After living in Marousi all this time, I decided to take a look at what’s out there in different neighbourhoods. So with a few appointments scheduled, and with 2 friends in tow, I spent most of the weekend going from apartment to apartment (yes, some Athenian realtors work Sundays!). We looked nearby (Marousi, Kifissia) but also looked in the city centre (Thissio, Psirri), which, incidentally, have some great ‘lofty’ spaces.

Of course, the triple set of ‘apartment essentials’ is location, price and style – and we all know it’s normally impossible to find all three together. This weekend was no different. One nice place in a bad location. Another great location out of my real price range. Another perfectly placed and affordable spot, but not really my taste.

So the search continues. And sometimes I think that going through the motions of looking for a new place to live serves the greater purpose of reminding you how much you love going home every day to the place you already have.

Looking forward to a fun night at Molly Malone’s on Saturday!

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…

The afternoon was a mix of coffee and meze at a neighbourhood taverna behind the Akropolis Museum – Mani Mani is a great little ‘local’ treat. The menu is a delicious twist on typical tavern fare, with traditional and not-so-traditional food from the southern Peloponnese.

Later in the evening, I met up with some friends for a catch-up at Gazarte.

Gazarte is on the sophisticated end of things in Gazi, with live events, an art-house cinema, bar and restaurant. It’s the kind of place that has something for everyone – in an atmosphere that is decidedly ‘comfy’ and welcoming, with a great cocktail list.

Traffic and an evening protest notwithstanding, Sunday proved to be a great day. With friends, food and fun on the ticket, what could be better….

Until next week,

Jack

Mani Mani
Falirou 10, Makriyianni
www.manimani.com.gr

Gazarte
Voutadon 34 , Gazi
www.gazarte.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…

This week we hear from Gillian, who recently spent a couple action-packed days in our city…

“I wanted to send this to you, since I often read the weekly newsletters and remember fondly my visits to Greece…

I’ve just returned from a fun week in Crete, cycling around the island with a group of fellow bike-enthusiasts. Before our return to our various homelands, a few of us decided to spend two nights in Athens (cheaper return flights!). We stayed at a small central hotel, and set out on foot to see what we could see in the ‘capital of crisis’.

In between the large number of closed shop windows and the sadness of the homeless people one can see for the first time ever on Athens’ streets, I must say that I felt an incredible energy in the city. Streets still filled with people, families still out and about, warm smiles & generous spirit all around.

I have great hope for Athens and Greece, that this energy will stamp out the hardships of today and pave the way for a better tomorrow. I feel this is really possible! I look forward to visiting again soon.”

Thanks for this, Gillian…

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…

My appointment at the US Embassy Notary was for 9:00 Monday morning and I got the email files with the final paperwork late Friday night. Now I all had to do was find a place that could print all 150 pages on a Saturday. And while I'm used to 24 Hour Kinko's, this is Greece...

As I left my apartment Saturday morning to try to find a copy store or internet cafe, my neighbors asked the usual questions--"how are you, where are you going today, etc." As I explained my predicament, the whole family gathered at the door. "You can't go to an internet cafe! It will be too expensive..." "Wait! We will give you a map of a better place..." The next thing I knew, the directions to a better place had been upgraded to a personal guide and the father had me on the back of his scooter to take me to the copy shop of their friends. "We've called. They can do it. Don't worry." 20 minutes later, I had my 150 pages, had paid only 6 euros, a fraction of what it would have been at an internet cafe, and had an exciting scooter ride through Athens.

Services like 24 Hour Kinko's may be more convenient, but there's something much more powerful about the personal touch and connection that you get navigating your way through Greece. I guess that's what we love about it.

Thanks Lynn for sharing your story with us. We look forward to hearing more stories.

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…

This isn’t stress. This is mental ‘fast forward’. It has always been a challenge for me to really slow down; mental relaxation is an elusive friend.

I’ve been told many times to try yoga. I must admit that I am not a yoga guy. I’m interested, I understand the basic concept, I know lots of people who swear it delivers on all its promises – I get it. But I have never tried it.

Until this week! A friend told me about this great yoga studio in Monastiraki, so I decided to give it a try.

My first fear was about doing yoga in Greek! Lucky for me, the entire session was in English. I entered the studio, took off my shoes, picked up a purple mat and joined the rest of the 10-person group. The session started with breathing exercises and easy warm-ups. We progressed through a series of increasingly demanding ‘poses’, with correct breathing techniques, meant to improve physical and mental balance.

It was a great experience for me, moreso because I felt that the instructor was tuned in to me, and really to each person in the class. Within the first two minutes, she told us (me?) to slow down our breathing, and allow our (my?) brain to slow down and be less reactive… Well, from then until the end of the session, I was a convert.

On the way home, I felt great. At the risk of repeating a cliché, maybe yoga really can change your life. I’m curious to see if it’s true.

Many thanks to Lynn for this great introduction to yoga!

Richard

Bhavana Yoga Center
www.bhavanayoga.com
Classes each Monday 18.30
Cost: donation basis, starting from €8

Thanks Richard for sharing your story with us. We look forward to hearing more stories.

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…

My tough week ended with just this… After endless days and nights of work and more work (in this season of ‘do more with less’), I made a last-minute plan with 2 friends to meet for a drink. We met near Syntagma Square, and wandered among the few protestors and police gathered in the area. We decided to head towards Kolokotroni Street, which runs parallel to Ermou Street. Our destination was one of my favourite finds when I first moved to Athens – a little place called Bartesera.

Once could easily miss this place – it’s hidden at the end of an old arcade, on your left side as you’re walking down the street. It’s in the Karitsi Square neighbourhood, so plenty of alternative options nearby.

Bartesera is a laid back bar, it’s artsy-cool, very low on the attitude scale, has a great drinks list and is always buzzing. It also doubles as an art-space, with different artists on display each couple weeks. Stop in during the day for coffee – there’s a nice courtyard too.

The best surprise of the night was to see that – crisis notwithstanding – a few new bars had opened on the very same street. Definitely worth a visit!

Until Next time,

Jack

Bartesera
Kolokotroni 25
210 322 9805

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…

Hi XpatAthens. Thank you for your newsletters and for all the great info on your website – it’s great to have a place I know I can keep going back to. What I’ve written about is my first couple weeks in Athens. I’ve entitled it ‘Greek Neighbourly Love’. Hope you enjoy it.

Well, to start, every week, if not every day, in Athens has been an experience. So far Greece has been better than great on good days, and REAL ‘interesting’ other days. I suppose this is how life goes. But I’m starting to believe that this is how life is in Greece.

The story goes like this, I moved to Athens a couple months ago because my professional life brought me here. Although I’d many times said I’d love to visit Greece one day, I never in a million years thought I’d actually live here. Anyway, back home it wasn’t very common to chat with your neighbours. Conversations usually consisted of:

‘Evening, what floor?’
‘22’
‘Thanks!’

So you can imagine my surprise when the lady next door rang the door bell, welcomed herself in, had a look around, and asked ‘husband?’ For a second I though to myself, I should have her arrested, well, ok, I should just tell her to get out of my house! But I took a deep breath and offered her a glass of water. She didn’t stay long, just enough to hear, ‘No, I’m single’ and ‘Yes I have a good job’.

About a week went by until the next time the doorbell rang, or at least the next time I was home to hear it ring…it was the same lady…except this time she had a plate in her hands. She handed it to me and said ‘You have to eat!’ I thanked her and that was it. Once I finished the incredible plate of food, I washed the dish and returned it. The next day when I got home from work (at just about 9:30), there was a plate on the doorstep. And the next day there was another plate…and the next another. Wow! I must be blessed. So, so far in Greece I’ve discovered that neighbourly love is a wonderful thing – especially if your neighbour is a Greek ‘Mama’!!

Thanks Marianne for sharing your story with us. We look forward to hearing more stories.

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 can’t believe it’s almost October… Seriously , it’s three months until Christmas! But this week I notice that ‘smell’ of autumn – and I don’t mind one bit. Strikes? Yup. Rain? Yup. Cooler weather? Yup. Am I bothered? Nope.

Turns out I stayed close to home most of the past week. My little Nespresso machine had a good workout – it was a week of catching up with friends, and ‘hangin out’.

At one point, the downstairs buzzer rang. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see my Greek aunt standing in front of me. She had once again driven the hour-long journey from the village, and now stood in front of me with a big smile and her hands full of bags. I said “Wow! What are you doing here?!” She replied as she pushed past me into the kitchen, “Since you don’t come to the village to eat, I brought the food to you! Now, where are your plates?”

We had a really nice meal together, chatted about this or that, (she!) washed the dishes (after literally pushing me out of the kitchen), and off she went…

This is a true story. It really made my day – and I know it really made her day too. Was nice to catch up with everyone this week...

P.S. Uninvited guests with food are welcome, anytime. ;)

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…

As it turns out, there is a zoo in Athens! Well, just outside Athens towards the airport - in Spata, to be precise. Maybe I'm the last to know this - it wouldn't be the first time.

The Attica Zoological Park has been growing and adding to its surprising collection of animals since 2000. With lions, cheetahs, apes, camels, rhinos, birds - the list goes on - this is a great day out for the whole family. The day we went, we were lucky to be in time for the dolphin show, where a family of dolphins happily swims and twirls about, to the utter joy of the young (and not so young) audience.

As I learned about the zoo, I found out that it is a member of ΕΑΖΑ (European Association of Zoo and Aquaria) and follows strict guidelines around animal hosting & conservation. This is great! And with tickets priced at €15.00 (adults) and ?11.00 (kids under 12), this is a well-priced day out ("worth it!")

And if the animals weren't enough of a draw for our trek out to Spata, across the road from the fantastic zoo is the equally fantastic McArthur Glen Designer Outlet. (The first one in Greece - this I had heard about.) It's got 110 shops with prices 35-70% off retail, in one of those 'village style' outdoor mall setups. Surely something for everyone's taste.

A jam-packed Saturday - and 'worth the drive to Spata'.

Attica Zoological Park

McArthur Glen Athens

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…

Sure, but it’s so much more.

Last night my eyes were treated to a great performance of Allegria at the OAKA complex. From the beautiful contortionists and the fantastic aerial trapeze, to the theatrical costumes and the music – atmospheric, live, gorgeous music. Everything was perfect – amazing acts, other-worldly creativity, choreography and dance – and music that really stuck in my mind. I’ve just downloaded the soundtrack :)

Did I mention the clowns? Hilarious!

We had a great night out at Allegria. Two hours of beautiful escape from reality. Hopefully some of you had a chance to see it too!

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…