DETAILS / CITY MUST-SEES TEXT BY UNA MEISTERE, WWW.ANOTHERTRAVELGUIDE.COM PUBLICITY PHOTOS
New Hotel
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Metamatic:taf An art gallery, bar, café and night club all in one, Metamatic:taf provides a platform for all possible creative ideas and initiatives, even the craziest ones. In a sense, this establishment is the heart of the new Athens. Since 2009, it has been located in a decrepit building in the Monastiraki district and is a beehive of activity seven days a week. Metamatic:taf is a venue for exhibitions, concerts, literary readings, theatre and dance performances, serving as both a vibrant cultural centre and a rendezvous point.
A stay at the New Hotel, which opened its doors two years ago, is like a voyage in itself. The hotel is a truly inspiring place, and on top of that, you are guaranteed a great night’s sleep in an extremely comfortable bed. Designed by the Brazilian architects’ bureau Campagna Brothers – with the added participation of architectural students from the University of Thessaly – the New Hotel was built on the sight of an existing hotel. The owners gave the creative team complete artistic freedom. Accordingly, some of the furniture and decorative installations in the hallways were made of various items from the defunct hotel, with wooden door frames, drawer parts and door handles nailed to the wall in a seemingly chaotic fashion. However, every nuance of the interior has actually been thought out to the finest detail, with a marvellous balance achieved between the explosion of ideas and functionality, turning a night spent at the New Hotel into a unique experience. Filellinon 16 www.yeshotels.gr
Normanou 5 http://theartfoundation.metamatic.gr
Papaioannou
Café Avissinia A great place to visit if you want to get closer to Athens’ untamed soul. The Café Avissinia can be found right in the heart of the Monastiraki district in a square that bears the same name and that is also famous for having one of the most charming flea markets in the city. On Sundays, pianists and accordionists perform one after another on the ground floor. Greek families gather there and passionately sing along, sometimes breaking a plate or two in the enthusiasm of a wonderful musical moment. The boudoir-style interior is covered with paintings from the owners’ art collection, with hardly any free space left on the walls. The windows on the second floor offer a marvellous view of the Acropolis, while the rooftop hosts an open terrace. The food is excellent and rooted in the traditions of classical Greek cuisine. Kinetou 7 www.avissinia.gr
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A fantastic venue for enjoying a taste of the legendary Greek islands while staying in the metropolis. This fish tavern is popular with the locals and is situated in the Mikrolimano port of the Piraeus district, about a 15-minute taxi ride from downtown Athens. Papaioannou stands right on the shores of the Mediterranean, in a small bay that is filled with yachts and fishing boats. It offers the catch of the morning, which consists of superbly prepared seafood, shrimp and other seafood. A good time to come is for a late lunch or early dinner, when you can unhurriedly enjoy the scene of the setting sun adding tones of pink and orange to the sky and to the white yachts bobbing in the sea. It is advisable to reserve a table in advance. Akti Koumoundourou 42
Juergen Teller: Macho DESTE Foundation The DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art is one of Athens’ main cultural epicentres. It was founded in 1983 by Greek entrepreneur and art collector Dakis Joannou. The foundation is based in a former sock factory, which is open to the public only when exhibitions are on display. This summer, it will be worth dropping in to have a look at the Macho exhibition by German photographer Juergen Teller. The photographer is famous for his ability to establish such a close sense of intimacy with his models that the subject matter in many of his photographs looks unstaged, as with such erstwhile icons as photographer Cindy Sherman – whose breasts he is cupping from behind in one famous shot – or a young Kate Moss lying in an unmade bed, her hair dyed dirty pink, looking like she has just woken up. Filellinon 11, Nea Ionia www.deste.gr