THE CITY MAGAZINE OF
November 2010 Year 8. Issue 89 €4.50
insider ISSN 1790-3114
ATHENS
The Design issue The Hellenic Centre in London / The Art Foundation / US mid-term elections / Interview with the Norwegian Ambassador / Design Dialogues / Costas Voyiatzis’ design picks The Zolotas legacy / Kinsterna’s restored heritage / Objects of desire / Design for life at Breeder Feeder / Al fresco dining PLUS: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, FOOD & WINE, NIGHTLIFE, SHOPPING, NOVELTIES, MAPS| November AND 2010 MORE insider athens 1
2 insider athens | November 2010
Sudha Nair-Iliades
When we’d planned the Design issue almost a year ago, just anticipating it was enough to put a smile on our faces. To my mind, that is the purpose of design - to generate that optimism, that good feeling that makes weary commuters chuckle as they march past a witty poster in the metro, that makes window-shoppers stop and admire the sleekness of a chair, apartment hunters value the smart use of space – or in our case, that makes the reading experience a visual delight. Design should somehow connect the audience with the creator by evoking the same infectious enthusiasm in seeing the endresult as in the process of designing.What makes a design ‘good’ is the humour, beauty and intelligence that have been injected into it – and we hope this magazine is proof of those values. While producing this edition has been a very creative experience, it has also been a very intuitive one. Our art director, Michel Devanakis confessed that as a designer he felt compelled to ‘outperform’ himself (within the parameters imposed on him by his publisher!) as he risked being judged not by our readers but by his peers!
publisher’s note I do understand some of his concerns as we feature some of Greece’s most talented (and critical!) creative designers in Design Dialogues (p.31) including award-winning Rodanthi Sendouka (whose Red Design Consultants designed Insider seven years ago!), Demetrios Fakinos who created the European Design Awards, pi6 who introduced Athenians to the annual Design Walk in Psyrri, Panagiotis Beltzinitis who converts something as primal as food into a work of art and architect Theodore Zoumboulakis who has been creating a different set of aesthetics in the Athenian urban landscape. More designers in the form of Georges Papalexis of Zolotas (p.38) and design blogger Costas Voyiatzis of yatzer.com (p.26) share their thoughts with Insider in this issue. Despite the unanimously uncharitable views on Athens as a design capital, as a lay observer of the trends in the city, I do believe that the city has had a design resurrection of sorts in the past decade. We hope this issue confirms that view.
Sudha Nair-Iliades
Publisher Sudha Nair-Iliades
Web Coordinator Ranti Bambgala
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Art Director Michel Devanakis
Art Editor Stephanie Bailey
Subscriptions
Editor Toula Victor
Contributors in this Issue Ranti Bambgala, Stephanie Bailey, Marq Riley, George Schira, Mike Sweet, Graham Wood, Christoforos Doulgeris, Sophia Vantaraki, Nikolaos Travasaros
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Athens Insider: Monthly Publication ISSN 1790-3114 Code: 6548
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contributors 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.
Ranti Bam
Ranti Bamgbala was born in Nigeria and raised in the UK. She has an MA in Art, Design and Visual Communication. Her passion is just to ‘create her ideas’ which include products, furniture, installations and events. Ranti also manages Insider’s website.
Stephanie is a freelance writer, artist and teacher. Born in Hong Kong, she studied Classical Civilization and English Literature before completing a foundation diploma in Art & Design in London. She has contributed to Adbusters, ArtPapers, Athens News and Odyssey, and is a music correspondent for Spinearth.tv
George Schira
Stephanie Bailey
With a varied career in journalism, documentary filmmaking, fund raising and political consulting, George is presently Communications Consultant to Leadership 100, the pre-eminent Greek American charitable organization comprised of leading figures in business. An avid New Yorker, he has travelled the world and is a regular visitor to Athens.
Marq was born in The Netherlands, where he graduated as a theatre director from the Utrecht School of Arts. He moved to Greece in 1999, working as a music events organiser. He is now a freelance writer, and as a concert photographer covers a wide selection of festivals and shows
Christopher Doulgeris
Mike Sweet
Marq Riley
Born in Serres and schooled in Germany, Chris studied Sociology at the University of Crete and then moved to London in 1999 where he studied Photography at the Camberwell College of Arts, working alongside some cutting-edge British Advertising Photographers. He is now based in Athens in his studio “keep it simple photography” and shoots for a number of magazines such as Homme, Paper, Deluxe, Ideas & Inspirations for the home, Insider and Bonjour Athenes. His work as an artist has been exhibited in exhibitions in Greece, UK and Germany.
editorial To conceive or fashion in the mind, to invent, to construct according to plan, to formulate, a creative process; all are formal definitions of design although no generally accepted definition exists. Design is a term that has different connotations in different fields, and as with art, design is in the eye of the beholder, to be defined and applied to anything we choose. From fashion, to architecture, to landscaping, to interiors, to ergonomics, design is all around us.
by Toula Victor
4 insider athens | November 2010
Athens, though not officially labeled a design capital, has it’s own distinctive design, often defined by the ancient and neoclassical structures that dot the city’s landscape. It seems that Athens’ past often overshadows, and to an extent, stifles the vibrant pockets of modern creativity that bring an entirely different energy to the city. Several talented designers, however, have the ideas and the ambition to promote Athens to international design capital status, and allow designs of the past to coexist with designs of the present and of the future.
contents Features
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TAF: Good Foundations 10 Ranti Bambgala takes us into the courtyard of The Art Foundation Mavroides: Portrait of a Painter 12 The artist and the faces that inspired him to launch a hundred canvases Thessaloniki Film Festival 13 A preview of the films at TIFF
20 26
Touchdown 14 Gilles Attias of Accor looks back at his favourite haunts in the city London Calling 20 Mike Sweet leads us on a visit to the Hellenic Centre in London on the occasion of its 15th anniversary Mid-term elections 22 George Schira reports on Obama’s trials and the Tea Party’s appeal Diplomacy by design 24 Sverre Stub, the Norwegian ambassador to Greece speaks on his country’s engagement with Greece In conversation with Costas Voyiatzis 26 Costas Voyiatzis reveals his top ten design picks
Departments Design Dialogues 31 An architect, a creative designer, a publisher, a food photographer and a communication agency share their views on the design process
Arts and Events
The Midas Touch 38 Georges Papalexis, CEO of Zolotas touches on what inspires his designs and how he hopes to meet the demands of a discerning clientele Its all in the details 44 George Carabellas on his recently opened store, TR2/Thission Revisted 2 Interpreting heritage 46 Trace the story of the Kinsterna Hotel & Spa, an 18th century mansion in Monemvasia, lovingly restored as a modern resort On the crest of a wave 48 Greece is the International Surfing Association’s newest member
4
My Athens
14
Society
16
Fashion
30
Agora
40
Sport
48
Wellness
50
Restaurant reviews 54 Insider News
57
Restaurant lndex 58 Area-wise listings 60 Kaleidoscope
80
Design for life at the Breeder Feeder 54 Food, politics, and the environment collide with art, design and good clean fun Italian bites by the sea 56 Sea-side brunching at the Westin’s Al Fresco in Vouliagmeni
31 38 40 48 56 ‘Phonophone II’ ceramic i-pod compatible device by Tristan Zimmerman available at TR2/Thission Revisited II Photographed by Ioanna Roufopoulou
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Arts & events
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Artzone 42 Gardens of Delight, Hara Thanou 1 Hara Thanou’s works are gardens of bliss diffusing an infectious, childlike yet spiritual energy through her intelligent use of light and rich, vibrant colours to create compelling pieces that communicate long after the first visual contact. Her paintings flirt with the feminine form and celebrate its transformation when in communion with nature.
www.artzone42.gr
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13 n o ve m b e r
Kalfayan Galleries
until
14 nov ember
Byzantine & Christian Museum
Matteo Montani: The Guard of the Threshold In his first exhibition in Greece, Italian artist Matteo Montani presents abstract works depicting a surreal atmosphere, where colors merge and objects have no borders, where time is momentarily suspended. A dream-like quality is evoked through the use of a limited palette of colors, such as shades of blue, white, black and grey, creating a world of pure perception and visual emotion.
Lambros Gaitis: Sculpture Rhapsody 2 A series of audiovisual sculptures made of metal, wood and polyester, create bells and drums that move and produce natural and electronic sounds. Each work functions autonomously while they are simultaneously “aroused” in succession to narrate through sounds and the moves: a call, joyful beliefs, aggressive and mourning marches, lamentation and a last farewell.
www.kalfayangalleries.com
www.byzantinemuseum.gr
until
18 nov ember
Bernier Eliades Jim Shaw 3 By juxtaposing the metaphysical association of Colour Field painting with “low” commercial naturalism, then filtering the result through a construction of modern spirituality, Jim Shaw engineers a bizarre compendium of compromised attempts at purity. His new project is a provocative reconceptualization of the high / low divide and a sly critique of modernist paintings’ quest for “purity”.
www.bernier-eliades.gr
On the town For location details see listings p76
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21 0324 nov ember
november
november
Ileana Tounta
Xippas Gallery
Herakleidon Museum
Hellenic American Union
Maria Zervou: Bon Voyage Videos, drawings and photographs focus on contemporary symbols of confinement (e.g. the burqa) to probe the enduring dichotomies between the internal and the external, between masking and exposing, the poetic and the political, dream and reality, the phantasmagorical and the mundane, memory and amnesia.
Yves Oppenheim 4 In his second solo exhibition at Xippas gallery,Yves Oppenheim showcases a collection of recently completed, oversized works where patterns and backgrounds continuously change, creating intense layers.
Woman as Muse, 1900-1950 This exhibition showcases works on paper by world renowned artists, depicting their varied interpretations of the female form and reflecting the prevailing artistic movements of their time. Woman is portrayed as mother, muse, lover, friend and confidante. She is alternately nurturing, beguiling, assertive and conspiratorial. Showcasing approximately ninety works inspired by women by European artists, Herakleidon presents prints and drawings from the Museum’s collection, the Greek National Gallery, the Alpha Bank Collection, as well as from the private collections of Mr. Economou and Mr. Leontiadis.
Pedro Meyer 5 Renowned Mexican photographer, Pedro Meyer, presents photographs from a thirty-year journey through United States that resulted in over 80,000 photographs. Meyer found that photography was the most appropriate way to describe the many and often conflicting views of the country and allows viewers to look deep into these images and come to their own conclusions.
www.art-tounta.gr
www.xippas.com
www.hau.gr
www.herakleidon-art.gr insider athens | November
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Arts & events
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nove m be r
Tsatsis Projects / Artforum Panagiotis Tanimanidis 4 Exhibiting in Thessaloniki, Panagiotis Tanimanidis presents his personal artistic style, which aims to explain the state of the world today and its constant transformation, as well as the expressed need for society to return to core values and find balance once again. He leads the viewer through twelve stages of utopia that originate from his own life experiences using objects like padlocks, lamps, pots, drums, and popsicle sticks.
www.artforum.gr
8 insider athens | November 2010
26 november
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nov ember
French Institute Auditorium
Astrolavos Dexameni
Ionian Jazz Quintet Dimitris Dimitriadis, George Kontrafouris, Stephane Andreadis, Katerina Bakirtzoglou and Vassilis Podaras, all professors of music at the Ionian University in Corfu get together on stage to for a special evening of jazz. A modern jazz quintet, their repertoire includes fast-paced rhythmic elements reflecting both the group’s Greek heritage and its contemporary relevance. www.ifa.gr
Mandalena Angeletou: De loin 5 In an exhibition that touches on travel, feeling at home, and memory triggering images, Mandalena Angeletou illustrates a predominantly emotional journey. With touches of emotional expressionism and an emphasis on primary colors, some works remain minimal, while others are more descriptive.
Evi Karagiannidis: Camera in Wonderland Photographic realism combined with images of landscapes, create visual statements that instigate a series of quandaries. Evi Karagiannidis uncovers hidden aspects of everyday life and local history in the contemplation of nature, reminding us of our relationship with the world.
www.aaart.gr
On the town For location details see listings p76
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Athens Art Gallery Amalia Zaglopitou: Dystopies 6 In her first solo exhibition, Amalia Zaglopitou, a graduate of Athens’ School of Fine Arts, presents ten large works and four small oil paintings on canvas, all of which are said to transform the urban landscape into a social geography of the city and alter familiar and recognizable scenery into ‘dystopia’.
www.athensartgallery.gr
Benaki Museum Pireos Street Annexe Material Quests: A series of exhibitions in the filed of Applied Arts From the time it opened, the Benaki Museum Shop has represented applied arts and crafts in Greece, offering them a hospitable and constantly renewed home. Over the past six years, artists have questioned the boundaries between utilitarian decorative objects and art objects that do not have an essential use. With this in mind, the Benaki Museum Shop has initiated a series of small exhibitions by Greek and foreign artists as innovators in the field of applied arts.
www.benaki.gr
28 nov ember
0404
Pallas Theatre, 9 p.m.
K-Art
Sonny Rollins 80th Birthday Tour 7 The original Saxophone Colossus,Sonny Rollins will be at the Pallas Theatre in Athens for the very first time as part of his 80th birthday tour. Part of the Jazz Master series at the Pallas, here is a gig not to be missed. Winner of several Grammies and with a discography that matches that of legendary jazz greats such as Miles, Monk, JJ Johnson and Bud Powell, Rollins performed at the Beacon Theatre in New York on September 10 to celebrate his birthday by inviting a few of his closest friends to jam with him on stage including Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, Jim Hall and Roy Haynes. Tickets at 70, 85 and 100 euros.
Antonis Kosmadakis: Hard Times 8 Large works that depict heroes engaged in bizarre actions in calm, dream-like environments are at the centre of this exhibition. Kosmadakis’ images refer to unexpected uprisings or terrorist twists in which the roles of perpetrators and victims are virtually identical, so conceptually defining the various and often schismatic aspects of our reality.
november
december
www.k-art.gr
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Arts & events
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december
Ekfrasi Dimitris Katsigiannis: Horizons – Mediterranean Motifs 9 In a presentation of his latest work consisting of a series of watercolors, Dimitris Katsigiannis is inspired by the Mediterranean landscape. He captures the organized chaos of nature and reconstructs the luster of the summer light. The composition of the works are geometric and multifaceted with no beginning or end allowing the eye to move freely across a bright horizon.
www.ekfrasi-art.gr
until
d e c e mb e r
Benaki Museum Pireos Street Annexe Theofylaktopoulos. Matter Vicissitudes: Painting 1960-2010 A retrospective that presents pieces from the entirety of Theofylaktopoulos’ artistic progress, from 1965 to the present day, the exhibition includes oils and drawings from all periods of creativity. An independent artist and pioneer of the seventies, his work is an anthropocentric form of painting, which is steadily oriented to exercising and renewing his artistic imprint, adventurous and bold in expression.
www.benaki.gr
10 insider athens | November 2010
november
december
december
Badminton Theater
Gagosian Gallery
STOMP 10 Cans, buckets, matchboxes, newspapers, broomsticks, and even kitchen sinks and old car parts are used as musical instruments in an energetic show full of sights and sounds that is sure to charm any audience.
Michael Craig-Martin Vivid acrylic-on-aluminum paintings explore reality and representation in art as Michael Craig-Martin constructs a series of openended pieces, each based on a single word. With letters varying in size and order, mixed with line drawings of objects such as shoes, hammers, light bulbs, safety pins, and chairs against a monochrome background, the artist exploits the complex and often contradictory relationship between word and image.
www.badmintontheater.gr
www.gagosian.com
On the town For location details see listings p76
11 12
until
15 ja nua r y
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0431 27 2627 until
november
january
february
november
february
Numismatic Museum
Museum of Cycladic Art
Frissiras Museum
The Herakleidon Museum
All that glitters: A Belgian contribution to Greek numismatics 11 Ancient Greek coins from the collection of the Royal Library of Belgium are displayed in Greece for the first time. A presentation of excavations at Thorikos conducted by the Belgian School at Athens that resulted in the finding of a coin hoard in 1969 and kept at the Athens Numismatic Museum, is also exhibited. Thorikos functioned as the link between the neighbouring silver mines of Laureion and the mints of ancient Athens and it was there that all preliminary work to ensure the amounts of metal needed for the production of Athenian coinage took place.
Vasso Katraki Breath in Stone 12 Vasso Katraki is probably the foremost engraver in modern Greek art of the second half of the 20th century. Katraki’s art comprises one of the most integrated and interesting artistic conceptions; her work extends continuously and consistently from the early 1940s to the mid 1980s. Starting out from wood engraving, in 1955 she crossed over to stone engraving - an original technique that offered her international recognition. The exhibition at the Cycladic Museum aspires to bring together about 70 works of art spanning a creative course of 45 years.
Naked Truth This exhibition attempts an exciting journey, exploring the way in which leading Greek and European painters have represented the naked human body. Starting with their works from the Frissiras Museum permanent collection, the viewer is offered a unique chance to go through a kaleidoscope of many different and usually deeply personal means of expression.
Edvard Munch: Beyond the Scream 13 Athenians will have the unique opportunity to explore ‘the artist behind the garbed skull, representing the universal anxiety of man’ at a unique exhibition of Norwegian Symbolist painter, Edvard Munch’s works at the Herakleidon on loan by the Tel Aviv Museum of Modern Art (TAMA), which hold the Kramer collection of the graphic work of the artist, the Munch Museum in Oslo as well as private collectors. Best known for his composition Scream, which is considered as one of the most recognizable paintings in art, Munch remains as controversial a century later as as he was in his heyday when he painted Scream in 1893.
www.nma.gr
www.cycladic.gr
www.frissirasmuseum.com
www.herakleidon-art.gr insider athens | November
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Photos by Aris Roupinas
12 insider athens | November 2010
Art
TAF: Good Foundations Ranti Bamgbala takes a look at how the aesthetics of a space affects what goes on inside.
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ormerly a classically Greek communal family home, with lots of small rooms and a common courtyard, a humble building in Monastiraki now plays a central role to one of the most interesting spaces in Athens’ arts and culture scene. The Art Foundation (TAF) is a relatively new contemporary cultural space that occupies a neo-classical compound dating all the way back to 1870. Its two original buildings have been restored with little change being made to them aside from making sure they are structurally safe. A new building was added to its original foundations and all are covered with a high-tech roof that allows the space to breathe in the summer and remain warm in the winter. The family rooms have metamorphosed into ‘project rooms’ and the courtyard is home to a well-designed bar. TAF opened up to the public in 2008 and has been going from strength to strength. The philosophy of TAF is reflected in its exterior. In the same way that the Foundation honours the building in which it is housed, they chose to honour the environment to which they belong. TAF has been very good to the locality in all regards: happy staff providing great service having been head hunted for their abilities in their own field, and in the choice of artists they embrace, having shown a number of Greek artists in conjunction with international ones.They’ve made a conscious decision to be an integral part of their community. The bar is always packed with a wide variety of people; international, national and local art connoisseurs alike, interspersed with those who’ve just come out to have a good time. The DJ’s are always on rotation, with music ranging from Jazz to Afro beat. And there are varied live performances held there throughout the month. This guarantees a dynamic environment and an atmosphere that is exciting and electric. With the popularity of the entertainment space, the centre courtyard which houses the bar, The Art Foundation makes enough money to enable it to be self-funded; thus taking the pressure off the art and the artists who are chosen to exhibit in one of its many rooms.
I interviewed Charalambos Dermatis, an artist himself, who is now one of the four directors of TAF and heres what he had to say. Does the aesthetic of the space play a big part in the artists you select? The directors had an idea of what we wanted, but we remained open to what that would actually be.Though upon entering this space (interview took place in TAF) it spoke to us. We have done our best to protect its history, keep its original aesthetic and the original sensation of the place. We are mostly interested in artists that are interested in research and development. We look at new and established artists. We look at artists who are interested in new perspectives. The space itself tends to influence new ideas. It is a very inspiring space. What space does TAF occupy in the Arts & Culture Scene? We like to think that the space is on the same level with the cultural spaces one might find in Berlin or London. TAF doesn’t necessarily see itself as just a gallery but a cultural space that is open to experimentation in all genres of the arts; be that dance, installation, screenings, or art discourse. What is the philosophy of TAF? Can you some it up in a few sentences? TAF is an institution that prides itself on creating a rich emotional experience for those that walk through its doors. The main philosophy is to give people a new experience each time they walk through the door. We are open to collaborations. How does TAF differ from other institutions? TAF is a self-funded institution, so no there is no pressure on the art. It aims to keep a conversation going between the people and the arts. Again the aesthetics of the space plays a part there. Because of the aesthetics of the space, the artist’s works are rendered accessible.We look to be more personal and less commercial. TAF looks to incorporate all genres of the arts. We are an interdisciplinary space. Anything that presents itself as a good idea is welcome. i
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Art
Portrait of a Painter
T
ennessee Williams famously said, “We are all sentenced to solitary confinement inside our own skins, for life. Hell is yourself and the only redemption is when a person puts himself aside to feel deeply for another person.” George Mavroidis took those words to heart in his visual quest to reveal the truth about his life and our world through his portraits. Widely acknowledged as one of Greece’s foremost artistic talents, Mavroidis’ portraits stare back at the viewer, unembellished and honest, daring you to relive their dreams, visit their nightmares and to carry on the conversation the artist had initiated with his subject.That is what Mavroidis’ compositions are: conversations with people he encountered, loved and admired in the course of his life.Takis Mavrotas, the curator of the exhibition expand on Mavroidis humanity, “Mavroidis was an autodidact, one who was christened in Greek aesthetics. His work defines his own legacy by offering us a more realistic picture of our fragile, yet irreplaceable world. In his work there is nothing uncertain and ambiguous. He painted without idealizing his subjects and attempted to touch a sense of eternity in the mundaneness and ephemerealty of quotidien life.”
Curator Takis Mavrotas speaks to Insider on Giorgos Mavroidis’ many faces
Mavroidis was a prolific painter – almost hundred of his most significant paintings along with approximately seventy drawings that he painted between 1947 and 2003 will be on display at the Theocharakis Foundation for three months.To the spectator, the initial shock might appear to be the disturbing discovery that behind the portraits are real people, recognisable faces. His sketches include those of wife Kitso and daughter Gianna as well as those of his illustrious friends including Andreas Vourloumis, Dionysis Fotopoulos, Odysseus Elytis, Thanassis Niarchos, Angelos Papadimitriou, Kostas Papatriantafyllopoulou, Vivikas Zissis, Matsis Chatzilazarou, Stella Kavalieratou and Sophia Spyratou amongst others. But the fame and social standing of his models had little effect on the artist’s treatment of his subjects. Mavroidis’ faces seem inspired by a moral sense, reflecting his strong painterly instinct and his stubborn painting values in terms of his own artistic truth. These visages frown, their foreheads wrinkle, but those eyes are what pin you down with their consistently engaging gaze. Both subject and artist remain present, penetrating the mystery of existence that lies behind the phenomenal side of things. Following his own set of rules without any predetermined directions, Mavroidis’ style defies definition. Art critic Manos Stefanidis writes, “Mavroidis was neither expressionist nor a fan of surrealism, although his form is influenced by these two expressions.” Bold contours, earthy colours, and in some cases, deliberately blank areas of the canvas that create a sense of limbo between complete and incomplete, characterise his works.
Giorgos Mavroidis B&M Theocharakis Foundation Anthropocentric paintings (1947-2003) October 21 to January 5 2011 The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual list of unpublished texts by Panagiotis Tetsis, Natalia Mela,Thanassis Niarchos, Angelos Papadimitriou, Kostas Papatriantafyllopoulou and Takis Mavrotas.
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Deeply influenced by Fayum funeral portraits, Mavroidis’ images have a far-away look, as if detaching themselves from their immediate environs. The former French minister of culture André Malraux described Fayum paintings as “glowing with a flame of immortal life”. It does seem as if Mavroidis’ portraits too hold the spirit of the people they represent. i
Films
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s the curtain rises on the 51st Thessaloniki International Film Festival on December 3 transforming the modern northern city for ten days into a place of discovery of cutting-edge film trends, vying for as much attention off-screen will be the controversy that has dogged the festival with the resignation of Despina Mouzakis and the subsequent appointment of Dimitris Eipides as the head of the festival earlier this year. More controversy followed when the prize money for the Golden Alexander award was halved from 40,000 euros to 20,000 euros. Finances and politics notwithstanding, film buffs have a treat in store for them with thoughtprovoking cinema from all over the globe.
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Insider picks its top three films at: Scene-stealers include powerful films such as Ahlaam, an Iraqi film that captures the confusion, uncertainty and death that engulf the bombed ruins of a psychiatric asylum in Baghdad. Voyeuristically we move between the past and the present of three Iraqi lives entangled by the chaos of the American ‘Shock and Awe’ campaign. Another strong contender from the same region is this year’s Sundance Festival entrant, Son of Babylon, beautifully directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji, and featuring a magnificent performance from young Yasser Talib as Ahmed. Here is a film that is both a fulfilling cinematic and emotional experience. It is a story of hope and forgiveness; one that palpably, and with great humanity, illustrates the reality for many Iraqi and Kurdish people in the aftermath of Hussein’s reign. Our third choice is Vintenburg’s Submarino, where two brothers meet at their mother’s funeral, each in his way on a path of self-destruction, both haunted by a tragedy in their youth. Other films to keep an eye out for include I am, Poetry, Putty2, Uncle, Whistle and White. Other than the screenings, events include tributes, masterclasses, round table discussions and parallel exhibitions at the legendary Olympion theatre. For tickets and more information, visit www.filmfestival.gr i
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1. Ahlaam 2. Son of Babylon 3. Submarino 4. I am 5. Poetry 6. Putty2 7. Uncle 8. Whistle 9. White
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Gilles Attias, General Manager, Sofitel Athens Airport who has been receiving guests visiting Athens during its Olympic boom years and the more resilient ones who have been coming back in less-jubilant times, shares his Athens with Insider 16 insider athens | November 2010
My Athens
Monemvasia
What do you do? I’m the General Manager of Sofitel Athens Airport also in charge of the Accor Hotels in Greece and Israel.
The Monastiraki metro station where you can find the restaurant with the best kebab in town, where you can see people selling fruits or artists performing.
Which area of Athens do you live in? Neos Voutsas
What is the ideal souvenir from Greece? Tsarouchia - the shoes of the Evzones with the big pompoms or a komboloi
What do you see from your balcony? I can see the island of Evia and with some luck when the weather is clear, a corner of Andros island.
Any favourite shops or boutiques? The famous spice shop Koniaris in Evripidou street
Your all-time favourite restaurant? The Balcony in Kokino Limanaki
Any funny cab stories? No, cab drivers are not funny.
Where do you unwind after work? Unfortunately, I do not have the time to unwind after work!
Best place to get away from it all? Monemvasia. Staying in the old city is an incredible feeling.
Describe your perfect Sunday in Athens. Sitting down at the terrace of Nissakia surf club in Agios Nikolaos of Artemida, Loutsa and watching the kite surfers
Most positive change in Athens over the last ten years? Attiki Odos
Secret parking space in central Athens? Novotel Hotel What’s your favorite city stroll? The central market on Athinas street. Can you describe a quintessentially Athenian sound, smell, taste and sight?
Do you think the crisis will in the long term have a positive impact? I am sure it will, but the long term should be defined. Too long is not too positive. Time is often an uncertain concept. If you were mayor for a day, what would you change? I would ensure that all pending construction works were finished. For me, this is compulsory. i
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1. Yiorgos Archimandritis, journalist, author and broadcaster received the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French Ambassador Christophe Farnaud on October 4 for promoting French culture 2. Seen here in picture with Eleni Papdimitriou of Megaron Mousikis and Fotis Papathanassiou of the Theocharakis Foundation.
At Raxevsky’s New York collection party 6. Irene and George Mourtzouchos 7. with the Egyptian Ambassador Tarek Adel and wife Mona, the Tunisian Ambassador Moncef Hajeri and his wife, Sonia.
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3. The House of Zolotas presented their 2011 charms with a labyrinth (symbolising the difficult times we are navigating) on October 14 in support of ELEPAP, a charity for children with special needs. Seen here are 4. Georges Paplexis, CEO of Zolotas with actress Katerina Didaskalou and 5. Marianne Papalexis at the Panepistimiou store.
8. & 9. At the Exclusive Yachting exhibition at Aghios Kosmas vying for contention with the beautiful people were sleek yachts 10. Seen here are Antonis Steliatos, Pesident of the Yacht Charterers Federation, George Vernicos of Vernicos Yachts, Dionyssia Leschopoulou of Athenian Yachting with Alexis Caniaris, Managing Director of Europartners.
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Off the cuff Brooks Brother’s makes its mark with a flagship store in downtown Athens at Citylink offering its classic signature pieces worn by some of the most famous and well-dressed men of all time. From Fred Astaire to George Clooney to current U.S. President Barack Obama, the Brooks Brother’s trademark is synonymous with style and panache. So now you know where to stock on those non-iron shirts and stain resistant silk ties.
Winter warmers at the Margi Vouliagmeni’s Margi hotel promises to warm up cold winter evenings ahead with a cozy lounge atmosphere and musical selections from the resident DJ at Lobby Lounge and modern Mediterranean flavours by Chef Polymeros at Café Tabac this season.
Festivities galore at the Ledra Marriott Savour authentic Lebanese cuisine at Zephyros from Tuesday, November 16 to Monday November 22 at 29 euros per person for a dinner buffet and Sunday brunch at 43 euros per person. Then tuck in to pumpkin pie and traditional oven-roasted turkey at the Thanksgiving Buffet at Zephyros on Thursday, November 25 from 7 p.m onwards. Buffet at 49 euros per person and at 18 euros for kids between 4 and 12. For reservations for both events, call 210 930 0060. For Christmas shopping for a cause, visit AWOG’s annual Christmas bazaar on Sunday, November 28 from1030 am to 330 pm at the ground floor of the hotel. Overflowing with American country holiday crafts, homemade baked goods, children’s carnival games, seasonal entertainment and of course, Santa, the event spreads plenty of Christmas spirit and uses the proceeds to support more than 25 Greek charities. For more information, contact awoggives@ yahoo.com or visit www.awog.gr.
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Culture unlimited Atopos, a non-profit cultural organization and international think-tank has opened a second venue in Metaxourgio where even more emerging talents have the opportunity to research, innovate and exhibit their talents. Opening on November 2, the Metaxourgio space will make its debut with sculptures and installations of French artist SHOBOSHOBO in an exhibition titled ZZZzzzZZZZ in Atopos.
Jazzing it up Reliving old jazz tunes in a setting reminiscent of an entirely different Athens, complete with intimate wood panelled surroundings and dark green leather lounge chairs, inspiring cocktails and ethnic delicacies from Italy, Mexico and Greece, the Explorer’s Lounge at the NJV Athens Plaza is a great option to unwind and mellow down in the heart of this chaotic city.
Kalimera! With taste. Bringing together several talented chefs to create an authentic Greek breakfast menu with regional ingredients to promote Greece as a gastronomy tourism destination is what Kalimera! With taste, a food event hopes to achieve. Start your morning right and get a taste of Greece’s rich and varied culinary tradition on Saturday, November 27 at the Metropolitan Expo Centre at Athens International Airport.
Rejuvenation for all Hiltonia Spa makes pampering accessible to all with five new packages specifically designed to meet every need imaginable through its Black, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Blue memberships.With a fully equipped gym, indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, steam room, whirlpool, Pilates studio, spa and salon, there’s no excuse not to stay fit and relaxed.
Culture in your plate In a trend seen across the city, bastions of art as well as relative newcomers to the cultural scene have been opening their doors to indulge two very primal needs – food and company. Fuga at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron Mousikis) promises to match the skills of the maestros on stage with that of the kitchen with Michelin starred chef Andrea Berton at the helm. Owned and managed by Apostolos Trastelis (of Spondi fame), Fuga’s menu is Italian-inspired and a welcome addition to Athens’ gastronomic scene. Please check our restaurant listings for more details.
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In the refined backstreets of London’s Marylebone district, a unique institution exists to celebrate Hellenism in all its glory. Mike Sweet meets Agatha Kalisperas, Director of The London Hellenic Centre
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nce the home of the Swedish Academy for Gymnastics, the elegant building that has housed London’s Hellenic Centre since the early 1990s, sits proudly on a quiet Marylebone street, just around the corner from Baker Street Underground station. The Director of this privately-run institution which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary is Cyprus-born Agatha Kalisperas.With a background in architecture and psychology, Kalisperas has been steering the course of the Centre since 1997, coordinating its ambitious multiple functions as a vibrant reference point for London’s Greek and Cypriot community, an educational centre, and as a venue to promote Greek cultural activity in the UK. Without financial support from the governments of neither Greece nor Cyprus,The London Hellenic Centre is an independent charitable foundation, privately financed through the support of over one thousand
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corporate and individual members. To help balance the books, it also operates as a conference centre. As Kalisperas leads me through the labyrinthine building built in 1900, full of classical interior fixtures and fittings, the enthusiasm she shows for her mission is infectious.“We have over four hundred students at any one time learning and improving their Greek” Agatha points out, as we sneak a glimpse of a class underway through the window of an old oak-panelled glass door.The students are of all ages and walks of life, and can choose from beginner to Master courses. Some opt for the Certificate of Attainment, a qualification officially recognized by the Greek Ministry of Education. It is education in its broadest sense that is at the heart of the centre’s purpose; to celebrate and analyse aspects of the Hellenic tradition, not as dusty folklore, but as a vibrant contemporary culture. In the lead up to Christmas, the programme includes visits by a host of eminent lecturers covering topics as diverse as the natural environment and cultural history of Chios, to a treatise on the legacy of Oxi Day seventy years after the momentous events of October 28 1940. On the morning of my visit in the basement kitchen, chefs are preparing for a members’ lunch. The mouth-watering menu includes Moujendra (a Cypriot recipe of brown lentils and rice), Mavromatica (black eye beans) and Kalamari. Those dining will be served in The Great Hall which was once the gymnasium. In keeping with its tradition of agility,
the room transforms itself on a regular basis from a performance space, to gallery and dining room. On the ground floor is ‘The Friends Room’ – an exhibition space which is offered to artists who have connections to Greece, or whose work explores ideas of Hellenic identity. Given the West End location and the fact that it is provided at no cost,The Friends’ Room has become a popular exhibition space for young artists. It’s available for one month per show. Each exhibition is promoted through the Centre’s publicity and the artist is encouraged to hold an opening reception. The process for mounting a personal exhibition in this prestigious ‘W1’ address is to submit examples of work to the centre for consideration. Unsurprisingly it is currently booked until the end of 2011. Creating partnership projects with large institutions is a vital part of Kalisperas’ work, illustrating the high-level connections the centre sustains with leading cultural institutions in Greece. A dip into the archives gives a taste of the kind of remarkable collaborative projects that have been created, such as an exhibition of embroidery produced in Greece between the 17th and 19th Century from the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Benaki Museum. Some of the exhibits in this recent show were last available for public viewing in 1911 and may not be shown for another 100 years! Plans are underway, again in collaboration with the Benaki, to mount an ambitious exhibition project to coincide with the London Olympics in 2012. On future possibilities for international collaboration, Kalisperas is keen to point out that the centre is always open to suggestions and new ideas and that “the door is always open. It’s much more than a building” she says lyrically. ‘It is a dynamic, changing organisation, with its own life and rhythms that continue all day long, sometimes into the small hours. In this microcosm of the Hellenic world, activity never stops.’ As I stepped out of the convivial surroundings of this unique outpost of Hellenism onto Paddington Street and into a grey London morning, the lines of Constantine Cavafy’s poem ‘Poseidonians’ used in the centre’s brochure for its fifteenth anniversary, echoed in my mind. There’s no more fitting tribute to this remarkable institution. i
‘The Poseidonians forgot the Greek language After so many centuries of mingling with Tyrrhenians, Latins, and other foreigners. The only thing surviving from their ancestors was a Greek festival, with beautiful rites, with lyres and flutes, contests and wreaths. And it was their habit toward the festival’s end to tell each other about their ancient customs and once again speak Greek names that only a few of them still recognized. And so the festival always had a melancholy ending because they remembered that they too were Greeks, they too once upon a time were citizens of Magna Graecia; and how low they’d fallen now, what they’d become, living and speaking like barbarians, cut off so disastrously from the Greek way of life.’
C.P. Cavafy 1906 Translation Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard
The Hellenic Centre 16-18 Paddington Street, Marylebone. London W1U 5AS Tel: +44 20 7487 5060 - www.helleniccentre.org
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America at Midterm:
A Referendum on the Obama Presidency? George Schira reports
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n November 4, 2008 I stood in a line that wrapped around a New York City block in Manhattan’s Upper East Side to vote for hope, for a young senator from Illinois who had captured the imagination of millions of Americans with the promise of a new beginning for a nation weary of war and on the verge of economic collapse.Young and old alike, men and women, urbanite and suburbanite, Democrats, Republicans and Independents, Americans from every racial and ethnic background voted along with me for a new future. Those were memorable days and I followed with others the first 100 days in office, the legislative agenda that got mired in the Great Recession as the economic crisis grew far worse than anyone had anticipated. Now this midterm election has somehow become a referendum on Obama, his persona and his programs. Both older and younger voters are not as motivated, with support for the President among college students plummeting from a high of 60 per cent to 44 per cent as is his following among minorities, African-Americans and Hispanics, forcing the President to once again hit the campaign trail. The fates of a handful of Greek-American office holders running for re-election to the House and two running for the Senate seat will be determined in this ‘wave’ or ‘category 4 hurricane’ election. GreekAmericans like all Americans rallied for the President in 2008. Among the six Greek-American candidates for the House of Representatives, three of the five Democrats have embraced the President and his policies while two have kept their distance. The three are Rep. John Sarbanes, son of the former Senator Paul Sarbanes, who is defending a ‘safe seat’ in Maryland’s Third Congressional District, Rep. Shelley Berkley of Nevada’s First Congressional District, also defending a ‘safe seat’, and her Nevada colleague, Rep Dina Titus, whose seat in the Third Congressional District is considered a tossup.The two Democrats keeping their distance are in tossup races and running hard. They are Rep. Niki Tsongas, in the Fifth Congressional District of Massachusetts, widow of the former Senator and presidential candidate Paul Tsongas, and Zack Space in Ohio’s 18th Congressional District, known as a ‘Blue Dog Democrat’, who cast a vote for the controversial cap and trade bill legislation in a coal mining region fearful of job losses.The sixth is the lone Republican, Gus Bilirakis of Florida’s Ninth Congressional District, who won the seat held by his father, Michael Bilirakis, who has said,“The first and enduring task of a Republican controlled House will be the reversal of the socialist agenda of the Obama Administration.” The two Greek-Americans vying for the Senate, one for Obama’s old seat in Illinois, Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, is in a tossup race that has drawn national attention with the candidates hurling charges at
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each other of lying, doing business with mobsters and driving up the nation’s deficit. The charges that were traded on either side were that Republican Mark Kirk, a 20-year veteran of Congress, misrepresented his military record as an intelligence officer for the U.S. Navy Reserve, charges that were substantiated, and that the Giannoulias family’s failed Broadway Bank had issued loans amounting to $27 million to two individuals who had been convicted of bookmaking and promoting prostitution, also substantiated. The President flew into Chicago twice to support Giannoulias, the Illinois state treasurer, raising money for his campaign and telling voters, “You can trust him.” Giannoulias defends the President’s record, crediting him with saving the nation from another Great Depression. “We did the right thing,” he said. The other contender for the senate from the Greek diaspora is the Republican Governor of Florida turned Independent, Charlie Crist, who has fallen behind a popular ‘Tea party’ backed Republican in a three-way race that includes a Democrat. Crist is being charged with being too friendly towards Obama. The monkey wrench thrown into this year’s midterm elections is the ‘Tea Party’, a political movement that has arisen across the country taking its inspiration from the Boston Tea Party that was the presage to the American Revolution and standing for ‘Taxed Enough Already’. The Tea Party has fielded 138 candidates, all Republicans, half for Senate seats and half for House seats. Among them are those who question Obama’s birth as an American (the birthers) and his religion, spreading the rumour that he is a Muslim. The real question is how President Obama will govern in the last two years of his term with such viral opposition. There is a precedent for a successful outcome in the experiences of Presidents Clinton and Reagan who rebounded from midterm setbacks and learned to deal with a strengthened opposition. In fact, Republicans are already anticipating areas of cooperation such as on trade legislation. But the real test of cooperation will come when the bipartisan fiscal commission reports December 1 and both parties have to face plans to reduce the national deficit and government spending and unpopular options like cutting back Medicare and Social Security while raising taxes, versions of which are driving citizens into the streets in France and shaking up subjects in the UK, not to mention the ongoing protests in Greece. President Barack Obama’s soaring rhetoric may no longer be sufficient. “Hope is not a program”, insists now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but Obama has made good on his campaign promises with plenty of programs though the benefits of all his policies have not been felt. He will have the opportunity, despite the midterm results, to craft a legacy. The President has four years to serve not just two. i
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Call: 210.729.8634, Fax: 210.729.8635 email: info@insider-magazine.gr, www.insider-magazine.gr insider athens | November 2010 25
Marq Riley meets the ambassador of design-conscious Norway in Greece, Sverre Stub, and learns about the noble nation’s ambition to make a difference at home, in Greece, and around the world.
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hen it was announced on October 8th that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize be awarded to writer and activist Liu Xiaobo for his “long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”, Chinese authorities were none too pleased. The People’s Republic Foreign Ministry protested that the Norwegian Nobel Committee had stepped beyond its principles of awarding the prize to individuals who promote international harmony and friendship, peace and disarmament. Here is a man who simply spoke out in favour of democratic reforms in his own country, including a call to end one-party rule in China, and as a consequence was arrested and sentenced to 11 years imprisonment for “inciting subversion of state power”. But it was Alfred Nobel’s will that such persons be feted for their efforts, as he strongly believed human rights constitute a prerequisite for the “fraternity between nations.” Norway is no stranger to pushing boundaries for the betterment of human life. Indeed, it has refined the art of international mediation, cultural understanding and environmental awareness. “We share with many others a vision for a better world,” remarks Sverre Stub, Norway’s Ambassador to Greece. “Based on basic principles as they are reflected in the charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Millennium Goals, Norway’s ambition is to contribute in areas where we may make a difference.” From his modest 7th-floor embassy office on Vassilisis Sofias avenue in central Athens, Ambassador Stub however insists such global agenda never strays from Norway’s own interests. “There is really no contradiction between an interest-based foreign policy and efforts to help strengthen
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Diplomacy respect for human rights, eradicate poverty in the world, improve the health of poor people, fight climate change, preserve biodiversity, and make the world free of weapons of mass destruction, cluster munitions and land mines.” It is in this light that Norway actively cooperates with Greece on a number of platforms, most significantly through the EEA Grants provided by Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to European Economic Area members. Greece will receive a total of 64.3 million euros over the next five years to, amongst others, ameliorate the reception capacity of asylum seekers in Greece. “The high number of irregular arrivals to the country is not only a Greek but a European problem,” highlights Stub. Many Asian and African immigrants, sometimes entire families, hope to pass through Greece on their way to Western European and Scandinavian nations. “We want to focus on the most vulnerable ones, which are unaccompanied minors.” The ambassador says he trusts that funds will be spent in a cost-effective and fully-transparent way, also with involvement of non-governmental organisations in the implementation of projects. A quarter of the grant has also been earmarked for investments in ‘green’ developments, boosting the current administration’s ambition to make a major switch to renewable energy resources. “I think Greece not only can, but must and will develop into a greener society,” predicts Stub.“This country is in a unique position to show the way, since sunny Greece probably has the highest per-capita solar energy potential in Europe. Also the wind energy potential is huge. Important legislative steps have been taken by Environment and Energy minister Tina Birbili, now the followup must include real encouragement to investors, including foreign ones.” The ambassador mentions that some Norwegian contenders tried to set up renewable energy operations here but eventually choked on excessive red-tape and turned to other countries instead. “There is no room any more for bureaucratic bottlenecks.” And how does the Norwegian ambassador see Greece squeeze itself through the current economic malaise? By getting a disciplined grip on spending and consumption and bringing them on par with the total value of national production. “In a globalised economy one has to be competitive and continuously modernise. The economic measures and structural reforms that Greece now has to implement are, as almost anyone will now agree, long overdue. After these adjustments to reality, I am confident the country will emerge with a stronger and healthier economy.” Whether Ambassador Stub will witness this emergence before his term here ends in September 2011 remains to be seen. But there is no doubt Norway is willing to share know-how and disseminate advice, especially through its informative www.norway.gr portal, from green development in the shipping industry to its most important export to Greece, Norwegian salmon. For his part, Stub is already looking forward to revisiting his current host nation. “From all seven countries where my wife and I have lived we have mainly very good memories. It is always people who are the focus of these memories. Greece will be no exception, and we will certainly join the quarter of a million Norwegian tourists and come back to this beautiful country.” i
Norway is nicknamed ”The Land of the Midnight Sun.” The name Norway is thought to mean “path to the North.” In Norway, education is free, even college and university education. Norwegian women and men spend more and more of their time on leisure activities, on average more than 6 hours a day. Norway was one of the first countries to establish a Ministry for the Environment (1972). The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway’s capital, every year. Norway enjoys the second highest GDP per capita, is the fifth largest oil exporter in the world, the second largest seafood exporter, the fifth most peaceful country and was voted as the most stable and well-functioning state by Foreign Policy magazine In size, Norway is the 6th largest country in Europe. In Norway there’s a saying that ”There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.” Also known for its fish, its fjords, its design culture and its dire performances in the Eurovision song contest! In Athens, this month, enjoy a slice of Norway through Ole Martin Høystad’s book “A history of the heart”, now translated into Greek at a presentation at (fittingly!) the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Syngrou Avenue at 7.30p.m. Join in some Christmas cheer at the Scandinavian Christmas Bazaar at Daidalo St, Plaka from 18 to 23 November and take in the works of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (of Scream Fame) at the Herakleidon Museum starting November 26.
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Stephanie Bailey talks to Costas Voyatzis about design, life and being the founder of design blog Yatzer.com, recently named one of the most influential design blogs by the Financial Times
For someone who started as a Physics student at the University of Athens, Costas Voyatzis is somewhat of a trailblazer. With the intention of becoming a meteorologist, his life took a different turn at the age of 22, when he was offered work as an assistant stylist at Greek magazine, Maison & Decoration.Voyatzis was soon made a stylist in his own right, and worked at the magazine for seven years, where he developed a passionate and personal interest in design that fuelled the creation of Yatzer.com, a design blog that has since been named one of the world’s most influential design blogs by the Financial Times. And no one is more surprised than Voyatzis himself, who only learned about the accolade when a friend informed him. “I didn’t expect Yatzer to become so popular!” he laughs, noting; “Of course, I work on the blog 24/7.” He then pauses before adding; “But it’s
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not an obsession, it’s a love affair.” Judging by the site’s reception, this love affair is shared by many. Having jumped from 300 visitors in the blog’s inaugural thirty days in January, 2007, the site now welcomes 400,000 visitors monthly. A testament to the power of the internet as a communication tool, Yatzer.com is also a testament to the growing appreciation for design as a part of daily life. “Design is everywhere,” Voyatzis states defiantly. “My motto is design to share. Even this chair I am sitting on now is sharing something with my body. So we are connected.This glass of water in my hand is connected. We have to appreciate every little thing -design affects the way we live our lives.” With an appreciation for connecting and sharing, it is fitting that Voyatzis’s outlet for his design passion manifested as an online platform. “The internet is chaos. Once you press the publish
Costas Voyatzis’s top design picks for Athens: Museum 1. The new Acropolis Museum Image Courtesy of The Acropolis Museum
2. Benaki Museum, Pireos Photo by Vangelis Paterakis
Galleries 3. The Apartment 4. Breeder
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button, you don’t know where the information is going to travel. It’s so exciting.What’s most powerful is all the email feedback I receive from around the world.That’s the best payment.”
neighbour.” In a globalised world connected by the internet, the term neighbour – or even the definition of what is design, or who is a designer - is open to interpretation.
It almost comes as no surprise that Voyatzis was known in his younger days by the nickname Voyager, an apt title if there ever was one. Today, he lives out his Odyssey online, and in turn, the journey translates into a real world voyage that has taken him worldwide both physically and virtually. In reality, it is this very connection between the offline and online worlds that is the driving force at the heart of the Yatzer project. Living in a time where information has never been more accessible, it is becoming increasingly necessary to communicate and make connections in order to evolve. As Voyatzis notes, “You cannot design if you cannot connect with your surroundings, or even your
As we walk through the city of Athens surrounded by the regular sounds of traffic, blearing horns, and of course, a protest nearby evidenced by riot police crossing our path, Voyatzis notes that if we learned to appreciate or accept things, life would perhaps get better. In many ways, it’s almost about taking control of one’s experiences. As Voyatzis muses; “Experiences are the most important things about life.That’s what makes us who we are.” Maybe that’s why beautiful design is so important to Voyatzis. It sets the stage upon which we are all players. i
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Food 5. Î Box Kifissia photo by Pavlos Tsokounoglou
6. PROSOPA Rouf photo by Vangelis Paterakis
Fashion 8.Yiorgos Eleftheriades www.yiorgoseleftheriades.gr
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9. Number 3 store
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Kolonaki
Cocktails 7. Ginger ale Exarchia Image Courtesy of Ginger Ale
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Design 10. Charles Eames furniture Courtesy of Charles Eames
11. THE LOVER by Jaime Hayón for the fantasy collection of Lladró
12. DEBASER / YSL 122x86cm, charcoal on paper - © Michael Zavros
13. Victoire helmet by Atelier RUBY
14. «For my fathers» © Gehard Demetz, 2009, wood, 260 x 90 x 51 cm, Courtesy Galleria Rubin, Milano, Photo by Alice A. Bosoni
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15. SWIMS galoshes
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thenians glammed it up and persevered through unrelenting rain and unseasonally low temperatures to cheer veterans and newcomers in the Greek fashion scene presenting their 2011 Spring/Summer Collections at the recently concluded 12th Athens Fashion Week at Technopolis in Gazi. Insider photographer Angelos Giotopoulos was there to capture the back-stage frenzy as models readied themselves to sashay in ruffled gowns by Nikos-Takis and sheer, flowing creations in vermillion red by Victoria Kyriakides. Other
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established Greek designers staging their collections included Aslanis, Delight, Kathy Heyndels, Panos Apergis, Katerina Alexandraki, Simeoni, Samantha Sotos,Valtadoros, Giannetos, Cathreen Mal and Lukas. KRUG 8 from Serbia who have been grabbing headlines in the fashion press lent an international touch to the event. Showcasing their talent for the very first time were graduates of Greek fashion schools in a twohour slot exclusively dedicated to encouraging budding designers. i
1. Make-up artist keeps his tools close at hand 2. Backstage with Katerina Alexandraki 3. Models backstage before the show kicks off 4. A model fastening her Aslanis rhinestone sandal 5. Getting powdered before the Simeoni show 6. Hair-raising creations by Katerina Alexandraki 7. Models dripping in gold for Samantha Sotos’ collection 8. A quick tug at the last string of an evening gown by Sotos before hitting the ramp 9. Victoria Kyriakides sets the stage on fire in a blazing flame gown 10. Detail of a Nikos Takis creation 11. Sheer and dreamlike nightwear by Nikos Takis
An architect, a publisher, a creative designer, a food photographer and a communication design company share their thoughts on the creative process involved in conceiving and delivering a successful design
With a Masters in Architecture from UCLA,Theodore Zoumboulakis established his own architectural firm in Athens in 1995, after working in Paris supervising the designing of Hermes’ boutiques worldwide and managing projects in New York, Seoul and Santiago, designing and supervising high-end retail stores.
Demetrios Fakinos graduated from the University of Strathclyde and moved back to Athens to launch a magazine devoted to design, designmag. He created EVGE (Greek design and illustration awards) in 2002 and is the Managing Director of the European Design Awards launched in 2007, which celebrates the best graphic design, illustration and interactive design across Europe.
Rodanthi Sendouka founded Red Design Consultants along with her sister Gina in response to an urgent need for branding and design in the Greek market. She is the creator of brands such as Metaxa, Apivita, AB, Eurobank and of the Athens 2004 Olympic symbol. In 2007, she launched etsi to initiate a dialogue between individual expression and the environment. She most recently won the Top Design Award in China for her creation, theYoYo bench.
Panagiotis Beltzinitis is one of Greece’s leading photographers specializing in food having shot pictures for 53 cookbooks and worked with major international brands in the food industry including Kraft, Nestle, Barilla and Kayak ice creams. His unique talent of presenting food as a work of art has been the subject of numerous exhibitions.
pi6 is an Athens-based communication design company founded in 2005 by Rena Chrysikopoulou and Michael David Ochs providing a wide range of design services. Both teach typography at Vakalo College of Art and Design and are co-founders and co-organisers of the annual Design Walk exhibition in Athens. Awards include Design and Illustration Awards, the European Design Awards, the International Poster Biennale in Warsaw, the Chicago International Poster Biennial and the iF communication design awards.
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Theodore
Zoumboulakis Architect
“in the private sector there have been some interesting works... Sadly the same dynamism doesn’t apply to public architecture...”
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aving designed Hermes boutiques in Paris and high-end retail stores in New York, Seoul and Santiago, Theodore Zoumboulakis brings an international component to his style and sensibility. “To design used to mean, very simply, to draw a plan (to be used) for the construction of a building, an object, or an industrial feature. As design became more sophisticated and qualitative, it began to be seen more as one of the ‘applied’ arts such as architecture or industrial design, implying the creation of something both aesthetic and functional. Nowadays, a design element, of whatever scale, from a tiny object to a part of a building, can often be seen as an artwork or a collectable in it’s own right. While designing, Zoumboulakis believes that apart from function, form could also follow intuition, or a whim. It could follow spontaneity or technological development or even express a social trend or articulate the authentic conception hidden behind it. Having set up base in Athens in 1995, Zoumboulakis has been witness to a new sense of aesthetics in the city’s landscape. “I think that in the private sector there have been some interesting works, both on a large and small scale. These have provided a new stimulus and had a positive effect on public aesthetics. There’s still a great deal of scope for improvement of course; it’s an infinite process.” Sadly the same dynamism doesn’t apply to public architecture where Zoumboulakis believes there’s been less progress with the primary preoccupation being the reduction of budgets and alterations of the plans of the architects or other originators.
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As far as trends in architecture are concerned, Zoumboulakis is convinced that “certain things will remain constant, such as cleanness and authenticity of expression, honesty in the use of materials and the avoidance of purely stylistic elements.” In a society obsessed with labels, future trends are reduced to hyphenated terms such as ‘environmentally-conscious’, ‘technologically-efficient and smart’ or ‘socially-friendly’. Architecture will definitely follow and absorb the above trends(or be led by them) but it will also follow it’s own artistic path, an unpredictable energy, leading towards the future, as has always been the case, and will be evaluated, inevitably, by the next generations.
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1. Renovation of a new store in Marousi. The store shows products of contemporary lighting, constructive and electromechanical equipment. comprising 210m2 of showroom and 143m2 of office space. 2. Renovation of a three-floor neoclassical residence at Plaka. 3. Apartment renovation in Athens. The apartment is located on the top floor of a 60’s building in Kolonaki.
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4. Rural residence at Vlihos (Hydra). Finishes of exposed concrete, cement, rusty iron and naturally timeworn wood dominate in the interior.
Demetrios
Fakinos
Publisher +Design mag.
“form follows function is a very good rule... but when it becomes a dogma, then troubles begin”
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emetrios Fakinos is largely credited with putting Greece on the international design map. “For me, design is researching, planning and executing a solution to a given problem; it is a ‘functional art’.” Fakinos is, in true Greek fashion, not a big fan of rules. But admits, “form follows function is a very good rule. At its time it helped design to evolve by growing out of its ornamental ‘burdens’. But of course, just like in any other case, when people take a rule too literally, when they are not willing to bend it, when it becomes a dogma, then troubles begin”. At a time when design was a little understood concept in Greece, Fakinos launched a magazine devoted to design 12 years ago. “My motivation to launch + design was my love for design and the complete lack of any relative media to cover the local scene. It has indeed become a means of recording the trends (not only in Athens, but all around Greece for that matter). In these past 12 years we have been fortunate enough to witness a boom in creativity. Many young people (lots of them who have studied abroad) have helped boost the industry and have literally put Greece on the European design map… mainly on their own steam without any help from the ‘establishment’. Not content with launching a magazine, Fakinos conceived of the European Design Awards to reward on the basis of a. design quality (in terms of the execution) b. creativity (in terms of originality and artistic quality) c. relevance (in terms of to what extent the design serves the specific purpose it was designed for). Fakinos continues, “What really makes the European Design Awards special is its jury, which is probably the most well equipped jury in the industry. It is made not of designers (as is usually the case in other competitions) but of design critics and journalists.They are the people who «judge design work for a living» by selecting work to be presented in their magazines, or by curating exhibitions.” For Fakinos, design goes hand in hand with industry. “ Industry is something Greece never had.As an economy, we went straight from the primary sector (mainly agriculture) to the tertiary (services) sector, without ever really growing the secondary sector (manufacture) on which design feasts.” Fakinos is encouraged by “the excellent examples of design work by groups and individuals”, but believes Athens has a long way to go. 1. +design magazine cover 2. A product of Greek (industrial) design:Y-plug (by edg). It incorporates a LED screen, indicating energy consumption of any appliance connected, thus reminding the user of his habits and helping him reduce any waste of energy. 3. A product of Greek (animation) design: Nomint is a Greek animation studio that has won numerous international awards
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4. The most creative people in Europe gathered in the “family picture” after the 2010 ED-Awards ceremony that was hosted in Rotterdam
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Rodanthi
Sendouka
Creative Director
“We start by putting the brand on the couch. Then it has to undertake a series of psychological and emotional tests...”
or Rodanthi Sendouka of Red Design Consultants and top winner at China’s Most Successful Design Awards, 2010 for the Yoyo bench, “Design is a strong communication tool. It has more values than aesthetics, and when combined with branding, is key to a successful brand.”The Yoyo Bench, which is made of O.S.B material from recycled and compressed wood, is weather-resistant and designed to inspire green thinking. From creating brands and intellectual property to designing a commercial object, Rodanthi seems to make the leap with relative ease. “Design is a modern means of communication that goes beyond place and time and strongly invades different cultures. At Red Design Consultants, our motto is ‘creating brands that matter’, full of meaning and feeling. Design expresses basic human values and needs.The design innovation of YoYo for example expresses a very basic need to relax and rest for a moment, while it creates a happy fun feeling due to its shape and its ‘sexy’ curves. It opens a pure dialogue with the consumer. Its winning position in Top China Awards proves that design has no borders.” Rodanthi describes the first encounter with a brand as a visit to the shrink.“We start by putting the brand on the couch.Then it has to undertake a series of psychological and emotional tests to understand the full potential of the brand even before starting to design or envisioning it.” Of course building a strong relationship with clients, understanding their vision and collaborating with them as a team is the key to creating a successful brand, she adds. At Red Design Consultants, we develop leading brands, clarify their vision, refine their strategy and re-invent them in a national and international environment.“Our unique expertise, passion for originality and intimate attention to detail has re-shaped the contemporary Greek environment. Our approach offers strategic design with substance and emotion.
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On Athens being a design capital, she shrugs and responds, “Design is highly bound to business innovation. This is the reason why Berlin, NewYork or China lately set the pace of World Design Trends. That said, Greek designers with talent, quality and professionalism could work and excel internationally. In other words we can ‘export’ talent and operate from controversial, yet wonderful Athens.
1. Esti, a new brand by Red Design Consultants 2. Kyknos re-branded and re-packaged 3. Logos created by Red Design Consultants
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4. The Yoyo bench, winner of China’s Design Awards
Panagiotis
Beltzinitis Food Photographer
“The ugliness of Athens could become the canvas of young talented designers of all fields...”
Panagiotis Beltzinitis uses food as his inspiration for design by capturing its myriad textures through his lens. As a food photographer, Beltzinitis believes that “molecular gastronomy or haute cuisine are in the realm of design, because materials and ingredients are used as forms, volumes and lines. The ingredients’ transparency plays with light in a way that light itself becomes a part of the recipe and converts into an ingredient.” To draw the viewer into a world beyond quotidian associations of food, Beltzinitis suggests photography a way out to the reality. He continues, “The raw material of the photographic image is the real field of groping of the visual world while light, time and objects are the tools that form the material. The image is always there. What you have to do is capture it.” In his molecular gastronomy photography, Beltzinitis rarely use plates. Food is put on surfaces made of structural materials like glass, stone, plexiglass.The result is the sense of an urban construction to live in, not to eat. For someone who has been working with food for 18 of his 24 years as a photographer, Beltzinitis claims one of the best perks of his job is that “the models I work with, never object to me!” In food architecture, the basic ingredient of the recipe plays a primary role in the image. As Beltzinitis explains, “It becomes our guide for the rest of the ingredients which are very important, too. In cooperation with the executive chef we decide on the form, the size and shape of the cooked material. All materials together construct the architecture of the image. In some cases we follow trends influenced by fashion, cinema, architecture, design while in others we create a trend, hopefully a successful one!” Unsure of whether it is food that inspires his photography or vice versa, the lensman insists that “neither culinary skill nor photography should have precedence over each other. Chef and photographer should find harmony together.” Though Beltzinitis lives and works in Athens, he finds his city visually unappealing. “The ugliness of Athens could become the canvas of young talented designers of all fields, so that this town could become prettier. Only then could I see Athens as a Design Capital”.
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M Communication design company
“Ambitious design is concerned about the meaning of things and questions the functions.”
ichael David Ochs and Rena Chrysikopoulou, founders of pi6 and co-founders and co-organisers of the annual Design Walk exhibition in Athens like to see design as “a link between the one who provides something (this can be a message, a company, product, etc.) and the habits and needs of the audience (target group)”. Ochs continues, “The design process often implicates an intensive examination of social, economical and ecological aspects and is therefore much more than just the forming of a beautiful packaging for a message or product. Ambitious design is concerned about the meaning of things and is questioning the functions”. All projects undertaken by pi6 are analysed in terms of content which serves as the starting point and basis for each design process. A lot of emphasis is given to typography and to design that communicates the purpose. What motivated them to create a walking design celebration? “The original idea was to bring Athenians closer to design and visual communication as they weave their way through cult shops, hip bars and works by award-winning designers in an inspiring neighbourhood, Psyrri”. In its fourth year running, Design Walk (www. designwalk.gr) is a ‘creative festival’ which aims to promote contemporary Greek design, to engage and educate the public, involving designers, residents and visitors. Chrysikopoulou pipes in, “For three days each year, all participating studios open their doors, inviting the public to a unique cultural and educational ‘walk’, presenting exhibitions and projects designed exclusively for this event”. Through it’s four consecutive years of existence, Design Walk has triggered a profound dialogue between graphic designers and the public, by presenting exhibitions that deal with the limits of design, the creative process, the relationship between contemporary design and other art forms and the role of the designer in today’s society. Ochs and Chrysikopoulou do not foresee Athens leaping on to the forefront of design anytime soon and add very matter-of-factly, “ Maybe some time in the future. But for the moment Athens has to cope with a more essential challenge than becoming the next Design Capital.”
1. Love Lyrics was designed in the framework of the wider subject «Poles Apart», where pi6 communication design presented it for its exhibition Symbolic vs Literal at the 2010 Athens Design Walk 2. Delicious-hearts : Cookbook designed in the framework of the wider subject «Poles Apart», where pi6 communication design presented it for its exhibition Symbolic vs Literal at the 2010 Athens Design Walk. 3 & 4. Trimestrial programme of the Megaron Athens concert Hall.
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Carrying the centuries old heritage of jewellerymaking at Zolotas on his young shoulders and following the legacy of designers such as Paloma Picasso, who created for the Greek jewellery house in the seventies, Georges Papalexis has managed to carve a niche for himself.
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eorges Papalexis has had very high expectations to live up to as the young CEO of one of Greece’s most recognisable jewellery brands in a fiercely competitive and challenging environment.Vandals pillaging the Zolotas store on Stadiou street in December 2008 to the economic downturn and the subsequent drop in tourist arrivals would hardly be considered conducive to creativity yet Zolotas has come up with winning designs by collaborating with artists such as Nisa (acclaimed French sculptress and wife of former French minister Jean-Pierre Chevenement) and by creating contemporary easy-to-wear pieces. “It is very interesting to work with artists who come from different horizons than a conventional jewellery designer. The result is always very creative and distinct from typical jewellery. At the Zolotas house we have had the privilege of working with many renowned artists such as Paloma Picasso, Takis, Fassianos and Nisa”. For Papalexis, “getting inspired by sculptures and paintings and translating them into jewellery is always a challenge, it is also a journey into someone else’s world and the result is immensely satisfying to both parties. The fusion is unique and gives birth to very distinctive jewellery, which we always create in limited series in order to keep
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its rarity. Some of the pieces are even made just once and are quoted as true art pieces and purchased by collectors”. It was a particularly rewarding moment for Papalexis when his design was selected for the Special Olympics torch. From designing jewellery to creating the torch for the Special Olympics 2011, Papalexis seeks inspiration from “all kinds of visual elements issued from the Mediterranean civilization such as art, nature and architecture.” In keeping with the Zolotas tradition of intricate creations inspired by early Greek designs, Papalexis “ likes getting inspired from older or ancient elements and to reintroduce them as jewellery with a modern cut.” He adds, “At Zolotas, the driving principle has always been to honour Beauty through a combination of precision craftsmanship together with the fabulous memories inherited from classic Greek art and innovations.” The house’s appeal has endured over the years - its distinctive rings, drop earrings, necklaces and bracelets are still a draw after more than a century. Papalexis describes the Zolotas clientele as “individuals always in search of true values within their acquisitions. They belong to an elite group of people who choose to be and act different. They appreciate the values of our classical spirit, go along with our aesthetic, enjoy our perfection and get excited by our modern cut.” i
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Agora
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1. White sofa,Vitra (Kifissias 220, Halandri)
7. Wall clock by P. Drantakis, Astrolavos Art Life (Irodotou 11, Athens)
2. Baobab desk by Philippe Stark for Vitra, Zoumboulakis Galleries (Kriezotou 6, Athens)
8. Cleopatra Bar handing light, F&M Fos (Vouliagmenis 7, Glyfada)
3. Washing machine by SMEG (Kifissias 3, Maroussi)
9. Andy Warhol by Ottmat Horl, Zoumboulakis Galleries (Kriezotou 6, Athens)
4. Stack chest of drawers by Shay Alkalay for Established & Sons, Zoumboulakis Galleries (Kriezotou 6, Athens)
10. Boca ceramic heart by Oscar Casla, Zoumboulakis Galleries (Kriezotou 7, Athens)
5. Tree coat hanger, Myran (Fokylidou 3, Athens)
11. Left to Right floor lamp by Julian Appelius, Zoumboulakis Galleries (Kriezotou 6, Athens)
6. Metallic mirror from old barrels by African artists, Zoumboulakis Galleries (Kriezotou 6, Athens)
12. Front Page magazine rack, Kartell (Irodotou 19, Athens)
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Agora
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1. Panton chair,Vitra (Kifissias 220, Halandri) 2. Invisible chair, Kartell (Irodotou 19, Athens) 3. Chair One concrete swivel by Konstantin Grcic for Magis, Zoumboulakis Galleries (Kriezotou 6, Athens)
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4. Masters chair, Kartell (Irodotou 19, Athens) 5.Voido rocking chair by Ron Arad for Magis, Zoumboulakis Galleries (Kriezotou 6, Athens) 6. RAW lounge chair by Muuto available at Myran (Fokylidou 3, Athens)
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Taking a holistic approach to a modern lifestyle rich in design and luxury, Giorgios Carabellas has conceived TR2/Thission Revisited 2, a concept store that houses a full range of design items expressing the personal look and feel of the designer himself. The shop features exclusive objects by renowned designers and design houses including fixtures from Original BTC, furniture by 11%, various innovations by VOIS Architects, hand-made house slippers by Foster & Son, a full line of products by CIRCA 1920, and design objects picked up by Carabellas during various travels and world explorations. TR2 is open Saturday and Sunday from 12 – 6 pm and by appointment.
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Deco
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Cécile Pierrat and Valerie Boissieres use their innate sense of French aesthetics to launch an online deco boutique that offers affordable home furnishing and accessories Choosing an object or a design for others on the basis of what appeals to you mustn’t be an easy affair. How do you decide on what qualifies as ‘good taste’? We have a very simple vision of ‘good design’ even if we believe it is subjective and differs from one individual to another. We base our selection on four concepts: aesthetics, originality, functionality and quality although we must admit that a ‘coup de coeur’ (an instant attraction) might overlook those criteria. Since we are an increasingly green-conscious society, we consider it natural to include environment-friendly objects. This explains the ‘eco-friendly’ style we have added in our online store. What is important is that we take real pleasure and joy in picking practical, amusing, intelligent yet aesthetic objects. Any reason why you decided to set up an e-shop instead of following the tried-and-tested retail route? Do you think Greece is ready to embrace online shopping? One of our objectives when we launched Oladeco was to react against a rather standardized offer on the Greek market, which is also often the
case with large distribution chains. Oladeco brings with it a refreshingly new style through a relatively new medium, the internet. We believe that online shopping is the future.Younger Greeks are more familiar with the web and are attracted by the relative ease and comfort of buying online. The other attraction is that the European designers we represent are little or practically unknown in Greece.We have also sourced some Moroccan and Thai designers who have an exceptional ’savoir-faire’ and are little known in the Greek market. Our objective is for Oladeco to become a platform that promotes young Greek and international designers. Your items seem to play with different moods, different seasons. Decor reflects one’s personality and it varies a lot according to the buyer’s sensibility.We express different styles so as to have a larger audience. But we also offer the possibility of adding a personal touch or a contemporary twist to a festive occasion. Home decorating is most appreciated when trends, feelings, sentiments, even seasons are reflected by small touches of originality and oodles of good taste. As they say, the devil is in the details. i
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Architects Nikolas Travasaros and Maria Nikolakopoulou and interior designer Sophia Vantaraki recount their experience in restoring an 18th century mansion tucked into the Peloponessian hillside into a contemporary design hotel, the Kinsterna Hotel and Spa
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ith echoes of its layered history whispering through its fortified town, Monemvasia is so much more than a 300 metre high rock.Weaving through its rich Byzantine, Ottoman,Venetian and Greek history, Monemvasia’s rugged beauty is enhanced by the mystery and simplicity of its 800 houses (some in advanced states of ruin) and by four of the 40 churches that once stood proudly in the Kastro. When architects Nikolas Travasaros and Maria Nikolakopoulou of Divercity Architects took on the challenging task of converting an 18thcentury mansion (with parts of the building built even earlier, in the 13th century) to a hotel, the architects decided to draw on inspiration from the building’s long history and the unique nature of Monemvasia. Says Travasaros, “It was enormously challenging and stimulating for a designer to face up to a building with such history and attempt to bestow a modern character and sense of style to it without offending it. The most difficult part of the design process was to strike a balance between old and modern, traditional and innovative, familiar and unexpected. For that purpose contemporary and traditional ideas were combined to produce a fresh yet familiar outcome.”
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Sophia Vantaraki who was the interior designer, explains, “ The design encourages the visitor’s personal interpretation of the building historyas a voyage through time- based on a key natural element: the water.” Not surprising as the Kinsterna Hotel and Spa owes its name to the Byzantine word for the age-old cistern around which it is built and which, for centuries, has breathed life into the surrounding fertile land, towering trees, and olive groves. Today the cistern, with its cantilevered platforms, provides a most relaxing setting where meals are served while taking-in the stunning views of the rolling vineyards and sparkling Aegean.The freshwater spring continues its path past the cistern, emerges from the building’s basement and, gradually gathering flow on its way towards the citrus groves, eventually forming the remarkably designed river-like swimming pool with the private relaxation areas. The Spa’s layout and design create a stimulating space which, as it unfolds, leads the guest from the initial darkness of the reception area and changing rooms towards the sunlight which bathes the central area of the spa .
The 27 suites and rooms have been restored and designed creating a uniquely welcoming and warm atmosphere which blends with Monemvasia’s authentic character. Most suites and rooms offer stunning views to the Aegean, the castle-city of Monemvasia and the surrounding gardens, vineyards and citrus and olive groves.Travasaros continues, “ In a place with such a strong character, trying to impress with monumental designs would overshadow the building. Discreet though dynamic designs were incorporated in a way that accentuate the personality of the place.” The atmosphere of the original building has been painstakingly recreated by carefully implementing traditional construction methods and using authentic local materials in all the suites and rooms. The whole core of the design concept consists in bringing to the surface the building’s history and cultural significance by offering to the guests moments of remembrance. But the visitor has a role to play too: to breathe new life and a new energy into it, not as a spectator but as an interpreter of the building’s heritage. i
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Greece has long been renowned as a Mecca for windsurf. Now surfing is fast becoming the hot new winter sport. Graham Wood talks breakers and swells with Greek surf association president Stefan Aslanidis.
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ew experiences, we are often told, can better the feeling of riding a wave. First there’s the slow, relaxed paddling as you head out into the water in excited anticipation. Then comes the waiting as you lay prostrate on your piece of fiberglass-covered polyurethane checking to see what the sea has in store. The moment that bigger wave begins to roll in behind you is when the paddling becomes furious as you try to build up speed. As the wave catches up on you there is no let up in the paddling just yet. You give your all for the next few strokes until you feel you have caught that breaker. Then comes the most difficult and exhilarating part: getting on your feet and riding that wave as far as it will carry you. Finally, that feeling of spiritual euphoria leaves its mark. Now, more and more Greeks are discovering the magic of surfing in their own backyard, which to the surprise of many does have some great spots for catching waves. It may be true that where water sports is concerned, windsurf and kitesurf are still top dogs due to the country’s islands and wind conditions, but surfing is gaining a real foothold in the mindset of Greeks. An important landmark came in September when last month, when the International Surfing Association (ISA) announced that Greece has been formally recognized as its newest member. So, what took them so long? “Surfing in Greece is a very young sport, with a very young history,” Aslanidis tells Insider.“A few years ago people thought that there weren’t any surfable waves in Greece. This has changed and more and more
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Sports
places have been discovered for surfing.This year we contacted the ISA, to use their knowledge and support for promoting surfing in Greece on another level. First with surf schools, and who knows, maybe Greek surfers joining the ISA events around the world sometime soon.” The Hellenic Surfing Association actually began actively promoting surfing back in 2003, organizing the inaugural Greek Open National Surfing Championships near Heraklion, Crete on November 1 of that year. “We are very happy and proud of the recognition from the Greek Surfing Association,” says Aslanidis, who also co-operates his own surfshop Secret Spot (www.secretspot.gr). “Greek surfing is taking its very first steps, and today there are about 400 active surfers in the country.” Greece is obviously well known around the world more as a windsurf destination. But Aslanidis doesn’t feel that this has prevented the progress of surf in the past. “No, I don’t think that is the case,” he explains. “Greece offers perfect conditions for windsurfing, it is a windsurf destination in the world map of windsurfers and many big events are held here every year. Greece also has many talented athletes in many categories in windsurfing.There is a long history there which unfortunately we do not have in surfing. For surfing, the waves are not consistent and not of the same quality.” “Around Athens, where half of the population lives, you can only surf around 15-20 days a year. If you want to surf more, you have to travel
a lot, to western Greece or to the islands, depending on the weather conditions. If you do so, you can also surf a lot, but mostly wind waves. If you are considering trying out surfing in Greece, for the best conditions a wet suit is a necessity as the peak time of year is in the winter months”, Aslanidis explains. “The biggest waves come with south winds, which are stronger and more consistent in the winter. In this period we can have real swells, good waves without wind, especially in western Greece. But you can surf all year around in Greece.” Does the reliance on wind have a major effect on the quality of the waves then? “The waves are wind waves, often choppy and not as powerful as in the ocean.You need to use wider, fatter boards on most days,” Aslanidis reveals. “But Greece is a good place to lean. The first school was set up in Tinos, this beautiful island in the Aegean this summer. Maybe a few more will spring up around Greece in the next year or so. The waves are not big, but the water is warm, and you can surf all day if there are waves; no tides restrict your surf throughout the day.” While opportunities for catching waves around Athens are limited – even though Vouliagmeni beach is a popular location when the winds are right - there are many popular surf spots around Greece, especially in the Peloponnese, the province of Epirus (between Preveza and Parga in northwest Greece and around Lagouvardos in the southwest) and on the island of Crete around Chania.” Greece is now eligible to compete in the world championships and other international events. But although there are no professional Greek surfers just yet, Aslanidis has high hopes that it is only a matter of time before this happens. “There are some very talented young surfers, who are going for it, searching for every wave they can find,” he says.“I hope that we will see one of our own competing on the professional circuit.” Some final advice for someone wanting to experience the surf scene in Greece? “Just enjoy the sport in one of the most beautiful places, combining nice beaches, good food and Greek hospitality with the magic feeling of surfing a wave.” Amen to that. i
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Wellness
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With tips on curing the winter blues and restoring moisture to dry and damaged skin, Marylise Sauliere offers tips on how to achieve lasting effects without breaking the bank or undergoing non-invasive medical procedures
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nti-ageing is a major concern today for women and men alike as the expectation for us to stay younger for longer becomes increasingly important. This expectation has triggered a revolution in the field of plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine, resulting in a vast array of non-invasive techniques now at the disposal of men and women. Lasers, mesotherapy, micro dermabrasion, fillers and Botox have great appeal, but before making the decision to rejuvenate there are several truths and alternatives to consider. First, it is clear that non-invasive techniques do not reverse or prevent maturing skin once and for all. Laser sessions and mesotherapy require regularly repeated sessions to really produce results. Even Botox injections last only about six months and can be quite costly and unpleasant, blowing up your beauty budget for a questionably long lasting benefit. Second, while being treated non-invasively, the pleasure of a soothing facial massage is lost. The power of hands-on contact is scientifically proven to have a positive, energetic effect. Touch is also known to change the polarity of magnetic fields and to expel toxins from muscles. Just as breakthroughs in the medical field have realized tremendous progress, so has the field of cosmetics. There are several brands that specialize in antiageing, and offer creams, serums, masks and intensive care for convenient use at home. Most of these brands incorporate the new secret of youth; peptides, in their formulas. Peptides are proteins that help the sustaining fibres of the skin, collagen and elastin, to keep their cohesion. Together with hyaluronic acid, collagen, liposomes and ceramides, peptides are at the heart of extremely efficient formulas that return a youthful glow to any complexion. Your local beautician can often provide the most advanced anti-ageing care at a more reasonable price than a medical treatment, making it a more pleasurable experience, and not necessarily less effective.Treatment descriptions that include the words “lifting” or “anti-wrinkle” work best, especially when repeated at least five or six times at the beginning of winter. For even better results, start with a deep cleansing of the skin, followed by treatments that incorporate fruit acids (AHA) for a brighter tone and, finish with regenerating facials.You will retrieve the firm, glowing skin of your dreams, and if it does not last forever (nothing does) at least you will have had a good time. 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 Valmont’s Prime Genaration products ranging from 140 – 150 Euros. For product information and availability contact Orloff Ltd at 210.522.6215
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Discovering Holmes Place Clubs and their ‘live well’ philosophy
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olmes Place Clubs are ‘members only’ fitness & lifestyle clubs with an international presence in many European countries and count over 250.000 loyal members, which through Holmes, have achieved an upgraded lifestyle and a renewed quality of life. In Greece there are two health clubs, Holmes Place Athens & Holmes Place Maroussi. Holmes Place Clubs stand at the leading edge of the health and fitness industry, promoting wellbeing, both physical and mental, as a way of life. The high quality and aesthetics of its facilities, the indoor heated swimming pool with UV cleaning system, the state-of-the-art equipment and the excellent services, offer a challenging environment that constantly adds to the enhancement of its members’ performance while at the same time giving them the opportunity to relax and rejuvenate through a wide range of spa & massage therapies.
The facilities and services offered by Holmes Place include: 25m swimming pool, cardio theater & resistance training area, group studio classes (cardio, aqua, dance, yoga, etc.), Pilates and Spinning studios, 10 personal training programs, squash courts (only in Maroussi Club), Nutrition Center, Wellness Scan service, sauna & hamam, Asian Spa & City Retreats and café-restaurant. At Holmes Place you will have a perfect, tailor made workout experience whatever your fitness level or your personal goals. You will leave stress behind and offer yourself a physical and mental rejuvenation. At Holmes Place Clubs, exercise becomes enjoyment and enjoyment a way of life, with the members of Holmes living by a basic wellness principle: move well – eat well – feel well… one life. live it well. i
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I-Spa by Asian Spa at the Athenaeum Intercontinental proves that there is always time for a bit of relaxation
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ne of the most imposing hotels in the city, the Athenaeum Intercontinental is a landmark just off one of the busiest avenues in the city; but once the hotel entrance doors slide shut behind you, a vast and modern hotel lobby offers a completely different atmosphere.
Asian Spa, an independent spa company that manages the hotel spa offers a refreshingly professional take on the leisure spa. Designed by a German company known for clean and contemporary style, the spa is as functional as it is chic. Like clockwork, I was pleasantly greeted with a cup of cold tea and warm hand cloth upon arrival, and once my treatments, a fifty minute ‘Youthful Glow’ facial, and a 50 minute ‘Royal I Spa’ massage, were thoroughly explained to me, I was escorted to the changing rooms where I prepared for the experience ahead. Beginning with the facial treatment, I was pleasantly surprised to find that creams were not simply applied and removed one after the other, but instead, my complexion began to feel thoroughly rehydrated, and
what particularly caught my attention, was that my therapist actually stayed around to give me a hand and foot massage after applying a facial mask instead of simply leaving me to lay there. Moving on to I-Spa’s signature massage, and again, not feeling like I was simply being caressed, the Thai techniques used and the constant adjustment of pressure made for a deeply effective relaxation experience. Topped of with warm massage oil and covered with a warm towel, I lay there at the end of my treatment soaking it all in. After all was said and done, I walked through the spa past the usual sauna, hamam, and steam room, but what caught my attention was the relaxation room. With just the right lighting and amazingly designed, the room was lined with tile covered lounge chairs, heated from within. The chairs seemed to lock in the ultimate state of relaxation that my body now found itself in. With a cup of hot tea by my side, I could have laid there for hours. i
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A Design for Life:
Troo Food Liberation at the Breeder Feeder Food, politics, and the environment collide with art, design and good clean fun at the Breeder Gallery’s new project, the Breeder Feeder. Stephanie Bailey investigates.
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rom the outset, the Breeder Feeder project, sounded intriguing.The idea of a restaurant-cum-food project taking form in one of Greece’s premier contemporary galleries was too delicious for words.Yet meeting the members of Troo Food Liberation, the team at the helm of the project for three months, I quickly realise that there is in fact an abundance of words to express the complexity of what we put into our mouths. The only problem was trying to fit the entire Feeder concept into one article. Within architect Aris Zambikos’s award-winning renovation of a monolithic 70’s structure that is the Breeder gallery, fellow architect Andreas Angelidakis has created a visual representation of a collage nation through the Feeder space. An amalgamation of two design concepts; smooth, minimalist white forms of chairs and tables united with antique furniture sourced from flea markets in the surrounding Metaxourgeio area coupled with traditional Greek folk accents, the interior expresses parallel worlds with reference to the Alafrangas - European-educated Greeks led by Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first leader of the independent state, who believed in a nation directly descended from its ancient past. In the Feeder menu, which doubles as a zine, the entire concept behind Angelidakis’s vision for the space is made poignant with the simplicity of the information at hand. Angelidakis references the 1893 declaration of national bankruptcy by then Greek Prime Minister Harilaou Trikoupi. A result of overspending and systemic corruption, in that year, the International Financial Commission was established ‘to supervise the enormous loans that would enable Greece to become an independent nation’. Nevertheless, before I even received my amuse bouche shot of blue green algae with orange juice, mint, cardamom and vanilla, my mind was already directly engaged with the Feeder space as a concept, and the food, with all it represents - soon became an expansion of that. In a referenced 1836 engraving of the Beautiful Hellas Café, the Alafrangas are depicted wearing western suits on the left side of the café while on the right, men wearing foustanellas characteristic of Greek independence fighters sit and drink raki.Watching the four-member Troo Food Liberation team work inside Angelidakis’s Feeder design that evokes the clash of two Greek identities, the image of that 1836 café is brought to the present. Amidst the sleek clientele, the young, enthusiastic self-defined Troo Food Rebels move through the tables somewhat bemused by the uber fashionable art setting, serving raw food concoctions with a warmth that melts the cool, design interior. From their tiny kitchen, an atmosphere spills into the room and into the food. Sitting together with cups of fresh Luisa tea pulled from their balcony herb garden, they tell me that the food tastes better because they are having so much fun. At the same time, serving up dishes that are somewhat alien to a Greek audience, they are obviously enjoying the response; after all, Troo Food Liberation is not all about food. It’s about re-discovering the source of our existence. “For us it is all about re-designing the way we look at food,” explains Troo Food Liberator Dafni Tsatsou. “The way we live and eat is so designed.” “The food that we make is pretty much the oldest kind of food you can get in the most modern of contexts,” enlightens Martin Newman, an Athens-based Londoner with a granny who knows how to eat well. Danae Tsekoura, another member of the four member chef collective continues; “Raw food cuisine
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Food for thought
in its gourmet form is a modern concept but all the ingredients we use have always been around.” Pretty simple stuff really, as fellow Troo Food Liberator Elli Lygnos pipes in; “Animals go into the wild to eat and they eat what they need to eat.We should remember that we are animals, too, and earth provides us with what we need to be strong and healthy.” Divided into three one-month menus, the first installation of the raw food extravaganza is titled, Healing, while the next two that follow are titled Sensuality, which will look at local farming, farming methods, and the environment.The final chapter, the History of Food, covers food rituals, food riots, and the origins of food.Talking to the Troo Food team, it soon becomes clear that within creations as simple as the divine Shitake Mushroom Soup with Raw Coconut Oil and Nut Cream, there is a mountain of meaning in every plate that they serve. “The more you learn, the more you read, and the more you are involved in the decisions you make about what you eat you realise that there is so much to consider,” elaborates Tsatsou. “What you eat not only affects your body, but your local farmers, your local environment and even people or environments that are not local. Through this project we are also discovering what other people are doing that relates to what we are doing,” Tsekoura elucidates, as the group proceed to talk about a younger generation of people around the world who are developing communes, co-ops and other programs that aim to provide good, clean food, untainted by the social, political and economic systems that have somewhat directed the way that we eat, making the food movement a political one.“Food and politics are completely connected,” interjects Newman. “It’s the raw part of our life.You cannot escape the food system.” And so the Troo Food Rebels have taken it upon themselves to at least provide an escape from the food system, at least just for an evening.The hope is, perhaps a meal at the Feeder space might encourage small steps to a better way of living. “It’s just about finding how to slot these changes into the way people live,” Newman insists, while Tsekoura nods her head in agreement;“In Athens, this is an issue with the city.There is asphalt everywhere; you don’t really have contact with nature. Food is an extension of that. Realistically people are not going to grow their own food or even make their own food in the city.That’s why people are creating co-ops and places where food is accessible.” But, like most ventures in Greece, things are never easy, and as Troo Food acknowledge, people have to go about making positive changes on their own. “But there are things starting up and this is what keeps us going,” says Newman. “We went to an eco fair last week and there were so many great things happening that we didn’t even know about. There were stands with architects promoting building with natural materials, loads of organic farmers, and people making organic products.” And though they know that is a slow process, Troo Food Liberation remains unfazed. “It’s about rediscovering an old design that exists but has been forgotten,” Newman concludes.“And these changes take time. But if someone who comes to the Feeder leaves inspired to buy herbs for their balcony, then we’ve done something.” When it comes to changes as large as cultural, social or political schisms, every little thing counts. Even the food we put in our bodies. i THE BREEDER FEEDER, Perdika 6, 10436, Athens. Open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9pm. For reservations: T/F: +30 210 33 17 527 or email feeder@thebreedersystem.com. For updates see www.thebreederfeeder.blogspot.com.
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Gastronomy
A Insider indulges in a memorable Sunday brunch at Al Fresco to the sound of waves and peals of children’s laughter from the Westin Kid’s Club next door
l Fresco might not be the most original name for an Italian restaurant by the water, but it certainly is the most fitting for this new addition at the Westin. Al Fresco embraces not just the pleasure of eating outdoors to the music of the sea but also the whole philosophy of enjoying good, wholesome food in harmony with nature. Cool and unpretentious, its cuisine and décor are uncluttered in a setting that is truly breathtaking. Swiss chef Michel Jost, who calls the shots at the restaurant, is all set to convert the Al Fresco into a weekend destination for families with kids while catering to hotel guests and business diners on weeknights.That said, more demanding diners can expect a gourmet experience without the formality and pomp that usually accompanies it. Jost has been living and working in Greece for the past ten years but is a newcomer to Athens (he was based in Thessaloniki until April this year) and understands his Greek clientele well. The chef describes his kitchen at Al Fresco as one churning out “traditional sophisticated Italian fare with an accent on fresh produce and authentic ingredients.”The result is sophisticated cuisine accessible to all – children and adults alike.The menu also varies from the summer months where the demand for family meals is high to more creative cuisine in the winter. While the look and feel might be casual, there is nothing nonchalant about Jost’s approach. Constantly juggling between ubiquitous Italian fare that patrons expect to more refined dishes for the discerning, Jost’s new winter menu at the Al Fresco has “familiar starters such as caprese buffalo mozzarella with ripe tomatoes, basil pesto and grissini to more sophisticated yet quintessentially Italian options such as frito misto – fried Mediterranean fish, baby squid and shrimp with marinated peppers on a bouquet of green with anchovy dressing.” Insider’s vote for the main course would be linguine alle vongole – flat strands of pasta in a piquant, peperoncino-garlic sauce with clams, chopped parsley and thyme. For meat lovers there is always veal steak with slow baked tomato and fresh basil, served with Marsala sauce (where the main ingredient is Marsala wine mixed with herbs, garlic, onions and mushrooms). While the food and the location are certainly a draw, an added attraction is the fact that parents can actually get some respite from the usual, energy-sapping Sunday brunch experience. So instead of doling out non-stop instructions to restless offspring (usually to little effect) and having very little meaningful adult conversation (whatever that is), the upside at the Westin is that one can avail of the facilities at the Westin Kid’s Club. That translates to children having fun and parents feeling like ‘before they’d become parents.’ And if that might sound off-putting to the singles lobby, the fact that the kid’s club is next door means fewer cantankerous children in the restaurant. So parent or not, head towards the sea, tuck in a hearty meal at arguably one of the most spectacular spots on earth and wrap up with a few dolci to let the moment linger. i
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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
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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
Register Now!
210.890.2000
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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 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
Edodi Veikou 80 Tel: 210.921.3013 Fresh ingredients presented at your table, then cooked to perfection
Ilias Lalaounis museumonicino
Elaea Bistrot Makriyanni 19-21 Tel: 210.921.2280
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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
Greece is for Lovers
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.
Villa Mercedes
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
Milos Garden
Bambineria Kanari 5, Tel: 210.339.2597 Designer togs for tots
Hiltonia
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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
Cycladic Museum
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central Athens
Bespoke Athens
Linea Piu Sekeri 6, Tel: 210 360.6125 Collections from exclusive fashion houses including Chanel, Galliano, Lagerfeld and Sonia Rykiel 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 world’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 museum’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
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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
66 insider athens | November 2010
Baraonda Tsoha 43 Tel: 210.644.4308 Gourmet cuisine and funky beats
Antiques Darousos Normanou 7 Tel: 210.331.1638 Small antique shop in the heart of the flea market
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
Flower Tel: 210.643.2111 Fun, funky and affordable watering hole
Miran Evripidou 45, Tel: 210.321.7187 Sausages, pastrami & cured meats
Da Capo Tsakalof 1, Tel: 210.243.3902 Long-established people-watching hangout
To Tsai
Balthazar Tsoha 27 Tel: 210.644.1215 Lovely garden and chic interior attracts a cool crowd
SHOP
Briki Tel: 210.654.2380 Trendy hole-in-the-wall hangout
Cafés
Peros Kolonaki Square, Tel: 210.364.5068 Enjoy a cup of java if you can find a spot
DRINK
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
Baraonda
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
SHOP
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
EAT 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
EAT 2 Mazi Nikis 48, Tel: 210.322.2839 Creative gourmet dishes that change monthly 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
Spondi
Gifts
Fatsio Efroniou 5 Tel: 210.721.7421 Greek food & political gossip
Plaka Bahar
central Athens
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
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Insider guide Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill! EAT
Books
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
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
Bars, Clubs & Lounges Soul Evripidou 65, Tel: 210.331.0907 Show off your groovy disco moves
Syntagma
Kauffman Stadiou 28, Tel: 210.322.2160 Mostly French books and small selection of English fiction
Department Stores 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 - Men’s
DRINK
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
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central Athens
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
Gifts
Jewellery
Argalios Filellinon 7, Tel: 210.322.2659 Hand-woven fabrics & souvenirs since 1940
Apriati Pentelis 9 & Mitropoleos, Tel: 210.322.9020 Smartly designed necklaces, bracelets and rings
Graf Von Faber-Castell Boutique Panepistimiou 41, Tel: 210.321.8564 Traditional hand-held writing utensils
Bulgari Voukourestiou 8, Tel: 210.324.7118 Opulent designs in jewellery, watches & accessories
Kori Mitropoleos 13, Tel: 210.323.3534 Traditional & contemporary jewellery Psarros 1917 Stadiou 3, Tel: 210.322.0908 Executive gifts and smoking accessories
Food & Wine
Home
Aristokratikon Karageorgi Servas 9 Tel: 210.322.0546 Handmade chocolates
Baccarat Voukourestiou 21, Tel: 210.362.2863 Fine crystal from the venerable French luxury house
Cellier Kriezotou 1, Tel: 210.361.0040 Speciality wine shop
Chopard Stadiou 2 & Vas. Georgiou 210.325.0555 Legendary time pieces and jewellery. Folli Follie Ermou 18, Tel: 210.323.0739 Trendy & affordable jewellery & accessories Gofas Stadiou 3, Tel: 210.331.7540 High-end timepieces Ilias Lalaounis Panepistimiou 6, Tel: 210.361.1371 Fabulous gold designs by famous Greek jeweller
Jewellery Apriati Pentelis 9, Tel: 210.322.9020 Smartly designed necklaces, bracelets and rings
Kessaris Panepistimiou 7, Tel: 210.323.2919 Wide range of luxury brand timepieces
Gadgets Public Syntagma Square, Tel: 210.324.6210, Five floors of gaming, gadgets & books
Cartier Voukourestiou 7, Tel: 210.331.3600 Two floors of designs & timepieces by the prestigious Cartier maison
Zolotas pendant in gold with diamonds
Marathianakis Voukourestiou 21 Tel: 210.362.7118 Old-world shop known for its original & elegant designs
central Athens
To advertise, contact ads@insider-magazine.gr
Spiliopoulos Ermou 63 Tel: 210.322.7590 Pick up a pair of Manolo’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 Cellier Le Bistrot Panepistimiou 10, Tel: 210.363.8525 Excellent dishes accompany the extensive list of international wines Dosirak Voulis 31-33, Tel: 210.323.3330 Japanese & Corean cuisine in the heart of Athens To Ergastirio to Baxevani Nikis 58 & Kydathynaion Tel: 210.322.2839 Traditional Greek cuisine combined with modern elements Far East Stadiou 7, Tel: 210.323.4996 A mix of Asian cuisines in elegant surroundings
Holmes Place
GB Corner Hotel Grand Bretagne Syntagma Square, Tel: 210.333.0750 Luxurious surroundings, Mediterranean cuisine Ioannis Royal Olympic Hotel Ath. Diakou 28-34, Tel: 210.928.8400 Greek & Mediterranean cuisine with breathtaking views from the rooftop Multi 22 Ermou 116 & Leokoriou Tel: 210.331.6766 Italian fare served in a neoclassical house 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
Explorer’s Lounge NJV Athens Plaza Syntagma Square, 210.335.2400 Magnificent cocktails and live jazz in an intimate atmosphere Kalua Amerikis 6, Tel: 210.360.8304 Dance the night away in a chic environment T Palace King George Palace Syntagma Square, Tel: 210.322.2210 Sophisticated atmosphere for mingling & people-watching
CHILL GB Spa Syntagma Square, Tel: 210.333.0799 Award-winning spa featuring treatments by E’SPA,Valmont & Algoane
The Palace Spa Syntagma Square, Tel: 210.374.3590 Ideal for rejuvenation after a long flight or a hectic bout of shopping
Thissio
Shoes
Holmes Place Stadiou 4 & Voukourestiou Tel: 210.325.9400 Fully equipped health club with excellent array of classes
Furin Kazan Apollonos 2, Tel: 210.322.9170 A Japanese favourite of expats & Athenians alike
EAT Kirki Apostoplou Pavlou 31 Tel: 210.346.6960 Ideal for a lunch break Kuzina Adrianou 9 Tel: 210.324.0133 Contemporary Greek cuisine
Pil Poul Jerome Serres Apostolou Pavlou 51 & Pavlopoulou Tel: 210.342.3665 Contemporary French cuisine with a Meditarranean twist
athens in 24hrs The concierge of the Grande Bretagne Hotel in Syntagma Square recommends:
DRINK Bars, Clubs & Lounges Boutique Filellinon 15, Tel: 210.323.1315 Popular Athenian night spot
Sip Eat See
Zolotas Panepistimiou 10, Tel: 210.360.1272 Designs inspired by the antique & classical periods as well as contemporary collections by designers like Paloma Picasso
The The The The
New Acropolis Museum National Archaeological Museum Benaki Museum Museum of Cycladic
Dionyssos Greek cuisine with Acropolis view Horizontes Gourmet dining atop Lycabettus Psaras Fresh fish in charming Plaka Zonar’s Landmark café offering delectable desserts Balthazar Cool hangout in Ampelokipi Bobayo Cocktails served under Hadrian’s arch
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Insider guide EAT Captain John's Ak. Koumoundourou 16A, Tel: 210.417.7589 Traditional seafood Dourambeis Ak. Protopsalti 29, Tel: 210.412.2092 Classic fish taverna
Faliro
Piraeus
Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill!
Jimmy and The Fish Ak. Mikrolimanou, Tel: 210.413.4084 Excellent seafood; try the astakomakaronada
Provence Posidonos 80, Tel: 210.898.1435 Gourmet French delicatessen
Kitchen Bar Poseidonos 3, Tel: 210.981.2004 Comfort food overlooking the sea
Ache Kypriou 57, Tel: 210.894.2949 International cuisine & delectable deserts
Zythos Eleftherias 45, Tel: 210.985.0478 Reminiscent of an Irish pub with several beers to choose from
Glyfada
Iguana Ak. Dilaveri 15, Tel: 210.407.8861 Playing disco & techno tracks until 6am
Iskandar Amphitheas 6 & Poseidonos Tel: 210.988.6474 Authentic Indian cuisine
Zinc “Flisvos” Marina, Tel: 210.985.3183 Cocktails whith music
Vassilenas Etolikou 72 & Vitolion Tel: 210.461.2457 Friendly food and atmosphere
DRINK
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
Big Apple South Posidonos 1, Tel: 210.948.5190 Casual cocktails in a modern atmosphere
Tony Bonano Papanastasiou 63, Tel: 210.411.1901 Italian cuisine with a view of the harbour
Zorbas Ak. Koumoundourou 14 Tel: 210.411.1163 Unique flavours of the Mediterranean
Food & Wine
Il Tinello Knossou 54, Tel: 210.982.8462 Real Italian home cooking
DRINK
Plous Podilatou Ak. Koumoundourou 42 Tel: 210.413.7910 Sumptuous seafood & mouthwatering deserts on the waterfront
Zefyros Ak. Koumoundourou 48 Tel: 210.417.5152 Fresh seafood on the quay
EAT
Le Petit Sommelier Zaimi 6, Tel: 210.984.2344 French cuisine & excellent wine list
Kollias Plastira 3, Tel: 210.462.9620 Excellent seafood but difficult to find; reserve on weekends
SHOP Books Eleftheroudakis Lazaraki 27, Tel: 210.325.8440 Book superstore with a large selection of English titles
Fashion
Enny di Monaco Laodikis 41, Tel: 210.894.0153 Carefully selected designs by various international designers
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
Ensayar Donna Kyprou 55, Esperidon Square Tel: 210.894.3034 Top lines from leading designers with an English touch
Katafigio Ak. Koumoundourou 4 Tel: 210.413.1612 Club, cafe & beer house
Jewellery
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Southern Athens
ZerTeo Metaxa 24-26, Tel: 210.894.6682 Unique jewellery designs
EAT
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 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 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 Molly Malone's Zannitsopoulou 8, Tel: 210.894.4247 Irish pub serving probably the best Irish Stew in Athens Tartare Panagouli 52, Tel: 210.968.0320 Quality French cuisine 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
To advertise, contact ads@insider-magazine.gr
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 Café 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.
Live Music
Voula
Thalassa People's Stage Posidonos 58, Tel: 210.898.2979 Live Greek acts in a club atmosphere attracting a young crowd
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
Vari Sports Club Vari-Koropiou & Kalamatos 1 Tel: 210.899.0048 www.varisportsclub.com
EAT Café 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
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 Schara Posidonos 15, Tel: 210.896.2432 Grills with frills in a friendly setting at reasonable prices Waffle House Posidonos 17, Tel: 210.896.1227 Sure to satisfy your sweet tooth
Al Fresco The Westin, 40, Tel: 210.890.1709, Enjoy a romantic meal of creative Italian cuisine Grill Room Apollonos 40, Tel: 210.890.1794 Mediterranean & seafood flavours on a breathtaking veranda, in the Astir complex Ithaki Apollonos 28, Tel: 210.896.3747 Beautiful sea view, fresh seafood & great service Louizidis Ermou 2, Tel: 210.896.0591 Traditional Greek taverna popular with the locals Maistrali Apollonos 28 Tel: 210.967.1184 Traditionally prepared seafood dishes presented exquisitely Matsuhisa Athens Astir Palace, Apollonos 40, Tel: 210.896.0510, Celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa serves up sushi favourites with a Latin-American flair
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
The concierge of the Arion, A Luxury collection Resort & Spa in Vouliagmeni recommends:
Sip
Cafes
CHILL
DRINK
Mezza Luna Orpheos 2 Tel: 210.967.1046 Chic Italian restaurant
Zen Moorings Great for coffee or a meal by megayachts in the Vouliagmeni marina En Plo Meeting place for a coffee, meal or drink in Vouliagmeni bay Matsuhisa Athens Pre-dinner cocktails to an assortment of sushi for a true omakase experience
Do Eat
Capri Bay Grigoriou Lambraki 2 Tel: 210.894.9995, Excellent cocktails in a Moroccan style garden
Il Segreto Bizaniou 3, Tel: 210.965.9526 Authentic Italian set on a beautiful terrace
Vouliagmeni
Balux Posidonos 58, Tel: 210.898.3577 Waterfront lounging
Southern Athens
Ithaki Stunning view, live piano music and chef Clessienne’s sea-inspired cuisine Lambros Combines waterfront freshness and the casual atmosphere of a traditional Greek fish tavern. Attica Mall One-stop mall in the heart of the city-centre Golden Hall 41.000 sq meters of shopping therapy hosting 131 fashion brands Scuba diving at Athina Diving a dive resort on the beach at the 38km on the Athens-Sounio road Sailing to Aegina just 45 minutes by motor boat for an island experience
Did you know: .… the Lake of Vouliagmeni is about 50 cms above sea level and is replenished by the hot springs beneath it? A small freshwater lake fed by underground currents seeping through the mass of Mount Hymmetus, it maintains a constant 24 degrees celsius temperature all year long and functions as a year-round spa.
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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
The Mall
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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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 | November 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
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2010
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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:Â 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
REAL ESTATE FOR RENT ATHENS
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76 insider athens | November 2010
D. Areopagitou pedestrian street next to the Acropolis, in listed art deco building, 3rd floor apartment 210sq.m. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 guest bathroom, large kitchen, large reception, dining room, unique view, high quality furniture available. Call owner: 0030 6945373066, olvia@hol.gr
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 sylvain.gateaud@hotmail.co.uk www.whyosteopathy.com
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.
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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Art galleries
Tel: 210.322.9705
A. Antonopoulou Art Aristofanous 20, Psirri Tel: 210.321.4994 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 B&M Theoharakis
Foundation for the Fine Arts & Music
Vas. Sofias 9 & Merlin 1, Athens Tel: 210.361.1206 (The) Breeder Gallery Iasonas 45, Metaxourgio Tel: 210.331.7527 Gallery 7 Zalokosta 7, Syntagma Tel: 210.361.2050 Herakleidon Herakleidon 16, Thissio Tel: 210.346.1981 Jill Yakas Spartis 16, Kifissia. Tel: 210.801.2773 www. yakas.com Kalfayan gallery Haritos 11, Kolonaki Tel: 210.721.7679 Kourd Gallery 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 The Art Foundation (TAF) Normanou 5, Monastiraki Tel: 210.323.8757 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 | November 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
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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
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KA L E I DOS COP E
Athens has more architectural substance than one is led to believe. Galatsi, Kypseli and Amerikis square abound with glorious examples of Art Deco and Bauhaus architecture that took Athens by storm in the ‘30s. A few gems from the period. 1. Chequered marble floor entrance at Heracleitou 2. The stairwell of an apartment building in Omirou 50, 3. Entrance of an apartment building in Exarchia, 4. Chrome grating on the gates of an apartment building, 5. Marble from Chios on the wall, black and white stripes on the floor and chrome bands on the concierge desk in a building at Amerikis Square, 6. Apartment building in Stournara near the Polytechnic University, 6. Imposing marble entrance with a contrasting black metallic door, 8. Art Deco wood and metal banister, in Omirou, 9. Apartment building at Amerikis 6 and Panepistimiou 14
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insider athens | November
2010
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