Meeting an awarded Pastry Chef in Athens
It was over 5 years since my last trip to Athens, so I decided it was time to come back but this time not in spring or summer but in “winter”. Yes, winter 10-12 C. Not too bad compared to the UK…
It was a late flight from London Heathrow T5 as expected. Delays and time zone are my biggest friends. We managed to get at the hotel around 2.45 am just to have a deep sleep hoping to start Friday in a high note.
On the first full day, we enjoyed a little walk around our Hotel Grand Bretagne close to the Hellenic Parliament. We spent some time at the National Garden and then headed to the Panathenaic Stadium, the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble and also home to the 1896 Olympics (opening and closing ceremonies). After that, it was time for the marvelous Temple of Olympian Zeus. Yes of course, it was dedicated to the great Zeus, the head of the Olympian gods! Worth paying the €4.00 entrance fee. We also enjoyed the Arch of Hadrian, a Roman triumphal arch just near the Temple. We continued our walk and the next logical stop was the stunning Acropolis located on a rocky hill above Athens. Home of many ancient buildings and historical landmarks where the most famous is the Parthenon. Worth paying the €10.00 entrance fee to enjoy this beauty. Even though I had been there before, I couldn’t stop admiring it. Every inch I felt like taking pictures and shooting videos, although none really reflected what my eyes were observing. As mentioned everyone knows the Parthenon although there’s some other outstanding architectural pieces such as the Template of Athena Nike, the Erechtheum, the Propylaea and the remains of the Theatre of Dionysus. After this magnificent moment, we took few pictures from a prominent rock nearby called the Aeropagus. In the meantime, we heard that the 2 biggest basketball teams in Greece where facing each other in Athens in some hours in the context of Euro League. This was the derby. Our chance to watch it live and being part of such a crazy match. Yes, it was Panathinaikos vs Olympiacos. We ran back to the hotel and bought the tickets online as there were a few left. We changed and went for a bite. Right after we took a taxi to the O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall. What a game! It started 18-17 on the first half for Panathinaikos and then 28-22 on the second half. It was a bit of a difference but Olympiacos finished 22-17 on the third half and 25-23 on the fourth one. This was a draw! Extra time. Panathinaikos won 13-7 in those extra minutes to finish with a global of 99-93. Tyrese Rice netted 41 points to lead his team to this victory against the arch-rival Olympiacos on that Friday night. Utterly crazy game and glad we went despite being super tired! As soon as we came back to the hotel, we put all our clothes in the laundry bag as we didn’t know that the fans were allowed to smoke in the indoor stadium. Time to rest.
The following day, we went for breakfast around 10.00 am. The view was stunning. The Roof Garden Restaurant at the 8th floor allowed us to see Acropolis and some key places in the city. The buffet, based on the Mediterranean culinary tradition, had a large variety of tasty food to start the day. OK enough. Time to go for a little walk. We walked to the Roman Agora (open area with a collection of monuments and buildings). Then we took Panos street to continue through Thoulou and slowly going uphill uncovering some interesting restaurants in Plaka, a very picturesque neighborhood. We had lunch at Geros Tou Moria, a traditional Greek in a cozy and rustic dining room. Apparently over 90 years old! This area has a village feel and has truly narrow cobblestone streets with some small shops. Following our lunch, we had a coffee at the lovely Yiasemi. Very cosy place with some tasty coffee. Time to go back and get ready for a big event. Private Masterclass with the awarded Pastry Chef Arnaud Larher (Meilleur Ouvrier de France) at the Hotel Grande Bretagne. As you know, Kristina (my fiancée) she is a professional Pastry Chef so for her this was like going to Disney when you’re a kid. He has some boutiques in Paris, Athens and Tokyo and he is an absolutely star in that world. We changed and got ready to attend his Masterclass. We enjoyed the preparation of a traditional Christmas dessert: Chestnut & Raspberry cake. Absolutely great experience. After that we went to the Spa for a little while before getting ready for the Private dinner at the picturesque GB Roof Garden Restaurant with Arnaud Larher. It was a 4-course dinner prepared by the Executive Chef Asterios Koustoudis with the dessert obviously by the Meilleur Ouvirer de France. The menu was vegetarian for us. It included: roasted goat cheese, royal date marmalade with lime, cumin, quinoa, roasted almonds and balsamic vinegar sauce. Followed by homemade ravioli with pecorino di fossa, forest mushrooms and pumpkin-chestnut purée. Then we had some slow-cooked artichokes fricasée with mushrooms, chestnuts, greens and feta cheese sauce. Finally the marron-framboise cake. We spent a lot of time talking (in French) with Arnaud Larher and sharing experiences. We also tried some of his amazing chocolates and macaroons. No doubts why the Hotel Grande Bretagne called him 4 years ago to work together. It was an outstanding experience and we’re excited about visiting him in Paris. Time to rest.
The final day, we went for breakfast around 9.45 am to enjoy one last time the amazing view of Acropolis. We were lucky enough that the Changing of the Guards was taking place at 11.00 am so we gathered in Syntagma Square to watch the official changing. We followed them all the way to the Barracks of the Presidential Guard. After that we spent some time again in the beautiful National Garden. We realised that the Acropolis Museum was not too far, so we decided to pay a visit. Worth paying the €5.00 entrance fee as it’s an interesting archaeologic museum. We had time for a last coffee and the obvious nearby choice was the Little Tree Books & Coffee shop. Very tiny but really cool bookshop while enjoying a cup of coffee. We headed back to the hotel, picked up our suitcases and took a taxi to the airport. Once at the airport, I tried an interesting dessert at the lounge. This was called Kormos. It means tree log and hence the shape but it’s just chocolate and biscuits, similarly to the Tinginys popular dessert in Lithuania. Who created this first? It doesn’t matter but I loved it.
