I don't know how it could be that, starting from 1989 years of walking around the squares, it would seem like a peek in every corner of it that would not hurrying there at all-never, but I never found myself on the street Lysiou to stop at the building rep Aczonym number 22 and see the signboard with the name: "Melina".

Melina is a Greek feminine name. Melina is also the name of Greeks adored by the last Greek goddess, granddaughter of Spyros Mercouris, in his time the function of the mayor of Athens, a late for more than 20 years actress, singer and politician.

In the building number 22 on Lysiou Street, there is a cafeteria and a special cafeteria. When I first crossed the threshold of this place and found myself in the middle – I froze, I just froze. Standing in the middle obracałam up for a good dozen minutes around his own axis, looking at the walls painted in orange, and the walls of those, with Półeczek, with cabinet countertops, from, looked at me from countless photographs of Melina Merkouri.

Tables here can with 10, maybe 12… Two are issued in front of the premises, on the street. More (but I do not know how much, I did not count) on the side of the cafeteria, outdoors, before stairs leading up. I noticed that most people take place at tables outside, but I come here for the interior and even in the biggest heat always sit in the middle. I have my favorite table here-the only one here, because standing in a large window, which spring, summer and autumn is opened. Sitting at this table I can feel and see the city life, because the street Lysiou walking and tourists and residents of Athens, but I can also view these unusual orange walls, which is not in any other place in Athens, from which it looks to Melina Merkouri.

Melina Cafe is a cafeteria with excellent yogurt with honey, various cakes and ice cream. Here you can also eat something more concrete: some meze or sweet or dry pancakes. Among the coffees, everyone will find something for themselves, because the choice here very good, to the juices and always fresh water. At the bar gadgets that you can take to remember the places: matches, beautiful business cards and sometimes postcards (although I admit that the postcards have not seen long ago).

I come here for years and have seen this place at any time of the year. Ever since zjawiłam here for the first time – it hasn't happened to me to be in Athens, and it doesn't take a look here once during the journey. I sit at my table (unfortunately: it is not always free, but rather I'm lucky), I order coffee, always yogurt with honey – and I start to mute internally feeling the spirit of the Goddess on each side… Bring to the table one of the available here to watch on the site books about the Merkouri: they are mostly Greek publishing houses, so I understand very little of it, but to my joy the illustrations there so much that I have what to enjoy my eyes for a long, long time .

One such release: A beautiful album with over hundred photos of Merkouri, I bought myself sometime in Athens at the exhibition of photography at the Museum of Ben, which does not mean that having it at home I stopped browsing it przesiadując in Melina Cafe. About one of the books I saw here years ago-I dreamed and rozesłałam information on this matter to all my friends: you are looking for! Whenever I was in Athens-I was looking at the collectors shops I was still hoping to find the book, although I sometimes heard, "You will have great problems finding it, because it has released along with the newspaper Eleftherotipija and never Else Not published. " But I still believed in my lucky star and I found a book in the end: I bought it in a stall bukinistycznym in pretty good condition-it looked like new!

Sipping a cup of coffee in Melina Cafe bring also a special thing to the table: it's a kind of guestbook (unless quite accidentally years ago arose), and for me some kind of diary. For some time (I do not remember now from when) wypisuję there greetings for the staff, for the place, I make a wish if time is right, I emphasize that I saw something interesting (about, as in the 2014 the exhibition of Photography in the Museum of Ben).

The interior of the cafeteria I like for understandable reasons always: being for years wielbicielką has been a Merkouri for her photographs I can look with enchantment indefinitely. I can recognize on these walls, who Sfotografowała the goddess and see, and that Salvador gave, and this Mikisa Theodorakisa, and it's still others…

The interior of the cafeteria, as I said, I like it always, but in the winter season it is directly here magically. I remember the time when in the middle of the cafeteria you could admire a beautiful Christmas tree. Recently in the holiday season widywałam instead of Christmas tree-a ship, which is more typical for Greece than a Christmas tree. A multiplicity of one-colour, delicate lampeczek, which decorated in the festive season the cafeteria creates an incredible impression: so much heat that you feel them even when come to Athens cold December or January bottom (and this happens after all).

And what I most appreciate here: it's never that, but it's never felt that I'm sitting here for too long, and, I don't hide, I happen to do it because I like here out: sometimes wypisuję postcards, and sometimes I delve into reading the captions of the pictures in Books, which in my case requires a lot of time.

I come here in the same way as planned or not, I come here with friends, but I have to come: after Melina Cafe is one of my places in Athens.