Dear XpatAthens,

I enjoy your weekly posts and thought I’d send you my comments on a wonderful experience I had this past weekend.

I am originally from the U.S., but have lived in a number of places over the years. I now call Athens ‘home’. I try to participate in all that Athens has to offer – and I know there is lots on offer. I particularly enjoy the hidden galleries and coffee spots that one never would experience until leaving the usual paths.

This past Friday, there was nothing ‘hidden’ at all. The city center was absolutely crammed with Athenians of all shapes and sizes! The famous blue moon, and the unofficial last day of summer, brought the city out onto the streets and into the cafes and tavernas. From Plaka to Thissio and on every street corner in between, the city was alive like I’ve never seen before. I’m told that this is an annual tradition, and that the blue moon was a special draw.

I am writing this because that evening inspired me, it made me happy ‘on the inside’, to see families and friends out for a stroll in their ‘backyard’. What a lovely feeling to be reminded of the fabulous social culture that we live in. It left me with a smile.

I hope that other expats had the chance to experience the same thing on Friday. It’s already gone in my calendar for next year !

Pamela

Many thanks for sharing, Pamela!

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 on we go to warm breezes and cool evenings – and still that wonderful sun.

This week has been a quiet one. Feels like the ‘seasonal transition’ has started – summer is on its way out, and autumn is on its way in. I love this. It’s an important part of life, and helps us to shift gears and move forward in many ways. What’s often unclear is ‘what’s next’ – and I mean that both personally and for the country in general. I remember that ‘back to school’ feeling of childhood – when we would put on our new pair of pants and head off for the great unknown of a new school year.

I hope that autumn brings positive movement, or at least a feeling that things are moving in the right general direction!

Maybe that new pair of pants is a good idea. Or maybe what we need right now is just a good night out ;)

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’m sitting poolside at a hotel in Kefalonia – a last-minute trip with some friends. We found a great last-minute deal so we packed up a car, and headed for the port of Kyllini on the northwestern cost of the Peloponnese. The 3.5hr drive was no problem, and in fact quite scenic. The ferry across to the island lasted 90mins. At €10 each for the ferry tickets (+€40 for the car) and gas split between us – we arrived in Kefalonia without breaking the bank.

This is a very large island, with some of the most beautiful beaches and scenery I’ve seen in Greece. It takes quite a bit of driving to see it all – but it’s also big enough to never seem ‘packed’ (or maybe I’m noticing another symptom of the crisis…).

Cute towns, good food, perfect weather, beautiful beaches, awesome drives, friendly locals – of course this could be anywhere in Greece…

It’s important to get away from the ‘everyday’ – and it’s so easy to do so here. Within a few hours of Athens, there is a world of beauty that makes you feel really and truly ‘away’. We had dinner last night at a seafood taverna, our table quite literally ‘on the beach’, with mountains and sailboats for our view – and even an expat Aussie-Greek for a waiter!

Back to Athens in a few days…

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…

This has been a quiet week, I’ll admit. Still working, the city empty, the heat on ‘high’, I’ve been rather lazy… My balcony has been oh-so-comfortable after long days of work…

But on Saturday afternoon I took the radical decision to venture out in search of coffee. After a couple phone calls, I rounded up two or three similarly challenged friends, and we made the momentous decision to ‘go somewhere different’.

‘Different’ on that particular day turned out to be Chalkida (Halkida). Chalkida is the main town on the island of Euboea, reachable by car in under 60minutes from Athens (40 minutes from my place in Kifisia!).

Drive straight up the Ethniki highway towards Lamia, and follow the signs for Chalkida, connected to the mainland by two bridges – really simple. It’s a town built on the strait of Evripos, with a lovely waterfront, nice cafes and restaurants, and a laid-back atmosphere. I'm told the currents in the strait actually change directions every 6 hours or so – I think I was enjoying my meal on the waterfront too much to notice.

Feels like we were well and truly ‘away’ for the afternoon – well worth it for a 45minute drive…

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…

To celebrate her ‘5th’ 40th birthday (do the math), I invited one of my cousins for a night out in Athens.  My cousin has lived her whole life in a small village, a few hours away from Athens.  She loves Athens, but views it as a ‘big big city’, full of cars and tourists, where one could get easily lost – ‘not much for me at my age’, she said…  Well! How I disagree with her…

We had a nice dinner near my place in the northern suburbs, simple tavern with the usual spread.  Then we headed down to the centre, and went for a walk through Gazi.  You may ask, doesn’t Gazi fall into the ‘not for my age’ category?  Well, perhaps.  But not really.  Gazi is one of those districts with something for everyone – and we found ourselves on a nice rooftop terrace, with music, good service and empty seats!  She had never in fact been in Gazi, and left pleasantly surprised at the energy and life of the place…

We decided to walk across to Psirri, across the pedestrian footpath through Kerameikos.  This is a lovely walk, past significant ancient ruins and (well, significant) graffiti’d walls.  It’s a pleasant stroll that emerges at the square outside Thissio station, at the foot of Ermou street.

We wandered in to Psirri, and admittedly it was rather quiet.  This normally busy neighbourhood is full of tavernas and bars, many of which offer live Greek music during the day on weekends – actually a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  We found ourselves at a street-side bar, sipping Raki and introducing my cousin to her first taste of a nargile (hookah).  Nothing over-the-top, but we had a great night.

At the end of the night, we laughed and agreed that “you’re never too old for Athens!”

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…

Athens is well and truly in holiday mode. This means that many locals have left the city, there is less traffic, no line-ups, a sense of calm… For those of us who remain in the city during August, life goes on, although admittedly at a reduced pace and a not-so-secret desire to ‘get out’!

Resigned to tough it out and enjoy August in the city, I spent the past weekend catching up with friends before their mass exodus. I was reminded of the many faces of Athens neighbourhoods – the variety of visuals and communities one encounters. A world away from the historic centre, daily life in the northern suburbs reveals an interesting mix of different ‘hoods…

On Sunday I met some friends for breakfast at White Spoon in Cholargo. This is a hip little corner spot, with good coffee (!) and tasty food – omelettes, baguettes, salads. Interesting space, good service – I’d call it ‘cool and low-maintenance’ – busy with neigbourhood locals reading their morning papers…

In the afternoon, I ventured up (way up) to Dionysos, 20km north of the city centre. This is a very nice, well-organized and mostly well-to-do residential area, surrounded by forest and the Penteli mountain. While Athens was scorching, Dionysos was pleasantly warm – I’m told that snow is quite common in winter!

I finished the day off with an evening barbeque at a friend’s apartment in Maroussi. Maroussi is one of those neighbourhoods with something for everyone – apartments & offices, the usual shops, cafes & restaurants – but with enough variety to satisfy most tastes.

Athens truly has many different faces and neighbourhoods– quite handy when one’s vacation turns into a ‘stay-cation’…

Until next week…

Jack

White Spoon
Mesogeion 234, Cholargo
210 653 3645

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...

It’s summer vacation time in much of the world, and Athens is still playing host to lots of travelers from all over. It seems like fewer than other years, especially if media reports are correct – but it still seems like the city is busy and in full summer swing.

One of those visitors was my 11-year old niece, who was visiting for the first time from Toronto. After a 3-week stay in Greece, I asked her to tell me what she thought about Athens.

And this is what she said:

“Athens is alive. Very alive. It has lots of energy. Depending on where you go, you might see old history, ancient places, but also lots of newer things. And the newer parts have lots of stores, with nice cafes and really good food.

I would definitely clean up some graffiti. Some of the trains need a good cleaning, too – and maybe better air conditioning. I’d say Athens is more crowded than Toronto, but I think it looks nicer, more interesting. There are brighter colours, and no tall buildings. The old parts of Athens are nice because they give you a variety of things to look at. More people spoke English than I thought, so it was easy to be understood. “

And what should someone see when they visit Athens?

“The Acropolis, of course. Plaka is great. And one of those Laiki street markets for sure.”

What would you tell people to skip, or not bother seeing?

“I’d tell them to see everything! I really liked everything! But you can skip going to the open air cinema on a hot night before 9pm – you’ll be boiling, and you’ll be watching a movie in total daylight.”

There you have it – I’d say most of us agree with her.

Hope you’re all enjoying summer…

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 week was one of the hottest I have experienced in my life. Outside of trekking around southeast Asia or the Caribbean, I have never sweat more ‘at home’, anywhere…! I must admit I stayed indoors most of the week – even a trip to the beach was beyond me…

What does a person do to cope with heat? Well, if you’re like ‘some’ people that I know, you head for the nearest climate-controlled building facility – The Mall.

And what’s more, it’s a bonus when the need for climate-control corresponds to the start of Summer Sales. Yes, the sale season started this week – and judging by the numbers of cold-seeking shoppers at The Mall, retailers must have been quite happy. On the flipside, it seemed that day that most of the rest of Athens also had the same idea – The Mall was jam-packed!

With prices at 10-20-30-40% off (and more!), it’s a good time to pick-up some deals on everything your life is missing…

And if The Mall proves too crowded, an evening at an open-air cinema is a great way to wind down and enjoy(?) the heat…

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 spent the last several days in northern Europe (read: Brussels) on a work-related trip. Brussels is what one might expect – organized, orderly, (mostly) clean and ‘subdued’… it’s a lovely city, lots of history, lots of interesting architecture, some cool places to visit...

But on this trip, I felt I had journeyed into the future, into November to be exact! The grey skies, the 18-degree weather, the rain… Oh the rain…

I know that I tend to put a lot of stock in climate, perhaps too much. But it really does affect my mood – the sun shining in a blue sky in the morning, somehow makes my day a little bit better, a little ‘lighter’…

So I must admit I spent most of my days in Belgium secretly praying for warm weather, longing for the warm sunshine of Athens…

And then I arrived in Athens. The phrase ‘be careful what you wish for’ came to mind… 41 degrees, boiling hot, and my little aircon unit sweating to keep up with the demand. Strange how a couple hours in a plane can take you to such a different place.

But still the sun and that blue sky…

Shopping for an aircon or fan? Check out www.skroutz.gr for deals and comparisons!

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 should state for the record that I do not own a car in Athens. I use cars often enough (rentals, generous friends) – but normally I use public transport, taxis and my own two feet.

So I had another friend in town this week (note to self: time to open a b&b). He was en route to the islands, and stopped in to check out Athens… After a day around the city-centre, he decided to check out the beaches of Athens – I told him this was a good idea, since he’s not the type to stare at ancient artifacts for very long… (!)

But without a car, he was obliged to use the services of the Athens public transportation network. This made him cringe – but I reassured him that the only challenge in this scenario would be the time required to make it from Kifissia to the paralia.

He jumped on the Green line all the way to Neo Faliro, then took a tram across the waterfront to Kalamaki beach – not a glam spot, but more than adequate for a day in the city. He tells me this took him just over an hour. And so he spent his easy afternoon in the sun, with a bite of lunch and a coffee – not so bad! And all of that (including air conditioning!) for the €1.40 public transport fare. Not a bad deal.

Car-free in Athens – oh yes, it’s possible…!

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…