A couple months ago I did a photography course in the city-centre – an introduction to ‘using my complicated camera’ and ‘making sure my subjects don’t look ridiculous’. The course was actually great, informative, interesting and affordable. But it also gave me the chance to meet some new people, who had at least one thing in common with me. I took the course with the sole purpose of learning about photography. But in the end, the bonus of new friends made the experience doubly good.

So the other night I had a few of these photo-friends over, to catch-up and chat about pictures, trips near and far, and all the different topics that people discover together over a few glasses of wine… The evening was really nice, and one that will be repeated.

In the end, maybe meeting people through these ‘common interest’ experiences is really the best strategy for connecting in new cities. Don’t get me wrong, I like lounging at a bar as much as anyone (!) – but the experience of meeting people ‘over time’ and around the experience of shared interests really makes for a different kind of connection than the usual ‘So, what kind of work do you do…’

Just a thought.

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…

So with this in mind, I scour the usual sites every day, have set-up my email alerts for new listings, and have spent several afternoons wandering little-known neighbourhoods looking for the tell-tale yellow and red ‘Enoikiazetai’ signs.

My experience so far with real estate agents has revealed a number of definite patterns:

a) Just because a property is listed on one or more websites, doesn’t mean that it is actually available. At least half of the one I’ve asked about have been, miraculously, ‘just rented’.
b) Just because you’ve emailed a response to the ‘contact us’ link on a property listing, doesn’t mean that anybody will call you back. Ever.
c) Just because it says, say, ‘100m2’, doesn’t mean that it might not be, say, ‘90m2’…
d) Just because we’re in a crisis, doesn’t mean that there is a glut of high quality, well-priced properties available.
e) Just because the listed price is ‘x’, doesn’t mean that you can’t get it for 25-30% less.

Having said that, today I had an actual call-back, based on my email contact, from a real-life real estate agent who actually (!) left me a voicemail. I suppose this weekend’s round of apartment visits bodes well…

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…

I’ve been living in Greece for about 5 years. I’ve had my ups and downs with the ‘system’ and know that it’s not up to par with a lot of other places in the world. Even though I now know what to expect, there are still some things that make my hair stand up. So here’s my story…

I’m a first time mom and my son is just about 8 months old. I gave birth at a public hospital (yes, it was just fine) and have since been taking advantage of my IKA insurance (pension & health insurance for private sector employees). You may remember some weeks back that pharmacies were not accepting prescriptions from IKA insurance holders. What does this mean? Well…

When I went to my doctor’s office to get a prescription for my son’s upcoming vaccine shot, I was told that it cannot be issued because pharmacies will not accept it. If this was something my brain couldn’t compute, then what she said next nearly nocked me off my chair: ‘Unless of course you ‘know someone’ with a pharmacy who will give you the vaccine shot without paying and then take them the prescription at a later date.’ Did I hear correctly, did my doctor just tell me that I need a ‘meson’ (an inside source) to get my son’s vaccine shot? Was she for real? Ah, but yes, she was very serious.

Because I didn’t ‘know someone’ with a pharmacy, I paid for the vaccine shot at my local pharmacy in hopes that once this disagreement between IKA and pharmacists was over, I could claim my 70 Euro!

Should I tell you about my experience when I tried to claim 70 Euro from IKA? Let me put it this way…3 floors (up and down the stairs because the elevator wasn’t working), 4 booths with very ‘happy to greet me’ employees, and some 5 different pieces of paper. Needless to say, I did eventually get my claim made.

Ah, and despite all these wonderful (and eventful) stories I still continue to want to be here. Go figure! There’s just something about this crazy place that makes it stick!

Cheers from First Time Mommy in Athens.

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…

I decided to break the mold over the weekend, and sent out a text to some friends: Who’s in the mood for Indian?? I certainly was. I love Indian food, whether it’s made by Indian people, or Canadians, or Greeks, or…

We ventured down to a place called Bollywood Gazi. I’ve heard good things about this place, and wanted to try it out for myself.

The rumours weren’t wrong.

This place is one of the more interesting restaurants I’ve been to in Athens. The massive, intricately carved wooden doors hide a decidedly cool interior. It’s a mix of serious warehouse grunge and extravagant Indian décor. Huge photos of Indian faces hang on the walls, and the place is full of low tables and reclining couches for eating… I definitely didn’t feel like I was in Athens. ‘Indian grunge’ – if it’s not a design trend somewhere, it ought to be.

The food is great. Admittedly I’m not a great judge of Indian food (read: I like it all), but my gang seemed to love it, and the bill at the end of the night was more than reasonable.

And the music. Bollywood Gazi styles itself as an ‘Indian Food & Music Bar’ – and the music plays an important part of the ambiance – right down to the ‘Buddha’ remix of Metallica’s Unforgiven. Seriously. The volume was a bit high, but I wasn’t bothered…

In the mood to break the mold for a night? Check it out (and book ahead)…

Bollywood Gazi
www.bollywoodgazi.gr
Ph: 210 345 0041

Until next week…

Jack

P.S. Really in the mood for Indian? Check out the 'Ticket to Bollywood' performance this weekend - win tickets HERE!

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…

I had a friend visiting over the holidays – a Canadian-Greek buddy who was looking to escape frosty Toronto for a few days… He has been here many times before, but only in summer. So this was a chance to see what I promised him would be a very different city to the sweating, heaving Athens of July & August.

And he loved it. He said the city felt ‘real’ and ‘authentic’. We explored the usual spots (and some new little places!), and the whole time he kept saying ‘wow!’ around every corner… One day, after walking up to Philopappou hill for the gorgeous view of the Acropolis, we went to a little hidden part of the city called Anafiotika. While many of us have heard of Anafiotika, it seems most have never ventured into this tiny neighbourhood of Plaka. Anafiotika was first built in the 19th century to house workers from the island of Anafi, who came to Athens to work on the construction of the king’s palace. The neighbourhood was built in a cycladic style and today feels like being on the islands, in the heart of the city. It’s worth the stroll up the northeast side of the Acropolis hill – camera required.

Smog notwithstanding, my friend was struck with the ‘green’ of the city. Philopappou, the National Gardens, even the bright green grass and trees around the Acropolis hill – this was a welcome surprise and a change from the usual summertime look of the city.

I hope you find the time to explore the city over the coming months – while it still feels green and local and real.

Kali xronia! Until next time,

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…

I’ve just returned from a great few days with friends, celebrating Christmas in a village near Ancient Olympia. 12 of us jumped into our cars and drove the 3 hours across the Peloponnese towards Pyrgos. Our overnight bags crammed with pillows and wrapped presents, we spent 2 days in front of the fire, eating, drinking, laughing and enjoying a relaxed time together. It was really great, and a reminder of the things that really matter.

Even with the distinctly Greek blue skies and sunshine of December, it still felt like Christmas. In the end, that ‘Christmas feeling’ we remember from childhood - the anticipation, the opening of boxes big and small, the delicious meals and stories around the table – these have less to do with climate and location, and everything to do with those with whom we share these days. And a few well-timed Skype calls to loved ones in faraway places brought everyone together in a very ‘modern’ way.

The drive back home included a stop in the picturesque town of Vytina, a perfectly wintery locale, with beautiful stone houses, great tavernas, lots of local wares – the perfect end to a great holiday.

Until next week…

With warm wishes to all,

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…

Or are you like me, and buy all gifts (big and small) online?

I really enjoy Christmas, I love the lights, the decorations, the crowds, the general ‘Christmas spirit’. This year will not be an easy one for many families in Athens, to be sure. But I think a lot of us get a huge kick out of the whole festive season…

As far as filling up the (small) stockings on my list, I must admit that even when I ventured down to Ermou St. or to The Mall in Marousi over the past days, I didn’t cross anything off my list. Lots of people, lots of activity, lots of Christmasy fun - but zero bags of goodies.

Appropriately enough, I’ve had lots of luck using Skroutz (‘Scrooge’). This is a site that compares 100’s of online shops across Greece, for all kinds of products – from mobile phones to kitchen accessories, from air conditioners to bicycles and baby gear. The site has a great interface, accurate price comparisons, and with a few easy clicks you’ve found, ordered and paid and sit happily waiting for your exciting delivery.

I wish everyone out there a happy holiday and an even better 2013 – let’s make it count.

Until next week,

Jack

www.skroutz.gr

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…

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…

Helmut Newton is one of the world’s famous photographers, working before the ‘age of photoshop’… The exhibit was simple and striking – his provocative style is well-known.

Opened in 2010 after an international architecture competition, the Onassis Cultural Centre is a modern building on Syngrou Avenue, near the Intercontinental Hotel. As Athens’ newest major cultural space, it plays host to a great variety of events and performances from the worlds of theatre, dance, music and the visual arts to the written word.

I must say, the building is impressive: different levels, different layers offering interesting spaces to explore. Ticket prices seem quite reasonable. A quick scan through their website (in English!) reveals a rich program, with something for everyone interested in contemporary culture. It gets a bookmark on my browser. ;)

And on-site parking too.

Until next week,

Jack

Onassis Cultural Centre
107-109 Syngrou Avenue
Information/Tickets: 210 900 5800
www.sgt.gr/en

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…

The Pallas theatre is tucked away behind the Attica department store near Syntagma square. It’s a classic theatre, and judging by the program pamphlet they gave out, there are lots of interesting shows coming up…

The evening was an unexpected mixture of two distinct but related cultures – the music was both familiar and ‘exotic’, and the blending of Armenian and Greek vocals with the perfect-English commentary of Dinkjian, created a wonderful international performance.

The night was full of beautiful music, music with a subtle message of ‘hope’ for everyone there. The classic songs and lyrics of this duo took on a different tone in today’s Athens – the hand clapping and cheers of the audience means they probably got the message.

Check out Elliniki Theamaton for the Pallas and other theatre listings.

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…