From Place To Space: My Athens! Part One

Hello Monday, hello spring, hello friends! Let us start into a new week invigorated by ideas, creativity and the insatiable desire to discover new places, new cultures new concepts of aesthetics and happiness. Probably today's virtual trip won't be all too new to everyone of you, but it is a personal return for me, a visit to a city I called home for an entire year as a student: my Athens!

As usual, I will try to tell the story visually through my snapshots. Since I took quite a good number of shots I've decided to split them up and make two parts for the blog so expect next Monday part two. But let us see what I want to share with you in this part one. 

Almost all pics in today's blogpost about Athens were taken at the main touristic sights of the Greek capital. Now you might wonder why I am showing the obvious places instead of unknown corners. Let me explain: I lived there for an entire year. My apartment was a 10 minutes walk from the Acropolis. And yet I enjoyed every single day the view of the ancient city. And every time when I'm back to Athens, I must go there, take in the smell of pine trees, gaze at the stones of a metropolis built thousands of years ago, overlooking the numberless houses of modern Athens, looking at the blue horizon and the flickering waters of the Aegean Sea. However, I do have some favorite spots for the best views of Athens that I will share with you here.

If you intend on visiting or revisiting Athens soon, consider these two options for amazing bird's eye views of the capital of Greece: First, if you head to the Acropolis just continue the main path, passing the entrance to the Acropolis and you will arrive at one of the most magic places of Athens - the Areopagus hill. In ancient time this rock functioned as the high Court of Appeal, nowadays it is the famous spot of couples, few tourists and locals to sit, have a drink and chat while overlooking the endless metropolis (tip: go there at dusk, the atmosphere is enchanting).

The other 'hot spot' for a perfect view of the city and the postcard view of the Acropolis is the opposite hill called 'Philopappous'. I actually used to live right under that hill. The hill's top is marked by an ancient monument. Actually, it's the name of the monument and the hill is officially called Mouseion hill, but believe me, everyone calls it Philopappous. It will take you 10 minutes to climb up (take the stairs just underneath the Areopagus hill) and you will have the most stunning view of the landmark Acropolis. Plus the Aegean Sea will open up in front of you, to all sides you will overlook the city that used to be the birthplace of democracy. Sit down, take in the views and think of how amazing our world is and how much beauty there has been throughout times on this rock that we call Earth and home. 

P.S. The amazing restaurant on the pic above is a great suggestion for dinner: It's called 'Kuzina' and is located in the Thisio area. It interprets traditional Greek cuisine in a refined, modern way and offers a delightful interior design and stunning views of the Acropolis and Ifesteio temple. Go there for a great dinner!

Happy new week, friends!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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From Place To Space: New Hotel, Athens

I am a lover of weekend city getaways where I am discovering new places, new designs, new treats. This time I was up for a prolonged design weekend in Athens, Greece. It was a sort of 'revisited' kind of getaway because I've been many times to Athens and a decade ago I used to live there as a student. Now it was time to visit some old friends, good old neighborhoods and discover a new design hotel - the 'New Hotel' in Athens' city center, a ten minutes walk from the famous Plaka and the Acropolis.

The 'New Hotel' belongs to the Greek hotel group YES! Hotels owned by one of the country's biggest art collectors and art connoisseurs. This fact has strongly influenced the hotel's design: The 'New Hotel' was exclusively designed by the Brazilian design brothers Campana in collaboration with Greek students from the art university in Volos. The design blends the old with the new, mixing modern design with three themes of traditional Greek folklore and lifestyle - the 'Evil Eye Protection', the 'Karagiozis' shadow theater, and old postcards from Athens.

There is one more interesting fact about the hotel. Formerly, this was the old Olympic hotel from the 1950s which was abandoned in the late 90s of the previous century. When YES! Hotels took over the property, it was completely redesigned with a strong reference to its origins. The Campana brothers used the old furniture to reinterpret a modern twist of the hotel's history - they broke up too worn pieces into wooden fragments and created sculptural elements in the restaurant and reception area called 'Favela' in reference to their iconic Favela chair. Other furniture pieces were upholstered and recreated into design pieces that are placed in the entire building.

The rooms, on the other hand, reflect a design concept called 'fragmented design'. With a sort of scissor cut edges and the use of bamboo wood and brass counteracted by Greek folklore elements, the rooms mirror Athens position as a traditional and modern European metropolis. On the top floor, the penthouse adds a notch to the design experience with a huge private balcony and the best views of the Acropolis. Moreover, as of mid April a brand new bar and restaurant with stunning views of the Acropolis will open on the hotel's seventh floor and guarantee an unforgettable Athenian sojourn.

I was lucky enough to be guided through the entire hotel by Mr. Katis (thank you very much!!), a hotel manager, who also told me about the hotel group's other premises such as the flagship Semiramis hotel designed by Karim Rashid (hello colour explosions!). Well, looks like I have to go back to Athens soon.

Happy Monday, friends!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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