Listening to jazz at the Acropolis Museum

 

Stratonos Street was unusually quiet the evening we went to the Acropolis Museum restaurant to listen to some jazz.

 



 

 

The museum was beautifully lit and looked very inviting

 

 

 

We turned left into Dionysiou Aeropagitou

 

 

 

stopped to look at the Acropolis on our right, also beautifully lit up

 

and then we walked down the steps towards the main entrance of the museum.

 



 

The restaurant was relatively empty when we arrived as most people had not arrived yet

The view from our table: the Acropolis and the reflected restaurant lights fusing together

 

 

The food was very good and the music was pleasant

The restaurant looked inviting from the terrace

 

when I went out to have a better look at the Acropolis

 

 

 





the Erechtheion looked at its best

as did the Philoppapou monument on the hill in the distance.

 

As we were leaving we admired the olive branch display in the foyer

 



 

looked at the Archaic gallery from above

 



 

 

and stopped to have a last look at the ongoing excavations at the entrance of the museum before heading for home.



 

 

Glory by Farida El Gazzar

 

 

Glory, by Farida El Gazaar at the Kalfayan Galleries, Haritos Street, Athens.

 

In this exhibition Greek-Egyptian artist Farida El Gazzar has recorded her memories of Alexandria, a place where Greek and Egyptian cultures have co-existed for centuries. It's a journal of personal memories, family photographs and a snapshots of everyday life. El Gazzar records the changes in the city from the successive rows of uniform red brick building complexes to the window displays of old shops demonstrating how the past and the present co-exist in a world of rapid change.

 

 

 

 

The works are tiny 

 

 

 

 

Eating out

The temperatures in Athens dropped considerably last week. Eating outside at lunchtime was not possible so we tried two places we had not been to before.

Phillippou is situated in Kolonaki, one of the most prosperous areas in the centre. We went there for lunch after visiting some of the private galleries that proliferate in the area.

 

It's a taverna but it has a restaurant feel. It opened in 1923, the food is traditional Greek taverna food and the prices reflect that. We had one starter, two main courses and four glasses of wine - we paid 31 euros. The food was delicious and the complementary quince compote was equally good.

 

 

 

It even has the hatch that displays all the 'cooked' (as opposed grilled) dishes - a traditional feature that only a few tavernas still have.

 

 

 

As I said, the feel is that of a restaurant: white table cloths are rare in tavernas. The Yannis Moralis prints on the walls are originals - I checked.

 

 

Even though it was almost empty when we arrived at 1:30 (too early for Greek people) it had filled up by the time we left.

 

 

 

Three days later we went to Athiri, a completely different place. It's situated in the Kerameikos-Gazi area which are very run down, but with emerging traces of gentrification. The building is neo-classical, unfortunately spoiled by the graffiti - more about that later.

 

 

 

 

It's Michelin recommended, the chef is well-known, and the prices are very reasonable. We had a salad, four small dishes, four glasses of wine, and paid 61 euros. Given the quality of the food, the price is extremely reasonable.

 

It's very stylish and elegant

 



 

 

I like what they have done with the ceiling lights

 



 

 

We yet again, arrived very early for Greek standards, but by the time we left all the tables were taken.

 

 

 

We have eaten at Athiri before, but not inside. They have the most gorgeous garden - a real pleasant oasis in the middle of a busy city

 



 

But now that we know how lovely the interior is, we plan to visit again.

 

Now about the area: this was the view from our window

 

 



this is the building next to the restaurant

 

 



 

On our way to Gazi square we came across lots of abandoned buildings

 

 



 

one after the other.

 



 

 

It took us a few minutes to walk to the square, where this magnificent modernist apartment block has been recently completed.

 



 

It is an area of strong contrasts.

In a Manner of Speaking, Eleni Zouni

In a Manner of Speaking, by Eleni Zouni at Medusa Gallery

Zouni's latest body of work reflects her interest in the visual aspect of writing and the morphology found in nature. The abstract works in the exhibition explore the forms generated by the hand through automatic and repetitive motions; the importance of rhythm during the drawing process; the dynamic symmetry we find in the morphology of plants, crystals, minerals, organisms and cells.

looking closer