Summer heat and sunshine brings everyone out of winter hiding, and this includes tourists and friends from far away places. This past week I had the pleasure of playing tour guide to a group of 5 colleagues from various parts of Europe. We had planned a short 2-day team-building break, a well-earned escape from the everyday pressures of work. For most of them, it was their first time in Athens, and expectations were high!

 

I had planned a jam-packed schedule, an introduction to some of the city's highlights and a taste of 'my Athens'... And I do mean 'jam-packed'. By the end of their stay, we all felt like a week had passed, rather than just 48 hours.

 

Here's what we did:

 

After arrival, coffee on the rooftop of the Athens Gate hotel (where they were staying). This is a mid-range hotel, perfect for a city break, in arguably the best location in the city, and with a 3600 rooftop view that is not to be missed.

 

We wandered around the Acropolis area, and climbed the hill up to the Areopagus for some photos. Then, already in need of more caffeine, we popped in to Root Artspace for a quick refuel.

 

Dinner was at Kotili taverna on Adrianou St. This is a better-than-average tourist taverna, which also attracts locals, and has live music 7nights per week. If the right crowd is there, you may find some of them dancing too!

 

The evening ended with a drink at TAF - a city-centre fave hidden away in Monastiraki.

 

The next morning we did a fun tour of the historical centre with Athens Segway Tours. 2 hours of spinning around the pedestrian streets to see all that we can see - they loved it.

 

Then we grabbed a taxi and headed towards Glyfada for lunch at Balux House Project. This is a full-on playground for young and old, literally right on the beach, with a delicious menu (from pizza to sushi), and a great relaxed vibe. This was a definite highlight for my guests!

 

Back to the centre for a quick shopping break... And off to Athens Clue - this is one of the super-popular 'escape rooms' that have taken the city by storm. You take a group of 5-6 friends, get locked in a room, and have 60minutes to figure out the clues and escape the room. Of course, we didn't manage to escape in time - surely we had a very difficult room...

 

Dinner was at Moma - my default dinner spot in the Monastiraki/Adrianou corridor. On the walk back towards their hotel, we stopped off at Yiasemi, on the famous stairway of Mnisikleous St., for a nightcap and a toast to a wonderful couple of days.

 

"Can we move our office here?" and "You live in paradise!" were the overall comments. Sure, on the company's tab, everywhere could be paradise. But my colleagues are well-travelled and worldly people. If they think Athens is brilliant, who am I to argue...?

 

Until next week,

 

Jack

 

 

Balux House Project

             

Athens Segway Tours

 

Athens Clue

Greek homeowners can now rent out their houses for temporary use without being required to obtain a special operations label following an amendment made to the law last month abolishing rental terms.

Under the third bailout plan the Greek government agreed to with its creditors earlier this year, Greek property owners can now rent their homes through popular online platforms such as Airbnb, or through private rental contracts, without holding the special operations label awarded by the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO).

To read more, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Twenty selected destinations competed for the prestigious title of Best European Destination 2016 and Athens came in second!

Voting ended on February 10 with more than 288,000 votes for Zadar in Croatia who was elected Best European Destination 2016 and won the prestigious title.

The top 10 european best destinations for 2016 are:

 

Shot primarily from the rooftops, hills, and mountains in Athens, Greece, 'City of Athens' was created by Filmmaker and award winning Photographer Alexandros Maragos as a homage to the capital of Greece. Stunning hyperlapse and timelapses cinematography features Athens' skyline and the evening urban landscapes that makes Athens one glorious city. If you haven't watched it yet, check it out below!

Source: Vimeo

To learn more about the Filmmaker and Photographer, please visit: Alexandros Maragos

Rakaki, a modern Cretan tavern, is located in an area of Athens called Kesariani, near Mount Hymettos. The area is known for its culinary delights, particularly seafood says Culinary Backstreets. What makes the area so appealing are the relaxed, "nothing too fancy" meze houses or other types of eateries. "It’s a feeling that permeates the entire neighborhood, where old houses built by Greek refugees from Smyrna (or Izmir) still stand next to modern apartment blocks.

Rakaki is a  "small, cozy spot – there are only ten tables inside and another ten outside on the sidewalk." When CB visited for the first time, the place was packed and regulars were calling the waiters by their first name. The place opened in 2007 by brothers Marios and Kostas Petropoulos, getting their inspiration from their mother Despina, who is from Crete and knows how to cook well.

"The restaurant stays true to this familial inspiration, beginning with its name, which is the diminutive of raki, a strong spirit distilled from the residue of crushed grapes in Crete."

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

Photo credit: TripAdvisor

To celebrate the two-year anniversary from the day it opened its doors to the public, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) invites photographers of all skill levels to participate in a group photography exhibition that will showcase moments of SNFCC life through their lenses.

The images may have been captured at an earlier date. They can focus on architecture, or a moment in time – any time of the year, any SNFCC area. Creative interpretations of this topic are encouraged!

This call for entries is free to enter for all photographers around the world over the age of 18. You may submit your entry at SNFCC.org/fence until 2 September 2018. Once the call for entries has come to a close, a jury of highly-regarded photography curators, academics and representatives of the organizers will review all images submitted for consideration The images selected by the Jury will be presented as a large-scale outdoor photography exhibition at the SNFCC. The exhibit will span a length of 400 meters, installed along the perimeter of the SNFCC.

The exhibition will be designed and produced by the New York based organization United Photo Industries in its signature "FENCE" exhibition style, and will be open for all visitors to explore and enjoy, thanks to an exclusive grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

For more information, please visit: SNFCC

Spoon sweets are sweet preserves, served in a spoon as a gesture of hospitality and are a big deal here, in Greece. They can be made from almost any fruit, though sour and bitter fruits are usually preferred.

Check the below recipe for an easy-peasy recipe for a delicious orange spoon sweet that will excite your guests' palate!

Ingredients 

2 kilos oranges
800 g granulated sugar
800 g water
1 tablespoon glucose
2 star anises
2 pods of cardamom
lemon juice of 1 lemon

To serve

strained yogurt
rosemary

Instructions

It's Christmas time in Athens! The traditional wishes at this time of year are, Merry Christmas - Kala Christougena - and, Happy New Year - Chronia Polla - literally "many happy years". Sometimes you'll also hear - Eftichismenos o kenourios chronos - which means Happy New Year.

Athens may not be on the most popular list for Christmas destinations, however it offers its visitors a wide range of choices, making Christmas a unique experience! To begin with, Christmas in Athens isn't accompanied by bitter cold and snow. Outings outdoors are easily enjoyed and you can even have coffee or lunch under heaters at one of the many great spots in the city. Wander the streets and watch the street performers and listen to the sounds of wandering musicians! Whether they play classical Christmas melodies or Greek traditional carols with a santouri or a clarinet, the outcome is the same - they create this particular spirit of joy and sentiment.

Just like many large cities during at time of year, Athens organize various festivities and events in many locations around the city. The center of festivity is at Syntagma - central square directly in front of parliament; the city Christmas tree is set up and the entire square is decorated festively for the holidays.

The merry and festive mood can be felt just about everywhere. Decorated streets, smiling faces, lights, music, children being photographed with balloons, fairy floss, candy. Let's not forget the freshly roasted chestnuts sold on almost every street corner and of course the lottery ticket vendors, who try to convince you that the new year will most definitely be YOUR LUCKY YEAR!!

The whole festive atmosphere is felt throughout the shopping districts and especially along Ermou Street which is typically full of people shopping and enjoying a leisurely time in central Athens. At Kotzia Square, opposite the City Hall of Athens, there is typically a large market selling books, jewelry, handicrafts, rugs, candy, and lots and lots of other things! Another place which gathers a lot of people within the city is Zappeio - just a quick walk from Syntagma Square. Almost every day in every corner of the city, something is always happening. Concerts, theatrical shows, performances, and all for free! For a complete program of events happening in Athens this Christmas & New Years 2015, please click HERE.

For those who would like to see a little snow and have 3-4 days at your disposal, then Arachova is a close and popular winter destination. It belongs to the county of Viotia, located three hours away from Athens, and where you will find the Parnasos Ski center, with its large slopes offering all levels of difficulty. There are many hotels and guesthouses there, and you may also visit the Oracle of Delphi, located nearby.

If you are fond of snowboarding, then head to the Ski center at Mainalou, in the county of Arcadia. Kalavryta is another great option during the winter in Greece and there you'll find one of the best ski centers in Greece. Another  attraction for visitors is the rack and pinion railway, which has operated the route from Kalavryta to Diakofto since 1896, through a landscape of unrivalled beauty.

Celebrating the Christmas holidays in Athens offers something for everyone! Enjoy!