On September 27, 1960, six days after his twenty-sixth birthday, Cohen bought a house in Hydra for $1500, using a bequest from his recently deceased grandmother. This was a "big deal" in the words of one of his friends, a commitment to place and a world that was mysterious and unusual. Buying the house was a complicated act, needing the assistance of his friend Demetri Gassoumis as translator, adviser, and witness to the deed. Cohen later said that it was the smartest decision he ever made. The tree-story, ancient whitewashed building, with its five rooms on several levels, was run down and had no electricity, plumbing or running water. Yet it was a private space where he could work, either on the large riled terrace or in his music room on the third floor.

He knew he had been accepted by the community when he began receiving regular visits from the garbage man and his donkey. To a friend he explained that, “Having this house makes cities less frightening. I can always come back and get by. But I don't want to lose contact with the metropolitan experience.” Buying the house also gave him confidence, “The years are flying past and we all waste so much time wondering if we dare to do this or that. The thing is to leap, to try, to take a chance.”

It was a place of solitude, of plodding donkeys (even today no cars are allowed on the island; nor would they get very far if they were), cold water and kerosene lamps. In such primitive surroundings, amid the stunning beauties of the island and the glories of the Aegean, where fishermen still wrested a living from the sea and ferries scrabbled one from the land, Leonard found his peace, his sitting-down time, as he called it, where he could -as all pots must - recollect in tranquillity. Here he could live in virtually complete seclusion, at a fraction of the cost it would take in Northern Europe or Canada, where the people were unconcerned as to who you were or what you did; And where breathtaking vistas opened up for the seeing - both external and internal.

Leonard Cohen was a Canadian songwriter who died on November 7, 2016 at his home in Los Angeles, California. He was 82 years old. 

To read this article in full, please visit: Leonard Cohen Files

If you’re in the neighborhood of Kolonaki, you may want to try Philippou, a restaurant known for its delicious home cooked meals. Culinary Backstreets takes us on a tour and offers great suggestions on the food and drinks to try!

Founded in 1923 by Kostas Philippou, it began as a humble taverna with earthen floors and big barrels filled with home-made wine. In 1968 the building where the taverna stood was converted, like thousands of others in the 60s, into a modern block of flats, and the taverna reopened on the ground floor in the same spot it occupies today, a few steps below street level.

Still run by the same family, Kostas Philippou, the grandson of the original owner, and his Greek-Australian wife, Patricia, are now in charge. They are chic and soft-spoken, with the big friendly smiles of good hosts, and soon we understand why: most of their clientele are regulars, who either eat here or have their food to go every day.

'We try to keep things light and easy on the stomach, so we don’t use many spices or a lot of oil in our cooking,' Kostas Philippou said.

To read this article in full, please visit: Culinary Backstreets

Please click HERE to view this issue of our newsletter!

Remember to stay connected with us through our weekly newsletter, Facebook, and Twitter!

Every year on the anniversary of moving to Greece, an American expat and a good friend of XpatAthens puts together a list of reasons why she loves living in Greece. Eight years ago, she left her job and life in San Francisco and decided to make the move to Athens, Greece. She has never looked back! Here are this year's top 10 things she loves about living in Greece:

 

 

 

1. The Paliatzis/Παλιατζής
   
   All throughout the streets of Athens, you can hear the paliatzis, a driver with a megaphone shouting out cryptic messages. When I first moved to Greece, I thought it was some sort of political announcement but I eventually came to understand they are asking for our old household furniture-like a self-appointed recycling program.
   
   
2. GNTM
   
   I’m surprised to be listing a Greek reality show about fashion models as one of my favorite things about living here, but the truth is… I’m obsessed. I started watching the show on YouTube to improve my Greek, but after the initial auditions and 20 young women moved into a house together, it was impossible not to get swept into the drama.
   
   
3. B&E Goulandris Modern Art Museum
   
   In October of 2019, the B&E Goulandris Modern Art Museum opened in central Athens. The art at the Goulandris Museum could easily go toe-to-toe with the collection at SFMoma in San Francisco. It’s four floors of modern art including one floor dedicated only to Greek artists. The collection is impressively diverse. No one can say Athens doesn’t have a culture.
   
   
4. Greece Is Going green
   
   When I moved to Greece in 2012, plastic bags were everywhere, recycling was a joke, and I was met with confusion when I asked about composting. Not so anymore–Greece is waking up to the green moment with zero-waste stores like Plastikourgeio shop & lab in the center of Athens. Paros island is working to become the first plastic-free island. In 2018, the country banned free plastic shopping bags, and it’s working to abolish plastic straws. And over the last few months, I’ve started to see electric cars and charging stations in Athens. No word on composting yet, but I bet that’s coming soon.
   
   
5. The Island Of Ikaria
   
   Last summer, I discovered the island of Ikaria, a blue zone location where a disproportionate percentage of the population live to be over 100 years old. The island is famous for its relaxed relationship with time–Ikaria has its own rhythm where no one rushes, and days seem to disappear without you realizing where they went. The island has beautiful beaches, great food and even a nice surf break.
   
   
6. Greek Names
   
   I read Greek mythology when I was young, but I never thought I would have real-life friends named Athena, Aphrodite, Eros and Aris. It feels sort of majestic having friends named after the gods, though it is puzzling why I’ve never met a Zeus or Hera.

7. Smoking Has Been Banned (For Real) In Restaurants, Bars And Tavernas

   Ten years after being passed, it seems the ban on smoking in public places in Greece is actually being enforced. The no-smoking ban went into effect in 2009, but it was widely ignored to the point of being comical. But then almost overnight, that changed, and now when I walk into a bar or taverna, it is smoke-free. I try to stay out of politics, but I do appreciate this element of the new administration.

8. The Tiny Specialty Stores
   
   All throughout central Athens, there are small stores specializing in the sale of a single thing: the doorknob store, the glass jar store, the rope store, the ladder store, etc. It is a mystery to me how these stores stay in business, but there is something very charming about the way you see so much expertise concentrated in a tiny shop. Most of the shops have been around for years, they are passed down through the generations and the owners really do seem to know everything about the single thing they sell. It takes a little longer to get your shopping done, but it is worth it.

9. I Generally Feel Safe In Greece

   Greece is a country with 11 million people and while things do happen, as a country it scores low for violent crime. The police presence is strong, violent crime is low, regular people are willing to get involved, and unlike my own country, there is no need for “active shooter” drills in children’s schools.

10. I Have A Church!
    
    In April of 2019, I was baptized Greek Orthodox with the name Evangelia/Ευαγγέλια and as part of the process, I formed a relationship with a church and a Greek Orthodox priest. I love my church–it is called the Ragavas Church in Plaka, and it is where the revolution in 1821 started in Athens. They have a special bell-ringing ceremony on March 25th to commemorate the revolution, which works out well for me since that’s also my name day.

To read more of Lynn's 'Top 10 Reasons,' please visit: Lynn Roulo

---

Lynn is an American Kundalini yoga and Enneagram instructor teaching a unique combination of the two systems, combining the physical benefits of Kundalini yoga with the psychological growth tools of the Enneagram.

 

Most of her adult life has been as a Certified Public Accountant (US CPA) working in the Silicon Valley/San Francisco technology start up and venture capital industries. In 2012, she decided to move to Athens, Greece for purely intuitive reasons.  She's not Greek by heritage, she did not have a job here, she didn’t speak any Greek (at the time), and there wasn't a Greek man in the picture either! She simply had a really clear feeling that she should go to Greece. And so she did.

 

“I remember getting on the plane to leave San Francisco. My dog and two cats were in cargo below and I had packed a suitcase full of clothes. Almost everything else I had sold or given away. There wasn’t anyone to meet me in Athens because I didn’t know anyone. But it was one of the calmest moments of my life. I was totally sure I was making the right choice.  And I haven’t regretted it at all. I love Greece.”

We're thrilled to collaborate with Lynn as an official XpatAthens Content Contributor! To learn more about her and all the great things she does in Athens please click here.

 

 

Greece was recently awarded as the leading tourism destination in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe for 2018 by SACEN International, the international center for the promotion and development of the tourism and catering sectors, during a special ceremony held in Belgrade, Serbia.

Known as the “Oscars of Tourism”, the award has been given to countries and enterprises active in the field of tourism in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe for the last 17 years.

The winners are selected in seven categories: Tourism destination; business tourism; cultural tourism; tour operator; gastronomy tourism; best enterprise in the catering sector; tourism personality of the year in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

This week the whole country of Greece was in the unfortunate state of witnessing one of the most tragic wildfires to ever break out in the country, taking the lives of many people people.

We would like to express our deepest condolences to all the families affected by the event, and help as much as possible by gathering information about emergency contacts and ways one can help individually.

Remember to stay connected with us through our weekly newsletter, Facebook, and Twitter!

As part of the municipality's urban overhaul program that aims to bring life back to the inner-city neighborhoods, Athens' has revived its Theatrou Square, which is off the central Varvakeios Market.

The first seven shops as part of the POLI² pilot project, which subsidizes neighborhood upgrade and renovation projects, have opened for business.

At the recent announcement of the shops opening, the mayor highlighted the symbolic meaning saying, "Light always drives darkness away. That’s what we are doing now on Theatrou Square near the central market, which will also be carried out at the Merchant’s Arcade on Voulis St."

The selection process of businesses lasted four months, including the renovation of the shops and handing these over to the winning teams, which are Astika Motiva, Niroi, I Love Athens, Creators of Cosmos, Book & Play, COCO-Mat.bike, and O Horos.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Drive-in cinemas were very popular during the 50s and 60s, and their popularity has lately been on the rise, due to the global coronavirus outbreak and the need for social distancing.

 

According to the Athens Drive-In website, in a few days, Athens will get a drive-in cinema, after many decades. There is a countdown timer counting down to June 1. The drive-in's location is a secret and is not mentioned anywhere on the cinema's website or Facebook page.

 

On the website, there's one bold question, 'Do you want to be the first to live the drive-in experience?' prompting users to sign-up for updates!

We are looking forward to giving our evenings a dash of retro charm while staying safe at the same time. Stay tuned!

Want to scratch beneath the surface of a city? Who better to ask than a former anthropologist?

 

Especially one who has spent two decades living in the said city; bringing up her two daughters around Greek traditions; and penning several best-selling novels set in Athens. London-born Sofka Zinovieff, the author of “The House on Paradise Street”, global bestseller “Putney”, and the memoir “Eurydice Street: A Place in Athens”, studied social anthropology at Cambridge and researched her Ph.D. in Greece. It was the beginning of a lifelong bond with the country. Especially Athens, where she still lives in Vouliagmeni on the Athens Riviera, with her Greek husband Vassilis.

Recently, she launched her new podcast series “Athens Unpacked” for This is Athens and she shares some snappy tips for digging beyond the Acropolis—to the heart and soul of this captivatingly complex city. 

You’ve called Athens home for 20 years. How has your relationship with the city changed and matured since you first moved here from England?
I’ve had several phases in my relationship with Greece. I first came as a research student in the late 80s, learned the language, and became involved with the place. During the last two decades, my relationship with Athens has been like a marriage – committed and based on love, but with squabbles and occasional rough patches.

What’s the most common misconception people have about Athens that you’d most like to correct?
People often visit during the hottest time of year, in a rush on the way to an island. Athens appears impenetrable and overheated. It’s a completely different city at other times of the year and can’t be rushed. I’d advise talking to locals and adopting their timetable (not going out during the middle part of the day in summer). I’d also suggest that it’s the perfect city to visit in autumn, winter or spring.

Athens is a hectic metropolis with the heart and soul of a village. Would you agree with this statement and if so, how does that village vibe manifest?
Yes, Athens has been settled by villagers ever since it became the capital of modern Greece in the 1830s. Even today, most people have roots elsewhere and return to their village or island. And that’s before we look at how neighborhoods can be quite villagey, designed around their plateia (main square) with a traditional coffee shop and church, etc.

Would you classify Athens as a city that’s easy to get to know; that reveals itself readily to visitors?
Athens is a mysterious city and sometimes challenging. But many of its charms are readily apparent: the intertwining of the ancient and the modern; the neighborhoods for strolling; and the fabulous places for eating out are all there and waiting.

If someone has only 48 hours or a weekend here, how can they best tap into the authentic pulse of Athens?
Stroll around the neighborhoods. Eat and drink where Athenians do. Pause to notice the details rather than ticking off a list of ‘the sights’. And, to get a sense of perspective, go up a hill—I don’t mean the Acropolis—there are plenty of others, such as Lycabettus, Philopappou, or even a more off-radar one like Tourkovounia (the Turkish Mountains).

To read this article in full, please visit: thisisathens.org

Photo by: Thomas Gravanis