Dark clouds came over Athens on this night when EU is deciding for the future of the Greek debt...

weekend wanderings

Away from the noise in the city center.... some strange conversations 

... and some silence by the sea

A night walk

A brief night walk around Psiri, downtown Athens. Psiri is one of the gentrified neighborhoods... and I promise a longer post on gentrification in Athens this week ....

When protesting in Athens

Ups.. after a really long break, a new post :) I've also been active on my other, more daydreaming blog rinistic , so you can give that one a go as well...
This past week Athens and the Athenians were drowning in protests. I was explaining how protests start, culminate and end to so many people that in the end my editor and I decided to turn it into a news article. I felt it's too long to use it in a blog post, so I decided to put together some non-sensational photos and reveal some other angles of the protests in Athens... so, here we go :)

Protests in Athens, or should I say violent protests in Athens are a normal thing. Leaving aside the debate of accepting such violence as a common thing because the audience has been numbed by daily TV broadcasts, protests start off as a mass-even though angry on the inside- party with thousands of protesters, loud music, singing of songs and dancing to their seriously addictive tune.

They start off relaxed under the sun…

..and with some funny umbrellas…

… and coffee, ice, cold coffee to keep them alert….

There are always people guided by the business sense. Because hey, people need gadgets to improve their protesting skills…

….they might get hungry …

and thirsty…. In the middle of the riots I asked one of the guys that have migrated to Greece, selling bottles of water if he is afraid of the riots and violent incidents. I tried talking to him in Greek, but he just said he is from Bangladesh and doesn’t speak Greek, but he knew some English. Pointing his finger to Syntagma, the central square in the center, he said he always tries to keep a safe distance from the violence. “Syntagma is a problem. But I am here, far from the problem. I stay safe”, he tells me, adding that this is one of the ways he tries to earn his living.

….10 minutes later these scenes of party and serenity turn into a terrifying violence, which in turn leaves the following marks and scenery around Syntagma…

… however the next day is a brand new day… life goes on, and protests will do, too..

Tavern lovers?

Food. I dare you not to like Greek food :) After a successful propaganda trick- yes talking about wanting to go to a tavern by the sea while it's cold and rainy in Athens does wonders- finally a bunch of fun and crazy Athenians and I managed to synchronize schedules and get to a (drumroll) tavern! :)

This was the last weekend before the start of the Easter fasting period, so I guess it was a perfect opportunity. As I'm writing this, the big Athenian market is opening it's doors for last-minute shopping for sea food – yes, as strange as it sounds, the market opened at 10 p.m. Sunday and it will close at noon on Monday. People tell me the market is crowded with Athenians buying fresh and frozen sea food at 3 a.m and will spend half of their day preparing the big Clean Monday lunch for the whole family. Kite flying is also on the agenda, provided the weather conditions allow it. But, please keep your fingers crossed for cold weather,  I'd like to see some snow in Athens and weather forecast says there are big chances for snow even in the center of the city.

Back to the tavern. I strongly recommend the place we went to called Kapari – ΚΑΠΠΑΡΗ in Greek- in Ano Petralona. You can get there on foot if you get off at the metro station Petralona. The address is Dorieon and Troon 36, Ano Petralona ( Δωριέων & Τρώων 36).

The place is simple and charming, clean, modern, yet traditional design,white chairs and tables in the garden. It is very comfy and with a good company you will even forget that you are at a restaurant and will have the feeling you are in some friend's back yard.

As for the food, the word amazing comes to mind. The menu has things beyond your average expectations from a tavern. Delish sea food and fish , fresh salads in such vivid colours and creative combinations you will turn vegetarian in a split second. If you are into meat there is a variety of dishes from wild rabbit, coq au vins, boar, caramelised pancetta and so on. Don't forget to try the creamy beet-root salad!!! The taste is even better than the crazy hot-pink colour. 

And the sweet treat at the end, oh it's heavenly. Ice cream over the most delicious chocolate-brownie-like cake..... and it's on the house. I loved it! You have to try it :)

Salad lovers don't miss the one with fresh mixed vegetables with haloumi cheese  and balsamic vinegar

Exarcheia, the rebellious heart of Athens

I compare Exarchia to a huge art canvas. Everyone that has passed through Exarcheia has left a mark there, on the walls, streets or just in the air, regardless of how long or brief their stay. My first time in Athens I was staying in a charming hotel in Exarcheia, so it was a love at first sight. The air is full of music, love, people, this strange feeling that there is so much life in this world, big philosophical discussions over beer and small chit-chat while you eat ice cream or pancakes on the small central square around the statue of Eros. This small neighborhood is like a unique masterpiece, it is everything but socially passive and peaceful and you can bet that it will get under your skin without even noticing. 

It's the alternative place in Athens, the home and refuge of modern revolutionaries, home of the bohemians, students, politicians, anarchists, well known professors, artists, you name it- it's there for sure. You will run into old people walking slowly with their pet dog and leaving food for the stray cats and dogs on the street, young people wandering around with their cameras trying to capture simple, yet priceless moments of love, sadness, solitude, girls that sleep during the day and perform at blues bands at night, sad images of homeless people sleeping in their sleeping bags on the pavements. Or a couple in love that stands under the street light kissing under the rain for one hour. And young artists in their rented studios, half of the space taken by a dusty old piano, and to the left a huge red wall with a Guernica reproduction.... the floor is covered with paint, paint brushes, and when you take a peek through the balcony door you see their neighbors have a bicycle hung on the wall... and just across the narrow street a purple old building, where the shutters are always closed as it just happens to be a brothel. 

From hip modern and very comfy bars and cafes to old, abandoned and dark ghost-houses, Exarcheia is the small and the grand, the ugly and the beautiful, the enthusiasm and initiatives, a mirror-image of the beginning and end of hope.

The media present it as the dodgy place in Athens, especially during protests-season as some of the heavy protests will start and end in Exarcheia. It is without the shadow of a doubt the rebellious heart of Athens. It was marked as such since the first clash of students with the police in 1985. Most of the faculties were around Exarheia so it is no wonder they sought and still seek for their refuge after harsh protests.

Exarcheia is constantly transforming through projects and actions by the citizens. You don't really need a museum here, just a simple stroll through the streets will give you and idea of the place and a conversation with the people on the squares and parks will teach you everything you need to know about the history and present of the place. Prepare to fall in love with the street art that varies from simple tags to actual works of art, love letters and poems written on the walls of the 4-floor buildings. Ah, and did I mention there are numerous open-air cinemas showing old movie classics and relaxing roof-bars where you can go to forget about the unbearable the summer heat?

Athens, the Little Great City

I love this  video by Emmanouil Papadopoulos on Athens so charming... I wish the city could be as peaceful as it is on this video, but I guess a good book and some music can do magic when you need to escape from all the noise...