LOOKING AHEAD To meet the new challenges of today and tomorrow, the city is putting bold plans in place, seeking resilience through adaptability BY ALEXANDRA MANDRAKOU I t’s not easy to stand back and look objectively at the city where you’ve lived all your life. And then, just as it’s marching successfully towards a brighter future, welcoming 6.3 million foreign you see it once more, this time in the midst of a global standstill. The avenue, which starts at the Temple of Olympian Zeus in the city center and ends at the seafront, has established itself over the past couple of years as a new hospitality hotspot, with new hotels opening one after another. Visitors, however, remain scarce and the outlook for the next few months 1

Parthenon, temple that dominates the hill of the Acropolis at Athens. It was built in the mid-5th century BCE and dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena Parthenos (“Athena the Virgin”). The temple is generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order, the simplest of the three Classical Greek architectural orders. The Parthenon was part of a magnificent rebuilding program directed by the Athenian statesman Pericles, following the sack of the Acropolis during the Greco-Persian Wars (492–449 BCE). The project was to include, among other things, the Propylaea, the gateway to the sacred precinct; the Erechtheum, a shrine to the agricultural deities, especially Erichthonius; and the Temple of Athena Nike, an architectural symbol of the harmony with which the Dorian and Ionian peoples lived under the government of Athens. 2 The Parthenon was to be the chief shrine to Athena and also the treasury of the Delian League, a confederacy of ancient Greek states under the leadership of Athens, founded in 478 BCE. According to some sources, Pericles misappropriated surplus funds from the league to pay for the new buildings. The origin of the word “Parthenon” comes from the Greek word parthénos (παρθένος), meaning “maiden, girl” as well as “virgin, unmarried woman.” The Liddell–Scott–Jones Greek–English Lexicon states that it may have referred to the “unmarried women’s apartments” in a house, but that in the Parthenon it seems to have been used for a particular room of the temple.

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44 While the Parthenon was the most impressive temple on the Acropolis, another building, the Erechtheion was built to accommodate the religious rituals that the old temple housed. Construction of the Erechtheion began in 420 while the Peloponnesian war was interrupted by the Peace of Nikias and continued through some of the most difficult times for the Athenians at war. During this time the Athenians suffered a devastating defeat at Syracuse, saw their empire unravel through consecutive revolts, had their cherished democracy replaced by a brief oligarchy, and endured major defeat. The Erechtheion construction was concluded in 406 BCE, and soon thereafter, in 403 BCE Athens fell to the Spartans. None of the dramatic events that marked the fall of Athens are present in the elegant Ionic lines of the Erechtheion. It seems that the cultural maturity of Athens as expressed through art was reaching a new apogee, just as the forces and institutions that made it possible were unraveling. The Erechtheion is an intricate temple. It sprang from a complex plan that was designed to accommodate the radically uneven ground on the site, and to avoid disturbing sacred shrines like the altars to Poseidon (Erechtheus), and Hephaestus, or the spot where Poseidon hit the Acropolis with his trident. Other shrines that needed to be accommodated included the sacred olive tree, a well containing sea wa-

ACROPOLIS artMUSEUM 5 The Acropolis Museum is consistently rated as one of the best museums in the world. Devoted to the Parthenon and its surrounding temples, it is cleverly perched above Athens like a luminous box. The large glass panes beautifully draw in the ancient and modern parts of the city, making it a truly evocative experience. Designed by New York’s, Bernard Tschumi, with local Greek architect Michael Photiadis, it is the perfect sanctuary for the ancient artefacts that were found in and around the Acropolis and successfully deconstructs how the Parthenon sculptures once looked to the citizens of ancient Athens. Located in the central neighbourhood of Makrigianni, the museum is framed by olive trees and propped up by concrete pillars, revealing the site’s archaeological excavation below. The remnants are of an ancient neighbourhood that once thrived, complete with a drainage system, bathhouses and mosaics. Having visited the museum on numerous occasions, we suggest starting your journey from the top floor of the ‘Parthenon Gallery’ and making your way down from here. Acropolis Museum literature also supports this and it will tell a much more coherent story and will also prevent you from cutting short what is the absolute highlight of the museum. From this third floor, you will not only be mesmerised by the magical views, but will also get to appreciate the amount of thought the architects have placed into the museum’s design. The glass panelling and elevation of this floor allows you to easily glance over to the ancient city of the Acropolis, with the Parthenon always in plain sight only 300 metres away. So after purchasing your tickets, do yourself a favour, hop in the lift and go directly to level three. The top floor of the museum is designed on the same axis as the Parthenon so that it has the identical cardinal orientation. Additionally, it has the same dimensions to display the entire frieze of the temple, exactly as it would have been in ancient times. As you make your way around, it’s as if you are walking around the core or “cella” of the Parthenon. The three basic sculptural components of the Parthenon are; the pediments (east and west), the metopes and the frieze. The two pediments are the triangular areas formed by the sloping and horizontal corners of the roof. The east pediment was perched above the entrance of the temple depicting the supernatural birth of the goddess Athena who came out of the head of Zeus. The west depicts the mythological contest between Athena and Poseidon. Follow the 92 relief panels or metopes that were once part of the external colonnades of the temple, they depict Greek mythology and legendary ancient battles.

ACROPOLIS artMUSEUM The Parthenon features two pediments, the triangular sculptures facing to the east and west (pictured here) depicted the supernatural birth of Athena on one and the mythological contest between Athena and Poseidon on the other. From the view of each entrance east and west, 8 doric columns are visible on the Parthenon. From the side view, 17 doric columns are visible on the Parthenon The Parthenon measures 70 metres in length. Each end of the Parthenon measures 31 metres in width. The height from the base of the Parthenon to the top of the Pediment is 15 metres. Adorning the top of each Pediment was a floral Acroterion standing 4 metres tall The metopes, 92 relief panels in total, depicted mythological and legendary battles in ancient Greece. 6

A CROPOLIS Originally the first Acropolis Museum was opened in 1876 and resided atop the Acropolis, but because it was so small it was eventually deemed inadequate. So, in the 1960s the government agreed it would invest in a new museum. This was also motivated by the prospect of having the remaining Parthenon marbles (commonly referred to as the Elgin marbles), which resided in the British Museum, returned to Greece. The ground floor is the ‘Gallery of the Slopes of the Acropolis’, which display the numerous remains that were found on its slopes, from statues to everyday objects. The second floor is the ‘Archaic Gallery’ which contains the sculptures that once decorated the temples. The best is certainly left for last as on the top floor of the museum lies the ‘Parthenon 7

D D I O N Y S O S T H E AT R E O F Theatre of Dionysus, prototype of Greek the - atres, situated on the south side of the Acrop - olis in Athens, in which all extant classical Greek plays were first presented. Development on the site began with the creation of the orchestra, a circular floor of earth 60 feet in diameter with an altar at the centre. Placed adjacent to temples of nature and of the fertility god Dionysus, the orchestra was used for dramatic performances, which, together with a procession and sacrifice, composed the annual spring festival of the god. During the 5th century BC, the theatre served as the locus of the contests in which the plays of Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus, and Aristo - phanes (which developed from the Dionysian tradition) were first performed. At the time, the auditorium, perhaps with wooden benches, was set into the hillside, and the skene, or building serving as the background of the play, was built on the opposite side of the orchestra. In the mid-4th century BC, raked tiers of stone seats capable of accommodating as many as 17,000 spectators were constructed, as well as an enhanced stone skene. Major revisions, proba - bly including the introduction of a raised stage, were carried out in c. AD 61 under the Roman emperor Nero. After the 4th century the theatre fell into disuse and decay. It was rediscovered in 1765, and major archaeological restoration was undertaken in the late 1800s under archaeolo - gist and Greek architectural authority Wilhelm Dörpfeld. The dramatic action of the plays does point to the presence of a skene or background scenery of some description, the strongest evidence of which is from the Oresteia that requires a num - ber of entrances and exits from a palace door. Whether this was a temporary or permanent wooden structure or simply a tent remains. 8

RISING, AGAIN: ART IN ATHENS Over the years, the Greek capital has regularly been described as the “new Berlin,” due to the vibrancy of its art scene. But how accurate is that statement, really? BY DIMITRIS TSOUMPLEKAS 9

01. BRICE MARDEN, EM Blotter 2, 2012, Kremer ink and graphite on handmade paper, 25.4 x 20cm. 02. MOHAU MODISAKENG, Passage 8, 2017, from the UBUNTU exhibition. 03. The UBUNTU exhibition at the EMST 10 The Greek art scene is blossoming for what seems like the umpteenth time in the past five years – and this despite the pandemic. We’re seeing more exhibitions than ever, major international galleries opening branches in Athens and artist-run and managed spaces popping up in all sorts of unusual places in the city center. What’s more, the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) is finally completely open for business, the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation has endowed the city with a modern art collection equal to those of peers, and foreign artists and curators are increasingly choosing Greece as their place of residence. Does all this activity paint a true picture of the art scene? Are we reading too much into it? Is it, perhaps, merely indicative of the international market’s need to discover an exciting new art destination every so often? IS THE “NEW BERLIN” GETTING OLD? A narrative about art in Greece started to emerge in 2015, in anticipation of the world-renowned Documenta exhibition in Kassel and Athens and in combination with the Greek economic crisis. It featured keywords like “dynamism,” “creative energy” and “cosmopolitanism.” As a rule, it was accompanied by negative associations – chaos, austerity, ruins, tear gas, refugee crisis – painting a picture that was already familiar from other cities: a sense of decline, marginalization and “living dangerously,” albeit from a position of safety. Poor but sexy, Athens was “new Berlin”. e. They don’t sell here and most of them don’t exhibit in Athens either. There is no real interaction, basically. They’re sort of cut off, living a bit like hermits, taking advantage of the sun, the good food and the cheap rent. That’s miles away from being able to define Athens as... an evolving art hub – unless we mean [one] in the very early stages of evolution.” This image was framed by stunning ancient monuments, friendly people, Mediterranean landscapes and irresistible beaches. None of that is a lie. “Athens was and is a fascinating city with an incredible energy,” says Christina Androulidaki, an art historian and owner of the gallery CAN. “But the comparison with other cities is misguided. Athens is Athens, Berlin is Berlin and New Delhi is New Delhi. If we’re talking about cheap rent that helps the creation of an art center, as was once the case in Berlin, that is true. After Documenta, artists started moving to Athens because they felt an interesting energy and could rent studios without having to worry about whether they’d be able to afford their overhead.

The Collection of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation is one of the most important private collections to be assembled in the course of the second half of the 20th century. mary obThe primary objective of the new museum built in Athens is to house the collection and make it accessible to all, as was the wish of its founders. They built their collection with care, patience and true devotion over a period of nearly fifty years and this with the aim that it would one day be exhibited in their museum. 11

A COLLECTION FULL OF EMOTION Modern Art 1870-1945. The first volume featuring the collection of the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation is dedicated to modern art from 1870 to 1945. Spanning some 600 pages the catalogue presents each work of art in detail and also includes a chronology. The museum’s illustrious permanent collection includes works by renowned artists Vincent van Gogh, Roy Lichtenstein, Francis Bacon, Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock, among many others, as well as work from prominent Greek artists. In addition to its core collection, the museum will hold temporary rotating exhibitions of Greek and foreign artists. A museum shop, restaurant, multiple education spaces, a massive library, and a 190-seat amphitheater to host screenings and other events round out the space. Today marks the opening of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation‘s new public modern and contemporary art museum in Athens, Greece. The new space will house part of the now late Greek couple’s collection, including roughly 180 various works in the form of paintings, sculptures and more. Basil and Elise are most known for opening the Museum of Contemporary Art on the island of Andros, which was the first institution dedicated to current art in a country known for its distinct classical art and architecture. The couple always had dreams to open a similar space in Athens to expose more people to contemporary art, and after 26 years of planning it will finally come to life. The building is 11 stories with five floors below ground and was erected in a Neo-classical-inspired fashion. The walls are painted in a variety of unexpected, moody colors like purple and black to highlight the works on display. 12

ACROPOLIS MUSEUM rreessttaauurraanntt One of the most popular attractions of Athens is the Acropolis Museum that houses the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. 13

Diners from Greece and around the world attracted to this dining establishment, promoting Greek gastronomy. Without a doubt, the Acropolis Museum’s restaurant showcases Greek gastronomic culture, especially to diners from abroad, Mr. Rizos noted, pointing out that, besides travellers, the restaurant also attracts locals, almost daily, for lunch meals. Acropolis Museum restaurant now a spot for formal outings Here you will find a selection of hot dishes, based on traditional recipes, which are updated seasonally. The hot-food kitchen is open starting at 12 noon. Entrance to the second-floor restaurant requires a free admission ticket available at the main ticket counters. Located on the Museum’s second floor, the restaurant features a 700 square meter . 14 The chef, when asked about the most popular menu item amongst diners from abroad, responded: “The first thing foreign customers order, as soon as they sit at their table, is Greek coffee. It is in extremely high demand. They never ask for freddo coffees. The cold coffees served with straws, dominant throughout Greece, are not requested here, except for frappe, which is a tourist attraction. Customers from abroad order hot coffees – espresso, cappuccino, and, most of all, Greek coffee.” During the evening hours, the menu is revised for greater attention to modern Greek cuisine, as well as more modern dish presentation. The museum restaurant remains open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. “At nighttime, our customers are mostly Greek people, trends indicating that they want dishes that are different and more formal,” Mr. Dimopoulos pointed out. “They are interested in trying special recipes accompanied by a special Greek wine, to be enjoyed with the unrivalled view offered by the Acropolis, as well as lovely music played on the piano, which we shift from the dining room out to the veranda every Saturday during the summer. We have assembled a wine list in collaboration with leading sommelier, Andreas Matthidis, AIWS (Associate Member of the Institute of Wine and Spirits).” At present, the restaurant is open daily from 9am until 5pm (until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and until 8pm on Sundays). As of April, the restaurant’s regular closing time of 5pm will be extended to 8pm, except on Mondays, when it will be open until 4pm. The midnight closing time on Fridays and Saturdays will remain unchanged.

PIRAEUS FOR BEGINNERS Brash and humble, discreet and loud, this port city is evolving and modernizing, but without losing its unique charms – from Armenian delis to traditional craftsmen making musical instruments. BY ELEFTHERIA ALAVANOU 15

16 Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte and Quentin Moyse were instantly drawn to the old stone warehouses in the industrial part of Piraeus port as a potential site for their contemporary design gallery Carwan. The launch in September 2020 (following a relocation from Beirut) of the gallery in a 19th-century commercial warehouse came as little surprise to those who keep abreast of urban developments. The neighborhood outside the port’s gates E3 and E4 has been gaining in popularity in recent years, welcoming a succession of new restaurants and art spaces.But what exactly is this neighborhood called? Some call it Aghios Dionysios The Papastratos buildings (where the scent of fresh tobacco was once all-pervasive, reaching the nostrils of passersby in the surrounding streets) have been included in the Piraeus Port Plaza project, which foresees their transformation into offices, shops and cultural spaces. This is part of a more ambitious urban rejuvenation program that also involves interventions in public spaces, the creation of sports facilities and much, much more.Add to that the long-expected renovation of Piraeus Tower (built during the 1967-74 military dictatorship along the lines of London’s Marble Arch Tower to house shops and a hotel but never exploited fully), the demolition of dozens of illegal structures around the picturesque Mikrolimano harbor, and the ongoing extensions of the metro (three new stops on Line 3 to Piraeus are already open, with three more to come) and the tram (not yet operational), it’s clear that the port city is on the cusp of radical change. As regards public transportation in particular, the aim is to turn Piraeus into a hub, with the port connecting to the suburban railway, the metro and the tram system. Yet, despite these efforts to raise the the capital .

C h e f Krishna Pokharel O m N a m a s t e F R O M N E P A L T O T H E A C R O P O L I S WORLD CUISINES Ajem pilaf, pad thai, seker pare and injera: discover what’s what as you explore the city’s ethnic food scene. 17 BY NENADIMITROU , LINA KAPETANIOU AND VIVI CONSTANTINIDOU

Chef Krishna Pokharel Om Namaste FROM NEPAL TO THE ACROPOLIS The owner of the authentic Nepali restaurant teaches us the secrets of their cuisine. Krishna (Kris) Pokharel was born and raised in Nepal. He came to our country twenty-five years ago, for the sake of a Greek woman he met in his country and who was to become his wife. He declares that he loves Greece more than any other country in Europe, for its time and its people. Gentleman, he speaks excellent Greek and his educational background is anything but related to gastronomy: his father is a professor of Sanskrit language and rector of the University of Kathmandu, his wife is a philologist, he himself studied civil engineering and worked for eighteen whole years as a secondary education teacher, while his son studies philology in Athens. How did he leave building plans and floor plans to get mixed up with curry pastes and raitas? With the dishes we try at Om Namaste we subscribe to this. They are incredibly aromatic, with combinations of herbs and spices that are sometimes familiar and sometimes completely unusual, spicy flavors, thick sauces, but with the coconut and mango jumping out like cool notes and with marinades that are extra rich and complex, but without weighing down the stomach, convincing even the most skeptical. The blends are prepared in the kitchen from spice seeds and ground in a special blender that Chris brought from India. With a bowl of cool raita or a glass of delicious mango lassi even the most sensitive palate will be delighted. FEEDBACK 18

Where to try Greek yogurt in Athens: Stani (Marikas Kotopouli 10) is a traditional dairy bar that has proudly stood for over a century. This is where you will find the authentic, thick Greek yogurt topped with walnuts and honey. Fresko Yogurt Bar (Dionysios Areopagitou 3) near the Ancient Agora is another favourite. This place sells five types of yogurt – traditional Greek yogurt, a lighter version of the traditional, cow yogurt, sheep yogurt and goat yogurt. 19