Weekend Activities

There are a lot of things to do on the weekend. Some activities might be around you and some might cause you to take a long taxi drive….

Movies

Here in Athens we like to keep up with the movies (wow), and there are a couple of places to stop in and view something. One of them is called Village Center in Marousi. A lot of people from the embassy and school like to go up to village to catch a flick. To reach Village Center, you can grab a taxi, bus or have your parents drive you. In a taxi, just say "Village Center Marousi", s/he will immediately know where to go. If you are taking a bus, take 550 up/down Kiffisia Avenue until you see Goody's and Enter plus 2 lunar parks(if you are coming from Kiffisia) and take 550 up Kiffisia Avenue until you see a Church or until you see Village Center down a street (if you are coming from Glyfada, Vouliagmeni, Psyhico or Filothei). If your parents are driving you then take Kiffisia like you are taking a bus.

There are a lot of other movies in other locations, and after living in Athens for a little while, you will get the hang of getting to them.

One more thing about movies, almost all movie theatres have reserve numbers to reserve tickets. I have found that these numbers are so much better then taking a chance on just buying them there! In the movie section in the newspaper underneath the theatre of your choice there's the reserve number. When you call you give your credit card number, the movie you want to see, and how many people. At Village Center, they have these cool machines where you just stick your credit card in, and out pop the tickets.

Restaurants

Greece is known for its delicious food. Everywhere you can find tavernas, which are overflowing with lovely Greek food. Here are some of our favorites:

Zaganaki -- grilled/fried Greek cheese (pretty salty but good!)

Souvlaki - Also known as kalamaki (it means stick). These are chicken or pork grilled on a stick and served with pita on the side.

Hori-yatiki Salata - The famous Greek Salad, made of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and a hunk of feta. If you see any lettuce in the bowl - it's not a real Greek salad!

Tzatiki (tsa-seekii) - to-die-for shredded cucumber in thick yogurt with onion. This is the best Greek food - all it takes is a hunk of bread to enjoy (you dip it).

Olives - another great Greek staple - they come in all colors and shapes. We like the big ones from Kalamata. At grocery stores, you see vats of olives beckoning. It's perfectly fine to help yourself to one to check the taste. Greeks approach olives like fine wine - and they are very particular.

Potatoes - Greeks do wonderful things with potatoes. Try the Greek version of fries - some tavernas make them the old-fashioned way.

Of special note is the famous "Gyros" sandwich. It's the most popular fast food in Greece - and delicious! Contains thinly sliced chicken, pork, or beef in a pita with tzatiki, onions, tomatoes and french fries. You see the little restaurants that specialize in gyros all over the place. Try Savvas in the Plaka or the little neighborhood one in Psyhico. You see Greeks eating them on the street --- they are a definite take-out food!

Since you can find tavernas anywhere in Greece, some American-type restaurants are quite popular such as T.G.I.F's and AppleBees.

The best known, and maybe best, T.G.I.F's is located in Kiffisias. It serves everything that the restaurants in the states serve - ribs, Caesar salads, juicy steaks, buffalo wings, burgers and more.

There are two Applebees here. One is in Glyfada, and a new one located on Ponormou Street , very near the embassy. Both are basically the same, except the one in Glyfada is quite large.

Lunar Parks

Greece has quite a huge amount of lunar parks, and a lot of them are in Athens. Lunar Parks are just Greek Theme Parks. But you won't find any of those huge thrill rides like at Kings Dominion or Six Flags. Or maybe you will, it depends how far out you go…. There are two lunar parks up (or down) by Village Center in Marousi, right across from each other. One is right next to Goody's, and the other is across the street. They just painted a walkway and added a light there so it's much easier to cross now.

Each of these parks are full of rides and luckily most of them are safe…Yes I would stop before you go on the ferris wheel at the lunar park near Goody's. The one across the street has a lot more rides and is a little bit newer.

It doesn't cost anything to get into the Lunar Parks, but you have to buy tickets for the rides at the Ticket Stands.

Also on a final note there are a few water parks in Greece. But most are outside Athens. The Embassy Camp, Camp Heat wave, goes to a water park at the end of the summer and its really fun!

The Only Ice Rink

Yes there is an ice rink in Athens, but there is only one. Its located in Marousi, you could walk there from Village Center but it is quite a walk. I would take a taxi there first-- just to see where it is from Village, then maybe next time you go you can try walking…. (tell the taxi driver, ice skating rink Marousi) It's pretty ordinary in there. They do have a nice snack bar where they serve hot cocoa and other hot treats. It costs about 7 Euros to get in.

Bowling

One Bowling center that I know of is located in Kiffisia near T.G.I.F's. It's downstairs at a shopping complex, along with a couple of arcade games and pool tables. Its very easy to find considering there's a huge sign outside. But it gets very busy around 8-9 pm so I would recommend going around 4 or 5 pm. There is another bowling center down in Glyfada near Applebees that is bigger. I would recommend the bowling center in Glyfada since it's newer then the one in Kiffisia.

Shopping

There are many places to shop here, a lot of expensive places too. Some Popular Shopping Spots are in Glyfada, Kiffisia, Halandri, The Plaka, Syntagma Square and Ermou Street. Unfortunately there are not any malls so in case all you mall goers feel deprived….DON'T! There are main streets in which there are all the popular clothing stores.

A very easy shopping destination is Syntagma Square, The Plaka and Ermou Street. There is a metro stop that lets you off at Syntagma Square right in front of the beginning of Ermou street. (The Syntagma Metro Station is just a couple of stops from the metro station near the embassy). Ermou Street is a very long street which you can take streets of it which will lead you to the Plaka, which is the tourist part of Downtown Athens. Yet it is a great place to shop and eat for cheap prices.

The other shopping places are easy to get to, depending where you live. If you live in Glyfada, go down to the area around Applebees. There are a lot of shops, fast food places, and cafes along that street. If you live in Pshycio, Filothei or Halandri head to Halandri for your shopping needs or head to the area around AlphaVeta (the grocery store) both are closer then Kiffisia or Glyfada. If you live in Kiffisia, head to the area between the bus station and T.G.I.F's. There are a couple of streets there to shop.

I would recommend shopping at Carefour or AlphaVeta (AB) for your groceries. You can buy all your favorite American food items at the embassy and then buy everything you can not buy there at Carefour or AlphaVeta (AB).

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This survival guide was created by Erin and Caitlin O’Grady, Foreign Service Teens in Greece. If Athens is your next post or may be your next post and you have questions, email Erin and Caitlin FSTeenAthens@fsyf.org.