Survival & Maintenance
Dress codes – to Bling or Not to Bling?
Exercise opportunities, tailors, dry cleaners, hair & beauty salons, travel agents, airport transport &, travel tips
Dress Codes – Dare to Bare!
Athenians are chic.
Athens in spring and summer, and of course the islands, are about flaunting it in the most tasteful possible way (unless you go to Pireas which is another matter altogether!)
Decolletés are deeper than in western Europe…think Barcelona and you’ll get it right. In high summer, temperatures can skyrocket, and ChIs of both sexes are currently making a style statement in wonderful Panama and other straw hats, worn equally with cutoffs, suits, or flowing skirts. Men wear light coloured linen suits with theirs, for the summer business style vibe.
Tourists look like tourists, mostly. ChI’s don’t.
For the islands, dress down or look like a pratt. Socks are a total no-no (not that a seriously ChI would contemplate them in 35 degree heat). Men are often to be observed wearing crumpled linen shirts with sleeves rolled up to ¾ length, with shorts and loafers, carrying suit bags onto the boats serving the islands.
Casual beach chic rules, but bring on the bling for some of the islands! Think Hawaiianas and rocks (the sparkly sort). Pack a party frock or two for invites onto passing yachts. Don’t bother with heels, ladies, as you can’t wear shoes on boats (duh).
Hair & Beauty
Angelos in Kolonaki district – hairdresser to divas since the 50’s and still the best in town. Go for the top stylists, but be warned – they are very busy, so booking in advance and being prepared to wait a bit are a necessity.
Angelos
Filiki Etairia 14
colonaki
tel 210 724 1094
Other classic hairdressers include
Teo, which has branches in Drosia North, Kifissia and Kolonaki Tel (Kolonaki salon) 2103600973 and 3631885
Vangelis Hatzis, on Kifissias Avenue in Psichiko (a favourite with trendy ladies who lunch). Not cheap, to say the least, but very, very good Tel 210 6774 108
And also the ubiquitous but dependable Toni & Guy which has branches in Northern Athens, in Nea Erithraia on the main road of Thiseos district (where it becomes El. Venizelou – like the airport name), at 104, El. Venizelou street. 210 8073703; and another in Central Athens, in Thiseio district (bordering on Plaka) towards the end of Ermou street (below Monastiraki). Train (not metro) station is Thiseio, linked to the metro network.
Tipping in Salons
In the old days, going to the hairdressers in Athens, the client would go up to the employees and literally put the tip in their pocket - but now with trendy uniforms this is generally not possible! (And tight jeans make it a social hazard)
It is customary to give both the person who has washed a customer’s hair and the person who has dried the hair (if this involved two people, as it usually does) a small tip. 2 euros is fine - but of course if you were thrilled you can leave more. For a haircut, about 5 euros is standard, but naturally this is all subjective. A lot of women just ask the receptionist to extract tips from money given to pay for services and tell him/her how to allocate it.
So go with the flow, and how you feel.
Nail Salons
Good mani-pedis are not as easy to come by in Athens as they are in New York, and they are definitely not as cheap.
That said, Nýxi-Nýxi, in Kolonaki 6 Sekeri street, Tel 210 3640092 is the best. Also in Nea Erithrea (near Kifissia) El. VEnizelou 111 (which is the continuation of Kifissia Avenue) Tel 210 6200714-717. (Sometimes a local hair salon will have someone good for nails – but that’s a “by-chance” find – and do let ChI know when you do!).
Beauty Products
• ‘Hondos Center’ and ‘Beauty Shop’ are located all over the place and
are reliable for all the classic stuff (though they seem to be slightly
cheaper in Hondos Center)
But for more interesting and refined brands two places are worth a visit.
• Beautyworks, which stocks Dr. Hauschka, Shu Uemura, and Kiehl’s
among others. Kifissia branch in Aigli shopping centre at 8 Kolokotroni
street. Kolonaki branch on Karneadou street.
• Heaven On Earth, which stocks Bliss, Annick Goutal, and Molton
Brown among others. One shop in Kifissia in shopping Center on corner
of Levidou where Citibank is.
Travel Tips
Image Courtesy of http://wikitravel.org/shared/Image:Evzone.jpg
Greek Etiquette
Since you are ChI’s or wanna-be’s, you probably know much of all that follows – however, some small Insider pointers follow……
• Greeks are very “into” their hospitality and are often incredibly generous.
If they invite you out for their birthday, name-day (almost more important
than a birthday for Greeks), etc, the Greek rule is that the person
celebrating pays - (in younger generations this can vary and if someone is
going to treat you, they will let you know). It may be odd, but that’s the
way it works!
• Don’t insist on Anglo-Saxon style “going dutch” if you are out with Greeks
often a person will actually want to invite you for a coffee, a snack, a
drink, or a meal, as part of hospitality and Greek pride. And Greeks simply
fall apart with scornful laughter at the concept of paying someone back for
a coffee they have just been bought – even by a relative stranger.
• So, if you really want to pay the bill you’re going to have to fight for it! Or
go and pay it in secret but be careful, if it’s someone taking pride in
showing you around, they might get offended! Don’t worry - when they
come to visit you, they kindly expect you to do the same for them. (It
can be a fine line between accepting gratefully, really wanting to take
over the bill, and inadvertently causing offence!)
• If you are a man out on the town with a Greek woman and she is about to
do some traditional Greek dancing, particularly the Zeibekiko (traditionally a
man’s dance but more and more women do it), you have to kneel down
beside her and clap and cheer! Please note - it is NOT an opportunity to
go to the men’s room or chat with someone else!
• Tipping is not institutionalised like it is in (eg) the USA (although some
restaurants will add service to the bill – so always check). It’s ultimately
up to you and whether you were happy with the service or not. If you go
by US percentages (high for Europeans) - you are a very good tipper and
a very happy customer!
• Greek generosity extends to amazing details – including giving a customer
something without charging for it. ChI has often walked into for a tiny
miniature tiropita cheese pie or something and they gave it for free!!
Where else in Europe does that happen?!
• When you are invited to someone’s house for a meal, it is customary to
take them something like wine or dessert (if you know them you can ask if
they need dessert). Pastry shops are open late and on holidays.
• When you go to a new house someone has just moved into always step in
with your right foot, for good luck!
Arriving….
Book your accommodation ahead if you are visiting Athens from June to September. First of all, it’s the high summer season, then in September, Athens becomes “conference city”, so hotel rooms can be hard to find.
Have a one-euro piece ready if you are likely to need a trolley at the airport. You have to pay.
Trips into town from the airport are fixed price (plus luggage). Usually around 28-30 euros. More than that, and you may be being ripped off.
If you are in transit between flights, and are too tired, hung over or simply lazy to head into Athens, consider the option of taking a day room at the very pleasant, comfortable Sofitel hotel right opposite the airport (five minutes pushing a large trolley). The rate is half that of a full night’s stay. Or, you can also just leave your luggage with the concierge (with a suitable tip) and use the spa for a beauty treatment (but not the pool), for free. Well worth it, at times. Tel +30 210 35 44 000. email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Athens in August has its charms, as its pretty deserted (everyone heads for the sea), so wandering around the “real” Athens (outside the tourist antiquity sites and the perennial Plaka/Monastiraki scene), can be delightful (if hot). Cool Athenians all go around town clutching bottles of mineral water – very sensibly.
Weekends in summer begin at mid day on Friday in Athens, so be warned! This means a mass exodus to the ports, the beach, the airport….so allow extra time for your journeys than usual. Normally, downtown Athens to Pireas would take about half an hour, but this can double at peak times.
Explore the trams and buses – buy your tickets before you get on, in newspaper kiosks.
Useful for finding your way around Athens: go to www.driveme.gr and print your map!
On the islands, and for getting to them, travel light. Repeat, travel light. Don’t take anything more than you can easily carry, as planes are small and boats crowded, and struggling on and off them with too much luggage is a total nightmare.
Think in terms of hundreds of people rushing on and off (not to mention those who got on the wrong one and are swimming against the tide, so to speak), alongside massive trucks, cars, push chairs and old ladies in black.
to the Islands
Boats to the islands always seem to leave at dawn (or maybe it just feels like that). Pick up some koulouria (delicious slightly sweet round bread circles with sesame seeds on top) to nibble on along the way, from the stall that always seems to appear just before the boat goes. Boats generally have ghastly food, but OK coffee. (Coffee and ciggies being essential for survival, Greek-style. And the more of each, the better). Boats can also be pretty chilly, since most are (thankfully) fiercely air conditioned, so carry a light sweater or shawl.
Boats often arrive late – so allow for sufficient transit time to the airport if you have a flight to catch, when planning your schedule of island-hopping.
Boat bookings: http://greekferries.forth-crs.gr/english/npgres.exe?PM=BB
Schedules change twice yearly, and inconveniently, go dormant in April/May for the summer months, till they change in June. Hellenic Seaways (for Flying Dolphins as the boats are known) and Sea Jets are two of the best-known, most-used companies. Check your tickets to see which company you are with – or risk getting on the wrong boat. Hellenic Seaways boats have large numbers on the side – eg “the No 19 to Aegina.”
Equally, not all boats leave from Piraeus. Rafina is the port for some, so check before you set out. Rafina has great fish restaurants and cafes in which to while away your time between plane and boat, and is smaller and much more user-friendly than the vast hub of Piraeus. There is also the 4 star Hotel Avra, located at the edge of the port, in case you get stuck and need to overnight for an early departure.
Boats to the Cyclades (Mykonos, Tinos, Andros, Serifos, Milos) are usually high-speeds, but huge ones. The Flying Dolphins that serve the Saronic Islands (Hydra, Spetses, Aegina) are much smaller.
Either way, the principle applies… Once you get there, chances are that you will need to drag your case over rough roads or up zillions of steps to your bijou pad, and large n heavy does not rule!
However, on the islands some hotels have mini-van meet and greet services, so its worth checking if they can meet you off the boat, to avoid a nasty slog.
If you plan to rent a car, a scooter or a quad bike, and you are visiting in high season, it really is worth reserving well in advance. In ChI’s experience, on some islands you can “walk into” a rental easily, even in mid summer, but on the smaller ones in particular, you really can’t, and it’s a pain not to be able to be mobile and explore properly.
Travel Agents:
In Athens, ChI and “serious Greeks” recommend:
Air Travel Services Ltd, 4 Filellinon St Athens Tel: + 30 210 3254421-3
Fax: + 30 210 3237871 email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Ask for Vivi, who is unfailingly helpful and rather laid back.
You can get boat tickets reserved by her and use the reference number to pick them up half an hour before departure, in person. This is useful, because boat seats get block-booked by agents, and are only released 48h in advance to the general public, so you can easily miss out on a place. Or book on line. But Vivi will even courier tix to you if you wish.
Taxis
An upmarket, reliable, personalised taxi/car service is operated by the husband-wife duo, Yiorgo and Yiorgia. (Think recent model Mercedes, not clapped out number from the 60’s). They will meet you at the foot of your boat (literally), and waft you out of town in comfort and courtesy. Tel…. +30 693 2201 536; +30 693 220 4343
Otherwise, for run of the mill stuff, radio cabs are good.
If you call to book one ahead of time (called a “rendez-vous”), be aware that they will charge you extra for this service, sometimes up to 5 euros or more if it’s a major festival like Easter, Christmas Eve, August 15th etc.
They are generally efficient and turn up fast, but if you want to be sure (if you are going to the airport for example) it is best to book in advance.
They now accept phone calls from mobiles, as long as you can give them some sort of address to pick you up at – they still prefer a landline though. The lady operators tend to be fast, furious, and quick to the point – so get in first by immediately providing are fast and often furious - so be quick and to the point – the first thing to say is the number you are calling from. For Kifissia (mainly for there and northern suburbs) call +30 210 8084000, 8084101. For Protoporia : 210 2919016. For Asteras: 210 6144000, 210 6144500. For Ermis: 210 4115200
Greek Taxi Quirks
Bad news first:
Taxi drivers in Greece can be rude.
Good news next:
They are incredibly cheap, for Europe. So some quirky problems are just the price one has to pay!
Streets in Athens are not numbered, but named. What makes things a little complicated is that there can be more than one street with the same name (eg Kolokotroni) in different neighbourhoods. So it’s important to give directions for the right location - ChI once waited two hours for a meeting with a client who had simply said “Kolokotroni street” to the driver and had been taken 20kms in the other direction! Always specify strongly what area you are going to, as well as the street.
It’s also best to have some idea of where you are going, in advance. Of course most drivers will know Athens’ landmarks and the big hotels but like anywhere in the world, chances are that you will get some guy who is out on his first day or from another part of Athens and has no idea.
Taxi drivers are not trained, (like they are in London for example). Think “fresh off the boat” in Washington DC.
If you have been invited somewhere by a local, ask them for some extra directions to guide you just in case.
If a taxi has the yellow light turned on it means it is free for hire and should take you wherever you want. It’s possible nevertheless that the driver will insist on finding out where you want to go before letting you in. They are not allowed to do this by law but you will find it is more of a hassle to argue than to abandon it and start again with another cab.
Taxis that already have passengers in them will more often than not still stop for you - (in this case it is imperative you yell your destination at them before you get in so they can see if it works with where they’re going!). Again this is not strictly legal, but it happens and sometimes, like when you have been waiting for ages in the rain - (yes it does rain in Athens in winter) - you are glad they do!
It’s advisable to try to hail a cab heading in the direction you need to go. This is not London or Paris and they will not happily swerve around for you if you are on the wrong side of the street.
Taxi drivers can be fussy about their cars – it’s not absolutely necessary but it’s nice to ask before starting to roll down windows and light up cigarettes! (Though to be honest, in ChI’s take, the smoking issue is more on the driver’s side than the passengers, for non-Greeks). Oddly, many drivers will allow you to smoke when you are seated in the front but generally not in the back seat.
Always, always have small change for cabs. The most they will accept is a 20 euro bill and even this is difficult as they either don’t have change, or they whine over it endlessly..
“Comfort Blankets & “Clutching at Straws”
What do when feeling a bit low and “foreign”!
Actually ChI never has, in Athens. But, in anticipation of a day that may come….
Thanopoulos supermarket chain has lots of US and UK products (including from Waitrose), and has an outlet in Kifissia. So your supplies of marmite and digestive biscuits are assured.
Cake patisserie (on Irodotou street in Kolonaki and just off Kifissias Avenue in Domus Centre in Halandri) has killer cheesecake and carrot cake; does pumpkin pies for Halloween and a mean chocolate fudge cake.
Or have a really good “cuppa” tea at the Grande Bretagne.
Failing which…. a stiff drink.
Major Occasions
The ChI shares some of her uber-cool locations for special events, and also directs you to the best party planners!
Thanassis Platis, of Platis, caterers to the super-demanding, produce the most amazing food for seriously upscale life events. Platis Catering Tel 210 963 6386. They also have a store in Kifissia, on Platanos Square, on the right towards Nea Erithrea, that has lovely food-to-go. Their melitzanosalata (aubergine puree/salad) is sublime! www.platis.com.gr
“Keep an extra bathing suit in your car. The sea is always closer than you think”.
Seen in Carouzos men and women’s clothing – lots of lovely linen stuff - on Joachim, in Kolonaki.