Insider 97

THE CITY MAGAZINE OF

September 2011 Year 9. Issue 97 €4.50 ISSN 1790-3114

ATHENS

Come September Interview with the Australian Ambassador Jenny Bloomfield / DESTE awards Quintessentially Athens / Lakes in Attica / The Campana brothers ‘NEW’ project Cycling lessons from Copenhagen / September in Spetses / Reliving the Belle Epoque PLUS: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, FOOD & WINE, NIGHTLIFE, SHOPPING, NOVELTIES, MAPS| September AND 2011 MORE insider athens 1

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The French actually have a term for the ‘big return’ back to work in September: la rentrée.While we do not have a similar expression in Greece, ‘kalo xeimona’ is the closest we have to

Sudha Nair-Iliades

distinguish the break from a carefree, agenda-less summer to getting back into a routine. September is when children head back to school with new satchels, shiny shoes and smart hair-cuts while tanned adults reluctantly drag themselves to work with new resolves of working off their summer indulgences.

I personally cherish September, as its not too hot, the evenings are delicious and the sea still warm for a long after-work swim. It has all the promise of new beginnings, of setting things in order after a chaotic, undisciplined summer.

publisher’s note It is also when Greeks wait with bated breath for the Thessaloniki Trade Fair to kick off as the Prime Minister’s addresses the nation for the first time after the summer. It sets the tone for the political and economic agenda, and especially this year, everyone from pensioners to public servants, diplomats and entrepreneurs will be watching for any hints on what lies ahead.

The Campana brothers, who designed the NEW hotel in Syntagma, refer to the Greek crisis as ‘fruit juice’ compared to what Brazil has had to go through. I think it’s my favourite description of Greece’s woes so far!

As always at Insider, we welcome all newcomers who have adopted Greece as their new home (including Australian Ambassador Jenny Bloomfield interviewed in p.22) and hope that Insider will provide you with some useful insights into navigating through Athens’ complex character. So whether you’re looking for quality concierge services (p.18) or for obscure lakes in the heart of Attica (p.24), a quaint tea salon (p.50), or a peep into contemporary Greek art (p.12), it is in Insider’s brilliantly researched articles, photo features and practical guide that we hope you’ll seek inspiration and answers.

If you’re not a subscriber yet, please subscribe through www.insider-magazine.gr.

Kalo heimona!

Sudha Nair-Iliades

Art Director Michel Devanakis

Contributors in this Issue Stephanie Bailey, Anelia Fikiina, Giorgos Frantzeskakis, Tonia Makra, Dimitris Polymenopoulos, Mike Sweet

Client Relations Eleni Setta, Anelia Fikiina

Web Coordinator Eleni Setta

Art Editor Stephanie Bailey

Interns Royce Gavrias

Photos Angelos Giotopoulos Silvena Ivanova Dimitris Polymenopoulos

Founder Steve Pantazopoulos Legal Counsel Christos Christopoulos

info@insider-magazine.gr www.insider-magazine.gr www.bonjour-athenes.com

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Prepress, Montage and Printing Dias

Athens Insider is published monthly and its brand, logo and all editorial content is held worldwide by:

Publisher - Editor Sudha Nair-Iliades

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

insider athens | September 2011

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Giorgos Frantzeskakis

Giorgos Frantzeskakis is a freelance travel journalist. He has published stories about Greeks and their homeland in newspapers and magazines (both domestic and abroad, like Conde Nast Traveller and National Geographic) and has participated in the completion of the voyager’s encyclopedia for Greece, “Ανακαλύψτε την Ελλάδα» (23 volumes, 2006 -2009). He is currently roaming the streets of Athens, looking for a Pulitzer opportunity, a good story about people, places and their ideas on how this city is being molded into a contemporary metropolis

After having studied graphic arts and interior design, Eleni worked for the last 23 years as a graphic designer in the Marketing departments of multinationals and publishing companies. Fluent in English and Greek (and learning Italian), Eleni is a fanatic cinephile, nature lover, eco-warrior and adores cooking and fashion. When not working at Insider as Clients Relations Manager, she loves going for long walks with her 3 dogs and indulges in a bit of singing

Mike Sweet

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 is now the contributing editor for Opa, a recently launched magazine in Australia

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.

Tonia Makra

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Stephanie Bailey

Tonia studied Political Science at Athens University and journalism at ULB, Brussels. She began her foray into journalism with the newspaper Ethnos and very soon was attracted to covering culture and design for magazines such as Elle Decoration, Tachydromos,Vima Deco and Casaviva with whom she is a regular contributor.

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.

Dimitris Polymenopoulos

Eleni Setta

Angelos Giotopoulos

Dimitris was born in Greece and raised in the United States. He has a M.Sc. in Marine Engineering and feels passionate about making photography and creative writing an integral part of his life.

contents 12 22 24

Features Linear diagrams 10 Charis Savvides speaks to Tonia Makra on the eve of his upcoming exhibition at Kaplanon Gallery on the fine line connecting art to architecture How artists think 12 Insider talks to the six nominees of the DESTE Prize 2011, about their work and how Greece has inspired them Quintessentially Greek 18 George Eliades on the exclusive concierge services offered by Quintessentially in Greece and how to join the exclusive club Return to Greece 22 Jenny Bloomfield is not only the first woman to become Australia’s Ambassador in Athens, but the first ever Greek Australian to hold the post. A candid interview with Mike Sweet Pocket lakes of Attica 24 Giorgos Frantzeskakis and Angelos Giotopoulos unearth Attica’s obscure but serene water bodies

Departments In Conversation with the Campana Brothers Stephanie Bailey talks to Humberto and Fernando Campana about their latest project, the New Hotel on Fillelinon street

30

Where there is a wheel… 34 From bike-friendly Copenhagen, Dimitris Polymenopoulos plays ‘spokes’person and offers an insight into the city’s unique biking culture September in Spetses 40 In Spetses, the celebrations spill on to September when the island gears itself for the Armata. An insider’s guide to Spetses Agora 46 Insider’s suggestions to look chic and trendy this fall.

Reliving the Belle Epoque 50 A quaint neoclassical building on Voulis street in Syndagma that houses a tea salon, a travel bookstore and a vintage clothing boutique that does transport you to another era.

Arts and Events 4 Art reviews

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Luxury

18

Diplomacy

22

Escapes

24

Design

30

Urban living

34

Travel

40

Agora

46

Restaurant review 50 Index

58

Area-wise listings 60 Kaleidoscope

72

30 34 40 48 72 Cover picture: Pebbles by Michel Devanakis

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Arts & events

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october

ReMap3 1 ReMap is an international contemporary art platform open and free to the public, which is held bi annually in the area of Kerameikos-Metaxourgeio in Athens, in tandem with the Athens Biennial. In its third incarnation, this year’s ReMap3 will be serving as a meeting place for over 250 artists, art historians and curators from around the world. KerameikosMetaxourgeio’s own artistic community will also be represented within the 30 independent and the 25 gallery projects comprising this year’s ReMap. The 50 plus exhibitions and projects hosted by ReMap3 will be presenting visitors an alternative route in an area that is developing into a contemporary cultural hub in the

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september

centre of Athens and is home to the new Athens Municipal Art Gallery, the Athens Film Archive, the Kunsthalle Athena, The Breeder and Rebecca Camhi galleries, the ATOPOS Contemporary Visual Culture (ATOPOS CVC), Ε.Δ.Ω, Frown Tails, and a host of theatres including the new Synergy-o experimental stage and the internationally renowned Attis Theatre.

Far removed from the classic exhibition spaces provided by museums, art fairs or galleries, these spaces are neoclassical and 1970s buildings, courtyards, vacant plots and even detached balconies.

october

Vamiali’s @ ReMap 3

Zoumboulakis Gallery

Reach the sky, a street art project 2 Well-known graffiti artists all very young and dynamic present an ad hoc construction at Leonidou 36 as part of the ReMap Festival. APSET, BOOHAHA, RTMone and SIVE explore the possibilities of their individual style with humour and creativity in an interactive approach to the environment itself to create a flexible and ongoing project. www.remapkm.com

John Ganas, Conversational Pace The Zoumboulakis presents the new work of John Ganas, Conversational pace with a collection of paintings, acrylic on wood, photographs and drawings. In the language of longdistance runners, conversational pace is the kind of training that allows you to run while chatting. John Ganas, a runner himself, tries to capture in his works the repetition of sights, the placebo effect, the fatigue, the intense introspection and the need to transcend oneself that long distance runners are only too familiar with. www.zoumboulakis.gr

On the town For location details see listings p70

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Athens Concert Hall

Athens Concert Hall

TAF

Richard Bean’s One man, two guv’nors 3 Technology meets theatre in a unique live broadcast from the National Theatre in England to the Megaron in Athens of Richard Bean’s play, ‘One man, two guv’nors’. The play is broadcast with English subtitles and is presented in collaboration with the British Embassy in Athens and the British Council. The National Theatre Live programme is a groundbreaking initiative to relay the finest works of British theatre around the world via a live broadcast. After the sell-out broadcasts of King Lear, Frankenstein and The Cherry Orchard last year,One man, two guvnors promises to be a scintillating performance with a good dose of British humour. www.megaron.gr

National Opera Concert Orchestra 4 The National Opera coproduces two concerts in September with the Athens Concert Hall and presents a foretaste of what will follow in 2012. Elixir of Love, which will open the new cultural season on October 14, 2011 and Faust by Charles Gounod, an important work that returns to the repertory of the Greek National Opera after many years, are both part of this exciting collaboration.

September’s performers include sopranos Gogo Iliopoulou and Maria Mitsopoulou, tenor Giannis Christopoulos and choir director Nikos Vassiliou. http://www.megaron.gr/

Team Filopappou The group Filopappou is one of the longest active artistic collectives in Greece. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the collective TAF brings together works from the group - the collection and presentation of the material from the ten-year activity of the group.

The exhibition is a call for dialogue and cooperation with the public, designed to investigate the role an artistic collective can play to reflect present conditions. www.theartfoundation.gr

septmber april

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 humour, 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

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Arts & events

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19 september

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2325 24 september

B&M Theocharakis Foundation

Melina Merkouri Cultural Centre

Katsigras Collection 5,6,7 Works from the private collection of the charismatic doctor George Katsigras who built a magnificent art collection of Greek artists from the inter-war period and had bought paintings and furniture that were part of archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann’s office (the furnishings were designed

by Ernst Ziller and built in Vienna in 1880) form part of the exhibition at the Theocharakis Foundation. The collection includes works by Constantin Maleas, Theophrastus Triantafyllidis, Dimitris Galanis, Spyros Vassiliou, Antonis Kanas, A. Tassos, Nikiforos Lytras, G. Avlichos, G. Iacovidis, M. Economou and Moralis among others. www.thf.gr

2nd DESIGN FOR LIFE 8,9 Visitors to the second Design for Life will have the opportunity to experience design projects that embody the full range of design history. The second DESIGN FOR LIFE is to prove that modern design resists the gloom caused by the crisis, uses creative elements of emotion and rationality and offers new experiences. The exhibition celebrates150 years of design from Antoni Gaudi to Philippe Stark and includes exhibits by designers and architects, galleries, and private collections. The exhibition also includes a tribute to 3 significant movements of the 20th century: Memphis, Alchemia and De Stijl.

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september

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Athens Concert Hall

Herakleidon Museum

The Schoolwave 10 Young musicians send a positive message of freshness and creativity in times of distress and gloom by performing not just in front of their classmates but also to the general public.

Seven student groups - Overjoyed 32, World Conquerrors, Chick n’ Blues World Conquerrors, Chinese Basement, Rosebleed and Musica Ficta - selected from all over the country show their stuff at this year’s Schoolwave.

Modern Look - Ancient Civilizations The Herakleidon museum, in cooperation with the Allard Pierson Museum and Institute of Fine Arts in Amsterdam present an exhibition inspired by ancient Mediterranean culture. All the works are from contemporary artists residing in the Netherlands. The artists were invited to create a piece from a linoleum engraving inspired by the ancient finds of the Allard Pierson Museum.

The Herakleidon museum also invited Greek artists Apostolis Zolotakis and Eleni Tzatzalou to contribute to the exhibition with installations inspired by the same subject. www.herakleidon.com

On the town

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N. Hadjikyriakos - Ghika

Xippas Gallery

Rebecca Camhi gallery

Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation, Andros The Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation’s Museum of Contemporary Art is hosting an exhibition-tribute to one of the most important representatives of the 1930s Generation.

The exhibition includes about 100 of the great artist’s paintings, drawings and sculptures that come from museums, foundations and private collections.

George Eliades Xippas gallery inaugurates its new art space in Kolonaki, Patriarchou Ioakim 53, with the first solo exhibition in Athens of artist George Eliades.

The artist exercises full control over his compositions by attributing a key role to simple forms of our natural environment – buildings, simple every day objects - undisturbed on the canvas while maintaining their autonomy or involved in actions, violently interrupted to continue outside the frame, referring to a different spacetime reality and pushing us to redefine the way we perceive life and things around us. www.xippas.com

Young Greek Artists Rebecca Camhi gallery presents a group show of four young Greek artists. Alexia Karavela depicts images of strangers, based on photographs found randomly, using markers and tippex. Andreas Ragnar Kasapis’ latest work is based on the composition of painting and photography and is mostly about memory and trauma.

Chrysanthi Koumianaki’s works are based on images from parks depicting elements that exist in them, such as the landscape, memorials, pavillions and leisure time activities.

Vasilis Paspalis’ work resists linear conventional narrative by offering several simultaneous narratives, fragments of stories which when combined appear incoherent. www.rebeccacamhi.com

until

02 october

Municipal Gallery of Athens The second part of the exhibition, ‘The George Economou Collection”, on display for the first time, focuses on Surrealism, Neo Fauvism and the School of Paris, while also including portraits, nudes and still life drawings and engravings from the 1920s and the 1960s.Visitors have the opportunity to view 175 works by major artists such as Giorgio de Chirico, Joan Miró, André Masson, René Mgritte, Fernand Léger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Fautrier, Andy Warhol, Sigmar Polke, Francesco Clemente, as well as prints by André Beaudin, Juan Gris, Alberto Giacometti, Henri Laurens and David Hockney.

Works by leading Greek artists -Thanos Tsingos, Marios Prassinos and Theodoros Stamos– are also featured.

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Arts & events

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Museum of Cycladic Art

Badminton Theatre

Badminton Theatre

The Breeder

The Last Grand Tour 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

Spartacus, Grigorovich Ballet theatre of Russia 11 The Grigorovich Ballet theatre of Russia comes to Greece with 70 players, plush sets and lavish costumes to present the ballet based on the legend of Spartacus, a gladiator of Thracian origin who led a major revolt of slaves and other socially oppressed people against the Romans in the first century BC. Composer Aram Katsatourian wrote the music in 1954 and the ballet came to life with choreographer Yuri Grigorovich who was the director of the Bolshoi Ballet at the time. www.badmintontheater.gr/

Swan Lake, Grigorovich Ballet theatre of Russia 12 A touching story that made Tchaikovsky immortal.Yuri Grigorovich modifies the classical choreography of the previous century to make Swan Lake one of the best ballets of all time. The tale recounts the romantic adventures of a young prince and a beautiful girl, who, a malicious magician transforms onto a white swan. It embodies the full range of human emotions, from hope to despair, from terror to tenderness, from melancholy to ecstasy. www.badmintontheater.gr

Gabriel Vormstein, News of today: Die feeling 13 The Breeder presents Gabriel Vormstein’s first solo exhibition in Athens, entitled “News of today: Die feeling”. Death and failure are recurrent elements in Vormstein’s work, along with the use of newspaper as the artist’s chosen canvas. The traces of time characterize the aesthetics of this material and at the same time allude to contentwise references. In Gabriel Vormstein´s works newsprint remains an index of ‘already passed’ events of the day and at the same time becomes alienated by its “new” presence as an art piece. www.thebreedersystem.com

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december october

On the town

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november

Museum of Cycladic Art

Zoumboulakis Gallery

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 at 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

Maria Filopoulou, Waterfall 14 Maria Filopoulou presents a new series of works on waterfalls. The liquid element and the love of water is captured in the bubbles, drops, splashes and reflections that contrast with the serenity of the landscape.

The viewer has the sensation of water thrown everywhere.

Another section with smaller projects monitor naked bodies enjoying the tranquility or tension of water. www.zoumboulakis.gr

december

Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum Best of: Highlights in Jewelry and Couture 13, 14 The best of the permanent collections of the Lalaounis Museum and the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation are brought together in an exhibition structured as a visual dialogue between jewelry and couture.

Jewels from 50 collections created by Ilias Lalaounis and the Lalaounis house between 1947 and 2008 are presented alongside selected highlights from the extensive costume collections of the PFF.Through a display that addresses fashion as evidence of material culture, the exhibition challenges distinctions between the contemporary and ‘the classic’ as well as between ‘eastern’ and ‘western’ forms and styles. www.lalaounis-jewelrymuseum.gr

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Athens International Airport Art & Culture Wishes The cultural organizations that the Athens International Airport has collaborated with throughout the years participate in “Art & Culture Wishes”, a cultural initiative with a “Voyage” theme accompanied by wishes for the airport’s 10th anniversary.

Participants include the Foundation of the Hellenic World, the Museum of Greek Folk Art, the Benaki Museum, the Goulandris Natural History Museum, the George Zongolopoulos Foundation, the Museum of Greek Children’s Art, the Byzantine and Christian Museum, the Herakleidon Museum, the Museum of the Hellenic Nobel Collection, Militos Editions, the Onassis Cultural Centre and the B&M Theocharakis Foundation. www.aia.gr/aia10years

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Art

Charis Savvides speaks to Tonia Makra on the eve of his upcoming exhibition at Kaplanon Gallery on the fine line connecting art to architecture Architect Charis Savvides’ exhibition Dance and Soul will open at Kaplanon gallery on September 14.

The exhibition consists of 15 works on Plexiglas of dance-snapshots that have been processed via autocad, a programme used – primarily up until today – for the elaboration of technical and architectural designs.

How important is architecture for you?

I studied Architecture in Paris. The architectural work that I have carried out throughout all these years is very important – at least to me – not only as a volume of work, but also as a way of life. From the hours one spends with a client to the hours one spends to brainstorm, the teamwork involved to develop an idea, the endless hours required when dealing with the bureaucracy in the public sector to manage to build what you want and then of course, the endless hours spent on-site to implement your design, but also to improve it without allowing any external factors to alter it...it is my life!

For the past 14 years I have been working with a charismatic architect, Kyriakos Kyriakides, his wife Adela and my wife Penny. As a creative group, we dislike the artificial language of architectural analysis and give a lot of importance to the constructional truth of our projects. Six years ago, my wife and I started our own architectural laboratory, Elytron, an architectural and urban planning workshop.

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How does Architecture combine with Art? Are they parallel, complementary or contradictory projects?

Architecture is a shell that surrounds worlds.Whichever size you select, (from a large sports centre to the size of a studio) it is a large egg within which functions come about.Whether it is a hospital or a home we are designing, we are housing human functions, thus protecting human activity. I have never treated architecture as an art project in the 21 years that I have been engaged in it. Of course in the end, architectural creation is also a visual work, but no one starts off with this as a primary goal. On the contrary, a work of art whether it is a painting or a sculpture, often functions in a complementary manner to architecture.

What is your technique and how did you come to adopt it?

I met the painter Nestoras Papanikolopoulos in Paris, an extraordinary personality who introduced me to the concept of using a computer as a means of expression. He gave me my first image processing programme about 16 years ago...I returned to Greece in 1996 and since then I have been working as an architect but at the same time I have tried to be productive in an environment much broader than that of architecture – in drawing and photography in particular. During the last few years, this activity of mine has found a technical means of expression which, although I actually became familiar with through my architectural work, I presently use to generate drawings.

So Nestoras on the one hand and architecture on the other, led me to adopt this unique medium of expression. The basis of the designs is photographs.They are images, which after being digitized and analyzed into lines and vectors are redesigned and altered through the architectural software autocad.

These linear designs stem from a synthesis process alternating with a subtractive process: a composition as a picture, which has attributes in itself. But after that, subtraction follows from the image, with the shapes, the colours and the volume to the simple line.

The city that you live in, the built-up area in which you move around in, does it connect architecture with painting? Is there any future for these two arts in the city that once produced a culture, which was very important to mankind?

The city in which I live and work is Athens. Even during the period that I lived in Paris, Athens was still my point of reference. Its history has always been a big puzzle for me, with many missing pieces, a lack of continuum.

This very continuum is what I seek both as a person and a Greek... I am also convinced that there weren’t better or worse Greeks...The same Greeks who built the neoclassical 19th century buildings – that we admire today – destroyed Athens of the 18th century with fury as did our contemporaries who destroyed the neoclassical buildings in order to build apartment buildings. Our ancient history is omnipresent in our city. No one can ignore it, nor can they imitate it as it has proved disastrous when attempted. What is certain is that for an average Athenian this culture is part of his memory. No matter how many images we may take in through the circulation of digital information, our culture is loaded within us. Now whether it is expressed in my work or in the work of contemporary Greek artists I am not in a position to say or evaluate...

Your office is located in a historic house. How do you feel working from a space associated with contemporary Greek art?

Our office is a townhouse that was built in 1937 with spacious rooms and

very large openings. It is the home of the parents of the artist Nestoras Papanikolopoulos who used it for many years as his studio. It was also used as a workshop by the engraver Tassos, where he produced the greatest part of his works.Today we use it as an architectural laboratory.

It is the area in which I, my wife and the entire Elytron team work.

This place has become our second home. And this is how the entire team considers it.

You have an art collection that many would envy... What makes it so important?

Even since I was in Paris, where I lived in the workshop of the painter George Tougias for five years, I came in contact with Greek artists of the Post-war French School, excellent painters and sculptors like Tougias himself, the sculptor Gerasimos Sklavos and others. Since then I began collecting works – perhaps of minor importance to major collectors – from the Post-war French School and in particular of artists of Greek origin such as Christophorou, Prassinos, Mayo, Tougias and of course Nestoras. I also collect engravings and books of the corresponding School. It is very important, while trying to discover an artist, to find elements of his life that also incorporate his artistic expression. In order to make a living, all the above mentioned artists, worked as illustrators – even for books of minor importance – hagiographers or conservators of holy icons... These are the things I seek and I feel very proud of having found them in one way or another. I honour them and they honour me every single day! i Charis Savvides, Dance and Soul, single stroke autocad designs at Kaplanon Gallery, 5 Kaplanon, Kolonaki from September 14

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Insider talks to the six nominees of the DESTE Prize 2011, Alexandra Bachzetzis, Anastasia Douka, Irini Miga, Eftihis Patsourakis, Theodoros Stamatogiannis, and Jannis Varelas, about their work and how Greece has inspired them.

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Art

The DESTE Prize was established in 1999 to support and recognise the work of young contemporary Greek artists. Held biennially, a six-member selection committee made up of Greek curators, critics, collectors and artists nominate thirty-six candidates, from which six are shortlisted. A public exhibition presenting the finalists’ work ensues, and a five-person international jury presided over

by Dakis Joannou, founder and president of the DESTE Foundation decides the winner, who receives a grant of €10.000.This year, the exhibition returns to the Cycladic Museum, first used as an exhibition space for the prize in 2009, where works will be on show until October 30.The winner will be announced September 14.

in such a violent manner. Politics and social matters are seen and felt; not concealed and kept within limits. On Athens, she notes: “Athens is a great contemporary place where all kind of frictions become visible.

I like the sound of classic bouzouki tunes. They evoke something that has gone missing – but maybe not entirely.”

For the DESTE Prize Bachzetzis presents an installation and live performance, Handwerk, and a choreographed video piece, Rehearsal (ongoing). “Handwerk is a performance executed following instructions. It is set in a studio reminiscent of a ballet studio with mirrored walls, in which the typical horizontal bar used has been moved to the centre of the space and turned vertical, becoming a pole for pole dancing. Three female performers dance consecutive solos before the audience that surrounds them to tracks they play from a ghetto blaster. Instruction drawings for pole dancing are shown on a monitor.The piece is complete with a buyer’s contract that very strictly defines conditions of sale and performance, as well as the type of performers used,” Bachzetzis explains.

“Rehearsal (ongoing) deals with irreversible and reversible changes of states of matter and things. It is a piece of choreography for two hands that pick, move and manipulate various objects at first orderly arranged on a simple table, it is obsessive in a matter-of-fact way. Both works deal with a set of instructions for choreography and their execution or interpretation.”

For Bachzetzis, Gold (performance, 2004) can be seen as representative of her practice. “It is a work in which I wear a golden bikini and golden body paint and perform a series of strictly choreographed, at times violent or provocative, movements towards a video camera, to music that seems inconsistent with my choreography. Then I leave the stage and double the performance time by playing a recording of the performance on the big screen with entirely different music – a hip-hop track that perfectly suits my movements, corresponding to the hip-hop lyrics I show to the camera, written by hand on sheets of paper. Gold is important for at least two reasons. One is the construction; in what appears to be a deception or even confusion gets gradually organized, revealed, and clarified in the duration of the performance. Second, because it embodies female empowerment through the codes borrowed from an established macho culture.”

Anastasia Douka Alexandra Bachzetis

Alexandra Bachzetzis “At one moment in time I decided to make art for a living and so it became my profession,” recalls Alexandra Bachzetzis, after describing a childhood spent turning things into other things. “I see the role of an artist as one of a critical observer; someone that positions oneself as a speaking subject by making and showing work.” On the influence of Greece in her work she responds: “Greece has always been a place of beauty and chaos…I grew up in this field of tension and it sort of is my spiritual home; the light conditions and the smells are very intense and the lively culture within my family always triggered and provoked the urge to create something that could express in other words or means what was happening among people. Here, the past and the present meet

For Anastasia Douka, her current installation at the Cycladic Museum Lazy Suzan Not, 2011, best represents her work as an artist, which she describes as this: “I examine human procedures, along with whichever model of knowledge or retransmission of information, and their products: architectural elements and geographical models, ancient cultures and contemporary popular icons, precious and everyday objects, human anatomy and machine anatomy, fantasies and theories with their proofs.”

On Lazy Suzan Not, she explains:“It can be regarded as a mutated replica of an actual oil rig platform. It is a monument to effort, permanent or temporary, when the whole body of the adventurer is working feverishly to draw gold from the earth, to reach the hidden storage space.This is a contrived slice of an oil platform where things intersect in a crosswise manner and circle one another. Basins step onto pipes, washing water out and the sound of an empty bottle whistle is heard at a short distance from the head.The construction is ready to take the position required to latch onto and stretch from the bottom of the sea up to the skyline.”

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As a work, Lazy Suzan Not is reminiscent of a collage-sculpture, an assemblage that relates to, as Douka has outlined, the drive for production and development. On Athens as a source of inspiration, she observes: “Athens provides really strong and vivid stimulation that is difficult to neglect. Although I chose to never comment on it in a direct manner, the background of Athens I think is constantly filtrated through my work. I am really fond of how Athens offers a vast and often unpredictable collage of urban space.” In this sense, her self-defined role as an artist driven by the need to record all possible information that surrounds her. “It could be said that an artwork has a strong core around which the artist builds

Irini Miga For Irini Miga, all of her works are equally representative of her practice as an artist. As she notes herself: “I really can not make any kind of distinction.”

In many ways, this holistic approach reflects itself in her work and in the very reasons behind why she became an artist. “I became an artist because that was the only thing that I have always wanted to become,” Miga explains.“In my opinion the role

Anastasia Douka

a series of worlds one crosscutting the other,” she elaborates. “My core is made of glimpses of everyday objects, audio fragments of noise and music, words in uppercase letters, company logos, and lyrics of songs.

Songs in repeat mode, traces of architectural drawings and close-ups of mechanical parts share the dynamic of my role as an artist.”

of a visual artist is not that of an entertainer: An artist is someone who creates a prism through which people can see reality in a different way, in a way that will allow them to see more clearly.” This outlook has been reflected in her presentation at the Cycladic Museum. As Miga elaborates, “I have created an installation consisting of clay sculptures and one drawing. My works are inspired by The Empire of Signs, written by Roland Barthes. I tried to investigate antinomies such as dark/ light, hidden/revealed, inside/outside, animate/inanimate, so as to create a whole spectacle consisting of fragmented parts. My aim is to reveal the unity in things despite the controversy of conflicting elements that make them up.”

On Greece’s influence in her work, she answers: “Of course Greece, as my native country, the place where I grew up and started building my

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Art

60’s chairs and lamps and to the wooden panels that cover all walls.The owner makes the best cocktails in the city and now his son is ready to continue this tradition.”

Eftihis Patsourakis For Eftihis Patsourakis, Horizon, a series on show at the Cycladic Museum, could describe his artistic practice as a whole. “For this series, I collected seascape paintings of unknown and anonymous artists that I found in street markets in Athens,” he says. “By placing three or four such seascapes next to each other I create works with longer continuous artificial horizons. These stormy seas and frightening horizons are what connects those unknown and anonymous people. Also they are a - rather bitter - metaphor for collectivity and desire, since their makers all headed towards the open sea in their search of the miraculous.”

Patsourakis continues: “In my work I usually use casual materials (for instance post-its, paper of burnt snipes, sheets from used photo albums) that mainly through their repetitive use, become structural elements of my images. My practice delves into the individual and collective memory, into the relationship between identity and history and re-examines representation as a carrier of these matters, through a net of actual social and cultural references.”

The second work on show at the Cycladic Museum is a collection of doormats entitled, Skin, which Patsourakis notes are interesting in their existence “on the borderline of public and private space [thus] bringing intense human traces of friction with everydayness.” He summarizes:“This work is a group portrait of a daily ritual associated with concepts such as collectivity and catharsis.” Combined with the Horizon paintings, the two works create a time warp that presents seemingly common objects in a new light, thus destabilizing established perspectives in order to create new connections. As Patsourakis explains:“As an artist I’m very fond of interesting, sometimes strange encounters with other people, and also the “luxury” of “not understanding”. I’m also very fond of sharing, of eventually feeling that everything can be possible, of trusting the judgement and the instinct of others, and of discovering other realities. I am also fond of the sweet illusion of complicity.True art restores our joy of “not understanding” and always refreshes and intrigues our curiosity. Politically speaking, this condition of cluelessness, or of “stupidity”, is a great weapon.”

Eftixis Patsourakis

personality, has influenced my work. Myths, folk-tales, old embroideries have been a source of inspiration in my practice,” she says. On her favourite places, she says:“I like Philopappou Hill; with all the beautiful, small neighbourhoods surrounding it. I like to walk there, especially during summer when it is full of tiny crickets that create the most amazing, melodic, natural beat. Another favourite place is Anafiotika, on the outskirts of the Acropolis. It is very romantic – an area where time stands still. Another gem is the Au Revoir bar on Patission Street.When I was living in Athens I used to hang out there a lot and I celebrated my leaving party there in February 2009. The bar was created in 1958 and still carries the vibe of that period; nothing has changed in its decor ever-since. Designed by Greek architect Aristotemenis Provelegios, it has a distinct and warm atmosphere thanks to its wooden furniture like the

On being a Greek artist, Patsourakis notes: “Greece and specially, Crete is the place of my childhood. Inevitably, it forms part of my work in ways that I ‘m not always conscious of.” When asked about his favourite sights, sounds and smells of Athens, he replies: “An evening walk around the Acropolis rock, an outdoor cinema in Exarhia or Thission, the music of cicadas outside my studio, and the voices of young people in Syntagma Square.”

Theodoros Stamatogiannis As Glasgow-based Theodoros Stamatogiannis notes:“Despite the fact that for the last four years I have lived in the UK, all my first experiences, which determine who I am as a human and artist, come from Greece, and a large amount of this comes from Athens, as it is the city I lived in for 11 years.The approach and interpretation of all the elements I use in my work is based on these experiences, thus, Greece has always been crucial in my work.”

Evidently, this influence goes right back down to his childhood. “When I

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Art

Regarding his role as an artist, Stamatogiannis insists:“This is something that I cannot explain briefly. It is something that can derive through an extensive talk about my work and the role of art in general.All that I can say is that art encompasses all parts of social life. It alters and expands the way we perceive things.” In this light, what are his favourite smells and sounds in Athens?

“Favourite smells: Greek food. Favourite sounds: the sounds that come from the trolley buses when the pole detaches from the overhead wires.”

Jannis Varelas

Theodoros Stamatogiannis

was a kid my parents started building their house. I remember that it was really exciting for me to watch and to get involved in my own way and to see this process of building a house. I enjoyed every aspect, like the materials that were being used, the craftsmanship and especially the way that a plot of land could be transformed to a residential space, a house.This is the only way for me, without being sure, to explain my interest in sculpture, space and architecture, which is a major element of my work.”

This interest in domestic space is evident in much of Stamatogiannis’ creative output. When thinking about a work that might sum up his practice, he replies: “Every new work is a step to the next one, and so all of my works are really important to me. If I have to choose one piece this would be an installation that I did in my bedroom in Glasgow.This sculpture was an actual size replica of the floor of the room. It was installed between the real floor and the ceiling. I kept the installation for three months and so it became part of my daily life. It is a work that clearly represents my research of the last four years about the way sculptures can be derived through the geometry of architectural space.” His work at the Cycladic Museum touches on similar ideas. “The work I present in the Cycladic Museum is a sunken relief which combines elements that I have used in the past. It continues my research about the relationship between sculptural and architectural space, and it investigates the way that simple architectural elements and materials can be used to create sculpture, opening up questions about space as we perceive it.”

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“Generally speaking my artistic practice does not function on the modus of a piece by piece strategy,” explains final nominee, Jannis Varelas. “I work on a series of things so I couldn’t pick one piece which can describe my artistic practice. However I could say that in my work I am interested in the investigation of the notional activity of human perception and the correlation of the transpositions that meanings could have into the human psyche.” On his reasons for becoming an artist, he muses: “I would say that I became an artist for many different reasons and through many different circumstances.

As far as my role as an artist I believe that ‘ I should maintain an interesting present and make them believe that I had a glorious past’.” On his work currently on show at the Cycladic Museum, he explains: “I am showing a body of work that refers to the theatre of the absurd and Jean Genet’s play The Maids. It is a multimedia installation investigating, through a fragmental narration, the possibilities of re-orchestration. A plot based on the trauma that power structures create and rake up.”

Known for creating collaged figures that evoke equal measures of fantasy and the grotesque in a satirical representation of the human figure as a standardized being that conforms to society, I ask Varelas if Athens has inspired his approach to the human figure, and this idea of trauma caused by standardization and conformity. He replies: “Athens is an interesting city and I enjoy being here but it has never inspired my work... so far no city has ever inspired me. But I do think that a very interesting sight of Athens is the notorious and overpopulated Ano Kypseli.” i For more information visit www.deste.gr or www.cycladic.gr

Jannis Varelas

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George Eliades of Quintessentially on the rewards of offering the luxury of time and quality experiences for its members.

What exactly does Quintessentially do?

We have been called “the right hand”, “magicians”, “the solution to all problems” among others. What we really are is two things. First, what we offer to our Members is time. As the Spectator points out in a recent article about Quintessentially, “what Quintessentially is really selling is Time. Time is the one thing we all lack. But it is also the hardest thing to give someone.” We give our Members the opportunity to organise and experience things they would never have the time to set up for themselves both in their personal life and in their business, because of their busy, hectic lifestyle. At the same time we are also THE key that unlocks all doors with benefits beyond your imagination. If we had to be a character in a movie we would obviously be Q to James Bond. With more than 60 offices around the globe and more than 500 Assistants available 24/7 we can unleash your imagination to the best the world has to offer. We bring cities and their insights’ closer for our Members to access.

What prompted you to set up a high-end concierge service such as Q in Greece and how challenging has the experience been?

My wife and partner Annia Spiliopoulos Eliades is a founding member of Quintessentially. She joined Q back in 2001 when it first started and we both used it a lot. At that time Annia was a senior executive at EMI Music’s global headquarters and despite having all doors open and many resources in terms of access and organisation, she still made good use of

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the service to take out artists, to organise her holidays, to source a unique, original gift for a friend. On my side, while I was working in finance I had to entertain clients, mainly London bankers, and Quintessentially helped me with authentic, up-to-date suggestions and access to the most ‘hard to get in to’ venues. I wanted to grow my business and that meant I did not have the time to organize that side and there was no room for mistakes. Normally my team had to take care of this but this meant taking time away from their primary work. Plus my assistants did not necessarily have all the latest information or the necessary access.

So by being a member of Q, I was able to leave it all to the experts. My trips to London were all about the meeting and it had to be at the right place. And it sure was.

Setting up Quintessentially in Greece four years ago was a challenge, as servicing has not traditionally been a big part of Greek culture. Annia, who was responsible for launching Quintessentially in the Greek market, went about it in a very consistent and uncompromising way. She set up very high standards from the beginning in terms of the service we provide. And she had the team commit a lot of time and resources educating the market that the Quintessentially sense of luxury has less to do with owning expensive material things and more to do with the quality of an experience. One of our favourite phrases at Quintessentially is the luxury of quality.

Since we launched, busy professionals and active individuals from differ-

ent walks of life increasingly acknowledge the value we bring to their day to day and to their more special moments and our membership base has grown impressively year on year.

a tailor-made service they all offer us a sneak preview so that we best know what we suggest to our Members. Having 60 offices around the globe means that we have all the «couleur locale» in everything.

You switched careers from finance to managing a luxury lifestyle company? Has it been an easy crossover?

Having gained over 10 years in finance the next step for me was to run and grow a range of businesses, where I could use all my skills and experience. It was very much part of our plan that as soon as the company had reached a certain size, I would also join OMNI APIQO the company that owns Quintessentially in Greece and in Cyprus. So I was not only looking forward to it, but was also prepared as I had been involved in a supporting role from the very beginning.

All Quintessentially staff members are Quintessentialised before joining the team. From the ASK Q team that is inspired in doing the best they can to best serve and be proactive and innovative with their ways from the biz dev team that get more and more creative with the benefits they get for our members to our membership managers that come close to every member in order to best understand their needs and overall trends.

The crossover has been exciting and energising. And now OMNI APIQO is working on expanding our activities further. Having built an expertise in managing medium to high net worth individuals we now also offer CRM and Advisory Services to companies who appreciate the value of enhancing the loyalty of their customers and managing that relationship effectively. We have also started a travel agency, an events division and last year we launched Quintessentially Estates. The luxury lifestyle part of the Quintessentially Club is in itself a platform of trades with a wide range of products and demands which is recently getting institutionalised and we at Quintessentially are the first ones to do so.

Does your team vet all the services you recommend?

Our efforts to bring to our Members the best the world has to offer, and with carefully chosen benefits, has inspired most suppliers and as this is

Do you believe that especially in a downturn, people value quality and specialized services?

Absolutely.Through every crisis our needs and priorities get reshuffled.

What we are seeing in the last year is a real shift in people’s focus from the more frivolous, shall we say, to the most substantial. In servicing “less is not more” that is why we continue to enhance our benefits from our extended suppliers list. Our Members use the benefits and access we offer them much more actively than ever before.

From tickets to sold-out concerts to access to exclusive sporting events and private helicopter services, does Quintessentially really manage to deliver it all?

Our huge network allows us to have access to everything last minute.

We are proactive and this means we don’t just sit back and wait for the phone to ring. Before the Madonna concert ticket sale opened in Athens in 2008 we had secured at least two tickets for all our members and we ended up being one of the biggest vendors. The same with this year’s

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Richard III performance in Epidaurus. All our members had the choice to go should they have even called on the day of the performance. We managed to deliver it all while always giving options for the members to choose from.

What has been the most gratifying request you have received?

The closest friend of one of our Members was in a very serious accident and had to be in hospital for a long time. He is a fan of the Juventus football team. Our Member asked us if there was anything special we could organise for his friend that involved Juventus.

We managed to get hold of the team and convince them to sign a football and personalise it for the friend. Our Member surprised his friend with a unique and very special gift. And the Juventus team agreed to do this for a small amount which was donated to their chosen charity.

And the most extraordinary one?

When we arranged a private dinner for a Member and the Dalai Lama.

Your stand at Athens’ international art fair, Art Athina was a work of art itself. What was the concept behind it?

Quintessentially is all about creating unique or enriching day-to-day experiences. Our intention with the lounge was to express this in an artistic context like an art fair. So we created the concept:“The Quintessence of the Senses”.We wanted to bring to the guests the best out of the 5 senses and every sense was represented in a different, artistic way. It was an installation that received excellent feedback not only in Greece but globally. i To become a Quintessentially Member, call or email Tel: +30 210 6801800, E-mail: qhellas@quintessentially.com.www.quintessentially.com

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Quintessentially’s top picks: Best cocktails in town: Galaxy bar, Geona’s, Inbi Best restaurant view: GB Roof Garden, Matsuhisha Favourite weekend hangout with the kids: Attiko Parko, Hamptons cupcakes Romantic dinner for two: The terrace of your home with a dinner organized by Quintessentially.

Perfect business lunch: Gaspar, GB Restaurant, Alfiere, 21.

Coolest club: Island For a truly modern Greek experience: Dionysos, Varoulko, Π box Must-watch event this winter: «Odyssey» at the National Theatre of Greece, directed by Robert Wilson Perfect Greek gift to take aboard: NYX Mavrodaphne,TShirts

by LAK, ‘Matia’ jewelry by Danelian, Apriati 7 core bracelets Most charming open air theatre: Dexameni Best winter hotel: Kinsterna Hotel (Monemvasia), Chalet Sapin (Agios Athanasios) Most romantic hotel for two: Perantzada in Ithaki and Hotel Imaret in Kavala Best hotel for the whole family: Costa Navarino

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Jenny Bloomfield is not only the first woman to become Australia’s Ambassador in Athens, but the first ever Greek Australian to hold the post. Mike Sweet meets Australia’s new Head of Mission to the Hellenic Republic.

Photo credits: Jenny Bloomfield outside the Hellenic Museum in Melbourne. Photograph by Peter Kakalias

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Diplomacy

You’ve had previous postings to Iran, Argentina and Japan. No doubt you’re experiencing a very special, emotional response to arriving in Athens?

Of course; I was born in Greece, and I’m returning as the Australian Ambassador. Obviously there is symbolism in that, but this is part of the message that I want to give: this is what Australia’s all about. It’s natural for a country of immigration. Almost one in four Australians were born overseas and our cultural diversity is what makes our country strong.

The Greek community has made a huge contribution to all aspects of contemporary Australia.Together we have built a successful, prosperous, culturally rich, confident country, and this is the image of Australia I want to promote as an Ambassador.

To what extent do you feel your heritage will make the role as Ambassador to Greece easier?

Well it depends what you mean by easier. Everyone brings his or her different strengths and approaches to the job. I know the country and I know something of its culture. I speak the language. It helps us to tap into that country and that relationship. I’m a very activist diplomat. I’ve just come out of the Middle East branch where I had eighteen countries, again trying to build relationships, shaping Australia’s engagement in a region undergoing historic change.

What better message about our multicultural and diverse, successful community than sending a Greek Australian back to the host country? It says a lot about the country that Australia is, and what makes us strong.

You were born in northern Greece, and raised until the age of twelve in Kavala, at which point your family migrated to Australia. Can you tell us something about your introduction to the world of foreign affairs, and what motivated you to become a diplomat?

I studied law/arts, political science and languages at the University of Melbourne and then joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1995. I was lucky enough to get in as a graduate trainee. I studied international law and human rights law, which raised my interest in diplomacy. I’ve always been interested in what was happening in the world. I grew up in a multicultural, multilingual environment and I have a passion for languages. Speaking a language opens a window into another culture. I’m bilingual in English and Greek, speak fluent Farsi, Italian and Japanese and also speak Spanish and French.

Your posting to Greece comes at a dramatic time, given the country’s economic crisis. In what ways is Australia, and Australian diplomacy able to assist Greece at this difficult time?

Beyond our involvement in the IMF where we contribute financially and we’re part of the decision-making that underpins the IMF’s role in the rescue package, more broadly, a couple of years ago we started a discussion on public sector reform in Greece with the Greek Government. It’s a conversation. We’re saying ‘these are some of the structures in Australia; these are some of the changes we have put in place. Our

reform experience of the 1980s made our economy more resilient.’The process of reform in Greece is ongoing and we’re ready to provide any support that we can. Our objective is to show our solidarity with the people of Greece. We believe they will come out of this stronger.

The level of trade between Australia and Greece is relatively small. Do you see opportunities to strengthen trade in the future, and how might that occur?

The total trade and investment relationship annually between Australia and Greece is about 430m euros, and half of that is tourism. More than 100,000 Australians visit Greece every year. As part of Greece’s privatisation program, I know Greece is keen to attract foreign investment, and there may be opportunities there in the medium and long term to invest in finance, health and infrastructure. We’d like to see what more we could do and look at opportunities that the restructuring of their economy might present for Australian business.

Recently, encouraging migration from Greece has been a topic of discussion raised by the Greek community in Australia.

What’s your view of the situation?

There’s been an increase in enquiries from Greek citizens about migration to Australia, but there hasn’t been an increase seen in the number of visa applications. Australia takes around 170,000 new migrants each year.

This will increase to 185,000 in 2011. Migration to Australia is divided into skilled migration and family migration. Skilled migration is based on the needs of the Australian economy and to be eligible, a person needs to have skills in demand in Australia, have high proficiency in English, and be under the age of 45. Priority is given to people who already have a job offer, from an Australian employer. Australia is fortunate in that the number of people seeking skilled migration far exceeds the number of migration places set by government.

What do you feel your mission is as Australia’s Ambassador to Greece, what message do you want to take back to the country of your birth?

I’d like to project an image of Australia and what Australia is about; that we are an important country in the world, a good country.We may not be perfect, but we have been able to bring people in from all over the world, who have built this country, who have contributed to our success and prosperity, and the richness of our community. It’s my experience of Australia as a migrant Australian. Sometimes I think there isn’t a very good understanding of contemporary Australia, not just in Greece.We are the twelfth largest economy in the world and the fourth largest economy in Asia. We are very successful and we’re active around the world across the board. It’s a message that we should be giving back to the world. As Australia’s Ambassador, I want to showcase the strong bonds between our two countries, promote a positive image of contemporary Australia; and deepen the already close Australia-Greece relationship. i A version of this article appeared originally in the English edition of Neos Kosmos, Australia’s largest circulation Greek newspaper.

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25

Giorgos Frantzeskakis and Angelos Giotopoulos unearth Attica’s obscure but serene water bodies

A

few decades ago, probably alongside the rest of the Balkans, Greece was struck by a consecutive three-year drought period. Every other TV commercial was about saving water, rationalizing resources and some not-so-cleverly televised wishful thinking (we, Greeks, only believe in good luck) on possible rainfall.This, has never been a drought resilient society.To be fair, we never came across the need to become one…

During the 1900s, more than 700 streams (that you could actually drink water from) were present in Athens alone! Subterranean rivers flowing from the surrounding mountains of Parnitha, Pendeli and Hymettus watered the city, and no one really cared about harnessing this comparative advantage for future generations, now plagued with unbridled urbanism and rampant industrialisation that slowly but surely dried or poisoned every single free flowing river in the vicinity.

It’s true. Attica basin has always been blessed by the miracle of omnipresent water.

In the 1850s, Stadiou Avenue was nothing less than a real-live river, with a small, wooden bridge opposite the Arsakeio mansion. In fact, in 1852, a storm tore down the frail construction, dividing the city of Athens in half for weeks…

But still; even as we speak there is plenty of water in Athens.You can’t see it, because it lies underneath your feet. But every time a new excavation takes place, anywhere around the city center, water jumps up from one of the many underground lakes, perforated by negligent construction crews and uneducated contractors. Right now, there are hundreds of downtown buildings using water pumps on a 24-hour basis, to keep their basements dry.All of this water still spills on the streets, the same way it did a few decades ago, when Greece was struck by drought…

Yes. Attica had once, a plethora of rivers. And streams. And lakes. But today, if you ask the average Athenian, they will only be able to come up with one: The Marathonas lake. An artificial water reservoir, created in 1925 in order to “solve” the irrigational requirements of Athens and the suburbs of, and one that borrowed it’s name from the real Marathonas lake (remember the ancient battle?) that lays, almost dried and denied of any form of wildlife, next to the Schinias beach.

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Cityscope

So, no lakes at all? Not necessarily true. We counted six of them. Some artificial, some natural, some created by accident and some, recently privatized! We spotted them on the map, we visited to shoot some pictures and we sighed with discontent as soon as we had to depart.You see, the presence of water in man-made environment is not just another architectural element, nor is it an ornamental addition.

It bears properties that science has just begun to explore – and it’s not just about the Feng Shui claims of good fortune. It’s about solid, scientific research, proving the potent effects of water masses in human psyche, health and behaviour.

So, enjoy the pictures, and, on your next weekend excursions, just add them to your to-do list.

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Lake Kithara.

Ilion – Tritsis Park

You will find it in the Agia Triada area (formerly known as “Ippokrateios Politeia”) at an altitude of 600 meters, South – Southwest of the Beletsi mountain top. The lake was created by accident, during the 70s, when some road construction project went bad, hitting the bed of an underwater stream, known to the locals for centuries (it’s just that no-one ever bothered to ask them).The waters were redirected and formed the lake in less than a few months.

Lake Kithara has a maximum diameter of 150 meters and a depth of no more than 4 meters. The surroundings are quite pleasant and neat and the lake itself is “infested” with water turtles, carp, ducks and swans.

Lately it is being dangerously surrounded by villas popping out of nowhere – or more precisely – out of a legally controversial expansion of the Agia Triada settlement.

Fishing and RC models are prohibited. An open-café is sometimes present and most of the times not, but the place is ideal for picnik, so, make your own coffee and just bring it along!

On the northern side of the lake, a faze shed, pretending to be a “zoo”, houses four or five deer of “controlled breeding”, as the sign will inform you. It is obvious, nevertheless, that for a “control bred” deer, a living space of 50 square meters will have to suffice – their “wildlife” cousins are just too spoiled that way, demanding whole forests to roam…

On the park’s website (www.parkotritsi.gr) no less than six lakes are mentioned at some point (park/general description) and four, at another (park/history). Realizing the difficulty deriving from the fact that all motorized vehicles are forbidden inside the park (therefore, the author would have to walk and count them by himself) we are willing to look the other way. Besides, at the initial stage of planning, six lakes were within the designer’s intentions. Seems like, somewhere along the lines, a few lakes were sacrificed for the greater good (too much water might nauseate the unaccustomed Athenian).

So, only two left, but quite nice and clean, incidentally.They both serve as a hosting ground for migrating birds, ducks, turtles, schools of goldfish and stray cats - fishing the occasional carefree goldie when visitors are scarce, which is rarely the case anymore. The largest lake is the one on the south part of the park, and the one visited more often, mainly because it really lights up when the sun sets.

Fishing, swimming and RC models are not allowed in any one of them, but you can always feed the ducks – although almost every single snack people eat these days will most probably harm any animal.

How to get there From Athens, take the highway to Thessaloniki and exit towards Afidnes (formerly Kiourka). After that, just follow the signs to “Ippokrateios Politeia”. The lake is right after the first few houses, on Kirkis Street.

GPS fix: 38012’45.02’’– 23048’19.97’’ / Altitude: 620 meters

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How to get there.

Take any one of the following exits (6 – Leoforos Fylis), (7, Leoforos Dimokratias) from Attiki Odos, and just follow the signs. Alternatively, take the Athens -Thessaloniki highway and exit on, either Metamorfosi, Filadelfeia or Liosion avenue GPS fix: 38002’19.35’’ – 23043’03.54’’ / Altitude: 100 meters.

Cityscope

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Kapandriti – Agioi Anargyroi

Athens – Nea Filadelphia Park

By the village of Agioi Anargyroi, near the small town of Kapandriti, specifically at the “Metochi Ree” location, there are four lakes – three small and a really substantial one. The locals will tell you that, up until recently, all of them were considered “public property” and people used the water to irrigate their gardens.This is not the case anymore. Apparently, all of them were located within the boundaries of private land, and they have all been fenced since.

The large lake of Agioi Anargyroi is now part of an estate with a main house, an assortment of premises, and all that is required for “living the life”. Still, it is a worthwhile visit to Kapandriti, the drive is relaxing and only 30 minutes from the center of Athens, and, while you’re there, you can always take a peek at the lake that once belonged to everyone, but not anymore.

It’s natural beauty is hard to conceal, regardless of the present owner’s personal “touch”.

This is the first large water area I ever saw in my life – long before my parents took me to the beach. At the time, the liliput lake with the small island and the fountain seemed like an ocean of miracles. Today, under the perspective of an adult, the lake of Filadelphia is nothing more than a large pool – but a pool that complements the surroundings in an ideal manner. By the lake, people jog, ride their bikes, rollerblade and try to forget that they live in congested city.

When you visit, take a stroll around the park. It is not really big, just a bit more than a hundred acres, but the municipality of Philadelhia considers it to be their pride and joy, and they treat it accordingly.

There is an expensive cafeteria by the lake, just beside the main entrance – where coffee still costs more than 4 euros, and a sandwich, more than one would care to remember after the crime. Still, you can picnic anywhere in the park, and there are a few benches in front of the lake that you can claim, if you get there early enough on a weekend.

Swimming and any other kind of water activities are forbidden, and for good reason too. In the beginning of the summer, someone managed to almost drown himself in the lake – being drunk and thinking you can walk on water will do that to you…

How to get there: Take the highway to Thessaloniki and exit at Kapandriti. Ask the locals to direct you towards the monastery (there is only one). From there, just follow the signs to “Metochi Ree”.The lake is right next to the first crossroads.

GPS fix: 38015’14.06’’ – 23053’58.94’’ / Altitude: 502 meters

How to get there: The main entrance of the park is on Chiou street, perpendicular to Dekeleias avenue. GPS fix: 38002’32.70’’ – 23044’40.75’’ / Altitude: 130 meters

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Cityscope

Lake Vouliagmeni Once the refuge of old folk with arthritis and an insatiable need to gossip, Lake Vouliagmeni is now what it always should have been: an open air spa with reasonable pricing and visitors from all over Athens and beyond.

During the summer weekends, the lake is packed with people who seek to benefit from it’s mineral enriched waters, although regular swimmers will also visit from time to time, just to enjoy the warm sensation of a lake that never dives under 22 degrees Celsius – even in the coldest winter days.

The lake is less than a half an hour’s drive from the center of Athens, entrance fee is around 15 euros, and it remains open throughout the year, from dawn ‘till dusk. The cafeteria, located on the wooden deck, only closes for four hours during the wee hours of the night.

Recent studies show that the waters of Lake Vouliagmeni will relieve you of stress and anxiety, as well as take care of all your muscular problems.

Some regulars just swear by its therapeutic properties…

How to get there: The lake is located right after the city of Vouliagmeni, on 20 Poseidonos avenue.

GPS fix: 37048’28.64’’ – 23047’04.17’’ / Altitude: 12 meters Tel.: 210-8962237-9

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Design Humb e

rto

In Conversation with the

Campana

Brothers

How do you feel about the New Hotel now it is completed?

Humberto Campana: Very happy. First of all we have never done an interior project on this scale.

Fernando Campana: When Dakis [Joannou] invited us to do this I told him I don’t want to make a hotel. I was joking with him. I was trained as an architect and I qualified thirty years ago and this is my first project!

And Humberto was trained as a lawyer!

HC: And we had never been to Greece! We didn’t know much about the modernity, the local culture. It was a real challenge.

FC: But Dakis [Joannou] insisted we come to Athens to see the space.

When we came to the old Olympic Hotel for the first time, it was completely falling apart.

HC: This was the starting point.

Stephanie Bailey talks to Humberto and Fernando Campana about their latest project, the New Hotel.

FC: We documented everything and decided to use everything that existed inside the hotel. We didn’t want to make anything in Brazil and spend carbon emissions to bring things to Greece. We found this solution to bring together a group of students in their final year of design and architecture from Thessaly to help us make bridges between what is Greece in terms of its history and today.

HC: We are used to making lessons and workshops, so since we have this background, why not apply it? We allowed the eyes of the students to interpret the project, too.

FC: They always say Greece is the land of democracy...

HC: …It was born here…

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Fe rnan do

FC: …so why not be democratic and share the project?

FC: Yes, this is where Greece meets Brazil.

HC: This is the most beautiful thing about this hotel. Joannou allowed us to do this.We always try to work with communities as much as possible because our work touches on this element.

HC: Athens is very layered, with this stratification of history.We wanted to communicate the different layers of time because we were working with pieces from different times and tried to express that in the material and how it was used.

FC: For us it was also about the care we took. It’s our first project, so we didn’t want to be overambitious.We have a range of furniture that would have fit here, but we wanted to do this project with the students and I think it went really well. Now the students are developing, they have their own practices or have moved on to study in Greece or abroad.

FC: At the same time we wanted to keep this idea of decadence…

HC: …something like the Chelsea Hotel in New York.

Of course the project encountered a number of delays as it was evolving…

While working on the project you made trips to Hydra and Spetses. What did you find in terms of Greek culture on those trips as well as in your research into Athens and your interaction with the students? How did this affect the design of the New Hotel?

HC: Yes. The financial crisis came. But that was very positive in order for us to learn more.

FC: From talking to people, we discovered that Greeks are very shy with their modernity, as the Brazilians were very shy before. For instance, Haviana flip flops used to be synonymous with the lower class, green and yellow, the colour of our flag used to be bad taste. But since the Europeans started to wear these things Brazilians have started to become more proud of their local culture.We found this in Greece with the evil eye, the colour blue, even the name Olympic.

HC: Since we were both born we had to live throught changing times and adjust. Brazilians have learned this. 6% inflation a month, things like this. In the 80s, the supermarkets were changing their prices everyday.

The hotel is reminiscent of your iconic Favela chair design in that it follows the same idea of constructing something out of what is already there; this idea of deconstruction and reconstruction…

FC: This hotel came at a good moment because it shows how you can recycle or reprocess your life. This is something Brazil has a Ph.D in: how to reinvent your life every time.

FC: I remember going out to buy cigarettes and paying with a big pack of money! For me this crisis Europe has lived last year is like fruit juice compared to Brazil!

What similarities have you found between Greece and Brazil?

HC: I think people in the Mediterranean are open, curious, they look you in the eyes, and they haven’t become so blasé. There is still this naivety which is positive, like the Brazilians.

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Design

FC: Very Latin in this sense.We are much more focused on society, and the fragility of society; not globalisation.This is why we investigated the local culture for the hotel, and things that are vintage or handcrafted.

What were you first impressions of Athens?

FC: For me I was expecting a historical city but instead I found downtown Sao Paolo!

HC: I also remember the impression of white.

FC: Yes, I remember when we went to the top of the building the first thing I remembered was this stark white.

HC: The light here is different. In Brazil the light is more orange, but here the light is very white, and we would see these shiny spots coming from the solar panels on the roofs of buildings.

Have you discovered any favourite places in Athens?

HC: There is a small church, Agios Demetrios, in a park near the Acropolis. It is slanted, and completely constructed with several elements.

Everyday, I wake up at 5am and go to walk through this park with the abandoned dogs. I love these dogs; people take care of them. I also like Lycabettus hill. I also go there sometimes in the morning. But one thing I haven’t visited, but would really like to, is the Bouzouki.

FC: For me, I remember coming to see the Acropolis museum after it was completed. I liked the transformation of the area around it very much. I also like Lake Vouliagmeni, I just went there once, but it has stuck with me, and Astir Beach. Also I really like Monastiraki and all

34 insider athens | September 2011

the antique shops and the flea markets that you can find around there.

I also love China Town in Athens!

Do you have any more plans for the hotel?

HC: We want to make a botanic garden outside.

FC: Yes, we want more green; outside on the sidewalk we are going to make a garden. And also Hard Rock café could do the same. Of course, it is beautiful to look at the church, but it would be nice to see more green on the sidewalk.

You’re going to do that?

FC: Yes.There are also these great soldiers shoes; we would like to make fabric ones as room amenities.

Does this mean you will keep coming back to make changes throughout the hotel’s lifespan?

FC: [Laughs] Yes, maybe!

HC: [Laughs] Absolutely!

Do you have the Greek bug now? People tend to come back when they get bitten.

FC: I hope to visit more islands!

HC: Me, I want to go to Meteora! i

Art

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From bike-friendly Copenhagen, Dimitris Polymenopoulos plays ‘spokes’person and offers an insight into the city’s unique biking culture

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Urban culture “This will be your bike,” Kenneth says, taking down an elegant “Student” from the wall. After a minute of familiarization, I am handed the keys to the integrated lock and go out the door. Having forgotten the map at the hotel I’m quickly very lost - and rather quite relish it. I observe passing people, admire the beautiful architecture and double back to pedal into side streets. Unlike cars, bicycles allow you to take in the sights, sounds and smells of the city at the speed of experience.

The Beautiful Stranger Having found my bearings and subsequently toured Copenhagen to my heart’s content, I’m pedaling back up the main shopping street of Vesterbrograde in the frosty night. I notice an open Smørrebrød where I can buy some traditional Danish open sandwiches. A beautiful blueeyed girl is waiting patiently for her turn at the drugstore right next door. I ask her if she could keep an eye on my bicycle as I’ll be inside picking out a sandwich. It turns out Camille is a radio producer who has, in fact, lately done a piece on bicycles. Emboldened by this fact, I ask her if she wouldn’t mind being a late night impromptu interviewee.

Camille tells me that she doesn’t consider herself a hard-core cyclist - she cycles only when the weather is good. Her iPhone app allows her to see localized weather conditions so she can avoid bad weather. I mention that few Copenhageners use helmets and by her smile realize she’s heard it all before. “Every two to three years theres a big discussion about helmets!” she replies and argues that, safety issue aside, making helmets mandatory will actually reduce bicycle traffic. I feel Camille isn’t a staunch eco-warrior, safety fanatic or a fashionable hipster on a track bike. I think she’s a perfect Danish example of how the average Greek would see, and use, the bike.

The Culture Bicycle culture was always strong in Denmark but the emerging ‘60s automobile culture filled Copenhagen’s streets. Renewed interest in bicycles was only sparked by the energy crisis of the ‘70s and, by the ‘90s, investment in bicycle-friendly infrastructure had transformed the city.

I

n the middle of my staycation in August I accepted an invitation by the Danish Embassy to write about Copenhagen’s bicycle culture. In three unforgettable days I realized that Copenhagenization is not just an independent bicycling phenomenon but the result of a decades long process. In the past, the Danes had firsthand experience with a lot of issues we Greeks now face in our cities. I met a cross-section of people who live in, and shape Copenhagen – what they have to say is closer to our Greek reality than you might think.

The Bike It is just before closing time outside the elegant Velorbis corner shoppe as I dreamily study a storefront that could easily double as the parting scene of a WWII romantic drama. Kenneth Bødiker, a strapping red-cheeked Dane greets me at the entrance with a firm handshake and proceeds to introduce their model line-up as well as their collection of beautiful leather bags, the source of the shop’s intriguing old-school aroma.

Today Copenhagen’s road network incorporates distinct lanes for pedestrians, buses, cars and most importantly, for bicycles. Even traffic patterns are centered around cycling. The Green Wave put in effect in main cycling arteries ensures that riders moving at 20km/h never stop at red lights. The creation of Green Cycle routes – bicycle routes that are independent of the rest of the road infrastructure – has also given cyclists quick access to the city. Bridges for bicycle and pedestrian traffic have cut commuting times drastically.

The Architects I pedaled to the offices of the famous Ghel Architects to learn more about Copenhagen’s bike friendliness. There, I met urban designer Jeff Risom.“The Ghel architects”, Jeff begins,“are multidisciplinary.We have architects, urban designers, urban economists, anthropologists.”The Gehl Architects work with cities from a non-traditional architectural point of view. Their methodology is based on the work of Copenhagen’s visionary architect Jahn Gehl who published his influential ‘Life Between

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37

Buildings’ book in 1971. He spent another forty years fine tuning his approach to measuring the life in a city by being aware of its economic, cultural and social issues.

As Jeff talks about their latest projects, he describes the mind-set of north American cities which he considers even more difficult than that of their European counterparts.“Everyone thinks that they’re very special, and the most difficult place in the world to work with.” His description of New York, his biggest challenge yet, is eerily familiar. “It’s incredibly dense, very politicized, and everyone in New York City has an opinion.”

For Jeff, “quality of life ultimately means different things to different cities.” Some aspects are inter-cultural – like being healthy, attractive, safe, diverse and sustainable. Ultimately though, “Athens can’t be Copenhagen, Rio can’t be New York, so there’s not a recipe per se where a city should look at another city and try to take the physical environment and transplant it to their place.”

Concerning bike lanes, Jeff is adamant. In order to invite young, old and new cyclists, you have to give them dedicated space that adheres to the Four C’s. First there must be Consistent infrastructure - a single citywide model. Secondly, Continuous networks and not disjointed attempts.

These networks must also be Continually upgraded and Connected to other forms of public transport. Connection is important for a large and hilly city like Athens where “You set your expectations depending on the conditions that you have.” Jeff understands that you can’t expect

38 insider athens | September 2011

Urban culture people in Athens to ride 5km up steep hills or in a heatwave. They can though, go on relatively short and flat routes towards their car, bus or the metro. Lastly the network must be Comfortable which might mean anything from physical comfort like shade along bicycle routes to psychological comfort like adding bike counters reminding bicyclists that they are not alone.

Public spaces need to be integrated into any kind of cycling plan.Whether large squares, small parks or little city corners, they facilitate human interaction as a direct or indirect result of cycling. I think of yesterday’s chance meeting with Camille having been impossible without the existence a bicycle lane.

I ask Jeff to take into consideration the Greek economic crisis. He explains that cycling infrastructure is much more affordable, per person, than any other kind of mobility infrastructure. The resulting higher quality of life that Copenhagen now enjoys also means that families are now staying in the city, providing it with, among other things, a bigger tax base.

Jeff sums it all up thusly - its not because the Danes are different - the adoption of a cycling culture is a conscious choice. Its the result of strong political will, support from civil society and experts that have changed the public mindset from the 70s into what it is now.

The Advocate I meet urban cycling promoter, staunch helmet hater and founder of Copenhagenize and the popular Cycle-Chic blog in downtown Copenhagen. Mikael Colville-Andersen, a cross between Al Pacino and

Dennis Leary, lights up a cigarette whilst talking about the route we’ll take to see the city’s cycling infrastructure.

First up is a pilot project designed to keep drivers alert and prevent accidents. At the traffic lights, Mikael points out to a series of LEDs that are integrated into the asphalt between the bicycle and car lanes.“When the light turns green, the motorist [who wants to turn right] will see the LEDs flashing and that means there are cyclists at the lights.”

Our next stop, a busy bicyclist street in Copenhagen where one of two hundred cyclist counters have been installed with his “Hej Cyklist (Hey Cyclist)” motto, part of his positive communications campaign that always ends with “Thank you for cycling in the city.” And cycle they do – according to the counter, one million, seven hundred and sixty seven thousand, eight hundred and eighty seven cyclists had passed by this spot since the beginning of the year. Apart from providing valuable data, Mikael points out that the counters “instill a sense of civic pride in the people of Copenhagen who don’t realize that what they do is actually quite great.”

Mikael also introduces me to the fascinating concept of desire lines whereupon pathways for both pedestrians and cyclists are changed after careful observation concerning their use.We come to a busy intersection where a bicycle lane with brand new blacktop veers off the main road.

The city “made it totally legal to ride your bike here, because people were doing it anyway and that’s the desire line the city respected.”

In addition to the existing pedestrian/cyclist bridges, four additional bridges will be built, connecting both sides of Copenhagen’s harbor – for Mikael they are the “the missing link” in Copenhagen’s infrastructure.

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39

The end of the tour finds us in a hip café below street level where we get on the subject of bike marketing and his Cycle-chic blog. “The bicycle was a normal transport form in cities all over the world for decades and decades until the car dominated urban planning.” As proof of Greece’s forgotten bicycle culture, Mikael surprises the heck out of me by remembering a Greek musical scene where everybody is riding bikes (Tzeni Karezi singing Margarita Margaro). He blames “40 years of brainwashing people by branding the bicycle as sport and recreation and nothing else.” His Cycle-chic blog began with a single photo reminding people outside of Denmark that the bike is a means of transport, of riding in your regular, even fashionable clothes. “Open your closet, its filled with cycling clothes.” he tells me.

The Family My last evening in Copenhagen is spent in the western Copenhagen suburb of Vanløse with Betina Liliendal, happy-go-lucky ex world traveler and now single parent of three. She tells me that schools begin bicycle education for children in third grade - when a lot of kids start biking to school on their own. “They take biking tests, where they learn all the signs and biking rules.”

As he doesn’t like waiting for the bus, her eldest son Kalle bikes 5km to college every day, regardless of the weather.This winter was particularly

40 insider athens | September 2011

harsh for Denmark - “We had so much snow, you cannot imagine,” she remembers, “but you know what was clean? The biking paths. They cleaned them every morning at 6 o’clock – the whole winter.” Her teen daughter Serafina also bikes to school and during this particular evening had returned from Tivoli, a thirty-five minute commute.

The bike lane on a main street we had used earlier to get to Betina’s house was so new, you could hear the tar stick to the tires. I asked her what the local reaction was – her answer surprised me. “Many people were asking ‘where am I supposed to park my car now?’” but she supports it because “when my youngest son grows up and wants to pedal to the library its good to know that he won’t be driving on the street.”

Though I only scratched the surface of what it means to live in Copenhagen, I feel that I’ve experienced the balance that has been struck between the city and its people. Danes value their ease and comfort as much as everyone else. The real achievement is that, with hard work from city planners, the bike has been endowed with the qualities that make it an easy, comfortable and primary transportation form.

Given the maelstrom of the Greek economic crisis, Athens will need cheap alternative solutions to problems that have been plaguing the city for years. Our city planners can start by working overtime to persuade, reward and sometimes even force us Athenians into loving our bikes.We might in fact find it may be easier than we had ever imagined. i

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Travel

In Spetses, the celebrations spill on to September when the island gears itself for the Armata.

An insider’s guide to Spetses

P

eople of art and intellect have loved it, lived on it and been inspired by it – Spetsai, Isola di Spezzie or Pittiousa or quite simply Bouboulina’s island – Spetses, the farthest and greenest of the Saronic islands, continues to draw tourists looking for more than just fun in the sun. The subject of numerous books by authors such as Michel Deon and Michel de Grece, the island has, like its neighboring island Hydra, managed to retain some of its old worldly charm. Spetses reflects its glorious and wealthy past in the elegant archontika that fringe the harbour, and in its fine ship-building tradition that continues to this day in the old harbour (Paleo Limani).

Poseidonion hotel that dominates the waterfront. Arriving at the new harbour, one is immediately drawn into the business of seriously vacationing. Get side-tracked by one of the numerous shops in Dapia, where the new city centre is, or take a much-needed frappé break at any of the trendy cafés that line the harbour.The best thing about Spetses is that it is not intimidatingly huge but is spread out enough to offer vacationers of all ages a little variety. For culture buffs, take in plays and poetry workshops run by the Athens Centre at the Anargyrion amphitheatre.

The Athens Centre also runs Greek classes for beginners and for those hoping to upgrade their language skills.

To get to Spetses, hop on Hellenic Sea Ways’ Flying Dolphin for a quick 2.5-hour ride or take the more leisurely ferry which calls once daily but takes around 4.5 hours to get there. Or simply drive down from Athens through the Peloponnese along a scenic coastline to Kosta for about 2.5 hours and leave your car at the secure car park for 4 euros a day and take the 15-minute boat taxi across to Spetses. This proximity to the mainland means that Spetses is accessible all year long, no matter what the weather and for long-term residents, access to services, whether medical or otherwise, is a mere quarter of an hour away.

For serious sun worshippers and water babies, choose between the sandy shores of the popular Agia Marina beach, just a 2-km bike ride from Dapia to swim, windsurf or waterski, or if you are looking for a bit of quiet, Zogeria, with its pristine blue waters and pine covered beach, is the hands-down favourite with Spetsiotes. Other beaches include Agioi Anargiroi, the caves of Bekiri, from which the war of independence was fought, and the charming bay of Vrellos.

Whilst most of Spetses has remained virtually unchanged, the most striking makeover in recent years has been the renovation of the majestic

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For a different kind of visit, walk down from Dapia to the old harbour to get a first-hand lesson in the traditional art of caique building.The waiting list for caiques from the old shipyard is long and impressive with some of the biggest names in Greek shipping and industry as clients. Get familiar

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Travel

with Spetses’ illustrious history by making a quick stop at the House of Bouboulina and the Museum. Or head for a day trip to Mycenae for a trip back in time or to Epidaurus to watch a performance.

While on Spetses, do as Spetsiotes do and chill out with a long tall glass of frappé at the trendy Wannabe café (229.807.2880). With its interesting décor,Wannabe morphs from a quiet coffee and snack place in the morning to a lively hangout with some great bluesy music in the evenings. Top that with some of the most innovative cocktails and hors d’œuvres and fresh sushi daily and you realize why quite simply Wannabe is the place to be!

Also in the old harbour, is another Spetsiot institution – the legendary Mourayo (229.807.3700). For a sheer sense of nostalgia, there is no other place like Mourayo. Music bar cum restaurant, Mourayo was home to

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celebrities including the likes of Nana Mouskouri, Demis Roussos and George Moustaki, who often performed at impromptu sessions with the Syrmas brothers, and regulars included Greek shipping royalties Christina Onassis and Stavros Niarchos, politician Andreas Papandreou, and international stars Rudolph Nureyev and Joan Collins.The music is no longer live, but Mourayo still retains its timeless charm. If you come in on your yacht, you can moor just in front of the restaurant and have some great food at terrific prices.

Still at the old harbour, Tarsanas (229.807.7490) offers fresh seafood at reasonable prices, but if you are looking for a cool bar to dance your nights away, head for Throubi’s (229.807.4640) or to Club Stavento on Manolis Syrmas Street (229.807.3700) which has some of the grooviest dance music to accompany equally quirky cocktails.

In Kounoupitsa, stop by at the 1800 Bar and Internet Café (229.802.9497) housed in an old archontiko on the seafront that dates back to 1800 (hence the name) to relax with a narguile or to surf the net and catch up on work (internet access for a reasonable 6 euros an hour) at one of the six computers in the back room. A few hundred meters away, feel the sand beneath your feet as you dine at Mimosa’s (229.807.2888) or Patralis (229.807.4441) or Akroyialia (229.807.4749).

For special evenings, head for the very chic Balcony Wine Bar (229.807.2594) at the Dapia waterfront and dine at the up-scale, bistrostyle Dendrolivano (229.807.2251) in Aghios Lefteris.

If you’ve headed to Aghias Mamas for a dip, Stelios restaurant (229.807.3748) makes for a perfect post-swim stop, as it’s almost exactly at the half way mark between Dapia and the beach. Good mageirefta

food with special child-friendly menus. Also on Aghias Mamas is O Roussos (229.807.2212), also known as ta tzakia by the locals, with a wide selection of Mediterranean specialties.

For shopaholics, Spetses has its fair share of shops that hawk everything from interesting gifts, ceramics, fashion, accessories, designer clothes, shoes, and beachwear to serious jelewry. Maistrali (229.807.2307) at Aghias Mamas is a treasure trove full of clever gift ideas and unusual home fittings. It’s hard to walk out of this store and not find something for all age groups – whether it’s hand painted wooden toys for kids or candles for your girlfriends or kombologia (worry beads) and backgammon sets as presents for friends abroad. Drop by Boutique Katerina (229.807.3362) on Stavrou Niarchou Street for trendy clothes and accessories. Another favourite is Rota (229.807.4013) on the main street for ceramics and beautiful handmade jewellery.

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Travel

If you wish to stay, Spetses offers a wide range of choices from palatial mansions to pensions that cater to all tastes and budgets. The Orloff Resort (229.807.5444), originally a family mansion built in 1865 and completely renovated using local materials, is a luxurious complex, offering modern convenience and stunning views of the sea, hills and the pool. And parents take note: services offered include baby sitting and massages to relieve holiday stress!!

Also highly recommended is Zoe’s Club (229.807.4447), located right in the heart of Spetses town, with some of the most breathtaking views of the town and the sea. Housed within three tasteful buildings, are a total of 22 individually designed holiday homes in a garden with some very interesting flora and fauna. The afore-mentioned beautiful period hotel, the Poseidonion has services that match its opulent interiors and a dream spa managed by Asian Spa. For a truly relaxing holiday, reserve a treatment at the spa well in advance.

Spetses has remained a vibrant island attracting a very interesting, cosmopolitan set of tourists from Greece and abroad all year long. Check the official website of the Spetses municipality www.spetses.gr for information on upcoming events including the week-long Armata activities in September.

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Armata Many foreign and Greek dignitaries attend the weeklong festival of music, sports and theatre from September 10 to 15. In September, 1822, when an enormous armada of Turkish and Egyptian ships sailed through Greece intent on destroying Spetses’ seafaring capabilities, as well as the ships from the islands of Hydra and Psara. The Greek fleet, tiny by comparison, succeeded in fending off the enemy and finally routing it with a single fireship aimed at the Turkish fleet, a story that’s re-enacted each year on the anniversary with a regatta in front of the Poseidonion Hotel.

Getting there Hellenic Sea Ways: Tel: 210.419.9200 Water taxi (service arounde the islant to/from Kosta on the Peloponnesian coast) Tel: 229.807.4885 For boat tours around the island, Olga Tel: 229.807.3452, 697.661.4876 i

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Baby blue, Black, Turquoise and Yellow Glass Print Scarf by Loewe

Olive, Burgundy, Black and Orange Sunglasses all with Lizard Trim by Loewe

Marcello de Cartier tote bag, medium model, Canvas and nut-brown snake skin

Net cut Mongolian lambskin leather buckle bag, cowhide full grain leather strap, brushed light gold rings by Sequoia

Ivory, Ginger and Black Napa “Claudio 18� Clutch by Loewe

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Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascaras by Sephora

Nail Polish Imperial blue L67 moody woman

by Sephora

Smooth leather belt by Sequoia

Trinity ring - three rings in platinum, white gold, diamonds and black ceramic Cartier Diane, the new perfume from DVF, Eau de Toilette spray, Eau de Parfum spray available at Sephora

Bag Balzane limited edition

by Longchamp

Limited-Edition Smoky Palette with 8 eye shadows by Sephora

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Black Lizard Sandal

by Loewe Earrings in yellow gold, gray pearl, coral and white flower Liana Vourakis

Hydrating Powder Blush

by Sephora

Cartier Voukourestiou 7 Athens 210 331 3600

Earrings in white gold, white topaz and diamonds by Liana Vourakis

Loewe Golden Hall, Marousi 210 683 6230

Birkin 30 club bag in Clemence taurillon and Lizard underlined by two colourful thin bands in Mykonos blue or blood orange Hermès

Longchamp Boutique Longchamp Golden Hall 210 683 6220 Sephora www.mysephora.gr Hermès Voukourestiou 1 Athens 210 323 3715 Sequoia Notos Galleries Aiolou & Stadiou, Athens 210 324 5811 Liana Vourakis Pindarou 42 Kolonaki 210 361 9441 Hermès Voukourestiou 1 Athens 210 323 3715 Chopard Voukourestiou & Stadiou 2 210 325 0555 Folli Follie www.follifollie.com

50 insider athens | September 2011

Nail Polish Imperial blue L79 brazilian bikini by Sephora

Heart4Heart ring, earrings and necklace

by Folli Follie

L.U.C XPS watch with case in 18 ct white or rose gold and hand-sewn brown or black alligator leather strap by Chopard

Gatsby Cosmetic bag

by Longchamp

Gatsby Diary by Longchamp

Refined sandal in three - coloured goatskin suede by Hermès Drop earrings in white gold, diamonds, mother-of-pearl, onyx and ceramic

by Cartier

insider athens | September 2011

51

On the town

Reliving the Belle Epoque Offering an other-worldly respite and a much needed break from its immediate environs and from the difficult times Athenians seem to be navigating, Belle Epoque on Voulis Street is the perfect hangout for a girlie afternoon. A surreal, slow-paced setting where a vintage clothing store, a tea salon and a travel book store offer a genteel escape into another world

A

baby blue neo-classical mansion gently rears its head in a vibrant but gritty neighbourhood chock-a-block with hole-in-the wall travel agencies, hardware stores, bakeries and cafes spilling on to the pavement. The entrance almost seems elegantly intimidating but quaint enough to spark any passer-by’s curiosity. With no visual clues as to what one might expect once up the flight of stairs past the magnificent seven metre high doors, anticipation runs high.

As one walks in, the hallway parts threeways. The door immediately to the left is a vintage boutique with clothes, technicolour tunics, hats, belts and shoes in vivid colours reminiscent of hippier times in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The accessories are casually strewn around on a couch to give the room a warm, welcoming vibe.

The central room is the tea salon with yellow velvet couches and tree branches that jump off the walls. Evi, whose brainchild the Belle Epoque is, politely asks us to pick our favourite blend of tea, plays some unintrusive mellow music and with an air of ‘I’ve been asked that before’ look explains that “Belle Epoque just happened”.

As she serves us tea (from a vintage teapot, no less) with tea cakes and crunchy shortbread biscuits, we felt we were in a colonial style club, honouring the priceless ritual of the 4 o’clock tea.

As if to play on the timeless theme, the room just next to the tea salon is a delightful library with travel books in both English and Greek, globes, old maps and other travel paraphernalia and stationery.

And the journey to a place and time far, far away is complete, in a matter of minutes. We don’t know how commercially viable the venture is, but we do hope it will linger on – like the serendipitous experience we had there, has stayed with us. i

52 insider athens | September 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 | September 2011

53

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

54 insider athens | September 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

insider athens | September 2011

55

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

56 insider athens | September 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 | September 2011

57

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

58 insider athens | September 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 | September 2011

59

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

60 insider athens | September 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 Iguana Ak. Dilaveri 15, Tel: 210.407.8861 Playing disco & techno tracks until 6am

Jewellery

Big Apple South

ZerTeo

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

Metaxa 24-26, Tel: 210.894.6682 Unique jewellery designs

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

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

Provence Posidonos 80, Tel: 210.898.1435 Gourmet French delicatessen

Books

EAT

Eleftheroudakis

Ache

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

Kypriou 57, Tel: 210.894.2949 International cuisine & delectable deserts

Fashion Enny di Monaco

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

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

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

Cut this coupon and avail of 20% off on all exclusive brands at Sephora’s stores in Greece.

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

Iskandar

Amphitheas 6 & Poseidonos Tel: 210.988.6474 Authentic Indian cuisine

Kitchen Bar Poseidonos 3, Tel: 210.981.2004 Comfort food overlooking the sea

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

BEAUTY & COSMETICS Sephora 33-35 Ioannou Metaxa str., Glyfada, Tel: 210.894.3378

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

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

Bayern Bierhaus Microbrewery Chr. Nezer 19, Tel: 210.894.4439 Authentic German cuisine

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

Beirut Saki Karayiorya 13, Tel: 210.894.3169 Lebanese cuisine & entertainment

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

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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

DRINK

La pêche

Babae

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

Bars, Clubs & Lounges 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.

62 insider athens | September 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

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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

64 insider athens | September 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

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

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/

insider athens | September 2011

65

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

NEW

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

Designed by the Campana brothers, NEW, the latest venture ofYES! Hotels has 79 luxury rooms, including 18 Studios and 6 Junior Suites. NEW Taste, is the Hotel’s innovative restaurant concept.

Filellinon 16, Syntagma.Tel: 210.3273000 Crowne plaza

ATHENIAN CALLIRHOE HOTEL

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

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

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

ATHENS ELECTRA PALACE HOTEL

DIVANI APOLLON PALACE & SPA

Holiday Suites

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

NOVOTEL

Holiday Inn Attica Avenue

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

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

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

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

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

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

66 insider athens | September 2011

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 Costa Navarino

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, a Luxury Collection Resort

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

The Romanos Resort boasts of 289 exquisitely appointed rooms and 32 suites with individual 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

Philippos

MYSTIQUE SANTORINI

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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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

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68 insider athens | September 2011

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

useful information

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

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useful information 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

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

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

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

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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

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

International Kindergartens

International Schools

Universities

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

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 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

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 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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getting around

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

24 HOUR VIP TRANSPORT SERVICE

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

LIMOUSINES

Public transport

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

EXPRESS BUS from/to airport To and from Syntagma Square (bus X95, 70 min. approx.), Ethniki Amyna metro station (bus X94, 50 min. approx.) and Piraeus (bus X96, 90 min. approx.). Tickets available at the Arrivals Hall; validate on board.

Buses leave every 10-15 minutes.

Fare is e3.20 and the ticket is valid for 24 hours on buses, trolleys and metro. For further information dial 185 or visit www.oasa.gr, www.ametro.gr.

For info on trains see www. proastiakos.gr

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

ATHENS METRO Line 1 (Piraeus-Kifissia) 5am-midnight, Line 2 (Agios Antonios-Agios Dimitrios) 5.30am-midnight, Line 3 (Egaleo-Doukissis Plakentias) 5.30am-midnight Line 3 (Egaleo-Airport) 5.30am-22.52pm and 06.30am-23.30pm.

The last itinerary is 2 hours later on Friday and Saturday night than it is during the week. www.ametro.gr

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

TAXIS from the airport cost about e20 to Syntagma Square, e25 to Piraeus, depending on traffic. Between midnight and 5am double tariff applies.

Note: If you suspect that you have been overcharged, you can call the tourist police 0n 171

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

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

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

Sea ports & Ferries

Airport

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

Car rental

Airlines

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

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

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

YACHT CHARTERS A1 Yacht Trade Consortium Akti Themistokleous 8, Marina Zeas, Piraeus.

Tel: 210.458.7100 Ghiolman Yachts Filellinon 7, Syntagma. Tel: 210.323.0330 Nava Yachts Loudovikou Sq. 6, Piraeus.

Tel: 210.417.7728 Northstar Poseidonos 54, P. Faliro. Tel: 210.988.4000 PGA Alimou & Poseidonos, Alimos.

Tel: 210.985.9400 Seahorse Alkyonidon 83 (Marina), Voula.

Tel: 210.895.2212, 210.895.6733 Seascape Poseidonos Ave. 29, Alimos.

Tel/Fax: 210.985.8301 Valef Yachts Pl. Chatzikonstanti 2, Piraeus. Tel:210.451.2010 Vernicos Yachts Posidonos 11, Kalamaki.

Tel: 210.985.0122-8

Gates B, G & D

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

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

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athens citysales mappoints For central Athens points, see i on map EASTERN SUBURBS Gerakas: Mini Market Milionis: 131, Marathonos Avenue Pallini: Bookshop Bouzas: 63, Marathonos Street Peania: Bookshop Tangopoulos: Agias Triados Street

NORTHERN SUBURBS AG.PARASKEVI: Mini Market Avarakis: 3, Themistokleous Street, Kiosk Theodoropoulos: 8, Polytechniou Street DIONYSSOS: Kiosk Michail: 4, Mitropolitou Kydonion Street EKALI: Kiosk Kyrpoglou: Vassileos Pavlou Square FILOTHEI: Kiosk Roupa: Drossopoulou Square, Super Market Kyriakopoulos: 11, M.Renieri Street, Mini Market Plati: 27, V.Georgiou Street HALANDRI: Mini Market Kyriakou: 3, Lykourgou Street, Kiosk Drizos: V. Konstantinou & V.Georgiou Street, Bookshop Evripidis: 11, V.Konstantinou Street, Mini Market Bakatsia: 46, Pendelis Avenue, Bookshop Vivliostyl: 34, Olympou Street, Mini Market Tsakiri: 76, Ag.Antoniou Street HOLARGOS: Kiosk Bekiaris: 212, Messogion Aveue, Kiosk Tambouridis: 256, Messogion Avenue KEFALARI: Kiosk Glentzis: Patr.Maximou & Apergi Square KIFISSIA: Kiosk Karadouman: 36-38, Kyriazi Street, Bookshop Gioggaras: 34, Elaion Street, Kiosk Koutsodimou: 308, Kifissias Avenue MAROUSSI: Tobacco & Gifts Tsitsilonis: 41-43, Kifissias Avenue, Tobacco & Gifts Raptis: 64, Kifissias Street, Kiosk Stefanopoulos: 46, Kifissias Street, Mini Market Kitsios: 43, Grammoou & Dionyssou Street MELISSIA: Kiosk Manikas: 75, Dimokratias Avenue, Mini Market Koufopandelis: 28, Pigis Street NEA ERYTHREA: Kiosk Anastassopoulos: 142, Harilaou Trikoupi Street, Bookshop Giannaki: 169, Eleftheriou Venizelou Street, Newsstand: 20 klm National Road Athens-Lamia, Kiosk Konidakis: Thisseos Avenue & Papadaki, Kiosk Kallergis: 130, Tatoiou Street NEO PSYCHIKO: Kiosk Katichidis: E.Makariou & Michalakopoulou Street, Kiosk Doukas: 44, Diamantidou Street, Kiosk Gionis: 25, Chr.Smyrnis & Ag.Georgiou Street PAPAGOU: Mini Market Papavassiliou: 16, Ellispontou Street

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

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

www.mysephora.gr For central Athens stores, see on map ASPROPIRGOS Filis 100 & Bouboulinas, Tel: 210.558.0989 ERMOU Ermou 24 Tel: 210. 331.3167 & 325.7744 KALLITHEA Thisseos & Davaki, Tel: 210.956.5959 - 956.5446 KIFISSIA Kassaveti 6 Tel: 210.623.1741 & 623.1742 KORYDALLOS Taxiarhon 110A, Tel: 210.569.5270 569.5998 THE MALL, Notios Paradromos Attikis Odou, Tel: 210.630.0125 & 630.0126 AVENUE Kifissias 41-45, Tel: 210.610.9739 & 610.9740

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GOLDEN HALL Kifissias Av. 37A & Sp. Louis, Tel: 210.683.7343 PANGRATI Ymittou 110 & Hremonidou, Tel: 210.751.8005 GLYFADA A. Metaxa 33-35 , Tel: 210. 894.3378 & 894.5884 KOLONAKI Milioni 2, Tel: 210. 361.2666 & 362.9925 NEA MAKRI Marathonos Av. 117, Tel: 229.409.9661 PERISTERI Ethnikis Antistaseos 12, Tel: 210. 571.0755 PETROU RALLI Petrou Ralli 97, Tel: 210. 569.6596 & 569.7316 PIKERMI 21oklm. Marathonos Av. , Tel: 210. 603.9987 PSYCHIKO Kifissias 210, Tel: 210. 677.5527 & 674.0178 VRILISSIA Pentelis Av. . 72, Tel: 210. 810.1971 & 810.1972

city map

Map courtesy of Emvelia Publications

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KA L E I DOS COP E

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The 17th Athens International Film Festival Opening Nights Conn-x starts off on 14 September with The Artist, the breakout film of the Cannes Film Festival, which gave its lead actor, Jean Dujardin, the Best Actor award. (1) A special retrospective on the legendary filmmaker Yasuzo Masumura, a provocateur and pioneer of Japanese New Wave cinema with over 60 films to his credit, is one of the highlights of the festival. Films in the international competition include Belgian director Michael Roskam’s debut (2) Bullhead and Irish director Tom Hall’s Sensation. In the Music and Film section, look out for (3) Hit so Hard and (4 & 5) Mama Africa, the highly anticipated documentary about the legendary South African musician Miriam Makempa. Also set against the backdrop of a troubled Ireland is (6) Killing Bono, a semi-biography on U2.

Foreign imports include the French film Je Suis Un No Man’s Land and (7) Todos tus Muertos by Colombian director Carlos Moreno.

Premiering at the festival are films including the bone-chilling We Need To Talk About Kevin based on a book by Lionel Shriver and starring the talented Tilda Swindon. Other films showing for the first time in Greece include the Peruvian film (8) Amador and the French political drama La Conquête that traces the story of Nicolas Sarkozy’s rise in French politics. Watch the film for an upclose view of the Machiavellian fights, backstabs, frenetic election campaigns and extramarital sins in contemporary French politics. The festival closes with the award-winning Iranian film, Separation, which draws a stirring portrait of a shattered relationship and explores the patriarchal and religious power structures of contemporary Iran.

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