Flowers

 

Wonderful displays in Antonello, as usual.

The smaller window on the right

'less is more' certainly doesn't apply here

detail from the larger window

and here

everything just so

I like these  new vessels they are using

 

the scent from these roses was heavenly

 



 

 

 

beautiful blooms

 

 



 

 

using the chest is inspired, like everything else here

 

the back of the shop

 

 



 

 

on the counter

the counter, again

first time I have seen silk flowers in the shop

Finally, on the pavement.

The Centre at night

 

We decide to go to the centre of Athens for a night out. First stop, The Black Duck.

The area around Karitsi Square is full of bars and is becoming the 'in' area, taking over from Gazi, I am told

There are certainly lots of bars here. It's 8:30, and still quite hot, so most people won't come out until later

We reach the square, and that is certainly buzzing with people, out for a drink

 

The church is in the centre of the square, and all the bars are around it

 

 

 

All the glass fronts have been removed so that there is a continuation of inside and outside, and it all looks very pleasing

Athens is not an attractive city - all the beautiful neo-Classical buildings have been demolished, replaced by (mostly) unattractive apartment blocks

but it's a very vibrant, exciting place, full of life and people know how to enjoy themselves.

We now walk down Kolokotroni Street, towards St Irini Square, our destination

the shops are still open, and there are quite a few people window-shopping

this shop sells Icons

and church incense-burners - there are hundreds hanging from the ceiling

the small Byzantine church at the end of Ermou Street

We reach St Irini Square, and it's buzzing with people

How can all these people afford to go out in these times of austerity? you may ask. What they do is they buy one drink, quite often coffee, and this will do for the whole evening.

A mural on the shutters of this shop

it's extremely pleasant around here

one of the few neo-Classical buildings that are still around

and another

a side-view of the church

a stylish, minimalist bookshop

We move on to a side street and eat here, Melilotos, an exciting new discovery. The food is neo-Greek cuisine, very adventurous, delicious, and extremely cheap - our bill is 34 euros and that includes a litre of draft wine. Amazing. Don't be fooled by the empty tables: an hour after I took this photograph there were queues of people waiting for a table.

Walking around Gazi

 

Having seen a thought-provoking exhibition at the Benaki Museum, we start walking towards the square in Gazi in search of lunch.

It is two o'clock, it's very hot and the streets are deserted. 'Mad dogs and Englishmen' comes to mind. The place is very different to what it would be in the evening. Gazi is (or maybe, used to be) the place to be at night, full of trendy bars, cafes and restaurants and sometimes it feels that the whole of the hip, trendy people descent here to have fun. But, things are a bit too quiet today, and I read somewhere that people have moved on since we were here last, to other parts of the city, so, who knows....

 

As part of the regeneration of the area, a lot of galleries are springing up as well as new, stylish buildings, like this one, which is opposite the Benaki

 

 

 

 

or this, very narrow, apartment building

 



 

 

 

one more shot.

 

 

 



 

This is a common image in Athens these days:  men - often Pakistani or Bangladeshi - pushing a supermarket trolley,  after they've gone through garbage bins trying to find recyclables that they can sell in order to make a living

 

 

 

 

 

lots of graffiti/street art about - this one says: SUVs for the people

 

 



 

 

lots of tavernas on our way to the square but they are all closed

 



 

 

 

but they will open for the evening

 



 

 

a mural

 

 



 

 

once we reach the square however, on Persephone Street

 

 



 

 

most places are open

 



 

we choose The Butcher Shop where we have fava, beetroot, taramasalata and biftekia - all very delicious, some draft wine which is surprisingly good,  and everything is very reasonably priced. It is a windy day so both our hats have been blown away and are lying on the pavement.

 





Benaki Shop

 

The (relatively) new shop of the Benaki Museum, Hatzikyriakou-Ghika Annexe.

Lots of lovely things to look at or buy

as well as books and a children's section

my favourite: this large bowl by Theodora Horafa

the surface of the glaze, wondrous

an object of desire.

Lunch

 

Rosalia is one of our favourite places for lunch. When we do to Athens during the day we like to come here and have some of their delicious food. It is just off the square in Exarheia .

There are tables in this pedestrianized street but there is also a big garden plus loads of indoor space. We always like sitting outside in the street as there is so much to watch - there are loads of interesting people going by and the way the light filters through the vines and the trees is magical. On this occasion we came very early, 1:00 and at first we were the only people there,

but by 3:00 it was packed. We like it here. Not only because Exarheia is a very interesting area but also because the food is real home cooking, the prices are reasonable and there is a lovely atmosphere.