Mantzarou Str.

What's in a street: Named after Greek composer Nikolaos Mantzaros it is a little street in central Athens, but one that still remains in the hearts of many Athenians. It connects the centre to Kolonaki and in the past, if you were chosen by Gods, you might even see Odysseas Elytis on his way to the "Estia" bookstore probably murmuring the Hymn to Liberty.

I know nothing...

He appeared, unassuming, and sat on his chair. He refused to use a microphone and spoke softly with amazing sharpness despite his advanced age. "I can tell you one thing" he said when asked to share his knowledge, "I know nothing of the sort". This was Frédérick Leboyer talking to mothers and mothers to be about pregnancy and delivery. It was not a speech; he was answering their own, personal questions. He spoke not like their father but like their mother! The women listened, replied and cried the cry of a young child.

Chestnuts in October

Normally around October it gets cold and the street chestnut-grills show up all over Athens. Not this year; it has been inexplicably warm this October with temperatures around 25 centigrade. We are missing the cold that penetrates our coats and the smell of chestnuts around the city. "The chestnut-seller" would be a popular theme for an essay excercise at school; I wonder if it is still the case.

Modern Sculptures

There are many contemporary sculptures scattered around Athens that we normally miss and continue walking right past them. Modern or classical they are of high artistic value and some connected to the history of Greece. The statue of Palamas right outside the cultural centre of Athens municipality preserves so well the image and I dare to say even the poetry of Palamas in such a simple way. It's such a pitty that along with most works of Art out in the open this one too is deteriorating under the harsh atmospheric conditions of Athens.

We're part of the Graffitti

Graffitti works because it can include what's going on around it. The interaction between grafitti and people around it creates an urban image slighly away from everyday reality. This way a man carrying a sailing boat in the centre of Athens does not seem unusual.

Stoa Flagged

Stoa is the name for a shopping area covered with a ceiling or inside the ground floor of a large building. There are many around the centre where you can still get good prices, have a coffee or browse a book. This is the "Stoa Vivliou" off Panepistimiou avenue - I am sure it has another name too - just before the celebration of the "OXI" day on October 28th. National pride and flags are visible everywhere in the centre and suburbs.

Full Moon

End of October and we are missing the September full Moon under the Acropolis. The splendid nights of September fill you with joy and appreciation of what this city is. The walk from 'Acropolis' metro station to Thesion with a stop at Herodion theatre to check what's on and a dinner with a view of the illuminated Parthenon is invaluable.

Heart of Athens

Morning coffee at Omonia Square; bathed in morning light; busy passers-by, tourists, beggars, traffic & the sounds of a city. You're in the heart of Athens and you can feel its beat. Leaving the square on foot along one of the avenues will lead you to the different faces of Athens: old Athens with a view to the Acropolis, poor and shabby neighbourhoods towards Piraeus, everyday Athens to Victoria square and glamorous towards Syntagma square and the Parliament.

Fruit pants!

Still looking at the menu? It's not in Greek don't worry; it might as well have been in Greek; at least I could point to a thing and be happy with the idea I chose something local and traditional. That's what my friend said and decided to collect Greek menus, frame them and hang them next to the toilet; "this way you never run out of interesting reading while constipating". Anyway, I'll have the pastry named 'Cream Caramel' please and bring it quickly!

Amaxa

At the horse-carriage parking in Kifissia luxurius SUVs are blocking the way. Keeping a horse in Athens is not a trivial thing. Finding customers who would still enjoy a ride under the canopies is hard indeed. Not to mention maintaining the equipment and keeping it from rusting away. So what if they are subsidised by the state; they are undermined by the era.

Mon plaisir

The abandoned villas of Kifissia preserve a past that is stained by the passage of time. Still the passer-by can detect the glamour these villas must have enjoyed. Time, like a layer of rust, has been deteriorating these buildings while transforming them in aesthetic relics of an era never to come again.

The Big Move

The marbles of Parthenon are being moved! There is a new museum at the foot of the Acropolis where the marbles are going to be kept. The move is a big operation with a huge cost in insurance money. The discussion is already out there: the Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece.

Light me up a ciggy diggy!

Most European cities have banned smoking or have isolated smokers so much that it's really hard now to smoke in public areas. Athens is far from that. The ciggie is the way to relax, have a chat and think about the problems and beauties of life. Still now the best seats in a resaturant or cafe are the smoking ones. Asking someone to put out their cigarette or even cigar can still create a huge argument!

A glass of Wine

Below road level hide the small, valuable places. The marble bench with a vase of roses next to the glasses and further, on the carved marble, the caraffes for the wine; or is it Retsina? Who knows what the letters KX stand for...

Deserted Heritage

The old 'Neoclassical' buildings of Athens are standing like old beggars next to high-rise apartment blocks. The are begging for our actions to preserve them. Every aspect of their achitecture is a treasure: the balconies, the roof tiles, the entrance doors. In the modern, European capital caled Athens little care is taken to keep such treasures alive.

Even the kichen's sink!

At Monastiraki everything is for sale. Especially the paraphernalia of people that lived and passed away, items found in old houses or sold by unworthy heirs of people's fortunes. I had a friend who's sister discovered a pile of letters sent to a woman by her lover back in the 40s. She bought the pack for a ridiculous amount and managed to find the author of those letters. When she went to see him he was in very advanced age. He refused to see her saying "these are letters written by a person I am no longer".

Salepi

There are still areas in Athens where you can taste the Salepi. On winter days and especially weekends you will see an old person pushing the trolley through the Monastiraki market. It is not known that this drink is considered an aphrodisiac. I guess the pills are more popular nowadays for this purpose.

It's not a Locomotive!

This is a coffee machine. Don't ask me how it works because it's more complicated than it looks! All I now is that if you supply it with coffee grains right from the sack it will eventually produce fresh ready-to-be-ground coffee and will make the place smell like heaven! In fact follow your nose and it will lead you to such a place. Well, to be honest it's hard to follow your nose in Athens centre with all the trafiic and the smog but it's nice to think it that way.

What did you have for breakfast?

The place will be a small cafe a few steps into the unknown off a main road or on an major avenue. The waiters will not care for your business and will not even ask you for an order! You have to earn your food! Ask for Loukoumades and coffee and forget about the large multinational chains. This is the place where calories is a measurement of delight! Get on a diet the very next day.

Who wants to be a millionnaire?

Lottery sellers are everywhere in Greece. They are such an important part of Athens city centre. Buy a lottery and don't just pay; open a discussion with the person and learn about local politics, lifestyle and modern Greek culture. These fatherly figures are now like a threatened species. We won't have them for long so let's take good care of them.

Agora

The Meat & Fish Market in Athens is a meeting point. It is the place to meet Athenians. Even if you live in Athens, the chances that you see someone you know are slim. Let's say it's a place to see other people. This is the only explanation I can give to the phenomenon of so many people going in and out the Agora without carrying any shoppings! The Agora in Athinas street is a great place for photography!

Athenian Laterna

When walking in the centre of Athens you can still hear the sound of Laterna a music box that is operated by turning a lever. In old Athens it used to be called 'Organaki'; little musical instrument. There is a very nice old song by Attik about a girl falling in love when the 'organaki' was passing by. Nowadays the Laternas cannot be serviced any more and the songs they play are hard to recognise because of the musical notes missing. The old men that carry the Laternas around Athens are like our grandfathers who carry our fading memories of past times.