The mystical Hellenic Republic - Greece II

Updated: Jan 24, 2019

We will get into the details and we will attempt to give you the best possible guidance and information about Greece, with the hotels and places that are a must visit !

To continue with Athens, we mentioned a few hotels and restaurants in the previous posts, we will get into the details of the same.

Electra Metropolis | Sofitel Athens | Divani Apollon Suites | Athenaeum Intercontinental | Hotel Grande Bretagne

Hotel Grande Bretagne: One of the most sought after, the first choice of the celebrities. Founded in 1874 with 320 rooms, this neoclassical hotel is never to be missed. It is every inch greek and lives the history of Athens till date. With antique etchings, paintings and other artefacts it literally takes you back to the ancient hellenic republic. And not to forget it went over a €87 million makeover in 2004. We leave the rest to your imagination.

King George:As the name suggests, King George was a formerly royal residence, located right in the heart of Athens overlooking the Acropolis. This 102 rooms, Rococo style hotel reminds you of the royalty that once lived.

Hilton Athens: A modern architecture, this hotel stands tall amongst not so many high-rises. Reminiscing, the past glory the hotel was core is embellished in marble carved by a prominent greek artist Yannis Moralis. This hotel follows the minimalist yet elegant and classy architecture and interiors, with all the elements that gives justice to the land it stands still on.

Electra Metropolis: This ten storey building is just a few hundred metres away from the Greek Parliament and enjoys a complete uninterrupted view of the Parthenon. Designed in 1959 was housed by the Ministry of Education previously. It is a retro-chic hotel with a great accessibility and transport connectivity. Not to forget the roots, this hotel also has the components of its rich history.

Then there are many others that you could explore, of course we do not intend to just throw a set of names to you. But it is for your convenience and save you the trouble of searching- which we gladly did.

Sofitel Athens; Electra Palace; New Hotel; Royal Olympic Hotel; AthensWas Hotel; Hilton Athens.

They all have their own importances and charm.

And now just a disclaimer, the thing about we Indians is that we are very emotional and feel very happy when we hear something which is very much similar to our language and moreover if we see or meet an Indian living in another country we visit, you should see us !! So we kind of have a habit of comparing!! But in a good way, we do not put anyone down, it is just that we put ourselves a little superior. (It is all cool and good otherwise)

Now for something that I love, eating delicacies and the amazing and deliciously mind watering - Greek cuisine. One of the most popular in the Mediterranean region and even rest of the world. We were in Italy and we saw the craze and the popularity of this cuisine, and now imagine my happiness when I am right there, where it all started.

The typical ingredients used for cooking Greek dishes are olive oil, wine, lemon juice, vegetables, olives, fish, poultry, and lamb. Greeks also serve mezes, a variety of small dishes served with wine as part of every meal. Greeks like to eat their meal, especially bread, with dips. I found the Greek meal to have a lot similarity with the arabic and Iranian food (Sans the alcohol)

Gyros:meat roasted vertically and served like a sandwich or a roll. (Indians and arabs, will connect to rolls or a shawarma)

Taramasalata: creamy blend of pink or white fish roe, served with either a potato or bread base, garnished with virgin olive oil or a squeeze of lemon.

Olives and olive oil: quite literally a staple food and a must with literally everything. They are like popcorns to the rest of the world.

Dolmadakia: made of vine leaf, hollowed out vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and courgettes, stuffed and baked. The stuffing also could be of minced meat with greek rice, or vegetarian versions with flavoured rice tossed with herbs like like thyme, dill, fennel and oregano.

Moussaka: Oven baked layers of sauteed aubergine, minced lamb, fried tomatoes, onion, garlic, spices with a topping of bechamel sauce and cheese. It is like ‘sizzlers’ for us!!!

Keftethes: Crispy greek meatballs

Souvlaki: Meat on a skewer. It can be served just plain by the plate or in a roll (Gyros) We did compare here too!!

Spanakopita: Greek spinach pie

Yemista: Greek stuffed tomatoes. Stuffed with rice herbs and vegetables (sometimes meat) and baked

Honey and Baklava: Classic Baklava, just like the turkish one filled with honey and nuts

Galatoboureko: Custard filled pastry with honey and yoghurt

Amygdalota: Gluten free (my favourite) almond cookie

Bougatsa: Sweet pie with a powder of sugar and cinnamon (Inspiration for a lot of brands) Oh, this one is interesting. When I heard this ( we will come to it) I said to myself, we are so similar to Greeks.

Halvas: (in hindi we call ‘halwa’ - meaning sweets. So it is a perfect match. But there is a catch this is exactly opposite to how we make it (there are low calories stuff available, but that’s not fun) Halva, (greek) is a combination of oil, semolina, sugar and water (now, if you would please search for the ‘Halwa’ (indian; and you will see the different types) I told you we Indians are sensitive. Greek Halva is a pudding.

Ellinikos: saviour after all the food that has gone and invaded in (I still get the taste). Greek coffee served in a traditional handle

The restaurants that you should visit: Psarras: Fisherman. Since 1898 and is the oldest tavern Nolan: For Japanese-Greek fusion Tzitzikas kai Mermigas:the name means ‘Grasshopper and the Ants’ is a modern greek tavern

Funky Gourmet: Recipient of two Michelin stars. Known for its nice presentation. Aleria: Sophisticated, romantic meal Café Avissinia: informal eatery, with a dynamic menu as per the season. Reminiscent of a french bistro Mama Roux: Informal. Experimental colourful salads

Strofi: Rooftop terrace

Klimataria:Old fashioned tavern near the central market

Varoulko Seaside: Best Seafood

Nightlife in Athens:

Athens, has a very vibrant nightlife and you can choose from various segments, luxurious night out, local party places where the locals go to party,

Exarchia - Place where young athenians go Gazi - It is a super club Koukaki - Sophisticated club Metaxourgeio and Keramikos - Local nightclub Psyrri - Great music lively atmosphere Patsion - Heritage club Kolonaki - Luxurious area of Athens