. But a good steak is forever and savvy restaurateurs that they are, their new venture in Voula is a shrine to grilled meats. What makes K Grill stand out when Greek grill restaurants serving souvlakis, kebabs, chops and steaks have spread across Athens with the eagerness of a rash?

Here is a restaurant that is in the business for the long haul – the accent is on quality and the food here can be as ‘low and slow’ or as ‘fast’ as you want it to be.

licious kebab, rustic sausages, pork chops, or a seriously carnivorous meat platter with an equally impressive array of sauces. The menu ventures beyond the confines of safe Greek palates to also include winningly tender and spicy, beef burgers, complete with poached egg, a delectable chicken roast with lemon-ginger dressing and guilt-free veggie options. Playing on post-crisis sensibilities, K Grill is spot on with the pricing too. Affordable gastronomy at its best. K Grill packs a big punch as is evident from its faithful crew of hungry followers. We say, a cold winter’s day would always be made better by a visit here.

Voula square lends itself to large noisy pareas where meat lovers can give in to their caveman spirit. The atmosphere is that of a large communal picnic with children skate-boarding or bicycling while you tuck in to the extraordinarily wellcooked meats. Have one of the nine salads on offer (priced between 5 and 7 euros) if you feel wrong about a meal composed entirely of meat. Take your pick from Greek staples - traditional souvlaki in skewers or wrapped in a pita, juicy roast chicken, de-

Open from noon until 2 am on weekends and until 1.30 am on weeknights Leof. Vasileos Pavlou 78, Voula Tel: 21 0899 4040 athens insider

partner hotels

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. Kallirois 32 & Petmeza, Neos

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

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 outdoor pool and sea views.

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

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

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 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 architectural charm. 16

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A CATEGORY

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

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

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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

kaleidoscope 1904 Holiday Snaps

f you thought taking snaps of your vacation was an activity new in the 21st century, the Benakiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most recent collection, 1904 Holiday Snaps, might cause you to think again. British photographer Alexander Lamont did it before it was trendy in the early 1900s, and captured the social life of everyday Athenians as well as scenes from Piraeus, Chania, and Patras. Instead of the newest iPhone and amusing filters, Lamontâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photos are on glass lantern slides and treasured for their immaculate chemical development and breathtaking scenes of royal palaces, street vendors, and everything in between.

Alexander Lamont Henderson. Until 4 May 2019 at the Ghika Gallery, Benaki Museum

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December 2018 Year 18 #140 ISSN 1790-3114 EUR 4.50

athens insider DECEMBER 2018 # 140

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