I convinced a friend to visit over the past few days – with promises of warm weather & sunshine to cure her more ‘northern’ lifestyle. Of course, it’s been freezing and wet and generally unpleasant here too most of the week – but that didn’t stop us.

With nightly escapades in Gazi, Thissio, Psirri and Kolonaki, the nightlife tour of Athens was on! Needless to say, she was appropriately dazzled.

From drinks at Hoxton in Gazi, coffee at my fave Moma in Thissio to a great dinner at Papadakis in Kolonaki and a night of live music and nargile in Psirri – we managed to move from shabby-chic warehouse to comfy-chic café to elegant-chic fine dining to graffiti-chic in Psirri. All in the span of a few (ok, more than a few) blocks’ walk.

And at each point, on each evening, I was thinking ‘this is winter, it’s raining, it’s cold, it’s not an easy place to be these days’ – but still I have the distinct feeling that people manage to enjoy themselves in that quintessential Athenian way: after dark, anywhere, with friends.

Bring on winter. And hopefully bring on a quieter week in front of the fireplace ;)

See you Saturday at the Intercontinental…

Until next week,

Jack

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

Stunning three-level neoclassical mansion right on the pedestrian walk in Thissio which skirts the Acropolis. Pil Poul's Michelen star awarded French chef Jerome Serres masterfully prepares unique French dishes with Mediterranean accents. During the summer months reserve a table on the terrace and dine under the stars with the Acropolis and Lycabettus Hill as a backdrop. A real treat! Reservations recommended.

Owner: Markos Chatzikyriakakis

chef: Jerome Serres

Street number: 51
Street name: Poulopoulou & Apost.Pavlou Streets
Postal code: 11851
City: Athens

Nearest Rail: Thissio

Telephone: +302103423665
Fax: +302103413046
Website: http://www.pilpoul.gr/
Access for persons with limited mobility: -
Type of cuisine: French

Do you have a recommendation or recipe to share? Send it to us at ideas@xpatathens.com!

I’m sitting on a plane as I type this into my phone (pic included!) – proving to myself once and for all that geography is well and truly irrelevant. Even more so since I am learning about all that Athens has to offer, from 10,000 metres in the sky!

I’m reading ‘2Board’, the quarterly magazine of the Athens Airport. I’ve always liked this magazine – it’s slick, well produced and has a great mix of information about cool and interesting happenings in Athens, Greece and across Europe.

This issue has a special feature called ‘The Athens Food Lovers Guide’, their first annual Best-of list, dedicated to ‘celebrating the city’s most appetizing arrivals and standings of the past year’. That was enough to hook me for a front-to-back read.

Where to begin! Here are a few interesting selections – most of them have websites or at least Facebook pages to check out some photos and menus:

1.    Best New Opening: Cokoovaya (modern Greek cuisine) – 2A Mexi Chatzigianni (+30 210 723 5005)

2.    Best Bar Restaurant: Cinco (Japanese/Peruvian/Spanish fusion) – 50 Skoufa St. (+30 210 364 3603)

3.    Best Brunch: New Taste (New Hotel) – 16 Fillelinon St. (+30 210 327 3000)

4.    Best Street Food: Falafellas (ethnic/falafel) –51 Aiolou St. (+30 210 323 9809)

5.    Best Atmosphere: City Bistro – City Link/Stoa Spyromiliou

6.    Best Bio Restaurant: Nice N Easy – Kolonaki/Kifissia (+30 210 361 7201)

7.    Best Value for Money: Thio Tragi (‘punk bistro’) – 36 Kidatidon St (+30 210 341 0296)

8.    Best Cocktail Bar: 42 – 3 Kolokotroni St. (+30 694 824 2455)

And the list goes on… Best Cocktail List, Best Cigar Lounge, etc. 

Now, granted, these are all ‘the best’ of Athens – and I’m sure we all have our own list to compare, depending on neighbourhood, mood and price point. But for a great start with some global standard options, check out the list or click through the 2Board’s online version below.

Until next week,

Jack

2Board (January-March 2015)

https://www.aia.gr/company-and-business/the-company/Corporate-Publications/2board

A group of people from Athens started the Freeday initiative, a group who meets every Friday night around Thissio for a long cycling session. Freeday was started about 8 years ago and what started out as a small weekend ride for cycling enthusiasts, the group has now grown to over 2,700 members! 

The ride normally starts from Thissio - Monastiraki at 21:50 and ends around 3:30 in the morning in the same area. The ride can last from 4 to 6 hours, cycling 30km to 50km, and the route is different every week! The course to be taken is not announced but its destination is posted on Facebook the day before, in the form of a puzzle. The mystery is discussed by riders along the way, bets are placed and guesses are made as part of the fun involved.

Admittedly, Athens does not possess ideal infrastructure for cycling, while, making things worse, local car drivers are not accustomed to the idea. Amid such unfavorable conditions, the power of plenty is the only solution. The ritual has been maintained over the years.

“The experience serves as a good school for learning how to get around Athens on a bicycle. You are taken into consideration by car drivers when part of a large group. Over the years, of course, progress is being achieved and group rides are nowadays organized virtually on a daily basis by groups and municipalities. It’s also a trend, a solution for tight finances, as well as a form of exercise,” noted Antonis, a regular participant of the Thissio rides every Friday night. “Cyclists and car drivers can co-exist with a bit of overall cooperation, even if cycling lanes are not available in Athens,” he added.

Fascinatingly, every Friday night, Freeday draws together individuals who are engaged in very different lines of work during the day. The ritual has established close friendships. Asked whether he could share any unique stories from the weekly rides, Spiros, one of the group’s most avid members who helps design the routes, responded: “The difficult rides during winter, when it is raining, are unique as Freeday is staged every Friday, regardless of the conditions – except for certain national holidays. We get the biggest turnout at the end of July when we organize the Tour d‘ Athenes, which covers roughly 140 kilometers and lasts all night. But you get to see a magical sunrise at the end of it. The rides to Sounio and Penteli, to its observatory, rank among the most beautiful experiences.” Asked whether the group cycling experience has changed his life, Spiros exclaimed: “It rejuvenated me,” adding that “I also met this guy,” offering a fellow rider to his side an embrace.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greece Is

Freeday Facebook Page: Click here