Relaxing

Salina travel is the travel agency I work for and you are welcome to let us help you organize your trip in or to Greece! With us you can book ticket for ferries that will go you to the islands, renting a car, tours at archaelogical sites and many more !

You can come and visit us at the travel agency that is 2 minutes on foot from Syntagma metro station. Or you can also check our web page: www.salina-travel.gr that can now book your air tickets or ferry tickets on line,or send us an email for your request There is an English verison also of the site  !

Let’s travel together!

Welcome to Nea Smyrni, my neighbourhood. The picture above is the view from my balcony, a sight I’ve grown up with. This alsos (somewhere between ‘parkland’, ‘recreational area’ and ‘small artificial forest’ in Greek) has been around since the founding of Nea Smyrni in the 1920s. We used to go there with school on our days off, watch films in the summer when the open-air cinema was still working… Lots of memories hidden between the pine trees, mainly from my childhood.

It used to be much denser with trees, more like a tiny forest than a park, but ever since the general reconstruction it went through as part of the gentrification of the neighbourhood by the municipality in the last decade, it’s become more “civilised”, with a small café in its centre, more open spaces etc. There’s also an open-air gym I sometimes go to when I’m not feeling completely lazy and a playground that is totally worse than the one we had back in my day! *mumble* They don’t make them like they used to… cough, hack, spit.

The Alsos’ main visitors are families and joggers and other people living in the surrounding area out for a breath of fresh air and to get a bit of exercise in but it’s perfect for anyone who wants to see and feel the Athenian residential parkland life. Bring your book, your gym clothes and/or some music and you’re good to go! Stop at tram stops “Aigaiou” or “Agias Foteinis”.

Among the blocks of flats, the avenues and the urban “growth” lies a different kind of growth. One that seems to be frozen in time together with its surroundings.

Rema Pikrodafnis is one of the few remaining relevantly untouched streams in Athens. You can see the areas it runs through by clicking here. Polluted waters, illegal dwellings tacked on the stream itself, an overgrowth of reeds everywhere… It’s a forgotten, completely different world. You’ll find such things as chicken coops, tin shacks, tortoises, frogs and great views over the stream from the winding, labyrinthine roads that go parallel to it. Some might say it’s not an interesting sight and might wonder why anyone would want to visit a place such as this. I for one love this seemingly abandonded part of the city and really think it’s a symbol of the part of Greece a lot of people want to forget or gloss over.

It’s a great walk any time of the day. I suggest you bring something good to listen to while walking or biking along the wild vegetation. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle in audiobook format was my choice and it fit strangely well with the desolateness.

To get to the lower part of the stream which is most easily accessible via local transport, catch a tram and get off at stop Achilleos. Go down Eleftheriou Venizelou past the shops and sure enough you’ll see the first reeds in the distance. The rest is up to you.

One of the things I used to do with my dad when I was little was go to the planetarium. Most of the pop science narration flew right over my young head but the feeling of looking at the old-school dome, filled with stars and cute little wandering planets (a Greek word which literally means wanderers, as the ancient Greeks called them because, contrary to the rest of the stars, they slowly moved across the sky) has stayed with me to this day.

In fact, today I can safely say that some of the groundwork for my big love for the sky was laid then, in the Eugenides Planetarium. That and the foundation it belongs to, one of the most important scientific institutions in Greece, matured as well as I did and 2003 saw the opening of its new digital dome, a must for anyone with even a passing interest in astronomy, the sciences or audiovisual stimulation. New films with themes ranging from space junk to the evolution of life on earth to trips around the solar system come out every few months so there’s always something new on show. Unofortunately, most shows are offered only in Greek dubs and narration but I suggest that you do not let that stop you.

In the same building you can find an interactive scientific exhibition the sort of which I just love and the planetarium’s boutique. Bus lines 550 and B2 can get you there from the cenre of the city. Stop ΕΥΓΕΝΙΔΕΙΟ (Evgenidio).

Board games, especially the “German” ones, you know, the beautifully designed ones with the complicated rules and the funny names, have become more popular in recent years and Greeks haven’t completely missed that boat. Playce is a café that specialises in these kind of games and many more: from Catan to Scrabble, from Ticket to Ride to Tichu… This playce has got it all.

Even though there are two branches that I know of, I’ve only been to the one close to metro station Panoromou from which it’s less than a 5-minute walk. It’s very colourful and the decoration is accordingly playful. Their collection of games is quite large and even though I’ve been there several times already, I can’t have played more than 1 in 20 of the games they have. There are game helpers who quickly and efficiently explain the rules of any game you might have chosen; their skills with the English language remains untested, however.

The prices for playing are quite reasonable, with unlimited gameplay costing just € 1 per person. Disappointingly, coffees, hot chocolate, waffles and the rest of the typical café selection is more steeply priced.

One thing that might annoy you as much as it does me is the loud music that is more apt for a club than for a loungy café, unfortunately a common occurrence in Greece. If that’s not important enough to stop you, please invite me for a game too: there are still tons of them I haven’t tried!