Athens hot and sunny

Hot and suny day. .28C before breakfast, 33C later.

Walked aroud The Acropolis to The Underdog, very few people. No surprise considering how hot.

I should have set off earlier for The Underdog. I could’ve stopped at The Underdog

Head to Wisecup coffee roasters.

From Wisecup, head to Exarchia, then realise pointless as the coffee shops I wish to visit are likely to be closed.

Change direction, head to Ermou to visit In Love Again.

Stop at a rough bar. Mediocre craft beer.

I walk through side streets in a tough area. No idea where I am.

Emerge at Thissio, head to Monastiraki.

I stop at Sticky Rice. I ask are they open, photographers blocking access. Yes. I place my order. Photographer shouts at me to get out. Order gets confused. I receive fried rice with egg and prawnswns. I had ordered chicken with fried rice and vegetables. I do not have to pay. Come again and free.

In Love Again, I am offered cascara imersiin cold brewed, served with tonic. It is excellent. I am told very good served with rum.

Barista thanks me for the bag of beans I give her.

Nightmare Plaka, too many tourists.

Too late to eat at Bel Paese. Pork souvlaki at Ionos, with a carafe of red wine.

Drink my red wine quicker than advisable.

Otto spritz at Warehouse CO2. I am no fan of Aperol. Otto’s Athens sweet vermouthout superior. But Otto’s spritz does not work, weak and insipid.

Noise from bar across the street annoying.

Head back to Ionos. Sit outside until two in the morning.

Athens Edem Piraeus

T6 tram to Edem.

Sea bream at Edem fish restaurant.

Then decided to go swimming. No s good idea, at least not a good location. But it cooled me off, and I very quickly fried in the sun.

T

Athens Plaka Kolonaki Exarchia

Very tired, went to bed after breakfast.

Walk through the National Garden to Kolonaki.

Sat by the lake in the National Garden watching green parrots at a water channel. Ducks were in the water, would then shake themselves, showering me with water. The parrots would perch on the edge. Then descend to the water.

Lunch at Cocono I in Kolonaki.

Walked to Samba. I had a chat with barista champion from El Salvador. Then more people joined me who had visited World of Coffee.

I buy capsules and a bag of beans from Samba. To drink, Japanese iced coffee which I had a couple of weeks ago. It is cold dripped or freddo espresso.

Not too far away, I decide to head to Warehouse Exarchia. I had intended to head for In Love Again.

I had intended to head to Warehouse on Sunday whilst in Exarchia.

I pass by Cultivos, their flagship store owned by Taf. I pop in and have a long chat with the barista. He knows me. It sometimes feels as though every one in Athens knows me.

I carry on to Warehouse. I cross the invisible frontier into Exarchia guarded by riot police.

Pleasant atmosphere at Warehouse sat outside. Excellent craft beer.

Find my way to Plaka, not sure where I am.

Too late, far too late, for risotto at Bel Paese.

Dinner at Old Ithaki. I looked forward to t-bone steak. Too expensive. I settle for chicken strips with chips. It is not good. I leave half , feeling hungry. Waiter apologised, offers me something else. I settle for a cocktail.

Plaka early evening and late night

Early hours of Monday morning, I got in very late, tired and exhausted and not feeling very well.  The bomb exploding kicking in.

Monda morning not feeling very well. Heavy rain late morning. I went back to bed.

I did not go out until early evening.

A wander around Plaka.

Cappuccino at Wisecup CO2. Busy, traffic passing by.

Attic Moon for wonton soup.

Returned to Warehouse CO2. We chat about coffee and cocktails. Maybe I will return later for a cocktail.

Warehouse CO2, coffee, sparkling wine and sparkling wine based cocktails.

Too late for risotto at Bel Paese.

Pork steaks and a carafe of red wine at Ionos.

Early hours of the morning, sat outside Ionos drinking red wine.

Exarchia very hot day

A very hot day, 30C before breakfast, afternoon 34C.

Very hot walking to Exarchia. I was thinking of walking around The Acropolis. Too hot to be in the open. I walked through Plaka. Later or earlier, I would have had the shade of the buildings, the sun was shining straight down the street.

I stop at Cupaki, the only coffee shop open on a Sunday. Too hot for coffee. I take a rest with a glass of ice cold water.

I thought only Cupaki open. I see Mr Bean is open. Or what was Mr Bean, the name has changed. They are open because Election Day.

I feel like going no further but having walked this far, I continue up the hill.

Eventually I reach Exarchia Square. There used to be an excellent farmers market, but no longer the square is barricaded.

I head to a coffee shop, Be the Man. It is busy, but not as busy as it was in February.

A mistake to order cappuccino, I should have ordered a cold brew. A mistake I ordered, I thought avocado, it was not, nevertheless it was good.

I sit chatting outside with people from World of Coffee, they leave, another group joins me.

Then a bomb explodes nearby. Loud explosion, cloud of smoke, smell of cordite. I did not think to take a picture. If there was a blast, we were sheildrd by a car. People ran out of the coffee shop. I was looking in the direction when the bomb exploded. But did not see who threw it or where it came from. I thought the police across the street threw it. Maybe it was thrown from a building.

What to do? To leave may be to walk into danger. I feared the police would seal off the area. I decided to stay, see what happens next.

When I spoke, my ears buzzed.

Later, at a cocktail bar the other side of the square, they said they heard a loud explosion.

I then forgot all about it.

I was going to have a cold brew, instrad I decided on an IPA.

To my suprise, eight o’clock. It then started to get dark. Not wise to remain in Exarchia when dark. There was a risk it would kick off, riot police seal off the area.

I advised to people I was with to leave. And until they left Exarchia, not to talk when walking down the street, to not draw attention to themselves.

As I was leaving I advised Be the Man of a project Standart were launching. Free copy of Standart for the coffee shop, if anyone takes out a subscription with a code, coffee shop gets a cut.

I did not get far. I stopped at a cocktail bar the other side of the square. Sat out side with a Negroni. Very pleasant and quiet, few people around.

It was now too late to make Plaka to eat. I stopped at the first restaurant. A big mistske, the pork chops were disgusting, the chips little better. I should have headed to the many restaurants further up.

I finally leave the restaurant midnight thirty.

A very long walk back, and I am very tired

I stop at Old Ithaki to have a rest. I must have fallen asleep. I awake with a start, confused where I am.

World of Coffee day three

Saturday, day three of three day event.
I catch direct train to the airport, very overcrowded.
Again, I miss the competitions.
I try a geisha on the Panama Geisha stand.
An interesting conversation with a coffee farmer who is practicing regenerative agriculture. He took over a degraded vegetable farm. Proudly showed me photos of what he has achieved. Maize intercropped with coffee trees and shade trees, to provide protection as they are growing. He is almost as proud of his shade trees as his coffee trees He is improving the soil structure, which acts to sequester carbon. The practice is being adopted by other growers.
He pointed out the owner of Hacienda Esmeralda where what is now known as Panama Geisha was grown. It was entered in and won what is now known as Panama Geisha. The rest as they say, is history. [see God in a Cup]
I was invited to join him for coffee cupping.
I was there for World Coffee Championships. I once again miss. I catch the announcement of the winners of the Baristas Championships.
Later I travel to Eden Square, a dangerous area best avoided, to visit an Afghan restaurant. Food good, service iffy.

World of Coffee day two

Saturday, nightmare Metro journey to the airport to pick up shuttle bus.

Wander around aimlessly but first head to Taf for Ninety Plus.

Ninety Plus leaving, tell me to head for Comandante.

Not yet ready, I visit Monin. Try a not espresso martini. Not good.

Head back to Comandante.Guest brews all day.

One guy, ground coffee in a carafe,eaves for four minutes, CF French Press, the pours through a filter.

Comandate use their version of origami for one cup. Which can then be poured into tiny cups for tasting.

Head to roasteries.

Long chat with Hermanis

Head to championships. I see results of semifinal announced. Greek champion does no t make it through. Patrick Rolf makes it through.

Nightmare journey back to Syntagma. Try to change trains. Train full, not moving, I decide to walk

Dinner at Bel Paese, cocktail at Pair.

World of Coffee day one

Nightmare getting there. Have to travel to airport, then shuttle bus to exhbiyyion centre. Long trip, few trains run, expensive. Why not follow the example of HoReCa, and run shuttle buses from … Metro station?

HoReCa one large hall coffee, World of Coffee the two largest halls coffee. In other words massive.
I wondered around aimlessly. Stopped if I saw anything interesting for a chat.
I was there for the coffee championshiips.
I saw the last two computers if the day for Brewers Cup. Why no information on the competitors?
Introduced to Ninety Plus by a grower from Panama.
Towawards the end of the day I find the Barista Championship, together with brew bars. Something to check out next day.

Athens Summer Solstice

A very hot day, 32C.

Tram T6 to Edem.

Lunch at Edem fish restaurant. It was quiet to when I ate last week. But did not last long. Noisy people. Service terrible. Sea bream good.

Tram T7 to Piraeus. Crowded.

I try two coffee shops.

– Civet
– Baristi

Not good.

The third

– Möte

Excellent

T7 to Edem. Tempting to alight and explore the coast

I am going the long way round. It would have been quicker and more direct to have caught the Metro, but I choose the scenic route.

Police road blocks, roads closed, I am forced to walk.

I was due at In love Again at seven for coffee cupping with Fuglen, then coffee based cocktails with Fuglen at Baba au Rum.

I arrive at nine-thirty in time for cocktails at Baba au Rum.

Late dinner at Diogenes. Vegetable soup, followed by tomatoes stuffed with risotto.

Gone midnight, still very warm.

Athens hot sunny dsy

Clear blue skies, over 20C

Walk to Foyer espresso bar for session with Fugler coffe jisftrs from Norway.