INSIDER issue 87 by StudioZIP ZIP

THE CITY MAGAZINE OF

September 2010 Year 8. Issue 87 €4.50

insider ISSN 1790-3114

ATHENS

Cosmopolitan life From Metamorphosi to Madagascar / Big Apple beat / Postcard from Paris / It’s all foreign to me / The travellers’ clubs / Athens through the eyes of its correspondents In the land of the oracle / Following the footsteps of Pheidippedes PLUS: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, FOOD & WINE, NIGHTLIFE, SHOPPING, NOVELTIES, MAPS AND MORE

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Sudha Nair-Iliades

When I’m asked to describe our readership profile, my stock answer usually is: ‘international residents, international Greeks and international travellers visiting Greece’. But I’m not sure that it is an entirely accurate way of describing our readers or ourselves for that matter. At the office we’re a motley crew of different nationalities speaking a few languages with varying degrees of fluency. Our readers, we presume, belong to a similar category of hybrid ambassadors with multi-lingual munchkins. As September is traditionally the month when there is a changeover of staff at embassies and multinationals, we explore what it means to settle in Greece and how those of us who’ve even spent a few years here cannot avoid peppering our conversations with Greek phrases or at least with some serious shoulder-shrugging and dismissive head-shaking! Kathy Chrisovergis, who, as a corporate relocator, is first to greet expats on their way in and the last to meet them on their way out, observes how ‘apprehensions dissolve into a genuine fondness

publisher’s note for Greece and there is a tinge of sadness at leaving their adopted country.’ Professionally, though, as Barney Spender rightly mentions in his Postcard from Paris,‘anyone who has had to deal with Greek bureaucracy’ has a different set of souvenirs altogether. Acknowledging that cultural immersion and relocation could be an intensive experience, Cordelia Madden Kanellopoulou meets different networking groups who ease the integration process and foster a real sense of community for newcomers. The Greeks have an endearing way of welcoming newcomers – Kaloriziko – happy putting your roots down.

Sudha Nair-Iliades

Publisher Sudha Nair-Iliades

Web Coordinator Celine Rivault

Delivery Hellenic Foreign Press Distribution Agency

Art Director Michel Devanakis

Art Editor Stephanie Bailey

Subscriptions

Advertising & Business Development Toula Victor

Contributors in this Issue Stephanie Bailey, Mathilde Giraudo, Cordelia Madden-Kanellopoulou, Nick Malkoutzis, George Schira, Mike Sweet, Graham Wood, Gary van Haas, Toula Victor

Sales Elodie Dufour Marketing Katerina Linou

Founder Steve Pantazopoulos

Client Relations Mathilde Giraudo

Legal Counsel Christos Christopoulos

Photographer Angelos Giotopoulos

Prepress, Montage and Printing Dias

* Athens Insider - 10 issues a year in Greece € 40, Abroad € 80 * Bonjour Athènes - 5 issues a year in Greece € 20, Abroad € 40 * Both magazines in Greece € 60, Abroad € 120 Prices include VAT and postage. info@insider-magazine.gr www.insider-magazine.gr www.bonjour-athenes.com Athens Insider is published monthly and its brand, logo and all editorial content is held worldwide by:

Insider Publications Ltd. located at Rizari 17, 116 34 Athens, Greece. Telephone 210.729.8634. Fax 210.729.8635. Tax No. 099747145. Email: 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.

Athens Insider: Monthly Publication ISSN 1790-3114 Code: 6548

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contributors Cordelia Madden-Kanellopoulou is a freelance journalist based in Athens since 1999. She has written for publications ranging from the Athens News to Marie Claire Australia and the South China Morning Post, and was editor of Insider between 2008 and 2010. She contributed the lifestyle sections of the Time Out and Dorling Kindersley guides to Athens, and her own guidebook, Shopping in Athens, was published in 2004. She lives in Athens with her husband and three cats, and spends her spare time running marathons and trying to improve the lives of street cats through the charity www.ninelivesgreece.com

Gary Van Haas

Gary Van Haas is a graduate of the UCLA School of Journalism, who has spent the last twenty years living in Greece. He works currently as a novelist and has been a writer for the International Herald Tribune, Time, Newsweek, Athens News, Insider, Conde Nast and Travel Magazine. He is the author of THE IKON, a lively book to movie Greek island thriller set on Mykonos, and he has recently completed a sequel thriller in his ‘Garth Hanson’ action-adventure series called, MALABAR RUN set in the lush tropics of Goa, India.

Graham lived and worked in the UK and Japan before moving to Athens in 2004. Currently he writes about the Greek sports scene for Reuters, UEFA and the Athens News. A self-confessed extreme sports-lover, he also contributes features on travel, the environment and leisure to various publications

Mike Sweet

Reader’s Corner

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Nick Malkoutzis

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Toula studied Economics at the University of California and worked in the banking, real estate and relocation industries. She contributed regularly to Mobility magazine in the United States before moving to Athens in 2008 to pursue a Masters in Business Administration and live the Greek life.

With a varied career in journalism, documentary filmmaking, fund raising and political consulting, George is presently Communications Consultant to Leadership 100, the preeminent Greek American charitable organization comprised of leading figures in business.An avid NewYorker, he has traveled the world and ived in Athens. He frequently visits Greece and made his debut with “A Day in Athens”. He will write a regular column -New York Inside and Out - beginning in the September issue.

Graham Wood

A documentary producer for the BBC Television in the 1990s, Michael worked in broadcasting in South Asia before relocating to Australia in 2002, where he established his TV production business. He has lived in Athens since 2007 and is correspondent for the English language edition of Australia’s largest circulation Greek newspaper Neos Kosmos. Michael combines his writing with producing independent documentary films.

Deputy-editor of Kathimerini English Edition and Athens Plus, Nick moved to Greece from London in 2003 after spending part of his childhood in Athens. He has worked for the BBC and the Associated Press and jointly set up Archon Media. Nick has a passion for sports and tries to satisfy this by playing 5-a-side football every week

Toula Victor

Cordelia Madden

George Schira

I first discovered Insider in an Athens hotel room before relocating to Athens and find it just as useful now as I did then. The area-wise recommendations, useful information, list of things to see and do, and the city map are a constant point of reference for me and visiting friends and family. Keep up the good work!

I was unfortunately stuck in the Athens for most of the summer and found myself making frequent trips to the periptero for reading material. I must say Insider’s July/ August cover was the best I’ve seen all summer and even inspired me to grab a popsicle! Many thanks for a wonderful summer edition, a great inspiration for survival in the city heat this summer.

Maria V.,Vouliagmeni

Markos M., Athens

Send us your feedback to: info@insider-magazine.gr

contents Features

10 14 24

Strokes of frivolity 10 Hydra-based Michael Lawrence speaks of his voyage in art on the eve of his upcoming exhibition

Departments share interests and experiences of living in the Greek capital Athens through the eyes of its correspondents 28 Stephanie Bailey speaks to five international journalists and photographers whose words and images project Greece to the rest of the world

Arts and Events

Galleries

Art

Books

Fast Lane

Society

Big Apple Beat

My Athens

Sport

Fashion

Agora

Wellness

A foreign game finds a home in Greece 36 Cricket. the gentleman’s game, finds a foothold and a following in Greece

Gastronomy

Insider News

Beyond the classroom 23 Dr Gialamas of ACS on cultivating unique learning experiences through innovative teaching methods

In the footsteps of Pheidippedes 40 Graham Wood traces Maria Polyzou’s grueling trail as she repeats Pheidippedes’s mythical run

Kaleidoscope

The traveller’s clubs 24 Cordelia Madden-Kanellopoulou discovers the allure of networking groups where expats meet up to

In the land of the oracle 44 Gary van Hass time travels to Delphi, the spiritual centre of ancient Greece

From Metamorphosi to Madagascar 14 BBC broadcaster John Humphrys talks to Mike Sweet about the trials of building a villa in the Peloponnese, the book that grew out of the experience and the charity which benefits from guest bookings Big Apple beat 20 Insider columnist George Schira plunges into the Ground Zero controversy that has taken the US by storm Postcard from Paris 22 Barney Spender reminisces of living and working in Athens and touches on how his family has kept their links to Greece

Moving experiences 32 Kathy Chrisovergis of Celebrity International Movers shares her secret Athens Its all foreign to me 34 Nick Malkoutzis analyses the Greek’s see-saw relationship with foreigners

Restaurant lndex 58 Area-wise listings 60 80

32 36 44 52 56 Cover by Michel Devanakis

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Arts & events

At the Olympic Stadium (OAKA) September 3 U2 Concert 1 U2, one of the greatest rock bands of all times will rock Athens on September 3 with their 360 Tour concert. With a cylindrical video system and a web of LED screens, a steel construction hanging 45 metres above the ground over a huge scene and revolving bridges, the concert promises to be a truly 360-degree experience.

At The Museum of Cycladic Art Until September 12 Sarah Lucas / Nuds Cycladic

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The Nuds series is a self-reflecting collection that moves away from the gender-based critique of Sarah Lucas’ creations in the ‘90s and takes the earlier figurative ‘bunny’ sculpture series to a more abstract form. Louise Bourgeois Louise Bourgeois, (who recently passed away) leaves in her wake a rich legacy of sculptures with surrealist origins and totem-like appearances. Created between 1947-1953, the Personages sculptures were originally carved in wood and intended to be produced in bronze. www.cycladic.gr

At the Lycabettus Theatre September 14 Emma Shapplin 2 After her two sold-out appearances in March earlier this year at the Megaro Mousikis, Emma Shapplin returns to Athens for an unforgettable appearance at the Lycabettus theatre. Shapplin combines the intensity and emotional charge of opera with the sensuality and immediacy of pop music.

Attikon, Apollon, Danaos 1 & 2 September 15 – 26 16th Athens International Film Festival 3, 4,5

The Athens International Film Festival, also known as Nychtes Premièras in its 16th year features world cinema, American independents, avant premières, documentaries, shorts, retrospectives, films by Greek expatriates, retrospectives and an annual country focus. Insider picks: Michael Winterbottom’s acclaimed The Killer Inside Me, based on Jim Thompson’s chilling book. Casey Afleck plays the protagonist Lou, with conviction while Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson give their best celluloid performances to date. Stones in Exile, directed by Stephen Kijak is an absolute must for all rock and roll fans.

On the town For location details see listings p76

Featuring a treasure-trove of rare and never-before-seen film and photos, Stones in Exile is a heady time-travel trip back to the summer of 1972 that bears witness to a vivid moment in rock and roll history when the Rolling Stones make a comeback from the brink of financial ruin. For festival programme details, visit www.aiff.gr

At the French Institute September 24 Olivier Gatto Quartet Shekinah Rodz, flute, vocals George Kontrafouris piano, Olivier Gatto bass Nikos Kapilidis percussion

For lovers of modern jazz and French standards, the Olivier Gatto Quartet recreates the melancholy and the vibrancy of urban jazz and invites you to let the rhythms take over and set your spirit free. One of the finest French bassists on the jazz scene, Gatto’s music has a distinctive edge and in his long and eclectic career has accompanied jazz greats such as Benny Golson, Keith Copeland and Craig Bailey. At 9 p.m. www.ifa.gr

6th Biennale of Young Greek Architects September 16 – October 17

Organised by the Hellenic Institute of Architecture, the 6th Biennale of Young Greek Architects presents a contemporary window into the architectural practice of Greek architects up to 45 years of age. The Biennale will present completed projects, as well as un-built proposals corresponding to real commissions for project designs. Open: Tu, Th, F, Sa, Su: 9:00 - 15:00 & W: 9:00 - 21:00 www.benaki.gr Building Sustainable Communities: Danish architects and engineers on global sustainable development

September 16 – October 17 Held under the auspices of Hyperborean Refractions of European Architecture, this exhibition introduces Danish architects and engineers and invites participation in the development of a global action platform. The event aims to increase consciousness and social responsibility in architecture and technical projects, and seeks the collaboration of state agencies and citizens for global sustainability and for a better society. Pireos 138 & Andronikou, Keramikos, Open: W, Th, Su: 10:00–18:00 & F, S: 10:00–22:00 www.benaki.gr

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Galleries with Stephanie Bailey

At the Apartment Until September 30 Once Removed 1, 2 Once Removed is a group show featuring artists Keith Coventry, Peter Halley, James Hyde, Neal Tait, Dan Walsh and John Wilkins. Curated by Daniel Sturgis, who sees his curatorial work as an extension of his artistic practice characterized by flat, abstract paintings imbued with a sense of playfulness, anxiety, and revived energy, he has chosen paintings that contribute to a dialogue that critically approaches the history of painting and the modernist cannon, raising questions on

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the nature of representation. Open: F-Sa: 12:00-20:00, or by appointment. www.theapartment.gr

At the Benaki Museum (Keramikos Building Complex)

Until September 19 A Journey to Cavafy’s Alexandria,Anna Boghiguian’s Watercolours The first presentation of painter Anna Boghiguian in Athens, prepare to be transported into a world where watercolours invite the visitor to travel back to the wandering poetry of Kostantinos Cavafy and the magical

landscape of Alexandria. A lyrical voyage of whimsy is at the same time dark and introspective, such is the world of the eternal traveller. History comes to life in Boghiguian’s canvases, where Alexander bathes in the waters of the Ganges and Cyclopes hide within an urban landscape.

At the Benaki Museum (Pireos Street Annexe)

September 23 – October 24 Takis Katsoulidis. Designing letters: The adventures of a painter in the sea of Greek typography This exhibition represents

50 years of Takis Katsoulidis, Greek artist, researcher, designer and teacher of typography. Looking at the development of Greek typography design through original designs and the influences of art publications that set the foundations for contemporary Greek typography, the exhibition maintains a sense of humanism in the development of an artistic form that many take for granted. How does a style of lettering come into being? How is lettering formed, and what influences form it? Contemplate this and much more. www.benaki.gr

On the town For location details see listings p76

At the Gagosian Gallery September 24 - December 17 Michael Craig-Martin 3 Michael Craig-Smith exploits the complex and often contradictory relationships between word and image through his acrylicon-aluminium paintings. By constructing a series of openended associations and meanings from a set of self-imposed aesthetic limitations, he creates seemingly infinite permutations that expand the imaginative possibilities of his readymade images. Each painting is predicated on a single word, such as “art” or “sign,” which he treats tautologically, interweaving

the letters of the word, rendered in varying sizes, with line drawings of quotidian objects such as shoes, light bulbs, safety pins, and chairs, against a vivid monochrome background. The combined effect of the letters and the objects create an illusion of transparency. www.gagosian.com

At AMP Until September 23 Rallou Panagiotou, Heavy Makeup 4 One-time DESTE prize nominee, Rallou Panagiotou presents a visual language that aims to deconstruct the present

through references to modernism. A development in the artist’s intensely intellectual practice, this first solo show showcases the work of a young artist evolving under the circumstances of the 21st Century, and attempting to formulate responses that reflect on an emerging popular culture. Open: Tu-F: 12:00-19:00, Sa:12:00-16:00 www.a-m-p.gr

At Rebecca Camhi Gallery Until September 23 DeAnna Maganias, Bathed In Light 5 Having recently unveiled her design for the Holocaust

memorial in Athens, Greek American artist Deanna Maganias presents her third solo show in the Greek city. Bathed in Light relates to a work of the same name; the phrase is written in Braille on a large piece of white paper. Using sculpture, video, painting and photography to re-assess objects, people, places and events that have been somewhat sidelined or taken for granted, Maganias is interested in perception, and observations change when they are presented in a different context. Open: Tu-F: 15:00-20:00, Sa: 12:00 15:00 www.rebeccacamhi.com

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With paintings and sculptures that ‘are a cacophony of colour, oozing chaos’ , Michael Lawrence’s works celebrate life. He looks back on his career in a conversation with Sudha Nair-Iliades , just ahead of his upcoming exhibition in Hydra in September

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ou have an exhibition coming up in September, which, I believe will be part of a documentary on your work as an artist. Indeed. The exhibition will be part of a documentary on my work by Agis Films and Thanos Melios (of Holy Paths fame on ERT) - a combination of an informal interview and some animated ideas related to my work. A story of celebrating life and the cacophony of colour. The film score will be by Karlos Voutsinas. The other purpose [of the exhibition] is to give the Theocharakis foundation a sense of my works - a sense of what might transform the museum into a Michael Lawrence environment. You’ve grown up in Hollywood knowing legends such as Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and later, Jim Morrisson at UCLA. You’ve worked in the UK, lived I Italy and now Hydra for the past 18 years. How would you characterize your paintings and sculptures? My paintings are a combination of Greek stoicism, Italian opera and

Art American cartoon, with an accent of humour, colour and genuineness. It is not kitsch but it represents authenticity (quite like a mid-career Fellini film). I believe my work has an uplifting quality – quite like visual yoga or a good morning swim in the Aegean. For my sculptures, I combine stone and bronze, native to Hydra, to create a nice dialogue between these two elements which gives it a ‘specialness’ – a textural relationship. One enhances the other, and gives it an additional authority. I’ve painted some of my sculptures (quite like in ancient Greece). Colour lightens up the brooding quality of bronze and lends it a kind of mystical quality, a bit of make-up to make them more magical. How different is this exhibition from previous exhibitions? It is my best work to date. More fine-tuned. I’ve addressed some of the themes that have impressed me in the past - elements of circus, juggling, magical horses - but it’s done in a more considered fashion. I’m bringing in elements of expressionism, and creating a believable drama.There is a continued dialogue between my earlier works and my more recent ones.

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Art

the figure to give the same emotional charge, so it becomes a more comprehendable drama. The one word that keeps cropping up in conversations with you is drama. What does drama mean to you? Drama is the emotional roller coaster that we all go through. Some artists use that as a springboard for their work. I am one of them an emotional artist. I make intellectual choices but I work in a more intuitive way. I’m impulsive rather than someone who maps everything out and fills in the colours. Is Michael Lawrence the person very different from Michael Lawrence the artist? I’m actually a more private artist than people would imagine. My paintings are always full of vibrant colours and interesting people and people presume that my life must be the same. I do spend my waking hours doing mundane chores like grocery shopping … in fact, I spend more time in my studio reconstructing the world around me than living in it! What is it about Hydra that grabbed you? Hydra is a great studio. It is a world in microcosm… I don’t think it’s very different from any other place in the world except that it is a very beautiful place. It is also a place that lets you remain as private or as social as you want to be. When I first came here, in 1992, I fell in love with it – the mystery of the walkways, the surprises...and the crystalline light.

You’ve just had a book published, Voyage in Art , that celebrates your 50 years as an artist. It’s basically a visual history of my work since I first sold a watercolour to Stanley Baker for a pound in 1957! The book highlights studios in different parts of the world, people I was involved with, the influences and inspirations on my life and art over a 50-year period. It also traces my evolution as an artist. In some of my earlier work, I was more interested in light, colour and movement which somehow made [my work] lose its abstract quality. I later drifted into figuration…. using

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You seem to be a bit of a traditionalist, still using paint brushes and canvas…What do you think of contemporary artists whose dung-smeared works sell in the millions? An artist should be a creator of beauty. If you make something that is beautiful, that beauty radiates, it feeds you. If you make art just for the sake of making a statement, once you’ve made your statement, what are you left with? Nothing. Beauty lasts. How does one define Michael Lawrence? I’m just traveling through time and space and picking things that I like and putting it into my basket. i

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From Metarmorphosi to Madagascar

BBC journalist and broadcaster John Humphrys talks to Mike Sweet about building a villa in the Peloponnese, the book co-written with son Chris that grew out of the experience, and the charity which benefits from guest bookings.

John Humphrys and Chris Humphrys at Artemis Villa. | Photo: Alun Callender

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Books TZ

ohn Humphrys doesn’t recommend building a house in Greece, particularly if you happen to live more than two thousand kilometres away. I’d called John on his way to a studio at the BBC. After forty years in broadcasting, John aged 66, is still very much in demand. Hugely admired, often referred to as ‘a national treasure’ in the UK, John Humphrys is best known for presenting the BBC’s flagship Radio 4 news programme Today and BBC Television’s Mastermind. Eldest son Christopher studied at London’s Royal College of Music and has lived in Athens since 1993. Now Assistant Principal Cello for Athens’ Megaron Orchestra, Chris speaks fluent Greek and is married to an Athenian lawyer. It was on a family holiday while walking in the north-eastern Peloponnese, that father and son together first experienced a view of the Argo Saronic Gulf which made John decide on the spot, that there could be no better location to build a family home. The saga of the villa’s construction in the village of Metamorphosi would last four years, and be documented in the co-authored Blue Skies & Black Olives - a survivor’s tale of house building and peacock chasing in Greece. Published last year, the book relates the trials and tribulations faced as Chris and John deal with the minutiae of buying the site and building what was to become Artemis Villa. In following the process, it is a story that celebrates contemporary Greece in all its glories, and frustrations. John’s motivation for writing Blues Skies was twofold. «The whole thing at times was almost surreal, and there were times when it felt like a bloody nightmare,» John confides. «But it seemed too good to waste. Writing a book with my son had a certain horrific fascination – whether the relationship would survive such a dangerous enterprise.» The chapters written by Chris tell a story of his own transformation in becoming, to all intents and purposes, Greek. Some weeks before his wedding in Naxos, he needed to be baptized. Understandably, he remembers the occasion vividly. “I’m standing in my swimming trunks in the biggest Greek church in the Balkans, surrounded by my wife’s close family. Full immersion in a huge tank in the middle of the church. It was more embarrassing than the scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” Chris’ full account of this event is one of the book’s many gems, revealing the culture and living traditions of his adopted homeland. What comes across most strongly in the book is the authors’ embrace of Greece; unbreakable and passionate. Artemis Villa has just completed its first nine months of commercial renting, and proved more popular than expected, to such an extent that even John has found it difficult to find a free week this summer. All the proceeds from rentals go directly to the Kitchen Table Trust, the charity founded by Humphrys in 2006 to support aid projects in sub-Saharan Africa.“The family have always been involved in charities” says Chris, “partly from having lived in Africa when Dad was a foreign correspondent. It’s very easy to understand what poverty is when you live in South Africa.” In 2009, despite a drop in donations due to the knock on effects of the global financial crisis, the Trust was able to finance 52 projects, bringing the total to more than 250 since it began. This year’s projects include; ensuring water sanitation for three poor communities in Sierra Leone; reconstructive facial surgery for forty young Ethiopians who were suffering birth deformities; a new children’s home providing shelter and education for abandoned and orphaned children living on a rubbish dump at Nakuru in Kenya. The list goes on. At a time of downturn in

donations, proceeds from the villa have helped. “The first bookings we had meant four or five thousand pounds went straight to the charity, and that just about builds a primary school in Madagascar, one of the poorest places on earth.” John adds that every project supported by the Trust has the direct involvement of the local community. “It’s a pre-condition for almost all our grants. If we provide the materials for instance, they provide the labour.The children, of course, can’t help themselves. But I believe passionately that if we can give them even the most basic education - teaching them the “three Rs” - they have a chance of a better life in the future. And their local communities will benefit as well. Humphrys senior has firm opinions on the shortcomings of many charities. “Most charity has become industrialized. People often suspect that a lot of the money is spent on administration, and doesn’t go to the people who really need it.We don’t have paid staff or an office.The only costs for us are those that we have to pay - bank services and auditing, which is less than one percent of our income.” Given the appalling statistics of suffering in sub-Saharan Africa, John acknowledges it’s a drop in the ocean. “The need doesn’t go away. It’s hideous.You can give vast amounts of government aid for big projects, but it seems to have relatively little effect on individual suffering at a local level. A huge amount of the money that is paid out, to too many African countries ends up, one way or the other in Swiss bank accounts and means that the wife of monsters like Mugabe can go and shop in Paris. I’m not suggesting there is no point in government aid, of course there is, but what we do on an infinitely more modest scale, is to help at a very local level. We rarely give more than £10,000 to any one project, but it does make a discernible difference. Children can be taught to read and write; farmers can grow crops in areas where they couldn’t before.” The Humphrys villa really is the perfect location for that autumn or winter break from Athens.Three double bedrooms, a children’s bedroom and a large self-contained apartment, means if needed, everyone has their own space. Our children just loved the house and setting; being able to safely explore through the hillside forest garden, meet the resident peacock, and find the almost exclusive beach below. It was December, but still warm enough for some hardier family members to swim in the pool and the sea. Just fifteen minutes from Poros, it’s not much further in the opposite direction to the village of Vathi, with its great psarotavernas. A ramble around the extinct volcanoes nearby sharpens the appetite for some of the best value fish suppers in Greece. For antiquities,Troizen is on your doorstep and ancient Epidavros only forty-five minutes to the north. Mind you, just taking in that enchanting view, in serene peace and quiet at Artemis Villa, takes some beating. i Blue Skies and Black Olives - A survivor’s tale of house building and peacock chasing in Greece by John Humphrys and Christopher Humphrys is published by Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 9780340978825. For Artemis Villa information and bookings go to: www.holiday-rentals.co.uk

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Fast lane... Schiniathlon Since its launch in 2007, the annual triathlon at Schinias beach has seen a steady increase in participation, and for good reason. With specialized races for both first-timers as well as more experienced athletes, there is no excuse not to participate. Upcoming events include the ‘Triathlon Olympic Distance’ and ‘Triathlon Sprint’ on 19 September at the Moraitis Sports Centre at Schinias, Marathon. For information about events and participation, visit www.schiniathlon.gr.

The magical number 7 Tired of changing jewellery from the beach to the boardroom? Apriati creates a bracelet, defined by simplicity, elegance and femininity that are easy to wear 7 days a week. The 7 virtues, the 7 deadly sins, the 7 wonders of the world, and the 7 colors of the rainbow are among the many symbolic meanings of the dynamic number that has inspired Apriati’s 7 CORDS collection of bracelets. www.apriati.gr

Au revoir FNAC, hello Public Five years after the opening of its first store, FNAC bids adieu to Greece. The company, an institution in France, closed one of its stores in Athens and has sold the other two to rival Public, which is expected to open up shop at The Mall in Maroussi and also in Glyfada.

Condé Nast Traveller Awards High quality service, first-rate ship aesthetics, and popular itineraries won Superfast Ferries the award for most popular domestic and international shipping company in Greece and Cyprus this year.With routes from Greece to Italy and Piraeus to Heraklion, Superfast has gained recognition from a magazine that is a reference point for travellers from all over the world.

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Fast lane Fashionably fit Stella McCartney continues to redefine athletic apparel by combining innovative adidas technology with unique style. For the Fall/Winter 2010 collection, McCartney concentrates on the Running, Wintersports, and Gym Studio categories and brings her own touch to each line by adding glow in the dark elements, impressive graphics, and sexy details. With a wardrobe like this, how can you not be motivated to hit the gym?

A beautiful decade Cosmetics giant Sephora, the world’s number one cosmetic and fragrance distributor, celebrates ten years in Greece. With over 28 retail outlets, Sephora has successfully cornered the niche fragrance and beauty product industries, and starting 27 September – 6 November, exceptional discounts on Sephora favourites will be offered across the country.

Kiehl’s at Attica Iconic New York cosmetics brand Kiehl’s has opened at Attica department store. Pop by the shop-in-shop to stock up on your favourite Creme de Corps moisturiser to hydrate sun-stressed summer skin, choose a classic Number 1 Lip Balm in a spicy autumnal shade and try out the new wonder-product Midnight Recovery Concentrate, a 99% naturally-derived night serum that works on your skin as you sleep for a fresher and more radiant appearance by morning. The cult brand, beloved of stars including Brad Pitt, Julianne Moore and Charlize Theron, also opened a branch at Hondos Centre in Glyfada this summer, adding to the original Kiehl’s Athens shop at Hondos Centre in Kolonaki. See www.kiehls.com

Athens 2011 The 13th Special Olympics World Summer Games scheduled for June 25 to July 4, 2011, will celebrate the participation of 7,500 athletes with intellectual disabilities and special abilities, from 185 countries and regions across the globe. The competitions are said to be “the only games in the world where all participating athletes are Winners. Winners in their struggle for respect in their diversity. Winners in their struggle for self-esteem. Winners in their struggle to defend their special abilities.” Find out how you can be part of the celebration at www.athens2011.org.

Putting green Once more, MDA Hellas has organized a two-day trip combining relaxation, sports, entertainment, exploration and of course a Golf Tournament. After successful events in Cyprus in 2006 and Corfu in 2008, MDA heads to Pylos, Messinia from October 8-10 where the state of the art 18-hole Dunes Course at Costa Navarino, designed by renowned professional golfer Bernhard Lander in cooperation with European Golf Design, will host the event. Guests at the resort will have the opportunity to go on a guided tour of the nearby Palace of Nestor, as well as participate in activities such as tennis, mountain biking, Nordic walking or a relaxing treatment at Anazoe spa.

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Photos by Kostas Bekas

Society

At the annual Bastille Day fete on 14 July at the Ecole Française d’Athènes, prominent Athenians and members of the French community were dressed in their summer best to join in the celebrations. The highlight of the evening was a rendition of the Marsellaise, the French national anthem by pop star Sakis Rouvas.

1. Sakis Rouvas seen here with Ambassador Christophe Farnaud and wife, Helene. 2. More celebrities from the art and music worlds: Demis Roussos and artist Alekos Fassianos with their spouses. Also present were 3. Panayiotis and Brigitta Papastavrou , CEO of Agrotouristiki S.A. and 4. US Ambassador Daniel Speckhard, who came with three lovely ladies, wife Anne and his two gorgeous daughters, Leah and Jessica. 5. Jessica Speckhard seen here with George Papalexis of Zolotas 6. The British Ambassador David Landsman and wife Catherine with the French ambassador and his wife 7. Shipowner George Vernicos sandwiched between Katerina Antonopoulou and TV presenter Irini Nikolopoulou. 8. Jerome Loubere of Marinopoulos with Theoni Galani of Vinci and friends. Legendary songwriter and composer Mikis Theodaorkis, best known for his musical scores and songs from Zorba the Great, Z and Serpico, celebrated his 85th birthday in style with a sell-out concert at

Lycavittos with luminaries from Greek music and theatre joining him on stage to wish him a Happy Birthday. 9. Seen here on stage with singers Loukianos Kilaidonis and Dionysis Savvopoulos and 10. fans joining him on stage to wish him 11. The birthday cake was a creation of patisseur Stelios Parliaros, seen here with Gina Pavlou of Vinci. 12. Alexis Kostalas, the host of the event, seen here with jazz musician Mimi Plessas, his wife and Nikos Harikiopoulos of Vinci, one of the sponsors of the event 13. Vinci Concessions CEO Panayiotis Papanikolas with Deputy Minister of Tourism and Culture, Giorgos Nikitiadis.

insider athens | September

2010

Big Apple beat

Z3QC

9/11 in New York and the American Identity Crisis

Insider introduces a new column, Big Apple Beat with veteran journalist and political consultant George Schira reporting from New York. This month, he analyses the controversy surrounding the Ground Zero memorial on the eve of 9/11 ‘s ninth anniversary

ew York City marks the ninth anniversary of September 11, 2001 this year, a time when one may think the event would have retreated into recent history crowded out by other concerns like the enduring economic crisis. The experiences of that day are always on my mind and that of all New Yorkers. Observers, politicians and artists still grapple with the full impact of that tragedy on our lives and history. Having grown up in the aftermath of World War 2, I remember talk of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. My older sister recalls running to my father for consolation, fearing another attack on the mainland. Hawaii then was not a state but something of a foreign place to many. My father told her that she was safe, and America would never be attacked.

that he was something of an evangelical Christian who receives daily Bible verses – a common ground for most politicians in recent times. His troubles started with the famous Cairo speech reaching out to the world’s Muslims and grew in intensity when he spoke up in defense of constitutional rights to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in lower Manhattan.

Well, on 9/11, America was attacked and, what’s more, in New York, where my mother was born and my father and both sets of grandparents had settled - a city that had become the de facto capital of the world, political, financial and cultural. For me it was like a rape from which the victim never quite fully recovers, like post-traumatic stress syndrome.

While opposition among New Yorkers to the construction of the mosque and Islamic cultural centre (the Cordoba House or Park 51 at 45-47 Park Place which will be a 15-story building rising two city blocks from Ground Zero) hardened by a margin of 63 to 27 in a poll taken in mid-August despite 64 per cent, representing every demographic group, stating that developers had a constitutional right to build it. Not only was this a matter of religious liberty but of local choice as the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and 29 of 30 Lower Manhattan community-board members voted to approve construction of the building in the former Burlington Coat Factory that had, in fact, been damaged by one the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers.

I was going to center my comments on how a paralysis of will in New York has affected the rebuilding of the site devastated by that attack on the 16-acres known as Ground Zero where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center had stood. The 8-acre Memorial Plaza with its underground museum and the once named “Freedom Tower” have not been built in the nine years since that day. I didn’t have to wait long for those lingering effects to visit New York City and America once again as a heat wave gripped the East Coast and New Yorkers and Americans were thrown into an identity crisis that pulled the current and previous Mayors, the current Governors of New York and New Jersey and even the President of the United States America and the Democratic and Republican Parties into a vortex of religion and politics, culture and ethnicity that has now come to be called the “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy. President Obama, himself, who one out of five Americans now believe to be a Muslim, had to put out the message during the mosque controversy

22 insider athens | September 2010

Mayor Bloomberg took his defense of the constitutional right to build the “Ground Zero Mosque” when he stood on Governors Island with representatives of every faith on either side - including the Greek Orthodox Church - and said that being a New Yorker meant living with your neighbors in mutual respect and tolerance and that it was that spirit of openness and acceptance that was attacked on 9/11.

National politicians, however, mostly Republicans facing Congressional elections, with the notable exception of the newly-elected Republican Governor of New Jersey, Christopher Christie, fanned the flames, generating opposition to the building of mosques across the country. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the best known Republican who is most identified with 9/11 having been mayor at the time, weighed in calling the plans for the mosque and cultural center “divisive” breeding hate rather than healing wounds. Going back to that tragic day nine years ago, I consciously resisted going

down to Ground Zero. Months passed before I went down there when serving on the committee planning the building of the memorial.That is when I met the families of victims of the tragedy and personally felt moved to extend my condolences to each one. However I couldn’t follow the group’s visit down a rickety ramp into the deep pit that still held remains and half way down scurried back up to the top seeking the shelter of a police trailer.That’s when I felt surrounded by the palpable presence of forms in the air. I was shaking and sat down inside the trailer when a police officer asked what had happened. When I told him, he said I wasn’t the first to experience that. I say this only because I think I understand it when others talk of sensitivities and hallowed ground. In the latest turn of events, the Greek Orthodox Church in America has been brought into the fray, a religious community that has stayed below the radar of American politics when the conservative Fox News reported that the Port Authority had reneged on a deal to rebuild St. Nicholas Church, destroyed on 9/11 when the South Tower crushed it, in a land swap right at Ground Zero after purportedly having offered $60 million in public money. The story was put in terms of “approval for the mosque on the fast track” and “continued delays on building the church” and seized on by Greek American and other politicians running for office. All this was going on while the Kuwaiti-born 61-year-old Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, a moderate Sufi Moslem whose idea it was to erect the Cordoba House, was urged to prove his bona fides by defending Christian minorities in the Middle East and requesting that churches be

built where they are now prohibited in some Arab lands. The mosque dispute may not affect this either way because the threat waxes and wanes regardless due to other factors beyond our control. In the meantime, I trust New Yorkers will recover from the August heat and remember the transactions of everyday life that keeps the city alive and free and open to all. The restaurants were full in August and the streets seemed as packed with people, as on New Year’s Eve in Times Square. New Yorkers may have lost their innocence and Americans their sense of pluralism but neither has lost their life-affirming optimism. i

insider athens | September

2010

Expats specialjgF

Postcard

Moving to Greece is never easy but moving away can present a completely different set of problems. After five years living in Athens, Barney Spender took his family to Paris.

from Paris lose their Greek. If nothing else it will be handy for them when they take their summer bar jobs in Kerkyra in ten years’ time. Fortunately, we soon discovered a Greek school in the Paris suburb of Châtenay-Malabry, close to where we live. It is one of nine Greek schools in the Paris region, one of many around the world which is funded by the Foreign Ministry to encourage the diaspora to retain a strong connection with their heritage - and for the children of the diaspora to learn the language.

or most people it is hardly a contest. On the one hand Athens, a hotbed of anarchy, chaos and dust, and on the other hand Paris, sophisticated, leafy and, although prone to the occasional outbreak of populist uprising, calm. Yes, most people would plump for gay Paree.

And yet. And yet. In the slightly misplaced words of Henry Higgins: «I’ve grown accustomed to her face.» Athens is a hard act to follow because in spite of the downsides - anyone who has had to deal with TEVE will know where I am going with this - it has many plus points as well. My seven-year old son puts the toyshop Jumbo at the top of the list of things he misses - marginally ahead of the giant pinecomb that got left behind in our avli in Pangrati. My eight-year old daughter misses the plateias and the late night eating. For my wife it is the proximity to the sea and the ferries. For me, it was the grandeur of Lycavitos and the Acropolis, late nights at the Gagarin and the edginess which, although quickly capable of turning Athens into a tinderbox of social unrest, also brings with it a vibrancy and energy that somewhere like Paris just doesn’t have. Perhaps this is part of the illness of being a journalist, we like to be somewhere where something might happen at any time. Leaving Athens, leaving Greece was difficult for the entire family, not least the two children who had grown up there, gone to Greek schools, had Greek friends and felt as Greek as they did British.They were both enthusiastic participants in Oxi Day celebrations at school and were more at home with Bob Sfouggarakis than Spongebob Squarepants, let alone Bob l’Eponge. One of the things we did not want to happen when we moved to France and they began new lives at French schools was for them to

24 insider athens | September 2010

Two afternoons a week the kids head into the classrooms to push on with their Greek education.The school also runs adult language classes - sadly my schedule has been too busy to take advantage but it is on the list of Things To Do. Honestly. The parents and teachers went off on their summer breaks more than a little concerned however about the recent financial chaos in Greece which is likely to see many of these schools closed - in June the word was that around 50 percent would be axed. Fingers crossed that our school will survive not least because it is on land belonging to the Orthodox church. The buildings have purpose built classrooms and the children also have playing fields to run around on. And, in a slightly bizarre additional bonus feature (as they say on all the best DVDs these days) the school also boasts Maria Callas’ piano - the one she used to practise on in her flat in Rue Georges Mandel where she passed her final lonely years before her death in 1977. A gift to the school from the Greek Embassy in Paris. Few people, if any, have succeeded in resisting the temptation to run their fingers over the ivories. And not many have escaped the shiver of excitement while doing it, playing the piano where the great Callas used to sit and work. (For more information on the Greek school at Châtenay-Malabry go to http://www.ecolegrec.com/)

Education

With a strong background in mathematics and experience in teaching and administration at the graduate and undergraduate

resh off two trips to the United States in one month, Dr. Gialamas’s demanding schedule does not seem to faze him one bit. Ahead of the new academic year, I find him eager to discuss the hands-on learning experiences exclusive to ACS Athens and subsequently enjoy listening to him recount his trip to Palestine as part of the ‘Leadership and Journalism’ programme with four courageous and fortunate students.

Beyond the classroom Should education put equal weight on developing a child’s creativity as well as literacy? What is your opinion on this view, and in which ways does ACS Athens facilitate expanding a pupil’s imagination? The future of a child starts yesterday and the only way to predict this is to allow the child to be the architect of his or her own future. We seek to develop qualities that are sustainable – listening, decision making based on analysis, and finding new, creative ways of resolving issues and adjusting the world to a child’s strengths. We promote what we call the HMH approach, that is, holistic, meaningful, and harmonious. The holistic aspect aims at developing the student as a whole, whether that is emotionally, intellectually, or physically, while the meaningful aspect of education deals with the reality of a young person. What was meaningful in the past may not be relevant today. For example, when I was studying mathematics, it was important to calculate a square root by hand, whereas today this is irrelevant and unnecessary. The children of today learn 24/7. The last and most difficult aspect of education at ACS Athens is harmony, where we strive to teach things that are in line with family and social values.

levels both in Greece and in the United States, Dr. Gialamas, President of ACS Athens, speaks to Toula Victor on leading his students, faculty and staff to new levels of innovative education based on the ancient Greek learning philosophy of morphosis.

What is the attraction for international and Greek students to study at ACS Athens? At ACS Athens, we focus on American educational philosophy, but the US does not decide what we teach. To the contrary, we are an independent international school with no owner and no government subsidies, but a 15 member board of trustees that guides the educators to select the books we use, the faculty we employ, and make any other relevant decisions that affect the school’s curriculum. ACS Athens is open to anyone who wants to embrace international education and our current student population includes 52 nationalities. Part of our attraction is that we clearly focus on the learner and aim to develop what each student is good at. This is something our faculty embraces and understands. We are unique in that we allow children and teachers to be equals where educators stimulate participation, serve as mentors and facilitators, while allowing students to have an opinion. Could you elaborate on ACS Athens’ ‘Leadership and Journalism’ programme and the recent trip to the Middle East. Do you think making students more involved in the world around them through direct contact (rather than easy information on the internet) is the first step towards truly educating them? No other school in the world has unique programs that bridge the gap between secondary education and universities open to collaboration, where 14-15 year old students experience things that no other kids do. Our recent leadership program sent 4 juniors (age 16) to Palestine, where they took videos and photographs of settlements, Jewish schools, and refugee camps.There is no substitute for this type of learning in the classroom.There were thousands of reasons not to take this trip and one reason to do it – the ultimate educational experience.When the participating children were asked to take a position afterwards, they responded, “We don’t have a position. We just want to present the facts.” This type of innovative learning is key and an integral part of the learning process. By building a theoretical knowledge then working with a practitioner, or vice versa, students come out with something concrete - intuitive understanding. For me, watching the progress of a child from grade school to college is as we say in Greek, ola ta lefta. i

insider athens | September

2010

The travellers’

clubs

Cordelia Madden-Kanellopoulou discovers the allure of Athens’ growing circle of networking groups, where expats (but not only) meet up to share interests, conversation, contacts and memorable experiences of life in the Greek capital

s the sun sets on another sultry Athenian summer’s day, convivial clusters of thirty- to forty-somethings start to congregate on the decking of one of the city’s beachside bars. New arrivals are swiftly greeted and absorbed into the groups, while others casually orbit, chilled mojitos in hand. Ninety or so people, representing 24 nations, are gathered at this bar tonight for the monthly get-together of InterNations, one of a growing number of networking groups for expatriates in Athens which aim to make the transition into life in Greece smoother, to help newcomers settle in by answering their practical and cultural questions, and, even more importantly, by introducing them to like-minded people.

“In Greece, it’s extremely hard to be included in the clique,” agrees InterNations regular Marc. In contrast, at networking get-togethers, “You can make a friend in an instant,” he says.

“The most common problem for newcomers is finding friends in a new city,” explains Silvia of InterNations Greece, who defines the main objective of her group as ‘socialising’.

For Marc, who moved to Athens from California in 1989 and who now works in an entirely Greek-speaking environment, the groups also “give me a chance to relax and speak English”.

“Although Greeks are very friendly, it is difficult to become part of their social group unless you went to school or even kindergarten with them,” she says, only semi-joking.

Bernadine Tzouros, president of the American Women of Greece (AWOG), agrees that such groups are “a nice way of networking with other people who are in the same boat”, providing newcomers with

26 insider athens | September 2010

Expats specialjgF

Greek way, but also to enjoy the camaraderie of people with a similar mentality, who spoke English, with whom I could see and do all that Athens has to offer.” Hurley arrived in Greece alone, and was frequently advised, she says, that the easiest way to find her feet in the country would be to “get a Greek boyfriend”. Yet men and women who come here to be with a Greek partner often struggle to adjust to the social and cultural mores, and find that the initial immersion period is eased by meeting up with other people in a similar situation. Tzouros, who arrived in Greece from the United States in the 1970s to wed her Greek husband, compares herself with many other American brides who have found solace at AWOG upon arrival in Athens.“When a young American comes here – perhaps to marry a Greek or because she is thinking of marrying a Greek – she wants to link up with other Americans,” she says, “to maintain her American-ness, as it were.” One might imagine that Greeks have no need of the connecting and introductory powers of Athens’ expatriate groups, yet many attract a surprising number of local members. Kostas, a Greek-born Athenian resident who regularly attends international get-togethers, explains the lure: “I come to meet a completely different crowd who have different things to talk about than my Greek friends.”

a way to keep in touch with their roots and an opportunity to speak their mother tongue. When Canadian-born Maureen arrived in Athens in 2005, the first thing she did was to visit her local Roman Catholic church to “get adopted” by the community there. She then joined Newcomers, a social group for expats that Maureen describes as “a bonded sisterhood of women in Athens”. “I wanted to meet people, especially women, who could give me the Readers Digest, as it were, version of Greece – some basic tips to avoid being treated like a tourist,” she explains. “I wanted to see things in a

“The fact that there are Greek members in most of the groups is particularly valuable for those of us planning to stay here long-term and wanting to build friendships with Greeks as well as foreigners,” says Liz, a Briton who arrived in Athens, “knowing no-one” in 2004. Greeks are also attracted by the comprehensive English-language Xpat Athens website and the range of activities around the city detailed in its weekly newsletter, which reaches 12,000 people. “Xpat Athens is a bit of a misnomer,” says founder Stuart Orchard. “It’s not just for expats but anyone who speaks English and is interested in the international scene. Our members include lots of Greek-somethings as well as long-term international residents.” After the initial break-in period in their new country, expats may no

insider athens | September

2010

Expats specialjgF I wanted to see things in a Greek way... I can help you by sharing my experiences!

longer need the practical information and ‘instant family’ offered by newcomers’ groups, yet many longer-stayers retain their membership. Five years after her arrival, Maureen still feels that Newcomers, Meet in Athens, the International Club of Athens and the Foreign Girls in Athens have much to offer her – and vice versa. “There is always someone new, ranging from a college kid here for a year’s study to an elderly couple who have decided to retire here: now I can help them by sharing my experiences.” Marc has been here for 21 years and is nonetheless a keen member of Meet in Athens, Athens Friends Meet Up, Athens Strollers (SAS), Democrats Abroad, HELADA and InterNations.

A lot of Greek guys have that Shirley Valentine idea that single English-speaking women come here for one thing and one thing only!

DUUH..

Which is the best Englishspeaking kindergarten in Athens?

He found the groups particularly helpful in the wake of his divorce, when he became estranged from a lot of his friends. “I was part of a very large network of my father-in-law’s friends and the family. As soon as the separation occurred I didn’t have any contact with these people any more,” says Marc. “You lose the whole social group.” Just as networking groups can prove useful at the end of a relationship, they are also a popular route to finding love. “It’s an unwritten law that these groups help people to find partners through linking up with likeminded people” Marc believes. Xpat Athens, spotting a gap in the market, features a ‘Singles’ section in its classified ads listings, and is also planning speed-dating events for international singletons in the city. Some of the more party-oriented groups, which meet at bars and have many female members, find themselves attracting masculine attention that may or may not be sought. “A lot of Greek guys have that Shirley Valentine idea that single Englishspeaking women come here for one thing and one thing only,” laughs

AWOG InterNations Under the slogan ‘Connecting global minds’, InterNations is active in over 160 countries throughout the world. In Greece, it was set up in October 2008, and currently boasts nearly 1,000 members around the country. Because of its global networking credentials, InterNations is particularly attractive to businesspeople who regularly relocate or travel widely. See www.internations.org

28 insider athens | September 2010

AWOG (American Women of Greece) is a social and philanthropic organisation, founded in 1948 by the then wife of the American Ambassador to Athens, Mrs Henry Davis. Current president Bernadine Tzouros outlines the aims simply: “We are here to meet and greet new friends, and to raise money for charities in Greece.” Membership costs 45 euros per year (with a 20 euro initial registration fee), and is open to American women or women who are married to American citizens, as well as to a scattering of non-American affiliate members. See www.awog.gr

Maureen. “At that point, the group splits into sub-groups, of those who just want to socialise with English-speakers, and those who are interested in who’s hanging around at the bar.” Favourite expat bars include the James Joyce pub in Thissio and Cafe Boheme in Kolonaki. Liz, a regular at Cafe Boheme, which offers regular parties and hosts the weekly get-togethers of the International Club of Athens, describes it as a “fantastic central meeting place for both foreigners and Greeks, which really is the place ‘where everybody knows your name’”. Although expat groups might have a reputation of being outlets for foreigners to let off steam about the ways in which life in the new city doesn’t measure up against their home comforts, the emphasis of Athens’ groups is very much on the positive aspects of being in Greece. Before moving to Athens in 2007, Orchard was working as a detective in corporate investigation. Now, he works full-time on Xpat Athens. “But I am based in Vouliagmeni; whenever I want I can pop out of the office, walk across the road and have a dip in the sea. It’s a far cry from the Tube and the rain in London!” “Newcomers should plan their stay like a vacation, to find one nice thing to do every day, especially things that will introduce you to people you might have something in common with,” advocates Maureen.“Belonging to an expat group gives you a community feeling, even if you don’t meet up regularly. It helps you to feel that you’re not alone here.” i

Other expat groups • Newcomers: See http://newcomersinathens.blogspot.com/ • Meet in Athens: See www.meet-in-athens.com or Meet In Athens on Facebook • The Athens Friends Meet Up: www.meetup.com/expat-athens-greece/ • International Club of Athens: Tel 210 360 8018 or International Club of Athens on Facebook • Foreign Girls Living in Athens: See Foreign Girls Living In Athens on Facebook • Women’s International Club: www.wic.com • Athènes Acceuil: www.athenesacceuil.gr • Newcomers by the Sea: www.newcomerssouth.com

insider athens | September

2010

Media T

LZM

30 insider athens | September 2010

Stephanie Bailey seeks out five reporters and photographers to present the ‘real’ face of Athens as they understand it. Barnaby Phillips,

hoever said bad publicity is good publicity obviously hasn’t lived in Greece for the past few years.

From the devastating forest fires of 2007, the tragic riots that responded to the death of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in 2008, to the revelation of Greece’s crippling economic woes that exposed the Eurozone crisis in 2010, the Greek Ministry of Tourism’s advertising campaign that invites tourists to Live Your Myth in Greece has never looked more ironic.

Photo by Celine Rivault

From the vantage point of the city centre - and from the various media outlets covering events in Greece - the myth has since become a nightmare. “This is Greece,” most people mutter under their breath these days when faced with yet another piece of negative press coverage; any inch of pride replaced by a sense of loss. Behind that press coverage are journalists and photographers who live and work here. How they personally see things might shed light on the realities behind the reportage, and what we might have to look forward to after the summer ends, and the ‘new’ Greek year begins. This is what they had to say.

European Correspondent, Al Jazeera I came to Greece in 2006 after 15 years in Africa with the BBC. It was quite a change - new country, new continent, and new company. I’d never been to Athens before. Initial thoughts were great food, great weather, wonderfully safe to walk around late at night (you have to understand, I’d come from Johannesburg), traffic not as bad as feared (I’d also lived in Lagos, Nigeria, after which any traffic seems mild), but bureaucracy was a nightmare. And so many protests! Of course I enjoy living in Greece. My wife and I have made wonderful friends.We were lucky enough to find a beautiful flat in Plaka, and I will always treasure the memory of living beneath the Acropolis. We have had so many fabulous holidays, on the islands, in the Peloponnese, and Pelion. I don’t know what the future will bring, but Greece will always be a special place for me. Sadly, it’s been a difficult time for Greece.When we arrived, the country was still riding on post-Olympics euphoria. But scandals were brewing, and the fires of 2007 were bad.The real deterioration in the city centre (where I live and work) has been since the riots of December 2008. More and more «enoikiazetai” (for rent) stickers on empty shop premises, more and more graffiti, more and more petty crime has all been symptomatic of a worsening economy and social tensions. In 2010, as the debt crisis has hit the world’s headlines, the process of decay in central Athens has accelerated. It would be disingenuous to say that the next few years will not be difficult for Greece. The recession will be tough, and the austerity measures will hurt many decent, hardworking people. However, whilst its’ a truism to say that a crisis is an opportunity; I do think Greece does now have the chance to fix many problems that should have been solved long again. This means that in the long run, the country could emerge both happier and fairer.

insider athens | September

2010

Olga Stefatou, Freelance photojournalist As a photographer, what I am looking for is something I would define as “authenticity”. I am looking for the person who survives in every possible way, who subverts the expected or even better does makes the effort to do so, while holding on to his sense of humanity. Of all the places I have travelled for my work, Burma is the country that intrigued me the most from the first time I visited in 2006, not because of its exotic beauty, but because of the romantic way its people confront their problems. I was not interested in illustrating events but rather in underlining the sense of confusion behind the façade of silence that was imposed by the military junta in 1962 and casts a shadow over this active and multidimensional society. In terms of culture and history, As a Greek I somehow feel related to its people.

Alexia Kefalas, Athens correspondent for France 24 If someone decides to travel to Athens and walk along the city centre, the first thing that will strike him is an infinite number of shops - mainly in the heart of once, a flourishing commercial district - that are now closed due to the economic crisis. But then again, everybody loves Greece and they don’t want to see this country going under. But the truth is that Greece faces many problems, due to the fact that there is lack of state mechanism and, as far as the economy is concerned, the country now pays 40 years of budgetary laxity. Consequently, the role of the local and foreign press is to show this reality as hard as it is. Greece was asked to do in 4 months what we, Europeans, were not able to do in 4 years. Therefore, it is easy to understand why strikes and demonstrations are taking place. Moreover, if you talk with Greeks, they will explain that the IMF austerity measures remind them of the dictatorship. The challenge remains for the government to protect the country from the upcoming recession and, at the same time, work hard in order to regain its credibility abroad. History is a series of repetitions. If European countries can take unanimous decisions they can overcome not only economic crisis but even more. Greece is Europe’s «guinea pig» (for it is the reason why EU countries created a rescue mechanism that will be activated again, in case another country shows such signs of economic instability). The only thing for certain is that societies will mutate in depth. Mitterrand used to say that the crisis accelerates History. So of course opportunities will arise from some new forms of activities and Greeks will catch these opportunities. The past showed that Greeks can face successfully critical situations.

32 insider athens | September 2010

At the moment, Greece is of great photographic interest due to the latest social changes and developments. Greek people are now faced with major issues, such as immigration, drug trafficking, the financial crisis and even more. All of these issues have become more obvious in Athens than in the rest of the country. On the one hand, the phenomenon of immigration has come to touch everyone. Even those who were until recently evading the issue can no longer do so. As things stand, Greek society has no other choice than to alter its conservative posture over matters. On top of that, there is a widespread anger and political disappointment. Over the last thirty years, Greece let many opportunities go by. Until recently, the average Greek used to live a life of prosperity. But this is no longer the case, for the majority at least. The average Greek is currently experiencing privations, yet in an entirely different way from a Bangladeshi in Dhaka. In the first case, the Greek has to let go of all the things he used to take, until recently, for granted. This transition is without question a violent one, but could eventually lead to a redefinition of values and new forms of action. Greece’s great potential lies in all these young talented people, who are trying to find ways to channel their abilities and generate the expected changes.

Media T

LZM

Maxime Gyselinck, Photographer, News Pictures, France I started covering social movements in Athens in 2008. I had just been in Lebanon covering the European Mission in Southern Lebanon on the frontier with Israel, when Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot, I felt like I had to cover it. I have lived here for eight years and feel connected to what happens here. It was an incredibly tragic time. Everyone was touched by this. In Greece journalists are not impartial. Of course, I don’t blame them. The press here know there is a certain point that they cannot cross. The real image of Greece is more tragic than what the media shows. The situation for refugees in Greece is really bad. I work with Amnesty International in Athens, and a big part of our job is trying to reverse the Dublin II Treaty enforced in 2003. Greece is the main entry point for all the refugees from the Middle East, and cannot deal with the amount of immigrants; it doesn’t have the people to deal with this. We are all responsible for the crisis; everyone is at fault. Everyone was taking advantage of the situation, and now we have to pay. I think a lot of people understand that.The ones questioning why we should pay for the debt are the ones protesting - but that’s not a lot of people. When they tried to pass similar IMF measures in Spain, 300,000 people went on the streets. For the Greek May 6 riots, when the three people died in the bank, 70,000 people came out in a country of 10 million people. I think quite a lot of people understand that we are in part responsible. The foreign press really believed that Greece was going to blow up, but I don’t think this will happen. If something had to happen, it would have happened already. I believe in young people here in Greece.Though the situation to be young is hard, it is the same all over Europe. If something has to happen, this would have to happen at a European level. Europe is still young. It is normal that we are still learning; we will learn through our mistakes.

Elinda Labropoulou, CNN Stringer I started doing more on the financial crisis maybe a year ago, when things started becoming apparent. I…spend a lot of time travelling to the countryside and talking to the people there. It made things more real; you started feeling that things were actually happening – not just something you read in the papers. The international media coverage surrounding the crisis in Greece was not always very balanced. It became more a matter of sending people in and seeing what they could find based on Greek stereotypes – this doesn’t necessarily give the right impression. I was also very surprised about the lack of attention on the bomb placed in the Civil Protection Ministry and Mihalis Chrysohoidis’s office - this was a breaking news story but nobody touched it. On a deeper level, this was a bomb in what should be, pretty much, the safest building in the country. I think by now Greece is perceived as a country where these things happen, so it’s not going to be reported on extensively unless the minister was killed, though the chances of it happening were very real. But as we say, this is Greece; these things happen. Blind violence seems to be perceived as normal now, just like the general strikes. Greece will be an interesting place next year. Things that happen here will resonate internationally; there are a lot of changes going on in the Eurozone. Again, this (international media interest) is purely in the financial sense. I don’t think the interest is really focused on how what is happening here affects the people. It will be more about how Greece’s economy will balance out on a global scale. A lot of people understand the magnitude of the situation in Greece but they stay away from it all because they don’t have the right groups or the right outlet. I’ve been closely following a lot of civil movement (groups who) have been trying to organise things here but it’s really difficult because people just don’t get it; Greece doesn’t have a strong tradition of such movements.The movements here have links to political parties. Some things are about big symbolic acts and sometimes it’s just about getting out there and actually doing something. i

Photo by Angelos Giotopoulos

insider athens | September

2010

Moving experiences

What do you do? Our company, Celebrity International Movers is celebrating its 25th anniversary! We are a leading moving and relocation company serving embassies, corporations, organizations, families and individuals who move in and out of Athens and all of the islands. Originally from New York, and a child of ex-pats, I know what it is like to move and adjust to a new place. We believe in really taking care of our clients so we make sure our service is the best in the business, from top quality packing to comprehensive relocation services such as home and school search. Which area of Athens do you live in? Rafina What do you see from your balcony? The beautiful sea

Kathy Chrisovergis, managing director of Celebrity International Movers, has pursued a career in making foreigners feel at home in Greece. She introduces us to the hidden gems of the city.

34 insider athens | September 2010

Your all-time favourite restaurant? There are so many in Athens. All around the world people know how good Greek food can be but I have to say my favourite is To Petrino Tou Kritikou in Agia Parakevi, a traditional Cretan restaurant. They make wonderful Cretan horta and sfanianopita. And of course, their food is the best with ice cold raki. Where do you unwind after work? Faros, a magnificent coffee bar right by the water in Rafina.You feel like you are on a boat.You can relax and listen to the waves while enjoying some nice music.

My Athens

Describe your perfect Sunday in Athens. Walking in Thissio, shopping in Monastiraki, visiting the Acropolis, eating at Taverna Psaras in Plaka (try the papoutsaki) and spending the rest of the day discovering new places. Secret parking space in central Athens? It is definitely a challenge to find a space so I avoid driving into the center when I can. I’d rather take the metro. Can you describe a quintessentially Athenian sound, smell, taste and sight? Sound: passionate Greek conversations Smell: nychtoloulouda – These ‘night flowers’ open up at night and they smell wonderful. Taste: loukoumades at Krinos Sight: the Acropolis, especially at night when it is lit up What’s your favourite city stroll? Marina Floisvou in Paleo Faliro. I love sailing so on a visit there you can see a variety of sailboats and enjoy just being by the sea. What is the ideal souvenir from Greece? Something from the Cycladic Art Museum for really amazing pieces of art. Any favourite shops or boutiques? Too many! Generally, when the weather is great I love to walk around outside and check out the shops and boutiques in Kifissia, Halandri or Kolonaki. When it is winter, the malls are perfect. Golden

Hall is great if you want to splurge. To point out a few specifically, I love Character in Halandri and Kalogirou for shoes. Any funny cab stories? While I was sitting in a cab one late afternoon, my taxi driver stopped suddenly after he spotted a man dressed in a suit frantically jumping up and flagging us down. The man was frantic pleading to us that he was really, really late for his wedding and needed my cab right away. I got out, wished him luck and let him have my cab. If he was lying, he was really good at it, dressed really well and well… he “earned” it! Best place to get away from it all? Sailing on the Aegean and visiting Paros. It’s where my family came from. It’s a fabulous island that has everything a family could ask for including nice hotels, beautiful beaches, excellent night life, delicious food and cosmopolitan flair.You can also find gorgeous beaches and secluded spots to just relax. Most positive change in Athens over the last ten years? Attiki Odos, the airport, nice new shopping malls. If you were mayor for a day, what would you change? A few things come to mind… I would start by increasing the budget for training police and firefighters. Police should enforce the rules. It’s a step to make sure our city is as safe as possible. I would delete the dimotika teli on every electricity bill. I would plan and build more green spaces and parks. I would build organized parking lots that don’t overcharge. i

insider athens | September

2010

Talking point

LZC

Nick Malkoutzis analyses Greece’s wobbly perception of foreigners and its love-hate relationship with the xeno

ver since the Persians disembarked northeast of Athens 2,500 years ago not expecting Greek resistance at Marathon to halt their advance on the city state, Greece’s relationship with foreigners has never found any real equilibrium, see-sawing somewhere between antipathy and sympathy. If history were to be the only determining factor, then Greeks would have every right not to be too fond of the sight of visitors. From the Persians to the Romans, the Ottomans, the Venetians, the Germans, the French, the British and the Americans, foreigners have all left their – sometimes painful – mark on this country. It’s no wonder that Greeks refer to foreigners as “xenos” or “xenoi” - a harsh word that not only stresses the improbability that you will have anything in common with this person but also his or her potential to be an enemy.

By the 1970s, however, tourism had started to become a business. The relationship with foreigners became a professional, rather than personal, one. By the 1990s, the romance had been lost. Too many Greeks were looking to make a fast buck rather than replicate the “xenia” of their ancestors and stories of alcohol addled tourists going wild at resorts began to proliferate. Soon, many foreigners were regarded as the modern incarnation of the barbarians who had tried to impose their will on Greece in the past, only this time instead of spears and guns, they were armed with foreign currency and loose morals.

However, “xenos” had a second meaning in ancient Greek, that of a guest who is treated like a friend. The concept of “xenia” was about offering hospitality to strangers or travellers, largely based on the ancient Greek belief that gods often mixed among the mortals to observe how courteous people were, a little like undercover writers for an ancient Michelin Guide.

Greece became a country that was

The dual interpretation of the word “xenos” also reflects the way that Greece’s relationship with the outsiders shifted during the second half of the 20th century. From looking upon foreigners as invaders or schemers who wanted to manipulate the country’s politics, Greeks began to discover friendlier faces – ones that belonged to people who just wanted to come here and bask in natural beauty. For a while, before the advent of mass tourism, Greece developed a relationship with hundreds of thousands of visitors more in the mould of Lord Byron or Patrick Leigh Fermor – outsiders who were fascinated by the country, its people and its culture – than the aggressors of the past.

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“For the first time in its history, receiving rather than exporting immigrants...” At the same time, Greeks’ perception of foreigners would be shaken by a much more dramatic development: the collapse of communism. For the first time in its history, Greece became a country that was receiving rather than exporting immigrants. At first, they were a novelty: Albanians and Georgians who could be given tasks, like gardening, plumbing and building. Greeks, who had been the ones doing the dirty work in places like Germany and the USA, were now the ones giving the orders.This generated a feeling of benevolence among some locals but for others was an opportunity to channel years of pent-up frustration.

“By the end of the 1990s migrants

hope of making it to another European Union country. Greece was unprepared and this influx led to thousands of people being dumped in urban purgatories where crime and exploitation could flourish.The suspicion of foreigners returned – once they wanted to come to Greece to establish political hegemony, now they were here to steal jobs from Greeks, or as some believed, just to steal. No government sought to dispel this view and over the last two decades, a small but not negligible nationalist movement has developed.

were coming here to eke out a living any way they could with the hope of making it to another European Union country.” There was a feeling that these visitors were desperate and since the Greeks had the jobs and the money, they also had the upper hand. But, sitting on this cloud of convenience, they failed to see the situation change dramatically and quickly. The flow of immigrants would not stop, instead it would become more powerful, sweeping aside all feelings of self-contentment. By the end of the 1990s migrants were not coming to Greece to find jobs on construction sites or in people’s homes, they were coming here to eke out a living any way they could with the

The antidote to this has been the blurring of the lines of distinction between the “xenoi” and the Greeks. About 250,000 children who have been born in Greece to immigrant parents are now growing up as Greeks, forcing locals to redefine not just what they think of foreigners but how they actually define what a foreigner is.The passing of a citizenship law earlier this year that allows these second-generation immigrants to officially be called Greek was a landmark moment in the country’s attitude to the “xeno”. Despite opposition from some quarters, it reflected a maturity in how to interact with people of different races, religions and culture. After 2,500 years, it was perhaps the strongest indication that Greece is ready to achieve some balance in its relationship with foreigners. i

A home away from home... LOCATION: Quietly in Plaka, in the Historical Centre LUXURIOUS SUITES: Spacious Suites (32 – 55 m2) with all the amenities and comfort of an upscale Hotel. Balcony/veranda with amazing view of Acropolis, Hadrian Arch and Temple of Zeus. BUSINESS: In-room working desks with free high speed internet. Business centre and exclusive meeting facilities. LONG+SHORT STAYS: Fully equipped kitchenettes, King size bed, balcony/ veranda, LCD TV, DVD and luxury bathroom amenities. PERSONAL TOUCH: Small boutique hotel with personalized service. Offering tailor made packages. AVA is a non smoking hotel and environmentally friendly. Winner Tripadvisor

AVA Hotel & Suites www.avahotel.gr insider 210-325 • Tel: +30 athens | September9000 2010 37

38 insider athens | September 2010

We love it!

We don’t like cricket.

Sports

Cricket in Greece is on the move, led by the Corfiot President of the Hellenic Cricket Federation, Josef Nikitas. Mike Sweet visits the home of Greek cricket to see the state of play.

he first ever game of cricket played in Greece was at the ‘Kastropolis’ in Corfu Town, when British Navy sailors set up stumps there in 1823. After seeing the eccentric Englishmen at play, the Corfiots took the game to their hearts. It has thrived on the island ever since. There’s something quite unique about watching a match on a balmy summer’s afternoon from the shaded café terraces beside the hallowed turf. Glimpsed through the netting that protects spectators from lustily hit blows to the boundary, it is simply a sublime combination of cultures; frappes at fine leg; mezedes at mid-on. I meet the President of the Hellenic Cricket Federation at Zissimos, as the locals call the elegant Ta Olympia café founded by Zissimos Papafloratos, on Kapodistriou, Corfu Town’s famous arcaded main street. Josef Nikitas’ passion for cricket started when he was seven years old. Like many Corfiots, Josef grew up with the game that was, and still is, a way of life in Corfu. Nikitas has been a member of Kerkyra’s venerable Gymastikos Cricket Club (established in 1893) for most of his life, and has captained the Greek national team, in existence since the Federation’s creation in 1996. Josef used to bat at number four and bowl leg-spin.This Greek ‘Shane Warne’ still plays the odd friendly.Today as President of the Hellenic Cricket Federation, he shares his passion for the game by taking it to the rest of Greece, and nurturing the growth of the national team. “It’s very important that we start with the young people.” say Nikitas. “We teach the teachers about the game, buy the equipment from the UK and give it to the interested schools for free.” Whilst cricket is a way of life in Corfu (children who show an interest can join any of the thirteen clubs on the island), in the rest of Greece, where sporting culture is defined by soccer and basketball, awareness of the game is limited but on the increase.Twenty-one clubs are currently

accredited to the Greek Federation including representation from Ioannina and Metsovo. One of the most recently established is one of the six clubs based in the capital, the Athens Cricket Club. Nick Geronimos Vice-President of the ACC, says the game is ideally suited to the Greek temperament. “There’s a lot of strategy, lots of discussion, but it’s not too stressful, except when absolutely necessary.” Geronimos feels there is certainly more potential to be realised regionally and in the capital itself. “There are a number of teams currently playing in Athens, who are made up of non-EU citizens, from Pakistan, Indian and other foreign communities.They can be brought into the fold, if the government can be persuaded to change its legislation facing membership of sporting associations in Greece. It would make a lot of sense.” In terms of the national team, in 2009 Greece came top of the International Cricket Council’s European League Division 5, which involved victories over Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Sweden, and Turkey. This means Greece moves up to Division 4 in 2011, a division comprising Austria, Finland, Luxembourg, Malta and Switzerland. If Greece are able to win Division 4, many more opportunities will follow. So there’s all to play for. Eligibility for the national team is dependent on a player’s residence in Greece for a minimum of three months, and the Federation is keen to attract players from abroad for coaching as well as playing. The current weakness in the national squad, Josef admits, is in the batting.‘We need a strong opener or number 3 or 4 to secure the innings’.With or without a Greek Ricky Ponting or Kevin Petersen, the growth of representative senior cricket worldwide, led by the International Cricket Council, provides future commercial possibilities for countries like Greece.

insider athens | September

2010

Sports

Richard Holdsworth is Regional Development Manager Europe for the International Cricket Council, and has been involved with the development of cricket in Europe since 1997. Richard says that Greece are in a strong position to realise the opportunities on offer. “There’s a lot of good ideas and a vision for the game in Greece” says Richard, speaking from the ICC’s headquarters and the iconic home of cricket, Lords in London. “They’ve done a very good job. The key is ‘Participation’. If a game is going to successfully grow in a country and be recognized as a major sport, then you have to get hundreds and possibly thousands of people playing the game. The challenge for Greece is to do that.” Greece is currently an Affiliate Member of the ICC and as such receives some financial support from the world cricket’s governing body. Associate Membership brings with it a significant additional level of support. To go up to this level, Greece must meet the ICC’s criteria, which includes gaining promotion in the ICC European league and increasing the number of clubs playing in the country. A model for development may well be Spain, where over the last two years it has doubled the number of clubs playing, from 17 to 38. Holdsworth maintains that the secret of Spain’s success is people. “Good people who are passionate about the game…volunteers with competences, energy, expertise; working to a strategy and a structure.” In Greece, that ‘people’ factor is certainly in place. With Nikitas at the helm and a strong committee pursuing participation across the country, the future looks bright. Evidence of the Federation’s effectiveness is further emphasized by its continued funding from the Greek Ministry of Culture and Tourism; no mean feat at a time of stringent cuts in government subsidy to most Greek sporting federations and a sign of real confidence and commitment to the Federation’s vision.

The 2010 cricket season in Greece concludes in October. Clubs interested in forming and becoming accredited to the Federation should email contact@cricket.gr

40 insider athens | September 2010

As Zissimos’ elegantly aproned waiter serves two bottles of Corfu’s justly famous Ginger Beer, and Josef Nikitas and I reflect on Greece’s cricket heritage and future, a gentle thwack of leather on willow brings us back to the present; the place where the game was born, here at the pitch beside Kapodistrou. There can’t be many more beautiful settings in the world to play, or just watch and talk about the great game, under the elegant arcades and palm trees gently swaying in the warm Ionian breeze. Howzat? ‘Plumb’ I’d say. i

insider athens | July - August

2010

Sports

Illustration by Michel Devanakis

In the Footsteps of

Pheidippides Former distance runner Maria Polyzou wrote herself a place in history by becoming the first woman to complete a repeat of the mythical run of the legendary messenger Pheidippides last month. Graham Wood caught up with Greeceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very own wonder woman following her astonishing journey.

42 insider athens | September 2010

ugust, 2 2010, 8.10pm.The sun was just beginning to set over the Tomb of Marathon in East Attica and a slight breeze tickled the air as Maria Polyzou jogged slowly into view, arriving at the entrance to the archaelogical site exhausted yet elated.The 42-year-old Greek women’s marathon record holder was met by a guard of honour by members of a religious society dressed as Spartan soldiers. Shouts of ‘Bravo Maria!’, ‘You’ve done it!’ and ‘You are amazing!’ and warm applause filled the air as a joyous atmosphere took hold. It was the least Polyzou deserved. The Patra-born athlete, who is now the director of the Museum of the Marathon and vice-president of her country’s athletic federation SEGAS, had just covered a distance of 540 kilometres on foot in eight days with the sum total of 10 hours sleep. Definitely not something you do every week.

Setting off from the Acropolis in Athens on Monday, July 26 and reaching the southern Peloponnesian city of Sparta on July 29, Polyzou then ran back to Athens and then on to the Tomb of Marathon. A superhuman effort which entailed running a double marathon every day for a week, with minimal rest in between. There could have been no better way to mark the start of celebrations of the Battle of Marathon’s 2,500-year anniversary.

Polyzou faced numerous problems on her arduous journey, from high fever to blisters and swollen knees and feet. She started the run wearing size 39 running shoes and finished wearing her husband’s size 41s, also losing several kilos. “The first thing I wanted to do after I finished was to see my daughter and then to sleep,” recalls Polyzou to Insider. “I will never forget that feeling when I arrived and saw the crowd there to welcome me. It was a special feeling. I felt humbled that so many people had come to see me complete my journey.” At the time of writing, exactly two weeks had passed since Polyzou, who had never before attempted a distance greater than the marathon distance of 42km, completed her remarkable feat. So how did she feel? “Well, my body is recovering day by day and I feel a lot healthier and more comfortable than I did just after finishing,” she says. “Everything was hurting. There was not a bone or muscle in my body which didn’t cause me some sort of pain. My knees and the soles of my feet were the worst. It felt like I had burned the bottom of my feet.” Doctors informed Polyzou that it would take between two to three months for a body to fully adjust and get back to ‘normal’. “I feel a great calmness now,” she adds. “I had not quite understood what I had achieved immediately afterwards, I was more focused on the fact simply that I had completed it and I still existed. I said to myself ‘Thank God I’m still here! “It was difficult to put into words in the beginning but when I think about it now I understand the importance of what I have done. I simply feel so elated at having done it and having played a part in the history of athletics and more importantly the history of my country.” History played the most important role in Polyzou’s decision to take on the run. “The only reason I decided to do this was because of the 2,500-year anniversary of the Battle of Marathon. I wanted to honour the soldiers and Pheidippides,” she says. Those of us that know our history will remember that it was a Greek victory in that skirmish

insider athens | September

2010

Sports

precisely two and a half Millennia ago that is widely acknowledged to have ensured the democratic legacy of Western culture. The marathon of course celebrates the run of Pheidippides, from the battlefield near Marathon to Athens in 490 BC. Pheidippides was carrying the news a Greek victory over the Persians and is said to have collapsed and died at the end of his effort. Out of that legend, the marathon race was born. But the original legend, whose first report was 600 years after the battle was that the messenger first went to Sparta to ask for help, was rebuffed due to the fact that the Spartans were in the middle of a religious festival, and ran back to Marathon, before going to Athens to announce victory following the successful efforts of 10,000 Athenian soldiers and 1,000 Plataeans who repelled the invading army of King Darius of Persia. “The most difficult times were when I had to cross the mountains,” Polyzou reveals of her trip through the peaks of the Peloponnese.

“When I crossed the Artemisio Oros (Mount Artemis) my mind did actually wander back to 2,500 years ago and I thought about how Pheidippides must have felt when he made this journey. I was completely off the beaten track, in places there was not even a small path and I had to climb carefully up and then down again. It was an unbelievable adventure that I will never forget.” Running on roads is one thing, but crossing mountain ranges in a style not dissimilar to Frodo and his pals in Lord of the Rings trilogy is something else. Did she ever think about stopping then? “No the thought never entered my head,” is the defiant response. “Of course there were moments when others around me were saying ‘you body can’t cope with this anymore, that’s it’. But each day after a rest I felt reborn and was determined to go on. I felt very strong. My soul kept my body going.” Polyzou is well placed to spread the marathon spirit. At 42, she has been running marathons for 23 years. She remains the Greek record holder and is very active in her role in the management of the Museum of the Marathon. As far as achievements go, Polyzou rates this latest feat undoubtedly as her proudest moment. “I was unsure of this question before the run but now I am certain. I think everything else I have done in sport and in my life were the small steps and pathways which led me to this. For me it is definitely the pinnacle of my achievements.” Polyzou’s work doesn’t not stop here though. Quite the contrary in fact as she will be continuing to play a leading role in the build up to the Athens Classic Marathon, which will signal the climax to the celebrations of the anniversary of the Battle of Marathon. A record turnout of over 20,000 participants will take part. Polyzou herself perhaps best sums up what the Marathon means to those who take part. “The marathon is more than simply an athletic event,” she says. “It is a test against the limits of the human body and soul. There is something about marathons that lift the spirit. I think that if you can run a marathon you can say that you not only have attained the best from your body but it is a triumph of the spirit.” i

44 insider athens | September 2010

insider athens | September

2010

In the land of the Oracle Gary van Haas time travels to the ‘land of the oracle’ and is taken in by the enigmatic beauty of Delphi

ord Byron once said, «God may have made heaven and earth, but it was the ancient Greeks who created Delphi». High in the breathtaking slopes, just below the thunderous regions of mighty Mt Parnassos, lies the small mountain enclave of Delphi, one of the ancient world’s greatest treasures. Equal to Machu Pichu in fame, Delphi reached its pinnacle in the 4th century BC where it was regarded as being the centre of the ancient world. According to mythology, Delphi was created after the illustrious god, Zeus, released two of his prized eagles at opposite ends of the world, and when they returned again they met in Delphi. I have been there many times, and believe me, it’s no wonder the ancients considered it their spiritual centre. But the true beginnings of Delphi go back to Mycenaean times, when the earth goddess Gaea arrived on the scene, and it is generally believed the oracle began functioning on a regular basis at this time. In later periods, Delphi became a sanctuary to the gods, Themis and Demeter, and at a much later date to the wily sea god, Poseidon. Apparently ancient Greeks were pretty fickle in their preference for gods because by the conclusion of the Mycenaean period, Apollo had finally gained favor,

46 insider athens | September 2010

thereby superseding all previous gods. And so it was here, amongst those tall, lofty mountain peaks, that a sanctuary was dedicated to Apollo, and where thousands upon thousands of devout believers arrived on a daily basis, slowly trekking up the steep mountain paths, offering votives and expensive gifts to the mystifying oracle in exchange for well-heeded, celestial advice. The so-called oracle itself was in effect usually a mature priestess over the age of 50, who sat solemnly on a tripod at the ingress of a chasm which spewed vaporous fumes. A male priest stood nearby to assist in the ceremony, and after a believer had presented his or her question, the priestess slowly inhaled the fumes, fall into a trance and begin speaking in a strange, cryptic language. For most people of course, these divine utterances were unfathomable, and much to the relief of the seeker, were later translated into some form of understandable verse by the attending priest. This most sacred and cherished of all oracles, was one of the most respected in ancient times, and said to be none other than the embodiment of the great God, Apollo, himself. Historians say that in summer, Apollo was

Travel

worshipped there quite rigidly, but in winter the lively god Dionysos stepped in to take his place, where much to the delight of the people, the god of wine was honoured with lavish banquets, feasts, and drunken merrymaking. They also say that, wars, journeys, and the personal lives of thousands of citizens were all said to have been dependent upon the sole advice offered from this oracle. In ancient times, Delphi was protected through the federation of Greek states known as «The Amphyctionic Council», but in actuality physically it belonged to the nearby city of Krisa. The situation worsened and eventually deteriorated after Krisa began charging visitors arriving at the nearby port of Kirrha, an extremely high rate to disembark and visit the site. Sounds alittle like the Greek Tourist Board today, doesn’t it? Of course, this duplicitous action infuriated the council, and especially Athens, who took up arms to proclaim The First Sacred War (fought between 595-586 BC). Always the leader, Athens went after Krisa with a vengeance and eventually destroyed both Krisa and her protected port of Kirrha. After the battles, Athens took control of the sanctuary, and this time declared it an autonomous state.The site became popular with patrons again in a short period of time, and a new treasury was installed to receive the many tributes and gifts from all over the world. Unfortunately for the sanctuary, power struggles for control still continued, and The Third Sacred War broke out between the cites of

Thebes and Phocis in 356 BC. It was during this particular war that cunning King Phillip of Macedonia was brought in and appointed arbitrator by the council. After Phillip had brought about an end to the bloody conflict, he was subsequently appointed Phocis’ seat on the council. Shortly thereafter,The Fourth Sacred War took place in 339 BC, when the Amphyctionic Council declared war on the city of Amfissa. Amfissa had apparently taken over the sanctuary for itself, and the council once again unwittingly appealed to Phillip for assistance, but in doing so this time, Phillip seized the golden opportunity to bring his huge army, unfettered into Greece, and much to the dismay of the council, once inside, he not only destroyed Amfissa, but continued on to vanquish the armies of Athens,Thebes, and all their allies in the Battle of Khaironeiathereby taking all of Greece. After the devastating wars between the city-states, the oracle returned to «business as usual», where in exchange for advice, it was presented with great treasures by its victors, and not surprisingly, soon accused of favouritism by its impoverished losers. Slowly but surely, the oracle’s reputation became tarnished and synonymous for its partiality and involvement in unscrupulous financial dealings. As Greece waned as a major power, Delphi was eventually taken over by the Romans in 191 BC where the oracle’s once all pervasive influence had all but declined. By the time of the Christian era (4th century AD), the oracle was abolished

insider athens | September

2010

Travel

altogether by the good old pious Emperor Theodosius, who declared it an ungodly pagan ritual. No doubt Delphi’s main attraction to the modern traveller is its ruins, but the other point of interest is certainly the village itself. Known for its splendid, lofty mountain locale, this airy little hamlet is found nestled among the hillside, situated precariously close the edge of a cliff. If heights bother you, forget it! But once there, you’ll also discover a rather spectacular, sweeping view of the Gulf of Corinth, extending all the way down the mountainside to the deep valley below, lush with cypress and olive trees. Delphi itself is a bustling little town with narrow streets and quirky little shops, and basically you’ll find everything you need on the main roads of Vasileon and Frederikis. But despite all its commercialism and constant flow of tour buses, Delphi still remains intact with a marvellous ancient flavor about it. The Delphi Museum is certainly well worth a visit and holds the renowned life-size bronze Charioteer statue. The museum is well laid out, easy to walk through, and said to have one of the finest collections of Greek antiquities in the world. Walking down from the Sanctuary of Apollo, in the direction of the city of Arahova, you’ll find the lovely Castalian Springs to your left, where believers once washed themselves before consulting the great oracle.Then continue down the mountain path to the Sanctuary of Athena, where Athena Pronaia was once worshipped. There, you’ll discover a graceful, partially destroyed, circular shaped three-columned structure known as the Tholos. Built around the 4th century, Tholos (whose purpose is still unknown today) is situated in a quiet, pristine mountainside setting. Of course there are many more sites to see, but wherever you go here, most people will agree, that Delphi is a unique experience, and one which still holds true to the spirit of ancients in capturing that particular eternal time in space. It is also said, that if you walk alone among its crumbling temples and ruins by moonlight, one can still hear the cries and whispers of the enigmatic priestesses who once presided here. i

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Travel Tips: Municipal Tourist Police- Tel. (0265) 82 900

Getting there Buses run regularly from Athens to Delphi, and the trip is about 3 hours. Trains: No stops in Delphi. Livadia is the nearest town, 45 km away. So it’s best to take the bus, or better yet, rent a car and drive up yourself.

Lodging Hotel Athina (D class) at Frederikis 55. Sparce, but comfortable and reasonably priced (tel. 82 239) Hotel Hermes (C class) at Frederikis 29. Bigger rooms and medium priced. (tel. 82 318) Hotel Amalia (A class) at Apollonos 1. A bit expensive, but well worth it if you want a swimming pool and all the amenities. (tel. 82 101)

Eating Taverna Vaklos, Apollonos 31, good taverna fare, reasonably priced and has a lovely view over the whole valley. Lefas Taverna, found on the main street, has good food, reasonable prices, pleasant country atmosphere. The Arachova, is near the main street. It’s small, but authentic, and cheap as tavernas go. A good bet for the money.

insider athens | September

2010

A tiny seed in

the big

Photos: Konstantinos Flamiatos

city

50 insider athens | September 2010

Fashion

Tired of bringing loved ones ancient Greek statuettes or leather sandals as souvenirs from Greece? Koukoutsi is the perfect alternative with humorous t-shirts that are sure to make an impression. Mathilde Giraudo meets the creative duo behind the venture

n Skoufa street in the heart of Kolonaki, Koukoutsi offers t-shirts with unique designs by Nikos Mainaris. Mainaris teamed up with Tassos Tsalazidis, and brought the Koukoutsi experience to the Athenian shopping scene in 2005 with a small shop in Exarchia. “We had no experience but we learnt a lot from our mistakes,” admits Tsalazidis. Now, after five years, they continue to run the shop as a family-style business and offer original t-shirt designs to all lovers of Athens. The two were friends before being business partners and it is their common interests and complementary characteristics that brought them together. “We couldn’t find good designs for ourselves so we thought it would be a good idea to open a shop that sold quality t-shirts with nice designs at a reasonable price.” T-shirt designs are simple, minimal, and feature landmarks of the urban Athenian landscape, including the Athens Hilton, Fix brewery, the Acropolis and the Benaki museums, as well as daily scenes from the streets of the Greek capital. Nikos Mainaris also features some of his artworks in the shop. In addition, Koukoutsi is used as a platform to showcase by international designers selected from various competitions in Germany and the United-States. The name koukoutsi, Greek for seed, was chosen to “represent the hope for something to grow, the prospect of something new; and that is the philosophy behind our shop. We try to promote small labels and artists like Maria Polyxa and her label Psarokokalo who created the owls, the symbol of Athens that we have in the shop. We hope in the future to be able to help more designers.” The Koukoutsi story is one of love for design, for Athens and for its people, so it comes as no surprise that this year’s designs were inspired by love, and more specifically, by the duo’s love for Athens. Their latest t-shirt “Ich bin ein Athener, Athens needs love” was designed as a tribute to Athens and as a means to help Athenians connect with and discover a different face of their city. As opposed to big commercial chains, Koukoutsi promotes itself by word of mouth, facebook and myspace; and it definitely seems to work. “We have a lot of crazy fans! People come into the shop not just to buy for friends but also for themselves and they tend to come back. Our customers are great, there’s a good vibe from the people.” With many plans for the future, Koukoutsi continues to develop their website, and e-shop, and promote small labels that can’t be found anywhere else in Athens. i

insider athens | September

2010

Agora

Back to work!

4 3 2

1 Silver cufflinks inspired by a marble plate, designed by Akis Gouma (Museum of Cycladic Art, Neofytou Douka 4, Athens) 2 Active Radiance Serum by Murad and 3 Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shaving foam by Sephora (Sephora, Ermou 24, Athens) 4 Silicone iPhone case (Paul Frank, The Mall Athens, Maroussi) 5 Mouse pad with design from 18th century Skyros embroidery (www.benaki.gr) 6 Laptop sleeve by Tumi (Bag Stories, Lazaraki 27, Glyfada) 7 Apple iPad (www.plaisio.gr) 8 Alfa Romeo table clock in PVD case with black leather and red stitching (Chopard, Stadiou 2, Athens) 9 Flexible keyboard (Public, Syntagma Square) 10 Table top puzzle (Museum of Cycladic Art, Neofutou Douka 4, Athens) 11 Briefcase (Lancel, panepistimiou 9, Athens)

52 insider athens | September 2010

insider athens | September

2010

Bespoke pampering Spa veteran Toula Victor tries out tailor made treatements specificaly concieved for GB Spa patrons

54 insider athens | September 2010

Wellness

he distinct floral scent that hits you as you enter through the revolving door, the natural light that floods in through the hotel atrium, and the detailed old world finishes in the hotel lobby characteristically define the stately Hotel Grande Bretagne. It is as if once the door closes behind you, the outside world is left behind and you enter an era of regal sophistication.

It was only natural that Valmont adapt a luxurious treatment for the spa and its distinguished clientele. The 2½ hour treatment follows Valmont’s motto, “beauty is a masterpiece,” combining the best of facial and body treatments to create a complete experience where cosmopolitan products meet sensual rituals for absolute care. The product combination used comes from the high-end L’Elixir des Glaciers line, a rich formula based on a rare concentrate derived from the natural, unspoiled resources of Switzerland – glacial spring water, DNA, RNA and essential plant extracts. The scent and texture are enough to make you feel like you are bathing in liquid gold.

Eager to experience the treatment, and after a few attempts at making an appointment, I finally got myself a slot at the GB Spa. Upon arrival, I was whisked away to one of the well-designed treatment rooms, complete with contoured massage bed with towel warmer, iPod and iPod dock, and private in-room shower. The treatment began with a full body scrub using a mixture of apricot seed powder and essential oil, then a quick shower and a light body massage with L’Elixir des Glaciers cream, which my skin seemed to soak right up. While my body absorbed the nutrient rich cream, my therapist, Nellie, began a facial treatment where several of Valmont’s classic facial products were used, including the pure collagen mask and Renewing Pack, described by my therapist as “the one product you can use for a special night out and know your skin will be glowing.” With a scalp massage as the finale, the treatment left me feeling silky all over. Once I gathered myself and slowly came back to reality, I took some time to sit near the fountain underneath the spa atrium to reflect while sipping on a tall glass of probably the best iced-tea ever. I left the spa feeling refreshed, renewed, and ready to take on the bustling city outside. i

Can’t make space in your schedule for a spa treatment? Set the scene in the comfort of your own home with some candles or a spritz of essential oil, then renew and rejuvenate with the following l’Elixir des Glacier products by Valmont: Serum Preciux Votre Visage (30ml) Vos Yeux (15ml) Votre Visage (50ml)

401 € 206 € 477 €

For product information and availability contact Orloff Ltd at 210.522.6215

insider athens | September

2010

Special Promotion

Not your average

cup of java

Starbucks’ mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit - one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time - has resulted in a cult following and sense of belonging by coffee drinkers across the globe. The History of Coffee Legend has it that a sheep herder in the highlands of Ethiopia named Kaldi noticed the effect of coffee beans on the behaviour of his sheep, which seemed more energetic after nibbling on red berries from a certain plant. It was at the moment of this accidental occurrence, that the history of coffee unfolded.The first coffeehouse opened in Istanbul in 1554 but its only in 1672 that the first coffeehouse opens in Paris. Coffee takes Europe by storm. Starbucks opens its first store in Seattle’s Pike Place public market in 1971 and by 1995, coffee is noted as the world’s most popular beverage.

Geography is flavour Once coffee production spread across the globe, distinctive flavours were associated with each region of cultivation due to the area’s soil, climate, altitude, flora, and the method by which coffee was processed.

Brewing methods Although there are several ways of brewing coffee, coffee presses, drip coffee makers and espresso machines are the most widely used today. Coffee from a press is very close in strength and character to what is tasted when cupping, unlike drip coffee makers which are more convenient to use. Espresso machines, on the other hand, use a rapid method of brewing based on pressure, not gravity.

Experiencing coffee is truly an art Aroma, acidity, body and flavour are the technical ways to describe coffee, but by comparing and contrasting different blends yourself, you’ll be able to find the ideal coffee blend for your palate and taste preference. On average, Starbucks’ team of coffee experts taste – or “cup” – over 250,000 cups of coffee each year to ensure consistency and quality.

Some tips for coffee tasting include:

Smell first: Much of our sense of taste is created through the nose, not the mouth.The tongue is only capable of distinguishing four tastes: salty, sweet, bitter and sour.The nose, on the other hand can detect thousands of subtleties. When tasting a coffee, smell it first.

Slurping makes sense: Another important aspect of tasting coffee is slurping. When slurping, you aerate the coffee by spraying it across your palate, which enables the subtle flavours and aromatics to reach your nose.

The geography of your palate: As you taste a coffee, think about where you are experiencing the flavours on your tongue. Does the coffee hit you on the tips and side of your tongue? How does the coffee feel in your mouth? What is the “weight” of coffee on your tongue?

Four ways of describing coffee:

Aroma: The aroma of coffee can be floral like lavender or smoky and is often described as floral, winey, earthy, fruity, pungent, sweet and clean. Acidity:This easily misunderstood term refers to the lively, palate-cleansing characteristic of high quality coffees grown at high elevation.

Body:The tactile impression of brewed coffee in the mouth can be described as light, medium or full. Some coffees naturally have more body than others, which is often determined by the brewing method used.

Flavour: The most important tasting term, flavour describes the total impression of aroma, acidity and body.

The four fundamentals: The Four terms that guide to making the perfect cup of coffee are: 1. Proportion: water to ground coffee proportion is the most common coffee-making mistake – and the easiest to solve. 2. Grind: different brewing methods require different grinds. 3. Water: the type of water used when brewing greatly affects the final taste. 4. Freshness: coffee’s biggest enemies are oxygen and moisture. i

Starbucks is more

than just a cup of coffee The Starbucks Experience speaks to the overall experience coffee drinkers can expect when they walk into a Starbucks store. For many, Starbucks is a place away from home or work where they can go to feel comfortable, relax, and be part of a community. Live the Starbucks experience by subscribing to Insider up to 31 October. Email subscriptions@insider-athens.gr

56 insider athens | September 2010

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Recipes

SUMMER SALAD WITH TOMATOES, BARLEY RUSKS, FETA, ANCHOVIES AND HERBS by Stelios Parliaros

TOMATO SAGANAKI WITH FORMAELA PARNASSOU CHEESE by Konstantinos Vasalos

10 servings

1 serving

4.4 lbs. (2kgs.) tomatoes 8.8 oz. (250 gr.) feta 1 bunch basil 1 bunch mint 1 bunch fresh coriander Lemon zest 7 oz. (200 gr.) cucumber 5 barley rusks Extra virgin Greek olive oil

2 tomatoes, peeled 1 oz. (90 gr.) formaela cheese, cut into 3 slices 2 tbsp. extra-virgin Greek olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste A few small sprigs of rosemary

1. Quarter the tomatoes. Cube the feta. Finely chop the herbs and cucumber. 2. Dampen the rusks and break them up into smaller pieces. Rinse the anchovies. 3. Place the rusks on the bottom of a large serving bowl, top with tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and cheese. Garnish with anchovies. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

1. Carefully cut out large fillets of similar size from the fleshy seedless part of the tomato. 2. Oil the bottom and sides of a round 3 x 8 inch (8 x 2 cm.) ring mold and line with the tomato filets. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Lightly sauté the formaela and place it in the mold on top of the tomatoes. Place a few small sprigs of rosemary between layers. 4. Cover the formaela with a few more tomato filets, drizzle with olive oil and bake at 356ο F / 180ο C for 10 minutes. 5. Remove the mold and serve immediately. Photography:Yorgos Drakopoulos Food Styling: Tina Webb

58 insider athens | September 2010

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Got a story to tell? Restaurant reviews Send in your reviews of new restaurants in Greece and we’d be delighted to feature them and add them to our listings. Send your reviews with a photograph of the restaurant to: toula@insider-magazine.gr

Aspiring authors are invited to send their stories - fiction or personal accounts of life in Athens (up to 600 words in length) - to: info@insider-magazine.gr with a view to publication.

If you’re French speaking and would like to discover the best Greece has to offer in French, subscribe to Bonjour Athènes!

KAZ / Shelter for Stray Animals is a non-profit association located at Markopoulo, outside Athens. KAZ receives no government funding. KAZ treats, vaccinates and neuters sick, injured and abandoned strays and strives to find loving permanent homes for them. The shelter’s fixed monthly running and veterinary expenses are overwhelming. 20.000 lecteurs lisent Bonjour Athènes pour trouver le meilleur en Grèce sur: les achats, les évènements culturels, le vin & la gastronomie, les tendances, les beaux arts, les affaires, la diplomatie, les voyages et la vie politique.

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Abonnez-vous maintenant!

Insider Pet Corner This little charmer, Kokkinoulis, is 5 months old, very friendly and purry, easygoing with other cats and adores people. He appeared out of nowhere, but unfortunately we cannot keep him with our other.... 40 cats. As well as being a very lovable, playful kitten, he is also an exceptional cockroach-catcher – so he’s a wonderful companion and a pest-controller rolled into one adorable package. For more information please ring Ioanna or Pavlos on 210 976 3422 or 210 523 4153

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2010

Insider guide

refer to corresponding area for more information and contact details

restaurant index by type AMERICAN JACKSON HALL Kolonaki TGI FRIDAY’S Kolonaki

ARGENTINEAN ORO TORO Vouliagmeni

BAR - RESTAURANTS BACARO Omonia BALTHAZAR Mavili Sq BARAONDA Mavili Sq CENTRAL Kolonaki ENTEKA Glyfada KITCHEN BAR Faliro FRAME Kolonaki GINGER Mavili Sq ISLAND Vouliagmeni NIXON Kerameikos SEMIRAMIS RESTAURANT Kifissia SHOWROOM Kolonaki

FISH RESTAURANTS 7 THALASSES Kolonaki CAPTAIN JOHN’S Piraeus FISH BAR Glyfada ITHAKI Vouliagmeni JIMMY AND THE FISH Piraeus KASTELORIZO Kifissia LA PECHE Glyfada MILOS Hilton MYTHOS OF THE SEA Vouliagmeni PAPADAKIS Kolonaki PLOUS PODILATOU Piraeus THALATTA Gazi TO VAROULKO Kerameikos ZEFYROS Piraeus

FISH TAVERNAS DOURAMBEIS Piraeus KOLLIAS Piraeus MAISTRALI Vouliagmeni PSARAKI Vouliagmeni TRATA O STELIOS Pangrati VASSILENAS Piraeus

FRENCH L’ABREUVOIR Kolonaki LE PETIT SOMMELIER Faliro PIL POUL JEROME SERRES Thissio TARTARE Glyfada VARDIS Kifissia

GOURMET ALATSI Hilton KUZINA Thissio TO ERGASTIRIO TOU BAXEVANI Syntagma PIG PONG Glyfada

60 insider athens | September 2010

GREEK 2 MAZI Plaka CUCINA POVERA Pangrati DAKOS Kolonaki DIPORTO Psyrri EDODI Acropolis ELAEA BISTROT Acropolis FASOLI Exarhia IDEAL Omonia IRIDANUS Kerameikos KARAVITIS Pangrati KAVOURAS Exarhia LIANA’S KITCHEN Glyfada MANI MANI Acropolis MARE MARINA Faliro PLATANOS Plaka PROSOPA Gazi RIFIFI Exarhia TO KOUTI Monastiraki YANTES Exarhia YDRIA Plaka

INDIAN ISKANDAR Alimos JAIPUR PALACE Maroussi

ITALIAN AGLIO OLIO ET PEPERONICINO Acropolis ACQUA AZZURA Kifissia AL MILANESE Kolonaki ALTRO Kolonaki BOSCHETTO Kolonaki CANTUCCIO Psyrri DA LUCIANO Vouliagmeni DVLCIS IN FVNDO Voula GENOVESE Voula LA CASA DI GIORGINO Gyfada IL SALOTTO Glyfada IL SEGRETO Voula MEZZA LUNA Vouliagmeni MULTI 22 Syntagma PIZZA POMMODORO Kolonaki SALE E PEPE Kolonaki SCALA VINOTECA Kolonaki TONY BONANO Piraeus VINCENZO Glyfada

JAPANESE COO Kolonaki DOSIRAK syntagma FAR EAST Syntagma FREUD ORIENTAL Kolonaki FURIN KAZAN Syntagma GOLDEN PHOENIX Kifissia INBI Kolonaki KIKU Kolonaki MATSUHISA ATHENS Vouliagmeni NOODLE BAR Syntagma SHOGUN Kifissia

KOSHER KOL TUV Monastiraki

LEBANESE BEIRUT Glyfada NARA NARA Psyrri NARGILE Kifissia

MEDITERRANEAN AIOLI RESTAURANT Glyfada BEREKET Glyfada BRACHERA Monastiraki BYZANTINE RESTAURANT Hilton CAFE AVYSSINIAS Monastiraki CAFE BOHEME Kolonaki CAFE TABAC Vouliagmeni DAPHNE’S RESTAURANT Plaka DORIS Monastiraki FATSIO Pangrati GALAZIA HYTRA Vouliagmeni GB CORNER Syntagma GRILL ROOM Vouliagmeni IDEAL RESTAURANTOmonia IRIDANUS Kerameikos KITRINO PODILATO Gazi KOUZINA CINE-PSIRRI Psyrri MAGEMENOS AVLOS Pangrati MEIDANIS Monastiraki OCHRE et BROWN Psyrri PARLIAMENT Syntagma PRYTANEION Kolonaki RATKA Kolonaki SPONDI Pangrati TA KIOUPIA Kolonaki TO KOUTI Monastiraki TO POLITICO Glyfada ZEPHYROS Piraeus ZORBAS Piraeus

ROOFTOP DINING ELECTRA Plaka GALAXY BAR Hilton IOANNIS Syntagma LE GRAND BALCON Kolonaki ORIZONTES LYKAVYTTOU Kolonaki ST’ASTRA Mavili Sq

SOUVLAKIA AND KEBAB BUTCHER’S SHOP Gazi DREAM GRILL Voula KALAMAKI KOLONAKI Kolonaki KILIZA Glyfada NAIADES Voula SAVVAS Monastiraki SCHARA Vouliagmeni SIGALAS-BAIRAKTARIS Monastiraki THANASSIS Monastiraki

SPANISH MI SUENO Kolonaki PUERTA DE ESPANA Pangrati

TAVERNAS AMMOS Piraeus DIPORTO Psyrri FILIPOU Kolonaki LOUIZIDIS Vouliagmeni MAMACAS Gazi MARGARO Piraeus SKOUFIAS Exarhia VLASSIS Hilton ZAHOS Vouliagmeni

THAI ROYAL THAI Kifissia

WINE BARS MEXICAN AMIGOS Glyfada DOS HERMANOS Kifissia EL TACO BUENO Maroussi LA TIENDA Glyfada

CELLIER LE BISTROT Syntagma OINOPATHIA Maroussi

Westin Kids Club

MEZEDES AND OUZO ATHINAIKON Omonia KIRKI Thissio OUZADIKO Kolonaki SCHOLARHEIO Plaka SOLON Piraeus

PUB RESTAURANTS BAYERN BIERHAUS MICROBREWERY Glyfada BEER ACADEMY glyfada BIER HAUS Vouliagmeni MOLLY MALONE’S Glyfada

210.890.2000

insider athens | September

2010

Insider guide SHOP

www.elaea.gr Greek chic coffee and tempting snacks beside the Acropolis Museum

Children Damigos Dimitrakopoulou 40 Tel: 210.922.0317 Toyshop with a wonderful selection, including wooden designs

Gelato-Café Makriyanni 19-21 Tel: 210.923.8124 Homemade ice cream and waffles Mani Mani Falirou 10 Tel: 210.921.8180 Peloponnesian specialities with Mediterranean touches

Gifts

Greece is for Lovers Karyatidon 13A Tel: 210.924.5064 www.greeceisforlovers.com Tongue-in-cheek souvenirs for the discerning traveller

Takis' Bakery Misaralioutou 14 Tel: 210.923.0052 Locals' favourite; koulouria (sesame rings) & white chocolate biscuits

Aglio Olio & Peperonicino Porinou 13 Tel: 210.921.1801 Authentic Italian pasta in a cozy setting, accompanied by luscious salads and homemade dolci Asimenia Bakery Beles 1 and Androutsou Tel: 210.924.7655 Raisin bread, almond shortbread, yummy cookies & tasty loaves

Exarhia

EAT

Edodi Veikou 80 Tel: 210.921.3013 Fresh ingredients presented at your table, then cooked to perfection

SHOP Syllektiko Paleopolio Asklipiou 41 Tel: 210.364.1718 Antiques of all sorts and restoration services Art Rat Records Zoodohou Pigis 48 Tel: 210.384.8001 Various vinyls

Medusa Tattoo Kallidromiou 85, Tel: 210.825.4593 Athens’ finest since 1995

Elaea Bistrot Makriyanni 19-21 Tel: 210.921.2280

Takis' Bakery

62 insider athens | September 2010

Aglio Olio & Peperonicino

Vinyl Microstore Didotou 34, Tel: 210.361.4544 New vinyls & cds; also reissues from the 60s & more Yesterday's Bread Kallidromiou 87-89 Tel: 210.881.1233 Imported second-hand clothes; individuality guaranteed

EAT Fasoli Emanouil Benaki 45 Tel: 210.330.0010 A great meal in an uplifting environment Kavouras Themistokleous 64 Tel: 210.381.0202 Dine while enjoying live Rebetika music Rififi Emanouil Benaki 69A & Valtetsiou Tel: 210.330.0237 Ideal for a quiet, affordable Aegean-style dinner Skoufias Lontou 4, Tel: 210.382.8206 Exceptional entrees you are unlikely to find elsewhere Yantes Valteziou 44, Tel: 210.330.1369 Modern Greek cuisine prepared with almost exclusively organic ingredients

Elaea Bistrot

central Athens DRINK Circus Bar Navarinou 11, Tel: 210.361.5255 Attracts a hip and happening crowd in a cozy space Ginger Ale Themistokleous 74 Tel: 210.330.1246 Enjoy a cocktail or a coffee in a retro pop atmosphere Vox Arahovas 56 & Themistokleous Tel: 210.383.5811 One of the oldest summer cinemas in Athens is a picturesque place for a retro-tinged drink

Gazi

Acropolis

Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill!

EAT Butcher’s Shop Persefonis 19 Tel: 210.341.3440 Traditional psistaria serving grilled meat dishes

Mamacas Persefonis 41, Tel: 210.346.4984 Modern taverna located in an old barrel warehouse offering traditional Greek fare Kitrino Podilato Keramikou 116, Tel: 210.346.5830 Mediterranean cuisine in a modern industrial atmosphere Prosopa Meg.Vasiliou 52 & Konstantinoupoleos 4 Tel: 210.341.3433, Delicious dishes in a warm atmosphere right beside the train tracks. A popular gay haunt.

Greece is for Lovers

To advertise, contact ads@insider-magazine.gr

Almaz Triptolemou 12, Tel: 210.347.4763 Lounge in a modern atmosphere while listening to music from around the world Barouge Andronikou 4, Tel: 210.342.4994 A staple of Athenian nightlife Dirty Ginger Triptolemou 46, Tel: 210.342.3809 Excellent cocktails Grande Dame Persefonis 23 Tel: 210.341.6412 Chic bar serving elaborate champagne cocktails Nipiagogeio Elasidon & Kleanthous 8 Tel: 210.345.8534 For late-night dancing to funky electronic music Villa Mercedes Andronikou & Tzaferi 11 Tel: 210.342.2380 Mega club ideal for all-night dancing

Athinon Arena Pireos 166, Tel: 210.347.1111 The latest in live Greek music acts

Hiltonia Health

EAT Alatsi Vrassida 13 Tel: 210.721.0501 Exquisite Cretan specialties

Byzantine Restaurant Athens Hilton Vas. Sofias 46, Tel: 210.728.1400 Traditional Greek recipes with a Mediterranean twist Milos Athens Hilton Vas. Sofias 46, Tel: 210.724.4400 Simply prepared local flavours Vlassis Neandrou 15 Tel: 210.646.3060/210.725.6335 Family-run taverna serving traditional Greek food

DRINK Galaxy Bar Athens Hilton Vas. Sofias 46, Tel: 210.728.1402 Rooftop cocktails in a chic atmosphere

& Wellness Club Athens Hilton Vas. Sofias 46, Tel: 210.728.1801 Indoor and outdoor pools, pilates studio, cardio classes and weighttraining

Kerameikos

Bars, Clubs & Lounges

CHILL

EAT

Kolonaki

DRINK

Live Greek Music

Hilton

Thalatta Vitonos 5, Tel: 210.346.4204 Fresh seafood creations

SHOP

Iridanus Plataion 15 Tel: 210.346.2983 Greek & Mediterranean cuisine in beautiful surroundings Nixon Agisilaou 61B Tel: 210.346.2077 Burgers, a private cinema & an artsy crowd. Open for brunch on Sundays at noon

To Varoulko Pireos 80, Tel: 210.522.8400 Seafood prepared by Michelin starwinning chef Lefteris Lazarou

central Athens Frattina Kanari 21, Tel: 210.360.4481 Casual clothing and gifts for kids Jack in the Box Haritos 13, Tel: 210.725.8735 Beautiful wooden toys and more Marie Chantal Boutique Spefsippou 11 Tel: 210.722.2029 Old-fashioned chic for little princes and princesses Mouyer Kanari 8, Tel: 210.361.7714 Good-quality orthopaedic shoes as well as funkier styles

Fashion Atelier Loukia Kanari 24, Tel: 210.362.7334 Fairytale dresses in lace and embroidery from Greece's doyenne designer Bespoke Athens Anagnostopoulou 15-17 Tel: 210.364.5518 Made-to-measure suits and shirts from top international tailors

Antiques Kilim Hali Valaoritou 9 Tel: 210.363.7056 www.kilimhali.gr Antique carpets from around the world

Beauty & Cosmetics

Apivita Solonos 26 Tel: 210.364.0560 Shop natural Greek cosmetics, get a prescription cream made up and have a quick massage

Children

Road of Tea

Bambineria Kanari 5, Tel: 210.339.2597 Designer togs for tots

Hiltonia

insider athens | September

2010

Insider guide Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill! Carouzos Kanari 12 , Tel: 210.362.7123 Designer items from Prada, Brioni, Donna Karan, Fendi and other topflight brands Coach Tsakalof 28, Tel: 210.362.5669 Leather totes and luggage in easy American style Deux Hommes Kanari 18, , Tel: 210.361.4155 www.deuxhommes.gr Greece's design ambassadors create structural separates and heavenly bridal gowns Diesel Skoufa 3, Tel: 210.362.2748 A treasure trove of denim, and all the hip accoutrements to go with it Dior Boutique Voukourestiou 18-20 Tel: 210 361.3014 High-end designer fashion DKNY Solonos 8 Tel: 210.360.3775 Classic American sportswear Elina Lebessi Iraklitou 13, Tel: 210.363.1731 Ethereal frocks, pretty tea-dresses and accessories from around the world

Ermenegildo Zegna Skoufa 18, Tel: 210.361.3700 Home of fine fabrics and handsome tailor-finished suits

Lacoste Solonos 5 Tel: 210.361.8030 French take on American sportswear

Paul & Shark Anagnostopoulou 6 Tel: 210.339.2334 Casual yachting styles

Free Shop Voukourestiou 50 Tel: 210.364.1308 A haven of hip, carrying labels from Balenciaga to Martin Margiela to Marlene Birger

Lanvin Iraklitou 9 Tel: 210.360.8315 Alber Elbaz's gloriously chic take on the classic French couture house

Preview Patriarchou Ioakim 19 Tel: 210.722.4731 High fashion designer shoes

Giorgio Armani Koumbari 8, Tel: 210.361.3603 Suit- and dress-maker to the stars Hugo Boss Amerikis 19, Tel: 210.360.0516 Smart separates for a work wardrobe Incrocio Kanari 8 Tel: 210.362.7768 Menswear from Armani, Boss and Allen Edmonds brogues Kalogirou Patriarchou Ioakim 4 Tel: 210.335.6401 Fetish footwear from Prada, Tod's & Casadei Kathy Heyndels Patriarchou Ioakeim 21 Tel: 210.729.9966 Greek label selling barely-there gowns and basics with a twist La Perla Spefsippou 14 Tel: 210.729.9720 Lingerie to flaunt

Papadakis

64 insider athens | September 2010

central Athens

Bespoke Athens

Linea Piu Sekeri 6 Tel: 210 360.6125 Collections from exclusive fashion houses Luisa Skoufa 15 Tel: 210.363.5600 Designer emporium stocked with Chloe, Roberto Cavalli, Ralph Lauren, Missoni & more Marc by Marc Jacobs Xanthou 3 Tel: 210.363.6030 Budget knick-knacks and must-have casuals from America's fashion hero Nike Tsakalof 34 Tel: 210.363.6188 Trainers, tracksuits and other swooshmarked sports paraphernalia Observatory Attitudes Solonos 9, Tel: 210.364.6910 www.attitudes.gr Seven storeys of fashion

Puma Concept Kanari 17 Tel: 210.361.0516 International sportswear for all ages Rere Papa Skoufa 62 Tel: 210.364.4300 Distinctive creations by two young Greek women and other international imports Thalassa Collection Patriarchou Ioakim 30-32 Tel: 210.725.8525 Original silk designs for scarves, ties, shawls & blouses Vlassis Holevas Anagnostopoulou 19 Tel: 210.361.6167 Elegant fashion with a contemporary twist

Flowers Fleria Patriarchou Ioakim 35 Tel: 210.722.9697

Bespoke Athens

To advertise, contact ads@insider-magazine.gr Food & Wine Cava Anthidis Ypsilantou 13-15, Tel: 210.725.1050 Comprehensive wine and liquor wholesalers Kylix Karneadou 20, Tel: 210.724.5143 Quality picks from the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best vineyards; including Greek labels Wine Garage Xenokratous 25, Tel: 210.721.3175 Browser-friendly cava with helpful service

Gadgets Octopus Solonos 15, Tel: 210.363 6677 Quirky designs with a sense of humour

Gifts Benaki Museum Gift Shop Vas. Sofias & Koumbari Tel: 210.367.1045 Artefacts and jewellery inspired by the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exhibits

Home Christofle Koumbari 5, Tel: 210.362.0483 Classis silver and crystal ideal for wedding gifts La Fenetre Irodotou 21, Tel: 210.723.5029 Elegant objects and sophisticated gifts for the house, mostly from France Parousiasi Patriarchou Ioakim 33 Tel: 210.723.7656 A range of international brands in crystal, china and other eye-catching homeware accessories

Fanourakis Patriarchou Ioakim 23 Tel: 210.721.1762 Unique collection of animal and insect pins & earrings Folli Follie Tsakalof 6 & Solonos 25 Tel: 210.323.0739 Greece's high-street export stocks affordable watches and everyday bijoux Liana Vourakis Pindarou 42 Tel: 210.361.7705 For unique baptism and wedding gifts, start here Lylian Syrigou Anagnostopoulou 12 Tel: 210.361.3350 www.liliansyrigou.gr Handcrafted bijoux and one-off designer pieces Magia Haritos 18, Tel: 210.724.0697 Ileana Makri's silver jewellery amid eclectic pieces from New York Oxette Skoufa 37 Tel: 210.339.0547 Trendy, affordable jewellery

EAT Bakeries & Patisseries Despina Patriarchou Ioakim 56 Tel: 210.729.5582 Reputed patisserie best known for its millefeuille

central Athens Coo Dinokratous 1 Tel: 210.725.4008 A Mykonos favourite now in Athens Dakos Tsakalof 6 Tel: 210.894.7040 New-age Cretan specialties

Cake Irodotou 15, Tel: 210.721.2253 For real American homemade cheesecake, brownies and more

Filipou Xenokratous 19 Tel: 210.721.6390 Home-cooked Greek taverna dishes

Fresh Kriezotou 12, Tel: 210.364.2948/ Loukianou 21, Tel: 210.729.3453 Desserts and cakes

Frame St George Lycabettus Hotel Dinokratous , Tel: 210.721.4368 Exotic cuisine in the heart of Athens

Restaurants

Freud Oriental Xenokratous 21 Tel: 210.729.9595 Sushi in a cool setting

7 Thalasses Omirou 11, Tel: 210.362.4825 Fresh fish with refined service Al Milanese Xenokratous 49, Tel: 210.729.4111 Authentic Italian cuisine for the discerning Altro Haritos 39, Tel: 210.724.2717 Tiny funky restaurant that specializes in Italian food

Inbi Iraklitou 21 Tel: 210.339.2090 Sushi fusion Jackson Hall Milioni 4 Tel: 210.361.6098 Gourmet burgers with all the fixings

Ozzi Skoufa 30, Tel: 210.364.2139 Greek silver fashion jewellery

Boschetto Evangelismos Park Tel: 210.721.0893 Italian food in a lush central setting

Kalamaki Kolonaki Ploutarhou 32 Tel: 210.721.8800 Souvlakia on the sidewalk have never been so trendy

Van Cleef & Arpels Pindarou 42, Tel: 210.331.1107 The jeweller of the international jetset

Cafe Boheme Omirou 36, Tel: 210.360.8018 Welcoming nook with Greek cooking and more-ish cocktails

Kiku Dimokritou 12 Tel: 210.364.7033 Fresh, beautifully presented sushi

Jewellery Apriati Pindarou 29, Tel: 210.360.7878 Smartly designed necklaces, bracelets and rings Elena Votsi Xanthou 7, Tel: 210.360.0936 Conversation-starting pieces in gold and stone

Om Indian Beauty Lounge Lykavittou 11, Kolonaki 210 362 5125

insider athens | September

2010

Insider guide Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill!

Mi Sueno Akadimias 30, Tel: 210.361.6271 Tapas & other Spanish specialties Orizontes Lycavyttou Lycabettus Hill, Tel: 210.722.7065 Gourmet dining with a spectacular view Ouzadiko Karneadou 25-26, Tel: 210.729.5484 Traditional Greek appetizers & ouzo Papadakis Fokilidou 15 & Voukourestiou 47A Tel: 210.360.8621 Paros' legendary gourmet restaurant serving seafood in the heart of Athens Pizza Pommodoro Alopekis 9, Tel: 210.729.6500 Great Italian specialties Prytaneion Milioni 7, Tel: 210.364.3353 Generous portions of Mediterranean fare Ratka Haritos 32, Tel: 210.729.0746 Popular haunt of the rich and almost famous, with cosmopolitan cuisine Sale e Pepe Aristipou 34, Tel: 210.723.4102 Authentic Italian trattoria Scala Vinoteca Sina 50, Tel: 210.361.0041 Mediterranean restaurant ideal for wining & dining

Square Sushi Deinokratous 65, Tel: 210.725.5236 High-quality sushi & other Japanese favourites

Tea

EAT

To Tsai Soutsou & Likavitou Tel: 210.338.8941 Tea & tea paraphernalia from around the world

Ginger Dorileou 10-12, Tel: 210.645.1169 Original dishes and innovative combinations in an elegant atmosphere

CHILL

Ta Kioupia Dinokratous & An Polemou 22 Tel: 210.740.0150 Superb set menu of Greek classics with refined touches

OM Indian Beauty Lounge Lykavittou 11 Tel: 210.382.5125 Incredible massages and exotic treatments

TGI Friday’s Kolokotroni 35, Kefalari sq. Tel: 210.623.3945 American restaurant with real steak and barbecue sauce!

La Prairie Day Spa Kanari 24, Tel: 210.360.1550 High-tech beauty treatments in a clinical setting

DRINK Bars, Clubs & Lounges Central Kolonaki Square Tel: 210.724.5938 The place to see & be seen while sipping on coffee or cocktails Mai Tai Ploutarhou 18, Tel: 210.725.8306 Early evening cocktails in a l aid-back atmosphere Ten Ploutarhou 10, Tel: 210.321.7836 One of the most popular hot spots in town W Kanari 24 Tel: 697.270.0712 Private seating areas, speciality cocktails & exclusives events

DRINK Balthazar Tsoha 27 Tel: 210.644.1215 Lovely garden and chic interior attracts a cool crowd Baraonda Tsoha 43 Tel: 210.644.4308 Gourmet cuisine and funky beats

Briki Tel: 210.654.2380 Trendy hole-in-the-wall hangout Flower Tel: 210.643.2111 Fun, funky and affordable watering hole

Cafés Da Capo Tsakalof 1, Tel: 210.243.3902 Long-established people-watching hangout

To Tsai

66 insider athens | September 2010

Peros Kolonaki Square, Tel: 210.364.5068 Enjoy a cup of java if you can find a spot

Varvakios Agora

St’Astra Alexadras 10, Tel: 210.889.4500 For an unforgettable roof-top dining experience

Monastiraki

Le Grand Balcon St George Lycabettus Hotel, Kleomenous 2, Tel: 210.729.0711 Gourmet Greek cuisine

Showroom Milioni 12, Tel: 210.364.6460 Missoni-designed interiors, serving unique Mediterranean flavours

Mavili Sq

L'Abreuvoir Xenokratous 51, Tel: 210.722.9106 Fine French cuisine

central Athens

SHOP Antiques Darousos Normanou 7 Tel: 210.331.1638 Small antique shop in the heart of the flea market

Books FNAC Aiolou & Mitropoleos Tel: 210.373.1100 International book & multimedia superstore

Food & Wine

Arapian Evripidou 41, Tel: 210.321.7238 Old-style butcher shop offers interesting sausages, pasturma & smoked meats Bahar Evripidou 31, Tel: 210.321.7225 Well-known herb haven Miran Evripidou 45, Tel: 210.321.7187 Sausages, pastrami & cured meats

central Athens

Bairaktaris Monastiraki Square 2 Tel: 210.321.3036 Old-world taverna serving traditional Greek fare Brachera Avissynias 3, Tel: 210.321.7202 Traditional Greek recipes with a European twist overlooking the Acropolis & Observatory Café Avyssinias Kynetou 7, Tel: 210.321.7407 Spcializing in regional dishes & live music on weekends Doris Praxitelous 30, Tel: 210.323.2671 Hearty stews & pasta dishes at reasonable prices Kol Tuv Normanou 4, Tel: 210.524.4049 The only kosher restaurant in Athens serving traditional shabat meals Meïdanis Sokratous 3 & Evripidou Tel: 210.324.9073 A menu that is sure to please with speciality oven dishes Savvas Mitropoleos 86, Tel: 210.321.9919 Gyros & Middle Eastern dishes like pastourmali

To Kouti Adrianou 23, Tel: 210.321.3229 Mediterranean fare right next to the ancient agora

DRINK Orea Ellas Pandrosou 36, Tel: 210.321.3842 An eclectic cafe & bookshop

SHOP Department Stores Hondos Center Omonia Square Tel: 210.528.2800 Cosmetics, perfumes, luggage, clothing, & much, much more

EAT Ideal Restaurant Panepistimiou 46, Tel: 210.330.3000 Greek classics in old-world decor Bacaro Sophokleous 1 & Aristidou Tel: 210.321.1882, Lavish Italian and contemporary dishes Athinaikon Themistokleous 2, Tel: 210.383.8485 A traditional Greek ouzeri

Sigalas-Bairaktaris Monastiraki Square 2 Tel: 210.321.3036 Century-old restaurant serving a variety of fresh dishes

Food & wine

Beauty & Cosmetics

Mesogaia Nikis 52, Tel: 210.322.9146 Packaged & fresh speciality foods

Korres Ivikou 8 & Eratosthenous Tel: 210.722.2774 Natural Greek products made using Mediterranean herbs

Cucina Povera Evforionos 13 & Eratosthenous Tel: 210.756.6008, Greek cuisine with a menu that changes daily

Amorgos Kodrou 3, Tel: 210.324.3836 Hand-carved & painted furniture

2 Mazi Nikis 48, Tel: 210.322.2839 Creative gourmet dishes that change monthly

Fatsio Efroniou 5 Tel: 210.721.7421 Greek food & political gossip

Daphne’s Restaurant Lysikratous 4, Tel: 210.322.7971 Refined classic Greek dishes in a resplendent atmosphere

Karavitis Arktinou & Pausaniou Tel: 210.721.5155 Classic Greek cuisine in a dining room lined with wine casks

Electra Nikodimou 18-20 Tel: 210.337.0000 Roof-top dining with Greek cuisine

Magemenos Avlos Amynta 4, Tel: 210.722.3195 Mediterranean fare, welcoming decor & generous servings

Platanos Diogenous 4, Tel: 210.322.0666 One of the few remaining tavernas preserving 1940s Athens

Puerte de Espana Antinoros 42, Tel: 210.725.8666 Spanish cuisine & live music Spondi Pyrronos 5, Tel: 210.756.4021 A mix of European & more exotic flavours. Voted one of the best in Athens Trata o Stelios Anagenniseos Sq. 7-9 Tel: 210.729.1533 The best grilled fish in town

Korres

Gifts

EAT

Plaka Bahar

SHOP

SHOP Antique stores Maritinos Pandrosou 50 Tel: 210.321.2414 Specializes in 19th Century folk art, embroidery & furniture

Scholarheio Tripodon 14 Tel: 210.324.1605 A traditional tray taverna with old fashioned decor & prices Ydria Adrianou 68 & Eolou Tel: 210.325.1619 Taditional Greek cuisine

Psyrri

EAT

Thanassis Mitropoleos 69, Tel : 210.324.4705 A souvlaki lover’s paradise

Omonia

Paleovivliopolio Hiotakis Normanou 7, Tel: 210.324.7835 Historic bookshop houses rare & old books

Pangrati

To advertise, contact ads@insider-magazine.gr

SHOP Fashion Christoforos Kotentos Sachtouri 3 Tel: 210.325.5434 Glamorous & unique designs

Home Notoshome Kratinou 5, Tel: 210.374.3000 Home décor superstore

insider athens | September

2010

Insider guide Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill! EAT

Books

Gifts

Cantuccio Lepeniotou & Ivis 1 Tel: 210.323.3670 Authentic Italian cuisine in a friendly environment

Eleftheroudakis Panepistimiou 17, Tel: 210.325.8440 The largest foreign language bookstore in Greece

Argalios Filellinon 7, Tel: 210.322.2659 Hand-woven fabrics & souvenirs since 1940

Kauffman Stadiou 28, Tel: 210.322.2160 Mostly French books and small selection of English fiction

Graf Von Faber-Castell Boutique Panepistimiou 41, Tel: 210.321.8564 Traditional hand-held writing utensils

Diporto Theatrou & Sokratous Tel: 210.321.1463 Old-world tavern offers bargain basics like salads, sardines & fava Kouzina Cine-Psirri Sari 44, Tel: 210.321.5534 Mediterranean fare & eclectic music Nara Nara Karaiskaki 26, Tel: 210.331.2091 Lebanese food & dancing Ochre & Brown Leokoriou 7, Tel: 210.331.2950 Mediterranean/French cuisine

Attica Panepistimiou 9, Tel: 211.180.2600 Home to an array of luxury goods Fokas Stadiou 41, Tel: 210.325.7770 Clothes, shoes and accessories for men, women & children Stock House & Travel Ermou 45, Tel: 210.324.7732 Outlet store featuring brands from Parousiasi, Cook Shop & Bag Stories

Fashion - Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

DRINK Bars, Clubs & Lounges Soul Evripidou 65, Tel: 210.331.0907 Show off your groovy disco moves

Syntagma

Department Stores

SHOP Accessories Bag Stories Panepistimiou 41 Tel: 210.323.7405 Luggage & travel bags by Tumi, Porsche Design, Rimowa & Delsey

Antiques

Antiqua Vassilis Amalias 2-4 Tel: 210.323.2220 One of the oldest antique stores in Athens

Beauty & Cosmetics MAC Ermou 44, Tel: 210.325.8260 International cosmetic brand for women who like to play with colour

68 insider athens | September 2010

Pagoni Akadimias 61, Tel: 210.363.9277 Selling ties and cufflinks since 1933

Flowers Dromoloulouda Voulis 15, Tel: 210.323.2321 Specializing in arrangements with wild flowers, many indigenous to Greece

Food & Wine Aristokratikon Karageorgi Servas 9 Tel: 210.322.0546 Handmade chocolates Cellier Kriezotou 1, Tel: 210.361.0040 Speciality wine shop

Jewellery Apriati Pentelis 9, Tel: 210.322.9020 Smartly designed necklaces, bracelets and rings

Kori Mitropoleos 13, Tel: 210.323.3534 Traditional & contemporary jewellery Psarros 1917 Stadiou 3, Tel: 210.322.0908 Executive gifts and smoking accessories

Home Baccarat Voukourestiou 21, Tel: 210.362.2863 Fine crystal from the venerable French luxury house

Jewellery Apriati Pentelis 9 & Mitropoleos, Tel: 210.322.9020 Smartly designed necklaces, bracelets and rings Bulgari Voukourestiou 8, Tel: 210.324.7118 Opulent designs in jewellery, watches & accessories

central Athens Ilias Lalaounis Panepistimiou 6, Tel: 210.361.1371 Fabulous gold designs by famous Greek jeweller Kessaris Panepistimiou 7, Tel: 210.323.2919 Wide range of luxury brand timepieces Marathianakis Voukourestiou 21 Tel: 210.362.7118 Old-world shop known for its original & elegant designs Zolotas Panepistimiou 10, Tel: 210.360.1272 Designs inspired by the antique & classical periods as well as contemporary collections by designers like Paloma Picasso

Shoes Spiliopoulos Ermou 63 Tel: 210.322.7590 Pick up a pair of Manoloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at half price! Vassilis Zoulias Old Athens Akadimias 30, Tel: 210.361.4762 Handmade shoes and handbags inspired by films of the 50s & 60s

EAT

Cartier Voukourestiou 7, Tel: 210.331.3600 Two floors of designs & timepieces by the prestigious Cartier maison

Cellier Le Bistrot Panepistimiou 10, Tel: 210.363.8525 Excellent dishes accompany the extensive list of international wines

Folli Follie Ermou 18, Tel: 210.323.0739 Trendy & affordable jewellery & accessories

Dosirak Voulis 31-33, Tel: 210.323.3330 Japanese & Corean cuisine in the heart of Athens

Gofas Stadiou 3, Tel: 210.331.7540 High-end timepieces

To Ergastirio to Baxevani Nikis 58 & Kydathynaion Tel: 210.322.2839 Traditional Greek cuisine combined with modern elements

Gadgets

Far East Stadiou 7, Tel: 210.323.4996 A mix of Asian cuisines in elegant surroundings

Public Syntagma Square, Tel: 210.324.6210, Five floors of gaming, gadgets & books

Furin Kazan Apollonos 2, Tel: 210.322.9170 A Japanese favourite of expats & Athenians alike

To advertise, contact ads@insider-magazine.gr

CHILL

Noodle Bar Apollonos 11, Tel: 210.331.8585 A congenial place to drop in for a quick noodle fix Parliament Vas. Georgiou A & Stadiou Tel: 210.335.2400 International cuisine with Mediterranean accents Paul Panepistiomiou 10, Tel: 210.722.4824 A true French patisserie

DRINK Bars, Clubs & Lounges Boutique Filellinon 15, Tel: 210.323.1315 Popular Athenian night spot

The Palace Spa Syntagma Square, Tel: 210.374.3590 Ideal for rejuvenation after a long flight or a hectic bout of shopping

EAT Kirki Apostoplou Pavlou 31 Tel: 210.346.6960 Ideal for a lunch break Kuzina Adrianou 9 Tel: 210.324.0133 Contemporary Greek cuisine

The New Acropolis Museum An inside view of the Parthenon and its surroundings The National Archaeological Museum Archaeological finds from all over Greece The Benaki Museum A chronological view of Greece’s history The Museum of Cycladic Art Works characteristic of the Aegean and Cyprus Astir Beach Vouliagmeni Dip into the cool glamour of the Athens Riviera Grand Beach Lagonissi Spend a fun-filled day at the beach with family and friends Balux An all day experience complete with a beach house open to all

Pil Poul Jerome Serres Apostolou Pavlou 51 & Pavlopoulou Tel: 210.342.3665 Contemporary French cuisine with a Meditarranean twist

Dionyssos, Classical Greek cuisine with a spectacular view of the Acropolis Horizontes Mediterranean cuisine atop Lycabettus Hill Ithaki Excellent seafood in beachside Vouliagmeni Jimmy & Fish Great seafood overlooking the bobbing sailboats in Mikrolimano Milos Specializes in seafood dishes for business and leisure lunches Psaras The oldest restaurant in Plaka serving fresh fish and traditional Greek dishes

Drink

Kalua Amerikis 6, Tel: 210.360.8304 Dance the night away in a chic environment

Holmes Place Stadiou 4 & Voukourestiou Tel: 210.325.9400 Fully equipped health club with excellent array of classes

Thissio

Multi 22 Ermou 116 & Leokoriou Tel: 210.331.6766 Italian fare served in a neoclassical house

GB Spa Syntagma Square, Tel: 210.333.0799 Award-winning spa featuring treatments by E’SPA,Valmont & Algoane

The concierge of the Grande Bretagne Hotel in Syntagma Square recommends:

See

Ioannis Royal Olympic Hotel Ath. Diakou 28-34 Tel: 210.928.8400 Greek & Mediterranean cuisine with breathtaking views from the rooftop

athens in 24hrs

T Palace King George Palace Syntagma Square, Tel: 210.322.2210 Sophisticated atmosphere for mingling & people-watching

Eat

GB Corner Hotel Grand Bretagne Syntagma Square, Tel: 210.333.0750 Luxurious surroundings, Mediterranean cuisine

central Athens

Zonar’s A landmark Athenian café serving specialty coffees and delectable desserts Kolonaki Square Lined by cafes ideal for people watching Balthazar A chic garden atmosphere for the fashionable and fabulous in Ambelokipi Bobayo Cocktails served under the Athenian stars in the centre of the city

Paul

Akrotiri Boutique All night dancing to the wee hours by the coast

insider athens | September

2010

Insider guide Istioploikos Ak. Microlimanou, Tel: 210.413.4084 One of the hip places to see and be seen with a rooftop bar overlooking the yachting marina

Ammos Ak. Koumoundourou 44 Tel: 210.422.4633 Casual waterfront dining

Katafigio Ak. Koumoundourou 4 Tel: 210.413.1612 Club, cafe & beer house

Captain John's Ak. Koumoundourou 16A, Tel: 210.417.7589 Traditional seafood

Dourambeis Ak. Protopsalti 29, Tel: 210.412.2092 Classic fish taverna Jimmy and The Fish Ak. Mikrolimanou, Tel: 210.413.4084 Excellent seafood; try the astakomakaronada Kollias Plastira 3, Tel: 210.462.9620 Excellent seafood but difficult to find; reserve on weekends Margaro Hadjikyriakou 126, Tel: 210.451.4226 Fish taverna with a simple menu Plous Podilatou Ak. Koumoundourou 42 Tel: 210.413.7910 Sumptuous seafood & mouthwatering deserts on the waterfront Solon Themimstokleous 284 Tel: 210.451.2340 Enjoy traditional Greek mezedes Tony Bonano Papanastasiou 63, Tel: 210.411.1901 Italian cuisine with a view of the harbour

EAT Eric Kayser “Flisvos” Marina Tel: 210.987.1446 A bread-lover’s paradise

Il Tinello Knossou 54, Tel: 210.982.8462 Real Italian home cooking Iskandar Amphitheas 6 & Poseidonos Tel: 210.988.6474 Authentic Indian flavours in a warm and luxurious environment Kitchen Bar Poseidonos 3, Tel: 210.981.2004 Comfort food overlooking the sea Le Petit Sommelier Zaimi 6, Tel: 210.984.2344 French cuisine & excellent wine list Mare Marina “Flisvos” marina, Tel: 210.982.2220 Greek & Mediterranean creations served with a waterfront view www.maremarina.gr

Vassilenas Etolikou 72 & Vitolion Tel: 210.461.2457 Friendly food and atmosphere

DRINK

Zefyros Ak. Koumoundourou 48 Tel: 210.417.5152 Fresh seafood on the quay

Big Apple South Posidonos 1, Tel: 210.948.5190 Casual cocktails in a modern atmosphere

Zorbas Ak. Koumoundourou 14 Tel: 210.411.1163 Unique flavours of the Mediterranean

DRINK

Zinc “Flisvos” Marina, Tel: 210.985.3183 Fascinating cocktails while listening to the rhythm of lounge, Latin & dance music

Iguana Ak. Dilaveri 15, Tel: 210.407.8861 Playing disco & techno tracks until 6am

Zythos Eleftherias 45, Tel: 210.985.0478 Reminiscent of an Irish pub with several beers to choose from

70 insider athens | September 2010

Glyfada

EAT

Faliro

Piraeus

Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill!

Southern Athens

SHOP Beauty & Cosmetics Body 'N' Soul Phivis 17, Tel: 210.677.4554 The crème de la crème of luxury cosmetics

Books

Eleftheroudakis Lazaraki 27, Tel: 210.325.8440 Book superstore with a large selection of English titles Fnac Lazaraki & Kar. Servias 4, Tel: 210. 898.4300

Fashion Enny di Monaco Laodikis 41, Tel: 210.894.0153 Carefully selected designs by various international designers Ensayar Donna Kyprou 55, Esperidon Square Tel: 210.894.3034 Top lines from leading designers with an English touch Kokkoris Optics Esperidon Square 3, Tel: 210.898.0850 Excellent selection of eyewear

Jewellery ZerTeo Metaxa 24-26, Tel: 210.894.6682 Unique jewellery designs

Food & Wine All about Whisky Vas. Georgiou B' 10 Tel: 210.968.1191, Specialty shop with a large selection of single malts, books, & anything to do with whisky Green Farm Dousmani 5, Tel: 210.898.5191 Organic products of all kinds Provence Posidonos 80, Tel: 210.898.1435 Gourmet French delicatessen

Aioli Restaurant Artemidos 9, Tel: 210.894.0181 Mediterranean cuisine with an excellent “secret” seafood sauce Amigos Kyprou 65A, Tel: 210.898.3167 Mexican flavours in a friendly setting Bayern Bierhaus Microbrewery Chr. Nezer 19, Tel: 210.894.4439 Authentic German cuisine & live music on weekends Beer Academy N. Zerva 14, Tel: 210.898.0121 International cuisine in a cozy setting Beirut Saki Karayiorya 13, Tel: 210.894.3169 Lebanese cuisine & entertainment Bereket Mikras Asias & Lefkosias 36 Tel: 210.960.9337 Traditional dishes from Asia Minor Dakos Zissimopoulou 26, Tel: 210.894.7040 Authentic Cretan dishes Enteka Kyprou 11, Tel: 210.898.2880 Mediterranean dishes & an extensive wine list Far East Lazaraki 61, Tel: 210.894.0500 A mix of Asian cuisines in elegant surroundings Fishbar Zisimopoulou 2, Tel: 210.968.0100 Seafood appetizers & dishes in a fun environment Kiliza Konstantinopoleos 13 Tel: 210.894.4648 Delicious kebabs & decadent deserts La Casa Di Giorgino Lefkosias 42A, Tel: 210.963.85770 Authentic Italian pizza made in a traditional wood-burning oven La pêche Posidonos 58, Tel: 210.894.1620 Creative seafood dishes combining Greek & French techniques

EAT

La Tienda Vas. Georgiou B' 58 Asteras Glyfada Tel: 210.894.1620 Latin steak house & live music

Ache Kypriou 57, Tel: 210.894.2949 International cuisine & delectable deserts

Labi Maragou 18, Tel: 210.968.0205 Modern taverna serving traditional taverna food

Tartare Panagouli 52, Tel: 210.968.0320 Quality French cuisine To Politico Zisimopoulou 7B, Tel: 210.894.0170 Flavours of Asia Minor Vincenzo Giannitsopoulou 1, Tel: 210.894.1310 Value for money Italian specialities with a Southern Italian touch

DRINK Bars, Clubs & Lounges Babae Posidonos 88, Tel: 210.894.1629 Beachfront dancing all night long Balux Posidonos 58, Tel: 210.898.3577 Waterfront lounging Capri Bay Grigoriou Lambraki 2 Tel: 210.894.9995, Excellent cocktails in a Moroccan style garden

Cafes Chocolat Zisimopoulou 9, Tel: 210.894.3442 Satisfies even the most discerning coffee connoisseur Cosi Zisimopoulou 12, Tel: 210.894.5746 One of the first cafes to inspireGlyfada's coffee culture Nest CafĂŠ Bar Lazaraki 45, Tel: 210.898.6035 An all-day hangout for locals & visitors Seiza Lazaraki 45, Tel: 210.968.0545 Cafe with a unique style & hip design The House Project Posidonos 58A, Tel: 210.898.3577 A beach house turned lounge with all the amenities of a home.

EAT Dream Grill V. Pavlou 78 Tel: 210.895.5110 Traditional recipes & authentic taste

Dvlcis in Fvndo Prinkipos Petrou 33, Tel: 210.894.2136 Top-quality authentic Italian Genovese Vas. Pavlou 99, Tel: 210.895.8400 Italian eats al fresco Naiades Vas. Pavlou 74, Tel: 210.965.7706 Popular family grill joint Il Segreto Bizaniou 3, Tel: 210.965.9526 Authentic Italian set on a beautiful terrace

CHILL Vari Sports Club Vari-Koropiou & Kalamatos 1 Tel: 210.899.0048 www.varisportsclub.com

Vouliagmeni

Molly Malone's Zannitsopoulou 8, , Tel: 210.894.4247 Irish pub serving probably the best Irish Stew in Athens

Voula

To advertise, contact ads@insider-magazine.gr

EAT

Southern Athens

Louizidis Ermou 2, Tel: 210.896.0591 Traditional Greek taverna popular with the locals

Schara Posidonos 15, Tel: 210.896.2432 Grills with frills in a friendly setting at reasonable prices

Maistrali Apollonos 28, Tel: 210.967.1184 Traditionally prepared seafood dishes presented exquisitely

Waffle House Posidonos 17, Tel: 210.896.1227 Sure to satisfy your sweet tooth

Matsuhisa Athens Astir Palace, Apollonos 40, Tel: 210.896.0510, Celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa serves up sushi favourites with a Latin-American flair Mezza Luna Orpheos 2, Tel: 210.967.1046 Chic Italian restaurant Mythos of the Sea Ag. Nikolaou 10 & Iliou Tel: 210.891.1100 Gourmet Mediterranean cuisine that blends local produce with fresh seafood Oro Toro Varis-Koropiou 73, Tel: 210.899.4514 A taste of Argentinian cuisine in a cosy atmosphere Psaraki Posidonos 15, Tel: 210.896.2432 Seafood served in an informal setting

DRINK En Plo Posidonos 4, Tel: 210.967.1770 Cocktails overlooking Vouliagmeni Bay Island 27th klm Athinon-Souniou Tel: 210.965.3809 Award-winning cuisine & an unmatched location with views of the Saronic Gulf Sofa Bar The Westin Hotel Apollonos 40, Tel: 210.890.1709 Modern lounge bar serving up delectable cocktails

CHILL Arion Spa Astir Complex, Apollonos 40 Tel: 210.890.2000 Divani Apollon Palace & Spa Ag. Nikolaou 10, Tel: 210.891.1100

CafĂŠ Tabac Margi Hotel, Litous 11, Tel: 210.967.0924 Delicious variations of Mediterranean food Da Luciano Posidonos 17 Tel: 210.896.2217 Trattoria serving traditional Italian dishes & pizza

Galazia Hytra The Westin, 40, Tel: 210.890.1709, Enjoy a romantic meal of creative Greek cuisine

Live Music

Grill Room Apollonos 40, Tel: 210.890.1794 Mediterranean & seafood flavours on a breathtaking veranda, in the Astir complex

Thalassa People's Stage Posidonos 58, Tel: 210.898.2979 Live Greek acts in a club atmosphere attracting a young crowd

Ithaki Apollonos 28, Tel: 210.896.3747 Beautiful sea view, fresh seafood & great service

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2010

Insider guide SHOP Beauty & Cosmetics Nyhi-Nyhi Kifissias 230 Tel: 210.623.2824 Stop by for a quick mani-pedi

Fashion

21 Kifissia Kifissias 265, Tel: 210.801.3594 Extreme sport parafernelia Gap Kifissias 328, , Tel: 210.623.1571 Casual American fashion Vassilis Zoulias Argyropoulou 1-3, Tel: 210.801.7023 Unique designs reminiscent of times past

Food & Wine Aristokratikon Argyropoulou 8, , Tel: 210.801.6533 Decadent handmade chocolates Bakaliko Ola Ta Kala Kifissias 238-240, Mela Shopping Centre, Tel: 210.808.9908 Quality Greek delicacies Il Salumaio di Montena Poleone Panagitsas 3, Tel: 210.623.3934 Milan based company selling high quality produce Sorpresa Italiana Kiriazi 6-8, Tel: 210.801.7886, Authentic fresh Italian pasta, sauces, truffles & more

Stefanidis Finest Foods Dimitrios Square 13, Tel: 210.808.2191 Excellent European delicatessen Varsos Kassaveti 5, Tel: 210.801.2472 Milk products & patisserie Vinifera Kifissias 317, Tel: 210.807.7709 Selection of wines from all over the world

EAT Acqua Azzurra Panagitsas 3, Tel: 210.623.3934 Specially-prepared Italian meals Apla 135 Charilaou Trikoupi Tel: 210.620.3102 Chrysanthos Karamolegos creates refined Mediterranean dishes

Nargile Harilaou Trikoupi 50 Tel: 210.808.3333 Lebanese cuisine in a cosmopolitan ambiance O Tzitzikas Ki O Mermigas Drosini 12-14, Tel: 210.623.0080 A modern taverna serving traditional dishes at reasonable prices Piazza Mela Kifissias 238, Mela Shopping Centre Tel: 210.623.6596, Classic & traditional Italian dishes Prytaneion Kolokotroni 37, Tel: 210.808.9160 Generous portions of Mediterranean fare Royal Thai Zirini 12, Tel: 210.623.2322 Thai cuisine in an opulent setting

Berdema Vas Amalias 20, Tel: 210.801.3853 Traditional dishes from Greece & Asia Minor

Salumaio di Atene Panagitsas 3, Tel: 210.623.3934 Authentic Italian food & fabulous deserts

Common Secret Kifissias 324, Tel: 210.623.3810 Coffee and light Mediterranean meals in a pleasant setting

Semiramis Restaurant Semiramis Hotel, Harilaou Trikoupi 48, Tel: 210.628.4500 Mediterranean cuisine in a hip atmosphere

Dos Hermanos Kyriazi 24, Tel: 210.808.7906 Excellent Mexican food & super margaritas Gefsis Me Onomasia Proelefsis Kifissias 317, Tel: 210.800.1402 Divine food from all over the world

Gourounakia Kifissias Kifissias 289, Tel: 210.801.1093 Delicious salads, appetizers, souvlakia & grilled platters Ichthyes Evagelistrias 36, Tel: 210.620.1572 Seafood taverna

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Meat Me HarilaouTrikoupi 92 Tel: 210.623.2358 Simple yet discerning cuisine in a funky Greek taverna

Barceloneta Kifissias 267, Tel: 210.801.3448 Spanish cuisine in a fun atmosphere

Golden Phoenix Harilaou Trikoupi & Gortinias Tel: 210.801.3588, Chinese classic popular for the brunch buffet

Bakaliko Ola Ta Kala

Northern Athens

Kastelorizo Platanon 2, Tel: 210.807.5408 Part of a chain of upscale seafood restaurants that is sure to please

Shogun Philadelpheos 2, Tel: 210.623.3622 Promises authentic Japanese cuisine for the truly discerning Telemachos Barbeque Club Fragkopoulou 22 Tel: 210.807.6680 Rare meats char-grilled to perfection Tike Harilaou Trikoupi 27 Tel: 210.808.4418, Watch chefs prepare Turkish kebabs and other treats before your eyes Vardis Deligianni 66, Pentelikon Hotel Tel: 210.623.0650-6, Cornerstone of French cuisine in Greece

DRINK Boudoir Deligianni 50 & Georganta Tel: 210.801.8384, Massive club for dancing & sipping on signature cocktails

Divine Kifissias 239, Tel: 201.801.0810 Chic lounge serving classic concoctions Menta CafĂŠ Ag. Theodorou 10, Tel: 210.808.0193 Traditional home turned stylish cafe

Maroussi

Kifissia

Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill!

SHOP Golden Hall Kifissias 37A, Tel: 210.680.3450 131 high-end (and highstreet) stores for anyone with a passion for fashion The Mall Athens Andrea Papandreou 35 Tel: 210.630.0000 Shops, cinemas and food

EAT Aneton Stratigou Lekka 19, Tel: 210.806.6700 Traditional cuisine in a comfy-chic setting reminiscent of the 50s & 60s El Taco Bueno Ethnikis Antistaseos & Psaron 1 Tel: 210.684.0460 Mexican flavours in a traditional setting Jaipur Palace Ag. Konstantinou & Themidos Tel: 210.805.2762 Indian cuisine and fine wines Leptes Gefseis Fine French food at affordable prices Pindou 22, Pefki, Tel: 210.802.4817 Mauzac Alamanas 1, Tel: 210.619.9902 Clean lines and a beautiful garden make this cafĂŠ, bar, restaurant a must Oinopathia Aghias Paraskevis 79 & Diogenous Tel: 210.685.5375 Great selection of wines with Greek and international cuisine Pausa Ag. Konstantinou 46 & Ifestou 3 Tel: 210.617.9290 Italian cuisine accompanied by a selection of Greek & Italian wines Wagamama Kifissias 37A, Tel: 210.683.6844 Fresh, nutritious Asian fusion food in a sleek yet simple setting

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2010

partner hotels ARION RESORT & SPA

ATHENS LEDRA MARRIOTT HOTEL

DIVANI PALACE ACROPOLIS

METROPOLITAN

The legendary beauty resort is part of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Breathtaking views of the Saronic Gulf, elegant and sophisticated décor in all 123 rooms and suites, private swimming pools and beaches, spa and gourmet restaurants. Apollonos 40,Vouliagmeni.Tel: 210.890.2000

314 deluxe guest rooms, 18 suites. Rooftop swimming pool and bar, health club, Kona Kai Polynesian - Tepanyiaki Restaurant and sports bar. Syngrou 115.Tel: 210.930.0000

Located at the base of the Acropolis and close to Plaka. Pool with bar, roof garden restaurant with Acropolis view. Parthenonos 19-25. Makrigianni. Tel: 210.928.0100

Beautifully renovated property with views of the sea and the Acropolis. Ten minutes from central Athens, the port of Piraeus and main exhibition centers. Syngrou 385. Tel: 210.947.1000

ATHENS LIFE GALLERY

GRANDE BRETAGNE

NJV athens plaza

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.Tel:210.920.6000

Where modern architecture finds its expression among Zen gardens and ethnic elements. 30 ultra-modern rooms and suites. Avenue 103 restaurant trendy Pisco Sour Bar. Two pools, full-service Ananea Spa. Thisseos 103, Ekali. Tel: 210.626.0400. www.bluegr.com Crowne 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, Athens Tel: 210 3352400 NOVOTEL

Holiday Inn Attica Avenue

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.Tel: 210.921.5353

Newly renovated, the former Holiday Inn Athens is at a very convenient location and attracts both business and leisure travellers. Amenities include restaurant, bar, rooftop swimming pool, conference and business facilities, garage parking. Michalakopoulou 50. Tel: 210.727.8000, www.cpathens.com

ATHENS ELECTRA PALACE HOTEL

DIVANI APOLLON PALACE & SPA

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

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

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

ATHENS HILTON

New five-star property on Attica Avenue linking Athens with the international airport. State-ofthe art conference facilities, restaurant, two bars, pool and fitness center. 40.2 km Attica Road, between exits 17 & 18. Tel: 210.668.9000, www.hiathens.com

The newly renovated Novotel is designed for natural living. Close to Omonoia square and the National Museum. Open plan bar and rooftop bar and restaurant and pool.4-6 Mikhail Voda Street Tel: 210.820.0700 www..novotel.com Royal Olympic

Holiday Suites

Elegant, all-suite hotel offering high standard accommodation. Each suite provides guests with a separate living room and kitchenette. Arnis 4.Tel: 210.727.8000, www.holiday-suites.com KEFALARI SUITES

Near the Acropolis Museum. 265 rooms and 45 unique Panorama Suites, overlooking the Temple of Zeus and the Acropolis. Pool, business center, convention and banquet facilities. Roof Garden Restaurant/Bar “Ioannis”. 28-34, Ath. Diakou Str., 11743 Athens, Greece. Tel. 210 9288400, www.royalolympic.com SEMIRAMIS

DIVANI CARAVEL

508 renovated rooms, two pools, banquet rooms restaurants, convention facilities, business centre & spa. The rooftop Galaxy bar has gorgeous city views.Vas. Sofias 46.Tel: 210.728.1000

74 insider athens | September 2010

situated close to major tourist attractions with , rooftop restaurant and swimming pool. Vas. Alexandrou 2, Tel: 210.720.7000

Turn-of-the-century hotel in Kifissia, part of YES! Hotels.Themed suites with modern facilities. Pentelis 1, Kifissia. Tel: 210.623.3333

YES! Hotel designed by Karim Rashid. 51 luxury rooms, 4 suites and 6 poolside bungalows. Ultra-trendy bar-restaurant. Harilaou Trikoupi 48, Kefalari-Kifissia.Tel: 210.628.4400

SOFITEL ATHENS AIRPORT

TwentyOne

virgin sandy beach and pristine hillside landscape. Its 445 deluxe rooms and suites, 123 with private infinity pools, offer access to an extensive common pool areas, and reflect Westin's soothing aesthetic

Herodion

THE ROMANOS

Brand-new 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

A member of YES! Hotels. Modern design and simple architectural charm. 16 ergonomically designed rooms and 5 loft suites. “21” Bar Restaurant for indoor and outdoor dining. Kolokotroni 21, Kefalari-Kifissia Tel: 210.623.3521. www.twentyone.gr

ST. GEORGE LYCABETTUS HOTEL

A CATEGORY

Located at the base of the Acropolis and a five minute walk to Plaka. 90 guest rooms, meeting facilities and a lovely atrium barcoffee shop. Rovertou Galli 4, Makrigianni. Tel: 210.923.6832 The Romanos Hotel boasts of 289 exquisitely appointed rooms and 32 suites with private infinity pools. Traditional Greek design with contemporary touches sets the tone in each space, where the sparkling blue of the Mediterranean is the preferred hue.

HOTEL ELECTRA

AVA HOTEL & SUITES

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: 210.729.0711 THEOXENIA PALACE HOTEL

Santorini

Luxurious apartments and suites in Plaka. Magnificent views of the Acropolis, Hadrian’s Arch and Zeus Temple. Short walk to Syntagma and Monastiraki. Lysikratous street 9-11, Plaka. Tel: 210.325.9000, www.avahotel.gr

Within walking distance from all major archaeological sites, business and commercial districts. Includes bar, restaurant, lobby and meeting areas. Ermou 5, Syntagma. Tel: 210.337.8000 PERISCOPE HOTEL

BEST WESTERN ESPERIA PALACE HOTEL

In an elegant neoclassical building in Kefalari, this hotel has a restaurant, bar, gym, sauna and outdoor pool. Business centre, internet and conference facilities. Filadelfeos 2, Kifissia. Tel: 210.623.3622-6 THE MARGI

Mystique is an 18 villa hotel, designed by Frank Le Fevbre. Mystique, Oia.Tel. 22860 81786 VEDEMA, SANTORINI

In the heart of the commercial and historic centre of Athens. The restaurant Athinaios, serves gastronomic delights in an elegant setting. Stadiou 22. Tel: 210.323.8001

Designed for people who wish to be part of all that goes on in the city. 17 rooms, 4 junior suites and a super-lux penthouse suite. Part of YES! Hotels. Haritos 22, Kolonaki. Tel: 210.729.7200, www.periscope.gr 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 81 796

Philippos

CORAL HOTEL

Boutique hotel with 90 spacious rooms and suites and great views to the sea and pine forests. Café Tabac Restaurant offers a unique dining experience while Malabar and J-lounge are perfect for a glass of champagne. Close to the lake, beach and tennis courts. Litous 11,Vouliagmeni. Tel: 210.892.9000. ww.themargi.gr THE WESTIN ATHENS

The Coral’s 86 rooms and 2 suites offer all modern conveniences. Poseidonos Avenue 35, Paleo Faliron. Tel: 210.981.6441 Fresh Hotel

Recently refurbished, all 50 rooms are wellappointed and comfortable. Offers good value for money in the Acropolis area. Mitseon 3, Makrigianni.Tel: 210.922.3611-4

COSTA NAVARINO THE WESTIN RESORT

Part of the Astir Palace Complex with 162 guest rooms and suites and views of the Saronic Gulf. Sea view lounges, trendy bars, fusion and Mediterranean cuisine restaurants and private gazebos by an Olympic-sized pool. Apollonos 40,Vouliagmeni.Tel: 210.890.2000

MYSTIQUE SANTORINI

Situated in the heart of old Athens within walking distance of the Plaka, Psirri and Monastiraki. Enjoy the hip Orange Bar, rooftop restaurant and pool. Sophocleous 26 & Klisthenous. Tel: 210.524.8511-6.

! Would you like TO see your hotel LISTED here?

Inspired by old Messinian mansions, the Westin resort's low-rise villa clusters use natural stone and local design elements to create a motif in perfect harmony with the

insider athens | September

2010

Global Business Services Kifisias 90, Maroussi. Tel: 210.876.4876 IBS - International Business Services Michalakopoulou 29, Tel: 210.724.5541

AUDIOVISUAL OTE video conference service 7.30am-10pm. Patission 85. Tel: 210.883.8578, 210.822.0399 TCS M. Antipa 20 & 2 Prometheus, Tel: 210.976.7086

COMPUTER & CELL-PHONE RENTAL TrimTel Mobile Communications Michalakopoulou 41, Tel: 210.729.1964

COURIER SERVICES

ACS Tel: 210.819.0000 DHL Tel: 210.989.0000 Express City Tel: 210.821.9959 Geniki Taxydromiki Tel: 210.485.1100 Interattika Tel: 210.540.5400 Speedex Tel: 801.11.000.11 UPS Tel: 210.998.4000

ALBANIA Vekiareli 7, Filothei, Tel: 210.687.6200 ARGENTINA Vas. Sophias 59. Tel: 210.724.4158 ARMENIA K. Palaiologou 95, Tel: 210.683.1130, 210.683.1145 AZERBAiJAN Skoufa 10. Tel: 210.363.2721 AUSTRALIA Kifisias & Alexandras, Tel: 210.870.4000 AUSTRIA Vas. Sofias Avenue 4, Tel: 210.725.7270 BELGIUM Sekeri 3, Tel: 210.360.0314 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA Hatzikosta 3. Tel: 210.641.0788 BRAZIL Filikis Etaireias Sq. 14. Tel: 210.721.3039 BULGARIA Stratigou Kallari 33A, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.674.8105 CANADA Ioanni Gennadiou 4. Tel: 210.727.3400 CHILE Rigilis 26. Tel: 210.725.2574 CHINA Krinon 2A, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.677.1212 CROATIA Tzavella 4, N. Psychiko. Tel: 210.677.7033 CUBA Sofokleous 5, Filothei. Tel: 210.685.5550

Embassies

Business services

useful information

TRANSLATIONS / INTERPRETING Executive services, translation & interpreting All EU and Balkan languages - legal, technical and medical documents. Athens Tower B. Tel: 210.778.3698 www.executiveservices.gr

CYPRUS Xenofontos 2A. Tel: 210.373.4800 CZECH REPUBLIC G. Seferi 6, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.671.9701 DENMARK Mourouzi 10. Tel: 210.725.6440 EGYPT Vas. Sofias 3. Tel: 210.361.8612 ESTONIA Messoghion 2-4. Tel: 210.747.5660 FINLAND Hatziyianni Mexi 5. Tel: 210.725.5860 FRANCE Vas. Sofias 7. Tel: 210.339.1000 FYROM Papadiamanti 4, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.674.9585 GEORGIA Ag. Dimitriou 24, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.674.2186 GERMANY Karaoli & Dimitriou 3. Tel: 210.728.5111 HUNGARY Karneadou 25. Tel: 210.725.6800 INDIA Kleanthous 3. Tel: 210.721.6481 INDONESIA Marathonodromon 99, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.674.2345 IRAN Stratigou Kallari 16. Tel: 210.674.1436 IRELAND Vas. Konstantinou 7. Tel: 210.723.2405 ISRAEL Marathonodromon 1, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.670.5500 ITALY Sekeri 2. Tel: 210.361.7260 JAPAN Ethnikis Antistaseos 46, Halandri. Tel: 210.670.9900 JORDAN Papadiamanti 21. P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.674.4161 Kazakhstan Imittou 122, Papagou Tel: 210.654.7765

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KOREA Messoghion 2-4, Athens. Tel: 210.698.4080 KUWAIT Marathonodromon 27, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.674.3593 LEBANON 6, 25th Martiou, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.675.5873 LIBYA Vyronos 13, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.674.2120 LITHUANIA Vas. Sophias 49. Tel: 210.729.4356 LATVIA Vas. Konstantinou 38. Tel. 210.729.4483 LUXEMBOURG Vas. Sofias 23A & Neofitou Vamva 2.Tel: 210.725.6400 MALTA V. Sofias 96.Tel: 210.778.5138 MOLDAVIA Georgiou Bacu 20, Filothei. Tel: 210.699.0660 MOROCCO Marathonodromon 5, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.674.4210 MEXICO Filikis Etaireias Sq. 14. Tel: 210.729.4780 NETHERLANDS Vas Konstantinou 5-7. Tel: 210.725.4900 NIGERIA Dolianis 65, Maroussi. Tel: 210.802.1188 NORWAY Vas. Sofias 23. Tel: 210.724.6173 PAKISTAN Loukianou 6. Tel: 210.729.0122 PALESTINE Giassemion 13, P. Psychiko. Tel.: 210.672.6061-3 PANAMA Praxitelous 192 & II Merarchias, Piraeus. Tel: 210.428.6441 PERU Semitelou 2. Tel: 210.779.2761 PHILIPPINES Antheon 26, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.672.1837 POLAND Chrysanthemon 22, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.679.7700 PORTUGAL Vas. Sofias 23. Tel: 210.729.0096 / 210.723.6784 ROMANIA Emm. Benaki 7, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.672.8875 RUSSIA Nikiforos Lytra 28, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.672.5235 SAUDIA ARABIA Marathonodromon 71, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.671.6911 SERBIA Vas. Sophias 106, Tel: 210.777.4344 SINGAPORE Aigialias 17, Paradissos Amaroussiou. Tel: 210.684.5072 SLOVAK REPUBLIC G. Seferi 4, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.677.1980 SLOVENIA Mavili 10. Tel: 210.672.0090-091 SOUTH AFRICA Kifissias 60, Maroussi. Tel: 210.610.6645 SPAIN Dionysiou Areopagitou 21. Tel: 210.921.3123 SWEDEN Vas. Konstantinou 7. Tel: 210.726.6100 SWITZERLAND Iasiou 2. Tel: 210.723.0364-6

Emergencies

TAIWAN Marathonodromon 57. Tel: 210.677.5122 THAILAND Marathorodromon 25 & Kyprou, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.674.9065 TUNISIA Antheon 2, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.671.7590 TURKEY Vas. Georgiou B’ 8. Tel: 210.726.3000 UKRAINE Stephanou Delta 4, Filothei. Tel: 210.680.0230 UNITED KINGDOM Ploutarchou 1. Tel: 210.727.2600 UNITED STATES Vas. Sofias 91. Tel: 210.721.2951 URUGUAY Menandrou 1, Kifissia Tel: 210.361.3549 VATICAN Mavili 2, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.674.3598 VENEZUELA Marathonodromon 19, P. Psychiko. Tel: 210.672.9169

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Ambulance Tel: 166 Doctors SOS Tel: 1016. They will issue an invoice to claim reimbursement from your insurer. Duty Pharmacies Call 1434, Also check newspapers for listings. Emergency Hospitals Tel: 1434 Fire Brigade Tel: 199 Forest Fire Tel: 191 Poison Hotline Tel: 210.779.3777 Police Tel: 100 Tourist Police Tel: 171 Coastguard Tel:108 Air Police Tel: 210.964.2000

Weather Attica, Tel: 148 www.hnms.gr Citizen’s Rights Ombudsman: 5 Hatziyiannis Mexis (near the Hilton Hotel) Tel: 210 72 89 640

ROAD ASSISTANCE ELPA Tel: 10400 Emergency Service Tel: 104 Express Service Tel: 154 Hellas Service Tel: 1057 Interamerican Tel: 168 Tourist Information Tel: 174

SYLVAIN GATEAUD Osteopath (France, UK) MKDE- C0 ( France) HP (Germany). Energy management. Karaiskaki 42, Pallini. Tel: 210 60 33 622 M. 6937 20 44 72

public Hospitals ASKLEPIEION HOSPITAL Vas. Pavlou 1,Voula. Tel: 210.895.8301-4 EVANGELISMOS Ypsilantou 45-47, Kolonaki. Tel: 210.720.1000 KAT HOSPITAL specialized trauma unit. Nikis 2, Kifissia. Tel: 210.628.0000 TZANNEIO Afentouli & Tzani, Pireaus. Tel: 210.451.9411-9

PHYSICIANS (ENGLISH SPEAKING)

Ioannis Bitzos, MD Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Harilaou Trikoupi 62 Kifissia. Tel: 210.808.0682 Paediatric A.J. Kanellopoulos, MD Eye Surgeon, Mesogeion 2, Athens Tower B’ Hospitals Tel: 210.747.2777 EUROCLINIC PAEDON Dimitris Linos, MD FACS General Lemessou 39-41 & Aharnon 209, Surgeon, Kifissias 227, Kifissia. Kato Patissia, Tel: 210.869.1900 Tel: 210.612.5001-2 PAEDON AGIA SOFIA heart & vascular centrE HOSPITAL E.N. Deliargyris, MD FACC Mikras Asias and Thivon, Goudi. FSCAI Interventional cardiologist. Tel: 210.746.7000 Southern Athens. Vakchou 2 & Vas. Kostantinou PAEDON AGLAIA KYRIAKOU Tel:210.897.6276. www.heartline.gr HOSPITAL Livadias 3 and Thivon, Goudi. Tel: 210.772.6000 & 1535

Private Hospitals Advanced Medical Services, Symmetria Building Ethnikis Antistaseos 66, Halandri. Tel: 210.677.3573 www.symmetria.gr CENTRAL CLINIC OF ATHENS Asklipiou St. 31. Emergency number 1169 or Tel: 210.367.4000 www.centralclinic.gr EUROCLINIC diagnostic, surgical and treatment centre. Athanasiadou 9. (near Mavili Sq.). Tel: 210.641.6600 EURODENTICA Specialized dental care Patision 150, Tel: 210. 866.3367-8 Alamanas 3, Maroussi. Tel: 210.619.5760-1 El.Venizelou 162, Kallithea. Tel: 210.956.5365 HYGEIA Kifissias & E. Stavrou 4, Maroussi. Tel: 210.686.7000 www.ygeia.gr

Newspapers

The International Herald Tribune carries the English version of Kathimerini, with a weekly newspaper Athens Plus The local Athens News comes out Fridays.

Radio Antenna 97.2 FM news at 8.25am, Flash Radio 96.0 FM 8.55am, 3pm and 8pm daily. ERA public radio 91.6 FM for bulletins at 5am and 9am, full news coverage at 9.30pm. Athens International Radio 104.4 FM Offers news bulletins in 13 languages, as well as interviews, music and current affairs programmes.

sylvain.gateaud@hotmail.co.uk www.whyosteopathy.com

Money

Water Supply & Sewage (EYDAP) In case of water cut: Tel: 1202. www.eydap.gr

Public Services Administration Information Center (paperwork assistance) on weekdays 8am-3pm (KEP): Tel: 177 ww.kep.gov.gr

General and cranial osteopathy

LOST OR STOLEN CREDIT CARDS

Phone Post

Public Power Corporation (DEI) In case of power failure: Tel: 210 523 9939 www.dei.gr

Greek Manpower Employment Organization (OAED) www.oaed.gr , Tel: 210 99 89 000

IATRIKO KENTRO (ATHENS MEDICAL CENTER) Areos 36, P. Faliro. Tel: 210.989.2100-20. Distomou 5-7, Maroussi. Tel: 210.619.8100 METROPOLITAN HOSPITAL Ethnarou Makariou 9 & El.Venizelou, N. Faliro. Tel: 210.480.9000 www.metropolitan-hospital.gr IASO Kifissias 37-39, Maroussi. Tel: 210.618.4000 MITERA Kifissias & E. Stavrou 6, Maroussi. Tel: 210.686.9000

English media

Road Assistance ELPA: 104

Social Security & Health insurance (IKA) www.ika.gr

Health

Telephone & Internet Services (OTE) New tel: 138, Tel. (defective): 129 OTE customer service: 134 International call information (English, French & German): 169 www.ote.gr

Post offices operate weekdays 8am-2pm. The main post offices in Athens are located at SYNTAGMA SQUARE and OMONIA SQUARE at Aeolou 100 and open weekdays 7:30am-8pm, Sat 7:30am-2pm, and Sun 9am-1:30pm.

AMERICAN EXPRESS Tel: 210.326.2626 DINERS CLUB Tel: 210.929.0200 EUROCARD Tel: 210.950.3673 MASTERCARD Tel: 00800.1188.70303, VISA Tel: 00.800.1163.803.04

Country Code: 30 City Code: 210 international calls first dial 00, then the country code. To call from a Public payphone buy a phone card at the kiosks

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insider athens | September

2010

Art galleries

Tel: 210.322.9705

A. Antonopoulou Art Aristofanous 20, Psirri Tel: 210.321.4994 Astra Karyatidon 8, Koukaki Tel: 210.922.0236 Astrolavos Dexameni Xanthippou 11, Kolonaki Tel: 210.729.4342 Astrolavos ArtLife Irodotou 11, Kolonaki Tel: 210.722.1200

Bernier/Eliades Gallery Eptachalkou 11, Thisseio Tel: 210.341.3935 Beyond Art Gallery Haritos 10, Kolonaki Tel: 210.721.9744 The Breeder Gallery Iasonas 45, Metaxourgio Tel: 210.331.7527 Gallery 7 Zalokosta 7, Syntagma Tel: 210.361.2050 Jill Yakas Spartis 16, Kifissia. Tel: 210.801.2773 www. yakas.com Kalfayan gallery Haritos 11, Kolonaki Tel: 210.721.7679 Kourd Gallery With a century of experience in art trade, the Kourd Gallery specialises in 19th and 20th century European Paintings, Icons, Contemporary Art, Antiquities and 18th century Antiques. Kassiani 2-4, Tel: 210.642.6573 ww.gallerykourd.gr Skoufa Gallery Skoufa 4, Kolonaki Tel: 210.360.3541 Stavros Mihaliaras Art 260 Kifissias & Diligianni, Kifissia Tel: 210.623.0928 Thanassis Frisssiras Gallery Kriezotou 7, Tel: 210. 364.0288 Titanium Yiayiannos Vas. Konstantinou 44, Pangrati Tel: 210.729.7644 Zoumboulaki Gallery Kolonaki Square 20, Kolonaki Tel: 210.360.8278 Zoumboulaki Gallery Graphics & Editions Kriezotou 7, Syntagma Tel: 210.363.4454

78 insider athens | September 2010

Ancient Agora was the heart of ancient Athens - the focus of political, commercial, administrative and social life for centuries. Athinais Cultural Centre formerly a silk factory, this space has been converted into a large cultural centre. Kastorias 34-36, Votanikos. Tel: 210.348.0000.

Byzantine Churches many churches dating from the 11th and 12th centuries are found around the city. Noteworthy examples include: Agios Eleftherios, next to the cathedral on Mitropoleos Street; Kapnikarea, halfway down Ermou Street from Syntagma; Agi Apostoli, Agora area south of Stoa of Attalos; and Agia Triada (Russian Orthodox church) on Filellinon Street. Churches are open to the public on Sundays and holidays, also usually for daily prayers 7am-1pm and 4-6:30pm. Dress soberly when visiting. Technopolis (Gazi) a 19th century gas factory turned major cultural centre for performing arts and installation works. Pireos 100 & Ermou, Gazi. Tel: 210.346.1589. Hadrian’s Arch a Roman arch that marked the boundary of ancient Athens and the new city. Located at the corner of Vas. Olgas and Amalias Avenues. Lykavittos Hill is the highest point in Athens. Take the teleferique from the top of Ploutarchou St. Megaron Mousikis (The Athens Concert Hall) live concerts, operas and other performances. Vas. Sofias Ave. & Kokkali. Tel: 210.728.2333 Odeon of Herod Atticus built in 161 AD, this is where the Athens Festival takes place. Accessible for e1.50 and open daily from 8:30am. Panathenian Stadium “Kalimarmaro”was the site of the first modern Olympics in 1896. Located at Vassileos Konstantinou and Agras, across from the National Garden. Pnyx Hill here, for the first time in history, every citizen could vote, giving Pnyx the name the “birthplace of democracy”. Close by is the beautiful Old Observatory. Presidential Palace formerly the Royal Palace, this building is used by the President of Greece to host dignitaries. Irodou Attikou Street.

Stoa of Attalos shopping arcade built in the 2nd century BC and totally reconstructed in the 1950s. Tues-Sun 8:30am-3pm. Admission to the Agora and museum e3.50. Adrianou 24. Tel: 210.321.0185 Syntagma (Constitution Square) is the heart of the city and the best spot for new visitors to orient themselves. The Evzones, dressed in traditional uniforms, guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Parliament. The changing-of-the-guard ceremony takes place every hour. Temple of Olympian Zeus once the largest temple in ancient Greece, its ruins lie just behind Hadrian's Arch. Mon-Sun 8am-7:30pm. e2.00. Vas. Olgas and Amalias Avenues Tel: 210.922.6330. Theatre of Dionysus built in the 5th century BC is where the plays of Aristophanes, Euripides, Aeschylus and Sophocles were first performed. Tower of Winds the octagonal tower, representing the eight directions of the wind, was built in the 1st century BC by the Syrian astronomer Andronicus. Mon-Sun 8am-7pm. Just east of the Ancient Agora. Tel: 210.324.5220. Agora Museum Located in the Stoa of Attalos. Tel: 210.321.0185. Atelier Spyros Vassiliou Webster 5A, Athens. Tel: 210.923.1502 www.spyrosvassiliou.org Athens University History Museum Tholou 5, Plaka Tel: 210.368.9502 www.history-museum.uoa.gr

Benaki Museum Koumbari 1 & Vas. Sofias Avenue Tel: 210.367.1000. www.benaki.gr Benaki Museum of Islamic Arts Dipylou 12, Kerameikos. Tel: 210.325.1311 www.benaki.gr Benaki Museum, Pireos Pireos 138 & Andronikou Tel: 210.345.3111, www.benaki.gr Byzantine Museum Vas. Sofias 22, Tel: 210.721.1027. Hellenic Cosmos Foundation of the Hellenic world Pireos 254, Tavros. Tel: 212.254.0000. www. hellenic-cosmos.gr

Frissiras Vlassis Museum of Contemporary European Art Monis Asteriou 3-7, Plaka. Tel: 210.323.4678. www.frissirasmuseum.com Goulandris Foundation Museum of Cycladic Art Neofytou Douka 4. Tel: 210.722.8321. www.cycladic.gr Herakleidon Herakleidon 16, Thissio. Tel: 210-346.1981. www.herakleidon-art.gr Ilias Lalaounis Jewellery Museum Karyatidon & Kallisperi 12, Makrygianni. Tel: 210.922.7260. www.lalaounis.com Jewish Museum Nikis 39, Plaka. Tel: 210.322.5582. www.jewishmuseum.gr Keramikos Museum Ermou 148, Monastiraki, Tel: 210.346.3552. Maria Callas Museum Technopolis, Pireos 100, Gazi. Tel: 210.346.1589 National Archaeological Museum Patission 44, Athens, Tel: 210.821.7724 National Gallery and Alexandros Soutsos Museum Vas. Konstantinou 50. Tel: 210.723.5857, 210.723.5937 Numismatic Museum Panepistimiou 12, Athens. Tel: 210.363.5953. www.nma.gr The Acropolis Museum Dionysiou Areopagitou Street Tel: 210.924.1043 www.theacropolismuseum.gr

Just for kids

ASSOCIATION OF GUIDES

Acropolis is open daily and entrance, includes archaeological sites. Tel: 201.321.0219

Museums

ORGANISED TOURS

Attractions & Sites

see & do

Allou Fun Park Kifissou & Petrou Ralli, Ag. Ioannis Rentis 210.425.6999, www.allou.gr Children’s Museum Kydathinaeon 14, Plaka. Tel: 210.331.2995. Goulandris Museum of Natural History Levidou 13, Kifissia. Tel: 210.801.5870, www.gnhm.gr Greek Folk Art Museum Daily Karaghiozis puppet shows! Kydathinaeon 17, Plaka. Tel: 210.322.9031.

Museum of Children’s Art Kodrou 9, Plaka, Tel: 210.331.22621 www.childrensartmuseum.gr U Summit The Wall Sport Climbing Center Ag. Athanasiou 12, Pallini Tel: 210.603.0093, www.summit.gr Westin Kids Club Apollonos 40, Vouliagmeni, Tel: 210.890.2000 http://www.westinathens.com/en/westin_kids_club/

getting around

Ada Rent-a-Car Tel: 210.322.0087 Arena Tel: 210.894.6883, 210.614.7400 Auto Union Tel: 210.922.1211/1213 Avis Tel: 210.322.4951 Budget Tel: 210.921.4771-3 Europcar Tel: 210.924.8810-8 Hertz Tel: 210.998.2000 Michael Stamou Luxury Rentals Tel: 210.922.2442/43 Sixt Rent-a-Car Tel: 210.570.6895, 210.922.0171

24 HOUR VIP TRANSPORT SERVICE

WSW Skycap Services at Athens Airport provides Meet & Greet, Baggage Hauling and Transport Service. Tel: 210.353.0100 www.skycap.gr For info about the public bus lines please check our section Getting Around

LIMOUSINES

Public transport

AAA Royal Prestige Tel: 210.988.3221 Astra Limousine Service Tel: 210.922.0333/807.9996 Convecta Travel Agency & Limousine Services Tel: 210.322.5090 Limousines Kakaya Tel: 210.323.4120 Combined tickets for metro, buses and trolleys (e1) are available from metro stations and central ticket booths, valid within 90 mins of validation for all public transport - except the airport service, which costs 6e.

EXPRESS BUS from/to airport To and from Syntagma Square (bus X95, 70 min. approx.), Ethniki Amyna metro station (bus X94, 50 min. approx.) and Piraeus (bus X96, 90 min. approx.). Tickets available at the Arrivals Hall; validate on board. Buses leave every 10-15 minutes. Fare is e3.20 and the ticket is valid for 24 hours on buses, trolleys and metro. For further information dial 185 or visit www.oasa.gr, www.ametro.gr. For info on trains see www. proastiakos.gr

HELLENIC RAILWAYS ORGANIsATION Karolou 1. Tel: 210.529.7002 www.ose.gr

ATHENS METRO Line 1 (Piraeus-Kifissia) 5am-midnight, Line 2 (Agios Antonios-Agios Dimitrios) 5.30am-midnight, Line 3 (Egaleo-Doukissis Plakentias) 5.30am-midnight Line 3 (Egaleo-Airport) 5.30am-22.52pm and 06.30am-23.30pm. The last itinerary is 2 hours later on Friday and Saturday night than it is during the week. www.ametro.gr

tram Tram itineraries are only from Syntagma to S.E.F (in Neo Faliro) and from Syntagma to Asklipio Voulas. From Monday to Thursday, trams operate from 5.am until midnight and non-stop from Friday morning to Sunday midnight. www.tramsa.gr

TAXIS from the airport cost about e20 to Syntagma Square, e25 to Piraeus, depending on traffic. Between midnight and 5am double tariff applies. Note: If you suspect that you have been overcharged, you can call the tourist police 0n 171

INTERCITY BUSES Terminal 1: Buses for Igoumenitsa, Ioannina, Kavala, Loutraki, Patra, the Peloponese, and Thessaloniki. Kifissou 100Tel: 210.512.4910-1, www.ktel.org Terminal 2: Buses for Delphi, Evia, Galaxidi, Karpenisi, Katerini, Lamia, Livadia, Thiva and Volos. Liosion 260.

RADIO TAXI Enotita Tel: 210.645.9000 Ermis Tel: 210.411.5200 Ikarus Tel: 210.515.2800 Kifissia Tel: 210.801.4000 Piraeus Tel: 210.418.2333 Radio Taxi Glyfada Tel: 210.960.5600 There is a booking fee of e1 added to the meter.

Sea ports Piraeus Tel: 210.422.6000-4 Rafina Tel: 22940.22300, 22940.28888

Sea ports & Ferries

Airport

Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, Spata. Tel: 210.353.0000, 210.353.1000. www.aia.gr.

Car rental

Airlines

Aegean Tel: 801.11.20000 Air France Tel: 210.998.0222 Air Malta Tel: 210.965.2300-22 Alitalia Tel: 210.998.8888 American Tel: 210.361.3373 Air Taxis (Helicopter and plane charters) Tel: 210.938.4149 Austrian Tel: 210.960.1244 British Airways Tel: 801.11.56000 BMI Tel: 210.960.0942 Continental Tel: 210.353.4312 Cyprus Airways Tel: 210.353.4100 Delta Tel: 210.331.1673-6 Easy Jet Tel: 210.353.0300 El Al Tel: 210.934.1500-1 Emirates Tel: 210.933.3400 Etihad Tel: 210.960.56.08 Gulf Air Tel: 210.322.0851 Iberia Tel: 210.353.6004 KLM Tel: 210.998.0333 Lufthansa Tel: 210.617.5200 Olympic Airways Tel: 210.966.6666 SAS Tel: 210.353.0373 Swiss / Crossair Tel: 210.617.5320 Turkish Tel: 210.353.7280-2

Ferries Ferries run year-round. For information on seasonal schedules contact a travel agent or call the Port Police on 210.422.6000 From the Port of Piraeus Northern and Eastern Aegean Islands: Gates A & B Chios, Ikaria, Lesvos, Samos, Dodecanese Islands: Gate E Kalymnos, Kos Leros, Patmos, Rhodes, Saronic Gulf Islands: Gates G & E Aegina, Hydra, Poros, Spetses, Crete: Gate A Aghios Nikolaos, Chania, Iraklio, Kastelli (Kissamos), Rethymno, Cycladic Islands:

Thessaloniki: 2310.560.700 www.superfast.com Hellenic Seaways 210 41 99 000 www.hellenicseaways.gr, Anek Lines www.anek.gr Domestic lines: 210 41 97 420 International lines: 210 41 97 430 Minoan Lines www.minoan.gr Tel:801 11 75 000

YACHT CHARTERS A1 Yacht Trade Consortium Akti Themistokleous 8, Marina Zeas, Piraeus. Tel: 210.458.7100 Ghiolman Yachts Filellinon 7, Syntagma. Tel: 210.323.0330 Nava Yachts Loudovikou Sq. 6, Piraeus. Tel: 210.417.7728 Northstar Poseidonos 54, P. Faliro. Tel: 210.988.4000 PGA Alimou & Poseidonos, Alimos. Tel: 210.985.9400 Seahorse Alkyonidon 83 (Marina), Voula. Tel: 210.895.2212, 210.895.6733 Seascape Poseidonos Ave. 29, Alimos. Tel/Fax: 210.985.8301 Valef Yachts Pl. Chatzikonstanti 2, Piraeus. Tel:210.451.2010 Vernicos Yachts Posidonos 11, Kalamaki. Tel: 210.985.0122-8

Gates B, G & D

Astipalea, Folegandros, Kimolos, Kithnos, Milos, Serifos, Sifnos: Gate B Amorgos, Donoussa, Ios, Iraklia, Koufonissi, Mykonos, Santorini, Schinoussa, Syros, Tinos: Gates G&D Naxos, Paros: Gate G

Superfast Ferries Daily departures, Greece - Italy: from Patras and Igoumenitsa to Ancona and Bari Head office: 23-125 Syngrou Avenue & 3 Torva Street 11745 Athens. Tel:210.891.9000 Reservations: Athens: 210.891.9130

insider athens | September

2010

athens citysales mappoints Central Athens

See i on map EASTERN SUBURBS Gerakas: Mini Market Milionis: 131, Marathonos Avenue Pallini: Bookshop Bouzas: 63, Marathonos Street Peania: Bookshop Tangopoulos: Agias Triados Street

NORTHERN SUBURBS AG.PARASKEVI: Mini Market Avarakis: 3, Themistokleous Street, Kiosk Theodoropoulos: 8, Polytechniou Street DIONYSSOS: Kiosk Michail: 4, Mitropolitou Kydonion Street EKALI: Kiosk Kyrpoglou: Vassileos Pavlou Square FILOTHEI: Kiosk Roupa: Drossopoulou Square, Super Market Kyriakopoulos: 11, M. Renieri Street, Mini Market Plati: 27, V. Georgiou Street HALANDRI: Mini Market Kyriakou: 3, Lykourgou Street, Kiosk Drizos: V. Konstantinou & V.Georgiou Street, Bookshop Evripidis: 11, V.Konstantinou Street, Mini Market Bakatsia: 46, Pendelis Avenue, Bookshop Vivliostyl: 34, Olympou Street, Mini Market Tsakiri: 76, Ag.Antoniou Street HOLARGOS: Kiosk Bekiaris: 212, Messogion Aveue, Kiosk Tambouridis: 256, Messogion Avenue KEFALARI: Kiosk Glentzis: Patr.Maximou & Apergi Square KIFISSIA: Kiosk Karadouman: 36-38, Kyriazi Street, Bookshop Gioggaras: 34, Elaion Street, Kiosk Koutsodimou: 308, Kifissias Avenue MAROUSSI: Tobacco & Gifts Tsitsilonis: 41-43, Kifissias Avenue, Tobacco & Gifts Raptis: 64, Kifissias Street, Kiosk Stefanopoulos: 46, Kifissias Street, Mini Market Kitsios: 43, Grammoou & Dionyssou Street MELISSIA: Kiosk Manikas: 75, Dimokratias Avenue, Mini Market Koufopandelis: 28, Pigis Street NEA ERYTHREA: Kiosk Anastassopoulos: 142, Harilaou Trikoupi Street, Bookshop Giannaki: 169, Eleftheriou Venizelou Street, Newsstand: 20 klm National Road AthensLamia, Kiosk Konidakis: Thisseos Avenue & Papadaki, Kiosk Kallergis: 130, Tatoiou Street NEO PSYCHIKO: Kiosk Katichidis: E. Makariou & Michalakopoulou Street, Kiosk Doukas: 44, Diamantidou Street, Kiosk Gionis: 25, Chr.Smyrnis & Ag.Georgiou Street

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PAPAGOU: Mini Market Papavassiliou: 16, Ellispontou Street PALEO PSYCHIKO: Kiosk Kyriakou: Solomou Square, Kiosk Gialama: Efkalypton Square, Kiosk Polydoros: Kifissias & Ag. Dimitriou Street, Kiosk Kalogeropoulos: V. GeorgiouSquare, Kiosk Kontabasis: 2, Amaryllidos & V. Pavlou Street, Kiosk Kalfagian: V. Georgiou B’ 11 POLITIA: Kiosk Vovlas: Politia Square VRILISSIA : Kiosk Theodoropoulou: 5, Analypsi Square, Kiosk Aggelopoulos: Pendelis Avenue & Omirou, Bookshop Karystinaiou: 69, Alefiou Street

SOUTHERN SUBURBS GLYFADA : Kiosk Tamourantzis: 3, Metaxa & Maragou Street, Kiosk Tsakanikas: 3, Lambraki Street, Kiosk Mavraki: Pandoras & Ioanni Metaxa, Kiosk Adamopoulos: 20, Ioanni Metaxa Street, Kiosk Papadakou: 7, Ioanni Metaxa Street, Kiosk Haikal: 1, Ioanni Metaxa & Fivis Street, Kiosk Bolota: Gounari & Iraklitou Street, Kiosk Bellou: 5, Saki Karagiorga Street, Mini Market Agiokatsikos: 24, Ilias Street HELLINIKO : NewsStand: 43-47, Vouliagmenis Avenue ILIOUPOLIS : Super Market Kokossis: 5, Glastonos Street LAGONISI: Kiosk Vassiliadis: 37,5 klm Athinon-Souniou Avenue NEA SMYRNI: Kiosk Manoussos: 28, Eleftheriou Venizelou Street VARKIZA: Kiosk Paraskevopoulou: Varkiza Square VOULA: Kiosk Leontopoulos: 12, Sokratous Street, Mini Market Pournara: 33, Pringipos Petrou Street, Kiosk Christopoulou: V. Pavlou & Ag. Ioanni Street VOULIAGMENI: Kiosk Andrioti: Armonias Square, Kiosk Chryssikos: 1, Ermou Street, Kiosk Kylitis: 14, Thisseos Street PALEO FALIRO: Kiosk Kombogianni: 1, Ag.Alexandrou Street, Kiosk Kapetanou: 24, Achilleos Street, Mini Market Nikouli: 9, Pliadon Street, Tobacco & Gifts Berekos: 1, Possidnos Avenue & Moraitini Street PIRAEUS: Hand Delivery Telstar: 57, Akti Miaouli, Tourist Chop Siatras: 46, Akti Koumoundourou Street, Kiosk Samarogiannis: 7, Merarhias B’Street, Kiosk Siaho: Akti Moutsopoulou (Kanari Square), Kiosk Kentros: 73, Iroon Polytechniou Street, Kiosk Fotis : 1, Loudovikou Street, Kiosk Spalas: 111, Karaiskou Street, Newsstand: Railway Station Loudovikou Square

city map

Map courtesy of Emvelia Publications

insider athens | September

2010

KA L E I DOS COP E

The Greek life :

Whether you’re just visiting, a newcomer who’s just moved into town or a veteran Athenian, here are a few must-dos and must-sees for an all-out Greek experience. 1. Take in a performance at the Herod Atticus – just the splendour of the magnificent ruins bathing under a full moon should compensate for the unfriendly marble seats 2. Visit the Acropolis Museum 3. Acquire a taste for masticha 4. Watch the change of guard at Syntagma 5. Get away from it all on a sailboat to drink in the beauty of the Greek isles 6. Barbounia by a seaside taverna followed by a 7. chilled frappé at one of Athens’s chic cafes 8.Hone your backgammon skills and 9. dance the night away at the bouzoukia.

82 insider athens | September 2010

insider athens | September

2010