No...

Today is the day that Greece entered WWII, when it denied free passage to Mussolini's fascist Italian army (October 28, 1940) and then successfully repelled a military invasion. This is often referred to as "the NO anniversary" (i epeteios tu OHI). Unlike other European countries, Greece does not celebrate the end of WWII or even the withdrawal of the Nazi German army from Greece (they had to come in and do the job that Mussolini couldn't) but the day of its attack and refusal to surrender.

Some of us are starting to see this as a sign of a culture of victimization, insularity and conservativeness. "Foreigners attacking the country" is a popular motive for interpreting all sorts of political events up to this day, and if you've lived here for some time you are sure to have been fed a good share of it.

On a personal level...

This month, after having heard about 2,500 NOs in the past year from my 2-year old, I've heard some occasional (4 or 5) YESes! You can call it a sign of maturing...

Many of us have decided to say a different kind of "no", or rather "no more". On Saturday noon, we went to a photographic store to have our pictures taken for the US Diversity Visa Lottery... There must be about 500 photography stores throughout this city. Right before us, there was another family who were there for the exact same reason...

This blog will continue for at least the next year and a half - possibly much longer than that, even from a distance.

 

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Vlassis: a 30-year old restaurant tradition that still delivers

Vlassis
Address – Area: 15 Maiandrou St., [Ilissia neighborhood] Athens,
Tel: 210-72.56.335
Last Visits: Sep. 2010, Apr. 2013, Sep. 2013
Cuisine: Greek; some hints of orient and various fish options, when available
Overall Opinion: Positive / room for improvement in service and prices.
Methods of payment: cash only
Working hours: Mon-Sat, 1:00pm - 00:30am. Sun: 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Website: http://www.vlassisrestaurant.gr/
Accessibility: 1-2 small stairs to the tables' level; WC is downstairs, non-accessible.

Vlassis is tucked in a pedestrian road parallel to Michalakopoulou St., and right across the Crowne Plaza Hotel, hidden behind a mini, narrow park. You can be seated in three separate areas: At the sidewalk in front of the park, at the patio right outside the restaurant’s window and indoors. The indoor hall has large window panels for an unobstructed view outside and two of the three walls have posters from older theater and film productions. There are about 30 tables overall. This is the 3rd different location of Vlassis in its more than 30 years (and two generations) of operation.

This obviously says something about the quality of food served here. You can't stay in business that long without doing something good. I've never had something I didn't like here and quite often I've been thrilled with the food.
Appetizers cost around 5-10 Euros while main courses start from 10-11Euros.  We've had a phenomenal stuffed squid (yemisto kalamari) here, full of fresh sea-smell, tenderness and juices. I've also made a note of the eggplant (and potato?) purée accompanying the tas-kebab, which had an exotic cinnamon-tomato flavor and was very tender. The beef in the pastitsada could have been a bit more tender. Every time I've had fish here it's been absolutely fresh, tasty and well-grilled. I've also very much liked the Athinaiki salad, which is of the "Macedonian/Russian" or "potato-salad" variety: White Grouper fish in a thick, mayonnaise based sauce and greens.
From past evenings, I remember a waiter coming out with a large platter full of mezedes (appetizers) so you can pick whatever suits your fancy and then order the main dishes, without feeling hungry during the waiting. I'm not sure if they still do that but I liked the concept.

Indicative orders (for 2 persons)

1 stuffed squid	1 fava beans purée
1 dolmades w/ vine leaves	1 Athinaiki salad w/ white grouper fish
1 tas-kebab [beef accompanied with eggplant (and potato?) purée]	1 White Grouper fish (sfyrida)
1 pastitsada (beef cooked in tomato sauce accompanied by penne pasta)	1 Seabream fish (sargos)
1 1 lt-bottle of water	1 bottled water
½ lt of red house wine	2 cans of Coke
2 bread	2 bread
Price: 52.95€ (9/2010)	Price: 61.20€ (9/2013)

Drink-wise, there's an interesting wine list of about 40 Greek wines and a house wine that is unusually decent. There's a limited selection of the usual mass lagers and a couple of ouzo / tsipouro offerings.

The service is fast but let’s just say that not everybody from the personnel seems to be aware of the concept of smiling… Also, make sure you ask for the menu and prices, especially of fish, because it's not always readily available and fish prices are per kilogram so you may be in for a surprise if you don't do that.

Location / Getting there: Right across the street from Crowne Plaza – Athens City Centre Hotel, which itself is located at 50 Michalakopoulou St. This is much easier to spot than the narrow Maiandrou St. where Vlassis is located.
The closest Metro Station is Megaro Mousikis on Line 3. Getting out of the station, from the side of Aiginitio / Alexandras Hospital take Dionysiou Aiginitou St. and turn right, after 3 blocks, on Meandrou St.
Buses 3, 7, 8, 13, 220, 608, 225 also reach nearby bus stops at either Vasilissis Sofias Ave. (Ilissia bus stop) or Michalakopoulou street (Ag. Haralambos bus stop).

See map of Athens restaurants at the bottom of this page. 

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Photographic walk along the Faliro and Alimos coast (pt.2)

Following last week's first part of my walk along the coast of the Saronic Gulf, south of Athens, this is the second installment, heading further south from Paleo Faliro to Alimos. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

People swimming at the coast of Paleo Faliro, south of Athens and not too far from the port of Piraeus.

A mini-square / chess board on the coast of Paleo Faliro

Things can get really... exciting here, during certain summer evenings!

Even dogs are captured by the game!

Further on, a man on his motorbike leaves the beach...

Olympic memories... don't get any respect!

Church of the Assumption (Koimissi Theotokou) at Achilleos St., Paleo Faliro. This is where tram lines intersect, with one heading north to Piraeus and the other further south to the coastal suburbs of Alimos, Glyfada and Voula.

An organized beach at the southernmost edge of Paleo Faliro

A tram train and the usually busy, coastal, Posidonos Avenue, Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece

Crossing the municipal "border" to Alimos you almost immediately sense the change. Here, the coastal walk is badly in need of repair and even dangerous at some points. However lots of people hang around too and some even choose to swim here. Again, I just wouldn't advise it and have never done it myself...

Cafeterias, walkers and bikers on Alimos coastal promenade

Some locals choose to swim here, perhaps due to lack of other affordable alternatives

There's also a big playground in Alimos, a few meters from the coast, that used to be quite impressive but now (July 2013) it's really in need of repair and has become home to homeless people among others. The one place that seemed to stand out the most, and benefit from this situation was a small private "carnival" (in the American sense of the word / a mini amusement park) where most of the kids and their parents chose to hang out. Alimos is also home to a WWII Allied Forces Cemetery, right on Posidonos Avenue, but that's a topic for another post.

A small train carrying excited children is part of the coastal "carnival" of Alimos...

Right before the playground / carnival and coastal walk, in a small bay, there's the Alimos marina where lots of small boats are being hosted. The Alimos marina does not offer the amenities of the one at Flisvos and has more of a small harbor type of feeling. The views however, can be just as captivating here.

Fishing boats and fishing nets at Alimos marina, Alimos [Greater Athens], Greece

Dusk at Alimos Marina, Alimos [Greater Athens], Greece

Dusk at Alimos Marina, Alimos, Greece

Dusk at Alimos Marina, Alimos, Greece. Sun setting behind the port city of Piraeus

Sun setting behind the port city of Piraeus. View from Alimos marina, south of Athens.

 
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Photographic walk along the Faliro and Alimos coast (pt.1)

Leaving the museum ships of the Maritime Tradition Park behind us, I now take you to a photographic walk across the coastal area in the southern suburbs of Athens. This should be a most interesting way to spend a summer evening or a good idea for a walk after visiting the ships [Make sure you take all necessary precautions to avoid a heat stroke if you go during the day].

The overall feeling of the coastal walk is a characteristically Greek blend of moderately great expectations, haphazard maintenance, mostly copycat design and lack thereof, a mixture of social classes -and occasionally age groups- in an easy-going style, all in the presence of a great natural landscape and, in this case, sprinkled with the painful stardust of Olympic memories, as the creation of the coastal tram line in 2004 was a catalyst for restoring Athens' coastal front. Make what you will of all this, but a stroll along the coast is a nice way to spend some time and I'd certainly suggest you consider it.

Flisvos' Marina, at the Paleo Faliro coastal suburb of Athens

Flisvos Marina, Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece

The first part, is the Flisvos Marina that is very well kept and can be quite lively and full of people in the summer evenings. During the day the typical summer lull prevails but there are still various snack, cafeteria and, mostly, fast-food options for a quick stop. Rich people park their yachts here, and some of them suffer from photographobia :)

Flisvos Marina, Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece

Flisvos Marina, Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece - Behind the boats you may see the hill of Kastella, in Piraeus, (center) and the "Peace and Friendship" indoor stadium (center/right)

Boats at Flisvos Marina, Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece

Sunset from Flisvos' Marina, Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece

Sunset time at Flisvos' Marina - Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece

Next to the marina there's a municipal playground / park that leads to the main part of the coastal walk. 

Municipal playground of Paleo Faliro - Flisvos coastal area [Greater Athens], Greece

The municipal playground / park (which also includes a dog-park) ends in a coastal promenade, Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece

Man fishing, by the Flisvos Marina / Flisvos coastal promenade - Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece. The hill of Kastella (city of Piraeus) in the background

Some people come here to fish, others to bike, walk, jog or just enjoy the view. 

Bike at Flisvos coastal promenade, Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece

Fishing rods, Paleo Faliro, Greece

 

Evening in the Flisvos coastal promenade, Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece

The old Flisvos cafeteria, turned "cultural centre" - Flisvos coastal area, Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece

Soon after you reach the old "Flisvos" cafeteria, once a landmark but now mostly empty and turned into a "municipal cultural centre". That's what most Greek town authorities choose to call their derelict buildings… :)

Faliro coastal promenade, Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece

Kiosk at the Paleo Faliro coastal promenade with the city of Piraeus in the background

Statue of Constantine Palaeologos, last Emperor of Byzantium. Many of the residents of Paleo Faliro are immigrants from Istanbul (a.k.a. Constantinople) who were forced to leave their homes there, during 1955-64, and scattered signs like this help preserve their memories and cultural inheritance.

The coastal tram, at Paleo Faliro [Greater Athens], Greece

...Come back in a week for the second part of this photographic walk.

 
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Greece's Maritime Tradition Park - Phaleron Delta (pt. 2)

This is the second post about Greece’s Maritime Tradition Park (Mouseio Naftikis Paradosis) in the coast of Faliro, southwest of Athens. The first part was about the "Georgios Averof" Battleship and can be found here, together with instructions on how to get there. Today, I present you the rest of the museum-ships that have found a peaceful harbor in this part of the Athenian Riviera, next to the Flisvos Marina: A Greek type sailing-ship with a unique history,  the family yacht of the Runciman family, the world’s oldest cable laying ship still in existence, a Greek navy destroyer ship that has become a symbol of democratic resistance and an Ancient Athenian trireme. Besides my on-site visit I have come across various online sources, some of which I note at the bottom of this post.  

A small, Perama type, sailing-ship named "Evangelistria". Now docked at the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece, at the coast of the Phaleron Delta, SW of Athens.

First in line and docked right next to Averof is a small, “perama” type sailing-ship named “Evangelistria” (Mary of the Annunciation), used in the Aegean Sea and Marmara Bay during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Through the very interesting site of Mr. Nikos E. Riginos about vernacular Greek ship-building, I found out this amazing little story: The ship was built in 1939, just before WWII for a Captain Bonis from the island of Mykonos. When the war broke out and it was evident that the island would also fall under German command, its owner loaded it with rocks so as to send it to the bottom of the sea instead of having it captured by the occupying forces. At the end of the war, divers took the stones out and the ship simply resurfaced, ready for use! 

Currently you may only watch the boat from the coast. Check out some old photos of Evangelistria here and some models of Perama type ships here.

"Evgenios Evgenidis" sailing-ship at the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; coast of the Phaleron Delta, SW of Athens.

Next in line is the sailing ship “Evgenios Evgenidis”, presently used as a training ship for Greek sailors. It was built in Scotland in 1929 and served as the family yacht of the Runciman family (1,2,3) till 1939. It passed to Swedish hands from 1945 till 1965. During that time it had a short… acting career, appearing in the films “Flying Clipper” and “Lord Jim”. It was then bought by the Greek Navy with the financial assistance of Greek benefactor Evgenios Evgenidis - to whom it owns its current name – and served as a training ship till 1990. It is not currently open for visits.

"Evgenios Evgenidis" sailing-ship at the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; coast of the Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

After that you’ll get to see the world’s oldest cable laying ship remaining in its original condition, with both its steam engines in good condition. It was built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Virginia, USA in 1909 and given away to Greece and the Greek Telecommunications Organization in 1947 by the US Government. It was the first cable laying ship to be used in Greece. It still has its original steam-powered cable laying equipment. The ship's name is "Thalis o Milissios" (Thales of Miletus), from the ancient Greek philosopher.

"Thalis o Milissios" cable-laying ship at the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; coast of the Faleron Delta, SW of Athens.

"Thalis o Milissios" cable-ship at the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; coast of the Phaleron Delta, SW of Athens. In the background lays the city-port of Piraeus

"Thalis o Milissios" cable-ship; detail.

At the dock of "Thalis o Milissios" cable-ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; coast of the Faleron Delta, SW of Athens.

The ship at the end of the small harbor is once again a decommissioned navy ship. A “torpedo-destroyer” named “Velos” (Arrow) which was offered to Greece by the US Navy in 1959 (its former name being USS Charette DD581). Unusual for a ship, it’s been turned to a museum not because of some major naval victory but due to an act of protest. In May 1973, during the Greek junta of 1967-74, the ship’s officers together with a large part of the Greek Navy were about to stage a counter-coup and demand the restoration of democracy. Their movement was betrayed on the last day, with “Velos” taking part in a NATO exercise in the waters of Italy. When the betrayal went public, under the command of Cdr N. Pappas HN and with the crew’s agreement the ship took refuge in Italy's Fiumicino, dealing  a PR blow to the army colonels who were running the country at that time. The ship and most of its officers remained in exile till the restoration of democracy, on 24 July 1974. Since 1991 it has been turned into a “Museum of Anti-Dictatorial Struggle”, hosting a small exhibition of pictures, books and newspaper clips about these events (mostly in Greek – some in English and Italian).

The decommissioned "Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faleron Delta, SW of Athens.

The decommissioned "Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

Detail from the "Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Phaleron Delta, SW of Athens.

Detail from the "Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

"Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

The "Velos" destroyer ship anchored in the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens. The coast of Faliro and the city of Piraeus in the background

View of the city of Piraeus, the "Peace & Friendship" indoor stadium" and the "Georgios Karaiskakis" soccer stadium from aboard the "Velos" destroyer ship in the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta.

View of Averof Battleship from aboard the Velos destroyer; Maritime Tradition Park; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

The decommissioned "Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

An unusual view of the Acropolis and Lykavittos Hill, from aboard the Velos destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece, Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

A hall with exhibits from the "mutiny" of the "Velos" destroyer during the 1967-74 military dictatorship of Greece

Newspaper clips detailing the "mutiny" of the "Velos" destroyer against the 1967-74 military dictatorship of Greece.

Aboard the decommissioned "Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

…And just when you think that your tour is over, you notice that inside the large concrete depot, next to the “Velos” destroyer, there’s a real feast for the eyes. An exact replica of an ancient Athenian trireme ship - the major weapon of Athenian democracy and the ship that handed Greeks the victory over the Persian fleet in the Sea-Battle of Salamis, in 480BC. This is regarded by many as one of the most decisive battles in human history, shaping the course of human civilization as we now know it. The Olympias Trireme, was commissioned by the Greek Navy and built by a Piraeus shipbuilder, with additional British financing, in 1987. It was part of the torch relay in the 2004 Olympics and it currently needs your help and support for some necessary repairs. Read the official Olympias Trireme page and follow the ship's facebook page.

An exact replica of an ancient Athenian trireme ship inside a depot. Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

Trireme Olympias; an exact replica of an ancient Athenian trireme ship at the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

Relevant pages:
http://www.hnsa.org/ships/averof.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOxJ_6eI7yM
http://www.averof.mil.gr/ (in Greek)

http://www.faneromeni.gr/en/pages/view/diaforamerielladas/

http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/en/history-tradition/floating-naval-museum

http://www.triremeolympias.com/


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