Insider 94

THE CITY MAGAZINE OF

May 2011 Year 9. Issue 94 â‚Ź4.50 ISSN 1790-3114

ATHENS

The spring issue!

The Last Grand Tour / Drawing artists from afar / Art Cola / Cretan Saga / Mystical journeys / Golf in Corfu / The glittering district / Big Fat Greek Weddings / Gourmet French cuisine / Saffron, the golden spice PLUS: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, FOOD & WINE, NIGHTLIFE, SHOPPING, NOVELTIES, MAPS MORE insider athensAND | May 2011 1

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Sudha Nair-Iliades

From Fukushima to Alabama, Obama and Osama, royal weddings and national uprisings in between, there have been too many newsworthy events in too short a time. Whenever I rue Insider’s monthly deadlines, I’m just grateful that we don’t publish a daily newspaper! I cannot imagine having to juggle editorial space between Bin Laden’s obituary and Kate Middleton’s wedding gown, the nuclear debate following Japan’s tsunami and Qaddafi’s fall from grace!

At the risk of sounding frilly, as a monthly lifestyle magazine, we have the luxury of bypassing urgent, intractable issues to focus on stories that celebrate life in Greece. From photo essays on saffron producers in Kozani, to fishermen at sea in Mytilini and Voukourestiou’s glam boutiques to the poignant tale of an Australian aboriginal soldier who fought in Crete 70 years ago and examining Athens’

publisher’s note

umbilical pull drawing artists and poets from afar, Insider aims to provide reading that differs from the gritty fare churned out incessantly on newscasts and dailies. Nick Malkoutzis does touch upon an anniversary best forgotten – that of Greece’s IMF phase but another pleasant date worth celebrating is that of Art-Athina. Every year for the past 17 years, it is Athens’ annual date with contemporary art.

Join Insider at Stand L-11 at the Faliro pavilion while gauging the art scene in Greece as Art-Athina gets underway on May 12. More art in the form of interviews with artists participating in the Last Grand Tour at the Cycladic Museum assessing their ‘layered and nuanced relationships with Greece’ and a conversation with Tate Modern’s Jessica Morgan follow in this issue.

And in the spirit of spring-cleaning and revamping, we are proud to announce the launch of our new website www.insider-magazine.gr . We look forward to receiving your comments and feedback.

Sudha Nair-Iliades

Publisher - Editor Sudha Nair-Iliades Art Director Michel Devanakis

Contributors in this Issue Stephanie Bailey, Anelia Fikiina, Silvena Ivanova, Nick Malkoutzis Mike Sweet, Caitlin Swindell, Ashton Weis,

Sales Patricia Graire

Web Coordinator Ranti Bambgala

Client Relations Anelia Fikiina

Interns Cicily Collazo, Kevin Muratore

Art Editor Stephanie Bailey

Founder Steve Pantazopoulos

Photos Angelos Giotopoulos

Legal Counsel Christos Christopoulos

Web Design www.studiozip.com

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

insider athens | May 2011

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Stephanie Bailey

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.

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

Anelia Fikiina

Anelia was born and raised in Sofia and has lived and studied in Lyon, Budapest, Madrid and Glasgow before she moved to Athens in September 2010. Fluent in six languages, Anelia is passionate about international affairs and about discovering new cultures. In her spare time, she is an avid hiker.

Award-winning graphic designer, fluent in English French and Greek, Michel moved to Athens in 1997 to create Studio ZIP, after a long and interesting career in France and Canada. His background in Marketing (Paris 1983), is a major asset in his creative approach. He provides his services both in Greece and abroad. Art Director of Insider and Bonjour Athènes for a year, Michel has also designed the new website for Insider Publications. Passionate about art, and painter in his ‘rare’ spare time, you can find out more about him on his website: www.studiozip.com

Angelos Giotopoulos

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Michael Devanakis

Born in Australia, Angelos is currently based in Europe working as a freelance photographer. His photographs and texts have been published in magazines such as Italy’s Travel Panorama, Australian Traveller and Florida International Magazine in America, as well as in various Greek publications.

Silvena was born and raised in Sofia and has lived and worked across Europe in Paris, Milan, Madrid, Glasgow and now, Athens. With a Masters degree in Marketing and Communications, Silvena’s true passion is photography. She enjoys travelling and exploring different cultures that she captures expertly through her lens.

Nick Malkoutzis

Mike Sweet

Silvena Ivanova

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

contents 16 24 30

Features Finding beauty in the breakdown 10 Tate Modern Curator Jessica Morgan talks about her project at the Museum of Cycladic Art

Departments Glitter zone 30 Strolling through Athens’ glittering district,Voukourestiou street

Arts and Events

4

Arts

10

Fast Lane

18

Education

22

History

24

Talking Point

28

Teeing off in Corfu 42 Connie Burke and Barbara J. Euser on the Corfu Golf Club where golfers tee to Nafsika’s song

Cityscope

30

Travel

38

Small fish in the big sea 44 Angelos Giotopoulos captures a slice of personal history and a day in the life of three intrepid fishermen in Mytilini

Leisure

42

Beyond the classroom 22 Costi Dardoufas of ISA on inculcating a love for lifelong learning at a young age

Photo essay

44

Greek life

46

Cretan saga 24 A poignant story of one of Australia’s most remarkable soldiers who fought in Crete 70 years ago

Red gold 46 A photo essay on the beauty of the crocus fields and the intense labour involved in harvesting the world’s most expensive spice

Gastronomy

48

Marriage of convenience 28 Nick Malkoutzis on the first anniversary of IMF’s austerity measures in Greece

Gourmet station French gourmet specialist Comtesse du Barry’s first concept boutique in Athens

Drawing artists from afar 12 Stephanie Bailey interviews three of the artists participating in the Last Grand Tour exhibition Art Mart 15 Art-Athina gets underway from May 12 at the Faliro pavillion Art Cola

16 Florence Nau’s unique multimedia exhibition

Getting hitched in Greece 34 Insider’s Greek wedding planner Mystical journeys 38 Ouranopolis’ Eagles Palace one of the best kept secrets of northern Greece

50

Restaurant Index 50 Area-wise listings 52 Kaleidoscope

72

34 38 44 46 50 Cover picture: The Koroni Royal Villa at The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, Costa Navarino

insider athens | May 2011

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Arts & events

1

until

2

14

3

14

may

may

16 may

Zoumboulakis Galleries

K-art Gallery

Megaro Mousikis

Badminton Theatre

Continuation: Nikos Alexiou Manolis Zacharioudakis Manolis Charos 1 The group exhibition at the Zoumboulakis gallery is not just a tribute to artist Nikos Alexiou who passed away in February 2011 but it is also a celebration of a long and creative friendship he shared with his friends Manolis Zacharioudakis and Manolis Charos.

Entitled ‘Continuation’, the group exhibition emphasises the presence of Alexiou through his work as well as the continuation of a long-standing journey with his friends. The three of them have exhibited as a group four times in the past. www.zoumboulakis.gr

Dimitris Tataris: Loplop 2 K-art presents Dimitris Tataris’ second solo exhibition entitled Loplop, the bird-character created by the imagination of Max Ernst. In his new series of works Tataris envisions himself in moments of captivity and confinement. The plans, presented in the form of installation, create a fenced area that thwarts our initial impression and view of who ultimately is in the cage: the image of the artist or a mirroring of the beholder? The shadow of the bird is literally subordinate to the need of communication and the concept of iteration, i.e. time frames ideals of human misery. www.k-art.gr

Gala Opera with Renée Fleming 3 Known for her rich, velvet voice, high-intensity and seductive stage presence, Renée Fleming is an absolute phenomenon in the world of music and opera. Often referred to as the ‘Grace Kelly of the opera’, Renée Fleming will be coming to Athens for a unique performance at the Megaro Mousikis and will be performing works of Richard Strauss, Jules Masne, Antonin Dvorak, Franz Lechar, Giacomo Puccini, Ruggero Leoncavallo and Rikkarnto Tsantonai. She will be accompanied by the Athens State Orchestra conducted by maestro Kristjan Järvi. www.megaron.gr

Zaz 4 Even if her name does not ring a bell, the catchy tune of her song “Je veux”, played on high rotation on Greek radio stations, sure does! Zaz is a French singer who mixes jazzy styles, French soul and acoustic. She started her career with the blues band «Fifty Fingers» and has also been part of different hard rock, jazz and Latin rock formations, singing in several cafes, cabarets and piano bars. In May 2010, Zaz released her first album which topped the charts and within months turned double platinum.

Recipient of several awards, Zaz has also won the European Border Breaker Awards and was named the most played French artist abroad in 2010. www.badmintontheater.gr

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On the town For location details see listings p70

4

5

21 09

6

16

until until

until

may april

april

17 26

until until

may april

The Apartment Gallery

Eleni Koroneou Gallery

Medusa Art Gallery

Bernier-Eliades Gallery

Dimitris Dokatzis: In Limbo The term In Limbo, coming from the Latin word limbus which means ‘limit’, metonymically refers to prison or imprisonment, but also alludes to the un-conscious. In that sense, the title of the exhibition reflects the confusing state between present and past, reality and fantasy, consciousness and repression.The exhibition’s centrepieces are two large-scale enigmatic sculptural pieces, which explore in depth the conceptual framework of contemporary sculpture, underline the unconsummated desire to break with established norms through a sense of displacement and social alienation, and hint on situations of restriction, surveillance and control. www.theapartment.gr

Helmut Middendorf: Blots and Stains Koroneou Gallery presents German artist Helmut Middendorf ’s first solo exhibition in the gallery’s new space after his great presentation at the Benaki Museum in Athens in 2009. In the current exhibition, entitled «Blots and Stains», Middendorf presents a new series of abstract paintings and a series of collages. The artist shows great flexibility in creating, putting the focus on the exploration of abstract art. The paintings resemble giant prints accumulated stamps, revealing filters, cycles, spirals, lattices, dots and stains. www. koroneougallery.com

Maria Grigoriadi: Togetherness 5 The title is a question, about a joy undermined by lack of space, i.e. lack of time or inclination. Large acrylics and oils with images from thousands of mundane lives. Countless parallel snapshots, as if told by an ancient storyteller, are crowded like hints on the canvas. Stories nesting one into the other. An attempt at a collective cry, with bright and joyful colours as the medium. There is no protagonist, no core theme. Everything is equal, spread out, dissolved; relative. www.medusaartgallery.com

Hannah Greely: Wild Corner 6 Hannah Greely re-creates disarmingly lifelike everyday objects which she transforms through her use of incongruous materials to, as she describes, “change the common into something uncommon.” In its hyper reality, her work is a combination of the mundane and the bizarre. Greely’s practice emphasizes a return to objecthood and away from a roomsize installation. This “thingness” prompts an appraisal of the surprise value that is latent in everyday objects. Greely’s distinctive slant on the exploration of objecthood comes through in her sculptures’ narratives, with their implied threat of violence or blatant absurdity. www.bernier-eliades.com

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Arts & events

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8

29

until

may

9

31

until

may

until

04 june

The Eynardou Mansion

Skoufa Gallery

Artis Causa gallery

Maps of the Aegean Sea – Cartography and History 15th-17th century 7 In a charming building that now houses the National Bank’s Cultural Foundation, part of a larger collection of maps will be on display from the Greek Cartography Archives. The rare collection comprises approximately 200 printed maps dating from the early sixteenth to the eighteenth century, old atlases, such as those created by M. Boschini (1651) and V.M. Coronelli (1708), geographical handbooks, among which Meletios’ Geography (1728) and the Introduction to Geographics and Sphericals by Chrysanthos Notaras (1716), as well as an original copy of the Carta of Rigas Pherraios in pristine condition.

Catherine Folatre 8 Skoufa Gallery presents the solo exhibition of French artist Catherine Folatre who first moved to Greece several years ago and since then shares her life between Athens and the Cyclades. The Paris-born artist is famous for her blue color, also known as «Blue Folatre».

Her paintings are usually largescale projects with important figures of literature and art such as poets Jacques Prevert and Sergio Leone, director of Once Upon a Time in America, creating the visual narrative with a strong spot coloured varnish.

The look of her paintings conveys a sense of discovery of the primitive. www.skoufa.gr

A.R. Penck Solo exhibition His sculptures, though less familiar, evoke the same primitive themes as his paintings and drawings and use common everyday materials such as wood, bottles, cardboard boxes, tin cans, masking tape, tinfoil, wire - crudely painted and assembled. Despite the anti-art aesthetic the rough and ready quality of their construction, they have the same symbolic, archetypal anthropomorphic forms as his flat symbolic paintings. The paintings are influenced by Paul Klee’s work and mix the flatness of Egyptian or Mayan writing with the crudity of the late black paintings

by Jackson Pollock. www.artcau.gr

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18

until

june

SIAKOS.HANAPPE House of Art The Burrow, group show 9 Starting from the premise that any form of architecture or space is created out of a need for protection, we look into the increasingly complicated relationship between manmade space and the natural environment. If Kafka’s story from which the title is taken tells us that fear is an inner emotion from which we cannot escape then the recent events in Japan definitely confirm our vulnerability. The artists in the exhibition work extensively with the ideas of space be it private, urban, or public, the sociological implications of architecture, the manipulation of landscape, and the disappearance of authentic experience. www.siakos-hanappe.com

On the town

10

11

19

23

until

until

june

Herakleidon Museum Carol Wax «Dance of shadows» This exhibition includes 100 tabletop creations of contemporary New Yorker artist Carol Wax. The source of inspiration for these works are old sewing machines, typewriters, electric fans, toys, instruments, cameras, projectors, textile products and other pieces collected by the artist. The coexistence of these items at home and studio and their continued study from different angles, leads to new, creative ways of reading old issues. Usual items seem unusual and common objects reveal magical and symbolic associations, reflecting and affecting the soul. www.herakleidon-art.gr

9

june

B. & M. Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts and Music The Forbidden City of Jiang Guofang 10 The B. & M. Theocharakis Foundation presents 26 large scale paintings of the distinguished painter and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing Jiang Guofang. The artist has focused on creating a series of works on the famous Forbidden City in Beijing, the largest and best preserved cluster of ancient buildings in China, a place which was forbidden for ordinary citizens for over 600 years. The Forbidden City was the imperial palace of 24 emperors from the early days of the dynasty of Ming, 15th century, until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911. www.thf.gr

24

until

june

El Estudio Ammeba

A.Antonopoulou art gallery

José Piñar: ’’ Side B’ Rarities’’ 11 In B-sides and Rarities, José Piñar’s first solo exhibition in Athens, the artist presents a series of drawings made of acrylic, watercolor and ink on paper, titled generically as Download, accompanied by four videos. The paintings are recent, and the video” has been produced and its soundtrack recorded especially for this occasion. With this new exhibition José Piñar shows a very personal world, until now virtually unheard of. He has done these works as an artist who explores with other tools in reality. Somehow, these «rarities» reveal the enormous creativity of the artist and the superb quality of his work. www.ammeba.org

Melita Couta: Before leaving this kingdom let me tell you something which I had forgotten This first solo exhibition of Cyprian artist Melita Couta is being realised as part of the collaboration with the Centre of Contemporary Art Diatopos, Cyprus. In her new work Melita Couta, proposes a series of topographical surveys of unknown lands and cities, mixing perfectly penciled lines, controlled ink blotches, subtle collages and superimpositions of translucent papers in a universe strictly confined to white, black and grey scale.

Unpredictable streams of ink cross areas meticulously dotted with obsessive details. www.aaart.gr

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Arts & events

9 12

13

until

30

j u ne

until

14

31 july

Onassis Cultural Center

Benaki Museum

Polyglossia 12 The dictionary definition of the Greek word polyglossia is (1) the existence, use and knowledge of many languages, and (2) the expression of multiple views simultaneously or sequentially. It is also the starting point and ideal title of this group exhibition featuring the work of artists of Greek descent who were born or live and work outside of Greece.

The exhibition covers different generations and a variety of different media from Lynda Benglis, Takis, Jannis Kounnelis, Kalliopi Lemou, Christina Dimitriadis, Chryssa and many others. www.sgt.gr

Arrrgh!! Monsters in Fashion 13, 14 The exhibition, organised by the French Institute and Atopos, explores the growing influence of Contemporary Character Design within the field of Fashion through the experimental creations by emerging and established fashion designers.Whether human or supernatural, real or mythical, zoomorphic or even abstract, the designers’ outstanding creations provide renewed views on fashion and redefine our perceptions on visual culture.

Participating artists & designers include Walter van Beirendonck, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Issey Miyake, Cassette Playa, Charlie Le Mindu, Christophe Coppens, Andrea Ayala Closa, Lucy & Bart and others. www.benaki.gr, www.atopos.gr

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Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art Damien Hirst: New Religion The exhibition is Damien Hirst’s first solo presentation in Greece and offers the opportunity of coming into contact with the work of the most famous of the generation of the Young British Artists or YBAs. «New Religion» comprises silkscreen prints, sculptures, constructions and paintings to complete a total installation which references the atmosphere of a chapel. Making use of religious imagery, titles and associations, and denaturing them through art, in a cold and clinical environment, the artist bridges the theoretical gap between science and religion, rephrasing questions regarding the way the two are perceived. www.mmca.org.gr

Frissiras Museum Black&White Nowadays, when painting seems to consist mostly of colour, graphic design, and illustration, and its aesthetics have penetrated the collective visual subconsciousness, organizing an exhibition like ‘Black and White’ which emphasizes on visual economy, artistic self control and expressional nudity, seems an extremely risky, almost utopic gesture. However, a closer look is enough to justify the noble ambitions that underlie this seemingly out-ofplace-and-time venture; faith in the power of an alternative, but at the same time primal visual expression, which eludes the fascinations of colour thanks to the dynamic simplicity of form and the allure of the essential. www.frissirasmuseum.com

On the town

15

16

29

until

a ug us t

National Gallery A Tribute to Yannis Moralis 15 A year after the death of the great artist the National Gallery pays a tribute to Yannis Moralis through a meaningful overview of the donation of 113 works made by the artist himself. Six productive decades, from 1930 to the mid-1980s are represented in the art works - paintings, drawings and engravings. Committed to figurative painting and a lover of moderation,Yannis Moralis assimilated in his own way the lessons of modernism, combining the exciting developments of modernism with a contemporary reading of tradition; the successor of the Generation of the Thirties, the artist is indeed a true 20th-century classic. www.nationalgallery.gr

18

until

s e p te mb e r

EMST National Museum of Contemporary Art Apostolos Georgiou, Solo exhibition The paintings of Apostolos Georgiou, one of the greatest Greek artists of the so-called generation of the 80s, are anthropocentric and narrative, drawing its subjects from everyday life. Family feuds, personal anxieties and deadlocks are rendered with subtle humor, sarcasm and tenderness, highlighting the existential nature of the work of Apostolos and his basic concerns about identity, gender and human relations. www.emst.gr

10

until

october

until

31 october

Museum of Cycladic Art

Museum of Cycladic Art

The Last Grand Tour 16 The Museum of Cycladic Art presents for the first time the works of internationally renowned artists who have lived and worked in Greece during the 20th century. Looking at Greece as a source of inspiration over the last seventy years, the works included reflect the different ways in which the country’s long cultural history and geography continue to be a source of artistic innovation. The exhibition highlights the striking discrepancy in contemporary culture that has apparently witnessed the end of the traditional «Grand Tour» so closely associated with Byron and his fellow Romantic artists.

The curator of the exhibition is Jessica Morgan of Tate Modern. www.cycladic.gr

DESTE Prize 2011-04-14 The six shortlisted artists Alexandra Bahzetsi, Anastasia Douka, Irini Miga, Eytixis Patsourakis, Theodoros Stamatoyannis, Jannis Varelas – for the DESTE Prize 2011 will show their work in an exhibition that, for the second time, will be presented in the spaces of the Museum of Cycladic Art. The DESTE Prize was established in 1999 and is awarded every two years to a Greek artist living in Greece or abroad.

The Prize aims to showcase the work of a new and emerging generation of artists and it is an integral part of the Foundation’s policy for supporting and promoting contemporary art in Greece. www.cycladic.gr

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Tate Modern Curator Jessica Morgan talks about her latest project at the Museum of Cycladic Art, The Last Grand Tour, which brings together artists who lived and worked in Greece in the 20th century.

D

espite being the cradle of western civilisation, Greece was not part of the original Grand Tour, a fixed travel route that focused on the European cultural capitals of Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence and Naples that flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries. Lasting between months and years, the tradition was reserved for the wealthy, young English elite, though it was also popular with wealthy Europeans and Americans. The development of faster, cheaper modes of transport in the 19th century opened up the Grand Tour tradition to the middle classes, and gave birth to popular tourism.

Lord Byron was the most prominent Grand Tourist to have set foot upon Hellenic shores when he travelled between 1809 and 1811.“Tis Greece, but living Greece no more!” he lamented in The Giaour, written in 1813, an observation curator Jessica Morgan cites as an inspiration behind the Museum of Cycladic Art’s current exhibition,The Last Grand Tour (15 April-10 October), which brings together seventeen artists who lived and worked in Greece in the 20th Century. “What I found in that quote was that it reflected what Byron found, which was not what he had imagined.

Greece was a poverty-stricken, very rundown place,” Morgan explains.

Invited to curate a show at the museum, Morgan formulated her ideas with the exhibition’s venue in mind.“I was trying to find something that was relevant both to Athens generally but also specifically to the Cycladic museum,” Morgan, says. “Cycladic figures have been so important for a whole generation of modern artists so naturally I started thinking about this history of artists coming to Greece, and the idea of the Grand Tour. It used to be such an important part of an artist’s education but this has begun to change; perhaps it is no longer the case and is on the decline.”

The Last Grand Tour is at the Museum of Cycladic Art until 10 October, featuring Etel Adnan, Lynda Benglis, Leonard Cohen, John Craxton, Barbara Hepworth, Martin Kippenberger, Jannis Kounellis, Markus Lupertz, Brice Marden, Helmut Middendorf, Ben Nicholson, Manfred Pernice, Daniel Spoerri, Lucas Samaras, Juergen Teller, Cy Twombly, Iannis Xenakis. See www.cycladic.gr for more information.

12 insider athens | May 2011

From this starting point, Morgan developed the show on two thoughts. “Firstly, Greece has been an important place for all the artists on show, but things have changed and what has been happening over the last year has been related to this end of interest in classical culture. Secondly it is also to do with the global economy and this global scale of thinking in that artists don’t come to Greece so much anymore.They go to Latin America or India.This is also related to what has

Art

happened here economically. There has to be some sort of recognition that the situation has shifted and there is another reality now.”

Yet in many ways, decline has always been part of Greece’s reality. Only a popular destination on the Grand Tour route from the 18th century, intrepid travellers did make the journey before that time, and their disappointment was palpable even then. In 1575, Doctor Leonhart Ruwolf ’s idealisation of classical antiquity quickly melted into an image of utter degradation when he wrote; “As the ancient Greeks in former days did excel almost all other nations in wisdom and understanding, and used to have their children instructed at home in their own universities in all manner of learning; so in our times we find the contrary; for in all Greece there is not one university to be found.”

Evidently, disappointment is something that Greece knows well. In the book, The Antiquities of Athens: Measured and Delineated, written by James Stuart and Nicholas Revett in 1762–1794, the writers note that “many of the beauties and elegancies which enhanced [Greece’s] ancient splendour, are still wanting, and that it has not yet by any means recovered all its former Perfection.” But perhaps what we must all finally realise in the 21st century, is that the perfection Greece symbolised thousands of years ago will never materialise again, no matter how hard we look for it.

This explains Morgan’s specific selection of artists who eschew the grandiose for a sensitive display that illustrates an image of a country by artists with more than a passing interest. “We really wanted to focus on artists who had either lived in Greece or spent quite a significant amount of time here,” she says. “A lot of the artists were fascinated not only by the ancient culture and the monuments but also about aspects of Greek society, like the food in the case of Daniel Spoerri. It’s not just about going to see a monument like the Acropolis. What you see is more of a layered and nuanced relationship.”

Spoerri, who describes his year on the island of Symi as a seminal point in his career, displays a cookbook entitled Mythology and Meatballs presented alongside Objets de Magie à la Noix, 1966-67, a series of twenty-five sculptures. Central to the show, the sculptural compositions of found objects resemble a mystical African totem (also displayed), which combine echoes of history with the everyday, thus turning the present into something equally as sacred as the past. This amalgamation of time and memory is expressed throughout the show, with moments of irreverence poking through.

“I became interested in a shift represented in the exhibition by someone like Martin Kippenberger who came to Greece with a sense of the history and culture and respect, but at the same time a slightly ironic attitude towards it. There is this kind of recognition that it is not what it once was,” Morgan explains, which brings us back to Lord Byron’s dismay for what he found in Greece, coupled with the newfound love he developed for the present reality. This is something every foreigner – artist or not – must experience and overcome. Perhaps this is where the love affair begins.

Through the rehabilitated eyes of outsiders,The Last Grand Tour paints a contemporary portrait relating to a nation grappling with its emerging identity while making light of its groaning history. Herself a regular visitor to the country for the past eight years, Morgan observes;“Athens is a highly 21st Century cosmopolitan city that is partly decaying, partly thriving, and slightly uncontrollable. It’s not like its mythical past - it’s actually a gritty place.” In the end, just another observation in a long tradition of travellers who continue to return to the country despite the apparent difficulties it faces. Maybe there really is beauty in the breakdown. In its deconstructed state, everyone ends up with a piece of Greece to call their own. i

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Farida El Gazzar Born in Egypt in 1975, Farida El Gazzar is based between Athens and Cairo. She has lived in Kuwait and in London, where she studied first at Kingston University between 19961998, moving on to the Royal College of Art from 1998-2000.

Her paintings focus on parts of cities that she has visited, from Bahrain to Athens, in which aspects of urban life and community culture are isolated for consumption. Her illustrations have appeared in various Greek publications, from the Skoura cookbook to Ta Nea, on posters for the Greek Ministry of the Environment, on pins designed for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens as well as the publicity and packaging for the United Kingdom’s most prominent florists, Hayford & Rhodes.

Based on the Cycladic Museum’s current exhibition, Stephanie Bailey seeks out three artists who have chosen to make Athens their base.

You are based between Athens and Cairo, why Athens?

I was born in Alexandria, then lived in Kuwait for nine years, and moved to Athens with my family in 1985. It was decided that I would continue my education in Greece, as we spent our holidays in Egypt. Athens is the city I have lived in most. It is a great base for me to work from, as it is a bridge between East and West.

Why do you think artists and foreigners are drawn to Greece - have you noticed something similar in Egypt?

Like in Egypt, what attracts artists and foreigners to Greece is its beautiful landscape, sea and warm climate, as well as its rich history and culture. At first Greece appears as a place that is easy to live in, free of conforming restrictions in everyday dealings, but as one gets more involved with bureaucracy, things become complicated. This is also similar in Egypt. In spite of the beauty of its chaos, when it comes to paperwork and day-to-day living obligations, one tends to get stuck in a maze.

How would you describe Athens as a city?

Athens is magical in its complexity. The city structure has been hastily laid out and overall it is chaotic if not anarchic. It has characteristics alike other South European cities, while also resembling Middle Eastern cities.The main element the city is deprived of and would benefit from is public parks and green spaces. I particularly enjoy Athens in the early evening.

How would you compare Athens to Cairo?

Athens and Cairo are geographically positioned in close proximity. I believe this fact sets a foundation for several similarities, primarily cultural. Both share similar family values, pace of living, working habits, food habits, and their hastily built architectural structures. They also share unique historic and cultural heritages and both rely heavily on tourism. Then again, Athens is a relatively small city compared to Cairo, a metropolis of twenty million.

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How have the cities you have lived in shaped your work?

Travel has always been the main driving force and inspiration for my work.

Living in different cities in Europe and in the Middle East gave me a wider understanding and greater exposure to many cultures. I became very interested in socio-political affairs, and learned to observe, record and depict such issues through my work.

What does your work express?

Through travels, I collect imagery from everyday life to express the character and feel of a place. My subjects mainly derive from cityscapes and architecture, material objects, etc. I am also interested in the banality of things. I like choosing subjects that are ordinary and commonplace, and making them monumental. More recently my subjects originate from a more intimate perspective, inspired by my family and background.

1. TayarSaoud Bulkley 2010 - Acrylic on paper 30 x 39cm - KalfayanGalleries

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2. SharaaSourya Rushdi 2010 - Acrylic on paper 30 x 39cm - kalfayanGalleries

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Art

Edy Ferguson Edy Ferguson is a painter and video artist with a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from Hunter College in New York City, where she lived and worked for 20 years before moving to Vienna. She is now living and working in Athens to develop her oeuvre, which takes found images and own images and combines them into compositions based on a grid system.

The results are always exquisitely layered paintings that demand readings that extract multiple narratives determined by composition and audience participation. She has shown extensively in New York as well as Austria, France,Venezuela, and Greece.

Describe your work as an artist.

It’s very necessary for me to feel free in the environment I work in. I make all my life choices based on my gut feelings of what I need for my work to grow.

Moving to different places and working outside the US is an essential part of this, for now. I am not interested in making a product to sell; I am interested in investigations, experiments, doing things that I can’t predict the outcome. I look for ways to bring differences together, to show how two different images can say the same thing and a third thing as well. It’s a constant goal to broaden single perspectives to many-faceted ones. I avoid Renaissance perspective. Not interested. I don’t think that is the world we live in now.

Why Athens?

I spent two summers on a painting residency in Mykonos, and that really did it. Before that, when I first visited Athens in 2002, I had the distinct feeling it would be a very interesting place to paint, to set up a studio. And that proved to be right. There is an intensity, a focus that I don’t feel in other places when I put my hand to brush on canvas. I also came because of the light, I can see colour. The fact that it was outside the usual artistic haunts, like NY, Paris, Berlin, London, was very important. I wanted to be away from all that so I could see what comes out of me.

How does Athens inspire you?

There is a spiritual element here... a noble influence, it’s very quiet sometimes but always powerful. One can feel things here, there seems to be a direct line to the cosmos (the gods?) at this particular latitude and longitudinal axis of the earth. If you focus on lofty things, they just come to you. Negativity creates its own never ending cycle as well. Either way it’s a powerful pull. It’s also a city where you constantly lose your bearings, nothing is sure or predictable. It is hard to make plans. It can be unnerving, liberating, frustrating, or inspiring... depends on your frame of mind. Whatever happens, things transform quickly, so it teaches me to be flexible.

Has the city been an influence in your work?

My content is basically the same elements that I was working with in New York, which usually involves the shady underside of the American Dream.

How it all went wrong. It’s not unlike the myths, the Greek tragedies. What changed for me was how to tell the story. I think Greece is an excellent place for writing, for telling your own story. All extraneous things fell off, and I embraced simplicity for the first time, and it was surprising to find out that the simplicity became more complex and sophisticated than I ever imagined. I think art needs to reach a level of complexity that allows it to be truly objective, so it can actually communicate something to others.

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How would you describe your relationship with Greece?

After living here for over a year, I’ve developed a love/hate relationship... like most of the Greeks I talk to. But I appreciate the things that exist here which no longer exist in other European cities. Greece challenges me in a metaphysical way. I feel I can’t hide behind the usual facades that people survive by in the West.You develop a more honest relationship with yourself, there is space for that here, and Greece demands that.

2 1.Valentino Yellow oil on linen 180 x 200 2. American cinema oil on linen 152 x 200

What keeps you here?

My studio. There’s some work I want to do here. I hope to see Athens open up, to experiment more, try new things, new ways of expression, new and raw and emotional art forms. Everyone seems to be afraid of upsetting the status quo, even in the art world. Why not? There is no one to emulate anymore, not even New York. It’s all falling apart. So there’s nothing to lose.

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Art

Caroline May Of both Greek and English descent, Caroline May’s photographic work approaches issues of gender, sexuality and identity in society with a curiosity that reveals an artist with ongoing questions linked to how society mediates its stereotypes, how people perceive each other, and what this reveals about people as both individuals and as a collective. Having studied at the University of Kent, where she embarked on a BA in Cultural Studies, May then went on to the London College of Printing for a Master’s, where she further developed her interest in the themes that recur in her photographic work.

You are half-English, half-Greek; has your cultural background influenced you as an artist?

Definitely. It is a privilege to have immediate access to both cultures. I was born in Essex, but I came back to Greece as soon as I was born. I went to school here, at a Greek-French school in Aghia Paraskevi, and then went to the United Kingdom to study, stayed there for ten years and came back.

Why did you come back?

I came back to Greece in 2001 just before the Olympics. It was an exciting time to be here. Taking into account that my work bares a lot of references to the Hellenistic sculpture and Greek philosophy it made perfect sense to be here. Even after Greece’s recent bailout I still think there is a lot of potential here. Because things are a bit more chaotic and less fixed, there is a lot of opportunity to do things.

Describe your work.

My work questions accepted codes of behavior and explores issues of identity and desire. I work mainly with photography but I have also resolved to installation to best illustrate my ideas. I’m interested in how we define things. It is important to raise questions as we are living in an important period when questions must be raised – in which we question values and the very way that we live. I think that the role of the artist is to raise questions.

How does living in Greece inspire your work?

Greece has an important history from which one can draw endless inspiration.

Athens in particular is chaotic, full of wild energy unlike any other European capital and everyday is different here.

How would you describe the Greek contemporary art scene?

The contemporary art scene in Athens is small and hasn’t become part of the general culture like in the UK. The absence of any state support in the form of residencies, grants etc is a drawback. Having said that, there are a number of galleries with a strong exhibition program, some very committed collectors, and plenty of interesting artists.

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You have a solo exhibition at the Freud Museum in London coming up. What will you be showing?

I am actually having a solo exhibition at the Freud Museum in London from 30 June-4 September. In order to open the dialogue and create a wider discourse I have also invited a number of international artists with similar concerns to take part in a group show concurrent with my solo exhibition entitled ‘Les paris sont ouverts’. The title is after an essay by Claude Cahun written in the 1930s and it basically means that bets are open, everything is possible. Amongst the artists I have invited is Greek artist Dimitris Dokatzis whose work I find fascinating, as well as Maria Finn, Eve Fowler, Sharon Kivland, Linder, Lovett/ Codagnone, Jeff Ono, Paul P. i

1. Caroline May - Untitled (bath house), 2010 - Inkjet archival photographic print 100 x 100 cm - Courtesy the artist and The Apartment, Athens

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2. Caroline May - Untitled, 2010 - Inkjet archival photographic print - 50 x 50 cm Courtesy the artist and The Apartment, Athens

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Crises have always nurtured debate and artistic expression and it is in full evidence in Athens. With more galleries sprouting in the past year and participation at the annual Art-Athina intact, art is alive and well in Greece.

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rt-Athina is unique among the plethora of international art fairs, many of which have cropped up in recent years. Established in 1993 by the Hellenic Art Galleries Association, “Art-Athina started quite early in the European context”, says Alexandros Stanas, General Director of the event since D.Art took over the management of the fair in 2009. “It’s not one of the biggest art fairs, but is one of the oldest in existence.”

The Athenian art fair Art-Athina offers Greeks a unique chance to get an oversight into current artistic creation, gain exposure to a pot-pourri of global and Greek creativity, and glimpse, you could say, what is going on in the world of art.The latest incarnation of Art- Athina, which runs May 12-15 at the Taekwondo Stadium in Faliro, will feature displays by more than 58 galleries and 300 artists from Greece and abroad, as well as talks, exhibitions and performances. It’s apparent that despite the crisis, the visual arts sector is alive and kicking – and it’s kicking hard.

Highlights this year include: • Art- Athina is part of an ambitious communication project and is the main event of the recently introduced Athens Every Week programme of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

• Eleftheroudakis bookstore and the the Benaki Museum shop will run a wide selection of art books to coincide with the fair • Attica will showcase Art-Athina through unique window displays and draw attention to the event in the city centre.

• Insider has a stand at Art-Athina.Visit us at L 11.

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Art

Florence Nau’s current exhibition at the Kyhlberger Gallery in Kolonaki combines poetry with ecology, fabric with metal, beads with wrappers to create what she calls, ‘Drinkart’

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lorence Nau is an experimenter and a collector of treasures we discard on a daily basis – everything finds way into Florence’s creations - beverage cans of every brand, size, shape and colour, red decaffeinated coffee capsules to rich purple and gold ones promising a great start to the day, bottle shards of every hue abandoned on beaches, corks and bottle caps and wrappers of every texture and product imaginable. She then expertly marries them with colourful fabric, mother-of-pearl beads, seashells and poetry to produce a very powerful, emotional piece - recycling these everyday industrial materials to create a form of ‘ecological art’, cloaking them in a mantle of nobility.

As an artist, Florence Nau is not interested so much in style, but rather adapts her style to her subject matter. Today, through what she calls

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‘Drinkart’ she strives to represent in her own way our fascination with the colorful wrappings of consumer goods.

A lover of poetry, especially Byzantine and modern Greek poetry, Nau also seeks to explore the world of words through art. “My inspiration is closely related to the special relationship I have with my adopted country, Greece: Greece offers me its natural beauty, its wealth where ancient culture coexists with modern poetry. Poetry holds an important place in my life, and often I have an overpowering desire to reproduce the words of a poem in my creations or at other times to give form to the poem as visualised by the artist. I use words as raw material, for its musicality, its colour its rhythm.”

A French artist who has made Athens her home for the past fifteen years, Florence Nau’s approach to art is a response to the external world as she senses it.“I am in search of a condensed image of several times, namely a freeze frame of a time lived recorded on the film of time unfolding.”

Florence Nau’s exhibition ‘Drinkart’ is currently on at The Kyhlberger Gallery, Sina 42 until May 14. For more information on the artist’s works, visit: www.art-fnau.com, www.kyhlberger.com i

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Theatre for a cause Award-winning play The Fever by Wallace Shawn will be presented on 12, 13 and 14 May at 9pm at Theatro Technis Karolos Koun, Frynichou 14, in Plaka, in English. Described as a profoundly dramatic and engaging journey through the awakening of a pampered conscience the play is important because it touches on a number of urgent social and political issues which are thought provoking and which are highly relevant to the world we live in today. Performed by British actress Carrie Sharp Gerolymbos and directed by Anglo-Greek actress and director Jeanna L’Esty, all proceeds will go to the charity MAP – Medical Aid for Palestinians. For ticket information and bookings please call 210 618 2624 from 9 am to 3pm or email HMolfetas@ccc.gr Tickets are priced at 20 euros, 10 euros for students.

Dinners and desserts on the Dunes Costa Navarino kicks off its 2011 season with culinary synergies with a host of restaurants from Greece and abroad to broaden the choice and the gastronomic experience for its clients. Inbi, the Japanese restaurant that has earned itself a formidable reputation in the city, will be recreating its sushi magic at Costa Navarino as will Oleoteca, which will specialise in Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine and Vinoteca which will focus on local flavours and wines. Kayak, Greece’s very own ice-cream brand, bold enough to venture into unique Greek flavoured ice creams will also have a boutique on the premises. All those gastronomic delights combined with the opening of the Navarino Natura Hall, a unique interactive exhibition space and The Bay Course, the second golf course in Navarino Bay promise to make the Costa Navarino resort a real getaway for foodies, golfers and parents looking for it all - pampering, culture, sport, good food and endless activities to keep the liveliest of children busy. www.costanavarino.gr

Athens Museum Week In a bid to encourage Athenians as well as tourists to get better acquainted with the city’s temples of culture, all museums in Athens will host special programmes from 2 to 8 May. Take advantage of no entrance fees and soak in a bit of culture.

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A Garden of Earthly Delights at Hermès For the 6th consecutive year Hermès gives an opportunity to an artist with an international presence to create a visual environment combining fashion objects with contemporary art. Costas Bassanos, this year’s artist blends excerpts from the 1504 painting «The Garden of Earthly Delights» by Hieronymus Bosch and proposes four scenes, creating a narrative landscape that runs through the windows of Hermès.

Combining sculptural objects and paintings, the artist refers to the earthly origin of man in relation to the need of joy and precious objects. Costas Bassanos was born in Greece and studied fine arts in Italy and the UK and has presented his works in solo and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad. His work focuses mainly on understanding the urban landscape through a strong hermetic poetic romance.

Lounging by the Athenian Riviera The temperature soars and its time for Malabar, the popular lounge bar restaurant at The Margi in Vouliagmeni, to open its doors. Sink into the inviting chaise-lounges while enjoying sushi or tapas, follow up with a magnificent dinner, topped off with a rich chocolate soufflé, choose from the finest wines from the world over or simply stick to Spiros Kerkiras’ signature cocktails (the lemon martini and pear tequila are an absolute must) for an indulgent evening by the pool. Single malt-cigar afficionados please note: this is where Athenian glitterati imitate Boston Legal’s James Spader and William Shatner. www.margi.gr

Spring-clean your body and mind!

Asian Spa Resorts takes its expertise in traditional Asian and Ayurvedic healing therapies to Corfu, Santorini and Spetses starting this spring.

Following the success of its spas at the Intercontinental Hotel and at Holmes Place (where Asian Spa offers special treatments for detoxification and rejuvenation for weary urban souls), the Asian Spa Ayurvedic and City Retreat, with its unique wellness knowledge and experience will be managing the spas at Starwood’s Vedema and Mystique hotels in Santorini and the majestic Poseidonion Grand Hotel in Spetses. So time to get rid of those cobwebs and get ready for the summer. www.asianspa.gr

Check out our new website Visit our hot new website at www.insider-magazine.gr. It is easyto-navigate, cool in design and has oodles of information on living in and living-it-up in the city. Get a peek into the current issue and flick through the ‘pages’ of our back issues. Stay informed on the latest happenings in the city, follow our top 5 picks every week, post your comments and suggestions, place a classified or simply stop by to subscribe. Becoming an Insider has its rewards: Insider’s member card offers discounts, promotions and more. Stay tuned for more news on our soon-to-be-launched I-app.

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Moroccan flavours at St. George The Moroccan Embassy will be organising a four day festival of Moroccan gastronomy, music, fashion and handicrafts from May 4 to May 7 at the St. George Lycabettus Hotel. The event promises to give an insight into the rich culinary traditions of Morocco and its nascent fashion industry. Guests who would like to take a bit of Morocco home will have the possibility of buying traditional artifacts or even winning tickets to Marrakesh. Buffet dinners, including wine and Andalusian music and buffet lunch with fashion show on 6 May are priced at 60 euros. Buffet dinner on the last evening, including wine is priced at 55 euros. For reservations, email: marketing@sglycabettus.gr or call 210 7234435.

For fashionistas and shopaholics McArthurGlen Designer Outlet opens it doors early June to the delight of the fashion savvy. Designed in a neoclassical style building in muted shades of pink, the shopping centre is located in Spata Gialos and is spread across a sprawling 21,000 square meters and includes 110 shops, cafes and restaurants dedicated to create the ultimate shopping experience. If that isn’t enough of a draw, McArthurGlen rewards its regular customers with additional discounts, invitations to VIP events, previews and exclusive promotions in addition to the 35 - 70% lower prices on all fashion, beauty and home brands throughout the year.

Que aproveche The Arion Luxury Resort & Spa in Vouliagmeni will be hosting a Spanish cuisine festival at The Grill Room restaurant from 6 to 14 May with the Embassy of Spain and Iberia Airlines. Chefs Sergio Aroso and Juanjo Claramunt from The Westin, Valencia will guide Athenians on a journey through Spain’s rich culinary traditions.

Adding to the Spanish flavour, will be classical Flamenco dancing and music from the Andalusian area – a combination sure to tickle passions and palates. A terrific opportunity to taste authentic tapas, gazpacho, Iberian jamon and paella Valenciana from 7 pm to 12pm on weekdays and from 1 to 4 pm and 7 pm to midnight on weekends.

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Art-Athina Athens gets ready for its annual date with art-lovers converging at the city’s Faliro pavilion from May 12 to 15. With 56 galleries and 300 artists participating, it is apparent that despite the financial crisis, the visual arts scene in Greece is alive and kicking.While not one of the biggest art fairs, it’s certainly one of the oldest in existence. Alexandros Stanas, General Director of the 17th edition of Art-Athina believes, “Art-Athina fills the gap, taking on the role of mediator between art and the wider public. From the beginning, Art-Athina worked as a platform for communication between galleries, artists, curators, institutions and the audience.” For Stanas, beyond the networking lies a greater objective.“What we are trying to do with Art-Athina is to give the audience the alphabet to start reading contemporary art, so when they leave, they know more about what contemporary art is.”

Education T

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Costi Dardoufas, Head of ISA, speaks at length on the role of educators in encouraging life-long learning, beyond syllabi and the confines of the classroom With its impressive staircase and mosaic tiles, the building has since then been successfully adapted for educational purposes from its previous avatars as a club house and then a four-storey hotel and boarding house.

From its humble beginnings in the early ‘70s, the school was renamed in 1979 as the TASIS Hellenic International School and also had a boarding school for boys and girls.The name was changed to International School of Athens in May 2005, to better reflect the nature of the school, five years after the BCA group took over the management of the institution. The school is accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and the student body comprises 35 different nationalities, indicating the cosmopolitan character of the school.

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he majestic neo-classical building that houses the International School of Athens (ISA) on Artemidos and Xenias streets in Kifissia has a history as exciting as that of the school itself. Costi Dardoufas, justifiably proud of the building’s chequered history, explains, “This used to be the American club for the military and diplomats in the ‘50s and ‘60s - it was the only place where you could get Coca-Cola then!

It also housed the PX supply store where the US army and embassy personnel shopped for American goodies, food and beverages. It was a thriving social club.”

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According to Costi Dardoufas, one of the biggest advantages at ISA is that, “ISA has never become too big. Therefore, there is a closer relationship between teacher and students. We have now for years, a cut-off number of 20 students per class. If that figure exceeds by even student, we have two classes.”

And that has helped foster a real ‘sense of family’.“A low faculty student ratio caters to the individual needs of each student and contributes to a learning environment that stimulates personal, intellectual, artistic, social, and physical development. The close interaction of all members of the ISA community effectively encourages the students to achieve high personal standards of academic success, maximises each student’s potential and contributes to the total educational experience”, Dardoudas adds.

Taking pride in the school’s focus on children with learning disabilities, the headmaster points out,“Another plus is that we were the first school to start a career and counselling centre. One of its main goals is to look after children with special differences with trained, educated personnel who deal with the individual needs of students. Other schools followed suit but we were the first to start this centre. If there are any specific needs that need to be addressed, our in-house psychologist contacts the parents … so we keep a very close eye on our children from a very young age. We even develop a special curriculum for children with special needs.”

“The school is dedicated to instilling in all of its students a love of learning, self-discipline and self-knowledge”, Dardoufas continues.“We strongly believe that what a school chooses to teach is reflected in its regard for its human relationships, to its appreciation of cultural diversity and the manner to which it interacts with all of its members. This somehow comes from the philosophy of our school which is respect for the individuality of each student. We do not see ourselves as an assembly line factory and we try to develop each child’s potential to its maximum.”

In addition to classrooms, the premises boast a double computer lab, science labs, two libraries, art studios, and a theatre for dramatic and musical performances.The Counselling and Careers Centre conducts a variety of counselling functions, including a vigorous University Placement office. For sports and physical education, the school has basketball/volleyball courts and a playground for younger children. Students also have the use of a nearby closed gymnasium and soccer field. The

kindergarten schools run by ISA, (Melina’s kindergarten) have been so successful that there is a third one set to open in Kifissia this fall. As all other ISA buildings, the kindergartens are all housed in beautiful neoclassical villas that inspire children to appreciate history and aesthetics from a very young age.

Despite turbulent times, Dardoufas is optimistic of what lies ahead.

“We have been on an upward trail over the last 6 years and we’re in full expansion mode.”

Is he convinced that education might lead to a better, brighter future, higher standards of living and more opportunities for his students?

“It totally depends on your vantage point. If we say that success will be measured by the criteria we use today, for me its not success. Education would have fulfilled its role if it equips students to lead responsible lives, to integrate in a multi-cultural environment and to pursue personal goals, irrespective of economic consideration.” i International School of Athens is an IB World School, and is one of the few schools authorized by the IBO to offer all three programs: PYP, MYP and Diploma Programs. In addition, the school has a college preparatory program in grades 11 and 12, which offers high standards for those interested in an alternative to the Diploma Program. Qualified students who attend at least two years of the MYP may earn a certificate at the end of the 10th grade. As an authorized school, ISA carefully adheres to the standards and criteria set by the IBO. Students learn English, mathematics, social studies, science, languages (Greek, French and Spanish), the arts, technology and physical education.

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I versary of the On the seventieth anni ds to an eterBattle of Crete, new stran n, as the famnal bond have been wove ost remarkable ily of one of Australia’s m Crete, returns soldiers who fought in . Mike Sweet for a very special reunion eeting recounts the poignant m

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t has taken more than a day and a night for Glenda Humes to get here from Australia on this bright, crisp Cretan morning. Glenda is the eldest daughter of Reg Saunders, an Australian soldier who fought in the Battle of Crete and who has a very special place in Australian history; a natural leader, hugely respected by fellow soldiers, Reg Saunders was the first Aboriginal man to be commissioned as an officer in the Australian Army. Glenda has arrived at Nikos Kazantzakis Airport in Heraklion, with sisters Dorothy Burton and Judith Standen, to follow in their father’s footsteps, seventy years after he set foot in Crete.

The hire cars are loaded and we’re on our way west. ‘’We planned this trip a year ago,’’ says Judith, as we speed along the national road, heading for Chania.W’e’d heard that some of the villagers who looked after dad were still alive. It was a chance to see what he had seen, to get an understanding of what he went through.’’ As we pass Rethymno Glenda reflects on how she first came to know about the Cretan family that hid her father.‘’It was when I read dad’s biography written in the 1960s. Just to be able to look them in the eye and say thank you will be a wonderful thing.’’ We’re making for Suda Bay, where the 21 year old Saunders arrived with thousands of other troops in April 1941. Soon the Lefka Ori, the mountains of western Crete appear; beside us is the natural harbour of Suda Bay. It’s here that Saunders’s story, like that of most Allied troops who came to Crete, began. And it is here, at the Suda Bay War Cemetery, where many of those who fell, remain to this day.

History

‘’When he had a choice to surrender or go bush, that was a very easy decision for him to make,’’

Nearby is where Saunders’ battalion took up its first position, at Georgioupolis. One of the many examples of the flawed Allied defence strategy in 1941; when the German paratroops appeared in the skies on May 20, Saunders’ expert infantry unit were mere spectators. As Maleme airfield was lost in the first days of the battle, the 2/7th was moved to support a belated and unsuccessful counter-attack, but it would only engage the enemy later, after taking up a defensive position with New Zealand forces, beside a lane on the outskirts of Chania, known to the troops as 42nd Street.

At around 11 o’clock on the morning of May 27, the Germans appeared in the distance. They were mountain troops of the 141st Gebirgsjäger Regiment, an elite unit of fresh reinforcements, made up of volunteers.

Unknowingly they advanced towards the Anzac line. Official records have always been unable to confirm whether it was the Australians or the Maoris who began the action, but one story, one image, would forever symbolise the dramatic events that unfolded as the enemy were engaged. A young Maori rose from his position. With one hand on his hip and a clip of ammunition in the other, the Maori began to lead the ‘Ka Mate’ haka. As his ancient war cry rang out, the Anzacs, bayonets fixed, charged, as one.Taken by surprise, the German force fled in disarray. In the brutal pursuit that followed, between 200 and 300 German troops were bayoneted, shot or bludgeoned to death. The Anzacs had lost around fifty men.

The visit to the site is a poignant experience. Saunders knowingly killed his first enemy soldier here, an action which filled him with great remorse and an event that he spoke of movingly years later. “ When I got there I was terribly sorry about it. I looked at him and he was a blonde, blue eyed bloke because his eyes were still open... I thought ‘Jesus you’re about the same age as me’. I wish I could say ‘Come on old fellow, get up and let’s get on with the bloody game’ you know, thinking football.’

The charge at 42nd Street bought precious time for the Allies as the endgame of the Battle of Crete played out. Saunders’ unit was then deployed to form part of the rearguard, to protect the thousands of Allied soldiers making for evacuation from the south coast.That afternoon we take the same route to Sfakia. Over four successive nights from May 28th 1941, 11,000 allied troops were evacuated from Sfakia to Egypt. The 2/7th was the last unit to arrive on the final night of the evacuation.

There was no room for them on the last barge to leave the beach. For Saunders, like thousands of other soldiers abandoned at the water’s edge, there was a choice; surrender or head to the mountains.

At the Lefka Ori taverna on the Sfakia waterfront, Glenda Humes looks out across the bay her father saw. ‘’When he had a choice to surrender or go bush, that was a very easy decision for him to make,’’ says Glenda. ‘’He’d grown up in the bush and would have been able to read the signs,

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‘’We used to take him food and blankets, anything he needed... we taught him Greek. He was like a brother to us.’’

and he would have shared that knowledge.’’The next day thousands did surrender. More than 12,000 Allied troops who fought the Battle of Crete became prisoners of war, but hundreds had avoided capture. After moving through the mountains in the weeks that followed, Saunders arrived at a village south of Rethymno called Labini. Of all the hideouts during his time on the run, it was at Labini that he stayed the longest, protected by a woman and her children.Twenty years later he would describe this remarkable matriarch. ‘’Vasiliki Zacharakis was the bravest woman I’ve ever seen … classical features and magnificent flashing eyes. She walked straight as a gun barrel and had courage to match. Never saw a woman with so much ruddy strength.’’

It takes two hours to drive east from Sfakia to Labini. Vasiliki died in 1992 but her children Areti and Yiannis, still live in the village. Both formed a close friendship with Saunders and have fond memories of the young Australian soldier they knew as ‘Rengis’. A profound appreciation of the kindness and bravery shown by Vasiliki and her children stayed with Saunders for the rest of his life. ‘’Their courage and generosity never ceased to amaze me. It went beyond being helpful to another human being. Sometimes I used to ask why they were doing it…they seemed terribly impressed by the fact that we had come so far to fight a war which concerned them more than our own people.’’

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History ‘’I wanted him to know that his children and grandchildren are here, and we’ll yell it out, to the hills and valleys of Labini. And we did.’’ more raki. Glenda looks at the old bell in the belfry above with a glint in her eye. ‘’Let me ring that bell,’’ she says excitedly. ‘’This is the Saunders clan saying we’re in town!’’The rich round tones of the ancient bell ring out across the valley; the sound of a precious reconnection made across continents, cultures and time itself.

Within weeks of the fall of Crete, the British Special Operations Executive was tasked with assisting the Cretan resistance and organising the evacuation of soldiers who had evaded capture. Saunders covered a large part of western and central Crete while on the run. Away from Labini he was constantly on the move, usually with others in small groups. They moved on foot, mostly at night. They crossed and recrossed the mountains, lived in caves, and scaled the desolate high passes. Avoiding roads, they took shelter where they could. Shepherds would give warnings of German patrols, news of a safe house in the next village, and occasionally, knowledge of where an evacuation might be due.

Areti and Yiannis are now in their eighties. Areti keeps a simple home in the village; her brother is a shepherd. The reunion of the Saunders and Zacharakis families is to take place at Labini’s plateia.When Glenda arrives at the square, Areti and Yiannis, along with their middle-aged children and teenage grandchildren, as well as a throng of villagers are already there. Glenda walks purposefully towards Areti with moist eyes.

Words are unnecessary.They embrace. Past and present collide - a quiet, profound expression of thanks across generations, for sacrifice, courage and a kinship born in the storm of war.

Reg and Vasiliki’s daughters walk hand in hand as the celebration moves to Areti’s ancient two-room house in the labyrinthine alleyways that make up Labini. Raki is offered. Glasses are charged and held high to exclamations of ‘’Eviva!’’. As the party continues, through the interpreter, Glenda discovers more about her father’s time in the village.‘’We used to take him food and blankets, anything he needed,’’ says Areti. ‘’We taught him Greek. He was like a brother to us.’’

A few kilometres away, on a hillside north of the village, is the tiny church of Agios Ioannis Theologos where Saunders was often hidden at times of greatest danger. Still only accessible by foot, it was here the Zacharakis family would tend their flocks in the summer.The tiny altar still holds the icons that looked down on the soldiers as they slept.Yiannis Zacharakis would bring them food each day prepared by his mother.

Today his son Stratos has brought a Cretan picnic - Kourabiedes - and

Saunders finally left Crete finally almost one year after the Allied surrender. From official records of evacuation operations in May 1942, the location for Saunders’ evacuation, was due south of Heraklion, below the village of Krotos. It is still a wild isolated place, accessible even today only with difficulty. We arrive at the beach late in the afternoon. The sun, low on the horizon, casts a rich yellow light and long shadows.

Reg Saunders’ Cretan odyssey ended here.‘’We’ve come full circle,’’ says Glenda quietly, sitting on the pebbles, looking out to sea. ‘’I was always close to my father, but I feel closer to him now than I’ve been for a very long time.’’ As we sit beside the shore, Glenda brings to mind the ringing of the church bell at Agios Ioannis Theologos, her voice cracking with emotion. Tears are in her eyes. ‘’I wanted to ring that bell to let him know we’re here,’’ she says, her voice growing louder and more defiant. ‘’I wanted him to know that his children and grandchildren are here, and we’ll yell it out, to the hills and valleys of Labini. And we did.’’ Already Glenda is thinking about the next chapter in the story. ‘’We know each other now and we won’t let go of that. I always knew they were kind people.They just enfold you in their arms and keep you close. We’re coming back.”

Reg Saunders died in Canberra in 1990, at the age of 70, never having had the opportunity to return to Crete. As the events of what occurred at Labini in 1941 near the end of living memory, today new strands have been woven into that eternal bond. Vasiliki and Reg are gone but their legacy remains, forever a reaffirmation of the power of unyielding courage and kinship. i * Archive interview extracts courtesy ‘The Embarrassing Australian’, Reg Saunders’ biography by Harry Gordon. Lansdowne Press 1962 and the Australian War Memory

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Nick Malkoutzis on the one-year anniversary marking the 12 months since Prime Minister George Papandreou accepted that the party was over for Greece and it needed help to pay a bill that would have made even the Windsors wince.

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or some reason, weddings seemed to be on people’s minds over the past few weeks. Along with tying the knot, anniversaries were also a popular subject. While Britain revelled in Will and Kate’s moment in the sun, Greeks had a less pleasant moment of their own to share: a few days before the royal wedding, Greece marked a year since it made an official appeal to the European Union and the International Monetary Fund for an emergency loan package.

Understandably, there was no flag waving or street parties to accompany the one-year anniversary of Greece admitting its political and economic failure. There was no puffing out of chests or swelling of pride to mark the 12 months since Prime Minister George Papandreou accepted that the party was over for Greece and it needed help to pay a bill that would have made even the Windsors wince.

Amid the introspection and the regret, the anniversary of Greece’s plea for help was marked in the most ironic of ways. US financial giant Goldman Sachs issued a statement saying that a restructuring of Greek debt would not pose a threat to Europe’s biggest banks. “By extending 91 billion euros of refinancing facilities to Greek banks, the European Central Bank has effectively disintermediated the ‘core’ banks from the periphery,” the Goldman analysts said. “As a consequence, the knockon effects of a restructuring would be milder for European banks today than, say, just last year.”

On the face of it, there was nothing remarkable about Goldman’s statement. Given all the chattering about possible Greek restructuring, it was no surprise that a Wall Street giant should want to give its two cents worth. However, a closer look at recent Greek history proves what a moment of sweet irony it was that a bank which helped the country mask its

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Talking point

deficit when it joined the eurozone, thereby contributing to the process that brought both Greece and the euro to the edge of catastrophe, should now comment on what does or does not constitute a threat.

As revealed last year by German magazine Der Spiegel and then confirmed by several international media, the deal between Goldman Sachs and Greece in 2002 involved cross-currency swaps in which government debt issued in dollars and yen was swapped for euro debt for a certain period and would be exchanged back into the original currencies at a later date. The investment bankers came up with a special product for Greece that involved fictional exchange rates, which allowed Athens to receive credit that did not show up in its statistics. Although not strictly a contravention of eurozone rules, it was certainly against the spirit of the single currency and the interests of the country.

The fact that the US bank should return nine years later to pass judgement when Greece is paying a terrible price for its past sins adds insult to injury. It is also a reminder that although Greece is relying on loans from its partners in Europe and beyond to stay afloat, many of its supposed friends around the world helped plunge it into debt in the first place.

Even a cursory glance at the last few years underlines that if Greece was hell-bent on throwing itself off the cliff into economic ruin, there were always others happy to help her do it and make a profit in the process.

In 2004, for instance, the Greek government was encouraged to rack up a 1 billion euro bill for the Games’ security package. About a third of the money went to a US-led consortium that provided the contentious C4I surveillance system that was not fully delivered until some time after the Olympics had finished.While the 1 billion spent in 2004 is a tiny part of the 350 billion euros that Greece owes now it was a moment that said

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much about the modern Greek state. It was indicative of a ruling class that played fast and loose with insufficient public funds since it could always borrow more in the name of the Greek people. But it was also symptomatic of the sometimes malign influence of outsiders.

The German electronics and engineering giant Siemens was part of the consortium involved in the C4I package. Since then, the firm’s murky dealings in Greece have become public knowledge. Millions were paid in bribes to Greek politicians and state officials to secure lucrative contracts.

But Siemens was not alone – Greece’s recent history is peppered with foreign companies from supposedly morally upstanding countries that have made graft a fine art.

There was a telling moment last month, just days before Greece’s bailout anniversary, when - on the same day - two former managers at German firm Ferrostaal were charged with more than 62 million euros in bribes to win a 1.2-billion-euro submarine order in Greece and US company Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay 70 million dollars to settle charges that it paid kickbacks to win business in Greece and other countries.

Towards the end of last month, Greek Parliament voted to investigate Akis Tsochatzopoulos, the man who presided over the submarine deal as defence minister. This will almost certainly lead to a period of much public hand wringing, political bickering and moral posturing that will produce few tangible results. It is likely to be a reflection of everything that is wrong with Greece but while this charade plays out, it might be worth contemplating the part that foreign banks, investors and companies have played in Greece’s current unhappiness. They presented themselves as perfect suitors but in many cases it was just a marriage of convenience for them. i

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Voukourestiou Street has always been part of Athens’ glittering district. With big-name fashion and jewellery brands all housed within a stone’s throw of each other, it is a shopper’s paradise. An Insider peek into one of Athens’ favourite streets ahead of the wedding season. Images by Silvena Ivanova

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ew Athenians know that Voukourestiou is named after the Treaty of Bucharest which ended the second Balkan Wars in 1913. Peace would prove to be an elusive commodity in Europe for a good forty years after the signing, but prosperity has always reigned on this narrow street in Kolonaki. Running from Panepistimiou Street to the slope of Mt. Lycabettus, Voukourestiou is one of four streets (the others are Stadiou Street, Amerikis Street and Panepistimiou Street) that enclose the large building of the former Army Pension Fund now housing the uberchic Attica Department Store, the Piraeus Bank headquarters, the Holmes Place spa, the legendary Pallas theatre and the equally famous Zonar’s cafe.

Reminiscing, John Zervos, Director of the Athens Center at Mets, wrote in the March 2008 issue of Insider,‘Opposite the Numismatic Museum, on Panepistimiou Street, spanning a whole block was a six-story pink structure known as the Tameion (Army Pension Fund) Building. It used to house the American Embassy, the Greek Tourist Organization, the Pallas Cinema, the Maxim Cinema, and the elegant shops on the Stadiou side. Two historic cafes, Zonar’s and Floca, used to grace the

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ground level. It was considered the height of elegance to have a coffee and cake at Zonar’s, and in the summer its outdoor seating was the ‘de rigeur’ meeting place for many Athenians. Zonar’s at that time exuded a sense of luxury which in the early 1950’s contrasted sharply with the poverty of a city recovering from years of conflict. As it was close to the Parliament it was frequented by politicians and their entourages, by political hopefuls, and by social climbers who could probably ill-afford the minimum 12 drachma charge for a coffee.’

All the major icons of style - Baccarat, Bally, Bulgari, Burberry, Cartier, Chopard, Ermenegildo Zegna, Dior, D&G, Fendi, Hermès, Mulberry, Longchamp, Louis Vuitton, MontBlanc, Prada, Omega,Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tod’s,Van Cleef & Arpels – nudge each other for commercial space on Voukourestiou, making window-shopping a real pleasure even in these cash-strapped days. Most of the boutiques on the street were revamped just ahead of the 2004 Olympic Games and part of Voukourestiou was pedestrianized, giving shoppers more vehicle-free room to browse through and glitzy new boutiques to try on the season’s latest collections in.

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But even before its recent facelift, Greek jewellery houses have always been centred around the street. Not surprising as Athens’ diamond trade is highly concentrated and is located in the historic center near Syntagma Square.

Liana Vourakis, whose funky creations have a loyal clientele as well as Michalis across the street, and high-society favourite Kessaris, where the well-heeled pick up idiosyncratic Greek designs with precious stones, diamonds and pearls – have all been on Voukourestiou for a long, long time.The flagship branch of Ilias Lalaounis, one of the most recognized names in luxury jewellery with exquisite creations inspired by Greek glory, both past and present, and whose intricate gold interpretations have graced the limbs of celebrities, is also located on Voukourestiou.

Further up the street, Zolotas, reputed for its uniquely modern, yet quintessentially Greek designs puts a contemporary spin on ancient Byzantine motifs.

The choice of designer wear, both Greek and local, is abundant on this fashionable strip as is funky technology with Bang & Olufsen enticing customers with its sleek, new models.

Despite the accent on glamour, a few heart-warming sights still hark back to simpler times - the ubiquituous koulouri seller just off the Lalaounis store and the sweet aroma of grilled chestnuts wafting through the busy street at the intersection of Panepistimiou and Voukourestiou.

Voukourestiou also offers respite from shopping fatigue at one of the numerous coffee-shops and restaurants that line the street. For people watching and a reasonably priced cup of coffee, Clemente VIII (named after the pope’s fondness for coffee) under the magnificent arches of the revamped Pallas theatre is a good stop. Pasaji, for light lunches and sinful desserts, is, as its name suggests located in the corridor that links the busy streets of Stadiou and Voukourestiou that frame the Army Pension Fund building. The celebrated Valaouritou Brasserie, just off Voukourestiou, is great for a quick salad or a glass of wine. For Levantine delights, head to Karavan and for French standards, Paul is a welcome newcomer in the area. But to relive the old times, enjoy the decadence at Zonar’s or at least stop by to pick a box of colourful macarons. i

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Planning a royal wedding of your own? Insider gives you the lowdown on how to avoid heartaches, negotiate red-tape and amp up the romance

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reece has always held sway over our collective imagination, not only because it is the cradle of Western civilization, but also because it is one of the last bastions of a sensual and relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle characterized by bountiful sunshine, a limpid sea, flavourful food, and late - (and we mean late) night stories. While the pace here is not quite as slow as it used to be, Greeks still know how to enjoy good life, giving pride of place to friends and family and blending a healthy respect for tradition with a voracious appetite for the present.What better place to have your wedding and honeymoon!

riage licence, although certain islands require a minimum prior to the ceremony.The process of getting a marriage licence in Greece is a little complicated as personal documents have to be translated, and notices in Greek have to be placed in local newspapers. So it is best to leave it to the professionals at most of the hotels organising weddings. Religious ceremonies are more complicated than civil ones but in spite of the red tape, it is easier to get married in Greece than in other European countries. Using a local wedding coordinator provides you with a valuable contact and the flexibility of a tailor-made wedding.

The country’s topography is as varied as its regions, from the dramatic lunar beauty of the Cyclades islands to the pine-covered and sandy beaches of Halkidiki and fragrant citrus and olive groves of Crete.Whether you seek the quiet simplicity of village life or the classic elegance of a city hotel, each destination is distinctive in identity and spirit. Celebrated for their picturesque villages, portside tavernas, and tiny chapels perched upon windblown hills, the many beautiful islands combine an easygoing rhythm with sometimes intense nightlife.There’s something for virtually every taste and budget.

Dream destinations

Besides the reasons mentioned, a wedding in Greece may just help reduce the stress leading up to the big day. Locally arranged packages typically include accommodation, the ceremony and the reception.

Where possible, you should visit your destination before arranging the wedding and try out several locations before deciding on the venue for your reception. Make sure to spend a few days in Athens to buy your wedding dress, many are still hand-made by top designers at very competitive prices.

Greece has no residency requirements or waiting periods to get a mar-

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Santorini: Santorini is the hands-down leader and attracts the highest number of foreign couples that come here to wed and honeymoon. With its whitewashed, dome-capped structures perched high above the deep blue Aegean Sea, the striking isle of Santorini offers many sites for romantic nuptials on an outdoor terrace, in a cathedral, or at a winery, with brilliant sweeps of sparkling white and blue as your backdrop.

Heliotopos hotel is a boutique hotel complex built in the traditional dome style of Santorini and consists of one and two storey suites and studio apartments. Enjoy breathtaking views of the volcano, the sea, and the surrounding islets. They are highly specialized in planning every aspect of weddings from start to finish.

Tel: 228.602.3670, www.weddings.heliotopos.net Perivolas Traditional Houses Sophisticated travellers have known Perivolas in Oia ever since it opened and it remains a perennial favourite of magazines like Conde Nast Traveller and Vogue. This world-class

small luxury inn of cave dwellings is perched on the cliffs high above the Aegean Sea in the romantic hideaway of Oia. It even has its own private beach. Tel: 228.607.1308 www.perivolas.gr

you don’t have connections,” he says. He advises booking well ahead, especially at popular venues like Nammos at Psarou beach and Elia Beach Restaurant.

Vedema Resort built around a 15th century winery is comprised of 35 rooms and 10 pool suites inspired by traditional Cycladic island architecture.Vedema embodies the barefoot chic philosophy that is signature Santorini. www.vedema.gr

Crete:

Mykonos: Renowned for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, exciting nightlife, picturesque Cycladic landscape and magnificent beaches, Mykonos is not far from being the most idyllic place to have a wedding.The island has over 250 churches but two of the favoured wedding locations are actually monasteries, both in Ano Mera. The Monastery of Panagia Tourliani, 8km east of the Hora, is a stunning example of Cycladic architecture complete with coloured dome and wonderfully sculpted marble fountain.

The nearby Monastery of Paleokastro also boasts stunning views and a beautiful courtyard area. In Hora, there are a plethora of options, with the Petropolis or Megali Panagia particularly popular.

For those who with cash to splash, Santa Marina on the Ornos peninsula is fabulous, with its own church and gardens overlooking the bay for the reception. Also in Ornos, the Ammos Mykonos Hotel, with a summer version of Athens’ Kuzina restaurant, is ideal for a beach-party wedding reception. Mykonos can be overly expensive if you don’t tread carefully, points out Lefteris Tzouvelis of Noise Event Engineering, a company that has been organising weddings on the island for the last 10 years. “Reception parties can cost anywhere between 50-150 euros per person including catering and an open bar and it can be tough if

Birthplace of Minoan civilization, the immense island of Crete offers a dramatically beautiful landscape, beautiful beaches and golf! The ancient Minoan palace of Knossos draws visitors to the capital of Iraklio, while the town of Hania is known for its Venetian harbour. Elounda, to the east of the island, with its top resorts, has long been a jet set attraction.

Elounda Mare is the only hotel in Greece that is part of the Relais & Château chain. 37 rooms and suites and 43 bungalows boast private seawater swimming pools or access to the private sand beach.There are two private chapels on the premises, one with frescoes by artist Alecos Fassianos. Tel: 284.104.1512, www.elounda-sa.com Grecotel Creta Palace is set on a sandy beach among fragrant gardens, and three bungalow villages offer a combination of trend-setting modern design carefully blended with traditional Cretan materials. www.grecotel.gr Tel: 283.105.5181 St. Nicolas Bay Hotel Within walking distance of the fishing harbour of Aghios Nikolaos, a collection of whitewashed bungalows on a peninsula provide rest and relaxation with three pools and a small beach.

Tel: 284.102.5781 www.stnicolasbay.gr

Halkidiki: Not far from Thessaloniki is a breathtakingly beautiful set of three peninsulas covered in lush pine forests that come right down to the warm, tranquil sea’s edge. Less crowded and hectic than some other spots,

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How to get married in Greece For a civil ceremony, apply to the local municipality mayor. For a religious ceremony, the licence is issued by the parish priest. There is no residency requirement. However, the paperwork may take up to several weeks to process. Either a civil or a religious ceremony or both may be performed in Greece. If neither the bride nor the groom is a resident of Greece, marriage licences can be obtained from your current place of residence prior to coming to Greece.

Applications and/or documents required to obtain a Greek Marriage Licence: bring along the original copies of the following (be sure to pack these in your hand luggage, never in your checked bags!)

• Passport or Other Official Travel Documents • Certified copy of Full Birth Certificate Both parties must obtain a ‘full’ birth certificate with parents’ names as the shorter version of the Birth Certificate will not be accepted.

• Divorce or Death Certificate If previously married a certified copy of the divorce decree (UK Decree Absolute) or death certificate if marriage ended due to death of spouse.

• Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage This document certifies that both parties are free to get married and must be completed in English and Greek.

• A copy of the wedding notice in the newspaper A wedding notice should be published in one of the local newspapers in Greek (the names should be phonetically written in Greek and not in Latin characters) before you apply for a marriage licence. In small towns that do not publish local newspapers, notices are published by the mayor or president of the community at the City Hall Community Office.

Halkidhiki is one of the best kept secrets in Greece.Top resorts and spas ensure that you will want for nothing.

Eagles Palace is one of the most breathtaking Halkidiki sea view hotels.

The luxury suites with pool offer complete privacy, direct access to the beach and promise a unique experience as your gaze flows away to the mystique presence of Mount Athos, the sandy beach and the mesmerizing sea front. Tel: 237. 703.1101 www.eaglespalace.gr Danai Beach Resort and Villas World-known guest chefs, jazz groups and singers, private wine tastings and hydromassage in all the rooms are but a few of the pleasures offered by this elegant resort on the Sidonia Peninsula. Tel: 237.502.2310 www.dbr.gr

Attica: If you prefer to be close to the city but have all the feel of an island escape than look no further than Athens. Teaming with breathtaking monuments and gorgeous museums, Athens offers limitless possibilities from simple tavernas to sophisticated restaurants, the charm of Plaka and the bustle of the Monastiraki flea market. Splurge in the countless fancy shops of Kolonaki, hop the funicular to the top of Lycabettus or enjoy a spot of jazz at a trendy bar at Psirri or take in a concert at the Herodus Atticus amphitheatre or dance the night away at a beachside disco…You and your guests will be surprised by all that’s offered in and around the city.

Astir Palace Vouliagmeni Only 25km of the centre of Athens, this recently renovated grande dame features three hotels and luxury bungalows spanning 75 acres on a pine-dotted promontory overlooking the Saronic Gulf. Feel like you are on a chic island retreat with all the amenities of the big city. Tel: 210.890.2000 www.astir-palace.com i

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Make-up artist and hair stylist Giorgos Frangakis on how to look radiant on the big day.

Do you think going to school for make up artistry is important to excel in the business later on?

Well, to begin with you need to go to school, the talent is not enough by itself. In school you learn many things, for instance: how to work and mix the colours and, of course, tips and ways to work with the different structures of faces. The school shows you the way, after that you are on your own and you need to improve yourself. You start with what you have learned and take it further up. There are no limits to what you can do.

Did you always want to be an artist or did you stumble upon your talent by chance?

Who or what inspired you to become a make up artist?

Since I was young I knew what I wanted to be. I always wanted to be creative and help people believe in themselves, to give them self-confidence. Thinking about all that I decided to become a make up artist and a hairdresser as well.

What is the favorite or most exciting aspect about your job?

I like very much to play with colours as an aspect of the creation process. It also pleases me very much when a woman smiles and is happy with the results of my work, this gives me great satisfaction.

What are the most common mistakes women make with make up? What is the worst thing a woman can do to her skin?

Nowadays more and more women try to learn how to take care of themselves. When I see women in the street, the most common mistake I notice is that they put on a wrong foundation or a lot of it trying to look nicer and the result is the opposite, because if you do not use it in the right way it can look like a mask or it can crack.

Wedding make up tips: 1. To ensure that your foundation lasts all day use a primer. Using a primer as a base is essential.

2. Choose the right foundation that matches your skin tone.

3. Although the foundation will give you the coverage that you need to even out the blotchiness, the concealer is necessary to getting rid of any unwanted shadows.

4. To set the foundation the use of a powder is recommended.

5. Do not forget the blusher.

6. Use a light eye shadow as base before you put the definite colors.

7. Avoid to put crystals or strass. Because of the flashes they will ruin the pictures.

8. Apply a double coat of mascara.

9. Use a lip liner that matches the lipstick shade. insider athens | May 2011

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Travel

Ouranopolis in Halkidiki is one of the most stunning areas in Greece, rich in natural beauty, history, religion, architecture and gastronomy. For a truly celestial experience, Anelia Fikiina suggests the Eagles Palace hotel

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egend has it that Halkidiki was the scene of a battle between Zeus and the other Olympian Gods on the one side and the Giants, children of Gaea (Mother Earth) and Uranus on the other. Enceladus, the leader of the Giants, was buried alive in Kassandra. It is believed that when he tries to shake free from his tomb, it invariably provokes earthquakes in the region! The prong of Cassandra is named after Kassandros, the king of Macedonia and successor of Alexander the Great. Sithonia is named after Sithon, the son of Poseidon, and Athos owes its name to the giant Athos, who threw an enormous rock at Zeus but missed him!

The unspoiled natural charm of Halkidiki, seemingly unchanged over the centuries, makes one plunge deep into the tranquility and beauty of the peninsula.With proud mountains that succeed each other, pleasantly cool valleys of wild flowers of every hue and colour framed by verdant clusters of trees and the azure Aegean Sea kissing the shores of the three prongs of the peninsula, it is a passport to a new, undiscovered world.

Kassandra is the most westerly leg of Halkidiki. It features remarkable extensive beaches and pine forests and is also the most touristic and populated part of the trio. If you prefer to stay closer to the busy city atmosphere and spend your holidays catching up on the dance floor, you’re in the right place. But book ahead as accommodation is limited.

Sithonia is not as crowded as Kassandra though it still boasts some of the area’s most popular resorts. Sithonia is known not only for its virgin

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green forests and mesmerizing blue shores, but also for its cosy fishing bays and olive tree groves, where, legend has it, Persephone was taken away by Hephaestus on Zeus’s golden chariot. There are still some small hidden sandy beaches particularly on the east coast where you can get away, at least for awhile until another person seeking solitude arrives.

The eastern prong of Halkidiki, Athos, is a mystic symphony of light blue and green, intensified by the presence of the Holy Mountain. It is hard to describe all the shades of the sea, the sky and the flora that you will encounter here. Mount Athos is one of the holiest places not only for Greece but for the whole Orthodox world, a living monument of Byzantium culture; it is to Greece what the Vatican is to Rome, a religious state within a state. At Mount Athos there are monasteries and monks representing every country in the Orthodox world.

Unfortunately, if you are a woman you can admire this beauty only as far as Ouranopolis - the last town that separates Mount Athos from the earthly rest of the world. Fortunately the village is one of the most beautiful and romantic in the area and has beaches, hotels, seafood tavernas and traditional cafÊs. If you’re a man and have secured the necessary permits, you are about to visit one of the most beautiful and unblemished spots on earth. Mount Athos has its fair share of celebrity visitors - Prince Charles is known to visit the Holy Mountain regularly. Enormous fortress-like monasteries sprinkle the coastal landscape and appear on the mountain

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Travel

slopes with every bend in the road. There are caves that still house hermits as they have for thousands of years. The seashore is perhaps the most beautiful in the Aegean, but rarely used for swimming since monks generally do not go to the beach.

Spread on the northeast side of the third leg of Halkidiki, in Ouranoupolis - the most romantic village of the peninsula, Eagles Palace, member of Small & Luxury Hotels of the World, captures the virgin beauty of the region and the mystic presence of Mount Athos. There, one has the feeling that God has carved a piece of heaven and decided to give it shape on Earth – the perfect setting to relax your body and mind and nurture your soul.

The astonishing architecture of the hotel manages to perfectly blend history, nature and luxury.The hotel offers rooms, suites and bungalows, for every taste and need, even private pools for sophisticated guests looking for privacy. Each room has its own distinctive design, with terraces overlooking the magnificent bay.

The spacious and plush resort is ideal for family vacations and offers leisure activities for kids and grown-ups alike. One of the big plusses is the Kid’s club and its fantastic programmes: swimming lessons, arts and crafts, outdoor activities on a playground just a few steps away from the beach, and for little master chefs, baking lessons on Saturday mornings - while parents enjoy a quiet breakfast. All this is great news for parents

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who can enjoy the delights of the hotel and its environs guilt-free knowing that their kids are having fun in a safe environment.

The list of possibilities for recreation is endless – from lounging with a book on the beach to exploring the pine forests around the hotel, trying out one of the many water sport activities, taking boat trips around Mount Athos or indulging in spa sessions to revitalise body and mind, Eagles Palace offers it all. A trip to the Elemis spa here is well worth it - make the most of the serene surroundings and surrender to ancient rituals and relaxation techniques that will make your worries vanish.

After taking care of your spiritual well-being you can cater to less divine and more earthly needs, through the truly sensational cuisine on offer at the Eagles Palace. Here, every dish is a work of art and the chefs work hard to create unforgettable gourmet experiences. Enjoy a romantic dinner and choose from a whole range of options from Continental fare and Mediterranean cuisine. The hotel also provides wine lovers with an opportunity to savour the local varieties as well as international labels from vineyards the world over.

Whether it is the stunning beauty of Ouranoupolis or the mystic spirituality of Mount Athos, Eagles Palace manages to combine luxury with comfort to offer an other-wordly experience. For more information visit, www.eaglespalace.gr i

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Connie Burke and Barbara J. Euser, authors of Golf in Greece on the enduring allure of the Corfu Golf Club where golfers tee to Nafsika’s song

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C

orfu Golf Club blends seamlessly into the quiet and verdant Ropa Valley, where a network of ditches, creeks and canals carry rainwater to the Nafsika River. According to Homer, Odysseus was shipwrecked at the mouth of the river on Ermones beach. Lying there unconscious, he was awakened by the song of Nafsika, daughter of King Alcinoos.

The second golf course in Greece designed by Swiss-based golf architect Donald Harrandine (in 1971), Corfu Golf Club demonstrates that a good course does not require length to test a golfer’s skill. It’s the variety of challenges that make the difference. Corfu Golf Club has more water features than any other course in Greece. Harradine designed each of the seven lakes on the course to represent an Ionian island, the largest lake, Corfu.

Routed on relatively flat land, this 18-hole, par 72 championship course offers plenty of room to drive the ball. Recent extensive renovations upgraded the irrigation system and reshaped the bunkers.The greens are seeded in Penncross bent grass and the fairways in Bermuda grass; sand in the bunkers is imported from the island of Milos. Eucalyptus, poplar, cypress and pine trees enhance the fairways, while weeping willows and rocketing bamboo veil the many creeks and small lakes on the course.

There are no weak holes in Corfu. The only touch of cruelty is water.

The first two holes introduce the golfer to the fairy-tale quality of the course. Cradled between two hidden creeks, the 1st hole, par 4 (303 meters), is straight and like many par 4’s at Corfu Golf Club, reachable in two.The devilish 2nd, par 3 (144 meters), requires careful club selection to hit the green in one. Tee shots have to carry an inconspicuous creek flowing thirty meters in front of the green, while three bunkers attract the errant strike. The 3rd hole, par 5 (469 meters), and 4th, par 4 (374 meters), hit straight to the pins, moving away from Mt. Agios Giordis towards Mt. Basilica. A copse of pines on the 4th obscures the lake on the left. On the green, the view of the picturesque hillside village of Kokkini compensates for any missed putts. The dog-leg left 5th hole, par 5 (435 meters), is reachable in two. Open stands of pines and poplars shroud the lake on the left hand side of the fairway and weeping willows and bamboo conceal a winding creek on the right. The 6th, par 4 (326 meters), borders the largest lake on the course. An epic par 5 (500 meters) 7th hole of transatlantic proportions is perhaps the most challenging on the course. A wall of tall pampas grass conceals a creek, forcing a long carry to find the green.

The back nine brings more water into play. The 10th hole, par 4 (404 meters), requires a brave and accurate approach. It plays along an alleyway of cypress bordering the course. Over-shooting the green will find your ball in wetlands of cattails and bamboo. From the tee-box of the 11th, par 4 (381 meters), through a corridor of silver poplars, a rural euphony of rustling leaves and sheep bells greets golfers. To reach the 16th hole, one passes through an archway formed by crepe myrtle trees with cones of pink blossoms. The 16th hole, par 3 (201 meters), has everything a player wants to avoid: water, length and a bank leading up a steeply canted green. In a brilliant finishing stretch, the 17th, par 4 (406 meters), demands a perfect drive to get sight of the green. The Ropa Valley is an important wetlands habitat, home to a multitude of species of birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish: the 17th is the home of Corfu Golf Club’s resident blue heron. Back to the clubhouse, the 18th hole, par 5 (581 meters), tests the golfer’s ability to manage the course as a long curving ditch separates the fairway from the green. Meanwhile, the river Nafsika continues to flow nearby and on any early morning, when soft mists swirl over open fairways, golfers may hear echoes of Nafsika’s song. i

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Yiorgos Mavrapidi

Angelos Giotopoulos captures a slice of personal history and the day in the life of three intrepid fishermen who brave the tides to bring in a bountiful catch using traditional fishing methods, eschewing open water trawlers and other illegal fishing methods.

46 insider athens | May 2011

Photo Essay

Spiros Xristakis:

My mother was born and raised in a beautiful fishermen’s village called Skala Sykaminea, located on the most northerly tip of Lesbos, also known as Mytilini. I always wanted to film aboard a traditional Greek fishing boat, a kaiki and follow the fishermen as they cast their nets and set off fishing at the crack of dawn. Luckily for me, there was a family connection too.

Dimitris and Markos were my mother’s cousins who had been fishing their whole lives and had learnt the family skill and trade that had been passed on from one generation to the next. For me, it was a great feeling of pride, knowing that my grandfather, after whom I was named, had taken the same journey every morning to earn a living to support his family. I felt a sense of belonging, a feeling of familiarity.

Every morning these traditional fishermen leave before day break at around 5-5.30am after having cast their nets the evening before from 6 to 9pm. As we set off in the early hours of the morning, the sea seemed to awaken too, creating a swell that could easily turn anyone’s stomach. I was informed by the local fishermen that with open water trawlers and illegal fishing the number of fish had been depleting at an alarming rate, practically killing their profession and their means of livelihood. Despite their paltry daily earnings, these fishermen led simple lives - a lifestyle that had a sense of calm, a feeling of purity and well being. As I arrived back from my morning out at sea, it was an invaluable lesson learnt. i

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48 insider athens | May 2011

Gastronomy

The seemingly infinite stretch of lilac fields of crocus blossoms hold the world’s most expensive spice within the fold of its petals – saffron. One of the four regions cultivating the spice, Kozani is a small provincial town whose humid summers and rainy winters, coupled with its rich organic soil are particularly conducive to the cultivation of the crocus. Angelos Giotopoulos captures the beauty of the crocus fields and the intense labour involved in harvesting the fragile spice.

F

or a photographer, Greece provides ample opportunity to capture its innate beauty. Driving towards Kozani in western Macedonia, the lackadaisical landscape suddenly comes alive and transforms into an endless sea of purple. On closer observation, one notices darkened figures busy at work; nimble hands moving mechanically to retrieve the golden stigmas from the purple crocus blossoms that give the world its most expensive spice – saffron.

Derived from Arabic asafran and Persian zafaran, saffron was widely used across the Mediterranean for its rich medicinal, gastronomic and aphrodisiacal properties. It was, and is still used, to improve blood circulation; it is an integral part of traditional Eastern medicine for all sorts of skin conditions, it is considered to be an effective digestive tool, and is extensively used to alleviate depression and treat neurotic disorders.

Legend has it that Cleopatra used to bathe in saffron crushed in milk to improve her complexion and young mothers to date soak a few strands of saffron in milk when feeding newborns.

But despite its popularity abroad and its ancient references on Minoan murals, saffron is a relatively recent commercial crop and an even more recent entrant in Greek cuisine. Except for Kozani, where saffron is widely used as a flavouring agent in distilled spirits and in local culinary traditions, and to a smaller extent, in the Cycladic islands, the bulk of the produce from Kozani was exported. It is only in the past two decades that an awareness of this unique Greek export has grown domestically with celebrity chefs embracing the delicate flavours and colouring properties of saffron.

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Kozani’s economy now revolves around saffron production. It is not only its most important source of income, accounting for around 5 million euros in annual sales; an encouraging development has been that it is now Greece that accounts for a quarter of its total sales, making it an ingredient that occupies a place of pride in Greek homes and hearts.

The Cooperative of Saffron Producers in Kozani now sell saffron under its own label. Italy, Spain, Turkey, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, the Middle East the United States and Australia are some of the main markets for Krokos Kozani.

Greece is a member of the world’s quartet of saffron-producing countries, (Iran, Spain and India being the others) but only accounts for 5% of the world production of saffron. But it is the world’s largest producer of organic saffron. A third of the crocus cultivation in Greece has been certified as organic. And the quality of saffron produced in Kozani with its intense ruby-rich color and its distinctive aroma is considered the best.

The colour plays a pivotal role in evaluating the quality of the saffron: the more saturated the color of saffron, the higher its quality.

Producing saffron is however, a laborious process. Crocus bulbs are planted in summer, and harvested in mid-October. Once the bulbs blossom, it is an activity-filled four weeks.The flowers are in bloom only for around two weeks and must be hand-picked at dawn before they start wilting once the sun comes up. Once the flowers have been plucked, then the stigmas have to be sorted and set aside. Every crocus blossom yields around three strands of saffron, 70,000 flowers yield around 1 pound and an acre yields around 10 pounds. A true labour of love. i

50 insider athens | May 2011

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Gastronomy

Three French entrepreneurs transformed their cravings for French gourmet into a business plan and within a year, set up Comtesse du Barry’s first concept boutique in Athens.

52 insider athens | May 2011

L

ocated in the leafy neighbourhood of Pangrati, a stone’s throw from Evangelismos, at the very central Spyrou Merkouri street, Comtesse du Barry is the new entrant in the Greek gastronomic scene. The ball started rolling when a few young French expatriates who worked long hours but loved good food wanted to entertain. Thats when they started scouting the marketplace for high quality gastronomy products and discovered that there was potential to cater to like-minded individuals seeking refined cuisine in the intimacy of their homes without the time and effort involved in elaborate preparation.

They wanted the food to be simple, healthy and refined which could be reproduced with just basic culinary skills. The boutique which opened mid-April has had a steady stream of shoppers seduced by the promise of gourmet French cuisine as well as the convenience of producing a spectacular meal instantly.

Benoit Leleu, one of the three partners says,“ We realized that despite tense and challenging economic constraints, Greece offered a very good field to implement a local franchise with Comtesse du Barry products: Greek art de vivre when it comes to eating and socialising and strong local appeal for French culture, especially for French cuisine. Our objective is to be a proud ambassador of French culture and gastronomy in Greece and to demonstrate that it is possible to undertake business in spite of very difficult macroeconomics.�

Comtesse du Barry has a long and reputed pedigree. A brand established in 1908, Comtesse du Barry hails from Gimont, a small village in the southwest of France, reputed for its culinary delights. The company is a family business that is still operated by the fourth generation of the founding family but has been nimble enough to adapt its business model to grow and adapt to market needs over the years. From its humble beginnings, selling its products in local fairs and markets in the Gascony region, a famous birthplace of French gastronomy with local specialities such as rillettes, terrines, foie gras, confits, magrets, cassoulets, cassolades and of course, wines & spirits.

Where Comtesse du Barry differs is that it has retained its position as a producer of fine foods and adapted to mass consumption without altering the quality and taste of the food, by using very demanding manufacturing processes. All foie gras and gourmet dishes are certified Red Label, the toughest certification in France for food. This label guarantees the highest selection regarding producers, raw material and manufacturing process. The company works exclusively with farmers and specialists operating in the area of Gimont.

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Gastronomy

The brand accounts for 60 shops around the French territory, a half of which are operated by the company and the other half through franchises.

At the boutique, if you’re at a loss at what to buy, Insider gives you a few hints on what to throw into your shopping basket. With neatly arranged rows of spreads from foie gras to terrines and rillettes, chocolates, biscuits, marmalades, desserts, wines, champagne and spirits, the choice might seem a bit overwhelming. Our recommendation would be to go for the Magic Wand - a selection of 7 different terrines, all rich in flavour and easy to spread on crackers or bilinis for delectable starters. Serve with a glass of red wine or even a chilled glass of ouzo on your overheated terrace and your friends will keep flocking back for more. For more celebratory occasions, there is always foie gras. Another recommendation for starters would be the petites saucisses au piment d’Espelettes: The southwest of France is particularly known for its piquant sausages and cured meats and Comtesse du Barry offers small sausages with a delicate pike of Espelette pepper. We suggest that you cook them for around 2 minutes and serve them hot on toothpicks with a bottle of red Merlot to accompany it - perfect for a TV dinner before a football game or the upcoming Eurovision!! So much more refined and healthier than beer and pizza!

Those with a sweet tooth have a serious problem to confront – the sheer choice is mindboggling.We’d recommend the humble marmalade - ideal for a summer brunch or a lazy breakfast. Try the orange whiskey marmelade, enhanced by a delicate touch of whiskey, or any of the more exotic options in gooseberry, raspberry, strawberry green fig, onion, black cherries, apricots and forest fruits. Even more lethal delights in the form of the appropriately named Enfer des anges, a range of 4 chocolate bars mixing white, black and milk chocolate with fruits and hazelnut, almond, honey, candied fruits, menthol, orange and caramel flavours. For those of you who’d like to increase the sin quotient by mixing dessert with alcohol, Comtesse du Barry also has a whole ranges of small fruits chilled in alcohol - ideal to serve as a digestive in between courses or as an after-dessert snack on toothpicks, with sorbets, ice creams or cinnamon biscuits. Our six favourites (which also come together in a pack called Greedy Orchard) are apples with Calvados brandy, tangerines with vodka, apricots with Amaretto, pineapple with rum, small pears in brandy and prunes in cointreau. i Comtesse du Barry products can be bought directly at the store or can be ordered online and can be delivered anywhere in Greece! Comtesse du Barry, 64, Spyrou Merkouri, Pangrati. www.french-gourmet.com

54 insider athens | May 2011

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

ASIAN Golden Phoenix Halandri Saipan Halandri

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

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

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

FRENCH L’ABREUVOIR Kolonaki LE PETIT SOMMELIER Faliro SPONDI Pangrati TARTARE Glyfada VARDIS Kifissia

GOURMET KUZINA Thissio Eclipse Kolonaki Essence Kifissia Fuga Mavili Square Funky Gourmet Kerameikos

P-Box Kolonaki, Kifissia Polly Magoo Metaxurgeio Première Syngrou

GREEK 2 MAZI Plaka ATHIRI Kerameikos CUCINA POVERA Pangrati DAKOS Kolonaki DIPORTO Psyrri EDODI Acropolis ELAEA BISTROT Acropolis FASOLI Exarhia IDEAL Omonia 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

GRILL 1920 Halandri Meat Square Glyfada & Halandri

INDIAN Indian Masala Thissio ISKANDAR Alimos JAIPUR PALACE Maroussi

ITALIAN AGLIO OLIO Acropolis ACQUA AZZURA Kifissia AL FRESCO Vouliagmeni AL MILANESE Kolonaki ALTRO Kolonaki BOSCHETTO Kolonaki CANTUCCIO Psyrri DA LUCIANO Vouliagmeni DA VINCI Ag. Paraskevi DVLCIS IN FVNDO Voula GENOVESE Voula LA CASA DI GIORGINO Gyfada IL SALOTTO Glyfada IL SEGRETO Voula MEZZA LUNA Vouliagmeni MULTI 22 Syntagma Nanninela Ag. Paraskevi Novo Romantico di Antonio Halandri 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 Dalí Halandri DAPHNE’S RESTAURANT Plaka DORIS Monastiraki Essence Kifissia FATSIO Pangrati GALAZIA HYTRA Vouliagmeni GB CORNER Syntagma GRILL ROOM Vouliagmeni IDEAL RESTAURANTOmonia KITRINO PODILATO Gazi KOUZINA CINE-PSIRRI Psyrri MAGEMENOS AVLOS Pangrati MAGIREVONDAS Kolonaki MEIDANIS Monastiraki OCHRE & BROWN Psyrri Olio by Portofino Ag. Paraskevi Omikron Kifissia PARLIAMENT Syntagma PRYTANEION Kolonaki PSARAKI Vouliagmeni RATKA Kolonaki TA KIOUPIA Kolonaki TO KOUTI Monastiraki TO POLITICO Glyfada ZEPHYROS Piraeus ZORBAS Piraeus

MEXICAN AMIGOS Glyfada DOS HERMANOS Kifissia EL TACO BUENO Maroussi LA TIENDA Glyfada Santa Fe Halandri

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

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 Souvlaki Bar Thissio THANASSIS Monastiraki ZAHOS Vouliagmeni

SPANISH MI SUENO Kolonaki PUERTA DE ESPANA Pangrati SALERO Exarhia

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

THAI ROYAL THAI Kifissia

WINE BARS CELLIER LE BISTROT Syntagma L’Enoteca Halandri Whispers of wine Maroussi

Westin Kids Club

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

MULTI ETHNIC Altamira Kolonaki

POLYNESIAN KONA KAI Syngrou

Register Now!

210.890.2000 insider athens | May 2011

55

Insider guide SHOP

Salero Valtetsiou 51, Tel: 210.381.3358 Spanish and mediterranean cuisine in the heart of Exarhia

Children Damigos

central Athens Mediterranean cuisine in a modern industrial atmosphere

Prosopa

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

Meg.Vasiliou 52 & Konstantinoupoleos 4 Tel: 210.341.3433, Delicious dishes in a warm atmosphere right beside the train tracks. A popular gay haunt.

Gifts

Thalatta

Greece is for Lovers

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

Ilias Lalaounis museum

Acropolis

Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill!

Vitonos 5, Tel: 210.346.4204 Fresh seafood creations

DRINK Bars, Clubs & Lounges Almaz

Mani Mani

Skoufias

Falirou 10. Tel: 210.921.8180 Peloponnesian specialities with Mediterranean touches

Lontou 4, Tel: 210.382.8206 Exceptional entrees you are unlikely to find elsewhere

Tramezzini

Yantes

Hatzichristou 8, Tel: 210.921.1770 All day italian café bistrot with gourmet street food

Valtetsiou 44, Tel: 210.330.1369 Modern Greek cuisine prepared with organic ingredients. 20 Euros per person

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

Aglio Olio & Peperonicino Porinou 13 , Tel: 210.921.1801 Authentic Italian pasta in a cozy setting, accompanied by luscious salads and homemade dolci

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

Asimenia Bakery

Vinyl Microstore

Beles 1 and Androutsou Tel: 210.924.7655 Raisin bread, almond shortbread, yummy cookies & tasty loaves

Didotou 34, Tel: 210.361.4544 New vinyls & cds; also reissues from the 60s & more

Edodi

Kallidromiou 87-89, Tel: 210.881.1233 Imported second-hand clothes; individuality guaranteed

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

Yesterday's Bread

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

EAT Butcher’s Shop

EAT

Persefonis 19, Tel: 210.341.3440 Traditional psistaria serving grilled meat dishes

Makriyanni 19-21 , Tel: 210.921.2280 Greek chic coffee and tempting snacks beside the Acropolis Museum www.elaea.gr

Fasoli

Mamacas

Emanouil Benaki 45 , Tel: 210.330.0010 A great meal in an uplifting environment

Gelato-Café

Themistokleous 64, Tel: 210.381.0202 Dine while enjoying live Rebetika music

Persefonis 41, Tel: 210.346.4984 Modern taverna located in an old barrel warehouse offering traditional Greek fare

Elaea Bistrot

Makriyanni 19-21, Tel: 210.923.8124 Homemade ice cream and waffles

56 insider athens | May 2011

Kavouras

Kitrino Podilato Keramikou 116, Tel: 210.346.5830

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

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

Hilton

EAT

SHOP

Gazi

Greece is for Lovers

Exarhia

Dirty Ginger

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

To advertise, contact ads@insider-magazine.gr

central Athens

To Varoulko

Jack in the Box

DKNY

Athens Hilton Vas. Sofias 46, Tel: 210.724.4400 Simply prepared local flavours.

Guaranteed value for money

Pireos 80, Tel: 210.522.8400 Seafood prepared by Michelin star-winning chef Lefteris Lazarou

Haritos 13, Tel: 210.725.8735 Beautiful wooden toys and more

Solonos 8, Tel: 210.360.3775 Classic American sportswear

Marie Chantal Boutique

Elina Lebessi

Antiques

Spefsippou 11, Tel: 210.722.2029 Old-fashioned chic for little princes and princesses

Iraklitou 13, Tel: 210.363.1731 Ethereal frocks, pretty tea-dresses and accessories from around the world

Kilim Hali

Mouyer

Ermenegildo Zegna

Milos Garden

Vlassis Neandrou 15, Tel: 210.646.3060 & 210.725.6335, Family-run taverna serving traditional Greek food

Kolonaki

Milos

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

Beauty & Cosmetics Apivita

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

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

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

CHILL

Amerikis 19, Tel: 210.360.0516 Smart separates for a work wardrobe

Bespoke Athens

Bespoke Athens Anagnostopoulou 15-17 Tel: 210.364.5518, Made-to-measure suits and shirts from top international tailors

Athens Hilton Vas. Sofias 46, Tel: 210.728.1801 Indoor and outdoor pools, pilates studio, cardio classes and weight-training

Carouzos Kanari 12 , Tel: 210.362.7123 Designer items from Prada, Brioni, Donna Karan, Fendi and other top-flight brands

EAT Funky Gourmet Paramythias 13 and Salaminos, Tel: 210 524 2727 Haute cuisine in art deco interior

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

Coach Tsakalof 28, Tel: 210.362.5669 Leather totes and luggage in easy American style

Deux Hommes

Athiri

Kanari 18, Tel: 210.361.4155 Greece's design ambassadors create structural separates and heavenly bridal gowns. www.deuxhommes.gr

Plataion 15, Tel: 210.346.2983 Greek & Mediterranean cuisine in beautiful surroundings

Diesel Skoufa 3, Tel: 210.362.2748 A treasure trove of denim, and all the hip accoutrements to go with it

Nixon Agisilaou 61B, Tel: 210.346.2077 Burgers, a private cinema & an artsy crowd. Open for brunch on Sundays at noon

Incrocio

Frattina

Hiltonia Health & Wellness Club

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

Hugo Boss

Kanari 5, Tel: 210.339.2597 Designer togs for tots Kanari 21, Tel: 210.360.4481 Casual clothing and gifts for kids

Free Shop

Koumbari 8, Tel: 210.361.3603 Suit- and dress-maker to the stars

Bambineria

Galaxy Bar

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

Giorgio Armani

Children

DRINK

Kerameikos

SHOP

Dior Boutique Hiltonia

Voukourestiou 18-20, Tel: 210 361.3014 High-end designer fashion

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Insider guide Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill!

La Perla

Paul & Shark

Spefsippou 14, Tel: 210.729.9720 Lingerie to flaunt

Anagnostopoulou 6, Tel: 210.339.2334 Casual yachting styles

Lacoste

Preview

Solonos 5, Tel: 210.361.8030 French take on American sportswear

Patriarchou Ioakim 19 Tel: 210.722.4731 High fashion designer shoes

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

Puma Concept

Linea Piu

Skoufa 62, Tel: 210.364.4300 Distinctive creations by two young Greek women and other international imports

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

Kanari 17, Tel: 210.361.0516 International sportswear for all ages

Rere Papa

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

Cake

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

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

Folli Follie

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 Observatery Attitudes

Bakeries & Patisseries

Koumbari 5, Tel: 210.362.0483 Classis silver and crystal ideal for wedding gifts

Patriarchou Ioakim 23 Tel: 210.721.1762, Unique collection of animal and insect pins & earrings

Ypsilantou 13-15, Tel: 210.725.1050 Comprehensive wine and liquor wholesalers

58 insider athens | May 2011

Christofle

Fanourakis

Cava Anthidis

Solonos 9, Tel: 210.364.6910 The ultimate fashion store www.attitudes.gr

EAT

Fleria

Food & Wine

Observatory Attitudes

Home

Flowers Patriarchou Ioakim 35 Tel: 210.722.9697

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

central Athens

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

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

Restaurants 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

Altamira (Multi-ethnic) Tsakalof 36A, Tel: 210 361 4695 Flavours of multiethnic cuisine

Altro Haritos 39, Tel: 210.724.2717 Tiny funky restaurant that specializes in Italian food

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

Tsakalof 6 & Solonos 25 Tel: 210.323.0739, Greece's high-street export stocks affordable watches and everyday bijoux

Cafe Boheme

Liana Vourakis

Coo

Pindarou 42, Tel: 210.361.7705 For unique baptism and wedding gifts, start here

Dinokratous 1, Tel: 210.725.4008 A Mykonos favourite now in Athens

Lylian Syrigou

Tsakalof 6, Tel: 210.894.7040 New-age Cretan specialties

Anagnostopoulou 12, Tel: 210.361.3350 Handcrafted bijoux and one-off designer pieces. www.liliansyrigou.gr

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

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

Dakos

Eclipse (Bar restaurant) Alopekis 21, Tel: 210 364 1545 Fabulous cocktails and creative Mediterranean cuisine by Yiannis Baxevannis

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

Frame

Gifts

Ozzi

Benaki Museum Gift Shop

Skoufa 30, Tel: 210.364.2139 Greek silver fashion jewellery

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

Van Cleef & Arpels

Freud Oriental

Pindarou 42, Tel: 210.331.1107 The jeweller of the international jetset

Xenokratous 21, Tel: 210.729.9595 Sushi in a cool setting

Vas. Sofias & Koumbari Tel: 210.367.1045, Artefacts and jewellery inspired by the museum’s exhibits

Inbi

P-BOX

TGI Friday’s

Iraklitou 21, Tel: 210.339.2090 Sushi fusion

Haritos 24, Periscope hotel Tel: 210 7298556, Simple ingredients, special flavours in a setting designed by Theodore Zoumboulakis

Kolokotroni 35, Kefalari sq.

Tel: 210.623.3945 American restaurant with real steak and barbecue sauce!

Jackson Hall Milioni 4, Tel: 210.361.6098 Gourmet burgers with all the fixings

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

Kiku Dimokritou 12, Tel: 210.364.7033 Fresh, beautifully presented sushi

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

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

Pizza Pommodoro

DRINK

Alopekis 9, Tel: 210.729.6500 Great Italian specialties

Bars, Clubs & Lounges

Prytaneion

Kolonaki Square, Tel: 210.724.5938 The place to see & be seen while sipping on coffee or cocktails

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

Central

Mai Tai Ploutarhou 18, , Tel: 210.725.8306 Early evening cocktails in a laid-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

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

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

Mavili Sq

To advertise, contact ads@insider-magazine.gr

DRINK Balthazar Tsoha 27, Tel: 210.644.1215 Lovely garden and chic interior attracts a cool crowd

Baraonda Tsoha 43, Tel: 210.644.4308 Gourmet cuisine and funky beats

Briki Dorileou 6, Mavili sq.

Tel: 210.654.2380 Trendy hole-in-the-wall hangout

Flower Dorileou 2, Mavili sq.

Tel: 210.643.2111, Fun, funky and affordable watering hole

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

Tea To Tsai Magirevontas ti Mesoghio

Scala Vinoteca

Vissarionos 9, Tel: 210.338.97.41 Authentic home cooked food with mediterranean flavors for just 15 euros per person

Sina 50, Tel: 210.361.0041 Mediterranean restaurant ideal for wining & dining

Mi Sueno

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

Akadimias 30, Tel: 210.361.6271 Tapas & other Spanish specialties

Orizontes Lycavyttou Lycabettus Hill, Tel: 210.722.7065.

Gourmet dining with a spectacular view

To Tsai

Showroom

Square Sushi

Karneadou 25-26, Tel: 210.729.5484 Traditional Greek appetizers & ouzo

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

Papadakis

Ta Kioupia

Fokilidou 15 & Voukourestiou 47A Tel: 210.360.8621 Paros' legendary gourmet restaurant serving seafood in the heart of Athens

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

Ouzadiko

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

Baraonda

insider athens | May 2011

59

Insider guide EAT Fuga Vas.Sofias & Kokkali 1, Tel: 210 724 2979 Italian inspired menu by chef Andrea Berton at the Athens Concert Hall

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

St’Astra

Praxitelous 30, Tel: 210.323.2671 Hearty stews & pasta dishes at reasonable prices

Paleovivliopolio Hiotakis

Kol Tuv

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

EAT Bairaktaris Monastiraki Square 2 Tel: 210.321.3036 Old-world taverna serving traditional Greek fare

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

Sigalas-Bairaktaris

Thanassis

Karavitis

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

EAT Polly Maggoo

Brachera

DRINK

Avissynias 3, Tel: 210.321.7202 Traditional Greek recipes with a European twist overlooking the Acropolis & Observatory

Orea Ellas

Café Avyssinias Kynetou 7, Tel: 210.321.7407 Spcializing in regional dishes & live music on weekends

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

Pandrosou 36, Tel: 210.321.3842 An eclectic cafe & bookshop

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

EAT

Efroniou 5, Tel: 210.721.7421 Greek food & political gossip Arktinou & Pausaniou Tel: 210.721.5155 Classic Greek cuisine in a dining room lined with wine casks

Magemenos Avlos Amynta 4, Tel: 210.722.3195 Mediterranean fare, welcoming decor & generous servings Antinoros 42, Tel: 210.725.8666 Spanish cuisine & live music

Spondi

SHOP Department Stores

Pyrronos 5, Tel: 210.756.4021 A mix of European & more exotic flavours. Voted one of the best in Athens

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

EAT Ideal Restaurant

Arapian

Panepistimiou 46, Tel: 210.330.3000 Greek classics in old-world decor

Evripidou 41, Tel: 210.321.7238 Old-style butcher shop offers interesting sausages, pasturma & smoked meats

Bacaro Sophokleous 1 & Aristidou Tel: 210.321.1882, Lavish Italian and contemporary dishes

Bahar

60 insider athens | May 2011

Korres

Puerte de Espana

Food & Wine

Evripidou 31, Tel: 210.321.7225 Well-known herb haven

Beauty & Cosmetics

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

Fatsio

To Kouti

SHOP

Cucina Povera

Monastiraki Sq. 2, Tel: 210.321.3036 Century-old restaurant serving a variety of fresh dishes Mitropoleos 69, Tel : 210.324.4705 A souvlaki lover’s paradise

Leonidou 80 & Salaminos, Tel: 210 524 1120 Gourmet cuisine in a postmodern and industrial setting. New hot spot for the trendy

Monastiraki

Doris

Evripidou 45, Tel: 210.321.7187 Sausages, pastrami & cured meats

Omonia

Metaxurgeio

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

Miran

central Athens

Pangrati

Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill!

Athinaikon Bahar

Themistokleous 2, Tel: 210.383.8485 A traditional Greek ouzeri

Spondi

Trata o Stelios Anagenniseos Sq. 7-9, Tel: 210.729.1533 The best grilled fish in town

Plaka

To advertise, contact ads@insider-magazine.gr SHOP

Home

Antique stores

Notoshome

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

Food & wine Mesogaia

Kratinou 5, Tel: 210.374.3000 Home décor superstore

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

Diporto

Nikis 52, Tel: 210.322.9146 Packaged & fresh speciality foods

Theatrou & Sokratous Tel: 210.321.1463 Old-world tavern offers bargain basics like salads, sardines & fava

Gifts

Kouzina Cine-Psirri

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

Nara Nara

Ochre & Brown

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

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

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

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

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

Leokoriou 7, Tel: 210.331.2950 Mediterranean/French cuisine

Books

Gadgets

Eleftheroudakis

Public

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

Gifts

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

Argalios

Attica

Bars, Clubs & Lounges

Panepistimiou 9, Tel: 211.180.2600 Home to an array of luxury goods

Soul

Fokas

Evripidou 65, Tel: 210.331.0907 Show off your groovy disco moves

Stadiou 41, Tel: 210.325.7770 Clothes, shoes and accessories for men, women & children

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

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

Kauffman

Department Stores

DRINK

Syntagma

2 Mazi

Psyrri

Sari 44, Tel: 210.321.5534 Mediterranean fare & eclectic music Karaiskaki 26,, Tel: 210.331.2091 Lebanese food & dancing

EAT

central Athens

Stock House & Travel Ermou 45, Tel: 210.324.7732 Outlet store featuring brands from Parousiasi, Cook Shop & Bag Stories

Fashion - Men’s Pagoni Akadimias 61, Tel: 210.363.9277 Selling ties and cufflinks since 1933

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

Food & Wine Aristokratikon Karageorgi Servas 9, Tel: 210.322.0546 Handmade chocolates

Cellier Kriezotou 1, Tel: 210.361.0040 Speciality wine shop

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

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

Kori Mitropoleos 13, Tel: 210.323.3534 Traditional & contemporary jewellery

Psarros 1917 Stadiou 3, Tel: 210.322.0908 Executive gifts and smoking accessories

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

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

Bulgari Voukourestiou 8, Tel: 210.324.7118 Opulent designs in jewellery, watches & accessories

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

insider athens | May 2011

61

Insider guide Gofas

Vassilis Zoulias Old Athens

Stadiou 3, Tel: 210.331.7540 High-end timepieces

Akadimias 30, Tel: 210.361.4762 Handmade shoes and handbags inspired by films of the 50s & 60s

Ilias Lalaounis Panepistimiou 6, Tel: 210.361.1371 Fabulous gold designs by famous Greek jeweller

Stadiou 2 & Vas. Georgiou 210.325.0555 Legendary time pieces and jewellery.

Folli Follie

Explorer’s Lounge

Panepistimiou 7, Tel: 210.323.2919 Wide range of luxury brand timepieces

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

NJV Athens Plaza, Syntagma Square, 210.335.2400, Magnificent cocktails and live jazz in an intimate atmosphere

Marathianakis

Dosirak

Voukourestiou 21, Tel: 210.362.7118 Old-world shop known for its original & elegant designs

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

Zolotas

Nikis 58 & Kydathynaion Tel: 210.322.2839 Traditional Greek cuisine combined with modern elements

Panepistimiou 10, Tel: 210.360.1272 Designs inspired by the antique & classical periods as well as contemporary collections by designers like Paloma Picasso

Shoes

To Ergastirio to Baxevani

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

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

GB Corner

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

Club Eat See

Boutique

Cellier Le Bistrot

Ermou 63, Tel: 210.322.7590 Pick up a pair of Manolo’s at half price!

George Economou collection at the new municipal gallery in Metaxourgeio Spondi, 2 star Michelin restaurant in Pangrati Cibus for Greek cuisine and Acropolis view in the Nat.Gardens Varoulko Michelin star with gourmet fish cuisine in Gazi Papadakis good island cuisine in Kolonaki Vanilla Club at Kanari 24 Villa Mercedes at Andronicou & Zafeiri 11, Rouf Messiah Rebirth at Karneadou 25 in Kolonaki Baraonda, Tsocha 43, Ambelokoipi

62 insider athens | May 2011

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

Spiliopoulos

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

DRINK

EAT

Kessaris

Chopard

central Athens

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

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

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

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

Syngrou

Zolotas pendant in gold with diamonds

Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill!

EAT Peacock Hotel Hera, Falirou 9, Tel: 210 923 6682 Traditional food with an inventive dash and breathtaking Acropolis views

Kollias

Syngrou Ave. 303 Tel: 210 940 8620 Diverse excellent seafood in a pleasant Mediterranean atmosphere

central & Southern Athens

To advertise, contact ads@insider-magazine.gr Plous Podilatou

Syngrou Ave. 156, Tel: 210 923 2918 Original seafood dishes, fresh ingredients and simple elegant interior

Ak. Koumoundourou 42 Tel: 210.413.7910 Sumptuous seafood & mouth-watering deserts on the waterfront

Kona Kai Athens Ledra Marriott, Syngrou Ave. 115, Tel: 210 930 0000 Polynesian, Teppanyaki and Sushi cuisine in an original luxury setting

Café Zoe

Tony Bonano Papanastasiou 63, Tel: 210.411.1901 Italian cuisine with a view of the harbour

Athenaeum InterContinental, Syngrou Ave 89-93 Casual dining and terrific buffets for lunch and on Sundays Tel: 210 920 6655

Vassilenas

Première

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

EAT Indian Masala (Indian) Ermou 129, Tel: 210 321 9412 Amazing Indian food at affordable price in a pleasant environment

Kirki

Apostoplou Pavlou 31 Tel: 210.346.6960 Ideal for a lunch break

Kuzina Adrianou 9, Tel: 210.324.0133 Inspired traditional recipes in a cozy arty environment

Piraeus

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

Dourambeis Ak. Protopsalti 29, Tel: 210.412.2092 Classic fish taverna

Jimmy and The Fish

Ak. Mikrolimanou, Tel: 210.413.4084. Excellent seafood; try the astakomakaronada

Kollias Plastira 3, Tel: 210.462.9620 Excellent seafood but difficult to find; reserve on weekends

Zefyros

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

DRINK

Food & Wine

Big Apple South

All about Whisky

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

Vas. Georgiou B' 10 Tel: 210.968.1191, Specialty shop with a large selection of single malts, books, & anything to do with whisky

Zinc “Flisvos” Marina, Tel: 210.985.3183 Cocktails whith music

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

SHOP Books Eleftheroudakis Lazaraki 27, Tel: 210.325.8440 Book superstore with a large selection of English titles

Fashion Enny di Monaco

Iguana

Provence Posidonos 80, Tel: 210.898.1435 Gourmet French delicatessen

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

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

Laodikis 41, Tel: 210.894.0153 Carefully selected designs by various international designers

Beer Academy

Ensayar Donna

Beirut

Kyprou 55, Esperidon Square Tel: 210.894.3034 Top lines from leading designers with an English touch

Saki Karayiorya 13, Tel: 210.894.3169 Lebanese cuisine & entertainment

Obervatory Attitudes

Bereket

Kitchen Bar

A. Panagouli 17, Tel: 210.894.2113 The ultimate fashion store www.attitudes.gr

Mikras Asias & Lefkosias 36 Tel: 210.960.9337 Traditional dishes from Asia Minor

Poseidonos 3, Tel: 210.981.2004 Comfort food overlooking the sea

Jewellery

Le Petit Sommelier

ZerTeo

Zaimi 6, Tel: 210.984.2344 French cuisine & excellent wine list

Metaxa 24-26, Tel: 210.894.6682 Unique jewellery designs

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

N. Zerva 14, Tel: 210.898.0121 International cuisine in a cozy setting

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

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

Faliro

Thissio

Athenaeum InterContinental, Syngrou Ave 89-93, Tel : 210 920 6981 Gourmet cuisine with splendid views

Etolikou 72 & Vitolion Tel: 210.461.2457 Friendly food and atmosphere

DRINK

Glyfada

AiNikolas

EAT Il Tinello Knossou 54, Tel: 210.982.8462 Real Italian home cooking

Iskandar

Amphitheas 6 & Poseidonos Tel: 210.988.6474 Authentic Indian cuisine

Far East Lazaraki 61, Tel: 210.894.0500 A mix of Asian cuisines in elegant surroundings

insider athens | May 2011

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Insider guide Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill!

Kiliza

Vincenzo

Konstantinopoleos 13 Tel: 210.894.4648 Delicious kebabs & decadent deserts

Giannitsopoulou 1, Tel: 210.894.1310 Value for money Italian specialities with a Southern Italian touch

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

Meat Square (Grill) Lambrakis 63 & Ag. Nikolaou, Tel: 210 961 1160 Juicy steaks in pleasant family environment

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

DRINK Bars, Clubs & Lounges Babae Posidonos 88, Tel: 210.894.1629 Beachfront dancing all night long

Balux Posidonos 58, Tel: 210.898.3577 Waterfront lounging

Capri Bay Grigoriou Lambraki 2 Tel: 210.894.9995, Excellent cocktails in a Moroccan style garden

Cafes Chocolat Zisimopoulou 9, Tel: 210.894.3442 Satisfies even the most discerning coffee connoisseur

Cosi

Il Segreto

Zisimopoulou 12, Tel: 210.894.5746 One of the first cafes to inspireGlyfada's coffee culture

Bizaniou 3, Tel: 210.965.9526 Authentic Italian set on a beautiful terrace

Nest Café Bar

CHILL

Lazaraki 45, Tel: 210.898.6035 An all-day hangout for locals & visitors

Seiza

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.

64 insider athens | May 2011

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

Voula

Sip

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

The concierge of the Arion, A Luxury collection Resort & Spa in Vouliagmeni recommends:

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

Vouliagmeni

La Casa Di Giorgino

Southern & Northern Athens

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

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

Southern & Northern Athens

To advertise, contact ads@insider-magazine.gr

Matsuhisa Athens Astir Palace, Apollonos 40, Tel: 210.896.0510, Celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa serves up sushi favourites with a Latin-American flair

Mezza Luna Orpheos 2, Tel: 210.967.1046 Chic Italian restaurant

Mythos of the Sea Ag. Nikolaou 10 & Iliou Tel: 210.891.1100 Gourmet Mediterranean cuisine that blends local produce with fresh seafood

Oro Toro Varis-Koropiou 73, Tel: 210.899.4514 A taste of Argentinian cuisine in a cosy atmosphere

Psaraki Posidonos 15, Tel: 210.896.2432 Seafood served in an informal setting

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

DRINK En Plo Posidonos 4, , Tel: 210.967.1770 Cocktails overlooking Vouliagmeni Bay

Island 27th klm Athinon-Souniou Tel: 210.965.3809 Award-winning cuisine & an unmatched location with views of the Saronic Gulf

Sofa Bar

NORTHERN ATHENS

Novo Romantico di Antonio

Bakaliko Ola Ta Kala

EAT

25th Martiou 21, Tel: 210 689 6891 Authentic Italian cuisine with a modern twist

Kifissias 238-240, Mela Shopping Centre, Tel: 210.808.9908 Quality Greek delicacies

Da Vinci

Saipan

Il Salumaio di Montena Poleone

K.Varnali 9, Tel: 210 685 0644 Exquisite dishes from China, Japan and Indonesia

Panagitsas 3, Tel: 210.623.3934 Milan based company selling high quality produce

1920

Sorpresa Italiana

Ag. Ioannou 23, Tel: 210 600 0102 Delightful dishes in fantastic ambience

Nanninela Peloponnissou 13 Tel: 210 600 5622 Authentic Italian cuisine in traditional decor

Olio by Portofino Ag. Ioannou 63, Tel: 210 639 1666, Mediterranean flavours in a chic interior

EAT Apsendi Kifissias 250-254 & Serres Tel: 210 671 7890 Refined cuisine and cocktails in stylish urban atmosphere

L’Enoteca Pendelis 133, Tel: 210 689 0238 Choice of 600 wines to accompany memorable meals

Almyra Filikis Eterias 39, Tel: 210 6819109 Refined seafood and magical summer garden

Dalí Kifissias 336, Tel: 210 685 4004 Multi-ethnic cuisine with original suggestions in arty set-up

CHILL

K.Varnali 6,, Tel: 210 689 2015 Delightful gastronomic tour in a relaxing atmosphere

Divani Apollon Palace & Spa Ag. Nikolaou 10, Tel: 210.891.1100

Sokratous 23, Tel: 210 683 9348 Imaginative parade of seafood and fresh fish

SHOP

Stefanidis Finest Foods Dimitrios Square 13, Tel: 210.808.2191 Excellent European delicatessen

Varsos

Beauty & Cosmetics

Kassaveti 5, Tel: 210.801.2472 Milk products & patisserie

Nyhi-Nyhi

Vinifera

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

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

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

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

Ag. Georgiou 30’B, Tel: 210 685 9690 Mexican food in traditional setting

Golden Phoenix

Astir Complex, Apollonos 40 Tel: 210.890.2000

Psaroma

Kiriazi 6-8, Tel: 210.801.7886, Authentic fresh Italian pasta, sauces, truffles & more

Santa Fe

The Westin Hotel Apollonos 40, Tel: 210.890.1709 Modern lounge bar serving up delectable cocktails

Arion Spa

Ag. Paraskevi 110, Tel: 210 681 3029 Accent on meat in an elegant setting

Kifissia

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

Halandri Ag.Paraskevi

Maistrali

Leof. Pendelis 85, Tel: 210 682 5017 Asian cuisine and sushi bar in luxury environment

Kitchen Bar

Meat Square Ethnikis Antistaseos 9-11, Tel: 210 683 1300, Juicy steaks in pleasant family environment

Matsuhisa Athens

insider athens | May 2011

65

Insider guide Shop, Eat, Drink & Chill!

Northern Athens

Common Secret

Nargile

Tike

Aneton

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

Harilaou Trikoupi 50 Tel: 210.808.3333 Lebanese cuisine in a cosmopolitan ambiance

Harilaou Trikoupi 27, Tel: 210.808.4418 Watch chefs prepare Turkish kebabs and other treats before your eyes

Stratigou Lekka 19, Tel: 210.806.6700 Traditional cuisine in a comfy-chic setting reminiscent of the 50s & 60s

Dos Hermanos

O Tzitzikas Ki O Mermigas

Vardis

El Taco Bueno

Kyriazi 24, Tel: 210.808.7906 Excellent Mexican food & super margaritas

Drosini 12-14, Tel: 210.623.0080 A modern taverna serving traditional dishes at reasonable prices

Deligianni 66, Pentelikon Hotel Tel: 210.623.0650-6, Cornerstone of French cuisine in Greece

Ethnikis Antistaseos & Psaron 1 Tel: 210.684.0460 Mexican flavours in a traditional setting

DRINK

Jaipur Palace

Dragoumi & Andrianou 28 Tel: 210 623 3900, Gourmet cuisine with Mediterranean influences by chef Christos Markopoulos in a cool urban setting

Piazza Mela

Gefsis Me Onomasia Proelefsis

Kolokotroni 37, Tel: 210.808.9160 Generous portions of

Kifissias 317, Tel: 210.800.1402 Divine food from all over the world

Kifissias 238, Mela Shopping Centre Tel: 210.623.6596, Classic & traditional Italian dishes

Prytaneion

Mediterranean fare

Golden Phoenix

Royal Thai

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

Zirini 12, Tel: 210.623.2322 Thai cuisine in an opulent setting

Gourounakia Kifissias

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

Kifissias 289, Tel: 210.801.1093 Delicious salads, appetizers, souvlakia & grilled platters

Ichthyes

Salumaio di Atene

Semiramis Restaurant

Evagelistrias 36, Tel: 210.620.1572 Seafood taverna

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

Kastelorizo

Shogun

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

Philadelpheos 2, Tel: 210.623.3622 Promises authentic Japanese cuisine for the truly discerning

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

The Mall

66 insider athens | February 2011

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

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

Maroussi

Essence

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

Telemachos Barbeque Club

Altamira

Fragkopoulou 22, Tel: 210.807.6680 Rare meats char-grilled to perfection

Perikleous 28, Tel: 210 612 8841 Multiethnic cuisine in funky environment

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

Whispers of wine Ag. Konstantinou 48, Tel: 210 617 9051 Gourmet food with rich wine list and vintage decor

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

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

partner hotels SOFITEL ATHENS AIRPORT

TwentyOne

Herodion

COSTA NAVARINO THE WESTIN RESORT

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 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

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

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 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 THE ROMANOS

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

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 Philippos

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.

Santorini MYSTIQUE SANTORINI

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

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

68 insider athens | May 2011

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

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

VEDEMA, SANTORINI

Fresh Hotel

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.

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

Would you like TO see your hotel LISTED here?

CONTACT US at: ads@insider-magazine.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

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

Commercial Office spaces Regus Tel: 210 727 9000 Global Business Services Tel: 210-8764 876 Kifissias Ave. 90, Maroussi

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

Driving Schools in English Denis Kasimatis - Driving School

Zografou, Papagou, Ilissia, Psychiko, Cholargos and Goudi - Tel: 210 778 3157 210 779 6981 Trochokinisi Driving School 28th Oktovriou 126, Ambelokipi, Athens Tel: 231 072 9092 Driving School Highway Amfitheas and Ag. Triados 30, 175 64 Paleo Faliro - Tel: 210 988 8098 / 6997 722 777 Vlachos Bros 25th Martiou 11, Peristeri; Xenofodos 17, Peristeri; Afroditis 39, Ilion Tel: 210 574 4895 / 210 576 9190

TRANSLATIONS / INTERPRETING

Relocation Agencies

Travel plan Tel: 210 333 3300 www.travelplan.gr Amphitrion Tel: 210 900 6000 Meg Alexandrou 7 & Karaiskaki, www.amphitrionholidays.gr TravelPlanet24 Tel: 211 107 9684 241, Syngrou Ave. & 2, Alikarnassou 171 22 Nea Smyrni, Athens www.travelplanet24.com Mid-east Travel Tel: 211 211 8888 Vas Sofias 105-107 / www.mideast.gr

Allied Pickfords Tel: 210 610 4494 Mourouzi 7, Athens Athens Relocation Centre Tel: 210 96 50 697, Zakynthou 10, Attica Movers Tel: 210 922 7221 19, Syngrou Ave Celebrity International Movers 102, Kapodistriou Ave , Tel: 210 272 0106 Corporate Relocations Athens Tel: 210 800 3510, Ag. Saranta 32 Nea Erithrea, Orphee Beinoglou Tel: 210 9466100 27th km Old National Road Athens-Korinth Location Elefsinia, GR-19200 Elefsina, Omega Transport Thesi Kyrilos , 19300 Aspropyrgos Tel: 210 947 5500 Octopus Relocation Services Ygeias 7, Marina Zeas, Tel: 210 4599530

MISSED THESE GREAT ISSUES ?

35.000 readers get the best of Greece each month.Subscribe to Insider and never miss another issue! send us an e-mail at: subscriptions@ insider-magazine.gr or give us a call at: 210.729.8634 or 210.721.3450

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

Travel Agencies

Embassies Cultural Institutes

Business services

useful information

French Institute Sina 31, 10680 Athens Tel: 210 339 8600 Hellenic American Union Massalias 22, 10680 Athens, Tel: 210 368 0900 British Council 17 Kolonaki Square 17 106 73 Athens Tel: 210 369 2333 Instituto Cervantes Mitropoleos 23, 105 57 Athens Tel: 210 3634117 Goethe Institut Omirou 14-16, 100 33 Athens Tel: 210 3661000 Onassis Cultural Centre Syngrou Ave. 107-109 117 45 Athens, Tel: 213 017 8000 Instituto Italiano di Cultura Patission [28 Oktovriou] 47 Tel: 210 369 2333, 210 524 2646 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 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 KOREA Messoghion 2-4, Athens.

Tel: 210.698.4080 KUWAIT Perikleous 2, 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

insider athens | May 2011

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useful information

70 insider athens | May 2011

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

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

Paediatric Hospitals

EUROCLINIC PAEDON Lemessou 39-41 & Aharnon 209, Kato Patissia, Tel: 210.869.1900 PAEDON AGIA SOFIA HOSPITAL Mikras Asias and Thivon, Goudi.

Tel: 210.746.7000 PAEDON AGLAIA KYRIAKOU 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

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 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

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 A.J. Kanellopoulos, MD Eye Surgeon, Mesogeion 2, Athens Tower B’ Tel: 210.747.2777 Dimitris Linos, MD FACS General Surgeon, Kifissias 227, Kifissia.

Tel: 210.612.5001-2 heart & vascular centrE E.N. Deliargyris, MD FACC FSCAI Interventional cardiologist.

Southern Athens. Vakchou 2 & Vas. Kostantinou Tel:210.897.6276. www.heartline.gr

General and cranial osteopathy

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

English media

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

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

Newspapers The International Herald Tribune carries the English version of Kathimerini 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.

Schools

Greek Language

Emergencies

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

Health

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 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

The Athens Center 48 Archimidous Street, Mets, Athens 11636, Greece 210 7015-242 CELT Athens 77 Academias Street, 106 78 Athens, Greece, Tel: 210 3301455 Greek House Dragoumi 7, 145 61 Kifissia, Tel: 210 808 5186 Hellenic American Union 22 Massalias str., 106 80 Athens, Tel: 210368.0900 Omilo Greek Language And Culture Panagi Tsaldari 13 (4th floor), 15122 Maroussi , Tel: 210 6122706

useful information Road Assistance ELPA: 104 Public Power Corporation (DEI) In case of power failure: Tel: 210 523 9939 www.dei.gr Water Supply & Sewage (EYDAP) In case of water cut: Tel: 1202. www.eydap.gr

Social Security & Health insurance (IKA) www.ika.gr Greek Manpower Employment Organization (OAED) www.oaed.gr , Tel: 210 99 89 000 Public Services Administration Information Center (paperwork assistance) on weekdays 8am-3pm (KEP): Tel: 177 ww.kep.gov.gr

French kindergartens Au petit bonheur 50 Iraklitou, Glyfada, Tel: 210 9658 207 Les Alouettes Spartis 36 & Harilaou Trikoupi, Kifissia Tel: 210 80 11 570 L’Air des Contes 11, Cycladon, Glyka Nera, Tel : 210 600 3196 Le Castelet 18 Gortinias, Kifissia, Tel: 210 808 7760

Weather Attica, Tel: 148 www.hnms.gr

Mary Poppins 4, Kodrou, Filothei, Tel: 210 677 3803

Citizen’s Rights Ombudsman: 5 Hatziyiannis Mexis (near the Hilton Hotel) Tel: 210 72 89 640

Play and Learn Kassaveti 22, Kifissia, Tel: 210 801 1428

Benakeios Library Anthimou Gazi 2, Tel: 210 322 71

Money

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

LOST OR STOLEN CREDIT CARDS 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

Universities University of Indianapolis Ipitou 9, Athens, Tel: 210 323 6647 DEREE Gravias 6, Aghia Paraskevi , Tel: 210 600 9800 ALBA Graduate Business School Athinas Ave. & Areos 2A,Vouliagmeni Tel; 210 896 4531

Business College of Athens Tatoiou 2 & Othonos 77, Kifissia Tel: 210 808 8008

English kindergartens The Cottage Kindergarten Psaron 74, Halandri Tel: 210 682 7629 Early Learning Rizountos 53, Elliniko Tel: 210 961 8763 Hopscotch International Kindergarten Ag. Triandos 93,Vari Tel: 210 965 3985 Kifissia Montessori School Ellinikon Stratou 5, Kifissia Tel: 210 620 7481 Melina’s Kindergarten Harilaou Trikoupi 16, Kifissia Tel: 210 801 2719 Peek-a-boo PreSchool Vougliameni Tel: 210 967 1970 Peter Pan Lakonias 4-6,Voula Tel: 210 895 9654 Prince Allen The English Nursery School Lysimahou 8,Vari Tel: 210 965 6800

O mikros Antonis Barbayiannis, Pallini, Tel: 210 603 2527

Italian kindergartens Scuola maternal italiana de Atene Mitsaki 18, Ano Patissia, Tel: 210 202 0274 Il Mulino magico Troados 23, Ag Paraskevi, Tel: 210 600 3148

Libraires

American University of Athens Kifisias & Sochou 4, Neo Psichiko, Tel; 210 725 9301

International Kindergartens

International Schools

St Catherine's British Embassy School Sofoklis Venizelou 77, Lykovrissi Tel: 210 282 9750 St. Lawrence College Anemon St, Koropi Tel: 210 891 7000 American Community Schools of Athens Aghias Paraskevis Ave. 129, Halandri , Tel: 210 639 3200 Campion School Aghias Ioulianis, Pallini Tel: 210 607 1700 Byron College Filolaou 7, Gerakas Tel: 210 604 7722 International School of Athens Xenias and Artemidos, Kifissia, Tel: 210 623 3888 Lycée Franco-Hellénique Eugène Delacroix Chlois & Trikalon, Ag. Paraskevi Tel: 211 300 9121 Scuola Statale Italiana Odos Mitsaki 18, Ano Patissia Tel: 210 228 2720 German School in Athens Homatianou & Ziridi, Maroussi Tel: 210 619 9261 Greek German School 25 Martiou & Vernardou,Vrylissia Tel: 210 682 0566

British Council Library Kolonaki Sq. 17 Tel: 210 363 3211/5 American Library Masalias 22 (4th floor) Tel: 210 363 8114

Post Phone

German kindergartens 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.

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

American School of Classical Studies Blegen Souedias 54, Tel: 210 723 6313 Athens College Library Stephanou Delta, P. Psychiko Tel: 210 671 4628

Hellenic American Union Greek Library 22 Masalias St (7th floor) , Tel: 210 362 9886 French Institute Library 31 Sina St, Tel: 210 362 4301 German Archaeological Institute Library Pheidiou 1, Tel: 210 362 0270

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Goethe Institute Library Omirou 14-16 , Tel: 210 360 8111 Italian Institut Library Patision 47, Tel: 210 522 9294 EU Library Vas. Sophias 2, Tel: 210 724 3982 National Library Tzavella 25, Tel: 210 382 0657

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see & do Art galleries

A. Antonopoulou Art Aristofanous 20, Psirri Tel: 210.321.4994 Artzone 42 42 Vas. Konstantinou, Agalma Troyman, 11635 Athens, Tel: 210 725 9549 Astrolavos Dexameni Xanthippou 11, Kolonaki Tel: 210.729.4342 Astrolavos ArtLife Irodotou 11, Kolonaki Tel: 210.722.1200 Athens Art Gallery Glykonos 4, Dexameni Sq., 106 75 Athens, Tel: 210 721 3938 Badminton Theatre Olympiaka Akinita, Goudi 157 73, Athens, Tel: 211 101 0020 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 Ekfrasi Gallery Valaoritou 9a, 10671 Athens, Greece Tel: 210 360 7598 EMST National Museum of Contemporary Art Vas. Georgiou B 17 - 19 & Rigilis Str. Athens 10675, Tel: 210 9242 111-3 Fizz gallery Valaoritou 9c, Athens 10671 Greece, Tel: 210 360 7598 Gagosian Gallery Merlin 3, Athens 10671, Tel: 210 364 0215 Gallery 7 Zalokosta 7, Syntagma, Tel: 210.361.2050 Gialino Music Theatre Sigrou 143, N. Smirni, Athens Tel: 210 9316 101-4 Herakleidon Herakleidon 16, Thissio, Tel: 210.346.1981 Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Centre 48 Armatolon-Klephton st.

11471 Athens, Tel: 210 643 9466 Jill Yakas Spartis 16, Kifissia. Tel: 210.801.2773 www.yakas.com K-Art Gallery Sina 54, 106 72, Athens, Greece Tel: 211 401 3877 Kalfayan gallery Haritos 11, Kolonaki,Tel: 210.721.7679 Kourd Gallery Kassiani 2-4, Tel: 210.642.6573 ww.gallerykourd.gr

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Acropolis is open daily and entrance, includes archaeological sites. Tel: 201.321.0219 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 7am1pm 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.

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

Tel: 210.322.9705

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. MonSun 8am-7pm. Just east of the Ancient Agora. Tel: 210.324.5220.

Museums

ASSOCIATION OF GUIDES

Attractions & Sites

ORGANISED TOURS

Pallas Theatre Skoufa 77 & Staikou 2, Kolonaki Athens, Tel: 210 364 0783 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 The Eynard Mansion Aghiou Konstantinou 20 & Menandrou, Athens 104 31, Tel: 210 322 1335 The National Art Gallery and Alexander Soutzos Museum Michalakopoulou 1 - Vas. Constantinou 1, 115 28 Athens, Tel: 210-7235857 Titanium Yiayiannos Vas. Konstantinou 44, Pangrati, Tel: 210.729.7644 Tsatsis Project/ Artforum 12 Mitropoleos st. & Venizelou PC 54624 Thessaloniki, Tel: 231 025 7552 Xippas Gallery Sofokleous 53D, 105 52 Athens, Greece, Tel: 210 331 9333 Zoumboulakis Gallery Kolonaki Square 20, Kolonaki Tel: 210.360.8278 Zoumboulakis Gallery Graphics & Editions Kriezotou 7, Syntagma , Tel: 210.363.4454

Allou Fun Park Kifissou & Petrou Ralli, Ag. Ioannis Rentis, Tel: 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

Summit U 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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KA L E I DOS COP E

Its spring!

May 1 or protomayia is traditionally associated with family picnics atop hills with children gathering the wild profusion of flowers that are in full bloom to create stefania or wreaths. It is also when annual flower shows such as the Kifissia Flower show and the Varkiza Flower show add a touch of colour and gaiety by announcing the advent of spring. Both shows run until May 15 and are supported by local municipalities.

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